The days following Friday night's incident at the arcade were like one big stretch of time. Slow, yet fast. A waking nightmare that Harper had no idea how to navigate. The moment she'd woken up Saturday morning, reality had come crashing down around her. And all that she could do was lie in bed, numb from the horrors that replayed through her mind on a continuous loop. She couldn't shut them out no matter what. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Demetri's arm being snapped in half, and heard his screams echoing in her mind.

She was furious, heartbroken and scared.

She was furious at herself for not being able to stop Demetri from getting hurt. Furious at Hawk not just for breaking his arm but for breaking them up — for letting Cobra Kai drag him under their spell. And furious at Sam for still finding a way to turn this around on Harper when all she'd done was help.

She was heartbroken for the pain Demetri endured at the hands of his best friend. Heartbroken for the friendships that had been shattered, including Cole's bond with Hawk.

But, mostly, she was just scared. Scared about how Cobra Kai's influence ran so deep and so powerful that they could turn anyone into a monster. She was scared for the person Hawk was becoming at the hands of his friends and Kreese.

That night had broken her — broken her trust in the very people she'd believed in. Harper had let herself be vulnerable and open only for that to come back to bite her.

It was a cruel and bitter reminder of why she'd always kept people at arms length. It never ended well, especially for her. She blamed Hawk for taking their imperfect yet steady relationship and crushing it with one horrible decision. But she blamed herself the most for getting too comfortable and too trusting.

Harper should've known better. She'd let herself believe in something, only to be the one left picking up the pieces while he walked away.

She pulled the sleeves of the hoodie over her hands — Hawk's hoodie because, of course, she was torturing herself with reminders of him. A sigh escaped her lips as she turned her head to the side, squinting at the alarm clock on the side table. It was after eleven, and she was still in bed. It felt like the safest place to be. Here, she could pretend the outside world didn't exist. Here, she could pretend — for a moment — that everything was fine rather than the screwed up mess it actually was.

But Olivia already knocked on her door five times that morning as she had cautiously checked in on her. Harper had said she was fine, that she was just tired because it was the easiest answer. Aside from Cole, her foster parents had no idea what had gone down Friday night save for the breakup with Hawk. She trusted them, but she didn't want to dive into the horrors of that night. Especially when she was just processing everything herself.

She wanted nothing more than to drown in her sadness because this was what she deserved. Despite all the warnings from her friends, she let herself believe that Hawk was different – that he wasn't this monster they made him out to be. And she'd been proven wrong in the worst way imaginable. Her heart was a mess. It was broken beyond repair, but the more she let herself suffer in Friday night's memories, the more withdrawn she became.

But rather than live in the pity party she'd thrown for herself, Harper chose to focus on her anger. It felt safer for her heart.

Until her phone buzzed with an incoming text.

She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing who it was without needing to check. Because the only messages she'd received were from one person and one person only. Her phone was filled with dozens of missed calls and texts from Hawk — apologies, excuses, and justifications for that night.

None of it mattered, though.

None of it would change or erase what happened.

As far as she was concerned, she and Hawk were done.

It had been over the moment he'd pinned Demetri to the ground. He'd crossed that invisible line straight into Cobra Kai's waiting arms, the last shred of his humanity disappearing into the abyss. She'd watched the change in him as if in slow motion — had watched the light go out behind his eyes as he'd made his choice.

So nothing he said or did would fix anything.

Harper forced herself to sit up and move from the position she'd been lying in for hours. It had felt nice to retreat into herself, but it had done nothing to make her feel better. She still felt as empty and broken as ever. She needed to move, to leave the safety of her room in an attempt to move forward. Or, at least, try to move forward.

She was used to dealing with shitty situations. Ninety-five percent of her life was just one big wreck, so sulking over a breakup seemed pathetic. So what if she'd given her heart to Hawk only for him to crush it? So what if she'd let herself trust him only to watch as he turned into a monster? What she needed to do was lock that part of herself away and let herself forget everything. To move on as if she'd never fall for him in the first place.

