❝ you're so pretty it hurts. ❞
―
ACHARA WALKED INTO COBRA KAI.
When she saw Robby standing next to Kreese, she waved at him with a smile on her face. She wanted to thank him for finally giving her the push she needed to break up with Miguel.
She didn't have the chance to say anything to him when the bell above the door jingled, and the sound of Hawk shouting filled the dojo.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Achara suspected that something of that nature would happen when Hawk saw him. After all, he still viewed Robby as the enemy. She walked over to Robby and stood next to him, crossing her arms defensively. Hawk gave her a disapproving glare.
"Hold on there," Kreese said to Hawk. "Mr. Keene is our guest."
Hawk was not happy in the slightest. Kreese asked to speak to him in his office. Hawk obeyed, his eyes following Robby and Achara as he walked past them. Robby walked off. Achara followed him to the back training room.
Achara stood in front of him as he started packing his belongings. "Hey, uh, I just wanted to say thank you for helping me last night. I broke up with Miguel."
Robby nodded. "No problem. Some time apart might be good for the both of you."
"Yeah," Achara looked down at the ground before adverting her gaze back to Robby. "I also wanted to apologize for everything that happened. I missed having you as my best friend."
Robby gave her a smile. "Yeah, I'm sorry too."
"You know, I hated you," Achara told him. "Or at least, I wanted to. I hated you for dating Sam. I hated you for what you did to Miguel. But when I wanted someone to talk to, someone who wasn't Decha...I just wanted to talk to you. There were so many things I wanted to tell you that I couldn't..."
Robby sighed as he listened.
"I don't think I ever truly hated you," Achara continued. "You were my best friend. I guess...I guess I was wondering if maybe we could be friends again?"
Robby nodded his head. "You know what? I'd like that. There's so much I've wanted to tell you too."
Achara smiled and pulled him in for a hug.
Robby hugged her back. "And it's okay that you hated me. I hated me too."
Achara let go of him. Robby zipped up his duffel bag.
Tory walked in the room. "Quitting already?"
"Never joined in the first place," Robby replied. "I don't belong here."
At first, Achara was surprised to see them acting so friendly with each other. But then she remembered that Tory had told her that she had a run in with Robby when she was meeting with her probation officer.
"Oh, so you're running away?" Tory asked. "That worked out well for you last time."
"I'm not running away," Robby responded.
"I hated you for what happened, you know. For what happened to Miguel and for hurting Achara. I hated Sam LaRusso. I hated everyone. I hated myself the most, but I didn't have the luxury of running away," Tory told him. "Sensei Kreese taught me that if you take all that hate, and you channel it..."
She started kicking and hitting the punching bag over and over again.
"It makes you stronger," Tory continued her previous statement, kicking the punching bag one more time. "And it feels good. Listen, a bunch of us are getting together after class. You should come. Or you can run away again."
Tory exited the room. Robby looked at Achara.
"She's right, you know," Achara said. "When you let out all that anger that you keep inside, you'll feel much better about yourself."
Robby just nodded his head.
"And you should totally come later," Achara told him. "I can drive you if you want."
"Yeah, sure," Robby replied. "Why not?"
Achara smiled at him and then left the room, joining the others for class.
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Achara and Robby walked through the woods, leaves and branches crunching and snapping under their feet. Robby kept asking her what they were doing, but Achara refused to tell him. She didn't want to spoil the surprise. They approached the gate where the others stood, laughing amongst themselves.
Hawk's smile faded when he saw Robby standing in front of him.
"You two took your sweet ass time," Tory said.
Hawk stared at Achara. "You invited him?"
Achara shrugged. "Actually, Tory did. Why?"
"You got a problem with that?" Tory asked.
Hawk rolled his eyes and took a swig of the can of beer he was holding. Kyler handed one to Achara, but she shook her head, refusing. Kyler handed it to Robby instead.
Robby shook his head. "No, I'm good."
"What, you can't handle a sip of beer?" Hawk asked him, causing the others to laugh.
Achara looked down at her shoes. She knew that Robby didn't like to drink because of his father, but she didn't say that. She didn't think it was her business to just air out in the open.
