It's not like it would change anything. Robby's words floated around in her mind. Perhaps he was right but Harper decided to go against his advice.

Harper risked a look out the window as the car slowed to a stop outside of the Golf N' Stuff Arcade. It was a single-story building, nothing out of the ordinary though it drew people in like a magnet. While the notion of arcade games, golf, and greasy food would bring a smile to anyone's face, she only felt anxious. Terrified.

From the moment she called Ryan to the days leading up to the present, Harper had been a bundle of nerves. She still was. Constantly doubting her decision while wanting to know what had kept him away for over a decade. She was filled with a sense of dread as the worst-case scenarios played on a loop in her mind. Each one was worse than the last, only adding to the fear.

Harper wasn't a stranger to disappointment and learned early on to prepare for the worst but to hope for the best. And perhaps there was no need to expect bad news. Perhaps, for once in her life, everything would be fine, and there was no need to worry. More than anything, she hoped it would be but the pessimist in her told her otherwise. And that she should be prepared for her life to come crashing down.

Now the day was finally here, and she stayed glued to the car seat. Her eyes took in the arcade, packed with people enjoying a fun summer afternoon. A sigh escaped her lips. While everything in her told her to run and forget about Ryan and his excuses, she couldn't. This was her one chance at finding out the truth, and if she chickened out now, then it was over. And she would permanently question her dads' absence for the rest of her life.

"Do you still want to do this? Because it's okay if you want to change your mind," Olivia told her gently, pulling her out of her obsessive thoughts.

Harper tugged at a loose strand on her jeans and slowly nodded despite not having a clear answer. Or at least an answer that didn't change every few seconds. "No. I mean, yeah. I just… I need to know why he left, you know? Why I wasn't good enough for him to stay or come look for me."

Olivia studied her for a moment, her eyes reflecting the pity she felt. "Hey, listen to me," she took hold of her hand and forced Harper to look at her. "You can't think like that. No matter what his reasons, they have nothing to do with you. You were a child and this isn't on you. You hear me?"

"Yeah," she whispered, though she genuinely didn't believe it.

Whenever something went wrong in her life, she was on the receiving end of the blame. By former foster parents, CPS, and the law. After so many years of being held accountable for all the bad shit in her life, she'd come to believe that to be true.

"No matter what happens, you still have us. Me, Lucas, Cole. We're all here for you," Olivia added.

Harper smiled at the kind words though her own wicked thoughts led her to question everything. Maybe Olivia meant everything but a happy ending wasn't in her future. Sooner or later, the Hudsons would tire of her. Their good deeds in society would come to an end, and they would realize they don't need a poor foster kid in their lives.

Olivia squeezed her hand, her kind smile reaching her eyes. "Are you ready?"

"No. Not really," she said with a nervous smile.

"I can wait with you if you want," Olivia offered, but Harper shook her head. "We can do this together."

"Thanks, but… I kinda have to do this by myself." Harper pulled her seatbelt off. Her hand hovered near the handle before she pushed the door open. "Wish me luck."

A heaviness wrapped itself around Harper the moment she exited the car. Doubt crept into her mind but she shook the negative thoughts away and hoped they'd leave her alone. She turned towards the packed arcade and forced her legs to move before searching the crowd for Ryan. When she failed to locate him, she frowned, worried that he wouldn't show. She glanced at her phone and saw she was early, but the worry remained nonetheless.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Harper distracted herself by looking around the arcade. The Californian sun basked everything in its golden glow, and she squinted against the brightness. She tugged at the delicate bracelet around her wrist and watched people walk from the parking lot toward the arcade. When the door to the food court opened, Harper groaned inwardly at the sight of Hawk. She quickly turned around, wishing that he wouldn't notice her. The anxiety from meeting with Ryan was high enough without adding Cobra Kai into the mix.

But her hope was short-lived as he stopped beside her.

"Hey, foster," Hawk said casually as if they were two friends who had run into each other.

Harper let out a quiet sigh of frustration before she turned around. "Hey." Crossing her arms, she waited for him to either talk or walk away. She silently hoped for the latter.

"Are you stalking me?" He asked, a smile playing on his face.

Harper rolled her eyes. "It's that obvious, huh?"

He grinned at her sarcastic reply. "Yeah, kind of."

