AGONY OF DESIRE ; cobra kai

01 ― let the chaos begin.

"Whatever," Achara rolled her eyes. "Mom and dad will be up soon, so hurry up and change your clothes. Take a shower and brush your teeth too. You smell like a distillery."

Achara didn't give him a chance to reply back with a snarky comment before she turned around and walked out of the room. Achara wasted no time getting ready for school. When she had finished getting dressed and had brushed her hair, she made her way downstairs and towards the kitchen. Her parents were sitting together at the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in their hands.

"Good morning, Ma, Pa," Achara greeted them, a big smile on her face and a sweet, innocent tone to her voice.

"Good morning, Angel," her mother replied. "Did you sleep well?"

Achara nodded. "Yes, Ma."

"That's great, darling," her mother said, sipping her coffee. "Where's your brother?"

"He's upstairs getting ready," Achara responded as she grabbed a bowl from the cabinet.

Achara grabbed a box of cereal and the milk from the fridge. Her family was never really a big, fancy breakfast type of family like in the movies or television shows. On rare occasions, her mother did make breakfast, but that was once in a blue moon.

"What was that noise earlier?" Achara heard her father ask.

Achara thought for a second, trying to come up with a lie. "Oh, I just fell on my way to the bathroom earlier. I'm okay, though. Sorry if I woke you."

"Be careful next time," her father said.

Achara nodded her head and turned around as she began to pour cereal into her bowl. She knew that she should feel bad for lying to her father, but she didn't. In fact, she actually liked that she could get away with anything and have them believe whatever she said. There was just this little voice in the back of her mind that wondered if Decha was right and that one day they'd find out just how imperfect she is.

Achara finished making her cereal and made sure to leave the milk out for Decha. As she took a seat and began eating, Decha walked into the kitchen. He greeted his parents, but instead of being greeted back with a smile or being asked how he slept, he got a simple and brief nod of acknowledgment.

If they weren't yelling at him or scolding him for something, then they barely acknowledged him at all. He didn't really care that much, but sometimes she wished that they would at least ask him if he had a good night's sleep, even if he hadn't slept at all the night before. That just wasn't the way things were, and Decha had learned to accept it over the years. It just wasn't like it was with Achara.

Decha had always known that his parents loved Achara more. They sheltered her from the world and provided her with a sense of security, they comforted her when she was upset and patted her on the back for the smallest of achievements.

Decha had never known what that was like.

He didn't get hugs as a form of comfort when he was sad. He didn't get congratulatory pats on the back. Ever since he could remember, all he got was insincere reassurance and a simple nod of the head. Achara was the one who got all the praise. If only they knew that Achara wasn't the perfect angel they thought she was. Maybe then she'd get the same treatment that he did.

"Are you going to sit there staring into your bowl all morning, or are you actually going to eat?"

Decha looked up to see Achara staring at him. The silence of their parents was almost deafening. If he had said that to her, he would have been scolded in a heartbeat.

"Are you in a hurry to get to school or something?" Decha asked, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth as he spoke.

His mother's instant disapproval followed. "Don't talk with your mouth full."