"Nah, I just don't need to drink to pretend to be cool," Robby responded.
Kyler started choking next to Achara. She turned to him, giving him a disgusted look.
"Yeah, that's funny," Hawk replied, stepping closer to him.
Achara pushed Hawk back. "Don't."
Tory tapped Hawk's arm. "Let's get going."
Tory lifted the broken section of the gate, allowing for Hawk, Kyler, and the others to crouch down and climb through. Achara turned her head towards Robby, noticing the apprehensive expression on his face.
Tory noticed too. She let go of the gate. "Don't worry. It's not gonna violate your probation. You got outta juvie, not Sing Sing."
"You resorting to peer pressure?" Robby asked.
Tory shrugged. "Yeah, it's kinda my thing."
She turned around and entered through the gate. Robby glanced over at Achara.
"You know, it's been a while since we've snuck in somewhere," Robby told her. "Remember when me, you and Decha snuck into that abandoned theme park?"
"You mean the one where you tagged a concession stand with ABD, SORRY, NO C?" Achara laughed. "And when I asked you where the B came in, you said 'From Robby, where else?'"
Robby laughed. "That's the one. I still think that's clever. Where is Decha by the way?"
Achara shrugged. "Don't know. Probably hanging out with his boyfriend."
Robby raised an eyebrow.
"I'll catch you up later," Achara said. "Come on, let's go."
She walked up to the gate, crouching down and going under it. Robby followed behind her as they caught up to the others. They stood in front of the Ventura Zoo sign, children and their families walking around.
"The zoo?" Robby asked. "Why do we have to sneak in?"
"You'll see," Tory responded.
"Come on, this way," Hawk motioned with his head.
Achara followed behind them, Robby trailing along with her.
"All right, there's two cameras over there. The guard goes in break once every hour," Hawk informed the group. "We have less than five minutes.
He rushed up the stairs, Kyler and the other two boys along with him.
"Five minutes to do what?" Robby asked.
"We're getting a little gift for Sensei," Tory answered.
The staff only door to the reptile room was opened. Achara stepped in after Robby. She looked around, feeling a shiver go up her spine at the sight of all the snakes. She kept walking, following the group. Hawk unzipped his backpack and pulled out a pillowcase.
"You got the snake pole?" Hawk asked Kyler.
Kyler looked down at his hands and groaned. "Oh, shit! Snake pole, right."
Achara looked at him, her neck extended forward as she blinked multiple times.
"I orchestrated this entire plan, and you didn't bring the one thing you were in charge of?" Hawk asked angrily.
"I forgot, okay?" Kyler responded. "I've got a lot on my mind right now. If I don't pass trig this semester, my dad's gonna shit in my mouth."
Achara's face scrunched up in disgust. "What the hell does that even mean?"
"Just reach in and grab the snake!" Tory told Hawk.
"Are you insane?" Hawk asked her. "I'm not gonna stick my hand in there!"
"Hey, who's in there?"
"Shit!"
Achara started to panic, getting lightly pushed towards the wall as Kyler and Hawk ran out of the narrow room. She glanced between Tory and Robby before turning on her heels and running out. She didn't stop running until she was standing next to the gate and exiting the same way she had entered.
"What the hell, dumbass?" Hawk asked Kyler.
"Dude! At least I brought beer," Kyler responded.
Achara rolled her eyes. She looked around, seeing Tory standing beside her, but Robby was nowhere to be found. She heard the gate rustle and looked over her shoulder to see Robby walking towards them.
"We failed the mission 'cause of you!" Hawk said.
Robby held up the pillowcase. "Who said we failed?"
The snake hissed from inside of the pillowcase.
Achara smiled at him and patted in on the back. "Way to go, Robby!"
"You got it?" Tory asked. "Unreal."
"You're serious?" Kyler questioned.
"Let's see it."
Robby opened the pillowcase. Achara looked down, seeing the snake slithering around in the bag. She cringed and looked away while the others exclaimed in excitement and congratulated Robby. Hawk looked less than thrilled.