Harper smiled in response though it didn't reach her eyes. She wanted the conversation to end, not continue. And she had more pressing matters that didn't involve Cobra Kai. Looking past him, she saw that the parking lot had filled up more in the last few minutes. But as her eyes scanned the many new arrivals, she realized that Ryan wasn't one of them.

Yet. He wasn't here yet, she thought, correcting her negative thoughts.

When Harper turned back to Hawk, she narrowed her eyes at the fact that he was still standing there. Blowing out a breath, she raised her eyebrows. "What do you want from me?"

He looked taken aback by her tone as well as her attitude towards him. As if he hadn't made life difficult for her and her friends over the last month. "Nothing. I just thought I'd say 'hi'."

"Why? It's not like we're friends," Harper said, watching his smile fade.

"Forget it," he said as a scowl settled on his face.

"You know, maybe if you didn't treat people like shit all the time people would actually want to talk to you," Harper said when he started to walk away.

"I never treated you like shit. You know that," Hawk said, stopping mid-step to turn back to her.

Harper hated to admit that he was right but he was. "Maybe not but you're a jerk to my friends. And I can't… I won't ignore that. I can't just stand by while you and your friends hurt them."

"You mean those Miyagi-losers?" Hawk asked with a laugh, shaking his head. "Why are you even friends with them?"

Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms. "Because they don't hurt others to feel good about themselves," Harper shot back. "You know, you don't have to like them but you also don't have to be such an ass all of the time. It wouldn't kill you to be nice."

Hawk laughed humorlessly. "Being nice never got me anywhere."

"And being a bully does? Yeah, okay," she said, rolling her eyes

"At least no one messes with me anymore," he said with a shrug, ignoring the look of disbelief on her face. "I was the loser who got beat up and picked on every day. I was tired of it so I -"

"Decided to become the bully that you used to hate," she finished sarcastically.

Hawk took a menacing step toward her. "You don't get it."

"Oh, no. I get it. I really do," she said, standing her ground despite the angry look on his face. "You were bullied and it sucks that people treated you horribly but that's not a reason to turn into a jerk. Or to hurt people the same way that you've been hurt."

Hawk glanced away from her and stared down at the ground momentarily before nodding slowly. "Okay, I get it."

"Do you? Because nobody likes a bully, Hawk. I thought that you of all people would understand that."

A few silent seconds went by as he turned to look at her with a sad smile. "You really hate me, don't you?"

But Harper shook her head, surprising them both. "No, not at all. But you're a jerk who bullies people for fun." As soon as the words left her mouth, she threw a cautious look at him. She expected him to be mad, offended even, but he looked amused more than anything else.

"You have a weird definition of what it means to not hate someone," he said with a shake of his head.

Harper laughed softly, seeing how her words didn't make a whole lot of sense. "I just - I hate how you act. You're not exactly the nicest person and you just do bad stuff."

Hawk sighed as a look of regret crossed his face. "You mean like breaking into Miyagi-Do?"

"Among other things. But, yeah." Harper nodded as images of the broken-into dojo filled her mind. Running a hand threw her hair, she shot him a look. "I seriously can't believe you guys did that. I saw what that place looked like and…. " She stopped, shaking her head to keep herself from saying something she'd regret.

"I had nothing to do with that," Hawk said quickly, though he avoided her stare.

Crossing her arms, Harper arched a brow as a wave of anger washed over her. "Right. And you didn't attack me and Demetri at the mall either."

"Okay, yeah, I-I did that," Hawk agreed sheepishly, throwing an apologetic look her way. "Look, I know you don't have a reason to trust me but I swear, okay? It was someone in Cobra Kai. It just wasn't me. We're still trying to figure out who it was but no one's saying anything."

Harper regarded him with distrust. She knew better than to trust him, but for whatever reason, she believed him. "Okay," she told him with a sigh, hoping she wouldn't come to regret it. Though, with her track record, it was bound to happen. She swallowed the uneasy feeling and stuck with her first instinct.

He visibly relaxed at her words, an easy smile coming across his face.

"But if I find out you're lying, I swear that -"

He nodded understandingly at her words and put his hands up in surrender. "You'll kick my ass, I get it."

"Yeah, I will," she said before adding, "I mean, I would if I knew how to fight but that's beside the point."

"What are you talking about? How do you not know how to fight?" Hawk asked, staring at her as if not understanding her words.