It was easy. It was something she'd done hundreds of times in her life when things got especially difficult.

Yet, this time, it felt impossible because there was no room big enough for her to lock all of that away.

Letting her feet hit the floor, Harper stood up on legs that were too stiff and awkward to support her. She walked towards the door, pausing when she caught her reflection. Her hair was a wreck — strands of hair escaped the messy bun she'd thrown up yesterday. Her eyes were red rimmed from tears that she had absolutely not been shedding over a boy she definitely still didn't love. Her clothes, specifically his hoodie that she told herself she'd accidentally thrown on, were crumbled but too comfortable to take off. It was the ghost of a hug that she'd never again feel.

Harper blew out a breath. Walking out of her room looking like this would surely give Olivia a heart attack. It would make Lucas worry and they'd demand answers to questions she'd rather not answer. So she forced herself to go to the bathroom where she fixed her hair, washed her face, and brushed her teeth before venturing out into the rest of the house.

The moment she stepped out into the hallway, she could feel it. That shift in the world that told her things were different now. She buried her hands in the sleeves, taking a deep breath to hold onto her composure. Because she was this close to falling apart.

She passed by Cole's room and caught him sitting at the foot of the bed with a game console in his hand. The images flashed on the small screen, but he sat there unmoving as if he was also dealing with the aftermath of the horror show. It was because of her — because she'd crushed his view of the world and Hawk. She'd told him the truth because he deserved to know it, and she watched his innocence fade away.

Before Harper could second guess herself, she lightly knocked on his door and walked inside. The room was dim — his curtains were drawn, blocking the cheerful sunlight from spilling into the room.

"Hey," Harper said quietly, her voice slightly hoarse as if she hadn't used it in days.

Cole glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes but didn't say anything. But he didn't kick her out either, and she'd take that as a win.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently.

He didn't reply for a long moment. Then he shook his head, and her heart clenched at how hard he was taking this. For reasons that frustrated Lucas and worried Olivia, Cole had looked up to Hawk. He'd copied his every move from how he talked, and even to how he dressed. And Hawk had let him — he'd taken Cole under his wing and spent time with him, even when Cole sabotaged their plans by inviting himself out with them.

It was sweet. It was genuine.

And now Cole lost that. He'd lost his hero, the person who didn't treat him like an annoying kid brother who tagged along like a third wheel.

"Same," Harper said, hovering by the edge of the bed before she sat down beside him. "I know this sucks. Like, a lot. But, if you want to talk —"

"It's fine. It's whatever." Cole shrugged, his voice quiet and detached. "It's nothing I can't handle."

It wasn't just his tone that made her breath still, but the words that came out. They weren't his words, but Harper's. She'd used them anytime life threw her a curveball and destroyed something good in her life. And now Cole was using that exact phrase. He'd learned it from her, and it just about tore her up inside. Because he shouldn't need to have a jilted view of the world, not like her.

Harper opened her mouth to tell him that it wasn't true, that he shouldn't have to just deal with it, but she couldn't. Because as much as she wanted to tell him to open up, it went against everything she'd learned over the years. She was the queen of deflection, of hiding her feelings. And if she told him to not bottle up his feelings, then she'd had to let herself feel what she felt and that… she couldn't do that.

So rather than be a hypocrite, she said nothing. She sat beside him, staring at a spot on the wall as they sat in the heavy silence. Each one of them was dealing with their own thoughts or perhaps running from them, the latter being the safer option.

"If you want to talk— "

"I know," Cole said quietly.

Harper nodded and then, like the older sister that she was, nudged him before giving him a smile that felt just a little bit too forced. She stood up, knowing there wasn't anything that she could say or do to fix this. Cole needed to deal with this on his own, just like she did.

