Chapter Five
CHARITY CASE

Halloween was an important holiday when it came to teenagers. Especially the ones that attended West Valley High. It was the one time a year where people could pretend to be someone they weren't. They could step out their comfort zone and test the waters. That's why it was Mara's favorite holiday. Well also because her birthday was in October.

     It had been a few weeks ago but Mara never did anything anyway. She had just spent the day over at Eli's house and his Mom had made her a giant cake. Demetri had come too and the three just spent the day hanging out together.

It had also been a few weeks since the video incident. Mara had been ignoring Moon successfully so far. She could still feel the girl sneaking glances her way during class but she refused to give her any attention. Of course the two still had to talk when they did lab work but other than that no other words were spoken between them.

Moon had, however, wished her happy birthday and gave her a present. She had slipped the small package and card into Mara's bag when she wasn't looking and the girl hadn't seen it until she got home that day. She had left it on her dresser and was reluctant to open it. She thought maybe this was Moon's way of apologizing since Mara had forbidden the girl from speaking to her.

Mara had been watching tv on the couch when her phone alarm went off that told her it was time to start getting ready for the dance. She stopped it and went to her room to get ready. She had one hour to do her hair, makeup, and put on her costume before she had to pick up Eli and Demetri. The latter lived on the complete opposite side of town so it would be a bit of a drive.

She switched on the light in her closet and grabbed the pieces of clothing she needed. She pulled out a purple long sleeve turtleneck and a white skirt that she had bought a few weeks ago.
She put them on and walked over to the full-body mirror that was in her closet. She twisted so she could see how she would look from behind and admired the way her butt looked in the skirt. The skirt stopped at her mid-thigh and the long-sleeved purple turtleneck she was wearing was tight against her chest. She had to admit she looked hot. She tucked her shirt in before returning to her closet and grabbing the white gogo boots that went up to right beneath her knees.

     The next thing she needed to do was her hair. She had bought some fake bangs the other day since she didn't feel like cutting her own. She walked into her bathroom and placed the bangs on the counter. Picking up her straightener that she had let heat she quickly straightened her hair. When she was done she put the bangs on and unplugged the iron. She opened the top drawer on her left and pulled out a purple headband that perfectly matched her shirt. She was almost done.

The only thing left to do was her makeup. She went with some foundation, blush, mascara, and purple eyeshadow. She just put some lipgloss on her lips to finish the look.

Mara grabbed her phone that was sitting on her bed and saw that she had 45 minutes until the dance started. That meant she had to leave now to pick up Eli and Demetri before they all head to the school.

     Ryan was sitting at the kitchen table when she entered the room. He was dressed as a pirate and Mara assumed his whole group was going as them. He looked up when he saw her approaching her. "Trixie Tang really? And I thought you couldn't get any nerdier."

     "It takes one to know one. How would you know who I was if you didn't watch Fairy Odd Parents?" She smirked and leant her elbows on the table.

     "Whatever. Who's that new boy that started sitting at your table?"

     "His name's Miguel. Why? You better not be planning to mess with him."

     "Don't worry I'm not. But I can't say the same for Kyler. He has an obsession."

     "Yeah, it wasn't hard to figure that one out. He could have at least come up with a better name to call him. 'Rhea'  isn't even insulting. People actually have that name."

     Ryan laughed. "I tried to tell him. Kyler doesn't score high on the creativity chart. I literally have to force myself to laugh at some of that dude's jokes."

     "That's why you should embrace your inner nerd and hang out with us. It's always fun on our side."

     "The day I hang out with your nerd friends will be the day grandma or grandpa come back from the dead."

     "Ok, no need to insult the grandparents. If the answer is no just say that," she laughed. Mara found herself smiling. This was the longest conversation she's had with her brother in months.

     Ryan noticed her smile and rapidly shook his head. "No. Nope. Just because we had a decent conversation doesn't mean I don't find you annoying as shit. I just needed to pass the time while I waited for the guys to show up. Just go pick up your friend, shit-lip."

     Mara couldn't believe him. "You're such a dick." She stood up and glared at him. "And don't call him that. His name is Eli." With that, she stormed out of the house.

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     Mara, Eli, and Demetri stood off to the side of the dance floor and watched people dance and talk to their friends. Demetri was dressed as a sorcerer and Eli was a doctor. Sorry, plastic surgeon. He fixed lips.

     Demetri was staring at a trio of girls that were dressed up as dragon queens. It looked like he wanted to ask one of them to dance but knowing him he wouldn't.

     Mara was staring at the three bitches dressed like laker girls. More specifically she was glaring at Moon. She couldn't help but feel disappointed and betrayed by Moon. She would think the girl would at least apologize or try to explain herself but no, she was laughing and smiling like nothing happened.

     Eli was staring at Mara. She looked beautiful and Eli wanted nothing more than to ask her to dance. Her outfit showed off her best features and Eli couldn't help but let his eyes drift over her body. He didn't know why people made fun of her looks. She was perfect in every way.

     The trio's attention was drawn to Miguel who was walking towards them wearing a skeleton costume. "Oh, skeleton. Classic." Demetri complimented him.

