By the time Sky reached the crossroad of hallways, the fight was already on. A head shorter than anyone, she couldn't see what exactly was happening, but as she pushed herself through the crowd, she heard yells and screams, felt the tension rippling in the air like an electric current.

It wasn't just Tory versus Sam anymore - in the couple of minutes it had taken Sky to get here, Miguel and Robby had gotten into the fight also - and right in front of Sky's eyes, Hawk joined the violence.

"It is on!" he yelled, throwing Nate and Bert to the sides, and started attacking anyone who came his way.

"Shit–!" Sky groaned, and tried to get through the mess of fighting teenagers. She needed to get to Sam and Tory, she needed to stop this before anyone got seriously injured!

But someone swept her off her legs, and Sky landed on the floor face first, barely managing to soften the impact with her hands.

"The fuck–?" She pushed herself back up, but her attacker was already on her. It was Rickenberger - her former teammate and Hawk's friend. He aimed a kick at Sky's face, it scraped her cheek as she swiftly pulled back.

In a heartbeat she was back on her feet, her legs finding the wide fighting stance without her even having to think about it.

"You joined Miyagi-Do," Rickenberger smirked as if it justified his attack.

"I didn't!"

"Yeah, right. You're not Cobra Kai anymore, bitch–!" He tried to attack her again, but now Sky was prepared. She blocked his punch, grabbed him, and swiftly kneed him in the gut with force, making him slump against the wall.

Sky swallowed hard. Rickenberger. He had put his name in the 'Get Well Soon!' card she had gotten from all the Cobras only a couple of weeks ago. And now he was attacking her in school? Had everyone lost their fucking minds?

Sky backed away, her heart in her throat, but she didn't have time to even draw a breath when she felt someone grabbing her from behind. An arm wrapped around her neck, pinning her against someone's chest, and fingers dug to the softness of her ass with such force that it hurt.

"What's up, slut? You like it rough?" some guy breathed to her ear, and for a heartbeat, Sky froze.

She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. The taste of panic took her breath away. That guy was a head taller than she was, and he was strong. It was Matt. His grip around her neck was choking her, and his other hand was feeling her frontside now, moving to her breasts–

No, no, no! Shit, not again–!

With a sickening feeling in her gut, Sky swirled around, her elbow finding the face of her attacker. She didn't hold back but hit him again before he could recover, and then once more. She felt his nose crunching under the impact, there was blood on her knuckles.

"Asshole—" she cried – and saw a flash of black and red slamming into the guy from the side, throwing him to the lockers with such force the doors rattled.

Hawk.

He was furious, he attacked the guy without restraints, his fist hammering his face, his other hand gripping the front of the guy's shirt to keep him in place. Blood splattered, it stained Hawk's hands. The boy he was beating the shit out of, had no chance - he was already out of it. And Sky realized it wasn't Matt. Of course, it wasn't. It was just some dude, she didn't even know his name.

Screaming, Sky grabbed Hawk's arm and tried to pull him back.

"Enough!" She yelled. "Stop it!"

Hawk turned to look at her over his shoulder, one hand still pushing the guy against the lockers. His chest heaved with fast, deep breaths, his lips were drawn back, revealing his teeth. He looked alien, dangerous, like he was burning from the inside out.

"He's had enough!" Sky cried. "Let him go!"

Hawk sneered, cocked up his chin. His iron grip on the guy's shirt loosened, and the boy slid down against the wall, slumped down on the floor, groaning and spitting blood to the floor ties.

That sight made Sky feel hollow inside. Blood on the floor. It was like a hook in her gut, trying to suck her down the poisonous, slippery line of memories.

"He was harassing you—" Hawk breathed heavily, his chest was heaving. "What was I supposed to do?"

"To stay out of it," Sky groaned. She was still shaken, her legs were trembling and the beat of her heart was fast, uneven. It felt like she had a hummingbird stuck in her throat.

"Fine, have it your way then, have guys grabbing your ass - I don't fucking care," Hawk spat out, and stepped back. He looked at her, his jaw clenching tight, there were splatters of blood on his cheeks, and Sky could still see the fire in his eyes, like flames licking his irises.

And then he was gone. Running away from Sky, down the hallway, his steps agile and fast like those of a predator.

Sky glanced around, sucking down the sickening feeling of fear, the smell of blood filling her nostrils, making her stomach turn. Rickenberger and the boy who Hawk had beaten to shit were on the floor, but she couldn't see Sam anymore, or Tory. The masses of kids had moved from the hallway to the common space, towards the direction Hawk had taken off too, and Sky could still hear the sounds of fighting, people cheering and yelling.

Sam. I gotta find Sam!

Sky wasn't going to lose another friend to mindless violence. She was running before she knew it, her feet carrying her towards the fight, not away from it.

