HAYDEN WAS SURE OF IT: ROBBY WAS AVOIDING HER.

Why? Because she could count on both hands how many times she'd caught him glancing her way while they cleaned up Miyagi Do, only for him to quickly look away and walk in the opposite direction. And that was just today.

"This isn't working," she muttered, straightening up from where she'd been crouched, her fingers sore from trying to lift the engraved rock that had been knocked over. "I'm not even sure if this thing can be moved without a forklift."

"Just keep trying," Robby said, his tone clipped as he pried his fingers under the edge of the rock. He grunted with effort, but it barely budged.

Hayden gave him a sharp look, then glanced at Demetri, who stood nearby, panting dramatically. "Yeah, no offense, but it's definitely gonna take more than us four to move this. It's gotta weigh, what? Six hundred pounds?"

"Listen, about the other night..." Robby started quietly, his words aimed at Sam, not Hayden.

That caught Hayden's attention. She stilled, pretending to focus on lifting again while keeping her ears wide open.

"Nothing happened," Sam cut him off, her voice firm. "So, there's no reason to feel uncomfortable, right?"

Robby nodded, but his expression was stiff, uncomfortable.

Hayden looked over at Robby, then at Sam, a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she really didn't want to know what 'nothing' was. Because 'nothing' was most likely the reason Robby was avoiding her. She stood up again abruptly, rubbing her fingers that were turning sore from trying to lift a rock that weighed more than all of them combined. "We're not gonna be able to pick this up." She spoke dryly.

"Are you guys lifting? Cause I feel like I'm doing nothing here." Demetri huffed out, placing his hands on his hips.

"It's probably cause you aren't, D." Hayden patted his back before running a hand through her sweaty hair. "We're gonna need a forklift."

"How'd they even manage to knock it over?" Sam questioned, placing her hands on her knees.

"It's always easier to knock something down than to build it back up," Daniel said as he walked up behind them, wiping dirt from his hands. "Don't worry. We'll get it back up again."

Before anyone could respond, Hayden's sharp gaze snapped toward the entrance of Miyagi Do. A group of Cobra Kai members stood there, their presence instantly souring the air. "Uh, excuse me?"

"Is this Miyagi Do?" one of the guys asked, his voice cautious. Hayden recognized him as the one who had grabbed Robby from behind during the brawl.

"Yeah," Daniel replied, stepping forward, but Robby beat him to it, his anger evident.

"Back for another beating?" Robby bit out, taking a step toward the group.

"Robby, stand down," Daniel said quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "That's one of the guys who attacked Demetri," he added, pointing accusingly. "Probably helped trash the dojo, too."

"Hey, we didn't have anything to do with that," Chris said firmly, holding Robby's glare without flinching. "But I am sorry about what happened at the mall," he added, shifting his focus to Demetri.

"We just want to learn Miyagi Do karate," Chris said, his tone calm but resolute.

Demetri let out a nervous laugh, glancing at Daniel. "Yeah, I'd be careful about this, Mr. L. Letting Cobra Kais into Miyagi Do? That's like letting the wildlings behind the wall."

Chris glanced at the ground, clearly uncomfortable under the scrutiny, though Hayden couldn't tell if it was guilt, shame, or both.

Daniel, however, didn't miss a beat. "Didn't the wildlings help Jon Snow win the Battle of the Bastards?"

Demetri grimaced, throwing up his hands. "Should've gone with a different analogy."

Daniel stepped forward and extended a hand to Chris. "We're happy to have you. Nice to meet you."

Chris hesitated for a moment before shaking Daniel's hand.

Robby, meanwhile, looked like he wanted to punch a hole in the wall. Hayden glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Relax, Keene. It's not like they're moving in."

"Yet," Demetri muttered under his breath, earning a chuckle from Hayden.

As the group began to disperse, Robby caught Hayden's gaze for a brief moment. His expression was tight, unreadable.

She tilted her head at him, her tone dry. "Look who's hard to read now."

—

"I can't believe your dad let them in here," Robby muttered bitterly, his gaze fixed on Mr. LaRusso and the former Cobra Kai members training inside the dojo.

Hayden was crouched by one of the potted plants, helping Sam pack it with fresh soil while Robby held the plant steady, careful to avoid the thorns.

She followed his gaze but merely shrugged. "They're not bothering anyone."

A week ago, she might have agreed with Robby— that letting Cobra Kais into Miyagi Do was a terrible idea, practically asking for trouble. Back then, she was convinced that no one from Cobra Kai could really change. But Miguel had been on her mind lately, and he'd proven her wrong. Some people could change. They just needed the right push.

"And he wants to help them change," Sam added, her tone disinterested as she patted down the soil.

"They won't," Robby shot back, shaking his head.

"How do you know?" Hayden asked, arching a brow.

He glanced down at her, holding her gaze for a beat too long. "Because you can't change the way you feel."

The words hung in the air, heavier than they had any right to be. Hayden felt a flicker of something she couldn't name— something she didn't want to name. Clearing her throat, she broke eye contact and focused on pressing more soil into the pot.

Before the tension could linger, an angry voice snapped them out of it.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Demetri jeered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hayden's head snapped toward the commotion just in time to see Chris shove Demetri down to the ground. She let out a sharp breath, hurrying over to help Demetri to his feet. "You good?" she asked, brushing dirt off his shirt.

"Yeah," Demetri muttered, clearly rattled.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Daniel rushed out from the dojo, his voice firm as he raised his arms to get everyone's attention. "We're all on the same team now!"

Robby scoffed, crossing his arms. "Once a Cobra Kai, always a Cobra Kai."

"That's not true," Daniel said firmly, stepping forward.

"I know it's not true because..." Daniel paused, letting out a long breath. "Because I used to be in Cobra Kai."

