chapter twenty-nine:
❛ the aquarium ❜

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The dim light of the aquarium cast an eerie glow across Alessia's face as she stood in front of a massive tank, watching schools of fish glide silently through the water. The gentle hum of the filters and the occasional splash were the only sounds, but they felt deafening in the otherwise quiet room. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, as if holding herself together. The rhythmic motion of the fish should have been calming, but Alessia's mind was anything but calm.

Footsteps echoed behind her, cutting through the stillness. Her heart sank, already knowing who it was before she even turned. She straightened slightly, forcing herself to look as Robby appeared from the shadows, his expression unreadable but his stride purposeful. He stopped a few feet away, his eyes locked on hers, and she felt the familiar tension that always seemed to linger between them these days.

"Plan on avoiding me the entire tournament?" Robby asked, his voice calm, but there was a sharp edge to it that made Alessia flinch slightly.

She sighed heavily, shaking her head as she turned back toward the tank. "No," she muttered. "But I don't know what you want me to say. I made my decision." Her voice was steady, but there was a hint of something underneath-regret, maybe, or defensiveness.

Robby stepped closer, his brows furrowing as his frustration began to surface. "You told me, 'I'm sorry for what is gonna happen.' This is what you meant, isn't it?" he said, his voice rising slightly. "Switching sides? Joining Cobra Kai?"

Alessia clenched her jaw, refusing to meet his gaze. She hated how easily he could see through her, even now. "I couldn't just outright tell you," she admitted after a long pause. "Kreese visited me while I was in rehab. You would have talked me out of it."

"Damn right I would've," Robby shot back, his tone biting. "Because this? This is the worst decision you could've made." He gestured around them as if trying to encompass the chaos of their situation. "You know what Cobra Kai does to people. What it did to me. To others."

Alessia finally turned to face him, her arms crossed tightly. "He helped you when you had no other options," she snapped, her voice rising defensively. "You can't just act like you didn't go down the same road, Robby. Don't stand there and judge me for it."

"That's different," Robby countered, his voice sharp. "I wasn't in a position to see the bigger picture back then. But you? You know better, Al. Kreese doesn't care about you-he's using you. Saying you're his Co-Sensei in training? That's bullshit, and you know it."

Alessia's glare hardened. "And what if it's not? What if this is my chance to actually mean something, Robby? To prove I'm more than just the screw-up who can't stay out of juvie or rehab?" Her voice cracked slightly, betraying the emotion she was trying to bury.

Robby softened for a moment, his frustration melting into something closer to concern. "You already mean something," he said quietly, stepping closer. "You don't have to prove anything to me. Or anyone else."

She looked away, the words hitting her harder than she wanted to admit. "It's not just about you," she murmured, her voice barely audible.

"What's it about then?" Robby pressed. "Because it sure as hell doesn't look like this is about making your life better. Kreese is good at making you think you owe him something, but trust me, Al, it's a dead end."

Alessia shook her head, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "You think you have it all figured out, don't you?" she said bitterly. "Kreese saw something in me when no one else did. He gave me a purpose."

"No," Robby said firmly, his tone cutting through her defenses. "He gave you a way to feel like you're in control, but it's fake, Al. It's all just manipulation."

She opened her mouth to argue, but he held up a hand, stopping her. "Let me guess," he said. "It started to feel wrong the moment you saw how Eli reacted when he walked into the dojo and saw you standing there, right?"

Alessia froze, his words cutting too close to the truth. She looked away, unable to meet his eyes as her voice wavered. "I didn't know he'd be there," she admitted quietly. "I didn't know it would feel like that."

Robby stepped even closer, his voice softening. "Because deep down, you know this isn't you. It's not who you are. Don't let Cobra Kai into your head, Al. It'll eat you alive. And I don't want to see you end up back in rehab-or worse, juvie."

Her head snapped up at his words, her eyes narrowing. "You don't get to decide what's best for me, Robby," she snapped, though her voice lacked conviction.

"No, I don't," he agreed, his tone gentle but firm. "But I care about you. And I'm not gonna stand here and watch you throw everything away."

He turned and started walking away, leaving Alessia standing frozen in the glow of the aquarium tanks. The water cast rippling patterns of light across her face, but she barely noticed. Her arms hung limply at her sides, her mind racing as his words echoed in her head.

For the first time, she wasn't sure if the path she'd chosen was worth the cost.

Alessia stood in front of the aquarium, staring at the soft, swirling movements of the fish. They were in perfect harmony, gliding together as though they were one, an effortless rhythm that Alessia longed to be a part of. Everything in the world seemed so simple in that moment - the fish, the water, the colors that danced through the light - but her thoughts were anything but clear. Her decision was weighing heavily on her chest, and for the first time in a long while, Alessia wasn't sure if she had made the right one.

