"You and Robby are gonna have so much fun," Harper said, watching as Sam went through her closet for the fifth time that day. After Sam told her about her first kiss with Robby and how their first date would be at an '80s-themed roller rink, she couldn't stop smiling. Their feelings for each other had been blatantly obvious all summer long. To hear that they're officially together was a happy surprise.

"Yeah, if I can ever find the perfect outfit. What about this?"

"Let me see the picture again." Harper squinted at the image and then at the outfit Sam held up. Tilting her head, she scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "Yeah, I don't think so. It's really close though."

Sam sighed in defeat and hung the clothes back in the closet. "This is impossible," she muttered but continued with her search, determined to get her outfit just right. "How is it this hard to find a dress that can pass for the 80's?"

"You'll find it," Harper said, though that belief was starting to wane. "Or you could always go to a store where they, you know, sell clothes. Hey! I heard of these stores that sell costumes, too."

Sam glared over her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm aware. Thanks," she said with a sigh. "At this rate, I'll wear a potato sack."

"Wasn't burlap popular in the 80's?"

"You're really not helpful, you know that?"

Harper covered her laugh with a cough before turning her attention to her phone. A few new messages lit up her screen, which in turn brought a smile to her face. She typed out a quick reply to Hawk while making sure that Sam couldn't see her screen. It was exhausting keeping secrets but every time she talked herself into telling the truth, she chickened out.

"Who's got you smiling?" Sam asked.

"No one," she answered too quickly and turned her phone off despite the new text that popped up on her screen. She tried to think of a believable answer that didn't make it sound like she was hiding something. "It's just Cole. He sent me some dumb joke."

"I'm glad you guys are finally getting along," Sam commented, none the wiser to her lie.

Harper was happy about that, too. Their relationship had plummeted once people found out about her staying with the Hudson's and, for a while, she didn't think they'd ever get along. Or that he'd never stop resenting her for living with them. They managed to work through their problems though it had taken a little while.

"Me, too. It's kinda important that we're getting along. I mean, especially since I'll be staying," Harper said, a smile tugging at her lips. "They're adopting me."

"Wait, what?" Sam turned to her with a wide smile. "Harper, that's amazing!"

Harper returned the smile. It was the first she had spoken of the adoption even though it had only been a day since Olivia and Lucas talked with her. As excited as she was to tell her friends, she couldn't wait to tell Hawk. With their busy schedules, they wouldn't have the time to hang out for at least another couple of days and this was something she wanted to say in person.

"I'm so happy for you! I really hoped they'd let you stay," Sam continued

"Thanks! I'm happy, too," she said. While that was true, there was a part of her that was absolutely terrified of something so permanent. Everything in her life had been fleeting up until this moment so to have gotten something she wanted filled her with a weird sense of dread. Almost as if it was too good to be true. Or that she didn't deserve this. Whatever the reason was, it was like a veil of anxiety draped itself over her.

"Wait until Robby and Demetri find out! Wait, they don't know yet, right?" When Harper shook her head, Sam continued, "I'll let you tell them but… seriously. This is amazing."

Harper smiled at Sam's excitement but that smile was short-lived when she remembered everything she was keeping from her.

Just tell her. You only have three days until Kreese does it for you so stop being such a coward, she thought in an attempt to talk herself into telling the truth. Closing her eyes, she took in a breath before making a decision.

"Hey, so I kinda need to tell you something," Harper started while her heart thudded loudly in her chest.

"Sure, what's up?"

"I'm -"

"Surprise!" Moon appeared in the doorway, her bright smile directed at both of them. "I thought I'd stop by for a little bit. Wait, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Nope," Harper said with a shake of her head, half relieved and half angry at the interruption.

"But you were about to tell me something," Sam said, looking over at Harper.

"Oh. Right," Harper said, struggling with what to say. "It's really not that important. Forget it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I actually don't even remember what I was gonna say," Harper said with a reassuring smile, hoping that Sam wouldn't push the topic. As much as she wanted to tell her, maybe now wasn't the right time.