When they went back to the dojo, Achara stood in between Robby and Tory, hands behind her back as she listened to Kreese.
"Well done. I'm impressed. You showed fearlessness, leadership and those are the qualities you need to be a champion."
Kreese placed his hand on Robby's shoulder. "Good job. You're what Cobra Kai has been looking for."
"Do you see what you can accomplish when you work together?" Kreese said. "Alliances are important. For us and our enemy. Because you better believe that they are making alliances too."
"What alliances?" Tory asked.
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Kreese asked. "Uh, Diaz and that LaRusso girl, yeah, they're working together. Yeah, they helped Miss Thirasawat here, save the All Valley. They gave quite a speech. They make a pretty good team."
Tory and Robby both turned to glance at Achara. She stared at the ground, her head low.
"Well, it's getting late," Kreese announced. "Dismissed."
Tory was the first to walk away, storming out of the room. Achara sighed and turned her attention towards Kreese. He had a smug smile on his face as if he were proud of the little announcement about the All Valley.
Achara turned on her heels and walked out the room. She felt someone tap her shoulder.
"Hey, would you want to go skating with me?" Robby asked when she had turned to face him. "We can catch up."
Achara nodded. "I have a therapy session, but I'll meet you there after."
"Sounds good," Robby replied. "See you there."
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"So, what's been happening?"
"I broke up with Miguel," Achara told Olivia. "I finally told him how I feel and that he doesn't appreciate me the way he should. He was upset, which I figured he would be, but I did it. I told him that it was time for me to take control of my own life."
Olivia gave her a smile. "And how'd it feel?"
Achara tapped her foot repeatedly. "Good? I mean, it's sad that I broke up with him and I cried for what seemed like hours afterwards, but it was almost...liberating in a way."
"And how's it been going with your other friends?" Olivia asked.
"Robby and I are friends again," Achara told her. "You remember Robby? He was the one that...that kicked Miguel off the balcony. Well, he never meant for it to happen, and I hated him for it, but I missed having him as my best friend and I let my relationship with Miguel get between us. I forgave Robby for what happened."
"That's wonderful. Forgiveness is important," Olivia said.
"And well...Tory..." Achara trailed off, trying to think of what to say. "I've been trying to keep it cool around her. We haven't really talked about what happened—about her confession—but I can't get it off my mind."
Olivia just nodded.
Achara shrugged. "It's just...I don't know how to act."
"Why do you think that is?" Olivia asked.
"I guess because she's my friend and knowing that she likes me as more is making me question what I should do," Achara answered. "I've been thinking about it over and over and wondering about the possibility of liking her back. It's just confusing..."
"Questioning your sexuality is a perfectly normal thing," Olivia responded. "Plenty of teenagers and even adults question their sexual orientation."
Achara sighed. "I know that. It's just, I was always so sure that I was straight, you know? My brother was always so confident from a young age that he was bisexual. For him, it was always this sure thing and I thought it was like that for me too."
"Close your eyes for a moment," Olivia told her.
Achara gave her a confused look but closed her eyes anyway.
"Now, I want you to imagine what it'd be like to go on a date with Tory," Olivia instructed her. "How does it make
you feel?"
Images of going on a date with Tory flooded Achara's head. She imagined that they were sitting in a restaurant, laughing, and smiling as they talked and ate their food. She imagined them at the playground that Tory had taken her to, lying on the grass as a plane flew by in the air. She imagined them turning their heads at the exact same time, making eye contact as Tory slowly started to lean in, lips moving closed to her own. She thought of kissing Tory underneath the stars.
Achara gulped, feeling her heartbeat pick up as her stomach felt like it was tightening in knots. Achara opened her eyes.
"Describe to me what you're feeling," Olivia said.
"I..." Achara couldn't find the words. "I...I imagined what it'd be like to kiss her and now there's this queasy feeling in my stomach and my heart feels like I've just run a marathon."
"Now, ask yourself why that is," Olivia said.
Achara shook her head. She knew why. She knew, but she just didn't want to admit it to herself. She didn't want to like Tory as more than a friend.
"Would you like to move on?" Olivia asked. "We can talk about something else."
