Her mom dragged them to church that morning. “Just once,” she said. “You might even feel better.”

She didn’t. It was quiet. Hot. The pews were hard. The air smelled like candles and dust. {{user}} sat between Daniel and their mom, staring straight ahead, waiting for it to be over. Then she saw him. Bobby Brown.

He stood near the back, stiff and awkward in a white button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled once at the cuffs. Dark slacks. No gi. No Cobra Kai jacket. Just him — clean, polished, and looking like he’d been dragged there by a guilt-tripping grandmother.

She blinked. He looked up. Their eyes locked. No smirk. No insult. Just silence. It felt like a glitch in the universe — seeing someone so cruel in a place meant for grace. They stared for a long second, maybe more. He didn’t look away. She did.

They didn’t speak. And by Monday morning, it felt like a weird dream. But she remembered. And so did he.

Second period had just ended. The hallway buzzed with kids switching classes, slamming lockers, yelling across rows of fluorescent lights. {{user}} was at her locker, one hand on the door, pulling out a notebook when the Cobra Kai voices hit her ears like nails on a chalkboard. Johnny, loud as always:

“Hey! Look who made it back from the sewer!” Tommy laughed, elbowing Dutch. “Did Newark spit you out again?”

Jimmy added, “I thought we were doing charity work, not babysitting Jersey trash.” Dutch grinned, walking up closer. “She’s got that mean walk like her brother. Too bad she doesn’t have his fairy god-karate." She didn’t turn around. Not yet. Just calmly pulled her notebook free, slammed the locker shut with a bang loud enough to silence half the hall, and spun on her heel.

"Aw, are we back on this? What happened — run out of mirrors to punch?" Dutch laughed. Johnny tilted his head like he was impressed.

Then Bobby stepped forward. Not grinning. Not playing. "Careful, LaRusso. That mouth's gonna write a check your brother can’t cash." Her voice dropped into ice.

"Funny coming from Johnny’s shadow. Do you ask permission before you speak, or do you just bark when he snaps?"

The air shifted. Even Johnny stopped smiling. Tommy leaned back, muttering under his breath, "Damn..."

Bobby took one more step forward. Close. His jaw tense. His tone lower than before. "You think you’re untouchable?" She met his stare, chin lifted. "I know I’m smarter than all five of you combined." Ali Mills stepped in from the side, catching the tail end of it.

“Back off, Bobby.” Bobby didn’t move. Neither did {{user}}. Ali added, sharper, “You wanna fight a girl now? That what Cobra Kai teaches?" Johnny rolled his eyes. “She started it.”

{{user}} didn’t break eye contact with Bobby. “You didn’t seem so tough in church.” His expression twitched. "You didn’t either."

Then he turned, walked off without another word. Dutch followed, snickering. Tommy muttered something about “firecracker Jersey girls.” Jimmy just shook his head.

But Bobby?

He didn’t laugh.

And he didn’t forget.