𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 / ❛ a rumour ❜

[ episode four, cobra kai never dies ]

Marlee woke up to the sound of her brother's loud music blasting through the house, rattling the walls with every beat. Whenever their parents were at work, Ryder took full advantage and cranked up whatever Travis Scott song was at the top of his playlist, making sure it echoed through the entire house.

Marlee groaned, burying her head in her pillow, already feeling a headache coming on. "Ryder!" she yelled, dragging herself out of bed and walking down the hall to the bathroom.

She swung the door open to see him brushing his teeth in front of the mirror, totally oblivious to the noise.

"What?" he shouted over the music, his toothbrush still going.

"What is this, a concert? Turn it down!" Marlee yelled, her voice barely rising above the thumping bass.

"I need it! It motivates me to get ready!" he called back, flashing her a grin in the mirror.

"Oh shut up," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she marched over to his speaker and yanked the plug from the wall. Without waiting for his protest, she dragged it back to her room, ignoring his dramatic gasp.

"You bitch! I need it!" he called after her, his voice full of exaggerated indignation.

Marlee smirked, tossing the speaker onto her bed and walking out of the room. "It's not that deep, man," she laughed, heading downstairs to scavenge for breakfast.

Marlee shuffled into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets for something to eat. It was one of those mornings where everything felt a little off—like she hadn't fully woken up, but she needed to do something to get the day started. She settled on cereal, pouring the milk just a little too quickly, splashing it on the counter.

Ryder wandered downstairs a few minutes later, looking half-dressed, still rubbing his eyes. He dramatically plopped down at the kitchen table and pouted. "I can't believe you. You killed my whole vibe."

"You'll survive," Marlee said, spooning up her cereal, smiling to herself at the thought of how easily she could ruin his morning routine with a single move. "I'll make it up to you later."

Ryder didn't say anything, but after a few seconds, he sighed in defeat. "I'm gonna need like three hours of peace now. You've ruined my entire day."

She just smirked. "Tough luck, buddy." She grabbed a juice from the fridge and slid it across the table to him.

"Fine, but I'm telling you," Ryder said, cracking the juice open, "we're doing something fun after school. No staying in your room. It's a rule now."

Marlee raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, and it's gonna happen whether you like it or not." He grinned, clearly proud of himself.

She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, heading out the door. "I'll see you later."

Her walk to school was the usual. The sun had just started to peek through the clouds, casting a soft glow over everything, and she could hear the faint sounds of people talking as they passed by. Some friends, some strangers. It didn't matter much anymore.

The school bell rang as she walked through the gates, signaling the start of another day. As much as she wished she could just skip class and go back to bed, she knew she'd get in trouble. So, she made her way to the entrance, mentally preparing herself for the day.

When she walked into the school hallway, the usual chaos of kids talking, lockers slamming, and footsteps echoing filled the air. Marlee kept her head down as she navigated through the crowd, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone who might recognize her. After the whole mess with the rumors, she kept to herself, walking fast and quietly, her Airpods already in, just enough to block out the noise and the looks.

She reached her locker and started to shove her books inside, trying to get to class without a scene. The halls were full of laughter and chatter, but it wasn't the same as it used to be. She used to have people to talk to, to laugh with. Now, it was just the hum of her music and the faint murmur of voices around her.

As she was closing her locker, a voice broke through her thoughts.

"Yo, Marlee!" She heard a familiar voice call out. She turned to see Jace, the kid from her history class, walking up to her. He was the kind of guy who was always easy to talk to—too easy, really.

"Hey," she greeted, taking one earbud out.

"What's up?" Jace grinned, a carefree smile plastered on his face. He was one of the few people who didn't seem to mind her aloofness, and it was... nice, she guessed.

"Same old," she shrugged. "You?"

"Surviving," Jace laughed. "Ready for another day of pretending to care about class?"

"Is that a trick question?" Marlee smirked.

The two of them walked toward the entrance together. Despite everything, she couldn't help but feel a bit lighter around Jace. He wasn't trying to get anything from her; he was just there, in a way that felt easy.

"Have you heard about Yasmine's party in a few weeks?" Jace asked, glancing sideways at her.

Marlee scoffed, almost laughing. "Me? Yasmine's party?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're a bit of a loner," he teased. "But, c'mon, it'll be fun. Get out of your head for a bit."

"I'll think about it," she said, still unsure. She wasn't big on those kinds of events anymore, but Jace had a way of convincing her. Not that she'd admit it out loud.

.・゜゜・・゜゜・

Marlee sat at the back of the classroom, her Airpods in, letting the music fill her ears and block out everything around her. Her head rested against the back of her chair, her legs crossed lazily under the desk. It wasn't always like this. A month ago, she would've been out of her seat, cracking jokes with her friends or making plans for the weekend. But, no.

It all started with a rumor, because people just loved to believe everything they saw online.

Someone—probably someone who wanted to watch her crumble—spread that Marlee had been involved with some guy who turned out to be dating someone else. It wasn't true, but it didn't matter. The rumor spread like wildfire, and soon, every whisper in the halls, every sideways glance, was all about her. It didn't help that the guy in question had a reputation for being a player. And with her being someone who used to be more outgoing, the whispers stuck. So, she lost all or majority of her friends, even the ones who didn't believe it because it was easier to watch her fall then to help her back up.

