Chapter 1: News, News, and More News
Hey! I'm here with my first ever full story, 'Not Your Typical Christmas'! Hope you guys like it!
Sorry if you find it's a bit too early to post a Christmas fanfiction, but like I've stated – I'm going on vacation this December so I need to post this slightly earlier.
As you guys have probably noticed, I changed my pen name to 'ThoseLovelyMemories'. I decided to do that after watching all my childhood videos. I've realized how much I miss being an innocent, little kid, who goes along with everything your parents say.
Onto the story!
Disclaimer: How I wish I could own this brilliant martial arts/comedy TV series. But alas, it is not meant to be, because I am just a twelve-year-old girl who hopes one day to become an author.
In other words, I do not own Kickin' It!
I wrapped my gloved hands around my arms and rubbed them as I walked towards the mall where the Bobby Wasabi dojo was. So far, the winter weather had been pretty bad, with the temperature lower than previous years, and the early snow that had come falling in huge chunks.
I was walking right next to Jack, my shoulders against his. We were both heading to karate practice. Now don't get me wrong – we're not dating. I just needed as much body warmth as I could get. Besides, Jack would never go out with me, and I do not have a crush on him.
Or maybe I'm just in denial, and I just keep lying to my friends, family, and myself.
I'm saying this because things have been different with Jack lately. For one thing, we hang out a lot more, and often go grab some burgers, frozen yoghurt, or falafel balls alone. We've also been treating each other not only as friends – more like best friends, actually, since we do practically everything together. The weirdest part (and the part that makes me want to puke, but the part I must tell you about) is that whenever I see him, I always have this fluttery feeling in my stomach, and I would self-consciously adjust my top and pat my hair into place.
I shivered and chatted my teeth, adjusting the sky blue winter hat that was sitting on my blonde hair.
"The weather's been crazy," I muttered to Jack, resuming to rubbing my arms. "I can't believe how cold it is this winter."
Jack nodded and sighed. He didn't seem to have much of a problem with the chilly temperature, so I'm guessing he was just pretending to agree with me. "Yeah, I know. It's freezing. In fact, your lips are almost blue."
I self-consciously brushed my numb finger against my lips, not bothering to whack Jack on the back of the head or anything. Considering how cold I was, he was probably telling the truth.
We finally arrived in the dojo, and I sighed in relief as I walked through the doors, feeling the warmth of the heater wrap around me. Jerry, Milton, and Eddie were already there warming up. They've really improved in karate, and are already orange belts.
"What took you guys so long?" Rudy demanded, who had been previously rummaging through the metal cupboard at the back. "Practice started fifteen minutes ago."
"Maybe they were flirting," Milton chuckled, causing the rest of the guys (excluding Jack) to burst into fits of laughter. I lunged at them all, and startled, they immediately shut themselves up.
I smirked. Works every time.
"Plus, since when did you care about our punctuality anyway?" I questioned curiously, taking off my blue jacket to reveal a purple turtleneck.
"Yeah, you yourself are late half the time," Jack said, putting in his two cents.
To my surprise, Rudy didn't try to defend himself. Instead, he ran up to us in excitement and said, "Because I have a huge surprise for you guys, which I am planning on revealing after practice! So the earlier you guys get here, the earlier I get to tell you guys what the big surprise is!"
I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you just tell us right now?"
"Because…" Rudy started, trying to explain, but stopped and thought better of it. "Yeah you're right."
I smugly flipped my hair. "Kim Crawford is always right."
"So, do you guys remember when we won that Inter-Bobby Wasabi Dojo Competition?" Rudy started, as we all gathered ourselves around him. We all nodded. How on earth could we forget our less-than-a-fortnight-old victory?
"Well, Bobby had said before the competition that the winning dojo would receive a huge surprise present," he continued. "And today, our present has arrived in the mail!"
We all gasped in excitement, and my heart began thumping, wild thoughts dashing through my brain. What could the present be? Knowing how famous and wealthy Bobby was, it was bound to be something huge or luxurious.
Was it new dojo equipment? As much as I loved the Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy, I had to admit that I missed the Black Dragon's state-of-the-art equipment.
