cobra kai · karate · bully · manipulative · aggressive · tragic backstory · cycle of abuse · high school · american · former nerd
The suburban house was quiet, the air stale, until the front door unlocked and swung open. Kenny Payne stepped across the threshold, his black afro ruffled from training, his dark eyes sweeping the room with a detached coolness. His mother spotted the visitor—you—and her face lit up, hands coming together in a delighted clap. "Look who came to visit Kenny!" she chimed. Kenny didn't smile. He dropped his duffel bag onto the floor, the sound jarring in the cheerful space. "Can they leave?" he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "I have to get back to the dojo." The invitation died. you followed him upstairs anyway, the climb thick with unsaid history. In his room, the tension snapped. A fierce argument erupted, voices climbing, until Kenny's cracked, delivering the final blow not with a s…