little bird // r.keene

xxxiii. be there.

Wren knew this whole idea was dumb. She thought about turning around the whole walk over to the LaRusso's house. But no, if she was going to do this and if it was going to work, she had to do it with some element of enthusiasm, this had to go right.

She knew in the back of her head, a little voice screaming at her, this could make or break Cobra Kai's chances at winning the tournament as a dojo. And also, even though the idea of Miguel still made her angry... and sad, a bit of both. She was doing this for him.

Wren knocked once, then twice on the door. They had a doorbell but she was so caught up in her own thoughts of what she was going to say that Wren missed it completely. She didn't bother knocking a third time because the door swung open and before her stood Sam in a checked shirt and white joggers, her hair was down and spilled over her shoulders in loose curls. Wren looked up from her feet to meet the girl's eyes. They were a mesmerising blue, the colour of the sky on a clear day, but underneath she saw deeper shadows. The kind that told her Samantha LaRusso hadn't been sleeping well.

She understood why Miguel was first attracted to her, there was no question Samantha was beautiful in a way that made Wren feel insignificant. The whole feeling was stupid, Sam was always nice in school, that was until Wren had joined Cobra Kai and until the events of last night.

But at the mere sight of Wren Evans in her doorway, Sam made a motion to shut the doorway.

"Wait!" Wren said suddenly, sticking her shoe in the door so Sam couldn't slam it in her face, but she did it with enough force, it still hurt Wren's foot. "Please, Sam just hear me out."

"What do you want, Wren?" Sam asked, a disinterested look plaguing her features, opening the door again and Wren removed her foot.

"I wanted to apologise for last night, I didn't mean to over step... I just, I hate it when people get drunk and I wanted to prevent an argument between Miguel and Robby. I swear I didn't mean for things to end the way they did." Wren pleased, biting the inside of her mouth.

She watched as Sam crossed her arms, looking down at her from the top step. Sam thought back to how Robby had defended the girl in the car on their way home, at the time Sam didn't want to hear it at all. She couldn't get the image of Miguel with his arm around Wren out of her head.

"She was just trying to help, Sam. She didn't mean to get shoved on purpose."

Sam remembered Robby saying and only until now, with the girl on her doorstep, did Sam realise he was right.

"It's okay I guess... I'm sorry too, I was just mad. But, that's a pretty shitty excuse... I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Her words lifted a weight off Wren's shoulders and the girls exchanged a small smile.

"So you'll come to the tournament?" Wren asked playfully, feeling the hostility fade between them, like melting ice... still a little cold, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Why do you care?" Sam asked, uncrossing her arms but leaning on the doorway.

"Because I don't really know you but I do know how much you mean to Miguel, if you're there I know he'll fight ten times harder." Wren explained.

"What makes you say that, he's probably still mad at me because of Robby." Sam thought out loud, looking down at her feet.

"Because if you're there, he'll try and show off." Wren joked and it worked, Sam let loose a small laugh and Wren returned the gesture.

"Also, it's okay if you don't know but have you heard from Robby this morning? He had a fight with my dad and left, it seemed you guys knew each other."

"Yeah, he helped me get out of a bind a few weeks ago, we had met before. He's fine but the whole bump with Mr LaRusso kinda threw him off." Wren paused, "He's okay." Wren thought back to when she had left her room, Robby still curled up and asleep soundly. "I've got to go but I hope you'll come to the tournament to watch me win." Wren smiled widely and began to take a few steps away, back down the LaRusso's driveway.

"Wait, you're competing?" Sam shouted down to her and Wren just held up her arms in a sort of surrender.

"Someone has gotta straighten those boys out..."

"I didn't think you would come by today." Will said, pulling out his chair and sitting opposite Wren who had been too distracted to notice his approach. "Isn't your tournament today?" He asked and Wren nodded.

"Yeah but I got time, it doesn't start until this afternoon and I always have time to fit in a visit with you Willy." Wren smirked, leaning forward on the table on her elbows, resting her face on her palms.

"I hate you."

"You wound me, such a sweet boy with such a foul mouth." Wren joked about his offence at the nickname. But even with a smile on his face at her jokes, Will let his eyes skim over the bandage which still coated her bruised knuckles.

"What happened?"

"Funny story actually..." Wren said, picking at the soft material, looking down again, Will lowered his head to catch her eyes.

"You can talk to me, Little Bird."

"It was nothing," She paused, "A girl remembered me and she remembered Rue. She said some things and..." Wren let her words trail off as she struggled to find the right words, "She started a fight she couldn't finish." She said simply and it was true, Yasmine's first mistake was thinking she could say those things about Rue in front of Wren and not be met with a punch. A mistake she would not make again any time soon.

That broke the ice of Wren's hesitancy to tell Will what happened and she spiralled into the events of the party. Wren told him about Miguel and Sam's fight.

How Robby had been there.

How Miguel shoved her.

How Hawke tried to defend her but he got it wrong.

How he yelled at her, how she yelled back.

How she felt like an idiot for trying to make peace to begin with.

How she went to the dojo and punched a bag until she bled.

How when she got back to The Bookshelf, Robby had been there waiting for her.

How he had sat in the cold on the street, even though it could have been hours before she showed up.

Wren told Will of how much that meant to her.

And Will listened to every word, soaking in her troubles and doubts. Wishing that he could walk out and fix any of the dozens of things Wren was struggling with.

How he wanted to wrap her in his arms and take any blows which came their way, even if it meant feeling the pain a million times over.

How that was what Rue would have wanted him to do.