ESME KNEW HER DAUGHTER AND HER UNWAVERING STUBBORNNESS.

Which is why when she heard the news of Robby turning himself in, she was immediately hesitant to tell Hayden.

She couldn't lie. Initially, she wanted to keep it a secret from her altogether. But Hayden was strong-willed, independent, and determined beyond fault. Too much like her mom in that way.

And she would find out before Esme could even catch a breath.

She paced around the living room, chewing the inside of her cheek. She didn't want to have this conversation. Every part of her told her it was a bad idea.

Her phone buzzed with another news alert, but she didn't bother reading it. She'd already seen enough. The local station had been playing the story on repeat for the past hour.

Teen karate brawler Robby Keene turns himself in after violent high school brawl.

Seeing his face on TV made her heart sink, even if she wasn't exactly Robby's biggest fan. She didn't trust him. She probably never will.

But she also knew Hayden cared about him, maybe more than she wanted to admit.

She kept glancing toward the hall where Hayden was, debating for what felt like the hundredth time if she should even say anything. Every instinct told her to leave it alone— that Robby would be Hayden's biggest mistake. And her downfall.

She didn't want Hayden caught up in it, didn't want her running off to see him in juvie, getting wrapped up in something reckless again.

It took everything in her for Esme to call out, "Hayden? Come out here for a minute."

There was a pause before she heard Hayden's footsteps, and when she appeared, her expression was wary. "What's up?" she asked, arms crossed, clearly reading the tension in the room.

Esme took a second, trying to figure out how to say this. "I, uh... I've been thinking about whether or not to tell you something. I didn't want you finding out from someone else, but I also didn't know if I should say anything at all."

Hayden crossed her arms, "Mom?" She interrupted her, giving a sarcastic smile. "You're stalling."

"It's about Robby." Esme watched the way Hayden's posture stiffened at the mention of his name. "He's... in juvie."

"What?" Hayden's voice was sharp, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"They're saying he turned himself in," Esme said carefully, trying to gauge her reaction. "Apparently, it was for a lighter sentence, but... look, I wasn't sure if I should even tell you. You know how I feel about him, Hayden. I didn't want you to—"

"To what? Go see him?" Hayden cut her off, her tone defensive. "You thought I'd just forget about him if you didn't say anything?"

Esme sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I was trying to protect you. He's in a bad situation, and I don't want you getting involved in something that could hurt you."

"I can take care of myself," Hayden said, her voice quieter now but firm. "He's my friend. I have to go see him."

Esme looked at her daughter, conflicted. "Just... be careful, okay? I don't want you caught up in something you can't walk away from."

Hayden didn't respond. She grabbed her jacket from the back of a chair and headed for the door, pausing for a moment before she left. "Thanks for telling me."

Esme watched her go, feeling a weight settle in her chest. She didn't know if she'd made the right choice, but at least Hayden wasn't in the dark anymore.

—

Juvie was dull, gray, and it sucked the life out of you.

Hayden tightened her hoodie around herself, a chill settling in her bones. Not from the temperature, but from the knot twisting in her stomach.

Her eyes flicked around the room, taking in the dull gray walls and the rows of metal tables.

This is your future if you keep going down the path you are, Hayden.

The voice in her head whispered. It repeated itself over and over again. Until it belittled her into nothing but a speck.

Her leg bouncing restlessly beneath it. Her fingers tapped a nervous rhythm against the cold steel surface as she waited.

She hadn't seen Robby since everything happened. Since the fight. Robby could've hated her for all she knew.

He probably should've. Could've blamed her for everything, and he would have every right to.

If she hadn't started the fight, if she maybe just controlled her anger, maybe things wouldn't have spiraled the way they did.

What if he didn't want to see her? He was probably going to tell her to leave, and maybe that was for the best. But despite every reason not to be here, something kept her rooted in place.

The door at the far end of the room opened, and her breath hitched. She caught sight of Robby walking out, flanked by a guard.

He looked different— not in a huge, obvious way, but there was something about his posture, his expression. Donning navy sweats and a white t-shirt, a zip-up hanging loosely on his shoulders. A new haircut.

He wasn't the same Robby she remembered, the one who used to smirk like nothing could faze him.

Their eyes met, and for a second, everything seemed to pause. Hayden expected him to glare at her, to turn away. But he didn't.

Instead, he walked toward her, stopping across the table. He didn't sit right away, just stood there, studying her.

"You came?" He finally spoke, as if Hayden were an illusion he were imagining.

A sweet, beautiful illusion.

"I did," she confirmed with a nod, glancing down at the table. "I just... I wanted to see you."

Robby let out a breath, finally sitting down. "Why?"

Hayden shrugged, keeping her gaze fixed on the table.
"Figured you'd wanna yell at me. Get all your 'I hate you's' out."

