Harper looked down at her phone, her nose scrunching in thought as she glanced down at the GPS. The address she'd put in was right in front of her since the bright and cheerful electronic voice chirped that she'd reached her destination. But… this couldn't be it. Surely, there was some mistake made along the way. She rechecked her earlier message with Miguel, comparing it to the address she'd typed in earlier that day, only to see that no mistakes had been made.
She was right where she needed to be, and the universe was pointing at her and laughing. A cruel twist of fate where she'd actively been trying to avoid her past and feelings only for life to spin her around and lead her back to where everything started.
The park.
The same freaking park she'd spend a good chunk of her summer at — the early mornings training with Hawk while her guarded heart opened up just the tiniest bit. The first place she'd fully allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could let someone in.
And now, this was the place Johnny claimed he "found" for their new dojo.
Her stomach twisted with anxiety as she let her eyes roam around the familiar area. Nothing had changed. Kids ran around laughing, changing their route toward the playground tucked near the center of the lot. Concession stands crowded the main area with the promise of caffeine and snacks while people strolled through, unaware of the emotional toll it took on her.
It was just a park, yet it wasn't.
Sighing, Harper brushed her hair from her face. It wasn't too late to turn around and say "screw it" before retreating into the safety of her home away from the drama of karate and heartbreak. She could do that — run and never look back. But she knew there was too much at stake for her to abandon everything. She was doing this because she was ready to fight. And if she needed to walk past the painful memories and reminders of him, then so be it.
After all, what didn't kill you only made you stronger.
Or some bullshit like that.
So, with a heavy breath, Harper unclenched her fists and took the first step into the park. It wasn't like she'd never walked through here over the last couple of months. But, back then, it had just been a detour she took to another location while she sped walked. Now? This was her destination.
It was a full-circle moment, and irony was at its center.
She kept her head down, focusing on keeping one foot in front of the other. The more she paid attention to where she was walking, the less time she'd let her mind wander off in directions it had no right going in.
The only reason she was here was to train, not go down memory lane.
It wasn't clear just where she was supposed to meet Johnny and Miguel. The message gave no other instructions other than the address, and the last thing she wanted was to walk around the park aimlessly. She muttered under her breath at the cryptic message, turning in a half circle and squinting against the bright rays of the sun.
She pulled her phone out and sent Miguel a message saying she was here, but not here. Because she had no idea where to go next, Harper stayed rooted in place. Her phone pinged with a message a few seconds later — him letting her know the general area he and Johnny were in. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep her from standing around looking awkwardly lost.
Minutes later, Harper spotted them just off the path and on a big stretch of grass that looked like it'd been mowed earlier that day. It might be fall, but California refused to let go of summer. Even around four in the afternoon, the heat was relentless. The light breeze was the only reprieve from the temperature, and she quickly tied her hair up into a messy ponytail mid-walk.
Her feet faltered when she noticed Miguel and a few other students around there. She recognized a few of them as old Cobra Kai members, ones she'd never had an issue with. Probably because they never belonged in that aggressive dojo where weakness was unacceptable. But past Miguel, Johnny, and Bert, her eyes landed on one figure.
Her expression hardened into one of steel, her fingers immediately tightening around her bracelet. Standing there — talking and laughing with Miguel — was Mitch. The same Mitch who'd held her back from helping Demetri that night at the arcade. The same Mitch who'd punched her at the mall, who'd thrown a drink at her because of some unshakeable hatred for her and called her a stray every chance he got. Now he stood there, albeit a little awkwardly, but with confidence as if he belonged there — as if he hadn't been a Cobra Kai bully just a couple of days ago. It made something twist in her stomach, and she had the sudden desire to punch him and walk away from this at the same time.