When she reached the staircase lobby, it was like a scene from a Kung-fu movie. The fight was everywhere around her. She saw Miguel and Robby fighting each other on the staircase, Tory was attacking Sam. Everywhere there were people just mindlessly hitting each other, and in the middle of it all was Hawk, like a force of nature attacking everyone in sight.

For a heartbeat Sky froze on her feet, terrified, but the spell was broken when she saw a teacher getting smacked in the face, and fleeing the scene shouting "Screw this! I don't get paid enough."

There was no help coming from the adults. Sam was still getting hit by Tory, and no one was helping her. The crowd of teenagers around the fighters only cheered and filmed with their phones, as if it was just a show, as if they had no idea this could end badly.

You're nothing but a quitter! Tory's words echoed in her head as Sky sucked in a trembling breath and clenched her fists.

Tory was taller, she was stronger, she was way more badass than Sky was. They had only sparred once, and it had ended with Tory sweeping the floor with Sky's ass. There was no way Sky could win this fight, and there was every chance that she would get hurt instead. But there was also no fucking way Sky was going to just stand and watch as someone tried to kill her friend.

No. Fucking. Way.

I'm not a quitter. I'm a fucking Phoenix!

She launched herself up the stairs towards the fighting duo, and slammed her hands against Tory, pushing her away from Sam.

"Sky?!" Tory snarled her name like it was a curse. "Stay out of this!"

"Over my dead body," Sky breathed.

"This isn't your fight! It's between me and that bitch!"

"You made it my fight by calling my friend a bitch."

Tory's only reply was a snarl, as she attacked - and only then Sky noticed she had some kind of a weapon in her hand. It had spikes, and they were covered with blood. But there was nothing Sky could do, it was too late to run, it was futile to talk. Tory's hair flew around her face in a sand-colored veil and her eyes narrowed when she attacked. Her kicks were fierce and powerful, her punches sharp and swift, fueled by anger, and it took all Sky had to block them. The spiky thing almost scraped her cheek, Sky could smell the steel and the sticky, sweet scent of blood.

"Sam—!" she cried, and managed a glance at her friend - but the plea of help died on her lips. Sam was terrified, panicking. She was pressing her arm with her other hand, red strands of blood running down between her fingers.

"Sam, run!" Sky yelled, barely managing to block Tory's attempt to hit her face. "Run!"

But if Sam heard her, she didn't act on it. She was hunched down against the railing, blood on her pale face. She kept staring at Sky and Tory wide-eyed, unable to move. Somewhere above them, Sky heard the sounds of fighting continuing, the low grunts and groans of Miguel and Robby, the squeaks of sneakers hitting the floor, thuds of fists smashing into flesh.

Where is Hawk?

I could use help now—

But she had told him to piss off, and he had. There was no help coming. Sky had to finish this fight herself.

Tory blocked her attacks, and the next thing Sky knew was Tory's fist smashing into her cheek. Her mouth filled with blood as teeth scraped the soft inside of her cheek. She felt the reality slipping off her grasp.

The taste of blood on her lips. The floor is cold under her. She sees Kat, her lifeless eyes. White floor, painted with red splatters. Matt's sneakers. The gun clatters to the floor, and someone is screaming—

Sky pushed that image away with all her might. No, it was not happening, not now, not here. This was a different school, a different day, a different fight. She wasn't going to die here today, nor was she going to let her friend get killed!

With a fierce cry, Sky attacked, her foot smashing into Tory's sternum, sending the girl back. But Tory kept her balance, her rage fueling her counterattack.

The next kick landed on Sky's face.

She felt her nose breaking with a sickening crunch and blood flooded her mouth. The strength behind Tory's well-aimed kick sent Sky flying down the stairs - and since her head was spinning from the impact, she had no control over her falling.

She tumbled down with force, once landing on her stretched arm and she heard a snap, but barely felt it. Everything was a blur of noises and motion, she didn't know which way was up, which down, and the only thing she realized was her head hitting the stairs again and again until she finally came to an abrupt stop as the stairs ended.

And then, suddenly the world was silent. The only sound she heard was her own frantic heartbeat.

She tasted blood on her lips, her breathing came out shallow and broken.

The tiled floor was cold under her, she was lying in a growing pool of blood and finally, everything made sense.

The fight was over. It was always supposed to end here.

Her vision was blurring, darkness crept towards the center, but through it, she saw someone walking down the stairs with slow, deliberate steps. Slender and tall, as graceful as always, a smile in her dark onyx eyes, she crouched down by Sky's side.

"Kat—?" Sky breathed but it came out as a gurgle through the blood bubbling on her lips.

"Hey, girl," Kat said. "Why the fuck are you wearing my clothes?"

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