❝ so, what does this mean for us? ❞

―

THE NEON LIGHTS OF GOLF 'N STUFF SHONE ON ACHARA'S FACE.

Miguel had insisted that the group come to the arcade for their group hangout. He had now begun to refer to the group as "Double Daters and Double Single," in which he was obviously the double single. Miguel had said it himself and told everyone else that they could not protest against the name.

Achara had been wary about coming to Golf 'N Stuff considering that it was where she had gone with Miguel on their first date. He assured her a dozen times as they walked through the arcade that he was perfectly fine and she had nothing to worry about.

"Golf 'N Stuff is the place to go for the best dates ever," Miguel told her. "You want to have a great time with Sam, then this is the place to be, and it could be a great place to mend your relationships with Tory in the meantime."

Achara sighed. Miguel was not going to take no for an answer or any protests to his plan whatsoever. He was dead set on Golf 'N Stuff. Even more so, he was dead set on getting Achara and Sam to finally talk about the future of their relationship.

The three girls stood to the side as they watched Robby hit the punching bag in front of him as hard as he could. The machine calculated his score, displaying it in red on a scene in front of him. Miguel laughed as he watched numbers go up.

Robby smiled, pushing his hair out of his face. "It's all in the legs."

"Yeah, well, congrats on your rather average leg strength, sir," Miguel quipped.

Robby chuckled, turning to look at the girls. "All right, who's next?"

Tory shook her head. "I'm good."

"Me too," Sam said, looking off to the side.

"Chara?" Robby asked, looking at her. "Come on, what do you say? Think you've got what it takes to beat my score?"

Achara sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sure. Why not?"

Robby and Miguel both smiled, cheering her on. Robby stepped to the side, standing next to Tory. Achara stood in front of the punching bag. She inhaled a deep breath as she planted her feet into the floor. She put her fists up in front of her and then swung as hard as she could. Her fist collided with the punching bag, pushing it back.

The red numbers on the screen lit up once more as it calculated her score. Miguel glanced at the screen, his eyes lighting up at the number. Achara had managed to beat Robby by just a few points.

Miguel stared at her wide-eyed as his jaw dropped. "And we have a winner!"

"Damn, Thirasawat," Robby breathed out in surprise. "I always knew you had fists of steel, but damn."

Achara glanced over at Sam, her stomach tying into knots when she saw the girl smiling proudly.

Achara turned her attention back to the two boys and smiled pridefully, shrugging her shoulders. "What can I say? These fists are indestructible."

Robby and Miguel both laughed, shaking their heads at her. Achara stepped away from the punching bag, taking her previous spot next to Sam. A silence followed.

"Okay, so, what about the, uh, batting cages?" Miguel suggested. "I heard there's a new fast pitch."

Sam shrugged. "Sure."

"Sounds fun," Tory replied, her tone monotone and lacking enthusiasm.

Tory walked off. Robby turned on his heels and went after her. Achara crossed her arms and started walking alongside Sam and Miguel.

"For some reason, I don't think it sounds fun," Miguel joked.

Sam glanced back and forth between Miguel and Achara. "It's a double date with my ex, his girlfriend, who's also kind of my nemesis, and your ex, who you're trying to set me up with. So, how'd you think it was going to go?"

Achara's eyes widened at that statement. She stared down at the ground, not saying a word.

"I don't know," Miguel replied. "I didn't think she was your enemy anymore."

"I don't know what we are," Sam told him. "But we're not double-daters. It's just... a whole lot more awkward than I thought it would be."

Miguel nodded his head. "I just thought it'd be a great way for all of us to bond and put the past behind us."

"I know, and the sentiment is sweet," Sam said with a smile. "It's just going to take some time."

Miguel nodded his head in understanding. "Well, can we at least consider this a step in the right direction?"

Sam nodded her head.

"And about the whole trying to get us to talk about our feelings," Sam added, pointing between herself and Achara. "Please, stop. You're an awful wingman." She had a joking tone in her voice but was completely serious at the same time.

Achara couldn't help but laugh. "You've got that right. Seriously, Miguel, you're the best, and I appreciate you, but you're so bad at this."

Miguel pouted, but then sighed and nodded his head. "I can't even stay mad because you're both right. But can you just do us all a favor and talk? Please? Seeing you two dance around each other is exhausting."

Achara laughed, shaking her head at the ground. She looked up, glancing at Sam. Achara nodded her head at the girl, a way of saying that they would talk. Sam nodded her head. She didn't need words. Sam knew exactly what Achara was trying to say.