Instead, she moved forward. Her steps were shaky yet controlled, but her eyes were locked on Mitch. The very idea of being in the same dojo with him, of being on the same team left her feeling sick. He'd personally made it his mission to make her life hell every chance he got, and now she was supposed to be okay with this? With him training with them and pretending the last few months never happened? Harper had put up with a lot and overlooked things that probably shouldn't have been ignored in the first place. But this? This wasn't something she was willing to accept at face value and say she was okay with it just to keep the peace.
Miguel looked towards her, his face lighting up in a way that made everything feel like it would be okay. But when he saw her attention was zeroed in on Mitch, that smile faded just as quickly. "Oh, shit," he muttered, taking a careful step towards her. "Harper, it's –"
"Don't say 'it's okay' because we both know it's not," she snapped, brushing past him, and then she stood directly in Mitch's path. She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed into a glare as she tried to control every thought and emotion. "You need to leave. Now."
Mitch dared to blink in surprise not only at her tone but her words. He looked past her to Miguel and shrugged as if unsure how to proceed.
"He's on our side now," Miguel said, flinching when she glared at him. "Look, I know he's done… stuff, but he made a choice. The right choice."
"Because he got kicked out of Cobra Kai! He wouldn't even be here if he didn't. We both know he'd still be there acting like an ass," Harper said.
"You don't know that. The whole point of recruiting people was to get them to leave Kreese. And maybe it happened that way, but Mitch still made a choice," Miguel said, his words slow and controlled as if worried about upsetting her more. "He's sorry for what he's done. He made mistakes just like—"
"Then why hasn't he apologized yet?" Harper cut him off, looking between the two boys and feeling as if she was on the losing side.
"You're not giving him a chance," Miguel said.
"And you really need to stop defending and making excuses for him," Harper said.
The silence rang across the park, the heaviness blending in with the laughter of kids and mindless conversations that floated into their space like they could break the tension. But it was too thick — too full of everything that wasn't being said. So she stood in a standoff between Mitch and Miguel while the others looked on as if waiting for a bomb to go off.
Maybe they were judging her for being too harsh, for holding onto the past when she should just let go and move on. But she couldn't. Everything Mitch said and did was still fresh in her mind. It was all too recent for her to paste on a compliant smile and accept him into the dojo.
They hadn't been on the receiving end of his cruelty, but she had been. She remembered it word for word, hit for hit. And she wasn't going to be okay with this just because they needed recruits. They needed people they could trust and depend on, not people they'd warily watch to see if they wouldn't screw up and stab them in the back.
"I know I was an ass, but I'm not that guy anymore," Mitch said, momentarily freezing as she looked his way. A sheepish look crossed his face, and he shifted from one foot to the other. "And we're on the same team now… right?"
"Not really, no," Harper said with a shrug. "I don't want you on my team. I don't like you, and I sure as hell don't trust you."
Mitch sighed, the sound a little on the frustrated side. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? You know, for treating you like shit and all that."
Harper stared at him, his words reverberating around her mind but not landing anywhere. "Sorry doesn't mean shit, remember?" She asked, echoing his words from Valley Fest as she crossed her arms.
"What do you want me to say? I already said 'sorry' for what I said and did," Mitch grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Nothing. You don't get to say anything. You don't get to act like you belong here just because Kreese thought you were too weak for Cobra Kai," Harper said.
His eyes hardened as he took a step closer to her. "Just let it go, st — Harper. I'm not here to screw things up."
She studied him, silent alarms going off in her head at his words — at everything about him. She stood by what she believed and said, and no hurried apology would make her see things differently. She was about to say that and tell him to get lost, but Johnny's voice cut through their standoff.
"Ass Face is staying," Johnny said, causing her to whirl around on him. He ignored the anger radiating off her, the fight that was brewing just below the surface. "Hold onto that anger when we face Kreese and the others. You don't get to pick your teammates, Cain. Get over it."
Harper clenched her fists, her nails pressing into her palms. There was so much she wanted to say, but she grudgingly stood down. Letting out a breath, she looked away from Mitch and rolled her eyes.
