Chapter 27*Fight

After that meeting, Samantha and I began meeting several times a week. We would drink coffee, watch movies or just talk about random things. It was cool—until things started getting weird.

So, one Saturday, I decided to take some time off and went to the mall. I wasn't buying anything, just walking around, enjoying the noise and the movement. That's when I stumbled upon something crazy happening near the food court.

I saw Eli—yes, that Eli—running around with a group of kids, causing a lot of chaos. They were knocking over trash cans, yelling, and messing with people. I couldn't believe it. "Bad company corrupts good morals," they say, and Eli was living proof of that. He used to be a quiet, nerdy kid who preferred reading comics to getting into trouble. But now? Look at the kind of stuff he was doing.

I came closer and heard their conversation.

Chris, one of the Myagi-do guys, retorted, "Hey, you idiot, what do you want?"

Eli smirked, holding up a stack of arcade tickets. "Exchange these for our prizes, obviously. Get me those action figures over there."

Chris rolled his eyes and went to get the stuffed animals from the prize counter. But the moment he turned his back, Eli jumped up, stole a bunch of stuff from the nearby kiosk, and started making a mess—throwing things on the floor, laughing like crazy.

"Wait, don't do that, man!" Chris yelled, running back with the dolls in his arms.

A chubby boy—whose name I completely forgot—laughed out loud. "HAHAHA, thanks, Chris! Tell your mom I miss her—tell her to stop calling me!"

After they left, I stepped into the situation, trying to figure out what was going on. "Hey, man, is everything okay?"

Chris, who had just pocketed his phone, shook his head. "No, man. Those guys over there stole all that stuff from the kiosk."

I looked at the mess—knickknacks scattered about, a display case tipped over. "I see. Let me help you fix this."

"Thanks, bro," Chris grumbled, kicking a stray toy back into place.

We started to organize things and after a while I left, but a few minutes later, I saw Samantha arriving with some guys I didn't know. They looked ready to fight. I left the middle of the confusion and waited, sensing that something bad was about to happen.

And then things exploded, a fight between Cobra Kai and Myagi-Do began.

"Wow, Samantha is killing them!" I couldn't help but laugh. This girl could definitely fight—her karate skills were no joke. She dodged and attacked like she had been training for this exact moment.

Some time later, Tory and some Cobra Kai kids arrived. 

"HEY, LARUSSO, WHERE ARE YOU HIDING?" Tory's voice cut through the commotion.

Samantha froze for a second, then ducked behind a pillar, her eyes wide with panic. Probably PTSD. Meanwhile, Eli had cornered Demitri and was twisting his arm hard—really hard.

"No, no, please wait, man, don't break my arm!" Demitri begged, his voice cracking.

Tory gave a cruel, encouraging smile. "Go on, do it. He's a loser."

That was enough for me. "OK, I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THIS TO END. YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR!"

Tory turned to me, her eyes wide as she clenched her fists. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Samantha peeked out from behind the pillar. "Clark?!"

Demitri groaned, "Clark?!"

Eli froze, letting go of Demitri's arm a little. "Clark…"

"What the hell have you become, Eli?" I said, stepping closer. "Were you really going to break Demitri's arm?"

Eli grimaced, his face full of anger. "YES, I WAS GOING TO. HE'S WEAK AND HE DESERVES THIS. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?"

"You stupid nerd," I snapped. "Do you really think you're tough now just because you're hanging out with those hoodlums? I know you, Eli. I know who you really are."

"Tsk," he hissed, shaking his fists and giving me a hateful look.

I turned to Tory. "And you—what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

She gave a mocking smile. "What does it matter to you? Do I owe you an explanation or what?"

"You're nothing to me, Clark," she added, her voice full of contempt. "Just because we met in the past doesn't mean you know me for who I am now."

Samantha's jaw dropped. "Does he know her from the past?"!! I remember there was a girl who always met Clark on the terrace, this was talked about among the students, So it was this bitch...