Sam turned to Miguel. "We will. Don't worry. I think we would both rather it not be in the middle of Golf 'N Stuff."

Miguel nodded. "Makes sense."

Robby and Tory stopped ahead. Achara, Miguel, and Sam stood behind them, their eyes following Robby's line of sight. Kenny stood a little ways across from them, playing Hoop Fever.

"He's still not talking to you?" Tory asked.

Robby shook his head, then turned back to look at Kenny. "No. I've gotta give it another shot. He needs to know that there's another way besides the shit Silver was feeding him. At least here, he can't send my call straight to voicemail."

Kenny left the game and walked away, disappearing from view.

Robby turned, looking at the group as he sighed. "I'm gonna be right back."

Robby walked off, going to find Kenny. The other four teens remained silent, avoiding making eye contact with each other.

"So, who wants ice cream?" Miguel suggested.

"Sure."

"Why not?"

"Sounds good."

The three girls sat down at a table while Miguel ordered the ice cream. The table was filled with an awkward and uncomfortable silence as they waited for him to return. Achara glanced between Sam and Tory, who were both trying their hardest not to look each other's way.

Miguel placed a bowl of ice cream to share down on the table and handed each of the girls a spoon. Miguel and Achara were the only ones who ate the ice cream.

Miguel's eyes shifted between them. "So, I mean, it's our senior year, right? College is right around the corner. Kinda crazy."

"Yeah, I mean, it does feel just like yesterday that we were dissecting fetal pigs," Sam recalled.

Achara breathed in through her nose, remembering she had been so jealous that Sam was flirting with Miguel that she had snapped her pencil in half. The small prick on her finger from that incident had hurt for days. It seemed so silly to think about now. Achara never would have believed anyone if they told her that she had no reason to be jealous.

"And now we're planning our futures between training every day," Sam continued speaking. "There are just so many good schools to choose from. I'm just a little overwhelmed, if I'm being honest. But you know, it'll be easier once you and Achara have heard back from Stanford."

"Fingers crossed," Miguel said as he crossed his fingers, then looked at Achara. "Right, Chara? I still can't believe we might be going to the same college. I know our majors are different, but I mean, how cool would that be?"

Achara nodded. "Very."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning on majoring in, Chara?"

"Psychology," Achara answered. "Seeing my therapist has really helped me. It's honestly changed my life, and I'd be so lost without her. I think I want to be that person for someone, you know? I want to be the person who can help someone overcome their pain and strive to make a change."

Sam smiled. "That sounds amazing. I think you'll be an excellent therapist someday."

Achara smiled back. "Thank you."

Miguel turned to look at Tory. "What about you, Tory?"

Achara glanced at her, noticing the gloomy expression on her face. Achara remembered a conversation she had with Tory back when they were dating. Tory had said that it was hard for her to imagine a life beyond high school. She was so dedicated to taking care of her mother and her brother, Brandon, that the thought of college was never in the cards. Add the fact that she was on probation for a year. That made it even more complicated.

"It's kinda hard to get in anywhere when you spent almost a year on probation," Tory deadpanned.

Miguel's face fell. "Right."

"Hey, don't say that, Tor," Achara attempted to boost her spirits. "It'll be hard, but there are colleges that will accept you. You just have to be willing to find them. If you really want to go to college, then I'm sure that your probation officer would be willing to help you."

Tory gave her a half smile. "Yeah. Maybe."

Another awkward silence filled the air around them. If not for the loud sounds emanating from the arcade around them, it was likely that you could have heard a pen drop.

"We should go look for Robby," Achara suggested.

"Yeah," Miguel agreed. "Come on."

Achara stood up from her chair and pushed it in. She waited for the others to do the same, her eyes flicking back and forth between Sam and Tory as they pushed in their chairs. Miguel ate one last spoonful of ice cream from the bowl before picking it up and tossing it in a nearby trash can.

They searched Golf 'N Stuff for Robby. It didn't take long for them to find him. Confusion spread across their faces as they saw an older, taller boy standing beside Kenny. The two boys walked away, leaving Robby standing all alone.

"You know that guy?" Miguel asked.

Robby nodded, turning to face them. "It's Kenny's brother. Met in juvie. He told me to leave Kenny alone."

"You're not gonna listen to him though, right?" Tory asked.

"Do whatever you need to do," Sam told him.

Achara nodded her head. "We'll have your back."

Achara turned to look at the others. Miguel and the two girls nodded.

"Okay," Miguel nodded. "We're here for you, man."

Robby nodded his head, giving the four teens in front of him a smile. He turned on his heels and walked off to find Kenny once more.

