─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

tabby walked into stingray's home with her cobra kai teammates. kyler had ordered his limo to drive them there, and now they were standing outside the door, waiting to be permitted entry.

"hey! cobras old and new." he greeted them once they reached the front of the line. "what's going on you guys? hey. question, i could use your help. uh, seeing as i saved prom and all, think you could help talk to sensei kreese and put in a good word for me?" he asked.

tory glanced over to robby, trying to think of what to say. "yeah. uh, it would be cool to have you back. we'll do what we can. but if you wanna convince sensei kreese, you should try talking to sensei silver."

tabby glanced up at the mention of her grandfather's name, now intrigued by the conversation. she just then noticed that robby and tory were holding hands, making her scoff. so much for just a revenge tactic.

"sensei silver— is that the one with the... with the hair?" stingray asked. kyler nodded, putting his hand up high to gesture sensei silver was the tall man. "guy scares the hell out of me, but i'll give it a shot."

kyler nudged the girl forward, "this is his granddaughter, if you need to get through to him." he said. tabby rolled her eyes at him, but stingray's face lit up. "whoa, are you serious?" he questioned.

"yes." tabby nodded. "but i don't speak—speak for him. so you're, uh... better off talking to him yourself."

"wow, thanks tabby." stingray nodded. he stepped back, giving them room to enter his house. "come in, come in."

∙ ~εïз~ ∙

"how are you?" miguel asked, watching as she stepped over to the toilet. when she texted him and said she would meet him in the bathroom, he didn't expect her to actually use it. he didn't think they were exactly going to talk either...

"i'm good." she shrugged, pulling her long dress up and her underwear down before sitting on the toilet. miguel glanced away, unsure as to why he was present. "things have been a little... off. but i'm sure once i get a drink or two in me, i'll be good."

"that's nice." miguel nodded, trying to look anywhere but at her.

"yeah. i think we can make it work, by the way." she said. miguel's head shot up with a mixture of surprise and excitement. "wait, really?! no. no, sorry. make, uh... make what work?" he asked.

"you know... night of just us. no karate, no rivalries. just you and me." tabby reminded him. once the toilet flushed, miguel looked back to her. "isn't that what you wanted?" she questioned, turning the tap on and moving her hands to under the running water.

"yeah, of course it is." miguel nodded. "i just feel like we can't really be us if we don't want anyone from cobra kai seeing us together."

"yeah, i guess you're right." tabby nodded. "it's just... if grandpa terry finds out? he'd lose it, i know he would. we could uh, do something after? my driver could take us."

"have you got anything in mind?" miguel questioned, leaning against the wall of the bathroom. tabby hummed, trying to think of something. "not sure. let's just see where we end up." she said.

"that's fine with me." he agreed. "hey, i've been meaning to ask but, how's everything with you? your therapy, your special classes... your dad?" he mainly wanted to ask her how she felt about her dad. hearing his yaya bring up his father brought a newfound interest in miguel.

"what's with all the questions?" she asked. "are you with the fbi?" miguel jokingly raised his hands up in surrender. "you've got me. i surrender."

tabby scoffed. "surrendering already when i didn't even threaten you? you'd suck at working with the fbi."

miguel put his hands down. "maybe i surrender because you intimidating me."

"i intimidate you?" she asked with surprise. "miguel, i'm in a dress. this is this least intimidating i get."

"exactly." he shrugged. "and-and i never said it was a bad intimidation." miguel pointed out. tabby raised her left eyebrow, stepping closer to him. "do i make you nervous, diaz? is my dress making you nervous?" she teased.

miguel's gaze slipped from her eyes and traveled down her body. the red dress fit her perfectly. the low neckline, the thin straps, the—

he quickly shook his head and gulped before he spoke. "i-uh... no. yes? no. tabby, look. i'm pretty sure you've already figured it out."

"figured what out?"

