It had been over a week since she'd returned, and Harper never once forgot just how lucky she was. She shuddered to think of what would've happened had the charges not been dropped. Or if the Hudsons hadn't wanted her back. Where she would've ended up or how much worse her life could've gone. But somehow, someway, everything had worked out. It was a first for her and she knew better than to question it.

News of Harper's arrest had spread like wildfire in The Valley. Whispers followed her as she walked down the street, and she tried her best to ignore them. It was obvious that people would talk but no matter how much she'd readied herself for the aftermath of her breakdown, it was difficult to deal with. Impossible to ignore. As used as she was to being talked about and judged, it felt different somehow. Perhaps because the San Fernando Valley wasn't some broken-down neighborhood that nobody cared about. People had money here. Prestige. Opinions. And news traveled fast when people had too much time on their hands.

What baffled her the most were the rumors of why she snapped. Talks of a date gone wrong reached her ears multiple times during her walk and even more over the last few days. It was entertaining to see what people would believe but where they were getting that information from, she didn't know.

She crossed the street and rounded the corner, eager to have her first group therapy session over with. While she'd rather not go, it was a set condition of her probation. Something she had to do if she wanted to remain out of juvie.

It's just an hour. All you have to do is listen, you don't need to talk, she told herself though knew that participation was strongly recommended.

Lost in her thoughts, Harper didn't hear the sound of her name being called at first. The voice reached her ears a moment later and she looked over her shoulder, smiling at Miguel as he walked toward her.

"Hey, Miguel" Harper said, matching his smile. "How are-"

"You're back!" He pulled her into a hug, his smile wide as if seeing her was the highlight of his day. "We were worried about you. I mean, we all heard what happened and - wow, that's just crazy! I'm sorry you had to go through that. So are you back for good?"

Harper blinked slowly at the number of words that had been thrown her way. And here she thought Cole spoke a mile a minute. "Thanks," she said, still trying to process his words. "But, yeah, the charges got dropped so I'm back." She wasn't sure for how long but chose to keep that part to herself.

After all, she was still a foster kid living with a random family and forever always had its ending.

"When did they… you know," he said, his hand going to the back of his neck as he left the question unfinished. Almost as if embarrassed to ask.

"Like ten days ago, I think," she said, having lost track of how long she'd been back for. Unlike the real world, time had moved slower in the juvie.

"That's great! Really. I'm happy things worked out for you," Miguel exclaimed. "You know, since your date ended so badly."

Harper started to agree but stopped, her head tilted at the word 'date'. "My what? No, I wasn't on - I mean, it wasn't a date. Who told you that? Because I keep hearing people saying that."

"Oh, sorry," Miguel said with a sheepish smile. "Hawk mentioned seeing you at the arcade with some guy."

Of course, it was Hawk, she thought with a sigh. Because of the chaos of that day, she forgot they talked. At least now she knew how the rumors got started.

"So, anyway," Miguel said, thankfully changing topics. "A bunch of us are going to get something to eat. Do you want to come with us? We can catch up and hang out for a bit."

Harper smiled at the invite though knew she'd have to turn it down. But just because her curiosity was peaked, she asked, "Who's us?"

"Just some of us from Cobra Kai. You know. Me, Tory, Mitch, Aisha, Hawk. We're just hanging out," he told her with a half-shrug. Watching her for a reaction, he widened his eyes at a thought that crossed his mind. "They won't bother you if that's what you're worried about. I mean, of course it is! They haven't exactly been nice to you but I promise they'll leave you alone."

Harper narrowed her eyes at his words as a smile crossed her face. "You know, I don't really believe you."

Miguel paused as he considered her words. "I guess I don't really believe it either," he admitted with a laugh. "You're still welcome to come, though. I mean, it could be fun."

Bemused at his words, she shook her head. "Thanks but I actually have this group therapy thing I need to get to, so I really can't," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Truth be told, she shouldn't be complaining. Going to a group therapy session once every two weeks was preferable to being in juvie, and Harper knew that. If that's what it took to keep her from being locked up, then she'd do it. She'd grumble but she'd do it.

Miguel raised his eyebrows at her words, curiosity dancing in his eyes. "What's group therapy?"

"It's just something I need to do for my probation," she explained with a shrug, unsure of what exactly it entailed.

"Oh, got it. Well, maybe next time?"

Harper nodded though she knew the only way she'd ever say yes was if no one else from Cobra Kai was involved. Having just been released from juvie, she wanted to stay as far away from trouble as humanly possible. And wherever Cobra Kai went, trouble followed. But something told her that it would be difficult if not impossible to avoid them. Because whether she liked it or not, she was already in the middle of the war.

