QUINN GRAY'S POV:

I hitched a cab home after changing out of my gi. My body was too numb and tired to walk back, and I didn't want to grant my mind the freedom that came with walking. I would only end up overthinking things like I usually did and let emotions get the best of me. I'd cried once and it was enough; I couldn't lose myself like that again.

It didn't take long to get back to Dean's place. I handed the driver his money and stumbled my way inside. Dean wasn't home; I hadn't seen his Thunderbird in the driveway.

Kicking off my shoes and throwing myself on the couch, I turned on the TV and flipped to a cooking channel. As the cook sautéed some onions, I dozed off.

When Dean shook me awake, it was dark outside. I blinked and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, sitting up. He held out a bag of take-out; I took it without saying a word.

"How was karate?" he asked, settling beside me on the couch.

I shrugged and started eating. I hadn't even realized how hungry I was until taking the first bite.

Dean didn't seem fazed by my lack of enthusiasm for the conversation. "Listen, I know you're not that happy about me signing you up for lessons, but I figured it would be a great way to get your mind off things." His tone was pointed at the end, like he expected me to do just that.

I glanced up at him. "I don't need to get my mind off anything," I said. "I'm fine, Dean."

"Are you?"

"Yes." But my breath hitched in my throat when I said it, almost as if my body was fighting against the lie. I wasn't fine. I could never be fine in California. I'd tried to pretend with Freddy and Alan, but being around them can only do so much. They weren't a cure for the crying and the anger and the pain. They were just a temporary distraction.

Dean moved on. "So, did you make any friends?"

I scoffed. "No. I'm pretty sure everyone hates me." Except Bobby. Bobby was nice. Bobby even apologized, though I wasn't sure for what exactly. Maybe he apologized for his friends. Maybe he felt bad for having walked in on me crying. It didn't matter.

"Why would they hate you?"

"Remember the guy who kicked my ass yesterday?" Dean nodded. "His friends think I'm total trash."

"So, kick their asses."

"I wish I could."

My appetite vanished as quickly as it'd come. I put my bowl of take-out on the coffee table and leaned back against the cushion I'd slept on. "By the way, I got invited to a beach party," I said.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you didn't make any friends."

"Not at the dojo. I met two guys yesterday at Golf 'N Stuff."

"I see." He shrugged and picked up the remote, flipping through different shows. "Did you bring a swimsuit?"

I frowned. I hadn't thought about that. "No. Guess I'll have to go buy one."

"Guess you do."

Dean decided on an old western and it became clear that the conversation was over. I grabbed my bag from where I'd left it that afternoon and retreated in my room.

It wasn't hard to get to the mall. The Sherman Oaks Galleria was a popular teenage hang-out from what I understood; Dean had told me all about it that morning. I hitched a cab there and paid the driver a hefty tip for beating the morning traffic.

I had an idea of what to expect. Malls in California were supposed to be the epitome of adolescence. It was the place where cool people went to show off their said coolness. I'd never cared for shopping the way other girls my age did, but then again, Salem's malls couldn't compare to Sherman Oaks.

I wandered around for a while, doing nothing but window shopping, afraid to actually commit to a store and go inside. I didn't have much money with me – just what remained of the allowance Dean had given me on my first day in Encino. Surely but slowly, I'd whittled away most of it already. Cabs weren't that cheap; I was going to have to find another way to get around town.

I made my way down to the food court. As I was ordering a milkshake from what seemed like a promising food stand, I heard someone call my name. Before I knew it, Bobby Brown was by my side, a smile on his face. He was with another boy – a cute brunet who looked at me with curiosity. He had pretty eyes, too. Goddamn it, what was it with California boys and their overly-attractive features?

"Weird running into you here, Quinn," Bobby said.

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

The boy beside him smiled. "Everyone at the dojo knows your name."

Bobby jerked his thumb towards the boy. "This is Jimmy."

The realization came to me in a rush; I recognized Jimmy. He was one of Johnny's friends, and he, too, had laughed at me on different occasions. Still, there was nothing malevolent about his current expression.

"Nice to meet you," I said. The server behind the counter handed me my milkshake, and I started walking alongside Bobby and Jimmy.

"Listen, we want to apologize for Tommy and Dutch yesterday," Bobby began. "I know they can be very annoying. Don't listen to them, okay? We don't."

"Which one of them is Tommy?" I asked.

"The guy who laughs too much and doesn't know when to shut up?" Jimmy offered. Ah, so he must have been the one with the toothy grin. Which meant "Dutch" was the peroxide blonde.

"Got it." I shrugged. "I'm fine. I don't mind it."

Bobby gave me a look that Jimmy didn't see. He knew just as well as I did that I was lying. He'd seen me cry yesterday and that was a very obvious sign that I wasn't fine, but I wasn't going to admit to anything. Bobby had witnessed too much weakness from my part already.

