A week of rumors.
A week of relentless whispering and judgmental stares.
Harper thought she could handle it, brush it aside, and pretend that she was unaffected by it all but her stoic mask was slowly slipping. Even though she'd prepared herself for the rumors growing, it was so much worse than she could've imagined. Every conversation seemed to stop when she walked by, every laugh felt like it was at her expense. The knot in her stomach tightened, her heartbeat racing every time she caught a glance thrown her way.
It was suffocating.
And she couldn't escape it.
Kyler's rumors had started it all. She'd turned him down, embarrassed him in front of the whole school, and that sparked his revenge. He'd told everyone that he and Harper spent the weekend together, and that was all it took. It didn't matter that it was a lie spun to hide his bruised ego. He was the rich, popular jock — everyone believed him. All it took from Kyler was a few well-placed comments, a smirk when people asked if it was true. The rumors grew on their own, twisting until it was a monster of its own.
She was just Harper, the foster kid with a complicated past. Her reputation, already fragile, was easy to tear down. It didn't matter that none of it was true.
Kyler didn't need proof, just words. And people believed him.
But then came Jake.
Jake, with his smooth charm, easy smile and friendly demeanor. He'd been different. At least, she'd thought so.
Jake was different.
Dangerous.
What started off as a friendly conversation had quickly spiraled into something much darker before she even realized what was happening. He was so good at it, too — the way he'd smiled at her, joked around and offered to help her with homework like he was just being nice. It seemed harmless and even genuine. For a moment, she let herself believe that not everyone was as cruel as Kyler. That not everyone was out to get her. She'd let her guard down.
That was her mistake.
When Jake cornered her against the lockers, his whole demeanor changed. His words became colder, sharper, and his touches more invasive as if she was something he had a right to. It was all a cruel game to him. A way to give life to Kyler's rumors that Harper was nothing but easy. She'd tried to stop him, but the damage was already done. Students had seen them together. Jake cornered her long enough to let the story spread, to make it look real. And from the outside, it probably looked exactly what he wanted it to look like — her willingly playing into the role Kyler had crafted for her. Now people had the "proof" that Kyler's words lacked.
Harper prided herself on not letting what people thought and said affect her. People always talked. They always had opinions on her life. She was a foster kid after all. But this…. This wasn't just the usual gossip and whispers about "the foster kid". This was another level of cruelty. It wasn't just the whispers anymore. It was the way students sneered at her, their gazes lingering just a second too long as if they were confirming the rumors themselves. Even the teachers seemed to notice the tension, but none of them asked. None of them intervened. They never did.
All she could do was keep her head down. Try to ignore everything as best she could even though she caught snippets of conversations everywhere she went. Words laced with venom, the rumors thick like smoke.
Slut.
Easy.
She was with Kyler, right?
Jake, too.
Each word was like a weight pressing down on her chest, making it harder to breathe. Harper tried to tune everything out but the rumors weaved themselves into her skin, sinking deeper and becoming impossible to shake off. Her fingers gripped the strap of her bag, her knuckles turning white as she took a deep breath, forcing herself to move forward.
Keep walking. Don't react. Don't let them see how much it hurts.
But it did hurt.
The worst part wasn't just the lies — it was the fact that some small part of her blamed herself. She should've known better than to let her guard down with Jake. Her entire life, she'd been so careful about who she trusted. And the one time that it mattered to keep the walls up, she'd stupidly let them down. She'd allowed Jake in despite the rumors circulating about her, because he seemed sincere, genuine even, with a casualness that made her feel safe. But in the end, that trust had been her mistake — and now she was paying for it.
Just as Harper rounded the corner, a hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around. Her breath hitched as she turned, eyes locking on some guy she barely knew. But she recognized that smug grin, the predatory gleam in his eyes that rooted her in place. She tried to pull free from his grasp but he held on tight, and her heartbeat sped up.
"Hey, Harper. I heard you've been busy with Kyler and Jake," he said casually, his voice dripping in amusement. But all she could focus on was his hand as it traveled down her arm. "Wanted to see if I could get in on some of the action."
Harper's stomach flipped, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to let her discomfort show. "Back off," she snapped, jerking her arm free from his grasp.
But that only seemed to amuse him more.
His grin widened as his eyes skimmed over her body, lingering in a way that made her skin crawl. The hallway suddenly felt too small, too crowded. "Come on, you don't have to be shy. I mean, everyone's already talking, right? Might as well live up to the rumors."
Her chest tightened, anger bubbling beneath the surface, but she swallowed it down. "Leave me alone," she said, forcing her voice to be steady. But she could feel the world tilting around her, her vision blurring as she turned around and walked away.
He didn't follow her but she could hear him laughing in the background. She could feel the stares of a dozen eyes on her as she felt her control slipping. But she refused to lose her grip on it, refused to show that any of this was getting to her because doing so meant that she lost. It meant that Kyler and Jake succeeded.