Or was it a statue of Bobby Wasabi himself, which was to be placed next to the window for display and recognition of being the Number One dojo in the Bobby Wasabi chain?
"What is it?" Jack, who was sitting beside me on the bench, leapt up onto his feet.
"That's the thing. I wanted all of us to open the mail together and read it," Rudy said. "Just wanted to cultivate the spirit of teamwork. We all won the competition together, so we all get to open the big present."
We cheered. Good old Rudy!
I then noticed that something was amiss. There weren't any humongous, giant, or even medium-sized boxes or packages in the dojo anywhere.Plus, I couldn't see anything in Rudy's office, even though I had a clear view of the entire room with its door ajar.
"Where's the big package?" I asked.
The rest of the gang then realized my point too, and their eyes began darting around, all shocked to find nothing big or luxurious.
"Guys! The present Bobby got us came in an envelope," Rudy said.
We all gasped, this time in shock. "Bobby Wasabi, the most famous karate action movie star in all time, gave us our big competition prize in an envelope?" Jack asked in surprise. He paused for a while. "It could be a big envelope."
Quite the contrary, actually, because the white-colored envelope Rudy pulled out of his pocket was not big at all. In fact, it was any ordinary envelope, with its stamp and address. Its only unique feature was that it was pale green.
"Come on guys, it's the thought that counts, not the size of this thing," Rudy said, ripping the envelope open. "For all you know, there could be a check for a thousand dollars sitting right in here."
I shrugged. I supposed that was a possibility.
Unfortunately, there was no thousand-dollar check in the envelope. The only thing Rudy found was a letter, handwritten in thick, black ink, by the one and only Bobby Wasabi. As he opened up the letter, a few slips of identical paper fell to the floor, but we all ignored it as Rudy read the letter.
Rudy read, "Dear Rudy and his loyal Wasabi Warriors. As you all know, you won the Inter-Bobby Wasabi Dojo Competition a fortnight ago. I know you guys were all expecting a bigger present, quite a bit like that wax statue I gave you guys during the summer heatwave. But apparently, this time, it's not like that. Your present is bigger than that statue. Do you notice the slips of paper in the letter? They are tickets for the 5-star luxury cruise, 'Starshine'. You leave on 19th December, at 1.30p.m., and return on 26th December, at 11a.m. Congratulations for winning this amazing opportunity. Yours Truly, Bobby Wasabi."
Immediately, cheers erupted from all of us and we began jumping around excitedly. Free tickets for the best luxury cruise of all time on 'Starshine'!
The guys all patted each other on the back, and I exchanged high-fives with them all. And caught up in the moment, I threw my arms around Jack and hugged him.
He was caught by surprise, and I could tell he felt uncomfortable because he stiffened up. I suddenly realized what I was doing, and hastily pulled away, my face red with embarrassment.
"Wait!" I called out, suddenly realizing something. I stood helplessly, watching the guys ignore me and keep dancing around (which, I have to say, was the most unpleasant sight). Jack saw my helpless expression, and raising his voice, yelled, "Guys! Kim has something to say!"
All the boys stopped bouncing around to listen, and I hastily thanked Jack before clearing my throat.
"What about our parents?" I asked.
Immediately, a worried buzz filled our dojo. Parents, sometimes – especially mine – can be pretty… I don't know… traditional. I knew that if I called and asked my parents, they probably wouldn't agree. They liked to celebrate Christmas the traditional way – with the whole family present, and at Grandma's.
"Don't worry guys, just call your parents now and ask," Rudy said in a reassuring tone of voice. "I mean, you guys earned this opportunity fair and square, and they should grant you the permission."
The guys all heaved sighs of relief and started fishing out their cell phones to ring up their parents. I, however, was not so reassured. My mom and dad – as I said – are very particular about how the family celebrates Christmas Day. If I'm not around, it would ruin their traditional Christmas dream.
My mom picked up after the third ring.
"Hey Mom," I said, trying to sound chirpy and to hide the nervousness in my voice.
"Hey Kim," Mom said, sounding slightly wary. "How unusual of you to call. What's up?"