She parted ways with Miguel and checked the time, knowing that she couldn't be late for her first group therapy meeting. Relieved to see that she still had some time left, her eyes traveled to the many unread texts from Sam, Robby, and Demetri. Guilt hit her for not having replied to any of the texts. As much as she wanted to, Harper wasn't sure how to face them after everything. She was embarrassed for letting herself get thrown into juvie over something so stupid. For not confiding in them about her problems.

Or maybe the texts had nothing to do with checking in on her. Maybe they were a myriad of messages asking her to stay away from them. She'd know that if she bothered to read any of them but fear and guilt kept her from opening the messages.

She scrolled past their texts to ones from a number that never should've been saved to her contacts. Numerous calls and unread texts from Ryan taunted her while simultaneously making her anxious. Harper hadn't replied to him nor did she plan to but she often wondered what he wanted. To yell at her for what she'd done or tell her that this was why he didn't want her in his life? Whatever the reasons, she preferred to stay in the dark.

Fixated on her phone and thoughts, Harper bumped into someone as soon as she turned the corner.

"Oh, sorry," Harper said.

"Still not watching where you're going, foster?" Hawk asked, a smirk on his face as he steadied her.

Harper shoved her phone into her back pocket with a sheepish smile. "I guess not. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he said.

"What, you're not going to tell me that I'm messing with Cobra Kai or punch me for walking into you?" Harper asked, remembering the incident at Valley Fest all too well. It had only been over a month ago but it felt more like a lifetime had passed.

"I stop you from getting punched, remember?"

"Right. Well, you did a great job of that at the mall," she reminded him, sarcasm wrapping itself around those words.

Hawk threw a glare her way but a ghost of a smile played on his lips. "So, they actually let you out, huh?"

"Yeah, are you disappointed?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, causing her to roll her eyes in reply. "I can't believe they actually locked you up. I figured you'd get in trouble but I didn't think it would be that serious, you know?"

"Yeah, well, the law kind of frowns on people taking golf clubs to other people's cars," she said as an attempt at a joke.

He nodded in reply though a frown replaced the faint smile he wore just moments ago. His eyes traveled over her face as his scowl deepened. "What the hell did they do to you in there?"

Harper tilted her head in question before remembering the fight she'd been in on her last day at juvie and the days old injuries that hadn't faded as much as she'd thought. "It's nothing," she said with a shrug.

"It doesn't look like nothing," Hawk muttered as he tucked her hair behind her ear, exposing the bruises that covered the left side of her face. While duller in color, they were still visible. A greenish hue against her light skin.

Harper froze at his touch. Her heart seemed to skip a beat or two at the unexpected move. Not knowing what to say or how to react, she simply stared up at him. Her mind was a whirlwind of different questions and thoughts, all just as confusing as the situation itself.

Forcing herself to snap out of it, she pushed his hand away. "I'm fine. Some of the other inmates got jealous when they heard I was getting out so they started a fight. It happens."

He narrowed his eyes at the casual response.

"It's really not that bad," Harper told him, trying to convince him. After all, this was nothing compared to some of the injuries she'd sustained over the years.

"You didn't even fight back, did you?" He asked though it sounded more like a statement. Like he knew the answer before he formed the question.

Harper shook her head. "No, I didn't."

Irritation crossed his face. "You really stood there letting them beat the shit out of you? What the hell, foster? You're supposed to fight back."

"Yeah, well, you try fighting back with three people beating on you," Harper argued with a roll of her eyes, not sure why she was explaining this to him. Or why it even mattered.

"So you couldn't fight back or did you just not want to?"

"What difference does it make?" Harper asked but was met with silence as if the answer should've been obvious. "Both, I guess," she answered after a moment.

"You should've fought back," Hawk said again with a frustrated sigh.

"But I didn't, okay?" Running a hand through her hair, she fixed him with a look. "I was getting out that day and if I so much as stepped out of line, they would've found a reason to keep me locked up. I didn't want to risk it. I couldn't."

"It would've been self-defense," Hawk said, like it was the most obvious explanation.

"Not to them. Things work differently in juvie, Hawk. Everyone's guilty whether they did something or not. They don't care about the truth," she explained.

"Okay, but-"

"Why do you even care?" She interrupted.

His eyes darkened at her question and he took half a step back. A scowl settled on his face before he crossed his arms as he tried his best to look indifferent. "I don't."

