The school dance was just as boring and annoying as Hawk had expected it to be.

He leaned on the wall, a cup of Coke in his hands, wondering why he had bothered to come at all. The only positive thing so far was that Kyler had spiced their drinks with vodka that he had somehow managed to smuggle here - probably the only useful thing he had done in his life - but it didn't do that much. Hawk still didn't want to be here with these idiots - but then again, if not here, then where? He had burnt all the bridges behind him so profoundly they could never be rebuilt, so he didn't really get to choose his companions anymore. The Cobra Kai gang was all he had, whether he liked it or not.

He glanced at his so-called friends that were gathered around him. Kyler was dressed as a vampire - which suited that blood-sucking asshole better than he probably even realized - Edvin had a Ghostface mask, and the others wore equally scary and menacing but still cool costumes. Hawk tried to laugh with them as they commented on the ass of a chubby girl who walked past them, but in reality, he couldn't have cared less. He was only half listening to the constant joking and laughing of his teammates, grateful for the loud dance music that drowned most of it, while his eyes searched the crowd on the dance floor, in hope of catching a glimpse of red hair.

Last night's dream was still in his veins, making him restless. He could still remember the faint scent of vanilla and roses of Sky's hair, the way she had wrapped her legs around his waist—

It was a dream. Just let it go.

Angrily he emptied the drink, threw away the empty cup, and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black jeans.

He wasn't wearing a costume. Hell, he had spent every single Halloween of his life hiding his face behind a mask, and he wasn't going to do that anymore. He had no reason to do that now that he was hot and confident, someone the girls were checking out as they walked past him in their cute costumes.

Hawk only had black jeans, black sneakers, and a long sleeved, black T-shirt with a gray print of a skeletal ribcage, which he thought looked pretty cool. He had also gone to have his hair retouched, so that it was now bright red and black, the contrast of those colors sharp and angry like everything in him.

He knew he looked hot and badass, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that no matter how much he had sworn to let go of Sky, to stop thinking about her, she was the only thing he could think about.

And she's not even here. I bet she's not coming at all.

He let out a frustrated sigh, wishing he had another drink or something else that would force Sky out of his mind. But the truth was that her absence worried him. He had been really concerned about her lately, ever since the things he had shouted at her on his front steps that night—

And then there was the pill she had slipped into her mouth in English class. Just thinking about that made Hawk's chest clench tight with worry and anxiety. He hadn't seen her do that again, so maybe it had just been for a headache after all, but he had a bad feeling about the whole thing. And that wasn't all. She had been so cold, so distant, and just... acting plain weird lately.

Well duh. Of course, she's acting weird. I fucking killed her that night.

He looked at the dancing teenagers again, trying to see if Sky had arrived, but nothing. He pushed his hands deeper into his pockets and let out a frustrated sigh.

I really have to stop obsessing about her. This is fucking pathetic—

And then, he saw something that made his jaw drop.

There was Demetri, walking into the room, dressed as Harry Potter, the costume perfect to the last detail with round glasses, a black robe, and the scar painted on his forehead. (That wasn't the surprising part, Demetri was such a nerd that you could expect that kind of stupid, childish costume of him.)

It was the way he entered the hall as if he wasn't a nerd dressed as Harry Potter at a school dance, but the fucking Hugh Hefner entering the Playboy mansion.

No way.

For a moment Hawk could only stare open-mouthed at the group of hot girls who were surrounding Demetri—

No fucking way.

There were the coolest girls in the whole school - Yasmine, Moon, Sam, and Sky - all wearing the hottest Hogwarts costumes anyone could ever imagine. Knee-high socks in the colors of their houses, incredibly short skirts, tiny little blouses with super cute ties—

Hawk couldn't help it. He was staring like a moron, but so was everyone else.

Yasmine was in Slytherin green, holding Demetri's arm and giving him lustful glances through her long lashes. Moon was holding Demetri's other arm - the one with the cast - and she looked super cute in her Hufflepuff yellow, with a wide smile on her face. And right next to them were Sam - Gryffindor, of course - and Sky—

The sight of her knocked the breath out of Hawk.

A memory of the Halloween dance exactly a year ago hit him in the gut, forcing a strangled groan off his lips.

He couldn't believe it was only last year. It felt like a fucking lifetime. He had been a plastic surgeon, hiding behind a face mask, and Sky had been the killer nurse in that super sexy costume and splatters of fake blood all over her. She had talked to him and smiled at him and it had been the best fucking night in Eli's life so far because he had been so desperately in love with her already, and she had been the hottest thing he had ever laid his eyes on—

And now, there she was, even prettier than the year before. The Ravenclaw colors looked amazing on her. The dark blue brought out the bright copper of her hair, her cheeks were blushed, her makeup made her eyes look huge, her lips so fucking kissable. She was beautiful. The incredibly short skirt revealed her slender legs, the soft skin of her thighs. The dark blue over-knee socks paired with cute Mary Janes drew Hawk's glance down those legs and then back up again, his eyes roaming over every inch of her thighs, the curve of her hip under that pathetic excuse of a skirt, then her tiny waist, the white blouse that hugged her chest and revealed the shape of her small, perky boobs—

Hawk swallowed hard, he had to turn his eyes off her. His ears were ringing. If he kept on checking her out like this he'd be hard in no time, and that was the last thing he needed right now.