So, once again, she stepped out into the hallway. Her fingers tightened around the bracelet as she paused on the second story landing right near the edge of the stairs. Real life was down there, and she braced herself before forcing herself to descend the stairs. The stairs creaked under her weight, as if announcing to the entire house that she'd come out of hiding. But it hadn't been hiding, not really. She thought about it as a quiet retreat, a brief pause from the real world until she was ready to face it again.

Harper hesitated on the button step, the final plunge into living feeling like too big of a step to take. But she'd never shied away from dealing with shit head on, and this was no different. Because nothing had happened. Life was as unfair and chaotic as it'd always been, and it was her own fault for letting herself get too close and too vulnerable. If anyone was to blame, it was her. And now she had to face the music, accept that she'd screwed up and move on.

The kitchen stilled when she stepped inside. Lucas and Olivia looked up from their tasks to watch as she made her way across the tiled floor towards the island. Multiple emotions and thoughts flitted across their faces, and she had to look away to avoid reading them. Harper didn't want their pity, didn't want them looking at her as if she was broken from something they couldn't even begin to understand. If she did, then she'd break and all the progress she'd made at acting like the world hadn't crashed down around her would be for nothing.

"Hi," Harper said, keeping her voice light as she forced a smile onto her face. She sat down at the island, reaching for the mug of coffee Olivia placed down before her. It was enough to break through her walls, but she swallowed it down with a sip of the scalding drink, barely noticing the way it burned its way down her throat.

"Hi, honey," Olivia said, her voice too concerned for Harper's liking. "Are you hungry? I was just about to make some lunch."

Harper wasn't hungry, but she nodded. "Sure, sounds good."

Act normal. Pretend to be okay. Pretend that you're not falling apart.

She'd faked it her entire life, so this shouldn't have been difficult – except it was.

Lucas regarded her with that fatherly kind of scrutiny that made her want to shrink into herself. Her choice in the hoodie didn't go unnoticed by him, and his lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line, but he didn't say anything. Maybe because he knew now wasn't the time. Or maybe it was the imperceptible look Olivia had thrown his way as a silent warning to stay quiet.

Harper settled into the chair, letting herself relax while being hyper-aware of how different everything was. There was a weight to the air that hadn't been there before, and every look her foster parents threw her showed that they felt it, too.

"Any plans for the day?" Olivia asked, her voice casual but there was a tightness to it. She smiled softly, moving around the kitchen as she prepared lunch.

Not anymore, she thought with a sigh that sounded just too bitter. But whatever plans she'd had were null and void.

"Just… homework," Harper answered.

And surviving.

And trying to pretend like her heart wasn't leaving little Hansel and Gretel trails everywhere she went.

"So, are you gonna tell us —" Lucas started, but was cut off by Olivia.

"Lucas, help me with this," Olivia said lightly, ignoring the annoyance that crossed his face.

When Lucas grudgingly walked up to her, they spoke in a hushed whisper, obviously talking about Harper and her fragile state. They were walking on eggshells around her and, while she appreciated it, she also hated it.

Yes, her heart was completely broken, but she could handle it. She'd been through worse shit in her life, so this was nothing. Or so she told herself.

They kept the conversation especially light and casual. Mundane talks about the weather, classes, and a new cafe Olivia wanted to check out were woven in with a special kind of care. And by the time Cole emerged from his bubble, Harper felt calm enough to join in. Everything somehow felt normal again even if Cole was uncharacteristically quiet, and Harper looked one fake smile away from breaking.

But maybe if she acted like she was okay and pretended that her world hadn't imploded, she could make it be true. She'd done it countless times before, and she'd do it again. She had to. It was the only way for her to move forward.

Just when they were finishing up lunch and were in the middle of a conversation that brought a first real smile to her face, the doorbell rang. It was loud, jarring, and she felt it in her bones like a silent warning. Her breath immediately hitched, her fingers finding her bracelet despite the long sleeves that swallowed her whole.

