"You look really awkward over here." Aisha joked as she walked over to Karter, who was hovering in the corner of Moons party.

"My apologies. I kinda turn into a scared snail at parties." Karter nodded her head. "That or I pull a knife on someone."

"Well, don't put your knife tricks away yet." she said honestly, passing her the drink. "Miyagi- Do just showed up and Hawk is pissed."

"Pretty sure he's still pissed at me too." she said honestly, exhaling with a shake of her head. "Alright, time to break out of my shell and make like a baby turtle headed for the ocean."

Aisha frowned her eyebrows. "I-"

But Karter was already gone, jumping over the couch to land next to Hawk. "What's up, Cousin?"

"What do you want?" he rolled his eyes.

"Just to talk." she turned to him. "I leave in the morning and I really don't want up being mad at each other when I go."

Hawk sighed, looking her way. "I acted stupid."

"No, you acted logical." she shook her head with a knowing look. "I know your mom compares you to me a lot, and i'm older then you are so you feel like you're in my shadow. Then you find something that you enjoy and I come in and get in the middle of that too. I'm sorry, I should have thought about you before I thought about not only karate, but also Miguel."

He looked down slightly. "To be fair, I do like you with Migeul."

She smiled. "Really?"

"He's matured you." he said honestly. "Made you grow as a person. If someone can make you do that, then they're really good for you."

Karters heart sunk, because just for a second, she forgot it was all fake. "Well, it doesn't matter, I guess. Because we're gonna break up in the morning anyways."

"Yeah, but you'll get back together somehow." be cracked a grin from behind his drink. "You guys are probably gonna be those two friends that everyone knows something is going on between, and hook up in a bathroom."

Karter gapped. "I said the exact same thing on a sail boat."

"What?" he gave an odd look.

Karter shook her head. "Never mind. The context was not there enough to say it."

"Speak of the devil." Hawk nodded, she turned to see Miguel walking over with a grin.

"Hey." he looked down before Karter stood up. "Enjoying the party?"

"Egh, it's going better then last time." she said honestly, shoving her hands into her pocket. "What about you?"

"Ugh, it's kinda getting ridiculous out there." he said honestly, nodding toward outside. "Sam and Tory are having this drinking contest and it's probably gonna end ugly."

"So you escape to your boring girlfriend to avoid a heart attack." Karter hummed jokingly. "Bold choice, I was about to go pull a knife on whoever is hogging the bathrooms."

"Wouldn't put it past you." he hummed jokingly, making Karter grin. "You all packed for tomorrow?"

"Yup, it's all just sitting next to my bed right now." she exhaled, downing the rest of her drink and tossing it onto the floor. "My moms are driving in right now."

"So, as your going away present I bring you go a party with a bunch of people you don't know?" Miguel asked, nodding to himself. "No points for Miguel."

"Well, not everyone is a total stranger." Karter shrugged, nodding in his direction. "You're here."

Miguel stared before exhaling, looking away with a faint laugh. "Very true. I'm gonna go get us another drink."

"Yeah, you might wanna." Karter hummed, nodding toward Tory, who stormed in and off quickly. "Maybe check on your lady too."

"Right." he gave a tight little smile. "I'll be back."

Karter nodded, going back to standing around awkwardly as he went toward the kitchen area.

"All right, looks like i've gotta go back to standing up for myself." Hawk hugged Karter goodbye the next morning. She hadn't stuck around long for the party, feeling out of place and like people had just been watching her the entire time. Though, the morning rolled around quickly. "Sucks you gotta go."

"Yeah, I know." she hugged him back with an exhale, pulling back. "See you at halloween."

"Yeah." he bumped her fist. "Kick everyone's asses back in Arizona."

"I will." she laughed, looking toward Aisha. "Bye, girl."

"Don't be a stranger." Aisha hugged her tightly. "Seriously. I'm gonna miss hanging out."

"Really?" Karter smiled over her shoulder.

