𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝖨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡 -
through the blinds.
𝗥𝖮𝗥𝗬 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣 at the ceiling of Ventura's blankly, replaying the horrific details of last night's events over and over again until her face turned a sunny shade of red from cringing so hard. "You know, you stressing out about last night isn't going to change what happened," Robby said knowingly, drinking down his chocolate Milkshake as he sat across from her in their shared booth. "Or what you said."
It was the day of the All Valley tournament and the two sat heartily together, spouting about all of their up-and-coming problems that they couldn't exactly share with other people. Rory liked to think it made them closer in that way, both having a clear understanding of each other.
"Maybe, just maybe, if I wish hard enough I can go back in time and put a gun in my mouth to prevent all this from happening."
"Yeah, well, as enticing as that sounds, that's never gonna happen." Robby deadpanned, "So get a grip." His hand reached for one of the many curly fries that rested in the middle of their table, "you know, if you stop and really think about it, it's better this way."
"Better how?" Rory exclaimed, dramatically counting on her fingers, "Let's see, not only did I potentially ruin my friendship with my best friend of seven years, but I also managed to single-handedly embarrass myself to the point of no return." She cried out, "whatever shred of dignity I had left, is completely gone."
"But at least now you know," The Keene boy said honestly, "Now you can respectively move on with your life and not worry about what could've been if you had just told him in the first place."
Rory looked down at the table, biting the inside of her cheek, "that doesn't make it hurt any less." She mumbled, poking the red straw through the top layer of the strawberry milkshake.
"Me personally," Robby shrugged, "I don't see what the gag is about him." His obvious distaste for Miguel is becoming more and more apparent.
"Of course, you'd think so." Rory chastised, "you have an obvious thing for Sam." She could see the muscles in his neck tick at her words, his lips pinching together in a firm line. "What?" He scoffed, scratching the side of his neck, "no I don't, what are you saying about?"
It was Rory's turn to look at him all knowingly, consuming her milkshake with 'i don't believe you eyes.' Robby groaned, rubbing his face with his hands, "can we just change the subject, please?"
She leaned back into the red booth seat, picking at the skin of her nails, "My guidance counselor emailed me earlier this morning."
"What did she say?"
"Well, I was responding to her email about the deadline and was expressing my own 'concerns' about the trip altogether." Robby raised his dark brows, needing more input before he could answer back appropriately. "I basically told her I couldn't afford all the trip expenses and therefore wouldn't be able to go." Her voice was smooth as ice. "She got back to me within 15 minutes and told me that all expenses were covered with my grant and that she was sorry for not letting me know sooner."
"That's amazing Rory!" Keene's eyes enlarged as his hunched posture went wooden, "You're going right?" His query sounded like more a statement than a question. "Right.."
She averted her eyes, gazing at the tiled floor, "I don't know. I leave in three days," Rory sighed heavily, "and I have too many responsibilities here. The Pros and the Cons are the same weight right now and I can't decide."
"Flip a coin," Keene suggested, pulling a penny from his pocket and sliding it over the wooden table. "A coin, really?" If looks could kill, Robby would surely be dead by now, "What are we? Second graders?"
Robby rolled his eyes, ignoring her sarcasm, "What you want is what you wish for when the coin is at its highest point in the air before landing in your hands." Rory couldn't argue, his logic sounded pretty reasonable and It was better than the alternative, which was absolutely nothing.
She picked up the penny and gave Robby a weary glance before she tossed the tiny piece of copper in the air. When it landed, she held out her arm to give them a fine view, both visibly shocked by the results. He glanced up at the girl in front of him, taking in her conspicuous facial expression at the reading before speaking, "looks like you've got your answer."
She nodded her head and cleared her throat, looking at the time on her phone, "we should probably go." It's almost noon and Robby had to be signed in at the gym before then to compete in the tournament.
-
When Rory got to the arena, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. The whole place was crammed with people, top to bottom, leaving almost no place to sit in the stands and no room to enter either.
Her feet paddled against the recently reinvigorated tiles as she made her way into the hall when she heard a familiar soft voice speak her name. "Rory, is that you?" To her surprise, it was Miguel's Mom and grandma walking over with turned-up lips and somber smiles.
