THE WAY WE BREAK || cobra kai

Monday morning came, and while Tessa still looked a little tired, she was doing much better. She had already missed a week of school, and Robby was starting to worry about her falling behind. He knew she'd catch up—she was smart—but with everything they had going on, he didn't want her to feel overwhelmed.

Standing in their cramped kitchen, he poured her a bowl of cereal, making sure to add just the right amount of milk. Before he could call her over, a loud, obnoxious banging on the door made him roll his eyes. He already knew who it was. "Hurry up, Tessa," he called toward her bedroom. "You gotta eat before we go." As he headed to the door, he paused in front of the mirror hanging on the wall, adjusting the shirt of his new LaRusso Auto uniform.

Another round of knocking, even louder this time. "Quit it," Robby muttered under his breath before yanking the door open.

As expected, Trey and Cruz shoved their way inside, heading straight for the kitchen like they owned the place. Trey immediately started rummaging through the cabinets, while Cruz zeroed in on the bowl of cereal sitting on the counter.

"Yo, come on—don't eat all the cereal again," Robby complained, watching as Trey grabbed a box of cereal.  Cruz reached for the bowl, but Robby casually snatched it away before he could get a bite. "That's T's," he said, placing it back down.

Cruz groaned while Trey smirked, stuffing a handful of dry cereal in his mouth. "Come on, man, grab your purse. Let's go."

Robby shook his head. "I have work."

Trey raised an eyebrow. "Wait... like, a job?"

Cruz looked him up and down, and then the two of them cracked up. "Oh, dude, look at his pants!"

Robby rolled his eyes, refusing to engage. He was used to their dumbass comments by now.

Tessa finally walked into the room, rubbing her eyes as she climbed onto the barstool. She looked from Robby to his uniform, then at his friends. "I think his pants look nice," she said simply before pulling her cereal bowl closer and digging in.

Robby smirked. At least someone had his back. "It's just temporary, alright? I got a gig over at LaRusso Auto."

Cruz made a face. "You mean, like... the ninja guy? Why?"

Robby leaned against the counter, smirking. "My dad hates his guts. When he finds out I'm working for him, he's gonna lose his shit."

The smirk didn't last long. Tessa's spoon clattered against the side of her bowl as she froze. "What?" she asked, her voice sharp.

Robby shrugged like it was nothing, but she wasn't letting it go.

"Why would you want to piss Dad off even more?" she asked, staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

Robby kept his posture relaxed, still playing it cool in front of Trey and Cruz. "Relax, Tess. It's not a big deal."

Tessa scoffed and shoved her bowl away, the spoon knocking against the ceramic. "Not a big deal?" She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "You're doing this just to make him mad? That's so stupid, Robby."

Robby's smirk faltered slightly. He didn't like seeing her upset, but he also didn't like being called out in front of Trey and Cruz. "Come on, it's just a job. And it's good money." He tried to convince her to drop it.

Tessa stood and swung her backpack over her shoulder, her face twisted in frustration. "You don't care about the money," she snapped. "You just wanna get back at Dad, and you're dragging me into it."

Robby frowned. "I'm not dragging you into anything."

"Yes, you are!" she shot back, tearing up slightly. "Because when Dad finds out, he's not just gonna be mad at you. He's be mad at me too. And you don't even care."