"uh, i was going to ask-ask you to be my girlfriend again tonight." miguel admitted.

the flirtatious expression on tabby's fave disappeared and she sighed, the girl knew this moment would eventually come. she just didn't think it would be so painful, so awkward. "miguel..." she said.

"i know you love me." he continued. "but i know you love cobra kai more."

"miguel, i do... i do love you. but i'm sorry." tabby sighed, biting her bottom lip to prevent her eyes from welling up with tears. "you're right. when it comes to romantic love and ambition, the latter always comes first. my grandpa told me that."

miguel took a deep breath, unsure of what to do now. "it's okay. knowing that you love me too if enough for me. i just— let's not let this ruin our night." he suggested.

"okay." she agreed. "i'm gonna head back down, and you can come a few minutes after." the girl said, her hand wrapped around the door knob. when miguel nodded, she pulled it open and stepped out of the room. with one last look at the boy, tabby shut the door and made her way to the staircase.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

tabby was feeling more emotionally regulated after she left miguel alone in the bathroom. mainly because she was multiple drinks in, or maybe because she was in a different environment. she was now sitting on the kitchen counter, speaking with her brother.

"i'm trying to be understanding." the boy explained. "i mean, i get that she's on edge because of the tournament, and she's justified for the anger she feels towards tory. but now, i can't help but feel like it's ruining the time we're spending together."

tabby nodded, pouring herself another shot of vodka. "right." she hummed.

"i really like her, tabs." theo sighed. "like... a lot. i just don't know what to do."

tabby shrugged, "maybe tell her that." she advised. theo nodded, "tell her again?" he asked.

"girls love reassurance. oh, and tell her that you think she's ruining your night." tabby explained before she placed the rim of the glass cup on her lips and threw her head back, allowing the liquid to burn through her throat. she lightly coughed after, placing the glass back on the counter.

theo raised his eyebrow at her actions. "are you sure you should be drinking? i read that alcohol and prozac mixed together can cause uh, secretion syndrome."

tabby rolled her eyes. good thing she wasn't on her medication. "what are you, my doctor?" she scoffed. theo sighed, "it's really serious, tabby. the symptoms are like a super fast heartbeat... a-and high body temperature." he explained.

"trust me, theodore. i don't have to worry about it." she chuckled, pouring herself another drink. "so, leave me alone. please." she requested.

"okay." theo nodded. he moved away from the kitchen, walking over to the living room area. there he saw demetri and yasmin intertwined together on one half of the couch, the other half rowan and eli sat together. theo glanced over their shoulders to see they were watching some cute videos of dogs.

"i still don't understand how that dog reminds you of me." eli chuckled, his eyes still on the mobile device. before rowan could reply, theo tapped the boy on his shoulder. he waited for rowan to turn and face him before he spoke.

"hey, ro." theo said softly. rowan was surprised to see him, "everything okay?" he questioned.

"i was just wondering if you could keep an eye on tabby with me." he explained. "she's drinking quite a lot, and i don't think it mixes well with... you know." he trailed off, not wanting to air out all of her business.

thankfully, rowan knew exactly what the boy was talking about. he sat up straighter, turning his body around more. "she's seriously drinking?" he asked. "yeah, i'll keep an eye on her. best to ask miguel to as well." he suggested.

"will do." theo nodded, patting the boy on his shoulder. "appreciate it, man."

"of course." rowan nodded, watching as he stepped away. eli wore a confused look throughout the whole conversation, but remained silent. "is she alright?" he asked, evidently concerned for his friend.

rowan nodded. "uh, yeah. yeah, she should be."

as the two turned back around to watch their videos, theo bumped into sam on his way to find miguel. she had two cups of beer in her hand and seemed happy to see the boy. "theo, theo. i grabbed you a drink."

the boy cringed at the gesture. "thank you... but i'm driving tonight, remember. i'm driving you home?" he reminded her. sam groaned with self-frustration. "i'm really sorry. i feel like i just keep messing everything up." she explained.

