sweep the heart | cobra kai

nature vs. nurture

But there was one thing she knew always helped.

"Um, is there, like... a convenience store or anything? I need to pick something up," She asked.

"Actually, yeah, we just passed one," Daniel said, turning the car around.

He pulled into the parking lot.

Hallie breathed. "Okay. I'm just gonna be, like, one minute."

She clambered out of the car, grabbing her phone and wallet. Walking into the convenience shop, she strolled along the aisles until she found what she was looking for.

She grabbed the bottle of Tito's and approached the front, placing it on the counter. A few minutes and one fake ID later, she walked out with her vodka.

Checking to make sure Daniel and her father weren't watching, Hallie ducked around to the side of the shop. She immediately opened the bottle and began chugging it.

It burned her throat, and her stomach lurched as she leaned back against the wall. Taking a few deep, shaky breaths, she rested her hands on her knees. Head still spinning, she crouched down to prepare to throw up, feeling her heart rate still going fast. She had begun sweating at some point. Sitting against the outside wall, she took a deep breath as the nausea hit its peak. Leaning over, she vomited, coughing.

Rolling back over to sit against the wall, she tilted her head up and took a few more deep breaths, one after the other, until the worst of the nausea subsided. She had probably been there for ten minutes now.

Not wanting her dad to worry, she took another drink of the vodka and stood up, hiding the bottle under her jacket before heading back to the car.

"Sorry," she muttered as she climbed back into the seat. "I just needed to get a snack."

"No worries," Daniel said.

They kept driving.

"What are we supposed to do, drive around all day looking for a van?" Her dad asked after a while.

"No, but hopefully our mutual friend can point us in the right direction," Daniel said.

He looked out the window.

They were pulling up to a large, fancy-looking building. People did yoga on the lush green grass out front, others painting on the patio.

"What the..." her dad muttered.

Slowly, they walked in. A woman brought a tray of food outside. Vines and plants decorated the outside of the building.

"This is what rehab's like?" Her dad asked.

"This is one of the best facilities in the country," Daniel said.

"Wait," Hallie paused. "Rehab? Why are we..."

They couldn't be here to see her mom, could they? What would she know about Robby's whereabouts?

As they walked into the lobby, two blondes with yoga mats walked past.

"Hey," Hallie's dad grinned.

"Gross, Dad," Hallie frowned.

"Focus, will ya? We're here on business, not pleasure," Daniel said.

"Welcome to Malibu Canyon Recovery," a woman said, approaching them. She looked at Hallie's dad. "You're doing a very brave thing."

Hallie laughed and pointed at her dad.

"What?" He frowned. "No, I'm not checking in. I'm no quitter."

"I understand," the woman nodded. "It can be hard at first. Don't worry, he'll get used to it."