Carmen being the warm physical person she was, immediately engulfed Rory in a hug which she gladly excepted. "Aii," The Diaz woman groaned, reluctantly pulling away from the embrace, "It's been way too long since I've seen you, where have you been?"
Purposely avoiding you and the rest of your family because I'm basically in love with your son who's dating my best friend.
Rory's arms fell flaccidly at her sides once she was set loose from the hug, hanging limp, much like the corners of her mouth. "well, I've been sort of busy with school and work so..." She strained, "I haven't really had the time to...socialize."
Mrs. Diaz hummed unconvincingly but didn't press the matter any further, hugging the leather of her purse tightly, "Would you like to come and sit with us?" She asked with a hopeful tone that Rory couldn't seem to refute. "Yeah, yeah that sounds nice."
"Welcome, everyone, to the 50th annual All Valley under 18 Karate Championship!" The announcer broadcasted loudly as the large assemblage cheered. "You'll love the new mats!" He joked openly, making everyone, mostly the older folks chuckle.
She followed the two women up the metal staircase and seated beside Miguel's grandma while Carmen sat next to her mother, waiting patiently for the actual tournament to commence. "Let's start by welcoming all the local dojos competing today." She heard Carmen expressing her concerns for her son to her mum over the announcer, visibly in distress about the whole thing. Rory hugged herself awkwardly as she sat quietly, not engaging, nor listening.
She wasn't intentionally trying to be impolite but she didn't know how to properly converse with these people anymore since it had been so long.
What would they even talk about?
Miguel?
Or far worse he and Sam.
That topic on its own was a subject that she had so desperately wanted to ignore.
Cromwell couldn't deny the grave rap she felt watching Carmen's face contort into one of anxiety and trepidation awaiting her son's participation. It's why she mumbled some assurance to the warm Woman who had immediately eased at her words. "Miguel's a great fighter Carmen, I've seen him. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."
At first, she couldn't deny feeling a little odd sitting with her ex-crush ━ er ex-best friend's family but conceded it wasn't as weighty as most would think. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to sit for Sam and the rest of the Larusso family weren't attending and none of her friends (that she knew of) were here. The purpose of her being here was solely for Aisha and Robby.
Carmen nodded rapidly, clasping her hands together tightly in her lap, "I'm so glad you're here Rory." Ms. Diaz uttered to which Rory faintly smiled in response.
The chants of the rowdy dojo echoed through the arena, sparking everyone's attention, some with wonderment, like Rory, and others with bitterness. "Cobra Kai, Cobra Kai, Cobra Kai, Cobra Kai!"
Daryl, the announcer, spoke with awe etched in his voice, "Now that's what I call an entrance!" He raved into the mike, "And a badass name for a Dojo! Let's hear it for Cobra Kai!" The rest of the crowd cheered, some cheering loudly for their dear ones, like Moon who shouted "hawk" over and over. According to Aisha on the phone last night, and much to Rory's surprise, the two had hooked up at the party before and after she got there.
Giving attention to the cheers, Miguel couldn't help but look into the stands, his set gaze reaching Samantha, in the front, who only scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. He couldn't deny the subtle feeling of hurt her look had left him but he actively decided to not think much of it and brush it off. "And finally, fighting unaffiliated from North Hills..." The Diaz boy couldn't be bothered to listen to the announcer anymore, for his lingering stare was set upon a familiar girl, sitting with his family at the top of the bleachers.
When he skimmed the crowd again he caught a glimpse of her. Rory's slippery confession last night had really left him confused. Sure he liked Sam, but against his better judgment, he couldn't stop thinking about her best friend. Instead of sleeping like he should've been, Miguel lay awake in the wee hours of the night, replaying their conversation over and over again in his mind as he kicked back in his bed. He was a bumble bee drunk on the nectar of bleeding hearts.
Miguel had looked at Rory a million times before and always felt that spark, even now. But up until today, he didn't know what said spark meant. Today (and every other day) he saw her like he did the first very first time he laid eyes on her in that cafeteria. Words wouldn't describe how he felt at this moment. She smiled—that smile! let her smile again—he thought.