Keep it together, Harper told herself as she ran a shaky hand through her hair, desperately trying to ground herself as she moved down the hallway that buzzed with conversations that she couldn't focus on. Her mind spun, replaying that smirk and the way he had gripped her arm like she didn't have the right to shake him off. She needed to find a place where she could catch her breath — where she wasn't suffocating under the weight of everyone's judgment.
But her legs felt like lead, and no matter how much she tried to steady her breathing, it wasn't working.
"Harper!"
The sound of her name snapped her out of her haze. She blinked, turning toward the voice to find Sam walking her way. "Hey, I've been looking for you," Sam said, her brow furrowed in concern.
Harper swallowed, her throat dry but she forced a smile onto her face. "What's up?" She asked, her voice shakier than she wanted it to be. But she associated her nervousness with Sam talking to her after over a month of silence. A rush of emotions she couldn't quite pinpoint hit her at once. Was it relief? Anxiety? Maybe both.
"I just wanted to check in," Sam said slowly, shifting from one foot to the other. "I mean, I know we kinda haven't talked in a while but… I heard the rumors and—"
"Oh, yeah, no, I'm fine," Harper interrupted, brushing her concern aside but she could see that Sam didn't believe her. Adjusting the strap of her bag, she tilted her head. "Seriously, Sam. It's… fine. People talk but it's nothing I can't handle. I've been through worse."
So why was she feeling like the world was tilting? Spiraling out of control.
Harper told herself she was just overwhelmed. That she had too much going on with too much piling up at once and she was drowning in it. Because the idea that the rumors were getting to her was ridiculous given how much she'd been through in the last ten years of her life.
Sam bit her lip, not looking convinced but trying to be gentle. "I get that, but I've been there, too, you know. Kyler spread the same kind of rumors about me last year. So I know what it's like," she told her but paused, debating on how much she should say on the topic. She shifted her weight nervously, glancing down the hallway before focusing back on Harper. "Anyway, I was kinda hoping we could talk. Like really talk. I know it's been a while, and that's my fault. I was just mad but I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. I'm sorry."
The apology threw Harper off guard. For a second, she just stared at Sam as her mind tried to catch up with the apology. It was unexpected, and she had no idea how to react. The usual instinct to shrug it off and say "it's fine" was there but she forced it down. Because it wasn't fine. The way Sam reacted to finding out about her and Hawk was understandable but to shut her out like that was painful, even weeks later. It wasn't to say that she didn't miss Sam because she did, but the thought of letting her guard down, even for someone she'd once been friends with, was difficult. She was in too fragile of a state to trust someone again with the possibility of getting hurt.
"I… I don't know. I mean, I want to, but…."
Noticing Harper's hesitancy, Sam frowned. "I just want us to talk, Harper. That's all."
"Okay, but talk about what, Sam?" Harper asked, a wave of frustration washing over her. "About how I went behind your back? How I hung out with the one person you can't stand? Because I know I screwed up, okay? I shouldn't have kept it a secret. I shouldn't have lied to you, I just –"
"But you did," Sam interrupted. "And I was really blindsided when I found out you'd been keeping this big secret from us for weeks. It felt like even after all we've been through, you didn't trust us at all."
"That's not true. I was just… I was scared to tell you! I thought you'd hate me if you found out," Harper admitted. "And you did, and I get why but you didn't even let me explain."
"Can you blame me?" Sam asked. "I mean, after everything Cobra Kai put us through this summer, it felt like a betrayal. You were hanging out with Hawk, of all people! He's made our lives miserable, Harper, and it felt like you were okay with that."
"I wasn't okay with it, and you know that. I hated what Cobra Kai did to us and how he treated you guys –"
"But you hung out with him either way," Same pointed out bitterly.
"Because he wasn't this monster when we were hanging out. He was there for me, and I saw a different side to him. I mean, it's not like I planned for this to happen. I didn't expect to like him. Not after how he treated you guys but… I don't know, Sam. I was confused, and I was trying to figure out how to tell you but then everything got so complicated. I didn't want to lose you as a friend. But when I tried to explain, you just shut me out."
"I shouldn't have done that," Sam admitted with a sigh. "But we'd just had this huge fight at school with Cobra Kai, Miguel got hurt and then Robby disappeared and…. It was just a lot of stuff going wrong all at once and then to find out you chose him over us hurt. A lot."
Harper let out a frustrated sigh. "I didn't choose him over you! You guys were my best friends and you just… wrote me off. I get why you were mad but I didn't do this to hurt you," she said, wishing there was some way for her to make things right. To somehow undo everything but there wasn't. And she'd been living with the consequences of her actions ever since her friends found out. "It wasn't exactly easy for me, either, you know. I needed my friends but I couldn't talk to you, Demetri, or anyone else because you guys hated me."