"Oh," she said quietly. "I-I mean, good. That's good," she said with a nod though his answer disappointed her. Why did she care that he didn't care? Did she even want him to care? Of course not, she thought as she shook those ridiculous thoughts from her head.

"Yeah, okay," he answered.

Harper nodded to his answer and shifted her bag. "I should go," she said but when she went to move past him, he blocked her path. "Can you get out of my way?"

"No."

Narrowing her eyes, she glared up at him. "You're really annoying, you know that?"

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Hawk asked, a glint in his eyes as he took in the stupefied look on her face..l

"What?" Harper blinked at the question.

"Tomorrow. What are you doing?"

"Oh, uhm, noth - I'm busy. Very busy. All day."

"Meet me in the park in the morning," Hawk said. And then he walked away from her, not giving her a chance to respond. Or react. He just left her standing there on the street completely baffled and maybe even a little bit curious.

"I'm not meeting you anywhere," she said indignantly even though he was out of earshot. But it didn't matter whether he heard or not. There wasn't a chance in hell that she would meet him, let alone entertain that idea. It was as ridiculous as her finding a happily ever after. There was a zero percent chance of either.

"Hey, foster!" Hawk called a moment later, pulling her out of her thoughts. When she looked over her shoulder, he said, "I'm glad you're back," before disappearing around the corner.

Harper sat at the kitchen island, a book propped open before her but she found it difficult to concentrate. The same paragraph had been read about a dozen times yet she still didn't know what it said. It was useless given how her thoughts fought for her sole attention. Specifically her conversation with Hawk which went to the forefront of her mind despite how she tried to ignore it. Yet it made Harper question everything. From his sudden concern about her well-being to their argument which led to them somehow making plans for the next day.

Which she was not going to. Harper was adamant about that. There was absolutely no way she would meet up with Hawk despite how curious she was as to what he wanted.

It's probably a trap of some sort, she told herself.

Her head throbbed. With a sigh, she tried to empty her mind but those thoughts clung to her as if for dear life. Forcing her to recount everything that had happened for the millionth time.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted her rampant thoughts, and she sighed with relief. The door opened a moment later followed by Olivia's cheerful voice greeting the visitor. The voices of Sam, Robby, and Demetri sounded as they entered the house and caused an immediate panic within her.

All of those unanswered calls and unread texts were still on her phone. Harper was hit with a wave of guilt at having ignored them for so long. She'd planned on replying eventually but after having put it off for so long, that time never came. Because she didn't know how to face them or what to say after her breakdown that landed her in juvie.

Harper felt guilty for not telling her friends about Ryan. For keeping them in the dark for so long. It wasn't because she didn't trust them but because she had a bad habit of wanting to face things alone in case shit hit the fan. Which, to be fair, it had. But mainly because for her entire life, she had only herself to rely on.

She was fiercely independent but independence was also her biggest downfall.

"Harper!" Olivia called into the house, signaling that it was time for her to face reality.

Here goes everything, she thought as she jumped off the stool. Her legs felt stiff as she walked through the house toward the entryway. Their voices grew in volume before her friends came into view. A stiff almost fake smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she wondered how this would play out.

Surely they were mad. Disappointed.

And she wouldn't blame them if they were.

"Harper!" Sam closed the distance between them and pulled her into a tight hug. "Welcome back! We missed you so much."

Harper was not expecting that.

"Hi," she said tentatively, returning the hug.

As soon as Sam let go of her, Robby stepped forward and wrapped her up in another hug. "You had us really worried, you know," he said.

Harper nodded, her eyes stinging from the forgiveness from her friends. The acceptance of who she was despite all of her screw-ups. "I'm sorry."

"We're glad you're okay," Sam said before motioning Demetri over who awkwardly stood off to the side.

Demetri raised his hand in an small wave and walked toward her. His expression was almost unreadable but Harper could make out a hint of worry in his eyes. And something more. Hurt, perhaps. "You could've told us what was going on. We would've been there for you no matter what. That's what friends do."

He was definitely hurt by the secrets she'd kept, and Harper felt like shit for not telling them everything. "Yeah, I know I should've. I'm sorry," she said again though knew that those words were hollow from how many times she'd uttered them.

Because that was the thing about words. Anyone could say them but they didn't mean anything unless action was taken.

Despite how he felt, Demetri hugged her and it felt like she'd been forgiven. Maybe not entirely entirely but enough.

The four of them moved outside where they sat on the back patio. The day had started to cool as the afternoon slowly began to fade into night. The sun clung to the sky for the last hour, intent on making the summer day last just a little bit longer. Like an artist's palette, the sky was a seamless blend of blues, purples and pinks as the sun began its final descent.

