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."
Sam gave her a nod. "Yeah, okay."
Tessa's relief was immediate. Like air filling her lungs for the first time all day.
Tessa quickly nodded, already turning. "Dad! I'm going to the LaRussos!" she called out behind her, not waiting for a response. She flung the car door open and climbed inside, slamming it harder than she meant to. Her hands shook as she yanked on the seatbelt, and then she just sank—folded into the seat like she'd finally collapsed under the weight of holding it together all day.
After a short drive, Tessa slipped quietly through the LaRusso home, the warmth of the space wrapping around her. The voices of Sam and Miguel already drifted off into the distance, their laughter barely audible as they disappeared into another room.
She made her way up the stairs, pausing in front of Anthony's door. The soft hum of a video game filtered through, along with a few muttered comments she couldn't quite make out. Tessa hesitated for a second, unsure if she should just sit somewhere or actually interrupt him. But before she could think about it too much, she knocked lightly on the doorframe. "Hey, Ant." she greeted softly, trying to sound casual.
Anthony, who had been so absorbed in his game that he hadn't heard her approach, jumped at the sound. His controller slipped from his hands, landing with a soft clatter on the floor. He turned, his eyes wide with surprise. "Tess?"
"Sorry, sorry," she held her hands up, feeling guilty for startling him.
Anthony grinned, though it was more out of nervousness than anything else. "No, no, it's fine. I just...wasn't expecting you...why are you here?"
Tessa shrugged and sat down at the edge of his bed, glancing around his room—everything was the same as the last time she was there. "I just needed to get away from my dad for a while."
"Is everything okay?"
"I don't wanna talk about it." Tessa mumbled, voice flat and far away. Her fingers tugged at a loose thread on her sleeve, over and over, like she didn't even notice she was doing it. Like if she stopped, she might unravel completely.
Anthony didn't say anything right away. He just looked at her for a moment, like he was trying to read between the lines of her silence. Then he leaned back slowly in his chair, the legs creaking slightly as he shifted his weight. "Okay," he said simply. "Wanna watch a movie or something?"
Tessa nodded again, a small dip of her head.
He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, the screen flickering to life with a soft hum. The familiar menu appeared—rows of movies, suggestions, things they'd watched before. He scrolled for a second, then tossed her the remote. Tess caught it with her good hand and wordlessly stood up from the edge of his bed, making her way over to the giant beanbag nestled in the corner of his room. It swallowed her whole when she dropped into it, her casted arm cradled against her chest. It was warm and safe in his room, and for a second, she felt like maybe she could actually breathe.
Anthony watched her quietly as she scrolled, the light from the TV casting soft shadows across her face. "Hey," he said after a moment, his voice quiet. He nodded toward her cast, a small, hopeful smile tugging at his lips. "Can I sign it?"
Tessa blinked, glancing down at her arm like she'd forgotten the cast was even there. "Sure."
He got up, grabbed a black marker from his desk, and walked over to her, lowering himself beside her on the beanbag. It shifted under them, pushing their shoulders together lightly. He gently took her arm into his lap, careful not to jostle it, the uncapped marker hovering midair for a moment. But the marker never made it to the cast.
His eyes drifted to her hand—the one resting just beneath the edge of the cast—and his smile slowly disappeared.
Her fingers were torn up, skin raw and flushed with angry red scrapes. He reached for her other hand without thinking, his movements gentle but urgent. The heel of her hand looked like it had been dragged across pavement.
Tessa..." he said softly, brushing his fingers just beside the worst scrape. "What happened?"
She pulled her hand back instinctively but didn't answer right away. Just stared at her palms like they weren't hers.
"I fell." she muttered.
"Again?" he asked, still holding her hand in his lap.
She gave him the faintest, worn-out smile. "I was trying this flip trick I've been working on," she murmured, eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. "Thought maybe I'd finally land it." She exhaled slowly, shoulders sinking. "Got very close with the pavement instead. We're bonded now," she added with a dry little huff. "It knows all my secrets."
The joke was there, but it wasn't funny, not to him. Anthony didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. He just looked at her for a long moment, his eyes quietly tracing her features—like if he stared long enough, he might figure out what was really going on in her head.
"Why are you even skating right now?" he asked, his voice low. "You already have one broken arm—are you trying to break the other one too?"
"I said I don't wanna talk about it, Ant." Tessa mumbled, pulling her knees a little closer.
Anthony gave a soft sigh but didn't argue. "Okay," he said quietly. "but I'm cleaning these up and getting bandaids." He walked toward the door but paused, looking back at her. "Pick a movie." he reminded her, grinning at the small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
authors note!
my poooooor tess.
Also I'm mapping out the smaller details of season five right now and I'm obsessed.
have a great day!
daisy