"Does it still hurt?" Olivia asked, placing a cup of tea down on the coffee table.

Harper leaned back against the couch cushions, her left leg elevated on a pillow. It felt ridiculous. She felt ridiculous. It was barely a sprain, an injury that would pass on its own, and yet Olivia wouldn't stop fussing. She fluffed the pillows, checked for swelling and offered her aspirin as if it were candy. It was a motherly gesture that Harper appreciated, so she let Olivia play nurse even though she was fine.

"Not really. I kinda walked it off," Harper said, reaching for the tea and taking a tentative sip. It was peppermint, the sensation both cooling and hot on her tongue. She smiled up at Olivia, hoping that the smile was enough to show her appreciation without putting it into words.

"I told you not to do this," Lucas said, standing just outside the living room. A worried scowl was set on his face and it had been there for the last few days. Ever since Harper admitted she was training with Johnny and Miguel. He didn't like the idea and voiced it every chance that he got as if she needed constant reminding. "I knew you'd get hurt. Johnny's a good guy, but he's a bit unhinged. And now he got you hurt doing some dumb karate moves and you're —"

"Fine. I'm fine, Lucas. Seriously," Harper said, unable to resist rolling her eyes dramatically.

Olivia covered up her laugh, but the hint of concern didn't fade from her eyes. "We're just worried about you, you know. The last time you trained, we didn't even know about it until after the school fight. And… we just don't want to see you getting hurt. Again"

"I get that, but I have to do this," Harper said.

Because if she hadn't quit training, if she'd kept up with karate after everything, then maybe she could've stopped Hawk from breaking Demetri's arm. Maybe she could've held her own better that night at the arcade and prevented the disaster before it even happened. And if it had been avoided — if Demetri had just been bruised but had his arm intact — maybe she wouldn't have had to walk away from the one person who mattered to her. The one person who saw her and was able to get past the fortified walls she kept around herself.

There would've been no breakup, save for another argument where she saw through Hawk's bullshit. But they would have still been together — laughing over stupid jokes, driving around aimlessly and stopping at broken down diners for the greasiest of fast food just because they could.

Harper squeezed her eyes shut. She broke off her thoughts from spiraling even further because she was hurting enough as it was. The last thing she needed was for the memories and what-ifs to drown her completely.

"I know you guys don't get it. But Cobra Kai's going to hurt someone else. And I'm not looking for a fight, I swear. I just… I need to be able to defend myself, okay?" Harper looked between her foster parents, hoping for just one of them to understand. Maybe not fully but enough to be okay with this. "I need to defend my friends. To keep what happened to Demetri from never happening again."

"Karate's so stupid," Cole said from the other end of the living room.

Harper frowned, tilting her head as she looked at him. "What are you talking about? You used to think it was cool and badass, remember? You even wanted to take lessons and begged your parents to let you, but they said no."

"Yeah, and I used to think Hawk was awesome too, but that was just a big fat lie, right?" Cole mumbled.

Harper's smile faltered, her chest constricting at how much all of this was affecting him. Her breakup with Hawk had a ripple effect, touching and tainting everything in its path. A little more than a week passed since that fateful night at the arcade, and none of them were okay. They were feeling the pain and heartache and anger at a messy situation that never should've happened in the first place.

At least Harper knew how to bury those thoughts and lock them away. After years of neglect and being torn down, acting indifferent was like second nature to her. But for someone like Cole? Someone who still had that wide-eyed curiosity about the world and saw things as good and pure? He didn't have that luxury and had to feel everything that came from it.

"Cole…" Harper started, trailing off because she had no idea what she could possibly say.

"If you want to be dumb and get hurt, too, then whatever. I don't care," Cole said with a shrug. "Do what you want."

Harper sighed, settling back against the pillows. She shifted the cup in her lap, forcing herself to take another sip in order to keep busy. She winced at the immediate burn, the sip bigger than she'd intended for it to be. She coughed into her arm, and then placed the drink back on the coffee table.

"He just needs some time," Olivia said quietly, gently.