"We didn't hate you. It wasn't like that," Sam said, her expression softening just a little. "I was hurt, and I didn't know how to handle it so –"
"You just pushed me away," Harper finished for her, hating the vulnerability in her voice. "But Hawk… he was there. Even after I ended things, he kept showing up for me. And he was the only one I could talk to when everything started falling apart in my life. I know it's not what you want to hear but it's the truth."
Sam's expression faltered as she shifted on her feet, clearly uncomfortable. "I didn't know that," she admitted quietly. "I had no idea what you were going through. I didn't realize how bad things were for you."
"Yeah, well… now you know," she said, her words harder than she intended for them to be. "I had nobody left, Sam. My adoption was falling through because my dad suddenly wanted to be in my life, and… you and Demetri were all I had, and then suddenly, I didn't even have that. Hawk was the only one who stuck around."
Sam opened her mouth to respond but closed it, struggling for words. "I'm sorry. For everything. I should've been there for you."
Harper nodded. "I really wasn't trying to betray you, Sam. I just… I screwed up, and I'm sorry for everything."
"I'm sorry, too," Sam said, her voice softening. "I just… I don't want us to keep going like this, you know? I want to go back to how we were. We were best friends, and I really miss us not talking."
"I miss us, too. But it's gonna take some time."
"Yeah, but I'm willing to work on it if you are.
Harper didn't respond right away, her mind racing with everything they'd been through. It wouldn't be easy as they had a lot to work through, but maybe this was a step forward. "Yeah, I'd like that."
A smile lit up Sam's face, and for a moment, Harper felt the weight on her chest lighten just a little. For the first time in a week, she felt a sense of normalcy. Sam was by her side and, even though they still had to work through their issues, it was a step in the right direction.
But the relief was fleeting.
They turned the corner and the hallway was buzzing with a dozen conversations as students hurried to class or stood by in large groups that made it difficult to pass by. It made her pulse quicken and the crowded space made it harder for her to breathe. Sam's presence was somewhat reassuring but the voices around her were too loud and too sharp, like they were directed at her even though they weren't.
Harper barely listened as Sam talked beside her. The pressure was building inside her, and it took everything in her to keep it from exploding. Her grip tightened on her bag as she tried to fight off the memories swirling in her mind, too disjointed that they made no sense whatsoever – the smell of cologne, a bruising pressure on her waist, the feel of cold lockers pressing against her back. She had no idea what it all meant or why she was suddenly being harassed by these memories.
None of it made any sense or why she was suddenly feeling like this.
It wasn't panic. It couldn't be. It had to be something else. There had to be a logical answer on why her pulse sped up with every step she took.
But before she could process the reasoning behind this crushing feeling, the sound of familiar voices reached her ears and pulled her out of the sinking feeling. A small smile pulled at the corners of her lips when she spotted Demetri and Hunter walking towards them. It was familiar. It was safe.
And just for a moment, the panic subsided.
"Never thought I'd see you two talking again!" Hunter said, his smile wide as he stopped before them. Despite his jokester nature, there was a calmness that came from Miyagi-Do training. He'd joined the dojo during the summer and was always the first to crack a joke when things got too tense.
Demetri nodded slowly, his eyes widening as he looked from Harper to Sam. "It's about time. I mean, we were about to start taking bets on how long the silent treatment was going to last," he said, grinning as he nudged Harper.
Harper laughed but it sounded strange. Forced. The warmth she usually felt around Demetri and Hunter seemed distant, like it was struggling to push through the heavy fog in her mind. Still, seeing them joking around like nothing was wrong brought a sense of comfort to her.
"Yeah, well, we're working on it," she said softly, loosening her grip on her bag and hoping no one had noticed how tightly she'd been gripping it.
Hunter nodded and slung an arm around her shoulders, his usual goofy grin on full display. "Good. Because things were getting really awkward. We were about to stage an intervention or something."
She managed a smile, though her chest tightened under the weight of his arm.
"Cause that would've helped," Sam said with a laugh.
"It might've!" Hunter said before looking at Harper and saying, "It totally would've."
Harper smiled and the conversation carried on with ease. The usual banter was exchanged between them with Demetri adding his dry humor into the mix. Everything felt so very normal at that moment. So right. Harper kept pace with them, laughing at the right moments and adding comments where needed. But inside, the feeling that she was teetering on the edge kept its claws in her. Her heart wouldn't slow down, and it was getting harder to ignore the creeping feeling of unease tightening in her chest.
The more she tried to push it down, the harder it made itself known.
They turned the corner, and her breath hitched when she caught sight of Kyler laughing with his friends. His trademark grin slipped into place when he noticed her, and Harper could already tell that something was coming. The confidence in his stance, the way his gaze flicked between her and her friends made her pulse quicken. The familiar dread she'd been feeling all week crept right back in.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite little heartbreaker," Kyler said, loud enough for his voice to carry down the hall. "I gotta admit, I'm kinda jealous about how fast you moved on from me to Jake."