Olivia and Lucas shared a quick glance, and Cole's posture stiffened long enough for Harper to notice. She'd done this to them. She'd made them panic for her, made her problems theirs, and she hated herself for it. Whatever she was dealing with, it wasn't up to them to fix or deal with. They had their own issues, and they shouldn't have to shoulder hers just because she'd been too reckless with her heart and willingly walked into a heartbreak everyone knew would come.

"I'll get it," Harper said, already sliding off the chair before she could think her decision through.

Her heart beat erratically as if it already knew who was standing on the porch. If it was who she thought it was, she wanted to handle it herself. She needed to stop sulking and deal with her problems head on instead of hiding like a broken little girl.

But as Harper walked towards the front door, her steps slowed until she realized she was no longer moving. She was frozen in place, her body physically stopping her from facing Hawk. Because, of course, it was him. She could just make him out through the window, pacing nervously on the porch because she'd ignored him since Friday night. Harper told him off that night, called him a monster and ended things. She'd been strong, but now she couldn't even face him.

And that made her feel weak. Powerless.

It wasn't like her to freeze like this. It wasn't like her to be unable to clean up her own mess.

"Harper?"

She turned around to find Lucas and Olivia standing behind her, their expressions a mix of curiosity and worry. When the doorbell rang again, she flinched against the piercing sound.

"Are you gonna answer that?" Olivia asked gently, as if giving her permission to move forward.

"Yeah," Harper said, swallowing the emotions in her chest.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out before taking a few steps forward only to stop when the door was just out of reach. She stretched out to grab the handle, but pulled back as if she'd been burned and turned back to her foster parents. They watched her with so much concern and love that it only increased her heartbreak.

"Do you think —" Harper started and paused, her eyes flicking to Olivia before landing on Lucas. "Can you just tell him to leave? Please?" Her voice was quiet and fragile as she practically begged him to do this for her. She knew that if she answered it – if she faced him – she'd break even more. And the last thing she wanted was for Hawk to see her falling apart because of him.

Caught off guard, Lucas blinked as he tried to process her words. "Are you sure you don't want to do it?"

Harper shook her head. It felt like all the air got sucked out of the room, and she was left gasping for breath. "I don't… I can't."

Lucas gave a single nod, his expression steeling as he brushed past her toward the door. Before Harper could move, before she could even process that she had a clear view, he was already pulling it open.

And just like that—her heart stopped.

Because she hadn't been given the chance to hide.

And now, she was face to face with Hawk.

Hawk didn't even register the fact that Lucas stood before him with his arms crossed over his chest and a no nonsense look on his face. His attention was solely on her, and it just about killed her.

The seconds stretched impossibly long. And Harper's stupid, poor and broken heart still felt that pull towards him. Even after everything, she wanted to talk to him. It overpowered all of the pain, anger and resentment she felt for what he'd done. For how he'd become a true Cobra Kai with one reckless decision that had broken more than just Demetri's arm.

"Harper," Hawk said, taking a step forward only to be blocked by Lucas. "Come on, just talk to me. Please."

Harper's heart cracked even further at the 'please' that sounded so unlike him. It almost — almost — broke through her resolve. But she pushed it down, focusing on her anger than anything else. And before she could make a brash decision, she stepped away so that she didn't have to see him.

She dropped down onto the bottom step of the stairs, her arms wrapping around her legs as she listened to a conversation that she'd never wanted to hear.

"Can I talk to her?" Hawk asked.

"She doesn't want to see you," Lucas said, his tone steady but filled with that protective edge.

"Look, I just need to talk to her," Hawk said with a frustrated sigh. "I know I screwed up, okay? But she's not answering my texts, and I need to —"

"Screwed up? Look, I don't know what the hell you did to her but you need to leave. Now," Lucas said.

"But can you just—"

"No, and I'm not gonna repeat myself, Eli," Lucas said, his tone daring for him to argue. "I'm not your teacher right now, and we're not at school, so don't make me do or say something that we'll both regret. So get the hell out of here."