"It's fine," Harper said with a small smile, glancing down at the homework piled around her. She picked up the book she needed to read for English class and lazily flipped through the pages. Something about a romantic tragedy that dealt with a found family. A topic that hit way too close to home, so she opted for numbers. Algebra. Even if it wanted to suck her soul out when she was instructed to solve for x and y.

But before she could make the conscious decision to write out the equation, the doorbell rang. She glanced at the time, and it was just a little after five. Harper wasn't expecting anyone, and by the looks on her foster family's faces, neither were they. She quickly checked her phone, but there were no notifications. No, hey, I'm stopping by messages.

For a moment — a brief, paralyzing moment — she thought it was Hawk. The grip on her notebook tightened until the page tore in the corner, her heart thudding too loud and too fast.

"I'll get it," Olivia said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze as if to say she'd take care of it. That she had her back.

Harper nodded, but she couldn't help but battle those emotions that wanted to wreck her. She strained to hear what was being said, but the show Cole put on drowned out everything else.

A moment later, Olivia poked her head back into the living room. "Harper," she said, her voice soft. She gestured for Harper to follow her, but she was frozen to the count and reluctant to move. Yet nothing about her expression was a warning, just a calming smile that told her everything was okay.

Her limbs were numb as she sat up, setting her left foot on the floor. She tested her ankle, a slight wince crossing her face but it was nothing compared to the internal panic she was feeling. Olivia noticed her limp the first few steps, her lips pressed into a thin line but didn't make a comment on it.

"What's going on?" Harper asked, her voice tight.

"Nothing bad. Just… go see for yourself," Olivia said.

She was expected to walk, too see who was waiting for her, but she felt herself freeze for just a second. She hated that this was how she acted whenever the doorbell rang, whenever something unexpected happened. The old Harper would've marched to the door and faced whatever it was head on. This Harper, who's let her walls down and allowed herself to feel and trust and love only to get hurt? She was an emotional mess, and she hated it.

Letting out a breath, Harper stepped past Olivia toward the front door. It was ajar, and she could feel the breeze of the late afternoon drift into the house. When she allowed herself to see who was there, her heart skidded to a stop and restarted a moment later. The anxiety she was feeling rolled off of her, a smile spreading across her face.

Because standing in the doorway was Robby.

He looked as nervous as she'd felt just moments ago, but he was here. Out of juvie, and she'd had no idea.

So despite the ache in her ankle, she ran at him and pulled him into a hug that felt long overdue. She didn't care that the last time she'd seen him — broken and defeated in the visitors lobby — they'd had a fight. It didn't matter the words that he'd said, and how she'd left before their time ran out. None of that mattered. Her best friend was released from a place designed to break you apart, and he was okay.

Robby caught her with a surprised laugh, returning the hug albeit a bit hesitant. But then his arms wrapped around her and everything felt okay for those few seconds.

"When did you get out?" Harper asked, stepping back and taking a look at him. She tilted her head back, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the exhaustion that practically radiated off of him. Her smile dropped a fraction at how worn out he looked because he never should've been locked up in the first place.

"Today," Robby said, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Why didn't you tell me you were being released?" Harper asked. "We could've picked you up."

Robby sighed. "I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to bother you."

Harper rolled her eyes before shutting the door behind him. "I'm glad you're out."

"Thanks," he said, looking around the room as if he wasn't allowed to be there. "So, I just came to tell you that. You know, in case you heard it from someone else. anyway, I kinda need to—"

"Are you hungry?" Olivia asked, appearing behind them. She regarded Robby with the warmth and kindness that only someone like Olivia could have — no judgments, just understanding and care. "Of course you are. Why don't you two go out back and I'll bring out something."

Robby hesitated. "Thanks, but I—"

"No 'buts'," Olivia interrupted, shooing them out into the backyard where the fairy lights were strung out on the deck and the porch lights bathed everything in a warm light despite the sun still hanging on by a thread.

They sat down in a silence that could only be described as awkwardly comfortable. Cars passed by in the streets, the sound of tires flying over the pavement was mildly calming. With the melodic chirping of birds and the sound of Lucas and Olivia chatting inside the house, it became a soundtrack to the tension brewing between the two of them.