"well... tonight hasn't been perfect, that's for sure. but i'm just glad we're here together." theo told her. "and that you haven't let... you know who, completely ruin our night— your night."

sam gave him a soft smile. "i'm glad i'm with you too. i know i've been selfish tonight, but i want to make it up to you. i'll switch out your drink and i'll be right back, okay?" she asked.

theo nodded, "i'll be here."

"okay, just give me one second!" she exclaimed before rushing out of the room. theo watched her with a grin, glad that things were still okay with her.

once she had exited, the music on the stereo stopped, making tabby glance up from the counter. she was in light conversation with piper and another boy from their team. sensing something was wrong, stingray rushed into the room. "whoa! the day the music died. what's going on? guys, turn it back on."

"there are families on this street trying to get some sleep." stingray's neighbour, greg, yelled, joining the crowd in his nightgown. "if y'all don't go home right now, you are gonna get arrested for underage drinking."

"party pooper!" tabby yelled out, making him glare at her. everyone began to gradually move out of the room at the threat, but tabby didn't seem too keen on leaving, ignoring piper's offer to help her off of the counter.

"okay, relax. hey, guys!" stingray called to them, desperately hoping they'd stay. "hey, hey! you don't have to leave! it's fine. he's my neighbor."

the partygoers stopped in their tracks, wanting to see how the interaction would go down. "hey. what are you even doing here? you weren't invited." stingray told the man, calmly. "you should leave right now." he warned.

"okay, no one listen to this speed bump of a human." greg announced, making tabby snicker. "this is a loser, everyone! that's why he's partying with you, because he has no friends his own age."

"okay." stingray sighed. "i warned you, but you just had to push it and make it personal."

"i did, stink-ray." he sneered. "and you know what i'm doing right now? i'm gonna start pushing these buttons and i am gonna call the cops— ow!"

stingray seized greg's wrist, turning it to the side and snatching his phone. "it's not stink-ray." he corrected him, grabbing his shoulder. "also, this is really gonna sting." stingray kneed his neighbour in his crotch, making him groan out in pain and the crowd yelled out in surprise.

"so's this." stingray stepped back and hook-kicked greg in the face. the man hit the couch before falling onto the floor. stingray clicked the button on his remote, turning the music back on.

"party on."

they all began to cheer for him, making him ecstatic. "stingray! stingray! stingray! stingray! stingray!"

∙ ~εïз~ ∙

after seeing the events outside, rowan rushed back into the house. he quickly pulled tabitha off of the counter, splashing some of her water. "enough drinking. you need to come outside, there's a fight." he explained, dragging her to the back door.

tabby didn't even have a second to register his words as she was pulled through the sea of people. "between who?" she questioned, accidentally stumbling over someone's feet. "who's winning?"

she didn't even need rowan to answer the question because they had already arrived. she saw sam and tory attacking one another as miguel and robby did the same from beside them.

as they were closer, tabby pushed herself in between the two boys, scarcely dodging a punch from robby. she pulled the boy back by the sleeve of his jacket, "what the hell are you doing? what happened to no fighting until the tournament?!" she exclaimed, her words slightly slurring.

miguel was confused. he hadn't seen her, robby or tory interact all night, so he assumed she was unaware of their presence. but her face was one of annoyance, rather than surprise.

"wait... did you know they were going to be here?" miguel questioned, disbelief written all over his face. tabby opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, robby spoke up. "know about it?" he scoffed. "it was her idea!"

the confused expression morphed into one of hurt and betrayal. miguel shook his head, not wanting to believe his words. but tabitha's silence assured him that it was the truth. she sighed, stepping forward. "miguel—"

but miguel took a step backwards. "no." he shook his head, avoiding eye contact. miguel never wanted to admit it, he always wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. but they were right about her, tabby was cobra kai through and through.

miguel didn't know that the girl did it for him, suggesting robby go with tory meant that she was free to go with him. she sighed, pivoting around to face the girls. while the boys eventually resumed their fight, tabby called out to tory.