"Jealous?" Harper shot back, her voice surprisingly steady for the storm raging inside her. "I think you're just embarrassed that I turned you down."
Kyler's smirk faltered for the briefest moment before it came back, wider and more malicious than ever. He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice just a notch. "Turned me down? Funny, that's not how I remember it, Harper. You were all over me that weekend, begging me to—"
"That's not what happened and you know it," Harper snapped. But even as she said it, she could feel the weight of the onlookers around them, all buying into his version of the story.
Kyler grinned, shrugging as his eyes glinted with cruel satisfaction. "Sure, Harper. But if you ever wanna relive that weekend, my doors open. I'm always down to share."
Harper clenched her fists at her side, her blood boiling. She wanted to scream at him, but she knew he wanted that. He wanted her to snap, to give him another story to spread. But she wasn't going to, even if everything in her told her to fight back.
"Back off, Kyler," Hunter said, his voice cutting through the noise. His usual grin was gone, replaced by a steely glare. "Don't you have something better to do than spread lies?"
Kyler's eyes narrowed as he looked from Harper to Hunter. "Oh, I see what's going on. This is your new boy toy for the week, huh? You really do move on fast, don't you? But if he's not enough for you, you know where to find me."
Hunter took a step closer, anger flashing across his face but Harper quickly grabbed his arm before things could escalate.
"Go to hell, Kyler," Sam said, her voice sharp as she glared at him.
"What's the matter, Sam? Jealous we broke up?" Kyler asked with a grin.
Sam rolled her eyes. "You wish," she muttered. "You've got nothing better to do than spread lies about her? It's honestly kinda sad and pathetic."
Kyler took a step back, holding up his hands as if in mock surrender but a humorless laugh escaped his lips. "Whatever you say, Sam. But just so you know, neither of you are fooling anyone."
Harper's pulse quickened, feeling the weight of whispers as they buzzed around her. Every word, every stare made her skin crawl.
Kyler chuckled softly to himself, casting one last look her way before walking away. His friends followed close behind him, laughing like it was all one big joke.
Hunter's jaw was clenched, his muscles tense under her arm. "I could've knocked him out."
"I know," Harper said quietly. "But he's not worth it."
Sam glared at Kyler's retreating figure before turning back to her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." The words slipped out faster than she intended them to, unsure of who she was trying to convince — herself or her friends.
"You don't have to pretend you're okay, you know," Sam said softly as she studied Harper's face with concern.
The anxiety was simmering just beneath the surface, and her throat was tight but Harper forced a smile. "I'm not pretending. I'm fine," she repeated, more for herself than anyone else as she navigated the busy hallway with her friends by her side.
Hunter's tension lingered, his jaw still clenched as if he hadn't let go of the idea of punching Kyler. "I hate him. He's a complete ass. I don't know why anyone believes a word he says."
"Because people love a good story. They don't exactly care if it's true or not," Harper said.
"But still. Everyone knows Kyler's full of shit," Demetri said as he nudged her with a smile. "You know we don't believe him."
"Yeah, thanks," Harper said, happy that despite everything, she had her friends by her side. It was all that mattered. People would talk, but it didn't matter. Or at least, that's what she told herself as her fingers tightly curled around the strap of her bag.
But then, as they rounded the corner, something made her stomach drop.
Jake.
He stood further down the hall, his back to her as he casually leaned against the lockers talking to some girl. His arm was stretched out, pinning the girl against the lockers in the same way he'd cornered her not too long ago. Harper's breath hitched, and suddenly it felt like the hallway was shrinking, the air becoming too thick to breathe.
Harper was rooted to the spot, her chest tightening without her knowing why. Everything around her seemed to slow down as she continued to stand there, watching the scene unfold before her. His hand gripping her waist too tightly, the cold glint in his eyes as he leaned in with a sharp remark, forcing her back against the lockers until there wasn't an inch of space between them.
But when she blinked, the hallway snapped back to reality, and it was just the girl — laughing, relaxing, like she wanted to be there. Harper could shake the image, though. Her chest tightened more, her breath catching in her throat as if someone pressed pause on the world. It was impossible to take a deep breath.
Her mind swirled as the hallway tilted around her. The memories pushed their way to the front, the unsettling feeling of being trapped crushing her. Every part of her screamed to get away, but her legs wouldn't move. She was frozen, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure it would burst.
Why couldn't she breathe?
Then, the girl glanced over at her, her expression shifting to something smug, almost amused as she raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Harper?" She asked, her voice sweet and sharp. "Jealous?"
Before she could say anything, Jake turned and his gaze settled on Harper like he'd been expecting this. His eyes met hers, and the coldness in them was like a punch to the gut. The casual smirk on his face slipped into something darker, more calculated. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to because that look alone was enough. It sent a message — that he still had control, making her feel powerless with just a glance.