Achara nodded. "Please."
"How are things with your family?" Olivia asked.
"Not too great," Achara responded. "Decha and I aren't really talking much. We don't really see each other. Dinner and in the hallways at school. That's it. My parents are starting to question it, but we pretend that it's fine. We always were good at that."
"Why aren't you talking?"
Achara shrugged. "It seems like we're always busy. I'm busy with Cobra Kai and coming to therapy. He's busy with Eagle Fang and spending time with his boyfriend. It's like we have nothing to talk about."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Olivia said. "Maybe you need to talk with him and set aside some time to hang out."
"It's okay," Achara replied. "I don't think he really wants to talk to me anyway. Things are just different now..."
"You have the power to change things if you don't like the way they're going," Olivia told her.
Achara just nodded, staring up at the clock above Olivia's head, watching the hands move.
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Achara skated back and forth in the bowl at the skatepark. Robby wheeled past her, and then stepped on the edge of his board, catching it in his hand. When she reached the top, Achara copied the action and took a seat next to him on the bench. Robby took a sip of water and turned to look at her.
"So, what's going on with Decha?" Robby asked. "Is he not in Cobra Kai anymore? And what's this about a boyfriend?"
Achara stared down at her shoes, kicking the pavement. "He quit Cobra Kai. A bunch of the other Cobras and Miyagi-Do had this fight. Hawk broke Demetri's arm...and well, that was the final straw, I guess. He was dating Hawk, but he kept calling him a traitor and after that he did to Demetri, Decha broke up with him. Now, he's dating Demetri."
Robby stared at her as if he were trying to process what she had told him. "He finally gave him a chance, huh?"
Achara nodded. "I guess so. We haven't really talked much."
"What?" Robby asked. "You and Decha aren't talking? But you've been practically attached at the hip since you were born."
Achara shrugged. "Separate dojos. Separate friends. Separate schedules. Separate cars. We don't really see each other anymore. The only time we do is when we're eating dinner and even then we don't say much."
"Separate dojos?" Robby asked. "Did he join Miyagi-Do?"
Achara shook her head. "He joined your dad's new dojo."
"My dad has a new dojo?" Robby questioned, a mix of anger and shock in his voice.
Achara nodded. "Eagle Fang."
Robby scoffed. "Wow..."
"Yeah," Achara said, kicking the pavement again.
"So, are you rivals now?" Robby asked. "Is that why you don't talk anymore?"
Achara shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems like we don't have anything to say to each other anymore. Our parents have started to notice. Mae asked us a few days ago if everything was okay. We just pretended and acted like everything was fine..."
"I never thought I'd see the day where you and Decha weren't talking," Robby responded.
Achara nodded and sighed. They were silent for a few moments before Robby spoke again.
"How, uh...how have you been after the fight?" Robby asked. "Besides hating me for what happened?"
Achara sighed. "I'm not gonna lie, it's been rough. I got a concussion and had to go to all these appointments to make sure I was okay. Apparently, your head hitting a stair railing can cause brain damage. I was just lucky I guess."
"I'm glad you're okay," Robby told her.
"Yeah," Achara said. "But you know, that wasn't even the worst part of it all. I was so depressed. I didn't leave my room. I didn't eat. I'd barely slept and if I did, I just relived the fight and woke up screaming. It got so bad that my parents decided to send me to therapy."
"Achara...I had no idea," Robby responded. "I'm so sorry."
Achara shook her head. "It's not your fault. You can't put the blame on yourself. We're all to blame. Me, you, Tory, Sam, Miguel. If we hadn't let it get out of hand..."
Robby just nodded.
"My therapist helped me realize that," Achara told him. "I didn't like her at first. I thought she was doing a shitty job, but she's actually really helped me. I don't know where I'd be without her, honestly. It's weird how comforting it can be to talk to a stranger about your problems."
Robby nodded. "Trust me, I know. We used to have these therapy sessions in juvie."
"How was juvie?" Achara asked.
"It was rough at first," Robby replied. "There was this guy I fought with a couple of times. We're good now though. We worked it out."