────────────

Achara, Miguel, Sam, and Tory waited outside of the batting cages as Robby attempted to talk to Kenny. It was not long before Shawn launched a punch toward Robby. He managed to dodge the hit, having to quickly avoid Kenny's attack in Shawn's defense.

Shawn kept fighting Robby as Kenny fell to the ground, but Robby was quick to block the hits. Shawn grabbed Robby by the shoulder and pushed him toward the wire fence. Miguel entered the batting cage, swooping in and sweeping Shawn's leg. Shawn flipped to the ground.

Miguel turned to Kenny, standing in fighting position. "You heard what he said. We don't wanna fight."

Kenny let out a yell as he raised his leg to kick Miguel. Miguel stepped out of the way and proceeded to block Kenny's strikes against him. Miguel warded off Kenny's punches as a ball came soaring out of the pitching machine. Kenny ducked down as Miguel punched the ball in the nick of time, sending it flying across the cage. Kenny stood behind Miguel and sent a punch his way. Miguel blocked his hit and pushed him to the ground. Kenny reached for the metal baseball bat next to him. Tory ran into the cage, stepping on the end of the bat before he had the chance to pick it up .

"Really?" Tory asked.

Kenny rose to his feet, glaring at Tory. "Out of my way, Nichols. I don't wanna hit a girl."

Achara chuckled as she entered the cage. "That's sweet. But don't worry."

Sam walked beside her, the two girls stopping next to Tory. "You won't."

The three girls shared a nod, turning back to face Kenny in just enough time. Kenny tried running past them, but Sam grabbed his arm, swinging him back in front of them. Kenny stepped back, his eyes darting between the girls.

"Kenny, you have a place at our dojo," Sam reasoned with him. "Everyone has a home at Miyagi-Do. It doesn't matter what happened in the past."

"It matters to me," Kenny replied, his jaw clenched tightly.

Kenny attempts to push past them once more. Sam and Tory each grab onto one of his arms. Kenny tried to pull himself out of their grip, yanking them forward.

"We're just trying to help you, Kenny," Sam told him.

Kenny pushed Sam to the side. He grabbed ahold of Tory's arm, trying to outmatch her. Tory's grasp remained tight around Kenny's arms as Achara stepped in and lightly pushed Kenny away from the other two girls. They cornered him, preventing him from getting past them.

Kenny yelled as he ran at them, his fist raised in the air. The girls step out of the way, and Achara pushes Kenny forward. The boy fell to the ground, his back hitting the bottom of the fence. Achara stared down at him, her heart racing as he stood back up on his feet.

"Kenny, please," Achara pleaded. "We really just want to help you."

Kenny tried to surge forward and continue to fight, but Shawn held out his arm and stopped him. "That's it, little bro. Let's go."

Kenny shook his head. "What? No, no. I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, you are," Shawn said, pointing behind Kenny's back. "Security's coming. We're done."

Shawn placed his hand on Kenny's arm and started to push him toward the exit. Kenny slammed the cage door closed, storming off with Shawn behind him. The teens watched them walk away. Robby and Miguel turned to look at the girls before approaching them.

Robby sighed. "Well, that could have gone better."

"Could have gone worse," Miguel shrugged.

Sam turned to look at Tory. "You picked up Miyagi-Do pretty fast."

"Yeah, well, I fought you enough," Tory responded in a joking tone. "I guess some of it must have rubbed off."

Sam smiled, laughing softly. Tory smiled back at her. Miguel and Robby exchanged a look, satisfied looks on their faces. The two girls had reached a turning point in their relationship.

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Achara accompanied Sam back to the LaRusso house after the events at Golf 'N Stuff. They entered through the doors leading to the kitchen. Achara slipped off her shoes and left them by the door.

Amanda stood in front of the oven while Daniel sat at the table.

"Hey," Sam spoke as she approached the table.

"Sawasdee ka," Achara greeted them, holding her hands in front of her chest as she bowed her head.

Daniel bowed his head at her, a soft smile on his face.

"Achara, it's so nice to see you again," Amanda said, giving her a welcoming smile.

Achara nodded her head. "You too, Mrs. LaRusso."

"How was Golf 'N Stuff?" Amanda questioned.

Sam shrugged. "Uh, hit-and-miss. But here's the twist. Tory and I actually crossed a bridge I thought had been burned."

Daniel and Amanda perked up.

"I won't bore you with the details," Sam told them. "But let's just say that we found some common ground, and the world better watch out because now we have four bonsai badasses ready to kick the competition."