"Thanks. I like your sorcerer costume."

Mara snorted and turned towards Eli who was trying to hold back his laugh. Demetri had the most offended look on his face as he looked at Miguel.
Miguel just stood there confused as to why Eli and Mara were trying not to burst out in laughter.

"Sorcerer? Please. I'm a necromancer." Miguel still looked confused and Demetri threw his arms in the air. "Didn't you see the amulet?"

Miguel just shook his head and turned to Eli. "So are you a regular doctor or—"

"Plastic surgeon. I fix lips."

"Nice. And you're Trixie Tang. I love Fairy Oddparents." Mara smiled at him surprised he knew who she was right off the bat. Demetri just scoffed.

"Necromancers are way better."

The three chuckled at the boy's attitude and went back to their conversation.

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     Moon was dancing with Yasmine and Sam across the gym. She was putting on her best fake smile, but inside she was simmering with rage. Yasmine was dancing and laughing like she didn't invade someone's privacy. If she thought she could just get away with what she did to Mara she had another thing coming.

     Kyler came over to the group and took Sam with him to dance. Moon didn't like that she was now alone with Yasmine. She looked across the gym to see Mara laughing with the blond boy she was always with. She felt jealousy pool in the bottoms of her stomach as she watched the two stand so close together. She knew she had no right to be. She had treated her horribly.

"Who are you looking at?" Yasmine had noticed Moon's zoned out state. She followed the girl's eyes and she wasn't surprised to see Mara Abrams. "That freak? Why are you looking at her? You're gonna need to bleach your eyes out if you stare any longer."

"Don't talk about her like that."

"Why are you defending her? She's an ugly whore. If you want her to drag you down with her, be my guest but don't come crying to me when you realize how bad it is in the lower class." She turned in the direction Sam was talking to Aisha. "Hey, Sam, get your ass over here! We're gonna go live." She turned to Moon and held her hand out. "Give me your phone. You have better service."

     Moon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she handed Yasmine her phone. Moon looked down and saw Yasmine's phone hanging out of her purse. "I have to go to the bathroom. Brb."

Yasmine waved her off and Moon snatched her phone before leaving the gym. She eventually made it to the bathroom and hid in one of the stalls. She unlocked Yasmine's phone easily since all of the girls knew each other's passwords. She immediately went to her camera roll and unsurprisingly the video of Mara was there.

Moon wanted to rekindle her friendship with Mara. She regretted everything but because of Yasmine, the girl didn't even want to be near her anymore.

     Moon had accepted the fact that she was a bully. She stayed because she liked the feeling of being important. She liked the attention she got. But she didn't like what she did. It was a habit now and she was trying to break it, she was. It was just so hard. She had gotten so used to this life that she didn't even remember her old one.

     Where did she even start to make amends for everything she's done?

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Mara sipped on her punch as she and the three boys stood behind the snack table. Miguel had showed the three of them the posters for his karate dojo and Mara told him she was thinking about joining. It looked cool and Cobra Kai was a badass name.

"Ok, are we ready? Let's ask the dragon queens to dance." Miguel was determined to get Eli and Demetri to come with him and dance with the three girls.

"Slow your roll. We got time." Luck was not on their side, since right after Demetri finished his sentence a boy dressed as Doctor Who came and asked one of them to dance.

"No. Shit! We just lost one to Doctor Who." Miguel was frustrated, understandably so. This was his first dance and he wanted to make the most of it.

"You guys just need to have some confidence."

"Easier said than done Mara. I don't see you asking anyone to dance."

Mara glared at Demetri and slammed her cup down on the table. She'll show him. She turned to the blonde beside her and gently took the cup from his hand and placed it on the table. "Do you want to dance with me?"

Eli nodded quickly and Mara grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor. The DJ had put a slow song on, so Mara placed Eli's hands on her waist and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

     The two started to sway to the music. It was a bit awkward at first but they both eventually relaxed and got the hang of it. The edges of Eli's eyes crinkled and Mara could tell he was smiling. She reached up and took off his mask. He looked scared at first but she gave him an encouraging nod. "I like your smile. Don't hide it."

     Eli nodded and smiled at her again. She just giggled at him and rested her head on his chest. He stiffened for a second but relaxed once he realized that they did this all the time. Just not in public. He pulled her closer and placed his chin on top of her head.

     The two closed their eyes and blocked out the rest of the people around them. It was just them now.

     Just how they liked it.

     They swayed to the music gently, clutching each other tightly, and ignored the stares they knew they were getting from the people around them. They didn't care about anything else, only the feeling they got when they were with each other.

     Mara relished in that feeling. She didn't realize until now why. Eli had always been there for her. He was the one person in her life that never leaves and always appreciated her. She found comfort in the fact that he would never leave her. It was the mere fact that they both needed each other that made their relationship work.