"Fine," she bit out. "But I still don't think you should be here. You're gonna screw up. Sooner or later, but you will."
"Okay, listen up!" Johnny yelled, his voice sharp and commanding as he forced their attention on him. He paced before them, watching them all with a scrutiny that Harper wanted to shrink from. "This is day one. We've been here before. But things are different now. They tried to tear us down, but it didn't work! They said we needed a roof and four walls. Screw that! This park will be our new dojo. Because you don't need a dojo to be a dojo. Is that understood?"
Johnny stopped pacing long enough to look at each one of them.
"Yes, Sensei!" Everyone yelled in agreement.
But Harper was still unconvinced. His speech was a little too over the top, as if he thought they were in some bad eighties action movie. And everything was starting to get just a little bit too real. They were actually doing this, and it terrified her because how the hell were they supposed to compete against Kreese? How had Miguel and Johnny let her talk them into this asinine idea in the first place? And how did she get roped into joining when all she'd wanted was to distance herself from it all?
"I started Cobra Kai with one nerd. This is a step up. And if we are going to be taken seriously, we need a name that commands respect. A name that elicits power and dominance. Cobra are strong. They may be the king of the jungle, but the world's more than just a jungle. And there's only one animal that can kill a snake," Johnny said.
"A mongoose?" Bert asked.
"A real animal, Bert," Johnny said before taking a few steps towards a box on the ground. He pulled out a shirt, unfolded it with a shake, and held it up for them to see the logo. "Welcome to Eagle Fang Karate."
"Uh, eagles don't have fangs —" Mitch started to say before Johnny threw the shirt at him. It hit him in the face, and she held back a laugh at his stunned expression.
The shirts were distributed to all of them, and Harper stared at it with a mix of amusement and awe. The design was pretty cool, but as much as it pained her to agree with Mitch, the name made zero sense. She didn't comment because Johnny looked much too pleased with himself, and she'd hate to bring him down.
"Put 'em on!" Johnny yelled.
She threw hers on over the shirt she was already wearing, the material a little bunched up and snug. She tugged at it, trying to straighten it out just a little bit. When she looked over at Mitch, who got a size that was ridiculously too small for him, she was forced to bite back a laugh.
"Is anyone else feeling a little snug?" Mitch asked.
"Do some more push-ups," Johnny told him. "All right, fall in!"
They started to line up, and Harper tried to keep as much distance between herself and Mitch as possible. She put herself between Miguel and Bert while still being able to watch Mitch and make sure he didn't stab them in the back when they were too busy listening to Johnny. Maybe it wouldn't happen today or this week, but in the next month or few? He'd show his true colors, and she'd be ready.
People like that didn't change, they didn't get a change of heart or suddenly switch sides to better themselves. Harper had known many Mitch's in her years of growing up in the system — and they all reverted to who they were underneath.
But then Miguel nudged her with a smile, nodding to a spot just beyond Johnny. "Check it out," he said before Johnny could snap at them for not paying attention.
She tilted her head in question before following his gaze, eyes widening in surprise and a stubborn surge of hope. Because walking toward them was Hawk, followed by two others from Cobra Kai. Her traitorous heart skipped a beat, wondering if some of what she and Johnny said the other day got through to him – if he was finally choosing to be the kind of guy he wanted to be and not the carefully orchestrated version that Kreese was molding him into. Because she'd seen the good in him before and knew that underneath that mask and tough act was someone who knew right from wrong. Someone who wanted to be better instead of following the herd to look cool.
Or, at least, she hoped.
Though it was entirely possible that Harper didn't know him at all. After all, she'd let herself be blinded before, so what was to say she wouldn't be disappointed again? And yet, seeing him show up now pushed those doubts off to the side and left her wide open to feeling hopeful.
"I told you he'd make the right choice," Miguel said.