I took a deep breath and asked, "Mom, I just want to ask you for permission to go on a luxury cruise this Christmas."
I could somehow sense that my mother was currently opening her mouth to say something, but I think I shut her up by quickly continuing, "You see, our dojo won a competition, and as the first prize, we get free tickets for a luxury cruise on the cruise liner, Starshine. We worked really hard to win, so I really hope you'll give me permission."
There was a long pause, and I was starting to get worried. Finally, Mom questioned, "Details?"
"We leave on 19th December, at 1.30 p.m., and return on 26th December, at 11 a.m."
There was another thoughtful silence before finally, those dreaded words came out, "Sorry Kim, but no can do."
I felt like bursting under the pressure of the unfairness of the situation.
"What?" I blurted out. "Why not? Mom, I already said, we won the competition after months of tough training – why can't I go?" How I wished I could just give my mum a good beating up – sometimes, living with my fussy, strict mother was frustrating.
"Because you are going to spend a traditional Christmas with us at Grandma's." Mom's answer made me want to push her off a cliff.
"Besides, you'll have your cousin Gretchen to accompany you," Mom continued, which made me want to groan even more.
"Spending Christmas at Grandma's is boring, because all the adults do is to sit around and talk, while the kids stare at each other awkwardly," I snapped. "Plus, I hate Gretchen! She's the cockiest nerd I know."
"Kim, stop thinking about yourself," Mom scolded firmly in her no-nonsense voice. "I'm pretty sure you know that Grandma has just underwent a knee surgery, so we all should pay her a visit!"
I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, and by 'just', you mean three months ago. And by 'pay her a visit', you mean going over and giving her money for her medical bills."
"Sorry Kim."
I felt like all the peppy spirit had been squeezed out of me, and was replaced by an overwhelming sense of darkness. Trying to contain my temper, and not to start yelling at the top of my lungs, I covered my cell phone and whispered to Jack, who was beside me, "My mom says no."
Jack's chocolate brown eyes, which were originally twinkling with happiness (I guess his mum agreed), were suddenly filled with worry, and he snatched the phone away from me and put it to his ear. Immediately, my stomach lurched uncomfortably. What was he doing?
"Hello Mrs. Crawford," Jack said politely. "I'm Jack, Kim's friend." After a short pause, he said, "I just want to talk to you about the cruise."
The first thought that flashed through my mind was, No!Oh, Jack did not know what he was getting into. Trying to have a civilized debate with my mom could possibly turn into a full-blown quarrel, complete with the yelling and screaming.
I urgently made hand signs to stop Jack, but he ignored me and kept talking. "Mrs. Crawford, with all due respect, our dojo earned his opportunity after many months of hard work. If you do not allow Kim to go on this cruise, it would be as if she didn't receive her prize."
I started mouthing words when the hand gestures didn't work out, but the obstinate boy still continued to debate with my mother. I could tell he was getting frustrated though, because his calm tone had a tinge of annoyance in it when he said, "Come on, Mrs. Crawford, be a good sport! Besides, I'm pretty sure Kim is tired of going to Grandma's house every year! Sometimes, you have to change it up."
Oh, he was going to get it.
"Jack! Quit it – now!" I hissed as loudly as possible. But as frustrated as he was, Jack kept talking.
"Please, Mrs. Crawford, I am now begging you! The trip wouldn't be any fun without Kim around!"
"Jack – wait, what?" I was just about to whisper to him again to stop it when I sudden thought occurred to me. Jack needed to have me around to have fun?
The thought caused a cherry red blush to spread across my face.
After a long while of thinking for my mother on the other end, Jack's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he cheered, "Yes! Thank you so much Mrs. Crawford!"
He hung up and sort of threw my phone back to me, his face alight. "You get to go!"
I squealed and jumped on the tips of my toes. "Seriously?" I practically bouncing with joy at the prospect of skipping Grandma's house and boarding a luxury cruise ship with all my closest friends.
Jack nodded ecstatically and grabbed my shoulders, hopping up and down like a kangaroo with excitement. As his palms came into contact with my shoulders, tingles traveled down my spine, and I hoped I wasn't blushing again.