Not angry tension just… confused.

Their last conversation, which Harper couldn't believe was almost a month ago, still rang in her mind. She shut her eyes, replaying the way Robby sounded when he said he didn't know if he could trust her anymore. Just because she'd chosen Hawk.

And what a mistake that had been.

Sighing, she reopened her eyes to find Robby taking in the comfort of the backyard — the patio furniture that held more stories than she had time to hear to the signs of a happy family living together under one roof. He kept his expression still, but his eyes were full of the hurt, regret and sadness that he couldn't mask. Not from her, anyway. She was skilled in the art of looking unbothered when, deep down, she was falling apart.

It was why Harper and Robby got along so well. Or had. Or still did. It wasn't clear where they stood, but hope blossomed in her chest because he was here. He looked ready to bolt, but he was still sitting across from her. And maybe it meant that their friendship wasn't beyond repair.

"I didn't mean what I said," Robby said quietly, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry," Harper said at the same time.

They both blinked, laughing softly as their words got tangled into a heap of everything that was unspoken between them. When their laughter settled, they waited a beat before deciding who'd speak first.

"What do you have to be sorry about?" Robby asked, genuine confusion crossing his face. "You didn't do anything wrong. I was just miserable and took it out on you. I should be the one apologizing. I mean, I am apologizing. I shouldn't have said what I did. About not trusting you when all you did was stick around and help."

"You were mad, I get it. And then I kinda started a whole thing with Shawn when I should've just shut up. I just hated how he was treating you and… it didn't make things worse for you after I left, did it?" Harper asked, holding her breath as if afraid of the answer.

"Things actually worked out," Robby told her with a hesitant smile. "We worked things out. Kinda."

"Oh. Okay. That's great," she said.

Robby nodded but then sighed heavily like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I said a lot of shit that day, and I'm sorry. Of course I trust you, Harper. You're kinda the only person who stuck around when everything got bad. And, yeah, Sam might've told me about Hawk but… you're happy with him, so that's all that really matters," he said before adding with a smile, "I still hate him, but it's your choice."

Harper forced a smile but it lasted all of two seconds before it disappeared. She twisted her bracelet, letting his words settle around her but her mind could only focus on one part of what he'd said.

You're happy with him, so that's all that really matters.

If only it was that simple.

If only it had been enough.

Catching the pain flickering across her face, Robby frowned and leaned forward. "What's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"No, it's…," Harper trailed off, the thin chain digging into her wrist. The words she needed to say were right there, and yet it felt like saying them would break her all over again. Every time she had to say those words, they chipped away at her already bruised heart. "We broke up," she said, not looking at him.

She didn't need him to see the heartbreak written all over her face. Didn't need him to see that as much as she hated Hawk, she still missed him. Missed them. And who she'd been when they were together — not the broken foster kid with a life that was one long nightmare, but a girl who was more than just her past. Who was worthy of love and happiness despite.

Harper hadn't just lost someone who meant the world to her. She'd lost herself.

"Wait, you…. Shit. Sorry, I didn't know," Robby said, stumbling over his words as if trying to backtrack from what he'd said.

"It's fine," Harper said quietly, shrugging. She didn't have to look to know he was rolling his eyes at her deflection. But she didn't need to see his emotions reflected back at her. The curiosity for what possibly could have happened to the pity that had already been coated in his words.

"What did he do? Did he hurt you?" Robby asked, his tone switching from sadness to anger so quickly that her head spun.

"No, nothing like that," Harper said with a shake of her head and forced herself to look at him so he could see that she wasn't lying. At least, not entirely. He'd hurt her by hurting Demetri. Had chosen Cobra Kai over her. "He just… hurt Demetri. It's a long story, but I just… I can't. I'm sorry. I'm sure Sam will fill you in later."

His expression hardened some more at the mention of Sam, and he looked away before she could see the hurt lurking behind his eyes. But she saw it anyway.