Harper's hands shook, but she curled them into fists by her side. She couldn't let him see how much he still got to her. All he did was spread more lies, so why was she feeling like this? Like she couldn't breathe. Harper's vision blurred as her mind raced with flashes of that day — Jake's hand gripping her wrist too tightly, the mocking voice cutting through her defenses. The weight of it all came crashing down around her but she couldn't figure it out. Couldn't figure out why it was happening now. Why was her mind taking her back to that day when nothing even happened.
It was nothing.
Just a cruel game to fuel Kyler's rumors.
She blinked rapidly, but the edges of the hallway blurred as panic clawed its way up her throat. She was aware of Jake's gaze on her, of the knowing smile that crossed his face. Her hands tightened further, her nails digging into her skin as she fought for control. But it was slipping from her, and she was too slow to catch it.
Everything around her tilted, the voices blending into one overwhelming sound. She couldn't see straight, couldn't breathe, couldn't think beyond the terrifying thought that she was losing control. Closing her eyes, Harper tried to reign in the panic as best she could and took a deep breath that barely filled her lungs. She refused to break down. Not now. Not when Jake was watching her with that cold, calculating look.
Harper forced herself to take a step, carefully placing one foot in front of the other as she continued down the hallway. Her friends walked beside her but the only thing she was aware of was Jake's eyes on her. Only a few steps remained before she would lose him in the crowd and the thought alone made her quicken her steps. All she needed was to get away from him and she would be fine. But as she turned into a different hallway, the panic didn't ebb like she hoped it would. Her heart was still loud in her ears, racing as if her life depended on it. She leaned against the lockers, telling herself that she just needed a minute to calm down but that minute stretched on endlessly. And the world was still tilting around her.
"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, his voice distant even though he stood beside her.
Harper managed to nod, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, I'm just… I don't really feel good."
"Maybe you should sit down," Demetri suggested with a frown.
"No, I'm okay. It's probably something I ate," Harper said, even though she struggled to breathe. "I'll be okay. I think I just… I need to get out of here."
Without waiting for them to reply, she stumbled down the hallway past the looks and whispers. The walls were closing in around her, and the overwhelming sense of panic was crushing as it enveloped her in an unwanted hug. It took everything in her not to burst into tears right then and there. The frustration from feeling as if she was falling apart surged to the forefront but she had no idea why she was feeling like this.
With each step, flashes of memories assaulted her mind but she couldn't make any sense of them. They were disjointed, misplaced and it terrified her. She felt trapped in a cycle of confusion and fear, desperately searching for a way to escape the chaos.
Finally, she reached the exit and rushed outside, gasping for fresh air. The moment she stepped into the sunlight, a wave of relief washed over her, but it was quickly followed by the weight of the panic still hanging in the air. She leaned against the cool metal railing, drawing in shaky breaths but the air was still too thick. Her lungs didn't work properly and the world around her began to blur.
She sank onto the steps, squeezing her eyes shut to block out the memories flooding her mind – every mocking word, every feeling of being cornered. Caught in a whirlwind of emotions, she felt like she was spiraling and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Harper!" Sam's voice broke through the fog, but it felt distant and muffled.
Talking was the last thing Harper wanted. She didn't want to be seen like this, didn't want to let her friends in on the chaos that was consuming her. "Everything's fine," she muttered, though she knew it was a lie. Nothing about this felt fine. Her throat felt tight, the world tilting around her as her breathing became even more erratic.
Hunter stepped closer, his brow furrowed in concern. "You're not fine. Just take a second to breathe. You know we're here for you."
"I'm gonna get help," Demetri said, his footsteps retreating back toward the building.
The last thing Harper wanted was more people crowding her, but she didn't have the energy to protest when it took everything in her to try to breathe. She felt her friends hovering beside her, their concerned voices reaching her ears but not making any sense to her. Their voices overlapped as they tried to figure out what to do, and their concern was palpable but it only overwhelmed her. It was all too much – too many voices, too many touches. She pressed her palms to her face, willing the chaos to stop.
Sam sat down beside her and placed her hand on her back. It was supposed to be soothing but the contact only made Harper flinch. "You'll be okay. Demetri went to get help, and he'll be back in a minute."
"No, I can't –" Harper started, but it was a struggle to get the words out. "I don't know what's going on. I don't feel good."
"You'll be okay. Just try to breathe," Sam urged gently, but her voice felt too loud, the weight of it pressing down on Harper's already fragile state. The warmth of her hand rested on Harper's back, but the weight only heightened her anxiety.
They were trying to help in the best way they knew how, but Harper wanted to scream for them to stop, to leave her alone. She spiraled further into the depths of her panic, her chest tightening with every breath she tried to take. It felt like she was drowning, and the surface was just out of reach.
The minutes stretched on endlessly as she fought for some semblance of control. The distant sounds of students walking by only heightened her panic. It was bad enough that her friends were witnessing this, let alone other students who would turn this into another bout of gossip about her.
