"I gotta go." Karter spoke as she stood up from the sushi table. "Eli needs me to pick him up."

"What? Is everything okay?" Miguel gave a worried look as he watched her stand.

"Yeah, think he just needs a ride." she kissed his forehead. "Call me when you get home?"

"Murr." Sensei Lawrence gave her a peace sign.

"Murr." she gave one in return.

It didn't take Karter long to show up in the car rental, ones her moms were okay with as long as she split the bill with them. She didn't want to park infront of the Cobra Kai building, resulting in stopping at the nail salon across the street to wait for class to be over. Her eyes fell on a familiar car, pulling her phone out. "I see you."

"What?" Jayden gapped from the other line. "Are you stalking me?"

"Using my words against me?" she gapped, knowing she said the same thing the day they ran into each other at the park. "Getting your nails done?"

"My mom is getting an foot bath." he cracked a grin, despite her not seeing. "Where are you?"

"Out front. Wanna come hang out?" she's suggested, only getting the line ended. Jayden jogged out of the salon, spotting her when she blew the horn. He came over and got into the passengers seat. "How do you like the new ride?"

"I fear the idea of you behind the wheel." he said honestly, crawling in.

"Psh, i'm fantastic." she gave a look of disbelief. "Like a fast snail."

"Love that." Jayden hummed as he faced her. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for my cousin." she nodded toward Cobra Kai. "Got a little uncooked beef with a few people."

"What's uncooked beef mean?" he asked her.

"Beef that's not necessary beef but is still considered beef." she explained with a shrug. "You know?"

"Sure." he hummed, looking toward the back. "Where's Miguel?"

"On a date with our old Sensei to try and get him perfect for his own date." Karter crossed her legs in the passengers seat. "Your mom has gotten out a lot more."

"Yeah, for sure." he agreed with her. "I don't know, the doctor says it's okay and she's wanted to get her toes done."

"Gotta get them baby pigs clean." she spoke in an accent, making Jayden smile.

He looked toward the dojo again. "Was that the karate place you were telling me about?"

"Yeah." she looked over too. "But, it's not the same when I went. They've got some new teacher now, he's bad news."

"Like, different karate styles?" he frowned his eyebrows, getting a head nod. "Is that so bad?"

"Yes, very." she explained. "My cousin...he's been an asshole for a while now, but it's worse since he became his teacher. I don't know, it just isn't right. Whatever they're learning, it's just not something anyone should be taught."

"Well, you turned out pretty good." he explained with a minor smile, making her face him with a half one. "All things considered."

"All things considered." she mocked slightly with a faint laugh. "If you call having three friends and a lot of anger issues turning out okay, then you are very right, kind sir."

"Hey, I only have one friend." Jayden said in return, holding his finger out to her. "You."

Karter held her finger out as the tip of it touched his. "ET, give me your soul."

"Elliot." Jayden mocked the alien accent Karter had, making her grin. Jayden smiled back at her, dropping his hand so their fingers pulled back.

Karter was taken back when he leaned across the car and kissed her, pulling back quickly as she bumped into the window. "Woah, what are you doing?"

He looked embarrassed, humiliated even. "I-i'm sorry. I thought we- I thought we were having a moment."

"Oh." she blinked quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No, no, it's my fault." he forced a laugh. "I should go."

"No, it's okay." Karter tried, but he was getting out of the car. "Jayden!"

"I'll see you later." he spoke fast, not meeting her eye.

"Ja-" she started, stopping when her phone went off. A text from Eli lit up the screen, making her look toward the dojo to see the students flooding out of the old doors. She sighed, already loosing sight of Jayden, resulting in having to blow up his phone later on.

Jayden walked behind the nail salon, rubbing his eyes. He felt stupid for being so upset, especially when he hadn't known her long. But, he'd never had friends, let alone a girl like Karter pay that much attention to him. He was homeschooled his entire life, only ever having his mom as the other person in his life. Then, the first girl he'd ever actually liked comes into his life, and he was rejected for the first time. It was perfect, in his head. Miguel was her fake boyfriend, he knew it all, she'd told him the whole story. They weren't together, and she spent so much time with him, had such a bond.

All for it to be one sided this entire time.

He gasped when he collided with someone, not seeing them. "Sorry."

"Watch it." she snapped, blinking in his direction. "You work here?"

"No, no. I just- i'm here with my mom." he made the excuse, half way embarrassed to be at a nail salon.

"Think you could do me a favor?" she pulled her bag off her back. "I'm really late and if I have a excuse then maybe it'll go over okay."

"Excuse?" he gave a sniffle, now really embarrassed some random girl saw him cry.

"Yeah, just keep crying like this and all do the rest." she spoke fast, pulling the door open. "Go on."

He walked in, rubbing his eyes with an exhale, looking back at her. "I'm Jayden."

She hummed. "Tory."

Karter parked infront of the Moskowitz house, she missed living here instead of her lonely hotel room. The sun had gone down, looking over at her cousin. He didn't talk the entire ride, off into a daze as his eyes casted down. Karter looked over, knowing they were more alike then anything. Questioning his bloody fist and sad eyes would only result in a blow up. "Eli."

"Don't call me that." he mumbled.

Karter nodded. "Do you want to talk to me?"

"I don't know what you want me to say." he exhaled, looking off to avoid meeting her eye.

"We just haven't talked in a while." her eyes flickered down to his hands. "Whatever you need, you know i'm here to talk, or anything."

"I don't. I'm not a little kid, I can handle myself." this time, Hawk did look at her. Despite the anger and annoyance in his tone, his eyes were hurt. Karters eyes softened, because he looked like how he would a year ago, telling her all about the mean kids at school and how much he wished she could move to The Valley with him. "You don't have to do everything for me."

"I know." she promised, slightly snappy. "I'm just saying, if you want to talk. I'm all ears."

He looked away quickly. "Yeah, I don't."

He opened the car door. Karter frowned, because despite it all, she still felt like she still had him. And now, after already drifting, she felt like she really lost him. Her voice broke with the thought in the back of her head. "I love you."

Eli paused, standing outside of the door. He looked through the door to her, swallowing hard. Hesitantly, he shut the door before she could see his emotions swarming in his eyes either. Like she felt, he knew he'd lost her too. Maybe it was his fault, Eli knew that deep down, but it was hard. As he walked away, tears falling down his cheeks, she was left in the car, tears dripping from her eyes.

She left, between Jayden, then Eli, she had one person in mine that she wanted to see, wanted to talk to. Her hand grasped her phone in the passengers seat when coming to the stop sign. Fingers dialing at the number, getting an answer after a few rings. "Hello?"

"Aisha?"

•

kylie speaks

all three of them this chapter
made me so sad.

i was tempted to give jayden
his own book but i think i'm
gonna continue in story in
this one and just make this
book have two different story
lines. i casted him, made a moodboard, playlist, in the intro
if you guys wanna put a face
to the name!