Harper wrinkled her nose in confusion, wincing as she twisted her ankle the wrong way before sitting cross legged on the chair.

"What's wrong with your ankle?" Robby asked.

"Nothing. I mean, I just twisted it at practice today," she said. "It's better, though."

"Practice?" Robby echoed.

Harper shifted in her seat, tapping her fingers against her leg. "I kind of, maybe, joined Johnny's new dojo," she said slowly, almost cautiously. "And it might've been my idea."

Robby didn't say anything for the longest few seconds of her life, just sat there blinking as if it would help him absorb the words better. "My dad has a new dojo?"

"Yeah. Eagle Fang Karate. I know the name doesn't make much sense but… there's only a few of us in it right now," Harper explained.

"Why would you…. I'm confused. I thought you said you were done with it all. That it was just a summer thing," Robby said.

"It was. But then Cobra Kai got too violent and… I couldn't just sit back and let them hurt more people," she said. "You know how they are. They're out of control."

Robby only nodded, though by the way he clenched his jaw and wouldn't meet her eyes, she knew that he wasn't thrilled by any of this. She couldn't blame him given his past with it all, but she hoped he wouldn't go in for a lecture or tell her she was making a mistake. She just wanted some understanding and for someone to see what the goal was even if it would be a bumpy road.

"You sure that's a good idea? You could get hurt again," Robby said.

"Oh, it's a terrible idea. But I need this, Robby." Harper twisted her bracelet around her wrist, knowing that the answer wasn't good enough. It was proof of just how uncertain she was about the whole thing, and yet she refused to quit. Because as much as she'd wanted to walk away from everything, she was in too deep to back out now.

Robby let out a heavy sigh, his expression tight with worry and discomfort. He opened his mouth, ready to throw out what Harper assumed was a list of reasons why she shouldn't do this and how dumb it was for her to get involved but then… nothing. Just another sigh from him and a nod.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he told her. "Just be careful, okay?"

Harper nodded. "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself," she said, the words automatic.

For a moment, she felt like that same defiant girl who'd come to The Valley with a chip on her shoulder and a twisted view of the world. Except the girl sitting on the worn out patio furniture was someone who'd let her walls down, knowing full well what the consequences would be and doing it anyway.

"So," Harper continued, not letting him interpret her silence for a go ahead to dig deeper into this new dojo and ongoing war. "Did you see Sam yet? I'm sure she'll be happy to see that you're out."

But those words were the wrong ones. She knew it the second they left her mouth by how Robby quickly shut down, clenching his jaw so tight she was worried his teeth would crack.

"Yeah, I saw her," Robby muttered, his voice low and full of a mountain of emotions ranging from sarcasm to annoyance to sadness and anger. "I kinda walked in on her kissing Miguel, so yeah. She was happy to see me."

Harper's heart dropped into her stomach, her finger looping on the bracelet so hard that the chain scraped against her skin. A raw, red line appeared on the delicate skin of her wrist, but it was only a bit of discomfort compared to the unimaginable pain she felt at hearing his words. Sam and Miguel. Kissing. And Robby saw it all.

She felt betrayed for him.

For all of Sam's posturing, of acting like she was above it all and calling out every one Harper's mistakes, she'd just made the biggest one there was. And not once, but twice. Twice she'd hurt Robby by kissing Miguel — first at Moon's party, which resulted in Tory starting a full on war at school and now tonight.

"Shit. Is she… I can't believe…," she stuttered stupidly, closing her eyes to take a deep breath. "I'm so sorry, Robby. I can't… she shouldn't have done that."

It was stupid. Just a bunch of words strung together that were supposed to be what? A pity apology? Something to make him feel better because she agreed how messed up that was? To admit that she was just as pissed off as he had the right to be? None of it would make a difference. It wouldn't erase what Sam or Miguel did. It wouldn't stop Robby from seeing his girlfriend mid-kiss with the kid he kicked off the second floor all those months ago.

It was like a kick to the teeth. A cruel twist of fate that probably made him feel like he was constantly trying to dig himself out of the wreckage but getting pulled under either way.