Harper shrugged. "I just… I don't."

"But you hang out with Miyagi-Do and -"

"Yeah, I'm friends with them but I never said I was in Miyagi-Do," she told him, smiling at the confused look on his face. "Come on, it kinda explains my terrible fighting skills."

He shook his head though he slowly realized that it made sense. "You never wanted to join? Learn how to fight?"

"They asked me a bunch of times but, I don't know, it didn't seem like something I wanted to do. Besides," she said, moving her hair out of her face, "I didn't want to sign up when I might not be here in a couple of months. It makes it kinda pointless, you know?"

His smile faltered at those words but Harper continued, not wanting to discuss her rollercoaster of a life in the system. Or why the possibility of her leaving seemed to upset him.

"So, no. I don't know how to fight."

Hawk studied her for a long moment, trying to find something to say. Perhaps still trying to wrap his mind around her words. "As much as I like defending you, you should learn how to fight," he told her. "That way you'll be ready when Cobra Kai kicks Miyagi-Do's ass. Again." Those words sounded threatening but his smile showed that he was only kidding. At least partially.

"Last time I checked, we kicked your butt. And we did it without my help," Harper said.

He rolled his eyes at her reply. "You guys just got lucky."

Narrowing her eyes, she nodded slowly. Unconvinced. "Whatever makes you feel better."

The conversation felt like it was going into dangerous territory. They'd gone from arguing minutes ago to somehow getting along. The whole situation made Harper feel uneasy. She felt traitorous just standing here talking to him, laughing.

"Anyway, I'm waiting for someone so…." Her eyes drifted back to the parking lot, hoping to see Ryan but she couldn't see him in the crowd. Whether he would show up was still unknown to her though, with each minute that passed, her hope deflated some more.

"Demetri?" He asked.

Harper tilted her head to the side, confused by his questions. "Demetri what?"

"Who you're meeting up with. He used to love this place. He still does, I think." He frowned at the mention of his friend but quickly covered it up with a smile.

"Oh, no," she said. "It's - I'm not hanging out with any of my friends. I'm actually meeting someone else. He's just…running a little late."

Hawk looked at her questioningly, a flicker of uncertainty danced behind his eyes. "You mean like a date?"

A smile stretched across her face at the dumbfounded look he gave her. "Why? Are you jealous?"

Hawk matched her smile but rolled his eyes at her question. "Yeah, foster. You figured out my secret." His answer earned him a laugh though his words didn't hold the level of sarcasm that she'd expected.

"I knew it," Harper said with a smile.

"Are you -" Hawk started, but his sentence was cut off.

Someone called Harper's name, and they turned toward the sound. Harper froze when she spotted Ryan making his way through the crowd, the anxiety coming back at full force. She didn't think he'd make it but he only managed to be fifteen minutes late. With a broad smile on his face, he waved cheerfully. Though dressed casually, he stood out like a sore thumb in his designer clothes and easily could've stepped out of a Forbes magazine.

A mixture of confusion and irritation crossed Hawk's face as he regarded Ryan with uncertainty. "You know that guy?"

Harper nodded numbly. "Yeah, that's who I'm meeting."

Hawk clenched his jaw as he looked at Ryan through narrowed eyes. "That's him? How old is he?" Before she could even form a reply, he shook his head as an uninterested look crossed his face. "Forget it. I should get back to my friends anyway. I'll see you around."

Harper blinked in confusion as she watched him step away from her. His reaction didn't make much sense to her, and she tried to wrap her mind around it. But it only left her feeling more confused than anything else.

"Hawk!" She called after him, hoping to understand what he was so mad about.

"Have fun on your date, foster," he said over his shoulder before shoving past Ryan.

Harper tilted her head, a frown tugging down the corners of her lips. If she didn't know any better, she would've guessed that he was jealous. But that was ridiculous, right? While she was aware that he and Moon had broken up, the entire idea was absurd. Or was it? She shook her head, unsure of why she was even entertaining it.

"Sorry, I'm late, kid." Ryan stopped beside her with an easy grin already on his face. "Who was that?" He asked, nodding in the direction Hawk disappeared into.

"Just.. someone I know," Harper said with a shrug, looking away from the arcade. He looked at her knowingly as the grin turned into a wide smile. But before he could further comment on it, she stopped him by shaking her head. "No. We're not even friends."