Suddenly, she heard Demetri returning, but he wasn't alone. "How's she doing?" He asked, his eyes widening as he noticed Harper's distressed state. "Shit. She's really bad. But I got help, though."
Sam turned to him, standing up as a flash of anger and surprise crossed her face. "You call that help? What were you thinking? I thought you were going to get a teacher or a nurse, not him," she said, her voice dripping with disdain.
Harper barely registered what Sam was saying, her mind too fogged by the panic. The world felt distant, the voices were too muffled for her to hear anything, but she knew something was about to escalate. She could feel the tension that suddenly hung in the air. She clutched the railing beside her, trying to ground herself, but it wasn't working. Nothing was working. Her breathing was shallow, her heart racing uncontrollably as the panic tightened its grip on her chest.
"He can help, Sam," Demetri said, hesitant but standing his ground. "Trust me."
"Right. Help," Sam snorted, crossing her arms. She stepped forward, her body tense as she readied herself to block Hawk from getting too close. "Of all people, you thought he was the right choice?"
Hawk rolled his eyes, stepping forward. "Relax, LaRusso. I'm here to help, not start a fight."
"Help? You really think Harper needs you right now?" Sam asked, incredulous as she blocked his path. "She doesn't need more Cobra Kai bullshit."
His expression hardened, but he didn't back down. "Get out of the way, Sam."
"You're the last person she needs, Hawk," Sam shot back, stepping in front of him. "You really think just because you've spent some time with her, you know what she needs?"
"I'm not the one who ditched her when things got hard," Hawk snapped, his voice cutting through the air with an edge that even Harper felt. "I've been there for her when you weren't so get out of my way and let me help her."
Sam's jaw tightened as she stood her ground. When she glanced at Harper's fragile state, her anger wavered. For a moment, it looked like she might step back, but her frustration flared back up. "No. You'll just make it worse like you always do. She doesn't need you messing things up, not when she's feeling sick."
"She's having a panic attack. You really want to stand here arguing, or do you want her to get through this?" Hawk asked, his voice quieter now.
"We should let him try," Hunter said.
"Worst case, we get someone else but, I don't know, I think he can help her. She trusts him," Demetri said with a half-shrug, averting Sam's eyes.
"Fine," Sam said after a moment. "But I swear, if you make this worse —"
"I won't," Hawk said, brushing past Sam before she could say more.
Harper was vaguely aware of him as he moved closer, the world feeling as if it was closing in on her. The panic gripped her chest like a vice, her mind too muddled to comprehend what was happening around her. She couldn't focus on anything except the overwhelming fear that clung to her, but Hawk's presence – somehow – cut through the fog. Her eyes were squeezed tight as she tried to block out the world around her but she felt him crouch down beside her.
"Hey, foster," he said, his voice soft but steady as it cut through the haze. "You're really going for the dramatics today, huh?"
It was such a typical Hawk comment – one that usually made her roll her eyes, but today it was different. The biting humor, usually so sharp, now felt like a lifeline. The sarcasm, and the teasing tone were exactly what she needed amid all the chaos. It was an anchor to pull her back from the edge of the panic that had swallowed her whole. But no matter how much she wanted to respond and throw some sarcastic jab back at him, she couldn't. Her throat felt tight, her breath shallow. The panic had too tight of a grip on her, holding her words hostage.
From behind them, Sam huffed in annoyance. "Is that seriously your idea of help?"
Even in her panic, Harper felt the tension between them. Sam wasn't just irritated — she was furious. And Harper knew why. Sam didn't trust him, and she couldn't blame her for feeling that way. After everything that had gone down between them, the things Cobra Kai had done over the last few months, it wasn't something that Sam was able to forgive and forget. Sam saw the sarcasm and the banter as evidence that Hawk wasn't taking this seriously, that he didn't know how to help. And maybe he didn't, but Harper didn't care. There was something about him being there that steadied her amid her panic.
Hawk ignored the comment, instead focusing entirely on Harper. "You're gonna get through this but you need to open your eyes, okay?"
Harper shook her head, keeping her eyes closed because the thought of seeing the world moving on around her while hers was falling apart only intensified the panic. She wanted everything and everyone to disappear. Just for a little bit. Just so she could get past whatever was happening to her.
"Come on, foster. I told them I can help you, and you're kinda making me look bad," he said quietly, a hint of humor in his voice before he lowered his voice. "I'm need to look at me. You can do this."
Harper shook her head again, more forcefully this time. The idea of seeing her friends standing around, of facing the embarrassment of being this vulnerable – it made her stomach twist with knots. "I… I can't," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Yeah, you can," he insisted, his voice firm but not unkind. He wasn't giving her an option, and somehow that steadied her even more. He wasn't tiptoeing around her panic like her friends had; he was pushing her, the same way he always did. But Harper was still lost in the panic, and he sighed before placing his hand on her arm. Her breath hitched at the contact, and she flinched but didn't pull away like she had with the others. "You've gotta trust me. You're not alone in this, okay? I'm right here."