Robby shrugged in that way he did when he wanted to look unaffected but couldn't fully hide the pain. "It's fine. I should've figured we were done when she stopped keeping in touch when I was locked up. I don't even know why I went to see here, you know? It was dumb."

"It wasn't dumb, Robby," Harper said softly. There was nothing she could say to fix his heart from breaking, and something inside of her cracked just a little. He'd been through hell and back and still couldn't catch a break.

"It's fine. Seriously. At least I know where we stand," he said with a grin too forced to look real.

Before she could say anything else or express her disappointment and anger in both Miguel and Sam, he changed the subject. And she let him because sometimes it was easier not to talk about what was bothering you. She let the topics change quickly and effortlessly and, for the first time since he'd shown up tonight, their friendship felt like it had all summer long: intact and real. They fell into that easy rhythm where they didn't have to try hard and just let the conversation carry them in whatever direction it wanted to go in.

When a genuine smile crossed his face, Harper felt herself exhale. She knew that Robby wasn't okay, not after what he'd been through. The world was a cruel place for people like them and he was dealing with too much for a kid his age. But, at least for now, he was okay. He was safe. That was all that mattered in the moment. The rest of it would be figured out later, and she was just happy to have her friend back.

Olivia brought food out for them – leftovers, because Harper had eaten earlier. She nibbled at the side dish, nudging the majority of it over to Robby. He looked like he hadn't had a proper meal in days, in months. And when she watched him take the first bite, albeit reluctantly, she relaxed some more. She rested against the cushions and continued to chat about nothing important. Some dumb drama at school that people were treating way too seriously, Cole's latest idea that ended with him getting grounded and how Ryan was slowly becoming the parent Harper didn't know she needed. Just mindless chatter to fill the void, to make him comfortable enough to relax. And when he started to open up about juvie – about the few good moments where it didn't feel like he had to fight for survival – she listened. Really listened. Because hearing that he was able to let his guard down even just a little bit made her heavy heart a little lighter.

She'd been where he was. Their lives were so similar that sometimes it was like looking in the mirror, and she understood his hesitancy and guardedness. But then she'd see the flicker of the old Robby in there – the version of him before juvie and Miguel's accident – and she smiled, knowing that he was there underneath all that trauma.

Harper sipped her drink, questions swirling inside her mind that she didn't want to ask. They were talking, joking and laughing and she didn't want to break that with reality. But she needed to know, although she felt like she already knew what his answer would be.

"So, what's the plan now that you're out?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink as the laughter died down. "I know your mom's still in rehab so where are you gonna stay? With your dad?"

Robby scoffed, rolling his eyes. "No. I don't want or need his help. You know both him and Daniel showed up when I got released? Guess they were feeling guilty and wanted to make themselves feel better."

"Or maybe they wanted to help," Harper offered quietly, shrinking into her seat when he threw a look her way. "I get being pissed at Daniel for what happened, but Johnny's your dad. Maybe you should give him a chance."

"He didn't visit me once, Harper. Not once," Robby said, shaking his head. "He promised he'd show up and instead he went to see Miguel. How isn't that messed up?"

Harper blew out a breath, unable to argue with that. "Sorry," she said with a sigh. "So, what are you gonna do? You have somewhere to stay, right?"

"Not yet, but I'll figure it out," he told her just as the sun started to make its descent in the sky, turning it from a powder blue to a multicolor of pinks, purples and oranges.

The porch and fairy lights felt warmer and brighter as they lit up the yard. It was cozy, yet the conversation they were entering brought a chill to the air. Her concern for her friend overpowered every feeling of not wanting to go there, so she asked the hard questions because she had to.

"Robby, come on. It's… you can't just figure this out. You need somewhere to stay," she said, spinning her bracelet around her wrist. She looked at him as an idea formed in her mind, but she bit her lip because she had no idea how to even bring it up.

"What?" He asked, dramatically rolling his eyes as if he could see inside her mind.

She smiled because he caught her brainstorming an idea that she knew he would shut down faster than she could say it. "You could just stay here and crash on the couch until you figure things out. I know Olivia and Lucas wouldn't mind. They'd want you to stay."