Harper flinched at Lucas's tone, her arms tightening around her knees. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, and she could almost picture Hawk debating whether to push past Lucas or leave. She expected him to push back. To fight. But instead, she heard the sound of footsteps retreating, then the finality of the door slamming shut. And maybe that should've made it easier. But all it did was make her chest ache even more.

It was like the final nail in the coffin. He hadn't fought for her — he just walked away.

Harper dragged a hand through her hair, a heavy sigh slipping past her lips before she could stop it. Everything was a mess, tangled in emotions she couldn't sort through—anger, sadness, regret. Anger was easier, cleaner, something she could hold onto. But no matter how hard she tried, the ache in her chest refused to fade. They were officially over. The teasing, the banter—it was gone. The late-night drives to nowhere, the gas station snacks, the quiet movie marathons where she felt like she belonged—all of it, just memories now.

And as much as she hated him for what he'd done to Demetri, she missed those simple moments.

"He's gone," Lucas said, his steps faltering when he caught her sitting on the stairs. His expression softened, and he leaned against the banister. "You okay, Harper?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," Harper said, her answer automatic. "Thanks for, you know, telling him to leave."

"What the hell did he do to you?" Lucas asked, trying to understand — to make sense of what happened between them.

"Nothing. It's… I'm fine." The words felt hollow, but she didn't give Lucas a chance to question them. Before he could press for more, she turned and walked back into the kitchen, where Olivia was clearing up after lunch. Harper reached for a pile of dishes, but before her fingers could even graze them, Olivia gently pulled them away.

"I got this. Go relax," Olivia said, offering a kind smile—one that only made the ache in Harper's chest worse.

"But I can't relax," Harper muttered, shaking her head as she stepped around her, determined to help. "I just… I need to do something."

Keeping busy was easier than thinking. Easier than feeling. She reached for a dish towel, but before she could even start drying, her phone buzzed. A new text. Another apology. Another desperate attempt to reach her.

Without hesitation, she deleted it.

She couldn't face him. Not now. Maybe not ever.

"Alright," Olivia said, passing her a dish to dry.

They worked in silence, time slipping by in a blur as Harper focused on the repetitive motions, trying to empty her mind. She didn't want to think. Didn't want to feel. Her thoughts had dulled from a deafening roar to a persistent whisper, but they still lurked in every corner of her mind, waiting to resurface. If she let herself dwell on just one for too long, it swelled, growing louder until it was impossible to ignore.

Olivia was talking—soft, easy conversation meant to fill the quiet. Harper appreciated the effort, appreciated the way Olivia was trying to pull her out of the fog she'd been stuck in. But the weight in her chest wouldn't budge, and the lump in her throat made speaking feel impossible. All she could manage was a hum of acknowledgment, barely a response at all.

Before she knew it, the dishes were done. The kitchen was spotless, save for her half-drunk cup of coffee on the counter. That was the worst part—having nothing left to do, no distraction to cling to. The silence pressed in, suffocating, heavy.

She picked up the mug and took a sip, barely registering the bitter, now-cold liquid as it slid down her throat. She forced herself to swallow it anyway, focusing on the burn in her chest, on the way her hands shook from the sheer willpower it took not to break down.

Just when she thought she'd regained control, the worry words slipped out.

"He broke Demetri's arm," Harper said, her voice just above a whisper. She surprised herself by talking — by confessing to Olivia what happened that night when all she wanted to do was forget — and clamped her mouth shut as if that would take her words back.

Olivia looked up from the plates she was stacking, her fingers sticking against the porcelain. "What do you mean he broke Demetri's arm?"

Harper shrugged, fingers clenching around the mug, but she could feel Olivia watching her, waiting. The words sat at the tip of her tongue, threatening to spill over like an overflowing day. And then, before she could stop them, they spilled out.

"He didn't… it wasn't an accident. His friends forced him to do it, and Hawk just… he listened." She could picture that moment all too well, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment but the image was burned into her mind. Her breath was shaky when she let it out. "I couldn't stop it. I tried, but Hawk wouldn't listen. He just…."