     Mara brought her head back so she could look Eli in the eyes. She swore she saw his eyes flicker to her lips briefly but it was probably just her imagination. Still, she wondered what it would be like to kiss the boy. To feel his soft lips on hers and finally know what he tasted like. She reached up and gently placed her hand on his cheek. Eli's breath hitched but she ignored it as she ran her thumb back and forth over his cheek. Eli naturally leaned into her touch and the two found themselves leaning into each other.

     Mara could feel Eli's breath on her lips now. Just a little further and she could finally know how his lips felt upon hers.

     "Ok party people! We're speeding it back up!" The two abruptly pulled away when the dj started to yell. The song had ended and the two didn't even realize. Eli scratched the back of his neck and looked away from her. She did the same looking at the floor.

     "We should go back t-to the others."

     "Y-yeah."

They awkwardly walked back to their friends who both had stupid grins on their faces. Mara just ignored them and filled up another cup with punch.

"I have to go the bathroom," Eli muttered softly.

"Yeah, me too. That punch is going right through me." Demetri and Eli walked away and Miguel told Mara they would be right back before following after them.

Mara looked around bored. She saw Aisha over at the snack table and decided it wouldn't hurt to go talk to her. They hadn't seen each other since last summer. Mara had to miss robot camp since she was busy training. She came up beside Aisha and smiled. "Long time no see."

"Mara. Hi!" Aisha hugged her with a wide smile. "I was sad you couldn't make it to camp this summer but I'm glad you were still doing something you love. How is running by the way?"

     "Oh it's great! We have a big meet coming up so I'm excited for that. How was camp?"

     "It was ok. Sam didn't come again this summer." Mara frowned at this. Sam and Mara had never communicated despite going to the same camp. She liked to keep her distance due to who she hung out with. She did know that Aisha and Sam were good friends though, so she was angry that Aisha had to be at camp alone.

     "I'm sorry Aisha. I don't know her that well but I do know that you shouldn't leave you friend hanging like that without an excuse. And you definitely shouldn't hang out with the people who make fun of her. You deserve better."

     "It's ok. I've really missed you."

     "Trust me I missed you too. I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you a lot since school started. I've been dealing with some things." Mara looked around and leaned closer to Aisha. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to this karate dojo my friend told me about. Apparently, his Sensei is the real deal and can make us badass."

     Aisha looked like she was contemplating the idea. Eventually, she looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I'll think about it."

     Both of their phones went off and Mara opened hers to see a video of them at the food table. There were pig ears drawn on Aisha's head and a pig nose was drawn on her nose. "The Buffet Table Is Under Attack!!" Was written in big red letters. Everyone in the gym had started to laugh and point at Aisha. The girl looked around and then ran out of the gym.

Mara looked over at Yasmine who was laughing hysterically. Sam was next to her but she didn't seem to think the situation was funny at all. Moon was laughing too but there was something off about it. Like she didn't find anything funny but forced herself to laugh anyway.

Mara stormed over to them and stood in front of Yasmine. "What is wrong with you? You think this is funny?"

Yasmine looked her up and down. "Of course I do. That's why I'm laughing. Maybe you should ask the pig to pass you some snacks. You could use some meat on your bones."

Mara looked over at Moon but the girl just looked down. "Fuck you, Yasmine." She started to walk away and try to go find Aisha but Yasmine called after her.

"You're not fooling anyone bones. You're weak and pathetic. You try and make everyone think you're not but we all know the truth. No one cares about you. Not even those freaks you call friends. You know what they say. Everyone hates a charity case." People ooo-ed at that and Mara didn't bother turning around, so she kept walking out of the gym with tears in her eyes.

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Mara strolled through the empty halls of the school. Her fingers dragged across the smooth surface of the lockers and her dull eyes stared blankly into space.

She had gone looking for Aisha but it seemed like the girl had already left. Now she was walking the halls of West Valley High with a clouded mind. Yasmine's words were ringing in her head. Everyone hates a charity case.

     The more Mara thought about it the more she realized how Yasmine was right. Her father hated her. She always wanted his attention but it was obvious he didn't want to give it to her. She was clingy. She understood that now.

      Ryan was embarrassed to be around her. He probably saw her as the annoying sister who got mad when she didn't get her way. In a way she was. Ever since their mother had died, Mara had done everything to gain attention from her remaining family. She just wanted them to be proud of her for something. Was that such a crime?

     It was then that Mara realized how much she missed her mother. She was always front row at Mara's meets. She always took her out to dinner to celebrate too. She guessed she was so used to her mother being there that she hadn't gotten used to their new family dynamic.

     It was only a matter of time before the rest of her friends got tired of her too. She wasn't ready for when that happened. She didn't want to be alone.

     Mara slid down one of the lockers and pulled her knees to her chest. She buried her face in her lap and bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.

     Mara was weak and she knew that. Her threat against Moon was completely empty and she knew Moon knew that too. She just missed her best friend. She missed her brother. She missed her father. Her mother.

     Mara leaned her head back against the lockers and exhaled. Opening her eyes she noticed a yellow flyer hanging on the locker above her. She wiped off her face and stood up to look at the flyer. It was the same one Miguel had showed her earlier.

Learn to Fight! Join Cobra Kai.

Mara smirked to