"Harper," he started, already shaking his head.

"Or what about Ryan?" She suggested quickly before he could say anything else. "I know you don't exactly know him, but he's pretty cool. He's got this huge house, and he wouldn't care if you crashed for a few days. He'd probably feed you overcooked Mac and Cheese while telling you all about his car collection and then challenging you to play some dumb video game."

"I can't. Thanks, but I'll be okay. I promise," Robby said with a grin, but his tone told her not to push it.

But she wanted to. Harper wanted to tell him to stop being so stubborn and just accept the help she was offering. To tell him that he didn't have to do all of this by himself because he was just sixteen and that it was okay to ask for and accept help. Instead, she leaned back in the seat and said nothing. Because she knew that if she were in his shoes, she wouldn't have accepted the help either. Even if it killed her to know she'd be on her own and fending for herself, she'd stubbornly refuse the help.

"You're so stubborn," Harper muttered instead, crossing her arms.

"Look who's talking," he said, laughing softly.

Harper shook her head, trying to fight the grin that was already spreading across her face. And just like that, the conversation turned back to something ordinary and familiar. A mess of "remember when" topics as they looked back at the summer before that one catastrophic school day changed their lives forever. But there was also cautious optimism about the future sprinkled in there somewhere — both of them too damaged to hope for anything too big and great. Life had a funny way of changing course at the last minute and leading them towards a broken down bridge before they could even hit the brakes.

It was the tragic life of two broken kids whose entire lives were written in stone and planned out for them. Where cruelty and unfairness was expected, hope was a dangerous thing to have, and a happy ending was never guaranteed.

It was a reality they both accepted at too young of an age.

The food was finished, the drinks were nothing more than melted ice cubes and the conversation was dying down with the realization of what was to come next. Harper smiled uncertainly as she scrambled for something to say just to keep the conversation going, but her mind was drawing blanks. She tugged at her bracelet as if it would help her think, but all it did was make her thoughts more empty than before.

"I should go," Robby said, a hint of reluctance in his voice as he stood up with a sigh. "Thanks for, you know, everything."

Harper nodded as she stood up and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Where are you gonna go?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know, but I'll —"

"Figure it out," she finished for him, rolling her eyes. "Look, you could just stay here. At least for one night so you're not walking around in the dark."

"I'll be okay," he repeated, which only made her glare harder. "You already helped enough, Harper. And I can't keep asking for more help."

"You're not asking. You didn't ask before either, remember?" She reluctantly followed him to the gate with quick steps before going around him and cutting him off. "Can you stop being so freaking stubborn for one day and just let me help you?"

Robby stopped suddenly and she nearly bumped into him. He grinned down at her with an expression that was unfairly unbothered and at ease. Yet she knew better to trust that, so she looked into his eyes to find the worry and fear swirling around, showcasing the doubts he was so quick at concealing. He dropped his gaze as if aware that she was seeing him and sighed, kicking at a stone on the ground.

"Seriously. Just crash on the couch. You just got out of juvie, and now your best plan is to figure it out? It's stupid," she said.

"I'll call if I need anything," he promised easily, a smile in his voice.

"No, you won't," Harper said with a sigh but dropped the subject.

There was no winning with him. Once his mind was made up, that was it. And she could kick and scream and cry until her throat burned, but he wouldn't accept any help he didn't want. Or didn't think he deserved. It was so painfully Robby that she almost wanted to smile. Almost.

Instead, she did the only thing she could do. She closed the distance between them and pulled him in for one last hug. It wasn't goodbye forever but with not knowing where he would go, it might as well have been one.

Robby returned the hug as if it was something foreign — cautiously and carefully. But then when his arms tightened around her, neither wanted to let go because the minute they did, reality would come crashing down around them. They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Harper pulled back, a snarky retort already on her lips — something for him to roll his eyes at but find hilarious.

The words were just starting to form, and Harper was too invested in her words that she missed the way he was looking at her. Not at all like he used to but softer than normal. Something that would've scared her had she caught it.