Robby didn't respond right away. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't hate you, Hayden."

Her eyes snapped up to his, surprised by the calm in his voice.

"I'm mad, yeah," he admitted, leaning forward, arms resting on the table. "But not enough to hate you. I get why you did what you did. Doesn't mean it wasn't incredibly stupid."

She nodded once, silent, but something in her chest loosened a bit. He wasn't yelling. He didn't hate her.

Robby sucked in a sharp breath. "I just— I wish you would've came to me. Talked to someone. Anyone." Robby added, a sharp edge to his voice. "You didn't think things through. Now we're both dealing with the fallout."

"I never think anything through," Hayden said dryly, licking her lips. "Not my best quality, I guess."

Robby shook his head in disapproval. "No, Hayden. It's not— I don't want this for you." He gestured around himself at the dull juvenile hall. "You're better than this."

Hayden licked the inside of her cheek, looking off to the side. "You sound like my mom."

"Well, maybe she's right for once." He gave her a pointed look, but his expression softened as he caught sight of the bruise running down her jaw.

As if she had read his mind, she untucked the hair behind her ear to hide the bruise.

For a moment, the tension lifted just enough to breathe. The way he was looking at her— like he almost couldn't believe she was really there — made her heart skip in a way she didn't like to admit.

They fell into silence again, but this time, it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Robby's eyes stayed on her, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the room.

"You look different," he said after a while, his voice softer, almost hesitant.

Hayden blinked, caught off guard. "So do you." She eyed his haircut.

Robby gave a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah, well... this place does that to you."

Hayden bit her lip, eyes flickering to the dark bruise on his cheekbone, and Robby noticed. "It's nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing."

He shrugged. "Just some assholes trying to get under my skin. Pick a fight. You know how it is."

"About?"

"You."

Her eyes flickered with surprise, but she quickly masked it. "You fought them over me?"

Robby met her gaze evenly. "Didn't like hearing how they talked about you."

Hayden pursed her lips, eyes glazing with concern. "Don't go getting into fights over me."

"I'll be fine," Robby said, as if reading her mind. "Don't worry about me."

"Too late for that," Hayden muttered before she could stop herself. The words slipped out so naturally that it made her heart skip a beat. She looked away quickly, heat rising to her cheeks.

Robby didn't say anything right away, but when she glanced back at him, she caught the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

Robby leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the table. "You don't have to be. What's done is done. I just gotta get through this, you know?"

Hayden nodded slowly, her leg starting to bounce again. "Yeah. I guess."

Robby looked her up and down once. "I was hoping you'd show up."

Hayden blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He smiled slightly, more genuine than before. "This place sucks. Seeing you kinda makes it suck a little less."

Before she could say anything else, the guard signaled that their time was up. Robby stood first, his chair scraping against the floor. Hayden followed suit, unsure how to end the conversation.

"You gonna come back?" Robby asked quietly, almost afraid of his answer.

Hayden hesitated, looking down at her feet. And Robby felt his heart in his ribcage. "Yeah. I'm coming back. Don't get into anymore fights, Keene. If I have to work on it, then so do you."

Robby chuckled, and it was the first time she'd heard him laugh. It made her faintly smile. "Deal, Sanders."

—

Hayden walked into the hospital room, hands tucked into the pockets of her jacket. The faint smell of antiseptic lingered in the air, but she ignored it, her gaze locking onto Miguel, who sat upright in bed, staring blankly at the window. His tray of untouched food sat on a wheeled table next to him.

"If you don't eat that chocolate cake, I will." Her voice broke the stillness of the room. Miguel turned to look at her, offering a weak smile.

"I'm starting to think you actually miss me." he joked, though his voice lacked its usual spark.

She walked over to the chair beside his bed and sat down. "Yeah, right. I was in the neighborhood," she said dryly, but her eyes softened as she studied him. "You okay? Heard the surgery was a success."

Miguel hesitated, fingers idly fiddling with the edge of his blanket. "Yeah. I mean, it went fine, I guess..." He trailed off, his gaze dropping to his lap.

"But?" Hayden prompted, leaning forward slightly.

Miguel let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "But what if it didn't work? What if... I never get back to normal? What if I can't do karate again?" His voice wavered, and Hayden could tell he'd been holding that in for a while.

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "You'll get there." Her tone was calm, steady.

"You don't know that," Miguel muttered, his eyes still fixed on his hands. "Everyone keeps saying I'm gonna be fine, but what if I'm not? What if I can't fight anymore?"

There was a beat of silence before Hayden spoke. "Then you figure out what comes next."

Miguel blinked, looking up at her. "That's it? That's your big pep talk?"

