the other girl

Chapter 17

Courtney's POV

I went to Dairy Queen with the guys, but in all honesty, I didn't feel like going anywhere tonight. I guess I'll just die alone because every guy I seem to want has a think with Ali fucking Mills. I told him from the very beginning I hated her. HE STILL GOT WITH HER! FUCK!

I dropped everyone off and left the car at Johnny's. It's Tommy's car but we all share it. I decided to walk along the road that night. I finally came across what I was looking for. A phonebooth. 

I knew my grandmas phone number by heart because mom made me memorize all our families phone numbers when I was younger. I don't know why. Her true feelings came out a few days ago. But I still wanted to live with her. I rang and rang and rang it but nobody answered. It was pouring rain and I had tears streaming down my face. Tonight could have not been worse. 

I rang one more time putting the last quarter I had into the slot. It rang once and then someone finally picked up. "Hello?" 

It was grandma! "Hello? Grandma, it's me. Courtney. Is mom there?" 

"Yes, she is. What do you need, dear?" 

"I need to talk to her. Just for a few minutes." 

"Marissa! Someone's been waiting to talk to you!" She yelled angrily. 

"Who is this?" Mom asked picking up the phone. 

"It's Courtney. Please don't hang up. I have just one more thing to say." She didn't hang up. That's a good sign! "I need to come live with you and grandma. It's freezing cold, I'm not allowed home, and I have planned this day out to live with you my entire life and-" 

She cut me off. "Your plan isn't going how you want it to. I. Don't. Want. You. I want to recover and having a 16 year old isn't going to help. Stop calling me. Don't call this number again. I'm done with you." She said. 

I stood there in shock. I fought the urge to break down and cry on the phone. I wasn't able to hold it in. I just hung up and sat out on the bench in the pouring rain. Could things get any worse? 

Daniel's POV

"Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?" Ali asked angrily. 

"In November, we got in a fight and I wasn't sure if she still even liked me and-" 

"So you went on a date with me?" 

"It wasn't a date!" I said defensively. 

"Daniel, I really liked you but I didn't know about her and Johnny so it all makes sense now. She deserves a real apology from all of us. And when I kissed you at the tournament-" 

"We weren't together when that happened!" I said. "I broke it off about twenty minutes prior." 

"Twenty minutes? Daniel you can't have two girls. Go fix things with her." 

And she left. She's right though. I can't have them both. I really messed things up. What was I thinking? 

Shit. 

I walked out of Golf n' Stuff and it was pouring rain. I walked down the road knowing damn well she wasn't at Cobra Kai or her house. She could be anywhere in the valley. I went downtown and I was the luckiest person alive, it felt like. 

Well, in that moment it did. 

I saw Courtney in the phonebooth and she looked like she was crying. I don't think she saw me so I went behind the booth and listened from a distance. She was talking to her mom. I could vaguely hear their conversations. 

Her mom wanted to recover and she wanted to live with her. Damn. I thought if her mom ever sobered up she would be a lot nicer. I felt horrible. 

She slammed the phone back and left the booth. She sat on the bench and cried. 

I left. 

I really just left. 

She would have hated me if I tried to help. 

But I regret that night. 

I should have stayed back. 

I should have helped. 

That was the last I saw of her for a long time. 

Courtney's POV *Two Years Later* 

"Morning, Jess." I said getting out of bed. 

"Morning? It's two in the afternoon." She said with a laugh. 

I grinned. "I was up all night. I was exhausted. Sorry I didn't help this morning. Anything new?" 

"Nope. Except there's a new shop going in across the street. I saw two guys outside it this morning." 

I looked out the window. "Hmm... wonder what it's gonna be." 

Let me explain... shortly after, my dad lost the house because he went bankrupt after everyone quit Cobra Kai. He disappeared and I haven't seen him since. I met a girl named Jessica Andrews and she owns a pottery store. She and her ex had a nasty breakup around the same time my mom left and she moved here. But they've talked things over and she's moving back home in two weeks. 

I don't know what I'll be doing. I'm not very good at pottery. Her parents own the building and we've talked to them and they're letting me stay here. I still need a job though. Jessica is taking all her pottery stuff with her so I won't have anything here.

But I can figure it out. I've gone 18 years on my own. I can do one more thing. 

"I'm gonna go to the store. Need anything?" 

"We need more toothpaste."

"Alright. See ya in twenty." 

I ran across the street and got eggs, milk, toothpaste, cheese, and bread. 

As I said, it took about 20 minutes and I walked back. "Hey, you're back. You need help?" Jessica asked. 

"No, I've got it." I said closing the door with my foot.

"Look, the new guys across the street came over to say hi and buy a few pots. He does karate too. Didn't you do karate?" She asked. 

"Yeah. A long time ago. Where is he?" I asked, genuinely curious to who it was. 

"Something like this." A voice said from around the corner.

"Alright. I'll have four of them ready by tomorrow morning. Look, this is my roommate I was talking about." She said motioning to me. 

I went to go put the stuff down but I dropped it all on the floor once I saw who it was. 

Daniel LaRusso.