The footsteps behind her grew louder, but she didn't turn around. She knew who it was. It could only be Sam. Sam, who had been a constant in her life through all the chaos, Sam, who would never let her walk through the storm alone. But now, it felt as though there was a gap between them, something unspoken that neither of them could bridge.

"Robby send you?" Alessia asked, her voice flat, almost distant. She hadn't meant for it to sound that way, but it felt like there was so much more she should have said and yet, couldn't.

Sam nodded, her expression full of concern, her eyes searching Alessia's face for any hint of what was really going on inside her. "Yeah. He asked me to talk to you."

Alessia let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for Sam to see her like this, to hear her out, to confront her about everything she had been avoiding. The tension in her chest tightened as Sam's words settled between them.

"Why, Alessia? You know what Cobra Kai does to people," Sam said softly, but with an undeniable edge of hurt, as though the weight of the situation had finally broken through her usually calm demeanor.

Alessia swallowed, but the words she had rehearsed in her mind all day didn't seem to fit anymore. She turned her gaze back to the fish tank, as if the movements of the creatures inside it could offer her an escape. "I can't back out now, Sam," she said, the words coming out with more force than she'd intended. She was trying to convince herself as much as Sam. "Especially Tory. I heard about her mom, and I can't just leave her like this."

Sam's face softened, but the concern didn't leave her eyes. She stepped a little closer, her voice quieter now. "I didn't want things to be like this," she said, her words hesitating at first as though they were caught between her heart and her mind. "I don't know what it's like to lose a parent. Or, in your case, to deal with addiction in your family..." Sam paused, glancing down briefly before looking up again, her gaze meeting Alessia's. "I know you made your decision under pressure. Kreese came to you while you were in rehab. But honestly... the only reason I'm so hurt is because..." She trailed off, taking another step toward her. "I thought we were good friends. That we'd tell each other things, Al."

The sting of her words hit Alessia harder than she expected. Sam was right. They had always been there for each other. They'd shared their fears, their dreams, their moments of weakness, but now there was this gap, this distance between them that seemed impossible to close. Alessia swallowed hard, unable to meet Sam's eyes at first. She couldn't handle seeing that look in them, the hurt and confusion that mirrored her own emotions.

Alessia's voice cracked slightly as she replied, "What? You would have helped me?"

Sam's face softened at the question, her brow furrowing in gentle disbelief. "Of course I would've helped you, Al," she said quietly, stepping even closer now, a small sigh escaping her lips. "I just wish you would've come to me. Or to Robby. We would've figured something out. We could've gotten through this together." Her tone was genuine, and the sincerity in her words made Alessia feel even more torn. Sam was offering her an out, a chance to undo the mess she had made, to go back and fix what felt broken.

But Alessia had already committed. She had already chosen. And she didn't know if she could go back on that, no matter how much it hurt to lose Sam's trust. The thought of leaving Cobra Kai now seemed as impossible as leaving behind a part of herself she wasn't ready to let go of.

A knot formed in Alessia's throat as she looked down at the floor, trying to collect her thoughts. She wanted to tell Sam that it wasn't just about Cobra Kai, that it wasn't about sides, but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to say that this wasn't a betrayal, but it felt like one. She wanted to explain that she had chosen this path for reasons she couldn't fully understand herself, but she didn't know how.

"I'm sorry," Alessia whispered, her voice barely audible. She felt the words slip from her mouth like a confession. She hadn't meant for it to come to this, hadn't meant to hurt Sam the way she had. "I didn't know what else to do."

Sam looked at her, the hurt still evident in her eyes, but now there was something else too-sadness, resignation. "I don't get it, Al," Sam said softly, a sigh escaping her lips. "I really don't."

Alessia felt a lump rise in her throat. She didn't know how to make Sam understand, didn't know if it was even possible. "I didn't want to lose you," Alessia whispered, her voice thick with emotion. But it felt like the damage had already been done, like the words had fallen too far into the space between them to ever reach her now.

Sam's eyes softened, but there was a quiet finality in her voice as she spoke. "I know. But I just wish you had trusted me. That's all."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The aquarium bubbled softly in the background, the sound of the water like a distant echo of everything Alessia was trying to drown out. She wanted to fix this. She wanted things to go back to the way they were, to have the friendship they'd shared without the weight of choices hanging over them. But it seemed impossible now.

Sam turned to leave, but stopped just as she reached the door. She glanced back at Alessia one more time, her expression full of unsaid words. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Al. I really do."

Alessia stood there, watching her go, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt like a part of her had just been ripped away, but she couldn't bring herself to follow Sam. She couldn't chase after her now, not when she wasn't sure where she was going herself.

The tank bubbled quietly in the background, the fish continuing to swim, endlessly gliding through their perfect patterns. Alessia took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to steady her racing heart. The water was still, but her mind was anything but.

ASH SPEAKS!!!

i feel so bad for alessia cause she is so misunderstood :(

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!!
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