Cochlear | A Cobra Kai Fanfiction

35

"What is that?!"

Jesse hadn't meant to blurt it out so judgementally.

Honestly.

She didn't.

A slip of the tongue.

But the love struck look on her friend's face had her heart wringing out and when they got into her car one look at the graffitied cast had her eyes bulging and stomach falling into a seemingly never ending pit. It wasn't like she couldn't put the pieces together, that Yasmine wrote on his cast, but Jesse couldn't help but frown in disbelief when it was combined with the look of someone who saw water for the first time in months.

"O-oh, yeah..." Demetri mumbled out sheepishly, holding up his cast as if a KPop artist signed it with their blood. "Yasmine... oh man, my heart for her has come back!"

Jesse's words died out in her chest, stomped down along with her heart into flat pancakes the size of her fists. She swallowed, trying to regather her thoughts and not let out the harsh string of words that threatened to overflow with her clenched fists as a power up. The hurt she had felt begged to be let out, to be delivered tenfold, and she would be able to do it so very well... she could make him cry again!

"O-oh, that's. That's nice."

Did girls have voice cracks?

At the soft, almost weak, approval, Demetri shot off into his explanation of what had happened. How Yasmine had come to him to sign his cast without him even initiating! Then he accidentally word vomited and it worked in his favor, so then she smiled and they share science, didn't she know?!

And Jesse had to listen quietly and nod her head at each passing moment. Her skirt heavy with dried gum and a new knife digging into her chest at nearly every word. She longed to discuss what had happened to her, what Eli had done to her and then how Miguel had offered to sit beside her and how for the first time she felt safe in a class with the Mohawk.

Instead of any of that, Jesse vowed silently to herself an amendment to her previous vow to avoid violence. She took a deep breath as they entered the Greek household and announced their entrance, immediately heading up to Demetri's room to work on homework while Demetri continued his passionate speech about his crush on Yasmine.

Jesse vowed that she'd be supportive of her friend, no matter the cost.

After all, it was just another penance for her crimes.

By the end of the night she had finished her homework with an almost alarming lack of Demetri beside her and she had almost raced home to free herself from the misery she felt. It wasn't until she was at home quietly preparing her lunch that she felt a realization that warmed her but quickly turned into an almost sobering chill.

"Makin' dinner?"

There had been a declaration of peace inside the household that Jesse both appreciated and hated. Her brother sauntering in as if they were normal siblings, plopping down on a stool at the breakfast counter wearing a Cobra Kai t-shirt and sweats.

Wait.

"Since when we're you taking karate?" Jesse frowned as she stuffed rice from the rice cooker into a plastic container. "And Cobra Kai at that?"

"Well, if you weren't so caught up in cosplaying as a dork—" Kyler ignored the scoff and eye roll, continuing his accusation. "—you would have noticed this weekend."

"Why doesn't it surprise me?" Jesse rolled her eyes and gestured over to bowls, silently requesting the dishes and Kyler grabbed them for her without question, automatically hip-bumping her and dishing out a scoop of rice into each. "You having fun?" It was sarcastic, but Kyler ignore the tone and smirked down at his sister.