THE WAY WE BREAK || cobra kai

The next morning, Johnny hovered anxiously, waiting for Tessa to wake up. He checked on her a few times, pacing the apartment, but by ten o'clock, she was still asleep. Sighing, he finally pulled out his phone and called Miguel. "Hey, can you come over and keep an eye on Tess? I gotta run a few errands," he asked.

Miguel showed up not long after, letting himself in quietly. Johnny gave him a quick rundown—"Just hang out, make sure she's okay. Call me if anything changes"—before heading out.

For a while, Miguel just chilled on the couch, scrolling on his phone. Then he spotted a Nerf gun sitting on the counter. A grin tugged at his mouth. He grabbed it, loaded a dart, and looked over at Tessa's closed bedroom door.

Right on cue, the door creaked open, and Tessa shuffled out, rubbing her eyes. She stopped when she saw Miguel. "Why are you here?" she asked, her voice scratchy with sleep.

Miguel smirked, lifting the Nerf gun and aiming it right at her. "Babysitting," he said—and fired a dart straight at her.

Now, Miguel was crouched behind a bush outside his apartment, Nerf gun locked and loaded. His heart pounded as he scanned the complex. He knew Tessa was out there somewhere, waiting to ambush him.

The rules were simple. His apartment was home base for him. Johnny's was hers. And the wide-open complex courtyard? No man's land.

A soft shuffle of footsteps echoed from the stairwell nearby. Miguel smirked, excitement thrumming through his veins. Found you. He moved low, creeping toward the steps with his Nerf gun raised, finger twitching near the trigger—WHACK! A foam dart nailed him in the forehead.

Miguel let out a startled yell, nearly dropping his gun. "Ow—what the?!"

Tessa stood halfway up the stairs, smirking, her Nerf gun twirling in her hand like she was in some kind of Western. "Sniped!"

Miguel rubbed his forehead, frowning. "That was a cheap shot."

"Pfft. That was awesome," Tessa corrected, grabbing another dart. "Face it, Miguel. I'm better at this than you."

Miguel narrowed his eyes, heart still racing from adrenaline and pure stubbornness. "We'll see about that." Without warning, he bolted forward, charging up the stairs with his Nerf gun raised like a knight charging into battle.

Tessa shrieked, laughing, the sound cutting through the morning air. "Oh, crap—!" She spun around, trying frantically to reload as she sprinted up the stairs, her sneakers thudding hard against the concrete. But in her rush, her foot caught the edge of the top landing—and before she could catch herself she slipped.

Miguel watched as she tumbled forward, arms flailing—and then—a gut-wrenching scream tore from Tessa's throat as she hit the ground hard.

Miguel's stomach dropped. The Nerf gun clattered from his hand, forgotten. "Tessa?!" he shouted, his voice cracking as he sprinted up the remaining steps two at a time.

Tessa was curled into a tight ball, clutching her arm to her chest. Her face was ghostly pale, twisted with agony. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her breathing ragged and shallow.

Miguel dropped to his knees beside her, panic clawing at his chest. "Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit—" His hands hovered uselessly in the air, desperate to help but terrified of making it worse. "Tessa—what—"

She sucked in a shaky breath, her voice breaking. "Miguel, I—I think—" She gasped, looking down at her arm—bent at an angle that made Miguel's stomach churn. "Oh my God—"

"Oh. shit. shit. shit," Miguel muttered, feeling dizzy.

Tessa sobbed, pressing her forehead against her knee as she clutched her broken arm. "Miguel—it hurts—"