She wasn't use to it all, sitting alone at lunch or having no one ask her for answers in class. She felt weirdly hollow. The worst part? She didn't know how to fix it. How do you go back to being who you were when the world's decided you're someone else?

She felt someone's presence beside her. She glanced up from her phone and found herself face-to-face with the new kid. He was standing next to her, awkwardly fidgeting with the strap of his backpack like he wasn't sure where to put his hands.

"Hey," he said, offering a shy smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, almost as if he wasn't sure if she was going to tell him to leave.

"Hi," Marlee replied, raising an eyebrow slightly. She didn't know him well—actually, she didn't know him at all. She had seen him around school a few times, but that was about it. His name? No idea.

"I'm Miguel," he added, looking at her with a bit of uncertainty.

Marlee didn't know what to make of it. She was unsure why out of everyone in the class, he was talking to her. But something in his tone made her pause. It wasn't the usual pity or awkwardness that people gave her; he just seemed.. nervous.

"Marlee," she said simply, offering him a small smile in return, though it felt like an unfamiliar gesture. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled just for the sake of it.

He nodded, looking around, as if unsure of what to say next. "I, uh, noticed you sitting here alone," he started, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I figured I could come say hi. You know, since.. you're new here too, right?"

Marlee blinked, the words hanging in the air for a moment. "New?" She hadn't thought of herself that way. Sure, she had been at this school for years, but with everything that had happened, it felt like she was starting over. "I guess. What about you?"

Miguel seemed to relax a bit, his shoulders dropping as he sat down beside her. "Yeah, I just transferred here a couple weeks ago," he said, looking over at her. "I don't really know too many people though. Figured I'd take a chance."

Marlee wasn't sure why, but she felt a strange comfort in that. Here was someone, just as out of place as she felt, making the effort to talk. She hadn't expected it. Miguel pulled up a chair and sat across from Marlee, glancing around at the class before turning his attention back to her.

"So," he said, breaking the silence. "What's your deal? You don't seem like the type to just blend in with the background."

Marlee raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Miguel shrugged with a slight grin. "You know, like.. you don't fit the typical 'quiet kid' vibe. You've got this—spark about you."

Marlee considered his words for a moment before offering a small, dry laugh. "Yeah, well, that's what it used to be like. I used to talk to everyone, hang out with the crowd." She paused, the slight bitterness slipping through. "But people change."

Miguel nodded, a little understanding in his eyes. "I get that. I'm still figuring stuff out myself, to be honest. New school, new people. It's a lot."

"You'll get used to it," Marlee said with a shrug, her voice softer now. "You find your crowd. Or you just... don't."

Miguel leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "I think I have a crowd. I don't really know though. I still feel kind of outside of it all."

Marlee nodded slowly. "Yeah,"

They sat in silence for a beat, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable. Marlee glanced around again, watching groups of kids chatting and laughing, but the moment didn't feel as distant anymore. Miguel was sitting with her, talking like it was normal. Like she mattered, even if just for a few minutes.

"So, uh, what's your story?" Miguel asked, breaking the quiet.

Marlee hesitated. She wasn't sure how much she wanted to reveal about herself, but she didn't want to shut him down completely either. "I used to be pretty social," she started. "Had a bunch of friends, always had plans. But things kind of... fell apart, I guess. People made shit up."

Miguel's expression softened. "That sucks."

"Yeah, well... stuff happens," she said, not wanting to linger on it. She changed the subject quickly. "What about you? You moved here from.. where, again?"

"Ecuador," Miguel replied, a little bit of pride in his voice. "It's different here, for sure. But it's kind of cool. I mean, I'm used to everything being more... laid-back, I guess. But this place has its own vibe."

"That's cool," Marlee said with a small smirk.

Miguel chuckled. "I joined this karate thing too. It's pretty sick. I need to stand up for myself, anyways."

"Sounds like you're giving it a shot," Marlee said, raising an eyebrow. "You think it's worth it?"

Miguel hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. I think it could be. I don't know if it's going to change my life or anything, but it's given me more confidence."

Marlee smiled faintly. "Well, good luck with that. I'm sure it'll work out."

Miguel smiled back, a little more confident now. "Thanks. Maybe you could come check it out sometime? You know, if you want to try something new."

Marlee gave him a surprised look. "Me? Karate?"

"Yeah, why not?" Miguel grinned. "It's not as bad as people make it sound. If you're not doing anything, you could at least watch."

She thought about it for a second. She wasn't sure if she was ready to throw herself into something like that, but the idea of doing something different was tempting. "I'll think about it," she said, pulling her Airpod back in.

Miguel stood up, giving her a quick wave. "Alright, well, if you change your mind, I'll be there. See you around, Marlee."

"Yeah, see you," she replied, watching him head off.

As she sat back in her chair, she couldn't help but feel a little lighter. Maybe it was the conversation, or maybe it was just knowing that someone cared enough to talk to her. Either way, it felt okay. And maybe that was enough for now.

.・゜゜・・゜゜・

word count : 2140

and yes im starting in season one this time

YAYAYA

.・゜゜・・゜゜・