Sam glanced at Achara, grinning at her brightly. Sam grabbed Achara's hand and pulled her out of the kitchen. Achara guided Sam upstairs, not letting go of her hand until they reached her room.

Sam sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's talk."

Sam patted the bed next to her. Achara strode toward the bed and took a seat. She stared down at her hands, picking at them nervously. Sam placed her hand on top of Achara's, stopping her from picking. Achara looked up, her eyes meeting Sam's.

"Sam, I meant what I said that night outside of Cobra Kai." Achara spoke quickly, her words running together. "I really do think I could see myself being with you."

Sam smiled, nodding her head. "I can see myself with you too."

"So, what does this mean for us?" Achara asked.

"Achara," Sam exhaled a breath. "Can we—do you think maybe...would you want to be..."

Sam was nervous. She couldn't stop stumbling over her words. She didn't think she had ever been this nervous around someone before. Achara just seemed to have that effect on her.

Sam took a moment to breathe before she began speaking. "Would you... do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Achara grinned from ear to ear, nodding her head excitedly. "Yes. Definitely."

Sam smiled back at her. The two girls stared at each other, their eyes filled with longing. Slowly, they began to lean in. As their lips met, the entire world seemed to fade away. Achara did not think she had ever loved the feeling of someone else's lips against her own. Sam's hand slowly touched Achara's cheek, her thumb resting against her jaw. They poured their hearts into the kiss, making every moment count.

Sam's bedroom door opened suddenly, causing them to pull away from each other quickly.

Chae stood in the hallway with her eyes wide. "Oh...I—um... I didn't—I'm—I'm sorry."

She put her hand over her eyes. "I saw nothing!"

Chae turned around, pulling the door close behind her. Achara and Sam erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Chae!" Sam called out. "You can come back in here!"

The door cracked open. Chae poked her head through the small space. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Sam replied.

The door opened wider, and Chae walked into the room. "I am so sorry. I forgot to knock."

"It's okay," Sam reassured her. "What did you need?"

Chae sighed, proceeding to unleash a rambling of words. "I have decided that I am going to ask Eli out on a date. The problem is, I have no idea how to do that. Do I walk up to him and ask if he wants to go out with me? Do I have to make some big gestures like they do in all of these American high school movies? Should I hold a boombox outside of his window and play a song like Say Anything? How does one even go about getting a boombox? Should I perform the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" like in 10 Things I Hate About You? Maybe I could get up on the sparring deck and—"

"Okay, Chae, breathe," Sam told her.

Chae inhaled a breath and held it in for a few seconds before exhaling. She repeated the process multiple times. She looked between Achara and Sam, waiting for them to tell her what she should do.

"As much as I would love to see you singing on the sparring deck, I don't think that's necessary," Achara advised. "Chae, Eli likes you, okay? You don't need a big, fancy gesture."

"I do not?" Chae questioned.

Achara shook her head. "You do not."

"Just ask him on a date," Sam told her. "And make sure to emphasize that it's a date to avoid any chance of misunderstandings."

"Okay," Chae nodded confidently. "I can do that." Her face fell quickly, and she looked between the other two girls for reassurance. "I can do that, right?"

"You can do it," Sam reassured her. "You've got this."

Achara nodded in agreement. "We believe in you one billion percent."

"Oh," Chae muttered. "That is a lot of percent."

Sam chuckled at her. "Chae, you might not have been living with me for long, but you are a sister to me, and I believe in you."

Chae raised an eyebrow. "You think of me as a sister?"

Sam nodded. "I do."

"I think of you as a sister too," Chae said with a smile.

Sam pulled Chae into a hug. Achara couldn't help but smile. Sam turned her head, smiling softly at Achara.

"Get in here!" Sam said as she pulled Achara into the hug.

Chae had never felt happier than she did in that moment. It was as if she had everything that she had ever dreamed of. She had a best friend—Achara. She had a sister—Sam. She had a mother that seemed to care about her wellbeing—Amanda. The only thing that would make it better was if Eli was her boyfriend.

— EMILIA'S NOTES + TRANSLATIONS

SAMCHARA IS OFFICIAL Y'ALL!!! can y'all believe that samchara wasn't supposed to happen???

also achara going into psychology because olivia inspired her 🥹 i'm gonna cry.

and just because i'm curious: thoughts on what decha is majoring in? i already have it planned out, but i wanna hear what y'all think it is.

alternative chapter title: miguel trying to make things less awkward but only making them more awkward

TRANSLATIONS:

sawasdee ka is way of saying hello/greeting someone. the ka makes it polite & is used by females.