"That's good," Achara responded.
"Yeah, but this isn't about me, Achara," Robby said. "We're talking about you. We can talk about me another time."
Achara smiled. She missed being friends with Robby. He listened to her like no one else. He cared about her problems and actually wanted to know how she was doing. He didn't make everything about himself. Not like...
Achara's smile faded.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Robby asked.
"Sorry. It's just...it feels nice to talk to someone about everything and actually have them listen to you," Achara told him. "With Miguel, it was always like he only wanted to talk about his problems and what he was going through and yeah, talking to my therapist helps a lot but she didn't live through it, you know? And Decha...I don't know. He always listens, but things are different now. It's not the same anymore."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Robby placed his hand on her shoulder. "You've got me now, okay? You're my best friend and there's nothing that will come between us again."
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Achara sat on Tory's couch. "Are you sure you aren't mad at me for not saying anything about Miguel and Sam helping me save the All Valley?"
Tory nodded. "For the millionth time, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at them for working together."
Achara just nodded her head. "So, you wanted to talk?"
That was the whole reason Tory had invited her over. She didn't need to say what she wanted to talk about. Achara already knew. They had avoided it for far too long.
"Yeah. I wanted to talk about when I said I like you. I know I kind of sprung it on you and I'm sorry for that," Tory said. "I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I couldn't sit back and say nothing."
Achara didn't respond.
Tory sighed. "Things have been so weird between us lately and I know it's my fault, but I meant every word, Achara. I like you and I didn't want to hide it anymore."
"Anymore?" Achara asked. "H-how long have you liked me?"
"Since the moment I saw you up on the stage at Valley Fest," Tory responded. "I thought you were the prettiest girl I've ever seen. You're so pretty, Achara. You're so pretty it hurts."
As Tory tucked Achara's hair behind her ear, Achara
looked into her eyes and gulped.
"I...I don't know what to say," Achara replied. "I didn't know you liked me since...for that long."
"You don't have to say anything," Tory said, shaking her head.
Tory's gaze adverted to Achara's mouth then back up to her eyes.
"Just give me a chance? Please?" Tory pleaded. "I promise, I'll be good to you. I'll treat you like you're the only girl in the world. I'll listen to everything you have to say."
Tory was slowly starting to lean in. Achara was starting to wonder if maybe she should have just stayed at the skatepark with Robby instead of meeting up with Tory.
Tory's breath ghosted on Achara's lips for a few seconds before Tory closed the gap. Achara's breath hitched and for a split second, she wasn't breathing. Tory pulled back, looking at Achara as if she were asking if that was okay. Achara blinked a few times as she tried to process what happened.
Achara chewed on the inside of her cheek as she stared at Tory, eyes flicking back and forth between her eyes and mouth. Achara's thoughts were running a mile a minute, telling her that it was a bad idea. She had just broken up with Miguel and she knew Tory liked her, but she wasn't sure if she liked Tory—not in that way. But there was this little voice, soft and faint, telling her that she would never know if she didn't try.
Achara didn't want to think about it for a second longer. She leaned forward, crashing her lips onto Tory's.
Tory didn't hesitate to kiss her back. Every thought that Achara had suddenly disappeared from her mind. All she could think about was Tory and Tory's lips and the fact that she was kissing her.
The kiss was broken when Tory's phone buzzed on the table at the same time Achara's buzzed in her pocket. They both grabbed their phones; the Cobra Kai group chat was going wild.
A screenshot of Mitch's Instagram story popped up on their screens. Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang were throwing a party and working together.
Achara and Tory looked up at each other. Achara clenched her phone tightly in her hand. If Eagle Fang and Miyagi-Do were working together then that meant Decha and Sam were working together.
— EMILIA'S NOTES
let the sapphic angst begin!!
decha centric chapter next which will include the whole eagle fang & miyagi do alliance + some decha angst. then we move onto the fight!
also sorry mitch, but you struck me as the type to post about the alliance on instagram so i just went with it because i wanted some explanation as to how cobra kai knew they were all there.
alternative chapter title: the internal struggle of achara thirasawat.