Ryan studied her, his eyes sparkling with humor. "Okay, fine," he said with a laugh. "Do you want anything? Food or something to drink?"

"I'm okay. But, thanks," she said, knowing she was too nervous to eat.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Ryan gestured towards an unoccupied outdoor table. Once seated, he took in the arcade as if it was the greatest place on earth. His eyes lit up as they traveled from the miniature golf course to the arcade and to the dining area. "Man, I haven't been here in years. I used to come here all the time when I was your age. It's where I met your mom."

Harper smiled at that information, at learning something about her parents. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah. We were, what? Seventeen at the time? And she always kicked my butt at the arcade games," Ryan admitted with a chuckle. "We would spend hours here, especially in the summer. This was our place."

"So what happened between you two?" Harper asked.

Ryan sighed, looking past her as if he could see his past life play out for him. "We were from different worlds. Nora came from a not-so-great part of town and my parents didn't like that. They thought that she'd ruin my life so when she got pregnant with you and I dropped everything to help…." He shot her a sad smile before shrugging.

Harper wanted to know more but it didn't seem like she'd get the whole story just then. But from the little bits and pieces that she learned, she could just about fill in the blanks. And she didn't like what she thought she knew.

A few seconds passed in silence as he took a moment to look at her, study her. "Anyway, it's really good to see you, kid. How long has it been?"

The question was asked casually. Too casually. It almost felt like he was asking an old friend rather than a daughter he hadn't seen in years. Rather than comment on that, she said, "About twelve years, I think."

Ryan's eyes went wide at the information, and he shook his head in disbelief. "Wow. That's… a long time. It's crazy, huh?"

Harper nodded though she was slightly offended that Ryan barely batted an eye on how many years had passed. How many years of her life he'd missed because of some reason unknown to her. But perhaps this was him making up for that lost time. By him wanting to get to know her, spend time with her. Maybe this was just the start of their father/daughter relationship

Harper held onto that hope like her life depended on it. Held onto this unrealistic relationship she so desired from him.

"You look good, kid. You really do," he commented with a bright smile. Shaking his head, he chuckled. "I just can't get over how much you look like your mom."

"Thanks," she said softly. While she was happy with the compliment, she searched Ryan's face to see if she resembled him at all. They shared the same smile and eyes, minus the eye color, but the rest of her features were all from her mom.

"How's she doing, anyway?" Ryan asked, pulling her from her search. "Your mom, I mean? I'm sure she wasn't thrilled about you wanting to see me."

Her smile fell at his question. At the fact that he didn't know anything. She cleared her throat and stared down at her hands. "Oh, uhm. She died. About ten years ago."

Ryan sat up and leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "What? Are you serious?" Frowning, he raked a hand through his hair at her nod. "Shit, that's - What happened?"

Harper tugged at the loose thread on her jeans. "She was picking me up from school. Some idiot ran a red light and…." She shrugged, leaving the sentence unfinished.

"Shit." Ryan shook his head, and for the longest time didn't say anything. "I'm really sorry, kid. I didn't know."

"How could you not know?" Harper heard herself ask and risked a look at him. He looked sincere but it only frustrated her that he was telling the truth. That he was clueless about her life, about the shit she'd gone through.

"I just - I didn't. I mean, after I signed those papers -"

"What papers?" Harper interrupted, sitting up straight. Her heartbeat sped up as she waited for him to answer.

"You know. The ones that terminated my parental rights," he said slowly before realizing that she actually didn't know. He hung his head with a sigh. "Crap. You didn't know about that, did you?"

Harper shook her head. The feeling that came over her was similar to that one dream where you're falling. Only in dreams, you never hit the ground as hard as you do in real life. It felt as if she'd been dropped from a skyscraper and crashed in the middle of a busy highway. Her heartbeat felt loud in her ears while his words echoed in her ears.

While she wasn't sure what answers she'd been expecting, it sure as hell wasn't that. It was much worse than she imagined. And again, she was let down. The shred of hope she'd come with at reuniting with her dad disappeared. Dissolved.

"Harper, I…." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"So that's why CPS never contacted you." The truth made everything make a sick sort of sense. All the missing pieces suddenly fell into place, and she felt like an idiot for not piecing it together herself.