Her hair looked kinky and dark circles formed under her eyes, and he knew that didn't sound like a proper compliment, but for him it was. When she carried the strands of her hair from her face to the back of her ears, it looked so beautiful. So beautiful, that It could make an atheist believe in God because nothing else could have created something so heavenly.
"....We have, Mr. Robby Keene!"
That longing gaze soon turned into a hard glare that resembled pure hatred. He was like a rubberband that snapped back into place after hearing that foul swine's name being called onto the loud mic.
"Go, Robby!" The muscle in his neck ticked from snaring his jaw so tight. Hearing Rory, his Rory, cheering for Keene the loudest among the others in the crowd made his fists clench at his sides.
Why was she cheering for him?
Were they dating?
What could she possibly see in him?
"All right folks. Get ready. It's karate time."
Miguel was the first one up. He went to get on the blue mat when Johnny stopped him, tilting over and whispering something in his ear. The Diaz boy nodded silently, his face emotionless, as he proceeded to get into his fighting stance. The ref gave them the go-ahead which seemed pointless in Rory's opinion because the match was over before it even started. She watched in shock as Miguel ripped into the boy with one flawless move.
Wait a minute.
She knew that move.
That was Daniels's most well-known move.
The populace erupted into cheers at his swiftness. "How did he do that?" Carmen gasped in wonderment, clapping along with the rest of the crowd. "He stole it." She wanted to retort with a roll of her eyes but bit back her tongue.
After a few more rounds of intense fighting, It was safe to say that Rory's voice was dulling by the second. Between cheering for Aisha and Roby, her throat didn't stand a chance.
Cheers, Cheers, Cheers, and more Cheers sounded as Miguel advanced to the Semifinals. As the ref held up his arm in the air to convey his significant win, he couldn't help but look up at Rory, jovially chatting with his mom, silently hoping she was cheering for him just as much as everyone else, maybe even more.
Meanwhile, Rory was biting down on the skin of her fingernails watching Keene fight on the next mat over. If he won this then he'd also advance to the semi-finals. Cromwell didn't want to think about how Miguel and Robby would have to fight each other if they both made it to the finals. It gave her indigestion just pondering about it.
Her eyes squinted in apprehension waiting for Robby's next move against his opponent. "Spinning hook kick..." She muttered over and over again under her breath. She followed the way he hesitated for a beat, but just as she was about to close her eyes, he did it. Robby effectively laid waste to his opponent. "Over on mat three, Robby Keene advances to the Semifinals!"
The toothy smile she once had soon withered away when Aisha got bested by a kid named Xander stone over on mat four. Her friend looked so defeated and unhappy, even though she came really far, putting a wrinkle in Rory's disposition. She slightly stood and went to go get up and console her but Sam ( who she didn't even know was here ) chased after her.
"There can be only one true winner, and he is standing on this stage right now," Daryl said into the microphone, reading the names on his cue cards. "Will it be Miguel Diaz from Cobra Kai Karate? Will it be Hawk...Well, I guess it's just hawk from Cobra Kai Karate? Will it be Robby Keene, unaffiliated? And last but certainly not least, last year's champion, fighting out of Topanga Karate Xander stone!"
Stone bowed cheekily before doing a bunch of front flips and back flips in front of the man, making Rory roll her eyes in annoyance. Xander snatched the mic away, speaking wholeheartedly into it, surprising everyone, including Daryl. "I just wanted to say, even though I love to fight, we all need to fight together against hatred...." Most were very displeased with his annoying speech, especially Rory.
"The only thing this gringo is doing is ruining my high," Rosa remarked, to which Rory laughed in response.
"...And as I look around this arena, I pray for every race, religion, and gender that we can all live together in peace. Please join me for a moment of silence as we strive to end intolerance in our time." He said bowing his head, everyone following suit. It only took a few seconds before Daryl snaked the microphone back, "All right!" He exclaimed, breaking the silence, "first up, Stone vs Diaz!"