"Oh, honey," Olivia said, rushing over to her side.

Harper felt the warmth of her presence before she even reached for her. It was too much. If she let Olivia hug her, she'd shatter into a million pieces. So she took a step back before Olivia could wrap her arms around her in a hug that she desperately needed.

"Don't. I'm sorry, I —if you hit me, I'll just start crying, and I don't think I'll be able to stop," Harper said, already feeling the bitter sting of tears.

Olivia nodded understandingly, moving back to give her the space she needed. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. That you had to go through that alone."

"It's fine," Harper said with another shrug. "But I guess I finally know what he's like, right? I mean, everyone warned me about him, and I was too blind and stupid to think he could be different."

"You're not stupid for wanting to see the good in people," Olivia said, shaking her head.

"No, but I am," Harper said with a bitter laugh. "I looked past everything that he's done. All of it. Him stealing the fundraiser money, and bullying my friends for fun."

"You chose to see past that. That's not being stupid, Harper. That's letting yourself see past the darkness," Olivia explained, but Harper was too far gone in self-pity to hear her.

"No, it's not," Harper said, her breath catching as she relayed the last few months in her head. Everything good that happened was overshadowed by the bad, and it made her doubt what was even real. "What if none of it was real? What if he lied when he said that he loved me?"

The pity in Olivia's eyes was unmistakable. "I don't think he lied. What you two had was real. I could see it. And, yes, he did something horrible — something unforgivable, but —"

"But what, Liv?" Lucas asked, his voice was loud and full of anger that seemed to shake the room around them. "You're going to tell her that what he did was okay? Like he didn't just break his friend's arm because his friends forced him to?"

Harper's heart dropped into her stomach. She hadn't anticipated Lucas overhearing the conversation or her quiet confessions. She felt tense all over, the emotional weight on her shoulders threatening to break around her.

"That's not what I was going to say," Olivia said, tensing as well beside her.

"Good. Because that's the last thing Harper needs," Lucas said, stepping into the kitchen and leaning against the counter. "Look, I'm sorry he turned out to be an ass. I'm sorry that you're dealing with this, but I always knew he'd do something like this and hurt you. I've known the kid since freshman year, and he's changed. Eli went from a quiet kid to a bully overnight." Lucas sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. He hesitated for half a second, then muttered, "Harper, if you thought he wasn't capable of something like this… then you weren't paying attention."

His words hit like a slap, even though she'd already told herself the same thing a hundred different times. Her fingers circled around the mug, her knuckles going white.

It was another 'I told you so'. Another person pointing out her blindness for listening to her heart rather than her mind.

Harper had heard it all. From Sam, from everyone else in Miyagi-Do. And now Lucas was throwing those words in her face as if she didn't already know what an idiot she'd been.

"This is who he is, Harper. I don't know what you expected, but it was never going to be some fairytale ending," Lucas said, his words laced with a truthful venom that wrapped around her heart like barbed wire.

"Lucas." Olivia's voice was a quiet warning as she looked between them. "She knows that, but she doesn't need you rubbing it in."

"I'm not rubbing it in! I'm just — You think I like seeing her walking around the house like a heartbroken zombie for the past two days? You think I'm happy that I was right about him? Well, guess what, Liv? I'm not. I'm pissed. I could kill him for what he did to Harper," Lucas said, his voice rising just enough for her to flinch from the intensity. "And the worse part? He probably doesn't even care what he did."

Harper stared into the inch of coffee that remained at the bottom of the mug. Her vision blurred, and she didn't know whether it was anger, sadness, or exhaustion clawing at her chest — but it was suffocating.

"I get that you're mad, but this isn't helping anyone," Olivia said. The glare she directed at him was sharp enough to cut glass. "But just because he did something bad doesn't invalidate how Harper feels or what they had. She has a right to miss him, and —"

But Lucas's sharp laugh cut her off. "Miss him? You've gotta be kidding me. She shouldn't be missing him, Liv. She should be happy she got out when she did."

