This is more of a prologue rather than a first-chapter…but anyways, do read and review! And needless to say, I do not own the Karate Kid and nor do I claim to.
By the way, "Daniel" by Bat for Lashes is a brilliant song :D
"Daniel" by Bat for Lashes
Daniel, when I first saw you
I knew that you had a flame in your heart
And under wild blue skies
Marble movie skies
I found a home in your eyes
We'll never be apart
And when the fires came
The smell of cinders and rain
Perfumed almost everything
We laughed and laughed and laughed
And in the golden blue
Car you took me to
The darkest place you knew
And you set fire to my heart
When I run in the dark, Daniel
To a place that's vast
Under a sheet of rain in my heart
I dream of home
But in the goodbye bed
With my arms around your neck
Into our mouths the tears crept
Just kids in the eye of the storm
And as my house spun round
My dreams pulled me from the ground
Forever to search for the flame
For home again
For home again
When I run in the dark
Into a place that's vast
Under a sheet of rain in my heart
I dream of home
When I run in the dark
Into a place that's vast
Under a sheet of rain in my heart
I dream of home
~One~
KNOCK! KNOCK!
My eyes tore open and my body gave a violent jump. I let out a shuddering breath, thinking I'd imagined the knocks, but then they came again, harder and directly from outside my window. I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether I should dare to go check and see who had climbed up the fire escape to knock on my window. Curiosity and fear both got the best of me, though, and I pushed the covers off of my limbs and reached over under the bed to pull out my steel baseball bat. I got a good grip on the handle, which was difficult because I was sweating with agonizing suspense. But I still tip-toed across my room to the tiny window. When I got close enough and the knocks were getting more impatient, I quickly yanked the blinds open and prepared to swing—
And then I screamed briefly at the dark shadow that was face-to-face with me.
"Easy, stupid, it's me," spoke the shadow in a muffled voice from behind the screen. It tilted its head more towards the moonlight and I could make out familiar features. Tan skin, a straight nose, dark eyebrows and black-diamond eyes—it was Daniel LaRusso, the boy who lived beneath my apartment. "Open the window, will ya?"
"Daniel, you idiot," I said in a whisper after yanking the window open to be chilled by the freezing night breeze. "You scared me to death—you know it's illegal to climb the fire escape, right? And what if my ma walks in? Even if she knows you well and all, she won't be too happy seeing you in my room in the middle of the night!"
"Oh, relax," he said. "Brrr. It's cold out here. Let me in, will ya?"
"Do this, will ya? Do that, will ya?" I mocked in a high-pitched voice. "What am I, your maid? And I am not letting you in!"
"Why, 'cause I'm in my pajamas?" He grinned and pointed at his white cotton shirt and sweats. "And I look sexy?"
"Ew! No!" I blurted.
"Relax, I don't mind, it's only you, anyways. C'mon, let me in before I freeze to death." I glared at him. Of course, I was always "only me."But I moved aside and let him climb through the window.
Daniel LaRusso was my friend—it was a weird friendship, since we argued and fought a lot, but we were good friends nonetheless. My ma and his ma were like besties or something like that, and they usually did groceries or got their nails done together. It's this thing with Jersey moms—they're all pretty close. Daniel and I met before our moms became friends, but we became friends only afterwards.
I was glad it was pretty dark in my room even with the moonlight glittering—I didn't want him catching glimpse of my bed-head or embarrassing jimjams. I mean, I was wearing boys' boxers and a Carebear shirt. That was anything but good-looking. And as much as I hated to admit it, I actually kind of liked Daniel and I wanted to…well…look presentable. Not that he would ever guess it, of course. He was too busy winning the hearts of those beauties like Judy Pinnet. He'd never, ever guess that quiet little Lorraine that lived in apartment 4A was even a girl. Even if I started dressing like a girl, or let my hair grow out so that I could keep it down, or wore make-up like other girls, Daniel would remain unknowing. That's just the way it is. Everyone's too busy gazing at the stars to notice what marvels are already beneath their feet.