"So what are we talking about?" Moon asked, making her way into the room and taking the seat beside Harper.

"Sam's date with Robby," Harper said just as Sam said, "Harper's getting adopted!"

"What?!" Moon exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Okay, both of you need to talk. Now."

And they did. After a half hour of talking, they had filled Moon in on what was new in their lives. Sam was animated when she described the details that led up to the kiss followed by her excitement for their first date. Harper, on the other hand, didn't go into as many details. She kept her retelling short and to the point but it didn't stop Moon from asking questions and being genuinely interested.

It was nice to have someone be so excited for her. While she didn't like talking about herself, she felt safe to open up and give more information than just the basics.

"You guys, this is so exciting!" Moon said when they finished talking. "I'll definitely need pictures from the date."

"We'll take a bunch so I'll send you some," Sam promised.

"And now that you get to stay, we'll have more time to hang out!" Moon said as she turned to Harper. "Oh, I know! You'll come to my end-of-summer party and I'll introduce you to, like, everyone. It'll be amazing."

Harper nodded with a soft smile. "Yeah, that sounds fun."

"It will be," Moon promised.

"So, what's going on with you? We've been talking about ourselves for the last hour so it's your turn. Anything new?" Sam asked.

Harper looked toward Moon, excited to talk about someone other than herself.

"Well… I'm kind of seeing someone," Moon said with a happy sigh. "It's still in the early stages but I'm really, really happy. I just don't want to say anything else, you know? I'm scared that I'll jinx it."

"Whoever it is has to be better than Hawk. I still can't believe you were ever with him," Sam said, scrunching up her nose.

Moon laughed softly. "Yeah, I know. But he just seemed dangerous and mysterious. I thought it'd be fun dating him but it wasn't. Mistakes were made."

"Plenty of mistakes," Sam said with a shake of her head. "Harper agrees, don't you?"

"Uhm, yeah," Harper agreed with a slow nod as the guilt grew within her.

"Okay, I get it." Moon rolled her eyes but her smile remained. "But it doesn't really matter because I'm pretty sure that he likes someone else."

"Any idea who the poor victim is?" Sam asked.

Moon threw an almost imperceptible look at Harper before shrugging in reply. "No. It was just a feeling I always got when we were together. Before we broke up, I mean. But apart from him being a jerk, there's no hard feelings. It just didn't work out between us."

"No offense but that's probably for the better."

"I think so, too," Moon agreed.

Sam stood up with a sigh and returned to her closet to continue her search. A few silent seconds passed before she said, "You know, I don't think I could ever support anyone who would choose to be with him. He's not exactly subtle about being a bully."

And just like that, Harper's hope in telling her friends burst. Even though they'd be mad, she thought they'd at least remain by her side but from Sam's comment, it didn't look like that would be an option.

Harper narrowed her eyes in confusion as she looked out at the showroom of the LaRusso Auto Group where today's karate lesson took place. This was one of the more bizarre places to hold a lesson but she didn't question it. Instead, she watched her friends wax cars in a very specific way that Daniel demonstrated just a few minutes ago. Supposedly, this was supposed to help with blocking but the only thing she saw was the clever use of free labor.

Bemused, she took a sip of her coffee but winced when she burned her tongue on the too-hot liquid. "Ow," she said quietly and proceeded to take another sip a moment later with the very same results.

Okay, ow. What the hell is wrong with you? It's clearly hot! She thought to herself and put the drink on the counter to refrain from making the same mistake for the third time.

She turned back toward the showroom and the frown that graced her face had nothing to do with the confusing lesson but everything to do with the secret she was still keeping. Sam's remark on not being able to support anyone who was with Hawk only cemented her fear of how they'd react. Now she knew that there was no way she could tell the truth without them hating her.

Her deadline was quickly ticking down but she remained in the same uncertain place as before.

"You sure you don't want to join in?" Daniel asked, appearing at her side.