"Yeah, you always have a place back here in The Valley." Aisha promised her with one final tight squeeze. "Remember, no mercy."

"No mercy." Karter joked, fist pumping her too as she looked around. "Doesn't seem like Miguel is coming."

"Maybe it's just too hard on him." Aisha suggested, looking toward Hawk. "Well, we have to get to school."

"Yeah, my moms are waiting." Karter nodded back to the house, stood in the drive way.

"See you later." Hawk slapped her shoulder before him and Aisha left rather quickly. Karter watched them drive off, exhaling as she turned on her heels to go back in.

"Karter! Wait!" a voice rung, from a distance, sounding faint.

She frowned her eyebrows, looking over to see Miguel running down the side walk. "Rwanda?"

"I'm sorry!" he yelled, running and clutching his side. "I'm sorry about last night!"

"It's fine." she laughed, helping him come to a stop infront of her. "Just wasn't really feeling the party."

"I know, and I didn't do anything." he exhaled, trying to catch his breath. "I was too busy worrying about Sam and Tory, when I should have just been thinking about you."

"Why would you care about your fake girlfriend when you're real girlfriend and your real ex girlfriend were fighting over you?" Karter laughed with a shake of her head, the sky orange from the sunrise.

"I don't want you to go." Miguel clutches his heart, running from Reseda to Encino a lot harder then he thought. "I don't wanna go to school and karate without you being mean to me."

"I'll be back for halloween." Karter shrugged with a half grin. "It'll be fine. We can call each other everyday."

"It's not the same." Miguel shook his head. "I've never met someone like you before. I've never had this cool of a fake girlfriend."

"Yeah, and you never will." the curly haired girl pointed out with a half grin. "Let's make a deal."

"Yeah." he nodded, letting her go on.

"Me and you, we tell each other about our day every single night. No matter what, we always tell each other. To keep us in touch." Karter nodded her head, holding her pinkie up. "Deal?"

Miguel latched onto her pinkie. "Deal."

Karter grinned, gripping his hand tighter. "Let's make a break up post for our instas."

Miguel leaned in, kissing Karters cheek as she snapped the photo. "Woah, this is a hard fake breakup."

"It's not you, it's me." Karter joked, getting a head shove. "You can make the caption. On the bright side, i'm out of yours and Torys way."

Miguel's face fell. "I did something stupid at the party."

"Save it for tonight to tell me." she said back, looking toward the house. "I better get outta here."

Miguel leaned in to hug her tightly, his arms locking around her. She hugged him back, her heart was hurting and she felt stupidly emotional. "No one knows me the same way you do, Rwanda."

He grinned. "No one ever will, Somalia."

Karter had tuned her moms out as they spoke about everything that had happened in Arizona. Traffic in The Valley was intense that morning, they hadn't fully left yet. An hour or so, they'd been stuck here. Karter nodded and hummed every now and then, but her heart and head were elsewhere .

Then, she got the phone call.

"Hey, Aisha." Karter answered the phone. "Did you get to school okay?"

Karters moms looked back, watching their daughters face fall as she paled. "What's wrong?"

Karter couldn't talk, her heart rate picked up to a painful level, feeling like throwing up and dying. Her moms shared a look. "Karter?"

Her phone slipped from her hand, falling in her lap. "The hospital."

"What?" her mom asked.

"We have to get to the hospital!" Karter yelled in a panic. "Please!"

"Okay, okay." she looked for a way to get out. "Baby, we're stuck here right now. I don't-"

Karter opened the car door.

"Karter!"

But, she was running. Running down the middle of the traffic, crying and gasping for air at the same time. Her head was spinning, her heart was sky high. The phone call. The school. Miguel. Miguel. Karter ran, she ran as fast as she could to get out of traffic and get to the hospital as fast as she could.

Miguel.

•

kylie speaks

mf jumped out of the
car and ran to the hospital
for him. if that's not pure love
idk what is.