For the first time since the panic started, Harper let herself believe him. The tightness in her chest loosened just enough to make her breathing a little less ragged. Maybe it was his words or the steady way he held onto her arm, but the storm inside her was starting to slow, if only by a fraction.
"Open your eyes," Hawk urged again.
Slowly, Harper opened her eyes and blinked against the harshness of the world that had been too overwhelming just moments before. Her vision was blurry at first, but when it cleared, the first thing she saw was him. His gaze was locked on hers with an intensity that made everything else fade away. It was like he was daring her to break through the panic.
"There you go," Hawk said with a small smile. "See? You're doing great."
Her heart was still pounding, but his presence was pulling her back. For a brief second, she felt like maybe – just maybe – she could handle this. But then her eyes drifted past him, to where her friends stood watching her with concern etched all over their faces. It was all too much. The wave of embarrassment hit her like a punch to the gut. They had seen everything. They watched as she unraveled, helpless and exposed. Once again, the word suddenly felt too big, too full of people and judgment.
"I can't do this," she whispered as she shook her head, her voice cracking as the panic threatened to take over again. "They're all watching me."
Hawk glanced back at her friends briefly to where they were crowding around them and his jaw tightened before he moved closer, blocking her view of them entirely. His presence created a small barrier, a space that felt safer and less overwhelming. "Forget about them. Focus on me, okay? It's just you and me."
When she wouldn't meet his eyes, he moved in even closer and the space between them narrowed. He placed his hand against her face, his fingers barely brushing her cheek as he forced her to look at him.
His touch was gentle, yet firm — an undeniable force that pulled her back from the edge. She blinked, her vision clearing as she locked onto his gaze. For a moment, the chaos around them disappeared.
Though the tightness in her chest loosened slightly, her breath was still shaky. Her lungs refused to cooperate even when she tried to focus on taking deep, steady breaths. But her lungs only filled up about halfway, leaving her desperate for air. "I-I don't know what's happening," she admitted. "I can't calm down."
"I know, but you'll get through this. You've been through so much worse. So this? This is nothing. You're gonna be okay," Hawk said softly.
"You promise?" Harper asked, hating how vulnerable she sounded. How she sounded so small, like all of her walls had crumbled around her. The girl who never asked for help, who stayed strong through every bad moment of her life, was now relying on someone else to keep her steady.
Hawk's expression softened, his usual bravado fading into something gentler. "Yeah, I promise. I'm not going anywhere."
The certainty in his voice was like an anchor, keeping her grounded amid the panic. Her lungs were still stubborn, refusing to fill all the way, but each breath brought her closer to the surface. She clawed her way through the panic, focusing on his words rather than the storm raging inside her.
It wasn't over yet but slowly, but the world around her began to quiet and come back into focus. The loud noise in her head started to fade, and though each breath was still shallow, it was no longer impossible. Her breath eventually evened out as the fear inside of her finally started to lose its grip.
"See? I told you you'd get through this," Hawk said after a moment.
Harper could still feel the tightness in her chest, the remnants of panic and fear clinging to her, but it was no longer suffocating.
"Thanks," she said quietly but didn't look up, too embarrassed to face everyone now that the worst had passed. She hated this. Hated feeling so exposed, so out of control in front of him, in front of her friends. It wasn't like her. She wiped at her eyes, frustrated by the tears that blurred her vision.
"I'm gonna go talk to your friends for a sec, okay?" Hawk said. "I'll be right back."
Harper managed a small nod, not trusting herself to speak just yet.
He lingered for a moment longer before he turned and walked over to where Sam, Demetri, and Hunter stood in a huddle, their concerned faces mirroring the tension that settled between them.
"Is she okay?" Sam asked, her voice soft but guarded. Her arms were crossed defensively as she looked toward Hawk, still not trusting his presence.
"She's fine," he said.
"Why was she panicking? It's not like her to freak out like that," Sam said.
Hawk's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. "I don't know, LaRusso. What did you say to her? She was fine until you guys started talking again."
Sam's eyes widened in shock. "What? No! I didn't do anything. I mean, we had a little argument before, but it was fine. We worked things out, and everything seemed okay."
"Right," Hawk said, his voice sharper now. "Funny how she didn't freak out until you two started talking again."
Sam shook her head, clearly frustrated. "I didn't say anything to make her panic! Don't turn this around on me. I was just trying to make things right with her. This isn't about what I said."
"Harper was fine after they talked. Really," Hunter cut in before Hawk could speak. "Sam didn't do anything. Harper seemed fine until we ran into Kyler. He said some shit and then she started acting different."
