The Karate Kid 🥋 (Daniel LaRusso)

ch.4

I woke up to the sound of my dad cursing and groaning. With a yawn, I headed into the living room to see him standing behind the ironing board. He was attempting to iron some clothes but I could smell he was starting to burn them.

"Let me do it," I said with a small sigh. I knew he was bound to ask me anyway. "The blasted iron is awful, it's ruined my clothes," he said in a huff as he exited to the kitchen. He came back in shortly after as I was folding his clothes up neatly on the sofa. "Your mum called this morning, she wanted to speak to you but I told her you said no" he informed as he sat down with a cold beer. 

"Dad, you know I don't mind speaking to her. You should've told me up" I replied. Dad stared at me blankly before taking a sip of his drink. "Yeah well you can talk to her next time, she does my absolute head in that woman does" he whined. Then he leaned over and switched on the television which was my cue to leave. I headed upstairs and I still had time to kill so I turned on some music and laid on my bed, getting lost in my thoughts.

My parents were married for years, even before I was born. We weren't a perfect family but we made it work. That was until I hit my tenth birthday and then everything went downhill. They began clashing over the small stuff couples do and over the years it grew more intense. My parents weren't compatible anymore and they divorced when I was sixteen.

Mum was the first to be re-married. Her new partner was okay but I couldn't stand his two children. They were rude and careless so I didn't like staying with her anymore even though I still loved her dearly. Shortly after my seventeenth birthday, my dad was given a new job opportunity out in California and I had no choice but to move with him. 

I tried to argue my way out of it, stating that in a year I would be an adult so I should just stay in England but no one listened to me. The best thing about moving was being able to meet Daniel, he changed my life in a way he didn't recognize. Then I thought about Elly and I was thrown in a bad mood. I had such a dilemma on my hands that no one knew about and I felt very conflicted. When the time got closer to six, I began getting ready for my fake date. 

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The four of us sat together in a booth at Mikey's diner. The others were all relaxed and joking but I felt tense even though I hid it. Knowing Freddy was on an actual date made me a little envious and I just wanted to get home quickly. 

Marcia was an average looking girl. She wore glasses that hid a lot of her face and had very curly hair that sat in ringlets. She reminded me of an old fashioned doll that my grandma kept in her house. She seemed nice, trying to engage with me in conversation. The boys were having a blast and I wished I could've been the same. Halfway through the date, Freddy and Daniel saw some friends across the diner and went to quickly say hello, leaving us girls alone.

"Your boyfriend is very handsome," Marcia said. I looked at her and didn't know whether to feel complimented or concerned. "But he's not my Freddy teddy, isn't he just the best?" She added, gushing over him. "Yeah Freddy's a nice guy, you'll make a cute couple" I replied. "You know, you seem a little distracted" she commented. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I giggled. "Yeah, I am a little" I admitted.

"I'm all ears if you want an outsider's perspective" she replied with a small smile. Marcia seemed genuine enough so I decided to let loose. "Well there's this girl at school who is making my life miserable and she's put me on a pedestal, do what she wants or become a victim to high school torture" I explained, leaving out the part about me and Daniel. "I've been through that before so I understand. My advice to you would be to follow your head, if it feels right do it. If it feels wrong then don't. I learned the hard way so I hope this will help you overcome that popular girl nightmare" she advised.

"Thank you," I smiled. From that moment I had a feeling, I had found my first real girl friend. The boys returned five minutes later. "I'm happy you two are getting on well," Freddy said, grabbing Marcia's hand. Daniel watched this and slipped his arm around me. The rest of the date was a great time but it never took away the feeling of disappointment that Daniel wasn't truly mine.