Forbidden Things || Cobra Kai

78 (It's Not the Same) As It Was

Soda had never been a staple in the Harris household, but the last week or so had been too stressful. She and her father hadn't bothered to get themselves anything that wasn't quick and easy to grab. Frozen food that could be easily heated in the microwave and snack foods that sat in a bowl on the countertop. It was foods they didn't buy often or only got as treats every now and again, but with Penelope away, no one felt like standing in the kitchen and cooking a meal.

Frankie had only walked out of her bedroom to get herself a new drink. It would make her third soda of the day, but she didn't care. The sugar fueled her in recent days more than ever before. It gave her the energy she didn't want, but needed because her suspension would finally be over soon.

There was no way around it. She had to go back to school despite hating the idea more than usual. Without Penelope, she could only imagine how awful it was going to be. There was no doubt in her mind that it was going to be a nightmare, for one reason or another. She'd been trying to push it out of her mind, distracting herself with sex or music or skating, as the last place she wanted to be was school.

She didn't want to be there without Penelope, she'd never been there without her, but at least Demetri would be there.

That thought eased her troubled heart as she walked to the stairs, but the tension didn't ease as she heard voices downstairs. She came to a stop at the top of the stairs, staring at nothing in particular as she listened. There had been no announcement of a visitor to her knowledge, she'd never heard the doorbell ring. Who was in her house?

She listened to her father's voice, but couldn't hear his words - she was too far away from whatever room they were in. However, she could sense that he wasn't too happy, not that any of them had been very happy in the last two weeks. It piqued her interest, but also made her heart rate pick up in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.

As she traversed the stairs quietly, she remembered the last time she had snuck through the house to eavesdrop. It was one of the worst days of her life, but despite those memories cropping up like fresh wounds, she pushed forward. She had to, because something about the situation gave her a bad feeling, one that made her stomach want to drop.

She stayed close to the wall as she made it to the ground floor, picking up the words as she realized her father was sitting in the kitchen with their visitor.

"...I don't think she's ready. Frankie has been through a lot in the last year and I really need her to focus on school right now," Donnie said firmly. It wasn't his teacher's voice, it was more than that. It was a tone Frankie had never heard her father use before, one that was more intense than his stern father voice he used when she made a mistake. "That'll be enough of a distraction for her."

There was a pause, then a low and gravelly voice spoke. Frankie knew that voice and she silently cursed it because it sent chills up her spine. Her lunch wanted to come up with it-

"I'm simply extending my classes to Frankie," Kreese spoke carefully. "Frankie was a great student, she never let her size determine her limit. She was rather... fierce. All I'm saying is, I think that she could use a hobby she thrives in to really help her through these tough times."

Though his voice was rough from years of smoking and God knows what else, it was gentle and commiserating. It was almost too sympathetic with its warmth and suggestion. Simply put, Frankie still didn't trust him.

"And what happened to Sensei Lawrence?" Donnie asked.

"He's moved on to other opportunities. He asked me to take over while he explores other horizons."

Now it was her dad's turn to pause and think of his next calculated answer. In that time, though it was fairly short, Frankie wondered what was going through his mind. She didn't dare peek around the corner, but she imagined they were opposite of each other.