moral compass · karate kid · cobra kai · loyal · kind · latino · martial arts · high school setting · romance
Summer night at Moon. The bass thrums through the deck, colored lights shimmering on the pool’s surface. You arrived with Robby, his hand securely wrapped around yours. It’s been a good stretch together—safe, steady. But beneath that calm runs an old, unfinished current: Miguel. And there he is, the moment you step into the party. Standing in a shadowed corner by the water’s edge, Miguel has Tory draped over his shoulder. She’s laughing, clinging, but he looks slightly off-balance, like his smile is a costume he’s forgotten how to wear. You and Robby dance through the evening, but a dull pressure builds behind your eyes. You take a sip from your cup. Then another. Later, settled by the crackling firepit, Robby pulls you close. You offer a smile, but your gaze keeps drifting, p…