Bad News // Johnny Lawrence

Part 9: Sensei

You woke up to the sound of shuffling outside your room. Quickly, you got out of your bed to see Daniel in the kitchen.

You rushed over to him, putting your hands on his face to check his injuries. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine." He said, swatting away your hands.

"Why are you up this early?" You asked gabbing an apple off of the counter.

"Mr. Miyagi and I are going to the dojo to talk to Johnny's sensei."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" You asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Mr. Miyagi thinks it is."

You nodded. "I'm coming with."

Knowing there was no arguing with you, he let you come.

"Good morning Mr. Miyagi." You said as you saw him standing outside of his office.

"Oh, good morning." He said to you before turning to Daniel. "How do you feel?"

"A little sore." He answered as he stretched.

"You know how drive?" He asked, gesturing to his pick up truck.

"Yeah, I do." Daniel answered as Mr. Miyagi opened the door for the two of you.

Mr. Miyagi handed the keys to Daniel, who shook his head. "No, I'm not very good at it."

"Me either." Mr. Miyagi answered.

"I don't have a license." Daniel continued.

"Me neither." Mr. Miyagi said bluntly.

You let out a laugh as Daniel started the truck.

*** *** ***
Your eyes were trained on the dojo in front of you. The thought of seeing Johnny kept you glued to the seat.

"You coming?" Daniel asked, pulling you out of your daze.

You shook your head. "No, I'll wait here."

He nodded, and left you alone in the car. Your leg was shaking with anxiety as you waited for them to come back out of the building.

You perked up as you saw them crossing the street. Daniel looked frustrated as he talked to Mr. Miyagi.

"I saved you two months of beating." Mr. Miyagi said as he scooted into the car.

"Oh great I can't wait. Now I really got something to look forward to."

"What happened?" You asked.

"They can't touch me till the tournament." He answered.

"That's great!" You said smiling.

But Daniel didn't look too happy as he started up the car. Once the car was rolling, you started your trip to Mr. Miyagi's house in silence.

You stopped for lunch at a small diner on the way to his house. The meal was quiet, but the silence was peaceful.

"That teacher was real wacko." Daniel said. Earning a huff of agreement from both you and Mr. Miyagi.

"You really think I can beat that guy?"

"No matter." Mr. Miyagi said, waving him off.

As they continued to talk, your eyes trailed over four cars that were parked outside of his house. Each one was a different color. You walked over to a light blue one, trailing your hand along its side before looking into the window. It was small, just like you.

After inspecting it for a while longer, you walked over to see Daniel washing the yellow car with Mr. Miyagi nowhere in sight.

"What're you doing that for?" You asked.

"Training... I think." He said, keeping his eyes on his work.

"Have fun." You said walking inside.

You found Mr. Miyagi sitting on the floor. Taking a seat next to him, you mimicked his body posture and closed your eyes.

"Breathe in through nose, out through mouth." He said into the silence. You obliged, and did what he said for what felt like hours.

You stood up with numb legs. "I'm gonna head home." You said as you stretched.

"Long walk." Mr. Miyagi said from his place on the floor.

"It's okay. I can handle myself." You answered.

"I know." You heard him chuckle as you left the room.

The cool night air felt great on your exposed skin. You hummed softly to yourself as you made your way down the now familiar streets.

The sound of a car stopping beside you made you turn your head. You couldn't see who it was from the bad lighting on the street.

"Wonder Woman?" The voice said from inside the car.

You grinned and leaned down to perch your elbows on his open window. "Matt?"

And there he was. Giving you that smile of his. "What're you doing here?"

"I was just walking home." You said.

"Hop in. I'll give you a ride." He said while beckoning you into his truck.

After considering his offer, you opened the door and sat down.

He pulled off of the curb and then broke the silence. "What happened to you last night? I tried to go after you but that girl stopped me."

You didn't want to involve him, so you tried to answer as simply as possible. "They were going after my brother and I thought I could stop them."

"How could you stop 5 guys? Wait. Are you the real Wonder Woman?" He said.

"Haha, very funny." You said with a smile and a shake of your head. "I don't know. I just thought I'd be able to persuade him not to."

Realizing you had already said too much, you quickly wrapped it up. "But I guess I was wrong."

Wanting desperately to get off the subject you turned to face him. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" He asked turning to look you in the eyes before quickly facing the road again.

"When I got back to my friends, they made sure to tell me all about you and your impressive football career. So, is it true?"

"Guilty." He said with a toothy grin.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask." He said bluntly.

"Well I can't argue with that." You said through a laugh.

"Up here on the right." You said as you pointed out your apartment complex.

He slowed the car and stopped on the curb. After putting the car into park, he turned to face you.

"Thanks for the ride." You said with a smile. "I owe you one."

"It was my pleasure." He said, returning the smile.

"And I'll remember that." He said, referring to you owing him a favor.

You stepped out of the car and walked through the gate, making sure to wave before you closed it behind you.

You heard Daniel come inside around midnight. Knowing he was safe, you quickly fell asleep.