Basking in the moonlight, Daniel looked like an Italian teen model or something, and I couldn't help but feel the butterflies soar in my stomach. He leaned on the ledge of the window, his eyes gleaming the reflection of dim street lamps and the bright full moon, and rubbed his arms. "You know what, Rainey? I'm gonna miss these cool nights."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean—well, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but…" he sighed. "I'm moving."
"Moving?" I folded my arms across my chest. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"'Cause I couldn't, okay?"
"Why not? What number?"
"Wait—what?" He raised a dark eyebrow at me.
"What apartment number?" I persisted. "You have to tell me. I mean, I've got to find a way to sneak to your apartment in the middle of the night and scare the crap out of you too, right?" I grinned.
Suddenly, Daniel's face fell. He looked like he was struggling with words. Finally, he said, "Oh, Rainey, I'm—I'm not moving to a different apartment. I'm, um, moving to California."
My eyes widened and my grin faded. "What?"
"Yeah," he said shakily, his onyx eyes gleaming. "My ma got a job offer and she took it up and so… I'm leaving tomorrow at noon…"
It's funny how pain takes so long to sink in. I stood there, dumbstruck, running over what Daniel had said. California. That was all the way across the states. I'd never see Daniel again…I felt this horrible pain in my throat as if I'd swallowed a rock. No more Daniel LaRusso? That meant no more fun days at the car wash throwing buckets of soap water at each other. No more annoying boy blasting music from beneath my room every weekend. No more perfect afternoons watching in puzzlement at all these middle-aged women (our moms included) gossip in the apartment while knitting in their "Stitch and Bitch" club. No more flicking French fries at each other and our friends at lunchtime at school. No more "friend to secretly like". No more Daniel. I felt terribly strong tears gush in my eyes and I quickly turned around so that my back was to Daniel.
"Rainey?" he asked softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"What?" I snapped. Why hadn't he told me this earlier? Why did he wait so long? How was I going to recover? If he had told me, we would've been able to spend some time together and I could've recovered quickly. Now I was left to shatter.
"I'm, uh, sorry." He really sounded very genuine. I wanted to turn back and show him how hurt I was so that maybe he would realize how much I really enjoyed his company, and how much I liked him. But I kept my back to him as if it were a shield, blocking me from feeling anything more than the pain and sadness I felt then. Daniel didn't like me. What was the point?
"Sorry won't cut it, Daniel." My voice was trembling, but I know that Daniel wouldn't notice, considering he was the most foolish and oblivious boy and would always be.
Silence cottoned around us in clumps. I took that brief period to take deep breaths as the hot tears were streaming violently down my face, hesitating when they were hanging on my chin and then dripping on to my tee. They were threatening to pour down more, and I couldn't let them, because then I knew I'd start sobbing.
Soon, Daniel spoke in a shivering but certain voice. "I'll miss you, Rainey."
That made my barrier melt. The tears were practically waterfalls on my face, and I bit the side of my mouth and held my breath to prevent myself from making any sobbing sounds. Daniel stood there for a moment, waiting for me to say something, but I said no more, because if I even opened my mouth, all the sadness would leak out.
Daniel sighed after a minute. "Uh, well, bye." He still had his hand on my shoulder, and he streaked his thumb across my shoulder-blade in what was supposed to be a comforting way, but although I tingled at his touch, it reminded me of years ago when kids would make fun of me for having broad-ish shoulders, and how Daniel had actually admired them. What was I going to do without him?
He jumped out the window hastily and closed it while I turned my head so that he couldn't see my side profile. Then, when he vanished down the stairs of the fire escape, I let the blinds and my barrier of strength fall down, and I leaped onto my bed head-first and let the cotton of my sheets absorb my tears and stifle my screams and sobs of pain. And all the while, I placed a hand to my heart, which was drumming a lonely beat, because that's where it hurt the most.
