THE WAY WE BREAK || cobra kai

Tessa skated slow, lazy circles around the inside of the Eagle Fang warehouse, her eyes flicking over to her dad every couple minutes. He was busy yelling at someone, so she took another shot at the flip trick. Her board spun out from under her like it had a mind of its own, and she nearly landed on her ass again.

"Listen up, nerds!" Johnny's voice suddenly cut through the warehouse. "Today's gonna be a world of pain. Everyone fall in!"

Tessa stopped skating and kicked her board up into her hands. Her brows drew together as she watched her dad stroll toward someone she didn't recognize—some girl who looked like she hadn't stepped foot in a dojo before, let alone one like this.

"We have a new member joining us today," he announced, gesturing to the girl. "This is Devon Lee—our new female champion." He narrowed his eyes at Miguel. "Since Miguel broke our last one."

"Hi!" Devon waved cheerfully. "My pronouns are she/her."

Tessa didn't wait. She just turned on her heel, snatched up her board, and stormed out the side door like it had personally wronged her—like the whole damn building was in on some sick joke to make her feel like shit.

Her board clattered down again as she tried the trick one more time—spinning, landing wrong, and hitting the ground hard on her side. She stayed down this time, trying to breathe through the sting in her arm and the even sharper sting behind her eyes.

She didn't get up.

She didn't even try.

She just rolled onto her side, pulled her knees in, and let her forehead rest against them. Her chest rose and fell in short, shaky breaths. She felt like a loser. A loser with road rash and a bruised ego and no shot at the tournament anymore.

She was benched. Replaced. By some girl they found on the debate team.

And then—because the universe clearly wasn't done kicking her—Tessa found out her dad was dating Carmen.

Carmen.

Warm, patient, soft-spoken Carmen. The kind of person who remembered your favorite cereal and asked how your day was, like it actually mattered. The kind of person who made you feel safe without even trying.

Carmen was nothing like the drunk, careless men her mom dragged home—the ones who barely acknowledged Tessa, who were gone before she could even learn their names. And somehow, that made it worse—because Tessa knew Carmen was a good person. And it was obvious her dad liked her. Maybe even saw a real future with her.

Tessa pressed her fingers into the pavement, grounding herself against the sting building behind her eyes.

It wasn't that she wanted her dad to be miserable. She didn't. It wasn't even about Carmen. It was the quiet dread curling in her chest—the part of her that had been let down too many times, that still flinched at the thought of being left behind. Of being an afterthought. Like she always had been.

She stayed there, slumped on the ground, until the warehouse emptied out and the other students started heading for their cars.

"C'mon, T!" Johnny's voice rang out from across the lot, but it felt a million miles away.

She barely looked up—just in time to see Miguel heading toward Sam's car. "Wait! Miguel, hold on!" she called, bolting up and rushing after him. She reached the passenger side and leaned into the window like it was the edge of a lifeboat. "Hi Sam," she said, barely acknowledging her, then turned to Miguel. "Where are you going?"

Miguel hesitated. "Sam and I were gonna hang out at the LaRussos."

"Okay—can I come?" she asked without thinking. They shared a look and her heart sank. She could feel the rejection coming. Her good hand tightened on the doorframe. "I know you guys want some time to yourselves and that's fine... please just don't leave me alone with my dad right now."