"Yeah," Demetri added, shifting nervously on his feet as if scared to speak up. "We knew Kyler got to her but she didn't really lose it until we walked by Jake. He didn't say anything to her but, I don't know. He spread some rumors about her, too, right? Maybe she just got overwhelmed by everything."
At the mention of Jake, Hawk's expression darkened. His jaw clenched, and his eyes flickered with something sharp and dangerous. He glanced over at Harper and took a deep breath, his voice calmer when he spoke again. "Alright, look, I'll stay with her. You guys just go to class or whatever.. She doesn't need a crowd around her right now."
Sam hesitated, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Demetri and Hunter. She clearly didn't like the idea of leaving Harper alone with him, even if she could see that Harper trusted him the most right now. "Are you sure?" She asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.
"Yeah, I've got her."
Sighing, Sam nodded but her expression was a mix of reluctance and unease. "Thanks… I guess," she muttered grudgingly.
Hawk gave her a slight smirk. "Don't strain yourself, LaRusso."
Sam rolled her eyes, the irritation clear on her face, but she didn't argue. She just cast a wary glance over at Harper and turned back to Demetri and Hunter. "Come on. Let's give them some space."
Demetri and Hunter exchanged quick looks, clearly relieved that things hadn't escalated. "If you need anything, just text," Demetri offered. "I'm sure she'll be okay, but…"
Hawk didn't respond immediately, just gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I'll let you know."
Harper sat there, having heard bits of their conversation, but she couldn't bring herself to care about what was said. She just sat there, her knees drawn up slightly as if she was trying to make herself smaller. Her mind was still racing from everything that had just happened, the embarrassment of breaking down again. Only this time, it had been worse because her friends had seen her.
Hawk finally made his way back over to her, sitting down beside her without saying anything right away. He didn't have to. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable; it never was. She appreciated that he didn't push, didn't force her to talk. He just… sat there.
It wasn't until he nudged her that she realized she'd been staring blankly ahead for too long. "You still alive, foster?"
"Barely. But, yeah."
"Just checking," he said. "Thought you might've passed out from all the dramatics."
"Very funny." Harper rolled her eyes, but this time, she felt a little more like herself. "I don't know why this keeps happening. After last week's breakdown, I thought that was it, you know? I thought it was getting better but I feel like I'm losing control."
"This wasn't just a breakdown."
She looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"It was a panic attack," he said.
"No, it wasn't," Harper said, her words hurried and defensive, as if saying them fast enough would make them true. "I don't get panic attacks."
Hawk raised an eyebrow. "You don't get panic attacks, huh?" His voice had that familiar edge of sarcasm, the one he always used to call her out. "Right. So you just start hyperventilating and feeling like the world's collapsing around you for fun?"
"It's not like that," she muttered, refusing to meet his eyes. "I've been through worse, Hawk. I don't freak out over some stupid rumors or –"
"Oh, please," Hawk interrupted, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Don't give me that 'I'm invincible' crap. I was there, remember? I saw what Jake did."
Her chest tightened, but she quickly shook her head. "He didn't do anything."
"He cornered you, and I pulled him off you before he could do something worse. So don't tell me he didn't do anything."
Harper refused to let his words sink in, even as flashes of memories replayed in her mind. "It wasn't… that bad. It was just — stupid. He didn't actually hurt me."
"He made you feel like you weren't in control. You can't just brush that off like it's nothing. This panic attack? That's because of him, not some rumors."
"I don't get panic attacks," she repeated but the words sounded hollow. Untrue. She was silent for a moment, hating that he was right all along. "I just… I don't want to be that girl. The one who freaks out just because some guy decides to be a jerk? And she can't handle it."
"You're not," Hawk said. "You're the girl who fights back, who calls out bullies, and stands up for everyone. But you're not invincible, foster. You're allowed to break."
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "So, what? You're my therapist now?"
"I could be," he teased, his smirk returning. "I've been told I give great advice."
"Yeah, right." Harper rolled her eyes. "Your advice usually involves telling me to punch someone."
"It works," he said, nudging her.
"You're impossible." Despite everything, she couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"And you're stubborn," Hawk shot back. "But seriously, you don't have to do everything alone. I meant it when I said I was here for you."
Harper nodded, meeting his gaze. "You think this will happen again? The panic attack, I mean."
"I don't know," Hawk admitted. "But if it does, you've got me."
"Lucky me," she muttered.
"Yeah, you are," he said with a grin. "So are you done pretending to be invincible, or do I need to keep calling you out?"
"I hate you," she said with a half-smile.
"No, you don't," he replied. "You'd be lost without me."
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
You guys... I'm so sorry for not posting in a while! Life's been kinda crazy, and I didn't have the time to write plus I got sick with a weird cold. But I'm back!
I hope you enjoy this chapter :) Please let me know what you think and if there's anything you'd like to see in the future chapters (ideas, changes, etc.)
I love hearing your thoughts so please review!
Have a great weekend 3