He blinked at her statement. "CPS? Wait. They put you in foster care?"

"Where else was I supposed to go?" Harper asked with a shrug, her eyes downcast. She refused to meet his eyes, refused to let him see how hurt she truly was. She swallowed all the pain, all the sadness, and locked it away. She told herself she was okay when she was barely hanging on.

Ryan opened his mouth and closed it, not having any answer to give. His sad eyes took her in, and he ran a hand down his face. "That's not what I wanted to happen. But what was I supposed to do, kid? I didn't have much of a choice. I mean… shit. I wouldn't be where I am today if I had stayed."

Neither would I, she bitterly thought to herself.

"I'm sorry things worked out this way. I really am." He sounded sorry, sincere, though it did little to make her feel better. Did little to change anything. "I only did -"

"Don't," Harper said quietly, stopping him from saying more. She didn't want any more bullshit excuses that would justify what he did.

"Kid, let me at least explain," Ryan said.

"It doesn't matter," Harper said with a shrug. "It's not like it'll change anything."

Ryan watched her though she looked anywhere but at him. She hoped that he would drop the subject before he fed her another soul-crushing detail about why her life was so screwed up. "I'm really sorry."

Harper only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

A long silence stretched as Ryan stared at her. "I guess I should go, huh?" He asked though she doubted he was expecting an answer from her. With a sigh, he stood up. "Look, I hope things work out for you. Take care, kid." With that, Ryan left.

She sat there, unmoving, as her world crashed around her. Tears pricked her eyes but she blinked them back and tried to hold herself together as best as possible. She wanted to tell herself that nothing he said mattered, but that would be a lie. Because it did matter. It mattered to the little girl whose dad left and whose mom died. The little girl who went from living in a fairytale to living in a nightmare.

Harper had been so hell-bent on finding out the truth that she allowed herself to care. To hope. But what had she been expecting? That she would get a happy ending and go live with her dad? That he would welcome her with open arms? She shook her head, angry at herself for seeking him out and so desperately wanting the truth that she risked another heartbreak. And now she was paying the price for it.

She'd been naive in thinking everything would work out.

Harper watched as Ryan distanced himself from the arcade. Back to his cushy life while she remained stuck in a broken system. In a life that treated her like trash and repeatedly knocked her down. It wasn't fair. The fact that Ryan benefited from giving her up wasn't fair.

A hot flash of anger enveloped her, and she stood up. Her mind was numb, but her legs carried her toward the parking lot. Harper passed the golf course and grabbed a golf club from one of the caddies. She ignored the protests as her hand tightened around the club, the metal cool against her skin. Taking slow but measured steps, she walked towards Ryan. Of course, he stood by an expensive-looking sports car, parallel parked by the curb as if having money justified that he could park anywhere he wanted.

"Ryan!" Harper called out, her voice distant in her ears.

Hand on the door, Ryan turned around with that annoying easy smile. Like he hadn't just shattered her world into a million pieces.

"I hate you." Her voice broke with those words, and her vision blurred with angry tears that she could no longer contain. Before she could think, Harper raised the golf club above her head. In one swift motion, she brought it down on the hood of the car. The satisfying crunch of metal on metal sounded in the air.

"What are you doing?!" Ryan yelled, wide-eyed as he jumped back. He watched her swing the club again, the hood denting from the impact. "Harper, stop!"

But Harper had no intention of stopping. She was in a state of rage fueled by the unfair life she'd been given—the never-ending cycle of pain. Harper swung the club against the windshield and watched as a spiderweb design formed along the glass. Tightening her grip on the club, she continued to lash out at the car from the passenger's side windows to the side view mirror.

Her energy dwindled, but there was still so much pain and anger inside her that she couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. She wanted Ryan to hurt as much as she did. To know that she wasn't okay and that he was to blame for the last sixteen years of her life.

Loud voices sounded and hands grabbed her from behind as the golf club was wrestled from her hand. Harper didn't struggle as there was no more fight left in her.

As the anger dissipated, her vision cleared, and she saw the destruction she had caused. Glass littered the ground, and the hood of the car was a mangled mess. But rather than feel remorse, Harper felt nothing. She felt empty. Devoid of feelings. Even as handcuffs painfully tightened around her wrists, and she was forced into the police car, Harper felt nothing.