Backstory

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I'm Kendal Lawrence. Im twelve years old, and live in Orlando with my older brother Robby, and my mom. Our dad lives in California. We never see him. Our parents separated years ago.
Robby was like my best friend. He always hung out with me, and took care of me when our mom would disappear for a couple nights. There was no one I trusted more than Robby.
It's June fourth, around noon. I'm up in my room listening to music, which I do a lot.
"Kendal, Robby?" My mother called from the kitchen. "Come down here please."
I sighed. I had never had the best relationship with my mother. She was always bringing random guys to our apartment when she thought me and Robby weren't around.
I exited my room. Robby was just leaving his room as well. Our rooms were right across from each other. We headed down stairs together.
"We need to talk." Our mother said, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Sit."
I exchanged a glance with Robby. This can't be good.
Our mother sighed. "I don't know how to tell you this."
"Just spit it out," Robby said.
"I'm going to Mexico with Paul for a few weeks. My flight leaves tonight." She said. "Kendal, I've decided it's time for you to move in with your father in Reseda. They have a nice school, and your father has an apartment. Your flight leaves in a couple hours. Robby, I can trust that your old enough to take care of yourself and the apartment here while I'm gone."
"What?" I said. "I'm staying here with Robby!"
"And who the hell is Paul?" Robby added, obviously angry.
Our mom ditching us for a guy she met at a bar wasn't a surprise, and it's not like it hasn't happened before. But me and Robby hadn't seen our father in three years.
"I'm not moving to Reseda! I'm staying here." I said.
"Kendal!" My mother yelled. "Do not argue with me. This is nonnegotiable! Your father already knows your coming. Now go upstairs and pack!"
"But—" I started, tears forming in my eyes.
"I said now!" My mother yelled.
With one last look at Robby, I ran upstairs and slammed the door to my room. I quickly grabbed my phone of my desk and connected my earbuds, getting lost in the music.
When I had pulled myself together, I grabbed my blue suitcase from my closet and started packing up all my clothes. I could hear Robby and my mom arguing downstairs, but I didn't care. I felt numb.
I didn't have that much stuff. Mother always said we couldn't afford to get silly things that me and Robby would only use temporarily. But what I did have, I packed into my suitcase.
I zipped it up, and opened my door to leave, but I froze when I heard Robby yelling. I hardly ever hear Robby yell. He's always so gentle and kind.
"—not okay!" He was saying. "All you've ever done for us is give us a shitty life! You disappeared for days at a time for years! I had to learn to take care of Kendal by myself by the time I was nine because you were never around! And now your leaving us for some random guy you left at a bar? One day, when Kendals older, all she's going to remember is the mother that was never there! She won't need you anymore. Neither of us will."
With that, he stormed out of the room and up the stairs. I knew I should hide to avoid getting caught eavesdropping, but I was frozen in shock.
"Kendal?" He said when he saw me. "How much did you hear?"
I couldn't answer him. Before I could stop them, tears poured out of my eyes and I rushed into my room.
Robby followed me. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me." He said, grabbing my shoulders. "It's going to be okay."
"How?" I said, looking up at him through tear stained eyes. "I'm moving across the country to live with the father I barely know because our shit mother is leaving us for a guy she just met! How is any of that okay?"
He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight while I sobbed into his shoulder. "It'll be okay. Dad might not have been around, but he's a decent guy."
"But what about you? I want to stay with you! Your my best friend, and my brother!" I said.
"I know. I want you to stay to. But honestly? It will be better for you. Plus, I have a plan. I'm going to get a job to save up money so I can live with you in Reseda."
I wiped my eyes. "Okay."
He smiled at me, but it wasn't a happy smile, it was a sad one. "Grab your bag, I'll drive you to the airport."
When we got to the airport, I was trying my best not to cry.
"Promise me you'll text me all the time, and that you won't forget about me."
"Kendal really? I could never forget about you."
"Promise me."
He laughed, and flashed me his famous smile. "I promise."
Little did I know how he didn't mean it.

~

I've been in Reseda for two years. I'm fourteen now. It's August, and school starts soon. Let me fill you in.
Over time, my brothers answers when I texted or called him would be one word answers, or excuse that he had to go, until eventually, he stopped answering. I tried and tried and tried, but he never answered, so I gave up.
I rarely had talked to my mother since I moved here. She had called a few times to ask how I was doing, but that was all. And honestly, I was okay with that. I had never had a good relationship with her.
I settled in with my father pretty well. He was a nice guy, not that that made up for the fact that he had never been around, but I was happy, so it was okay.
My father ran a karate dojo called Cobra Kai. Me, and my best friend Miguel, who was sixteen, who also happens to be my neighbor, we're his first students. Miguel got into a fight at his school, and suddenly, he had a ton of kids outside the doors to the dojo, wanting to join. That included Eli, or Hawk, my other best friend, even though he acts more like my bodyguard. He's like the older brother Robby should have been. It was going great and I loved it, until Sensei Kreese took over the dojo, and hired Sensei Silver.
My dad opened a new dojo called Eagle Fang karate. After a long feud between my dad, Johnny Lawrence, and Daniel LaRusso, who was the Sensei of Miyagi-Do karate, and the students of both dojos, they eventually decided to combine there two dojos to try and take down Cobra Kai and Sensei Kreese and Sensei Silver. Turns out, Robby had come to Reseda and not told me. He had joined Cobra Kai to get back at my dad, and now he was there best student.
So that's where the story starts. My mom MIA, my brother who abandoned me is a traitor, and I'm in karate. And tomorrow, is my first day of eighth grade at West Valley middle school. Wish me luck.

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