"So, how come you're at the mall alone?" he said, changing the subject.

I sighed. "Gotta buy myself a bathing suit. They're a staple in California, apparently."

"What are you going to do with a bathing suit?" Jimmy snorted.

I gave him a playful glare. "I don't know – what could I possibly do with a bathing suit in the land of beaches?"

"You'll have to forgive Jimmy. Sometimes, he rides the short bus," Bobby teased. This earned him a hit on the shoulder from the brunet.

It was impossible to think that these two guys could ever associate with someone like Johnny Lawrence. They seemed so nice. It was so easy to be around them, even easier than being around Freddy and Alan. I could see Bobby and Jimmy being my friends, which was a horrible thing to think about because I knew it wouldn't ever happen, not while Johnny continued to dislike me.

I took a sip of my milkshake. "You guys want to tag along? I don't have any girlfriends to give me their opinions."

"We'll be your girlfriends," Bobby decided, grinning.

"Yeah, because it's not like we have better things to do than to watch you change into bathing suits all day," Jimmy added mockingly.

"Perfect," I said. "Let's go."

Bobby ended up being the most helpful. Jimmy only ever said "it's nice" when I picked something out, and then proceeded to stretch and yawn animatedly, hoping I'd get the hint that he was bored. By the time I was onto my fourth bathing suit, he'd ditched, saying he had errands to run. I honestly didn't mind. I liked Bobby a lot more.

Bobby also seemed to be glad about being left alone with me. That way, he didn't have to watch what he said. I can't say I was too happy about it; I knew exactly what he had on his mind.

"Listen," he began as I browsed through a rack of one-pieces, "I gotta know something because it's been bugging me all day yesterday."

"Shoot."

"Did we make you cry?"

I looked up at him and saw him sporting the same look of concern in his grey eyes.

"No. No, it wasn't really you guys." I shook my head. "I just have a lot on my plate, that's all."

"Well, you gotta talk to someone about it. If it's bothering you that much, you can't keep swallowing it down – whatever it is that's bothering you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you offering to be that someone?"

"Yeah." Bobby smiled.

It was practically impossible to refuse. He was right – I did need someone's shoulder to cry on. Talking to Dean was out of the question, and I doubted Freddy and Alan had the emotional depth needed to sympathize with me.

"Alright." I braced myself on the rack in front of me. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Why were you crying?"

"Because I hate Kreese and I hate his dojo, and I kind of hate your friends." I paused. "And because I hate that I had no choice in anything. Dean signed me up for lessons and I didn't have a say in whether I wanted to be humiliated like that or not."

"That's it?"

"Sort of, yeah. Does it make me sound like a brat?"

"No." Bobby's eyebrows puckered together. "But I don't believe you. There has to be something else." He looked like he was thinking hard. "Why are you living with your brother? How come he calls the shots for you?"

Ah. There it was, the topic I had so desperately wanted to ignore. My hands were starting to shake.

"Because I don't have anyone else," I answered. My voice was unbearably thick. "My parents died a few months ago."

It was like someone had jabbed Bobby right in the heart. The look he held in his eyes was pained. I hated that look. It reminded me too much of my own every time I gazed in the mirror.

"I'm sorry," Bobby said. Then, he gritted his teeth. "And Tommy and Dutch only made things worse for you yesterday. Those assholes."

"Hey, it's okay," I assured him. "Like I said, I'm fine." I dabbed at the dampness around my eyes. "But thank you, Bobby. You're one of the few people that have been nice to me since I got here."

He smiled again, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Anytime, Quinn. Anytime."

Bobby ended up giving me a ride home on his dirt bike. I was sure that if Dean found out about it, he'd tear me a new one. I was glad to see upon our arrival that Dean's car was, once again, not in the driveway.

I ended up buying a black one-piece that had a very deep neck-line. Bobby had picked it out. It was a little more revealing than I was used to but I could see why he thought it was a good choice; all eyes would be on me at the beach party. He definitely knew a thing or two about kicking off a social life.

When I got off his bike and handed him back the helmet he'd lent me, Bobby gave me a grin. "See you tomorrow," he said.

I winced. "Right. Great. I can get my ass kicked again."

"Hey, don't worry too much about it," he assured me. "You're good. You just need to stop worrying about what other people think."

"And that's so easy to do with your friends insulting me every time I breathe."

"You're right. But listen, they're just trying to freak you out."

"It's working."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "I'll deal with them. You just stick to your karate."

"Sure thing." I smiled. "Thanks for hanging out with me today."

"No problem. Have fun at your beach party."

And with that, he sped off.

So, I'm kind of deviating a little from the original story I wrote, but like I mentioned before, there's a bunch of things I've always wanted to change about Quinn and her relationship with the movie's characters. Still, I hope you guys enjoyed this part!