Harper only smiled cautiously in reply, not fully letting herself feel the surge of emotion that wanted to break through. But her smile said it all: it was a little bit of hope mixed in with relief and that stupid pull she still — despite it all — felt toward him.
Especially when he looked her way and everything else just faded into the background momentarily. It was like her own damn heart was betraying her by feeling things it shouldn't. Because realistically, she should hate him. She did hate him for what he'd done to Demetri. So why did she feel slightly nervous yet happy to see him?
"Alright, everybody," Johnny said with a smile when he caught Hawk and the others. "Looks like our class just got bigger. Make room."
Harper took an unconscious step forward, and she didn't know why. To welcome him? To tell him he made the right choice? To promise him that everything would be okay even if her heart was still cracked beyond repair? She wanted to say something, yet he beat her to it.
Hawk looked away from her, that mask of his spilling back into place and making her heart tumble off a cliff. "I told you. Cobra Kai for life."
The smile disappeared from her face. Her breath stilled while her body tried to catch up to what was really happening. When it did, she felt furious with herself for holding onto that ounce of hope in the first place. She'd stupidly believed he'd make the right choice and do the right thing. It was laughable, really — that after everything, she'd still wanted him to choose her.
But his choice was loud and clear now.
Even though it felt like a slap to the face, it was the rude awakening she'd needed. Harper might feel like she was crumbling all over again, but it was for the best. Now she could hold onto that anger without letting silly things like her heart try to battle her mind.
Because this? This was Hawk. Cobra Kai through and through.
Harper ignored the way Hawk looked towards her every few seconds or the bittersweet feeling that crept up on her of them being back in this same park again. Before, they'd been on the same team — two unlikely kids who'd bonded in secret over the summer. Now, those same kids were changed by the chaos of life and pitted against each other. It was like the summer was nothing but a distant memory that might as well have been a fever dream.
Real, but not real enough.
The air turned heavy when Kyler and Tory appeared, followed by Kreese and a few others. And suddenly she no longer thought about the betrayal she felt but what was at stake and the real reason behind why she was here. It had nothing to do with Hawk or a shred of the relationship she'd been holding onto.
Wiping the smile from her face, she crossed her arms and faced them head on. She buried that fear and hope. She didn't let them see even a trace of disappointment on her face, only the hatred and disgust that she felt towards them.
"Don't worry, Johnny. I'm not here for a fight," Kreese said with that eerie calmness she'd come to associate with him.
"Yeah? Then why the hell are you here?" Johnny asked, stepping closer.
"I'd like to make you another offer to come back to Cobra Kai where you belong," Kreese said.
"You're crazy if you think I'm ever teaming up with you again. The garbage you're feeding them, the shit they're pulling, it's messed up! You're to blame for that," Johnny said, his tone bitter.
Kreese looked at him with that same calculating expression. "I have to disagree with you there. I care about my students. They're strong and they're true fighters."
"They're bullies," Harper cut in, stepping forward. She lifted her chin, holding the shake in her hands by tightening them into fists. "Just like you are. You don't give a shit about them, you just want to cause as much pain as possible."
Johnny placed a hand on her shoulder as if to hold her back. He watched her with a frown but a proud twinkle in his eyes. "I got this, kid," he muttered.
"You always were a distraction, weren't you?" Kreese said, zeroing in on her. "You act like you're above it all, but the truth is that you're just a scared, broken kid with no family."
The words stung more than she wanted to admit, especially given the custody battle she was currently in the midst of. But she only narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe I am, but at least I don't turn to violence just to feel better about myself."
Kreese just laughed, the sound was dark and unsettling. "You should've taken the offer to join Cobra Kai when you had a chance. You would've been a great addition to the team with that sharp wit of yours. But, instead, you chose… this," he said with disdain before straightening. "My students are tough, and they wouldn't make the mistake of showing mercy and ending up in a coma!"