Harper tore her eyes away from her friends to look his way. "Are you talking about the karate lesson or the free labor?"

Daniel smiled kindly at her, finding humor in her question. "Obviously the karate lesson."

"Thanks but I'm actually just here for the free coffee." She reached for her cup and took a small, hesitant sip so as not to burn herself. Again. The coffee had cooled a bit so she rewarded herself with another sip before sighing at the strong taste of caffeine.

Daniel chuckled at her answer. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the counter and watched the class. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why don't you want to join Miyagi-Do? Clearly, you have some talent for karate from how you blocked those attacks a couple of weeks ago. You know that you're always welcome at practice but I'm just curious."

Harper toyed with the sleeve that was wrapped around the cup, tearing the papered edge of it. The talent that Daniel spoke of was due to all of her lessons with Hawk but, obviously, it wasn't an answer that she could give. Sighing, she decided to go with another kind of truth. "I guess I just like having a choice, you know? Everything was always kinda decided for me, and I never had a say in where I went or who I lived with, or what I did. So it's nice being able to choose without anyone pressuring me to do something else."

"That's a fair point. We're never going to force you into doing anything you don't want to do but know that there's always a spot open for you," Daniel said after a thoughtful moment before excusing himself to go talk with his wife.

"So, did this really help with karate, or did your dad just need these cars to be extra shiny?" Harper asked a few minutes later when she decided to join them in the showroom.

"It's something that Mr. Miyagi used to teach my dad. It's supposed to help with blocking attacks," Sam answered.

Harper nodded though she didn't understand it any better. "Right. Well, you kinda missed a spot right there," she said, pointing toward an area on the hood.

"What? Where?" Robby asked, squinting to see where she was pointing. "I don't see anything."

"No, it's there," she said confidently, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I think that's just a reflection of something," Robby said after scrubbing at the spot for a few seconds.

"Or maybe you're just bad at this whole wax on, wax off thing"

Narrowing his eyes, Robby threw a rag at her which she caught. "You know, you could always help."

"No, I'm good," she said with a smile before turning to Sam. "So, did you find that outfit for 80's night?"

"Yeah. And it's perfect! I went to a few thrift shops with Moon after you left and they had a lot of stuff," Sam said. "I'm so excited for tonight. We're actually going on our first date," she added, saying the last part in an excited whisper.

"You're still keeping this a secret?" Harper asked.

"Unfortunately. We wanted to tell them but my parents are in this weird fight. And my grandma came to stay with us for a bit so we didn't get a chance to say anything," Sam said.

"But it's kinda fun sneaking around," Robby said, smiling.

"Well, let me know how the date goes. I hope you guys have fun."

"Thanks. What are you doing tonight?" Sam asked.

Harrow shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll drag Demetri out or something."

"Good luck with that," Robby said with a chuckle.

Harper sighed, knowing that it would take all her strength to pry him out of the house. "So why exactly are you guys training here today? The freezer was weird enough but now this? I don't know, it all seems a little…"

"Unhinged?" Demetri asked, having overheard their conversation. A miserable look rested on his face as he struggled with the simple movements. "Yeah, it really is."

"It kinda is," Harper agreed, looking to Sam for an answer.

Sam sighed and looked to where her parents stood. "It's because of their fight. My mom claims that my dad spends all of his time at Miyagi-Do and not enough time at work so this is his compromise."

"Well, I don't think it's working." With a look toward the LaRusso's, it was obvious that Amanda was anything but pleased with this plan. With a shake of her head, she stormed away from a very confused Daniel.

A moment later, Daniel walked over to them with a look of defeat. "Alright, guys. Pack it up. We're done for today but I'll see all of you at the dojo tomorrow morning."

While the karate lesson hadn't worked out exactly like Daniel had hoped, the cars were gleaming as the sun poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Perhaps there was a method to the madness after all.

Having retrieved her bag from the break room, Harper made her way to the front of the dealership where her friends waited for her. But before she could make it halfway across the room, someone called out her name. She knew who it belonged to without having to look because that voice was permanently ingrained in her mind.