Exactly four minutes passed by before Miguel took the lead once again, progressing on to the finals, his fellow teammates relishing in his glorious victory. He was good, very fucking good, startling the young girl. Though she thought highly of his determination, she didn't miss the way he scowled at Robby each time he fought and won —especially when Keene went ahead to fight his triumphant teammate and best friend, Hawk.
As she watched, she noticed Johnny's worried stares he continually threw at Robby, almost pleading like. The son of course ignored them, trying to focus on winning the point back he had just lost. After Robby rightfully scored the point, Hawk kicked him in his shoulder when he had his back turned, virtually wounding him and earning him a first-class ticket to the finals.
She grimaced as she watched Robby's face contort with pain at the sudden blow. Cobra Kai was turning all of her friends—she thought she knew —into assholes one by one and there was nothing she could do about it.
The sudden disqualification called for a short break which Rory instantly took advantage of to see her hurt friend, and possibly help foster him. She paid her departure from the Diaz family and went down the steps with her thin orange sweater in her hands.
Not a moment before her feet touched the ground, she heard a familiar voice that she was hoping not to hear tonight. She sighed deeply, swinging around on her heels to face the culprit. "Can we talk now?" Rory reluctantly agreed, motioning her head toward the empty hall.
He followed behind the girl, hot on her heels like a lost puppy looking for its owner. She leaned her back up against the corner of the wall, arms crossed in front of her chest as Miguel stood in front of her, creating a safe distant space between them. "I left you a couple of messages yesterday, did you get them?"
Rory played with the hem of her flowery dress, "yeah I got them." she said simply.
"So you're just avoiding me then, is that it?" He said deferentially, waiting for her response that never came. "Even before that night, you've been avoiding me." Miguel continued, hurt written all over his face. "Why? We were friends and now you can barely even look at me. You owe me at least an explanation."
"You know why."
He did.
They both did.
"Did you mean what you said that night?"
"Honestly does it matter?" was all Rory said shaking her head, trying to maintain her composer, "It's not like it would change anything or how you-"
"Stop telling me how to feel!" He blurted, his voice hard and firm, "That is mine, that belongs to me. No one else. No one, not even you!" Her mouth hung slightly agape at his outburst, feeling narrowly unnerved. "God, I already know how I feel about you, and nothing is going to change that..."
"You can't-" Her voice broke down at his sudden confession. Rory had awaited this moment for what seemed to be forever. She romanticized every moment down to the very last detail but now that it's happened she couldn't be any less thrilled. If she was being honest she felt horrible. "...I'm sorry, I can't." Cromwell choked, veering around to walk away.
"Wait,—Look." Diaz gently grabbed her elbow, spinning her back around to face him. They were significantly closer than before, both trying not to pay any mind to it. "...This is all new, so like, I'm trying to understand here.." Miguel sighed, noticing how strong he was coming on. Rory dismissed him and his words, "there's nothing to understand Miguel, it was a mistake. I should've never said anything..."
"But you did say it, Rory." The Gears in Miguel's brain were turning so fast he thought he'd pass out, "Alright so —so what am I supposed to do? Forget?"
Her eyes closed shamefully, "not tell Sam."
"Sam isn't even talking to me!" Miguel ran his hands frustratedly over his face, sighing, "She's still pissed at me, so if that's what you're worried about then-"
It remained silent as both stared intensely at one another before Rory finally spoke up. "I have to go." She said looking over her shoulder and moving away from him.
Miguel looked at her in defeat, "So that's it then?" He raised his arms slightly at his sides, "We can't even be friends?"
"I don't know how to be friends with you like this Miguel," Rory said truthfully, lowering her arms, the wool of her sweater dragging on the ground, "We can't go back to how we were before you and Sam started dating, and we sure as hell can't go back to how we were when you were dating." She stated, taking small steps backward. "I can't—won't be the other girl that fucks up your relationship."
"You're not the other girl." Miguel was quick to defend her, not even thinking about his choice of words before he blurted them out, "I only started dating Sam because I thought you didn't want me how I wanted you..."
Yes, Miguel hinted at how he felt before, but this was the first he came right out and said it. "Good luck out there." was all she said before leaving the boy behind her, not realizing her other friends were still out there as well.
RUES_GF SPEAKS:
ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT OF SEASON ONE!
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