The backyard fell silent, the weight of his words hitting harder than anyone expected.

Hayden blinked, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. Sam froze mid-motion, her jaw dropping slightly. Even Demetri, who always seemed to have a comeback ready, was left speechless.

—

"Cobra Kai sells power, strength," Mr. LaRusso began, his voice steady yet reflective as we all sat around him, the dojo's quiet air heavy with his words. "And when I joined... I was weak."

The admission made everyone glance at each other, surprise flickering across their faces.

"It was 1985," he continued, a faraway look in his eyes. "I had just won my first All Valley. Mr. Miyagi didn't want me to compete anymore. He never liked the idea of fighting for trophies. Said it wasn't what karate was about."

Hayden stayed quiet, her sharp gaze fixed on Mr. LaRusso. Despite her usual aloofness, she was clearly listening, her expression unreadable.

"So, we argued. I thought I knew better," Daniel said, a hint of self-reproach in his tone. "And what did I do? I joined Cobra Kai."

That got Hayden's attention. She blinked, leaning forward slightly, her intrigue visible despite herself.

"I learned to strike first, strike hard, and show no mercy," Daniel continued, his voice lower now. "And it turned me into angry and violent kid."

Robby, sitting to her right, shifted uncomfortably. Hayden caught the movement out of the corner of her eye but didn't look his way.

"It changed me," Daniel admitted, exhaling slowly as if shedding the weight of his past.

"You never told me about this," Sam spoke up, her voice quiet.

Daniel looked at her, his expression softening. "It's not something I'm proud of, Sam," he said gently. "But my point is... anyone can be seduced by Cobra Kai. Even me."

His gaze swept over the room, lingering on Chris and the other former Cobra Kai members. "And I'll admit—Cobra Kai makes you feel stronger, tougher. But it will also get you in trouble. And that's what happened to me. I'm just lucky Mr. Miyagi was willing to take me back."

Daniel straightened, his tone resolute now. "So remember: It doesn't matter who anyone was before they stepped into this dojo. All that matters is that right now, today, we're all Miyagi-Do."

Hayden's gaze dropped to the floor, the words hitting closer to home than she'd expected.

The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling over everyone. No one spoke. Even Hayden, who always had a remark ready, remained quiet, her mind clearly turning over what Daniel had said.

Finally, Daniel clapped his hands, breaking the stillness. "Alright, back to work. We've got a lot to rebuild."

One by one, everyone got to their feet. Robby hesitated, casting a glance at Hayden, who still hadn't moved. She caught him looking but didn't say anything, simply tilting her head slightly as if to challenge him to speak.

Robby looked away first, heading off to help with the restoration. Hayden stood slowly, brushing off her hands before moving to join him, her expression as calm and unreadable as ever. But in her chest, the weight of Daniel's words lingered, harder to shake than she would ever admit.

—

"Okay, what's up?" Hayden cornered Robby as the rest of the students trickled out of the dojo. Arms crossed and gaze sharp, she blocked his exit like a predator closing in on prey.

"What're you talking about?" Robby avoided her gaze, stuffing his clothes in his duffel bag.

"That," She narrowed her eyes, "I'm talking about that. You can't even look at me." She said it like some sort of challenge.

Robby gave a small laugh, as if what she were saying were ridiculous. "That's not true," He hesitated, then slowly dragged his gaze up to meet hers. For a fleeting second, he locked eyes with her, only to flinch and glance away as if her stare burned him.

"See?" She pointed at him, "That looked like it physically pained you to do."

Robby trailed his gaze off to the floor, feeling his patience wearing thin. He was finding it harder and harder to lie to Hayden.

"Did I do something? Because if I did—"

"Sam almost kissed me." He blurted out, as if the truth had clawed its way out of him against his will.

Hayden's teasing smile dropped and she took a small step back, unaware that such a simple sentence could send a sharp pain through her heart. "Oh." All her wits, gone.

That single syllable carried more weight than she intended, and she hated it. The sting in her chest wasn't just about Robby; it was about Sam. Sam, who always seemed to have everything handed to her. Sam, who was the golden girl. And now Sam, who apparently had Robby's attention too. At least, she assumed so.

"I mean, nothing happened. But it almost did. And I wanted to tell you—"

Like an instinct, her walls shot straight back up, recovering quickly. And Robby watched it happen right before his eyes, his heart straining. "Look, Robby. We're friends. You don't have to, like, report back to me every time you almost kiss someone. I don't really care."

Robby blinked, his stomach twisting. "She almost kissed me. I just thought—"

"You thought wrong." Her words were quick, cutting, but her voice cracked ever so slightly at the end. She caught herself and quickly forced a smirk, masking the rawness underneath. "If you wanna be with Sam, go ahead. Doesn't make a difference to me."

Robby felt himself stumble a bit, her words cutting deep. Aim to hurt. "You don't care?" His voice was low, almost a whisper, like he didn't want the words to be true.

"Nope," she replied with finality, turning on her heel. "Like I said, none of my business."

But as she walked away, her heart pounded against her ribcage. She didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, but Robby had started to matter. The late-night conversations, the way he seemed to see her when no one else did— it had all made her feel like maybe, just maybe, she wasn't as unbreakable as she pretended to be.

Now, it felt like she'd miscalculated, let her guard down only to get burned. And Sam? Sam had been the match to light the fire.

Robby watched her leave, the space between them suddenly feeling impossible to cross. He wanted to call her back, and tell her that Sam wasn't really what he wanted. Who he wanted. That Hayden's been on his mind since the day he met her.

He wanted to fix whatever was breaking, but he didn't know how. And if Hayden was anything, it was a master at walking away like she didn't care.

authors note
So, oops? I'm sorry Team Robby I couldn't last long without my fix of drama LMAO I'll fix it, maybe