A/N: This is technically a prequel to the first chapter, but these aren't meant to be consecutive so if you didn't read the first don't worry about it. There one doesn't have a lot of plot but it is how I would imagine Sam's mind wanderings after she finds out Miguel left for Mexico.

She couldn't stop staring at the text.

A two word apology to her doom wall of a rant.

She chewed him out, cried her tear ducts dry, struggled to wipe each salty tear away before it dripped onto her phone and messed up her typing.

I'm sorry.

That's all he had to say? No explanation, no reassurance, no...she didn't even know what she wanted from him.

At this point, their relationship had been dragged through so much mud that she didn't think they made a detergent strong enough to get those stains out anymore. She was starting to question why they even got back together in the first place.

Because she loved him.

Well, *loved, with an asterix, because she was 17, and it was too soon for her to confidently say she was in love.

Sam was "in like" with him — deeply in like. Miguel was her first relationship (she refused to consider Kyler a relationship). He was the first boy to really make her fall harder than a crush. He was real, and kind, and funny, and he saw her for the person she wanted to be.

But what does it mean when your boyfriend ditches you before the end of your karate tournament to go to Mexico without even saying goodbye?

I'm always rooting for you, Sam

Was that it? Was that her goodbye? A quick kiss and then off to Mexico?

Her dad broke the news to her this morning over banarama pancakes. She thought it was just to make her feel better for blowing the championship, but little did she know there was worse news coming.

He told her Johnny left a voicemail last night explaining that he was going to be gone indefinitely to go find Miguel, and instructed Daniel to tell Sam not to worry.

At first, she figured it was a misunderstanding. She had assumed he would be hiding, unable to face her and her dad and his Sensei after not showing up to the fight. But she didn't think he actually had left.

Then her dad showed her the note. She read it herself and almost ripped it to shreds. Tears burned her eyes as she read her name listed off as just one other thing Miguel had to overcome this past year.

Like their relationship was just an obstacle, doing more damage than good.

She was less worried about him than her dad was. The hurt and anger she felt stunted any fears she could have about him not returning. She already lost him. He made that choice.

Sam spinned, kicking the air with such force she overextended her twist, sending herself falling to her knees.

She panted on the dojo floor, catching her breath as the tears came trickling down once more. Apparently they weren't dry yet.

How did she miss this? How did she not see him struggling about his dad this whole time? Was she so blinded by her own demons that she couldn't see the fears attaching themselves to him?

They never really talked about his real dad. She knew that Johnny and Carmen's relationship was a point of contention for him. Miguel made it seem like he was more uncomfortable with his relationship changing with his Sensei than he was with the idea of someone replacing his dad.

The issue must have been deeper than he let on.

Why did he not talk to her about this? They were supposed to be past keeping secrets. When they started over at the beginning of the school year they were paving a fresh path for their relationship. One where they held no secrets from each other and where they wouldn't let petty rivalries tear them apart.

It seemed like both of those things didn't pan out like they hoped.

Sam pulled her knees into her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. She watched on the backs of her eyelids as Miguel dopily gawked at Tory dancing with Robby completely unbothered by her noticing. The scene played out before her as Robby and Tory danced carelessly together in their own blissful little world.

Her fists slammed to her sides, pounding into the floor beside her. She thought they were past all this, but the jealousy and pining for what they don't have was a never ending cycle that sucked all their hopes at being content into its vast, empty center.

They weren't enough for each other. Not when their biggest fears were reflected in the faces across the dance room.

She was being naive, though, to think this all started at prom. There were signs before then. Hell, why did she feel the need to keep it a secret from Miguel that she went to Robby, begging him to come back?

For one, because she didn't want to hurt him, and two, because she didn't have a good enough excuse for why it mattered to her so much that he came back.

It would make her dad happy — that was one thought. But to say only that would have been a lie. Robby coming back equally secured for her the false sense that she didn't ruin everything with that one kiss, no matter how much it meant in the moment.

It made her hope that maybe there were parts of their relationship still salvageable. That it could be repaired.

Her mind drifted to the hard planes of Robby's face as he calmly told her off at the skatepark. He had been so condescending about it. Like he knew he was correct, and had every right to be.

He wasn't the same boy who gazed upon her like she was a glittering gem, or a precious ring he was terrified to lose. Now, he looked at her like the person who broke his heart.

She couldn't reach him anymore. Any trust they once had was broken — rightfully so — so her attempts at speaking with him were pointless. Yet, she tried anyway. She couldn't help herself.

Sam had no idea what she wanted anymore. Thinking about what she wanted felt like a selfish task that only fueled the growing self-loathing in her core.

It didn't matter what she wanted anyway. She wasn't getting it. Not the tournament, not Miguel, not Robby.

But maybe she could get revenge.

Sam's head snapped up when the sound of the parchment slider opening filled her senses. Her eyes squinted trying to make out features of the figure through the darkness. Initially she wasn't frightened, assuming it was her mom or dad — maybe even Anthony.

But when she saw those broad shoulders and flip of short hair, she felt a swoosh of nerves in her stomach. "Robby?" She asked, not believing herself.

The second his intense green eyes locked with hers, she saw the replay of the tournament. The fire that burned inside her gut when she recognized the Miyagi-Do moves being used against them.

"What are you doing here?" She accused and jumped to her feet.