THURSDAY WAS A HALF DAY, since it was the day before winter break started. Every class was released at 12:30 P.M, and Charlie had no choice but to wait for her mom since Sam couldn't give her a ride home due to karate lessons and Moon couldn't either because of dance practice.

  She sat on the dirty tile floor outside her mom's classroom since she had to wait for her mom to finish helping some students. She figured she would pull a book out to read. She wasn't a big reader in general but something about the Percy Jackson series that kept her focused on what she was reading.

  She continued to read until the end of the current chapter she was on, she then looked up and studied the people walking by. It was something she enjoyed doing when she had the time.

A boy with glasses walked by holding his girlfriend's hand, the girlfriend was listening to him ramble on about his favorite movie. She looked so intrigued and he looked so happy that she was interested in what he was saying.

A group of friends was pushing one friend toward a girl whose back was turned toward them. They looked like they were encouraging her to talk to the girl. The friend was blushing once she bumped into the girl.

Maybe she was the girl's crush?

She then noticed the boy in front of a locker, just standing. It was Moon's ex-boyfriend, Eli, or what he prefers, Hawk.

Without his usual glare, he looked tired and defeated. His eyes were focused on the ground as he fidgeted with his backpack straps, it looked like he was thinking about something important.

He wasn't far away, just a couple of lockers down and maybe it was because she was staring, but he slowly lifted his eyes and turned towards her. At first, it looked like he didn't recognize her but a few seconds passed and his glare appeared.

It was like she committed a horrible crime towards him in a past life with that glare focused on her, she flinched because of it. She quickly looked down at her hands resting on her lap and tried not to glance back up toward him.

A sigh was heard in the now quiet outside hallway where her mom's classroom was located. Footsteps came closer to her and then a stop was made.

Please, please, please continue. Her prayers weren't heard as she looked up.

There stood Hawk, looking down at her, not glaring, just looking. They stared at each other for a few seconds when he sighed again and looked up to the ceiling, probably sending up a quick prayer.

  He threw his backpack on the ground and turned around, then dropped to the floor next to her. He sat with his back leaned against the wall and his head tilted back, looking forward.

  "Uhm—" he cut her off.

  Uh, rude.

  "Don't talk."

  She nodded and zipped her lips and threw the imaginary keys away.

  "Moon talked to me, for the first time in a while, thanks to you." Hawk's lip tipped up for a moment then went back down into a frown, "She said you were just like her, 'a pacifist', and that I shouldn't associate sensei's kid action with you."

"Even though I want to hurt Robby the same way he hurt us, by hurting someone close to him, I won't," He finally turned his head toward her, "because Moon told me too."

  It surprised Charlie that he would listen to someone else words, he seemed like the type to ignore people when it didn't interest him.

  "As long as you don't join Miyagi-Do, then we don't have a problem, got it?" He stared at her, probably expecting an answer.

  She let out a hum. He continued to stare at her before realization settled on his face.

  "You can talk now," He let out a chuckle so small, if she wasn't as close as she was to him, she wouldn't have noticed.

  "Oh, yes I understand," She unzipped her lips and said, "I have no intention of joining this 'karate war', which only happened because a few old men won't let go of their petty ancient rivalry."

  She feels like most of these kids involved are being used by both Larusso and Lawrence to one-up each other. It always leads to the two men, if Miguel didn't learn Karate from Johnny then Robby wouldn't have the need to go to Larusso to get back at his dad, and then probably the two boys wouldn't have been so-called 'enemies'.

Then again, fate works in mysterious ways, who's to say that they wouldn't have ended up hating each other?

"Wow, calm down." Hawk raised his hands in surrender but put them back down when she glared at him.

"Telling a girl to calm down is not a good way to get on their good side, FYI," Charlie is actually beginning to believe Demetri when he said that Hawk isn't good with girls, and Moon was his first and last relationship.

He stayed silent for a few seconds before opening his mouth and then closing it again. He seems to be learning.

"Let me give you a quick lesson, just to say thanks for not hurting me," That seemed to get his undivided attention, "When in an argument with your partner, she is always right, even if she is wrong."

"But what if there is undeniable evidence that she's wrong?" He asked with his head tilted.

"You know the saying 'happy wife, happy life'? Well, that applies to girlfriends too."

"That's—that's actually good to know, thanks." He looked forward again while scratching his head, thinking, probably. He shook his head and went back to a less intense version of 'Hawk'.

"Tell anyone about this and you're dea—," He cut himself off, "You're, uhm, going to be in big, no wait, mild trouble!" He pointed at her and then got up from the ground when students from her mom's classroom started to walk out.

He quickly walked away, though not before looking back at her. He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then to her as if to say 'I'm watching you'.

She can see how Demetri and Hawk were friends.

"Any plans for winter break, or you know tonight?" Liza asked her daughter as she drove them home, stopping at a drive-thru to get some food for them.

Liza had overheard Charlie speaking on her phone to her friends about a party that was happening tonight and wanted to know if it was going to be like the last one so she can give her money in case.

"Were you eavesdropping again? I told you it's not nice." With how Charlie lectures her, it's like Charlie's the parent and Liza's the kid.

Liza didn't find it disrespectful as some parents would, she taught Charlie to speak up when things involved her, so she was proud. Though sometimes it did get her into trouble, for example when she didn't tell Robby about Sam and the boy she kissed.

That was probably her fault.

Charlie, no matter what she says, had always believed that snitches get stitches.

"—going to come over then Sam's driving us," Charlie said as she took a bite of the burger she ordered, "Wow, I always wonder where I got it from. I figured that's since you were a teacher, I got it from papa."

"What are you talking about?" It was rare for Charlie to bring her dad up, what was it about this conversation that made her bring him up?

"The spacing out in the middle of someone talking," Charlie explains further, "I do it accidentally all the time with Sam, Moon, and recently with Demetri. It's sweet that they always wait for me to come back and repeat what said, well it's sweet of Sam and Moon. Demetri just says never mind and moves on."

  "I always thought it was from dad but it was from you." Charlie's tone changed when she was finishing her sentence.

  "Oh baby, that's all your dad, it was a habit I picked from him." Liza stroked Charlie's shoulder to comfort her, she knew Charlie was always looking for ways to be similar to Kit. Charlie didn't know that she was a clone of her father, the only thing she got from Liza was her hair and eye color. Some things she learned from Liza but all the other qualities, even if she never met her father, were instinct, they came naturally.

"Really?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, baby."

When they arrived home Charlie raced to her room to see if Robby left another note. She tossed her backpack onto her bed and went to the window seal.

Nothing.

Why was there nothing?

Robby usually had come and gone by the time school was over. Realization settles into her, she usually comes home at 3:30, school was released early today since it was a half day. Does that mean she's going to see him today, or should she pretend to not be home and let him do his thing?

On one hand, she really wants to see him but on the other, he's doing this mysterious letter-leaving thing so he won't be seen.

Hm, hiding seems the best route.

a/n
it has been two weeks
since the last update,
im sorry. i would say
life's been busy but i
would be lying, i've
just had writers block.

but now im going
back to once a week
updates, also im going
to start publishing
chapters for my criminal
minds fanfic, hopefully
republish the thiam fic too

in updating today on
the 28th which is my
birthday
happy birthday me🎉

question: if you watched the
teen wolf movie, what did you
think of it?

just letting you know
that for my thiam fic,
i will be adding the movie
but isaac, theo, and kira
are all going to be written into
the book