It was purely magical.

Harper let out a content sigh as she sat back in her seat, her head propped up on the pillows as she watched the sunset. When her eyes drifted across to the other seats, she was reminded of her mistakes. Of her secrets. And, once again, she was hit with guilt.

"I'm sorry," Harper said again, breaking the peaceful silence. "I should've told you guys everything."

"Why didn't you?," Demetri asked, his voice small as he struggled to keep eye contact.

"I don't know." Harper sighed, knowing it wasn't the answer any of them wanted. It was the hyper-independent part of her that believed she could do things on her own. That asking for help was a sign of weakness. But it wasn't, and she was slowly learning that.

"That's not an answer," Demetri said with a sigh.

It wasn't but she had no answer to give. At least not anything that wouldn't make her look like she didn't value their friendship. Because she did and sometimes felt as if she cared too much.

"You're right. I'm just… I'm not used to this," Harper said, waving her arm around to enclose the house and everyone in that space. "Having people around who actually care is kinda new to me. And maybe it shouldn't be because I've been here since the end of May but that's still only been two months."

And two months was nothing compared to years of indifference she'd received from people who should've cared. Who were literally paid to care.

Demetri looked like he wanted to argue but Robby beat him to it. "I get it," he said with a nod. "It's hard to trust people when life's been shit. It took me a while to trust everyone, too."

Harper was grateful that Robby understood because she wasn't sure she could explain it. Explain what it felt like to have people around her but be scared to give them her trust. To believe that they held her best interests at heart. The broken system had broken her throughout the years. Made her wary of everything and everyone even if she didn't have a reason to not trust them.

"But you have to know that we're here for you. We're friends and even if we don't understand something it doesn't mean we won't help." Sam smiled her way though there was a tinge of sadness to it. Sadness for the girl who'd been given a shitty deal in life. "You can trust us."

Harper nodded slowly. It wouldn't be easy and she would mess up along the way but she promised to let people, let her friends, in a little bit more. "I do. I mean, I'll try. For real this time, I promise."

"Good," Sam said, her tone was more cheerful and her smile a little less sad.

"So what really happened? Your foster parents told us a bit but how did you get from finding your dad to… you know," Robby said.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Demetri added quietly.

"No, I do. I feel like I owe you guys that much," she said, because it was true. Because she'd kept too much from them already.

Harper took a collective breath, knowing that the question had been brewing. Even though it wasn't something she wanted to talk about, she knew it was her chance to let the people closest to her in. So she started at the beginning from the day she first saw Ryan at the mall to how she went to his house and then the unfortunate day at the arcade. Harper didn't shy away from any of the details, trusting her friends with everything. All of the bad details that she just wanted to forget.

When she was finished, Harper looked at them. She half expected them to say that she overreacted, that she was crazy and should've served more time than just a few weeks. But as she took in their expressions, there was only compassion directed at her.

"Wait… he just told you that he gave you up? Just like that?" Sam asked, incredulous at having learned everything.

"Yeah," Harper said with a sigh, toying with her bracelet. "I know that I kinda lost it but… I was just so angry about everything."

"And I thought I had a dead beat dead," Robby commented.

"It just sucks that he was so casual about it. Like we were talking about the weather or something," Harper said with a sigh.

"Did he say why he did it?" Sam asked.

"Something about wanting to make something of himself but he didn't say anything else. I mean, he wanted to but I realized that I didn't care. It's not like it would change anything," she said, throwing a quick look at Robby as she echoed his words.

"Have you heard from him at all? Since you got out?" Sam asked.

"He sent me a few texts, yeah," Harper told them.

"Seriously? After all that he just sends you a text?" Demetri asked.

"What did he say?" Robby asked.

"I don't know," Harper said with a shrug. "I didn't read any of them. I don't even want anything from him. Not anymore. And I should've just stayed away. It would've been better but instead I went looking for answers when none of it really mattered. It didn't change anything. It honestly just made it worse."

Harper was still furious with herself for having sought him out. Furious with how naive she'd been to think Ryan would want her in his life.

A quiet moment passed between them as her words hung in the air. As shitty as the last few weeks had been, at least she still had her friends. They didn't judge her and didn't think she was absolutely batshit crazy.

"So what did I miss while I was gone?" Harper asked a moment later, eager to change the conversation.

"Not much, really. Things have been pretty boring," Sam answered.

"Seriously? Nothing new happened?" Harper looked around at them with disbelief. "No drama with Cobra Kai or anything?"