Hayden shrugged. "Yeah. Because sitting here stressing about what might happen isn't gonna change anything." She leaned forward again, her expression serious but not unkind. "Look, I get it. You're scared. But you'll either get back on your feet, or you'll find something else to fight for. Either way, you keep moving forward."

After a moment, he exhaled slowly, his shoulders relaxing just a little. "You make it sound so simple."

"It's not," Hayden admitted, leaning back and crossing her legs. "But you don't have to figure it all out today. Just take it one step at a time."

Miguel was quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in. A beat of silence washed over them.

Miguel stared at Hayden, because suddenly, a sharp ray of memories flooded his head. And he wished everything went back to the way it was. Before the fight.

"You know I've kicked myself every day for what I did to you," Miguel murmured after a long silence.

Hayden froze, her fingers twitching slightly before she tucked them into the pockets of her jacket. She hadn't come here to dig up the past. If anything, she'd been hoping to avoid this conversation altogether.

Miguel sighed, his fingers gripping the edge of the blanket. "I've been lying here thinking about everything, and I can't stop thinking about how I screwed things up between us."

"We don't have to—" Hayden began, uncomfortably shifting in her seat.

Miguel exhaled slowly, his shoulders tense. "I know. But lying in this bed... it's like all I can do is think. And I keep thinking about you."

Hayden looked at her fingers, trying to shove the images that constantly replayed in her head down. "I trusted you."

"I know," Miguel admitted quietly. "But I want to earn it back. If you'll let me."

Hayden studied him for a long moment. She could see he was being sincere, but that didn't erase what happened.

"And I know I don't deserve forgiveness for what happened. But you have to understand— what happened with Sam wasn't what you think. I didn't want it. I didn't want any of it."

Hayden's eyes narrowed, her guard going up. "What are you talking about?"

He hesitated, like the words were stuck in his throat. "She kissed me, Hayden. It wasn't planned, it wasn't something I was looking for. I didn't want her like that. And as soon as she did it... I pulled away. Fast. So fast that it probably looked like I was doing something wrong. But I wasn't. I swear to you."

Hayden stayed silent, processing his words. And, while, maybe Miguel was telling the truth, the damage was done.

Hayden wasn't sure if she could ever let anyone in again the way she did with Miguel. How she so bravely took a chance on him, and everything they worked towards together went crumbling down in a single night.

"So, what, it was a wrong place at the wrong time thing, what I saw?"

Miguel nodded, his voice urgent. "Yes. I didn't want it. I pulled away, immediately. I didn't even kiss her back. It was just one stupid, awful moment that I—" He cut himself off, running a hand through his hair. "I should have stopped it before it even happened. I should have been stronger. I should have told her to back off right from the start."

Hayden stared at a spot on the floor ahead, swallowing slowly. This was too much information she didn't expect to have to process today. "Yeah, you should've."

"Let me make it right, Hayden." He whispered, "I— I don't wanna lose you. I can't lose you." His voice teetered on a line between desperation and melancholic.

Her heart pounded in her chest. A part of her hated Miguel for putting her in this position. For making her doubt everything she'd ever believed in, forcing her walls down and re-convincing her that not everyone in her life was a lesson.

But, another part of her knew she was lying to herself. She didn't hate him. No, she was furious—angrier than she'd ever been at anyone. But hate? That wasn't something she could muster, no matter how much easier it would make this.

Because deep down, even after all the pain, she still cared. That's what scared her the most. The fact that despite every reason not to, despite every piece of her screaming to run, she still wasn't sure she could walk away from him entirely.

And that made her angrier than anything else. At him. At herself.

So, she pivoted around all the feelings. She did what she did best and avoided it altogether.

"One step at a time," she said eventually. "Don't expect much from me right now. I'm here because I care, not because I've forgotten what you did."

"Fair enough," Miguel said, managing a faint smile. "I can live with that."

And he could.

Because, to Miguel, she was everything. Stubborn, guarded, complicated. And somehow, she made him feel alive in a way that nothing else ever had.

He didn't want to lose that. He didn't want to lose her. But he knew that wanting her wasn't enough. If she didn't want him back, if she never trusted him again, he'd have no one to blame but himself.

Still, he couldn't walk away—not from her. Not from the girl who made him feel like maybe, just maybe, he could be more than the mistakes he made.

Because no matter how far she pushed him away, a part of him would always wait for her to pull him back in..

authors note.
Hiiiii I integrated moments for both team Robby AND team Miguel so we had the best of both worlds todayyy anyway I go back to school Monday so it MIGHT interfere with my writing depending on how time consuming they are but I will try my best to keep shooting chapters out ILY BYE HAPPG READING

ALSO i've been reading your guys' comments and you guys are SO funny omfg i love yall