"tory, come on. it isn't worth it." she told her. she wanted to follow her sensei's orders of no fighting before the tournament. and she knew deep down how much it pained theo to see sam engaging in a fight with tory.

tory stopped her punch mid-air, just when it seemed like tabby had gotten through to her, miguel's body knocked into the girls. all four of them fell back into the swimming pool, tabby's dress instantly getting soaked and clinging to her body.

she quickly rose to the surface, pushing her hair back from her face. all the hard work carmen had put into her curls disappeared, her natural hair slowly but surely making an appearance. after drying his eyes, miguel couldn't help but watch as she continued to mess around with her hair. as mad as he was at her, he couldn't deny the fact that she looked incredible, even after being pushed into the pool.

"oh, we're jumping into the pool?!" stingray yelled, rushing forward. "this is the greatest night of my life! cannonball!" he hollered as he raced forward, leaping into the water.

people followed after him, willingly diving into the water to join them. tabby watched as rowan made his way over to the edge of the pool before swimming to meet him. "you wanna join me?" she asked.

the boy sighed, knowing that he didn't really have a choice. he peeled his shoes off, placed them on the pool's side, and stepped inside. once he was in, tabby immediately splashed water on him, initiating a back-and-forth game.

"let's play chicken!" someone yelled, making tabby squeal excitedly.

while she was having a grand time, her brother was not. he was waiting for samantha by the ladder, a downcast expression on his face. sam was hit with a wave of guilt when she saw his face but even as upset as he was, he still helped the drenched girl out of the water.

"theo, i am so sorry—"

"i just want to go home." he said. "is it alright if i drop you off now?" the boy requested. sam sighed, hanging her head down with shame. "yeah, sure." she muttered.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

tabby was hangover and still drunk when she and her grandfather took the uber to the dojo. despite it being the morning after prom, she was still drinking out of her flask in an attempt to de-stress after her eventful night.

silver seemed to be in a similar state, stumbling out of the back seat of the uber, alcohol reeking off of him too. "i have some... business to take care of before we head home." silver explained, "you stay out here." he instructed, pushing the door to the dojo open.

tabby nodded, following behind him. while he made his way to the back room, the girl crawled onto the mat, laying down on her back and spreading her limbs into a starfish shape. she stated at the ceiling as she continued to sip on her tequila, the girl was so out of it that she hadn't realised an hour had gone by.

the door of the dojo jingled open and stingray stepped into the building. he saw the girl lying on the ground and frowned, "everything okay?" he questioned. tabby put her arm out, her thumb up. "is sensei silver here?"

she pointed to the back room just as the sound of glass smashing echoed through the quiet room. stingray walked away, hoping to convince sensei silver to let him back on the team. tabby droned out their loud conversation, the only thing on her mind was miguel. the look on his face when he found out about a plan that she barely remembered.

the sound of grunting and laughing is what pulled tabby out of her train of thought. she sat up and glanced to the back room.

"you wanna be cobra kai?!" she heard her grandfather yell. her eyebrows knitted in confusion and she pushed herself onto all fours. her body was weak, but she managed to gain enough strength to crawl closer to the back room.

once she was near enough, tabby's heart dropped. she watched as silver sent a viscous punch into stingray's face, forcing his body down into the ground. "you wanna be cobra kai, huh?" he taunted.

her chest tightened and her stomach churned at the sight. silver began to continually kick stingray's body, asking the same question over and over again despite the man already being down. tabby's breathing became strained and she quickly moved back against the wall, out of sight.

before the girl could even process what she had just watched, her body shut down due to the excessive amount of alcohol she had been consuming. tabby's eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body completely relaxed, her head drooping forward.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
she's fine! she just passed out. anyways... robby will do anything to stop them from getting back together but the heart wants what it wants!

next chapter is lightly inspired by a euphoria episode, can anyone who's watched guess what scene it'd be?