The guys were commenting something stupid, calling the girls sluts, and Hawk didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to see if Kyler was checking out Sky too. That would be too much, he would have to kill that asshole—

"Gonna get another drink—" he mumbled and left, making his way through the crowd, through the blasting music, towards the tables where all the snacks and drinks were.

His hands were trembling when he picked up a new cup and poured some Coke into it.

That Ravenclaw costume. Fucking Hell - it felt intentional. It was like a slap on the face. Sky must have known how it would affect him to see her in such an outfit that combined sexy and nerdy in the perfect way.

She had forced him to watch Harry Potter movies with her, several times, even after he had flipped the script. She had teased him about it too, asking which house he had wanted to be in (Ravenclaw, of course, that's where all the smart guys were), which was his favorite book (The Prisoner of Azkaban), and if he had a thing for Hermione (he didn't). So it couldn't be just a coincidence she was wearing the fricking porn version of a Hogwarts uniform today. It had to mean something, it had to be some kind of a hidden message—

Get a grip. No way is she thinking about you. She's matching with Demetri and her friends... You're nothing to him. Nothing. She won't even look at you—

"You're making a mess," said a soft voice, and Hawk realized his cup was full and he had poured Coke all over the table.

"Shit—!"

He grabbed a couple of napkins and tried to clean the mess the best he could.

"Let me help," spoke the girl who had said the comment about him making a mess. Hawk looked up - and recognized the pair of truly enormous tits - the size of his head - before the name came back to him.

"It's okay, I got it. Mia—?" he said, while wiping the table with the napkins, and then giving up. So what if there was some Coke on the table? He didn't give a shit about it.

"Maya," the blond girl corrected, raising her voice a bit to be heard over the music.

"Shit, sorry. Maya. Yeah, we met at Rickenberger's party, right?"

"You remembered," the girl smiled and blushed. "I thought you didn't..."

"Nah, how could I forget a hot girl like you," Hawk replied with a crooked grin, checking the girl out. "That's a cute costume."

She wasn't Sky, but screw that. She was hot enough to attract him and push the bitter thoughts about Sky and her Ravenclaw outfit to the back of his mind. Maya was really cute - she was a bit plump but in the best way. Her hips were round, and her belly and arms were soft, but she was still athletic - Hawk now remembered she was one of the cheerleaders - her legs were curvy and long, and—

—and Hawk realized he was staring at her boobs. It was really hard not to. They were right there in front of him, and they were fucking perfect.

She was wearing a cute angel costume with white, fluffy wings, a halo attached to her blond hair, and a short, white dress with a very generous neckline. Her giant tits were squeezed against that neckline and watching them was exciting like watching an action movie - Hawk was pretty sure that any little move she made could make those boobs jump off her bra and over the neckline in their search for freedom.

He wouldn't mind.

Maybe he should ask her to dance, to make that happen for real.

He licked his lips and forced his eyes back on Maya's face.

She blushed even more and smiled, looking like she knew exactly what was going through his dirty mind.

"You wanna go somewhere a bit more quiet and talk?" Hawk asked, flashing her a confident grin.

"Yeah, that sounds nice—" Maya smiled. Her eyes were very blue and very pretty, and now that he had noticed them it was easier not to stare at her boobs.

He took her hand, and she let him. Her fingers were small and warm in his, and as he began to walk her through the crowd, he felt the music resonating in his body, the heavy bass beat thumping in his chest. Or maybe it wasn't the bass drum - maybe it was his heart because he felt his blood coursing through his veins hot, fast, needy.

And then, suddenly he saw Sky in the middle of the dance floor, dancing with her friends, her arms up in the air, as if she was trying to reach the disco ball that hung from the ceiling. She was laughing as her body followed the rhythm, the fast beat of the music making her hips bounce. Her curls were flying around her flushed face, and she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. For a short moment, Hawk breathed in that sight, the sweet pain it caused.

She looked happy.

He hadn't seen her like this in a long time - laughing, carefree, just full of joy. And yet - that's what he had always wanted for her. Happiness. He had thought she'd find that with him, but what good had he ever done to her? He had only caused her pain.

He knew he had never deserved her.

In that split second the year that had passed, disappeared, and he was Eli once again, looking at Sky who was as unreachable to him as the stars on the night sky. He looked at her and remembered every kiss, every I love you, every time she had taken his hand in hers, every time he had laid her down on the bed and made love to her.

The longing took his breath away.

He turned his eyes away and swallowed the bitter lump in his throat. Maya's hand was still in his, as he continued pushing through the crowd, and when he glanced at his side, she was there, close to him, a smile on her lips, her boobs bouncing as she walked.

She wasn't Sky, but he didn't care. He knew what he had to do to get over Sky, to finally stop obsessing about getting her back, because Fucking Hell, it was never going to happen.

He tightened his grip on Maya's hand and flashed her a crooked smile. Unlike the year before, Hawk wasn't going to leave alone.

🙈

❤️🙏🏻❤️