CHAPTER 13:
War.
Eli

All I could feel was rage. Rage for seeing Quinn run out towards Robby Keene and go off with him, rage for even letting her go near him, rage for even letting him look at her.

And rage for letting myself lie to her.

I don't know what I was thinking. She wasn't talking to me, so how should I have known she felt that way?

"You led me on!"

Saying those things to her, I didn't realize just how deeply they impacted her. I just wanted to feel closer to the girl who's always been there, not knowing that really. . .I was also portraying my feelings too.

So when I saw Moon, the most popular girl in school, all I thought about was how I wouldn't be bullied anymore. I didn't care that I told her therapist I wanted to be a caretaker, to help her and guide her.

I didn't even care that I wrote and sang a song for her.

"Hawk?" Miguel caught me off guard.

"You alright?"

"Hell yeah, I just whooped Robby Keenes ass," I smirked.

"I-I just. . .I heard what happened with Quinn-"

"I'm with Moon now, it's not my fault she's just jealous."

But I ate my own words as I watched Quinn and Robby walk out together, both smiling and she gave him a hug before he walked onto the mat.

Why are they smiling like that?

What did they do in there?

The possibilities made my head pound. I don't trust Robby Keene, especially if he's smiling like that towards Quinn and making moves on Samantha LaRusso. He shouldn't even be allowed to enter the tournament, especially with just himself. Who enters by themselves? How stupid is that?

"Make sure he doesn't walk away without bruises," I told Miguel, who nodded and got ready to absolutely destroy him.

As my gaze was hyperfocused on Miguel and Robby, it shocked me to see Quinn beside Mr. LaRusso and cheering him on without her voice. She looks so determined, a certain fire in her eyes, and so. . .breathtaking.

It reminded me of the day I sang that song for her. I told her that we were forever and a friendship like ours wasn't ever going to die, and she cried tears of happiness. But, that me was such a pussy and a dormat, so there's no way she-

"You're amazing."

"I want you to be the first to hear me."

"I like you, Eli."

And that's when I realized that she said Eli. She liked Eli. She liked the old me, the scrawny boy who shook in fear of bullies and insecure assholes, but managed to scrape up a song about the two of us.

No.

You're not going back.

I've liked Quinn since middle school, and I always thought she'd never like someone like me. Yet she did.

But now, she's gonna learn to like Hawk. I'm confident, I'm stronger, I'm not a pussy ass bitch, and I can stand up to those assholes now. There's no holding me back, and so now she'll learn to love the real me.

The Hawk.

Making eye contact with her across the room, I smirked, knowing she was going to come around to the Hawk, but she rolled her eyes and turned away.

Don't worry, princess.

You'll come around.

///
Hope you all enjoyed! Hawk knows he likes Quinn, but is determined to make her like the the version of himself rather than the old him. Rather have her fall for the asshole that he is now than acknowledge that he had her but lost her.