Harper hated this. She hated the fighting and the tension. She hated that it was all because of her. And all because she'd fallen for the one person everyone warned her against. How hard was it to follow her rules of not getting attached or comfortable? It was a strict way of life that she'd been living by her entire life. But, no, she has to let her guard down only to subject herself to pain.

"I know, okay?" Harper's voice was shaky, quiet but with an intensity that got them to stop fighting. She let out a breath, trying to steady herself. But the words kept spilling out before she could stop them. "I know how dumb it is to still miss him. I'm so mad at him, and I won't ever forgive him for what he did to Demetri but… I still love him. And I can't just turn that off, Lucas. And maybe I'm dumb for still caring. Maybe none of this was real. Maybe he didn't care like I did…." She swallowed hard, the weight of the words pressing down on her. "But it was real enough."

Olivia hesitated, her gaze soft as she reached out but didn't touch Harper. "Of course it was real," she said, ignoring Lucas's eye roll and look of disapproval. "I don't want you to doubt that just because he did something inexcusable. But, I also don't think he set out to hurt you."

"Oh, come on. You've gotta be kidding me with this," Lucas said with a frustrated laugh, running a hand down his face. He crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw clenching as he looked between them. "I get that this sucks, Harper. But he's not the kind of guy you should be losing sleep over. He made his choices. And I know it hurts to watch him turn into someone you don't recognize, but maybe this was always how it was gonna end."

Harper let their words sink in. She was pulled in two different directions — lost between love and hate. Each emotion was valid, but there was only one clear winner. While her heartache was at an all-time high, she didn't see herself getting over what Hawk did. He'd made a choice, just like Lucas pointed out. He knew what he was doing. He knew it was wrong, and he still went through with it.

And she'd forgiven a lot. She'd excused him and hoped that he'd get out from under Kreese's control, but that hold was tighter than she'd thought. And Friday night only cemented where Hawk's loyalties were.

And they weren't with her.

Her chest still ached. Her heart still screamed at her to hold on. But she ignored it. She had to. Taking a deep breath, she clenched the fabric of his hoodie in her fists for a moment — then, with a breath, she forced her fingers to loosen, to let go. The anger was safer. The anger was smarter.

She fortified the wall she'd been building since she was six to keep herself from getting hurt, and let herself hold onto one main emotion: anger.

It was easier that way.

It was the smarter option.

Because there was no use crying over a boy who would rather be a monster than someone redeemable.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Harper said to Lucas, the words more difficult to admit than she'd like. Her fingers tightened around the mug, the heat long gone. For a second, she almost let herself linger in the ache. Then, she exhaled and let it go. She blinked back those traitorous tears and forced a smile onto her face as she dropped her mug in the sink.

"No, you need to stop — Wait, I'm right?" Lucas asked, blinking in surprise. He cleared his throat and nodded. "I mean, of course I'm right. I'm telling you, this was probably for the best. I know it hurts like hell, but it's about time you're seeing him for who he really is."

"Yeah, no, I know," Harper said, the words tasting better.

But she wholeheartedly agreed with him. She'd been trying to look past that intense Cobra Kai persona, telling herself it was just an act when it had been real this entire time.

She was heartbroken — that much was evident — but maybe Lucas was right. Maybe there was no point in crying over someone like Hawk.

"Harper, that's not —" Olivia started.

"It's fine. I'll be fine," Harper said with a nod, willing herself to believe it. "I couldn't change him. He was always going to be a Cobra Kai bully no matter what. And I'm done pretending that he was different. People don't really change, you know."

Lucas nodded like he'd been waiting for her to say it. Olivia, though — her lips parted, like she wanted to disagree. But she didn't, because Harper wouldn't listen.

The finality of her words hung in the air like a stone that hung precariously on a frayed rope. She didn't let them talk, didn't let them confuse her between two very different opinions that only messed with her mind.

Harper decided to focus on anger over her other emotions.

At that moment, Harper chose herself.

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