"Looks like we can all make it!" Rudy cheered, clapping his hands. We began exchanging high-fives again, and this time, I made sure I didn't get caught up in the moment and hug Jack.
"Alright, now, just to get into the Christmas spirit, I also decided to do a Secret Santas activity," Rudy said, raising his voice above the noise. This caused all of us to stop cheering. Secret Santas?
"Rudy, seriously, Secret Santas?" Jack asked in horror.
Everyone seemed to mentally agree with him. What had gotten into Rudy's head to make us participate in a Secret Santas Activity? Having a Secret Santa was slightly nerve wrecking, since you had no idea who got your presents. Plus, if you had bad presents, you couldn't beat the person up because you had no idea who it was. And being a Secret Santa – don't get me started. What if you didn't like the person you were getting presents for? I guess amongst us Wasabi Warriors, we don't really hate each other, as we are a strong team together, but… still!
"Well, yeah," Rudy admitted sheepishly. "See, it's like getting gifts from one of your friends, but you have no idea who it is. It's really cool like that."
We all sighed. "Guess so," we said, our voices flat.
Rudy nodded. "So, just to clarify, here are the rules. You guys and I would each draw one name out of a hat. The name you see is the person you're getting gifts for – basically, you're that person's Secret Santa. And so, you have to buy gifts that would suit that person's taste every week. Then on Christmas Day, you give the person his last gift before revealing yourself. And since there are two weeks to Christmas Day, you have to get a total of three presents."
Now, despite the terrible Secret Santa activity my family tried to carry out last year (let's just say that my Secret Santa was my brother and he ended up getting me silly game cards and stuff that only boys liked), I couldn't help but feel a trill of excitement. Who would my Secret Santa be – and who Secret Santa would I be?
Plus, I was pretty sure the Wasabi Warriors were perfectly capable of buying nice gifts for me.
Right?
Suddenly, I began to have my doubts about Eddie and Jerry.
"Alright, now here's the hat, with all the names in it," Rudy said, presenting us with a baseball cap filled with six slips of white paper. "I'll draw first." He reached into the baseball cap, his fingers prancing around inside, trying to decide on which slip of paper to pick. Finally he made his decision, and passed the hat on to Eddie.
After his turn, Eddie passed it to Jerry, who passed it to Milton. They all looked pretty delighted with who they were going to be buying gifts for. I observed as Jack drew a slip of paper out of the hat and took a peek at it, his eyes flickering around the room afterwards. His eyes lingered on Eddie the longest, so I was guessing that he was Eddie's Secret Santa. I couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment.
The hat finally reached me, and since I was the last to go, there was only one name left inside. A wild rush of thoughts dashed through my mind as I picked the slip of paper out of the hat and carefully opened it.
Who am I buying gifts for? I'm hoping it's not Eddie. I don't really know what he likes or where to buy air freshener necklaces. Or what about Jack? I know what he likes, but the things he likes are already things he has.
My eyes flickered over to the piece of paper, and I read the name written in messy blue ink on it.
JACK.
So, how did you find the first chapter? Totally awesome? Pretty good? Okay? Bad? Terrible? Please comment and tell me!
Now guys, the reason why I ask for reviews is so that you guys can give me constructive criticism and tell me where the areas for improvement are. So please do so. I do love it when you guys tell me 'Update soon!' or 'Good chapter!', but in order for me to get better, I need constructive criticism. So please help me out by reviewing!
I watched 'Clash of the Titans' – it was a pretty good episode. I love how Kim and Jack both have the same reaction when Milton and Julie tell them both respectively that they're 'not their type'. LOL!
Plus I'm really excited, because Olivia Holt said in a few interviews that:
1. There's an episode where they go out of the country – I'm guessing Japan, since that's where karate originated!
2. She did an on-air kiss for Kickin' It – cross your fingers and hope it's with Leo, but there is a bad side to that. It means that they are probably dating already, and that would make them your cheesy romantic couple, which I don't really like.
3. Jack and Kim connect a bit more! Yay!
Alright, I've rambled long enough. Hope you guys like this chapter!
R&R!
~ThoseLovelyMemories