"Don't look so disappointed," Sam said with a laugh.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just surprised," Harper said. "I was hoping for some fun stories. Or that you at least found out who broke into the dojo but I'm guessing you didn't?"

Sam sighed as she shook her head. "I wish we did but I don't think we'll ever really know who it was."

"Unless one of them confesses, but we all know that'll never happen," Demetri added.

Harper wished she could argue that it wasn't true but, unfortunately, it was. "We'll get them back one day," she said with a confident nod.

"By smashing their stuff with a golf club?" Robby asked, a smile lighting up his face while Sam looked on in horror. "Because we could use your help with that."

Harper tilted her head in annoyance but a smile tugged at her lips. "You're so funny," she said, rolling her eyes before adding, "but I'm definitely in. Just tell me when and where and I'll be there with a golf club. Or a baseball bat."

"You guys are terrible!" Sam exclaimed.

"It's pretty funny," Robby said, giving Sam a gentle shove to which she shook her head.

"So, everything's been okay?" Harper asked again as the laughter died down.

"Everything's been pretty boring, actually. Cobra Kai hasn't bothered us and the only interesting thing that happened was what happened to you," Robby said.

"Everyone's been talking about it," Demetri added. "You know that there's a rumor going around that you were on a date, right?"

"Yeah, I've heard," Harper muttered with a sigh.

"I wonder how that got started," Sam mused.

"No idea," Harper said, shaking her head. "How's training going? Learn any more cool moves?"

The three of them exchanged a look before Sam said, "Training's fine."

Arching a brow, she narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "Really? Because your faces say something else," she said, pointing to them.

Demetri sighed dramatically. "It's fine for them but I still suck. I'm terrible. Like really, really bad. How Mr. LaRusso hasn't kicked me out yet, I don't know. He has the patience of a saint, I swear."

"You can't be that bad," Harper said but from their looks, it sounded as if he was.

"He's being dramatic," Sam said. "Demetri's getting there."

Demetri snorted. "I dont think I'll ever get there. Might as well give up while I'm ahead. Or, you know, while I'm falling behind."

"You're not quitting," Harper said while Robby told him, "We're not letting you quit."

"You guys are too nice. Just tell me I suck and that I'm not cut out for karate. It's fine, I won't be offended," Demetri said.

"You'll get there," Sam repeated gently. "Just keep practicing."

Demetri nodded though he didn't look convinced. "Maybe it'd be better if Harper took my place. She's been in juvie so people won't fight her. They'll be too scared to."

Sam looked at him disapprovingly, a soft sigh escaping her lips followed by a shake of her head.

Harper fixed him with a look. "The last thing I want to do is learn how to fight. I've had enough fights and trouble to last me a lifetime. I need to learn how to stay out of trouble from now on." She shrugged at the disappointment on their faces. "Sorry I keep saying no but it's just not for me."

"It's fine," Sam said with a reassuring smile before changing the topic. "This summer went by so fast. I can't believe that school starts in like a month already. "

"Yeah, another year of being a loser. Yay," Demetri said without emotion.

"It won't be that bad, Demetri. You've got us now," Sam told him before she looked towards Harper, her head tilted in consideration. "You'll be here for the school year, right?"

An uncertain smile crossed her face before she nodded. "Uhm, yeah. I'll be there," she answered, though the truth was that she didn't really know.

"That's great!" Sam exclaimed with a small clap, missing the look of uncertainty from Harper. "Are you excited?"

"Uhm, yeah," Harper said slowly, mustering up a smile.

Robby rolled his eyes. "Could've fooled us," he said with a chuckle.

"No, I mean, I am. I guess now that I know I'll be here I'm a bit nervous," she admitted. "But that's dumb, right? I mean, I've been the new kid so many times that it should be easier by now."

"You won't be alone. We'll be the new kids together," Robby said.

Harper tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about? I thought you went to West Valley all this time."

"Nope. I went to a different school back when I lived with my mom but I kind of made everyday a skip day," he said with a grin that Sam rolled her eyes to. "But since I've been staying with Sam, her parents said I need to go back to school and enrolled me for the fall. So, I'm new this year, too."

Harper smiled, suddenly feeling less nervous.

"It won't be so bad. You already know who the bullies are so you'll know who to avoid," Demetri pointed out.

"I think what Demetri's trying to say is that you've got us. We're in this together," Sam said.

Harper smiled at the three of them, a sense of peace taking hold of her. She had a great family who she'd be staying with for the foreseeable future and a great group of friends. Despite all the bad in her life, the good outweighed it more and more each day. "Better friends," she said with a smile.

"Better friends," they echoed, agreeing to stick together no matter what.