But she didn't.

She started to speak, mid-sentence and completely unaware – until Robby leaned in. His lips brushed against hers, soft and tentative, catching her so off guard that it took her a second to realize what was happening. The kiss wasn't rushed or desperate. It was slow, careful – gentle in a way that made her heart stumble. Almost as if this was something he'd thought about, but never dared to try until now. One of his hands slid around her waist, drawing her closer with cautious confidence, while the other cupped the side of her face – fingertips barely grazing her skin, as if she might vanish.

The moment she realized what was happening, Harper's body froze. Panic surged through her as if she'd been struck by lightning – sharp, fast, and impossible to ignore. Her breath caught in her throat, chest tightening as silent alarms blared in her mind. This wasn't some random mistake she could laugh off later. This wasn't a harmless moment.

This was Robby.

Her best friend.

The one person who'd always been safe, familiar and constant. And now he was kissing her, and all she could feel was the crushing weight of everything it would destroy.

That it wasn't Hawk.

That single thought cut through the haze and snapped her back to reality. Even as her body instinctively leaned into the kiss, her heart recoiled. She pulled back, pressing a hand to Robby's chest to put distance between them, her pulse racing like she'd just sprinted through a warzone. Because as gentle as it was, it didn't feel right.

It felt like a betrayal. Like breaking an unspoken promise she hadn't even realized she'd made to a person she couldn't seem to forget.

Harper looked up at him in confusion, her heart breaking at the smile on his face. He'd felt something in those few seconds, some deeper connection that she wasn't able to return. Her voice caught in her throat at having to break his heart while anger surged through her because what the hell had he been thinking?

"Robby," she started, taking a small step back. "We can't — we're friends."

She didn't have the heart to watch the smile disappear from his face, for the way the light left his eyes and was replaced by hurt and rejection. Disappointment at not having his feelings returned.

"But you've been there for me," he started, shaking his head. "You were there through it all, Harper. I was able to count on you, and —"

"Because I care about you like friends do. We're not… we can't be more than that," Harper said, the words harder to get out than she wanted them to be.

"Why not? We could try," he said.

"You're only kissing me because of what happened with Sam. You're trying to get back at her for hurting you. This isn't us, Robby. You know that," she said.

He didn't say anything for a moment, just nodded as he looked somewhere past her. "Or maybe it's because I'm not him," he muttered, the bitterness in his tone shocking her.

"Wha— No, that's not what this is about," she argued.

Robby let out a humorless laugh. "But it kinda is, Harper. It's always gonna be him. He can treat everyone around you like shit, hurt you but you're always gonna be in love with him, aren't you?"

Harper shook her head, ready to deny it but the words wouldn't come out. And it frustrated her. She didn't want to admit — to herself or aloud — that she still felt something toward Hawk. But she did. She knew it in her stubborn, pathetic heart that she did.

"It's fine," Robby said with a heavy sigh. He ran a hand through his hair, throwing her a casual smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have — I don't know what I was thinking."

"Robby…"

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. We're fine. I'm just exhausted and not thinking straight," he said with a shrug. "I'm just gonna head out but… thanks for everything."

Harper didn't stop him this time. She watched him unlatch the back gate and disappear into the night. Her heart ached for multiple reasons — the refractured friendship with Robby and for the person who still had a death grip on her heart. She sighed, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes.

The spiraling was beginning, and she had nothing to ground her. Tears pricked at her eyes while her pulse stuttered and raced at the same time. She could still feel the ghost of Robby's kiss, and all it did was make her want to scream in frustration. Even though she hadn't kissed him back, even though she'd pushed him away the moment her mind realized what was happening, she felt terrible. She felt sick about it.

She'd cheated on Hawk.

Which was stupid because they broke up weeks ago.

But when she tried to tell her mind and heart that — tried to get herself to think rationally — it didn't diminish that bitter and hollow feeling inside her.

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

Thanks so much for reading!

Do you think that Harper and Robby could've worked?

I wonder what will happen when Hawk finds out. If he finds out...

I can't wait to hear your thoughts.