Harper's mouth opened, his words like a punch to all of them. They were cruel and sharp and only proved just how messed up he was. She quickly glanced at Hawk to see his reaction, but his expression was calm. Kreese had delivered a low blow to Miguel's injury, and Hawk just stood there like it was nothing. She could understand him not stepping up for her, but letting Kreese tear into his best friend like that? That was what hurt the most.
Miguel walked up, his face twisted with anger as he stood behind Johnny. He didn't say anything, but she could feel the anger radiating off of him. Without a word, she looked over at him and just nodded once. A simple sign to show that she stood by him, that he had a right to be pissed off.
But then Hawk stepped up at the same time, except he looked somewhere past them. Save for the cold mask he wore, there was the tiniest flicker of guilt behind his eyes. It disappeared just as quickly, as if he'd reminded himself that emotions were weak and didn't belong in Cobra Kai.
"Seriously?" Harper muttered. "I thought you were better than this."
"What's the matter, Harper? Disappointed you didn't change his mind," Tory asked with a faux frown. "He's one of us, and it's sad that it took you this long to figure that out."
"No. I'm kinda used to disappointment, remember? You know, with being a foster kid and all," Harper answered with a shrug. "I just figured he could think for himself without needing a devil on his shoulder pulling the strings. But guess I was wrong. Turns out he's no one without you guys. It's kinda sad, though. That he doesn't have a personality outside of Cobra Kai."
Hawk's expression darkened immediately, pushing aside the bits of hurt that lingered in his eyes. "Foster," he warned, his voice low as he stared at her with what should've been an intimidating look, but she didn't even flinch.
"What?" Harper asked, matching his glare.
"Stop," he said.
"Or what? You'll break my arm next?" Harper asked with a scoff.
Hawk blinked in surprise, that mask slipping for a fraction of a second. "What? No, I wouldn't —"
"Careful," Harper interrupted, nodding towards where Kyler and Tory stood. "Your friends are listening. You wouldn't want them to think you're weak, would you?"
He briefly looked towards them before locking his gaze on her. He looked at her like he was still mad, but there's softness now — the kind that wasn't there before. She tried not to read too much into that or the emotions he was trying so hard to bury underneath all that anger and hatred. It would be dangerous for her to see something beyond that for the fear of getting her hope up again.
"I'm not weak," he said.
Harper tilted her head and watched him before nodding slowly.
"I'm not," he repeated, as if saying it twice would make it more true.
"Yeah? Then prove it!" Harper said, closing the distance between them. She looked up at him, her pulse stuttering as she looked into his eyes and searched for the boy she'd given her heart to. "Prove that you're better than them. Because walking away, Hawk? That's strength. Not… whatever this is."
Kreese tuned into their conversation just then, a frown pulling at his face as he looked between them. Without a word, he gently pushed Hawk back before glaring at her. "Control your student, Johnny, or I will."
But Harper was only focused on Hawk and this dumb determination of hers to get through to him despite everything. But with his friends and Kreese beside him, he was closed off to her words. He heard them — she knew he did — but he chose not to listen. His mind was already made up, and had been for awhile. So all this energy she was wasting on him was slowly burning her out.
"Fine," she said with a defeated sigh. "Let's see how long it'll be before they turn their backs on you. Because they will. And when they do, you'll have nothing left."
"You're really gonna let this foster trash talk to you like that?" Kyler asked with a cruel laugh.
"Shut up, Kyler," Hawk muttered, shooting him a cold look before turning back to her. His eyes locked onto hers for a moment before he avoided her gaze entirely. "You don't know what you're talking about, foster."
"And you don't know what you're doing," Harper countered, taking another step toward him. "You really think these guys are your friends? They'll turn on you faster than you can blink. You know that, I know you do." She wanted to reach for him but stopped, the bitter reminder that they weren't together cutting across her already damaged heart. "I know you. And you're so much better than this. Than them. Just… choose to be better. I'm not asking you to do it for me, but do it for yourself. Please."