Against her better judgment, she stopped and turned to face Ryan. Just seeing him sent a chill through her while every unpleasant memory she'd tried to bury came rushing to the top.

"I thought that was you," Ryan said as he stopped a few feet from her, his smile lit up as if he hadn't admitted to abandoning her just a month prior.

Harper stayed rooted to the spot while it felt like her lips were sewn shut. Her head buzzed with a thousand screaming thoughts but she could barely utter a sound.

"I'm actually really glad that I ran into you," he continued, oblivious to the panic that consumed her. "I was hoping that we could talk. It doesn't have to be now but maybe we could meet up sometime? It's just that you're not returning any of my calls so I-"

"Maybe it's because she doesn't want to talk to you." Robby appeared by her side, stepping in front of her to separate her from Ryan. Arms crossed over his chest, he regarded her dad with distrust. Dislike.

Ryan's smile faltered for a moment as he looked toward Robby. "Look, kid, I'm just trying to have a conversation with my daughter."

"But I'm not your daughter. You kind of gave up that right, remember?" Harper said, embarrassed by how her voice shook.

A heavy sigh escaped Ryan's lips, her words knocking a bit of reality into his worldview. "Yeah, I-I know. But that doesn't mean I can't worry about you."

"No, that's exactly what it means. And I don't need you worrying about me. I'm fine," Harper said before adding, "My foster parents are adopting me."

Ryan's eyebrows shot up at the news but he quickly recovered from the shock with a wide smile. "Th-that's great! I'm happy for you. I really think it's great they're doing that."

Harper nodded once. "Well, I just want you to know that I don't need you. And that I'm not expecting anything from you, not that I ever was."

"Harper-"

"But I am sorry for what I did to your car. I'll pay you back for the restitution, I promise."

Ryan tilted his head to the side. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, you kinda do. Look, I know you dropped the charges, and I know you paid the restitution off. No one else I know has that kind of money."

Ryan nodded sheepishly before shrugging. "Okay, yeah. I did pay it but I didn't want you to spend your life in juvie for a stupid mistake. I felt responsible for what happened. But you don't need to pay me back. I did it to help you."

"I don't need your money. I honestly don't need anything from you so please stop calling me. Just leave me alone, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, she backtracked her way out of the dealership with Robby following behind her.

Her surprise encounter with Ryan took all of her energy. It threw her off but she was proud that she managed to stand up to him. To speak her mind. But it didn't mean that seeing him again didn't hurt because it had. He still had an impact on her and she hated it.

Once they were several feet from the dealership, Robby tugged on her arm to get her to stop. "Harper, wait up! Are you okay? That was pretty intense."

Harper blew out a breath, forcing a smile onto her face. "No, but I will be. I just - I wasn't expecting to see him again, you know? To talk to him or say all those things to him."

"I think you did a pretty good job dealing with him. Hopefully, he'll leave you alone now."

"I hope so." But whether that was something she really wanted, she didn't know. At the end of the day, he was still her dad. The person she'd desperately sought out only to get disappointed by.

A silence filled the space between them with Harper having no desire to continue talking about her dad.

"So," he started, his smile growing as he looked at her. "You're actually getting adopted, huh?"

A smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, I am," she replied.

"When did that happen?" Robby asked.

"A couple nights ago. They asked me what I thought of the idea and I…"

"You said no. That it was a terrible idea and you'd rather rot in horrible foster homes," Robby joked and nudged her with his shoulder.

"You know me so well. Family's overrated, right?" Harper asked, thinking back to their first real conversation at the beach club. It had only been a couple months ago but it felt like a lifetime had passed since then.

He laughed at her sarcastic reply. "Congrats. Seriously, I'm happy for you.

"Thanks, Robby. I didn't think it would ever happen but, despite all of my screwups, they still want me."

"So we're stuck with you?" Robby asked.

"Unfortunately, yeah."