Hear My Heart

4x03

Unfortunately, Tory's mom had been getting more ill so she went to Cobra Kai earlier so she could work some of her issues out. As her phone bleeped Tory looked down to see a notification that her mom's prescription was ready from the pharmacy causing her to nearly collide with someone.
"Whoa! Whoa. What you playing at? I could've hit you then." Robby exclaimed jumping off and standing on the end of the skateboard to stop it before it ran into Tory's ankles. He had just come back from an early morning skate.
"Sorry, sorry. I was just..."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine! I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Robby double checked - she didn't look fine even though she was unharmed.
Tory sniffed "No. I just... I got about two hours sleep last night, I haven't since yesterday morning, I didn't stop all day and... I'm on my period." Robby looked a bit perplexed at the last bit of news "Well, you asked so." He lightly chuckled nodding as that was fair.
"Look, I can't do anything about your sleep and, I certainly can't do anything about the other thing." That made Tory laugh for a second. "But, I can get you something to eat." Tory looked at him in surprise. "Come on, minimart, now.

After picking up some food the two teens went back to the dojo to have breakfast. Once she had some food in her Robby managed to squeeze some more details out of Tory.
"I go and check on my mom first thing, sort out her meds, take my little brother to school, then I go to work. And then it's back home on my lunch hour, more meds, make her something to eat, you know. And then back to work, pick up my little brother from school, some days I have a shift somewhere else. So after that it's back home, make her and Brandon dinner, evening meds, online GED schoolwork, bed. Ready to do it all over again in the morning. And that's on the days we don't have Cobra Kai training. And Sensei Kreese didn't believe me when I said I didn't have time for karate.
"I'm knackered just listening to you talk about it. Hasn't your mom got any other carers?"
"Yeah, me."
"You can't do all of that on your own."
"Well, we can't afford to have anyone else get involved. It's hard enough trying to accept me doing anything for her.
"What about your dad?"
"He didn't want anything to do with us."
"You can't keep this up for long."
"Well my mom hasn't got long!" Tory shouted as her voice cracked.
"I-I'm sorry." Robby apologised not realising it was that bad.
"No, it's fine. Sorry." Tory said wiping away a stray tear. She laughed saying "Everyone has something, don't they?"
Robby leaned forward "Listen I, I had to look after my mom. Before she went to rehab, it was bad. She would be nearly unconscious from the pills unable to remember her own name, remember who I was. Other times, she would just go out to bars and leave me there alone and come back in the middle of the night with a random guy. The guys would take her on vacation and I was left behind in an apartment with no electricity. I couldn't handle taking care of her. I should've told people that I was struggling but I just tried to do it all by myself." Robby explained as his own voice broke as he recounted it.
"I can't tell anyone. I mean, I have no one left to tell." Robby looked at her sadly which only caused Tory to calm up again. "It's ok. I'm ok. Em, I need to get back anyway and sort these meds out, don't I? So..." Robby looked away sighing in annoyance at her attitude. "I'm ok. Really, I don't... I don't need anybody else." She insisted.

In reality, she could have waited until after practice to pick up the prescription but she couldn't stand to see Robby's pitying look.

Tory arrived back at Cobra Kai just after class had started so she missed out on leading the warm up, Sensei Kreese had given the honour to Robby. She took her spot on the mat standing right in front of Robby and maintained eye contact with him for each strike. They were interrupted by Sensei Kreese informing Robby that he had a visitor.
"You know this kid?" Tory asked him quietly and Robby shook his head.

Sensei Kreese invited Kenny to try out for the team. Tory and Robby didn't laugh the first time Kyler scared him off the mat but the second time Tory joined in with the other guys. As Kenny left after being cruelly dismissed by Sensei Kreese, Robby sighed having felt for the bullying victim.

Once Sensei Kreese dismissed the class Robby hurried to leave but not before Tory managed to squeeze in a quick warning of "Robby, don't." Knowing exactly what the secretly kind boy is thinking.

Being one of the only girls in the dojo Tory attracted a lot of the male students attention. However, some of them had started to notice how she seemed to reciprocate that kind of attention for Robby. Annoyed by this, Kyler tried to get Tory to spend more time with him after practice. "Yo, you want to stand in line with me? Buy some new Nikes?"
"How many sneakers do you need?" Tory asked incredulously.
"Hey, you would look good in dunks." He complimented.

The next day at training Kenny walked through the doors again. "Look who's back for more." Tory said to Robby.
"I want another shot."
"I'm sorry, I don't have the time to teach weaklings."
"Give him another chance, Sensei." Robby spoke up turning everyone's attention to him. "Maybe he'll surprise you."
"What did you do?" Tory whispered to Robby whilst Sensei Kreese instructed Kenny and Kyler to fight again.

After Kenny ran up and punched Kyler, Tory muttered "Kid's fast." Robby smiled knowing she saw what he saw in Kenny.