She paused, internally wincing at how much she was begging for him to see past the shit Kreese was feeding him. They were over, and she had no right to care this much but she couldn't stop. Even when she replayed every horrible thing he'd done, Harper couldn't stop herself from caring. It was pathetic the way she still gravitated toward him as if he hadn't crushed her heart into dust.
Hawk looked around, clearly uncomfortable by the whole thing. Whether it was everyone listening or her words or being confused about what the right choice was, she didn't know. But there was a flash of something in his face that made her hope that maybe — just maybe — he would think for himself.
"Harper, I'm —"
"Enough," Kreese interrupted, his voice loud and commanding. He put a hand out and moved to push her back, but Johnny stepped in his path.
"Don't even think about it," Johnny warned.
Kreese let out a dark chuckle, holding up both hands as if in surrender. "This is it, Johnny. There's not going to be another chance."
"Good," Johnny said.
"You made your choice, and you're going to regret it," Kreese said before he walked away with Hawk and the others trailing after him.
Harper stared after them, arms crossed over her chest as she felt more than a little shaken by the whole thing. She shut down whatever feelings had dared to escape, barely even blinking when she caught Hawk sneaking a glance at her over his shoulder. But he'd made his choice, and it was loud. When she looked away first, she caught Miguel watching her with that quiet concern and understanding. His hands were still clenched at his sides – the anger still pulsing within him – but his attention was on her.
"He's not worth it," Miguel muttered beside her.
"Yeah, no shit," Harper said with a frustrated breath.
She knew that the Hawk they knew was gone, replaced by a violent kid whose life revolved around pleasing a villainous dojo. But Miguel had held out hope. She'd seen it on his face earlier when he'd spotted Hawk, and that flicker of happiness had danced in his eyes. And now that light was out, replaced by defeat and loss. Harper felt his disappointment as if it were her own. She wished he could've been spared from it – from watching his friend go deeper into Cobra Kai with no way to turn back around.
But seeing was believing.
And perhaps it was the silver lining they needed of how shitty everything was.
"Listen up!" Johnny yelled, his loud voice breaking through her thoughts. "You just saw what we're up against. Kreese and the others… they're not gonna go easy on us. And we can't sit around like little girls after they've fallen off the swingset. Now we train. We don't back down just because Cobra Kai shows up."
A few murmured sounds of agreement floated amongst them, but it was obvious that Kreese had intimidated them. This wasn't training just to defend yourself from bullies. This was training meant to prepare them for a war that they willingly signed up for. And there was no backing down now.
"Now, fall in line! We're not doing this halfway, so let that anger fuel you," Johnny continued, his eyes trailing over all of them. "And if you're unsure, then get the hell out of my dojo because we don't have the time or the space for weakness."
Harper didn't move at first. Her brain was still caught on the tail end of Kreese's threat and her last words to Hawk. It was a whirlwind that kept her mind spinning out of control, making her wonder if there was something else she could've said or done differently. But then Johnny's sharp voice cut through her mind, and she scrambled to line up with the rest of the class. Her nerves were rocketing higher by the second, but she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She wasn't here for Hawk. Not anymore. She was here to fight for what was right.
Johnny barely gave them a second to breathe before launching into their first training. Just like she predicted, she was a little more than rusty. Her movements, which had once been smooth and sure, were now stiff and uncoordinated. Perhaps it was because she was too stuck in her head to truly focus, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed every time he looked over and had to correct her form. Even though everyone else was focusing on their own movements, she felt as if she was being watched and judged.
The last time she'd trained had been with Hawk – just the two of them tucked into a corner of the same park, training and growing closer. But now, she was with five other students and a sensei, and it was all different. Not in a bad way, just not what she was used to. Perhaps that was what was throwing her off so much. There was more pressure now to be good and focused, but she wasn't backing down.
It wasn't the same park anymore. Not really. But Harper didn't care. She wasn't here for memories — she was here to make a point.
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Thanks for reading! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter :)