patience is key | the karate kid

xxiii. the past is the past

xxiii. the past is the past

    "LEAVE THIS on."

Kathleen compresses a wet bandana onto Daniel's forehead. He jolts a little and winces as it makes contact with his skin. He lies on a cot beside Kathleen, holding an ice pack on his stomach.

"That smells bad." He comments, scrunching his nose up. Kat rolls her eyes and lets go when Daniel takes holds of it.

"Smell bad, heal good." Says Mr. Miyagi, who approaches them holding two cups in his hands.

    Daniel manages to prop himself up on his elbow and notices that there's something wrong with Kat. She stares down at her lap and sniffles a little, this makes Daniel frown.

   "Kat, are you alright?" He asks, growing concerned. Kat glances up and shrugs while wiping away a tear.

    "Hm? Yeah, I suppose so." She says softly, then stands up from the stool as Mr. Miyagi pours water into the cups. "I should probably go."

   "No, stay." Daniel insists, wincing a little. "I think we need to talk."

    Kat furrows her brows, confused at first. Then she nods and wipes her eyes, making sure they're tear-free. She gazes over at Mr. Miyagi.

   "Mr. Miyagi, do you mind if I have a minute alone with Daniel?"

   "Hai, Kathleen-san."

   Kat sits back down on the stool by the cot and waits for Mr. Miyagi to leave them be before facing Daniel.

   "What's up?"

    "What happened with you and Ali?" Daniel asks eagerly. Kat instantly rolls her eyes and goes to stand up. "Please, I'll stop bothering you about it if you just tell me."

    "Daniel, it's not important." Kat mumbles, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't like to talk about it."

    "I know but, she won't tell me anything except that you're not the best person and.." Daniel pauses. "I just want to know why she thinks that."

    Kat stands by the cot and looks down at her neighbor in the eyes. They stare at each other for a minute or so, not saying anything.

    Kat contemplates in her mind whether or not she should tell Daniel about her past with the girl from Encino, then finally lets out a long exhale and sits back down on the stool.

   "Fine," Kat says, giving up, "I'll tell you."

   "Thank you."

   "Don't thank me yet."

    Daniel nods and moves himself to sit up fully. His legs dangle off the side of the bed and Kat hands him a cup of tea that Mr. Miyagi had made. They both take a sip and Kat begins.

   "I might as well start from the beginning of it all," she says, setting her cup down. Daniel also sets his down and puts his full attention on the girl.

    "I moved to Reseda back in the 6th grade, after my oldest brother Ryan disappeared. Dad wanted a fresh start, and this was the only place we could afford. So I didn't have many friends come first year of middle school. It was a rough start. In fact, Freddy and Mr. Miyagi were my first ever friends.

    "Then I met Ali. I remember at lunch she'd slide me a little bit of her mom packed her — twinkies, grapes, carrots. I never knew why, and still to this day I don't know. She was like some sort of saint back then.

"Turns out we had a few classes together, and would partner up for almost every project. We eventually became good friends. I'd go over to her house a lot, although her parents weren't fond of the idea of her hanging out with a girl from Reseda.