I stood there, absorbing her words. The guys next to her laughed, like it was some big joke. "Yeah, you're right," I said finally. "I don't recognize you anymore, Tory. Maybe I've been wrong about you all along."

Her face wavered—anger, then something softer, like sadness—but soon returned to normal. "ENOUGH! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOUR LYING MOUTH. I'LL BREAK YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"

Samantha stepped forward. "I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

Tory turned her head to her. "YOU! So you were hiding, Larusso…"

"I don't know what you had with Clark, but it's over," Samantha said with a teasing smile. "Clark is my boyfriend now." Samantha noticed Tory's gaze on Clark and teased her, she knew something had happened between them before all this. 

Tory's eyes widened, her hands clenching into fists. "AHHHHH!" She lunged at Samantha, fury in her eyes.

They clashed—hair pulling, clumsy strikes, nothing like the clean karate moves I'd ever seen Sam use. It was a pure street fight. I watched, stunned, as they rolled across the ground.

Eli laughed from the side. "Since she couldn't stay with Miguel, she ran to someone else quickly. HAHA!"

I frowned. "What do you mean by that, Eli?"

"That's it," he said, with a sarcastic smile. "Miguel broke up with her the other day, and she's already throwing herself at someone else. What do you expect from a slut, huh?"

"Don't talk about her like that," I growled. "I'll beat your ass, man."

Eli laughed disdainfully. "Just because you're bigger doesn't mean I'm going to back down, you effeminate idiot."

"Come on then," I said, motioning with my hands for him to come up.

We started fighting, and honestly, it wasn't even funny. I hit him—punches, a knee to the stomach—and he went down quickly. His "friends" came at me, but I didn't need any help. I took them all down easily, without even breaking a sweat.

"No matter how much you've trained, you're still a loser, Eli," I said, wiping my hands.

Meanwhile, the girls were still fighting on the other side of the square.

"I'll kill you, Larusso!" Tory shouted. "You won't get away with it today—even if I have to go to jail for it!"

"Then try it, you bitch!" Sam retorted. "What's wrong? Are you that jealous that I'm with him? Didn't you just say you don't care about him? Make up your mind!"

"ARHHHHH!" Tory lunged forward again, but I stepped in front and grabbed her from behind.

"LET ME GO, YOU BASTARD!" she screamed, struggling in my arms. She couldn't break free—she was strong, but not that strong.

"Calm down first," I said. "You're too stressed."

"ARRRHHH! DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" She struggled more, and I let go, not wanting to make the situation worse.

She stumbled back, panting, staring at me. Then her eyes narrowed—she remembered something. Before I could react, she kicked me hard right in the balls.

"ARRRRG!" I fell to my knees, clutching my precious possessions, pain shooting through me like lightning.

"Don't you ever hold me from behind again, you stupid pervert," Tory spat. "I know your weak spot—I haven't forgotten."

Samantha's mouth fell open. "CLARK! HOW DARE YOU, YOU BITCH!" She ran at Tory, jumping up and kicking her in the air, catching her off guard.

"Arrg!" Tory fell to the ground hard. "That's the only way you win, Larusso—attacking when I'm not looking!"

"Shut up, you crazy woman!" Sam yelled. "You attacked my boyfriend, you crazy woman!"

"GRrrrr!" Tory stood up, and they started fighting again. But this time, some people intervened—mall security, onlookers—trying to break it up.

Eli grabbed Tory's arm. "Stop it, Tory, that's it. We lost. Let's get out of here."

"No!" she growled. "I'm not leaving until this bitch is dead!" She tried to lunge at Sam again, but Eli pulled her back, dragging her along as she kicked and screamed.

As they walked away, Samantha put the pieces together. Tory's anger wasn't just about Miguel—it was about me . She still had feelings for me, hidden beneath all that fury. Sam looked at me, then came over and kissed me hard, giving Tory a victorious smile and asking if I was okay.

Tory stopped. Her eyes widened, her fists shook, then she looked away, lowered her head, and walked away without another word.