۫ ּ ִ ۫ ˑ ֗ 𓏲˖ 𑁍 ࣪ ִ ۫ ּ ִ ۫ ˑ ֗
࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ  ✩◿𝓝𝓟◸ 🂱 ࣪𓏲ּ ֶָ
CHAPTER THIRTY—
coming from you?

"Have you been practicing?" Bryce gapped as Sam won yet another round of beer pong. "This is suppose to be my sport."

"Your fault for teaching me." she shrugged and walked around the table. "What's the thing you do? How'd you teach me?"

He laughed as she stood behind him and tried to teach him how to throw, just as he did back at Moons party over a year ago when they first started to tolerate each other. Bryce still thought that was one of the best nights ever, it's when he really started to give a shit about Sam LaRusso.

"I'm gonna go get a water so we don't have another terrible night." Sam exhaled. "I'd hate to puke in your bed again."

"Yeah, i'd probably dump you." he said honestly as she walked off to get the waters, leaving him to pick up the empty solo cups and throw them away.

It didn't take long before the yell of a fight echoed all through the Reseda Apartments. Bryce didn't think it was coincidence it happened not long after Sam left his side.

"You knew all along that Silver cheated at the All Valley and you did nothing?" Sam shoved Tory hard as Bryce showed up, shoving through the crowd. He knew better then to get between them.

"You don't know what's it's like in there, what I had to deal with." Tory tried to defend the matter. Sam tried to swing at her but Tory pushed her away, Sam kicked her back into the dumpster as Tory moved out of the way.

"My entire family has suffered because of you!" Sam yelled at her before Robby and Miguel jumped in to stop them.

"Oh, you have fun with that." Bryce laughed in disbelief as he backed up with his hands rose. "I am not participating."

"She's been working with Kreese this whole time." Sam ranted as she looked to her dojo.

Robby turned his head to Tory. "What?"

"Why did you only come forward now?" Sam glared to Tory. "Because you're a coward."

"Screw you, LaRusso." Tory pointed at her with a deep inhale. "I knew this was a mistake."

"Tory!" Robby called after her as both the girls walked away. Sam did the same, Bryce ran after her.

"I wanna go home." she said as they headed toward the car. "Will you drive me?"

Bryce opened the passengers side door for her. "Wanna pick up some food first?"

Sam exhaled loudly. "Yeah."

"Yeah." he mocked her, shutting the door and walking around to get in.

"Do you really think this is gonna work?" Bryce asked Sam as they stood outside of Stingrays door.

"I don't know what else we can do." she shook her head, still in a bad mood from the previous night.

"Bert! What's up man! Wanna play some D&D with these-" Stingray began as all the middle ages man began to walk out the door. "Oh, there they are. These noobs were entering the light and exiting night."

His eyes casted over the others. "Miyagi-Fangs? Oh, this is a trap. Oh, you Admiral Ackbar-ed me. Et. Bert-ay."

"Knock it off. We know Kreese never hurt you." Eli rolled his eyes.

"According to my testimony in a court of law, he did." Stingray shook his head.

"Yeah, well you're a fucking liar." Bryce rolled his eyes.

"Read the transcript." he said back, going to shut the door before Sam caught it to keep it open.

"You lied to the court, you lied to my dad." she listed on, staring him in the face. "But you're not going to lie to us."

"You're just gonna let her-" he started when Sam walked in first, the others following. "Okay, now you're all walking in."

They tried. They really tried to get him to talk. Demetri was patient, but he wasn't that patient. "Okay, let's try this one more time, okay? What happened that night? Who hurt you?"

"Hey, Bert, how does it feel?" Stingray stared at his small friend.

"Look. Look at me. Look at me." Demetri waved his hand to grab his attention.

"To stab a grown man in the back between his shoulder blades and stare at the blood as it trickles down his back?" Stingray ignored Demetri and stayed staring at Bert.

"Oh my god." Bryce on the other hand didn't even know what patience was. "Tell us what the hell happened or i'm gonna slammed your face onto your own table!"

"My dad went though a lot of pain because of you and Silver." Sam cut in as she stared. "And now a lot of other people will too if you just sit back and do nothing."

"But if I tell you what really happened, you know, he-he'll find out." he avoided eye contact and shook his head. "I can't. It's not that easy, you guys."

They were all quiet as Stringray took a moment before inhaling. "Actually, there...um, wait. Okay, so i've been working on this new D&D campaign-"

"I don't think we have time for this." Miguel shook his head, wanting to leave

"What happens in the campaign, Stingray?" Eli caught it before anyone else.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, so, once upon a time, there was a Dwarven monk, and he was a member of the most badass guild in all the land. Uh, he was banished for a time. You know, typical PC crap. But, um, once he paid his penance, he returned. Only by then, the guild was under new leadership. And the monk was denied reentry into the guild. And quite unceremoniously, might I add. So, what did the monk do? The monk, he made a pact with a silver-haired king who would usurp the leader. And it was early one morning, before any of the warriors had arrived, that the king struck the monk down. Again, and again, and again. It was then that they framed the leader for the assault, and the leader was put in chains, and the silver-haired king took over the guild."

"And you were-" Demetri began before shaking his head. "The Dwarven monk was let back into the guild."

"Yeah." Eli laughed as he looked around. "With benefits."

"Aye. With benefits, yeah." Stingray exhaled.

"So why can't he just tell everyone what really happened?" Miguel questioned.

"Because he doesn't want to lose his benefits." Sam scoffed.

"No! No." Stringray shook his head quickly. "I would...the-the monk would give it all back if he could, but the-the silver-haired king, you know, he...he almost killed the monk. He could have killed him. And why? To get power. So, yeah, the monk fears what that king would do to keep that power. I think the monk just... the monk just wanted reentry into the guild because he thought that he could be like a...like a proud and noble warrior. Just like you, Hawk, Samantha, all you guys. But he's neither proud nor noble. Definitely not a warrior. He just sits around playing with them all day. The monks just scared. I just can't. I'm sorry."

Sam exhaled. "That's great. Thanks for nothing."

Bryce watched her go, exhaling and following. "Sam. Wait."

"I don't want to wait, I want some answers." she ranted as they walked out the door.

"I know you do, but you're working yourself up again. Just, take a breath." he tried to help, but his tone was as if he was annoyed. Maybe he was annoyed she'd been so angry for the past 24 hours. She had a right to be, he knew that, but Sam also liked to take that anger out on other people.

"You take a breath. You have no idea what i'm feeling." Sam glared at him in disbelief. "Sorry i'm having a normal human reaction to what Tory told me!"

"You can, but you don't have to treat everyone else like crap in the process." he argued with her.

Sam laughed. "Coming from you?"

Ouch.

Bryce stood up straighter, narrowing his eyes. "Are you serious right now?"

She did regret it, but she was so angry at everything and everyone that she couldn't find the words. Bryce nodded his head. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you hold my past over my head when all i'm trying to do is be there for you. I'm so sorry that I don't wanna get my head chewed off every time I say anything to you."

Neither had the energy to fight. They didn't want to, not like that. He left, and she did the same.

•

kylie speaks

swear i'm not ignoring everyone's comments, i'm
just wanting ti get all the
chapters up before going and
replying :)