Will you lie to me?

Jack, Jerry and Milton were now officially worried. Jack hadn't told anyone of his visit to Kim. He'd just told them he had gone to visit her during practice, but she was too ill to let him in. The day after she hadn't come to school, which had only had Jack worried. But it was now nearly a week that they had seen or heard anything from her. Rudy had gone by her house twice, but nobody had opened even though Mister Crawford's car was in the driveway once. Jack had left about fifteen messages on Kim's voicemail, Milton another three and Jerry two, but she had answered none of them. Neither did she return any of the texts they sent her. They were going to stop at her house this afternoon again, but Jack had a feeling that no one would open up. They would go right after practice. Jack exited the changing room and started stretching.

'Kim, isn't with you again?' Rudy asked. Jack shook his head. Jerry and Milton came out of the changing rooms not much later and practice started, but none of them were really motivated today. They just wanted to see how… Kim! At that moment she came walking in. A red jeans with a yellow shirt and a black and white striped hoodie.

'Kim, what a surprise. You feeling better?' Rudy said.

'Rudy, can I talk to you?' Kim asked.

'Sure. Guys, take five. What is it?'

'Not in here,' Kim said. They went into Rudy's office. It was surprising for all members of the Wasabi dojo to see Kim again after nearly a week of hearing nothing due to her illness. Truth was, Kim hadn't really been ill. When she had woken up on the stairs after her fa-, Mister Crawford had knocked her unconscious it had been noon a day later. She had looked completely beaten up and it had taken a week before, with more beatings of Mister Crawford, it had all healed enough to be covered up by make up and clothes. On her left arm there were now scars, and it seemed that the bruise on her stomach wasn't going to leave any time soon. She could barely smile from the pain that the bruise on her cheek caused her. It was time to cut the ties.

'I've thought about your question a while back. I will be your guardian.'

'There's no need for that anymore,' Kim said quickly. 'I'm here for something completely different.'

'Really? Well, what did you want to talk about?'

'I'm leaving the dojo, Rudy. I'm not going to train here anymore.'

'You can't be serious.'

'Dead serious. I'm quitting karate.' Rudy was panicking. He had been trying to keep an eye on Kim, knowing that something was off ever since she had asked him to be her guardian. The past week he had made up his mind that he would be her guardian, if only for the privilege to check up on her. Now he would lose her completely. This couldn't be happening!

'Kim, we need you.' For a moment it pained Kim to hear this, but she knew he was just lying make her feel better. No one needed her.

'You've got Jack, and Jerry and Milton are getting better.'

'That's not just-,' Rudy began, but Kim interrupted him.

'Rudy, you don't need me. I'm quitting karate. That's it.' She walked out of the office into the practice room. 'Goodbye.' With those words she left the dojo, planning on never returning. Jack was about to run after her, but Jerry stopped him.

'Don't think that's a good idea, bro.' With that Jack gave up on his pursuit.

The next day Kim was in school again. She had a lot of catching up to do, but she was there again. It eased Jack's mind a bit. She had been a little late so he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her yet. Until lunch they had separate classes, but at lunch he would catch her. Jack was sure something was off. He always knew when she was lying, but he could also tell a lot more by just the look in her eye, and it had been very wrong when he had been over at her house. There was more than just anger and the pain of her sister and mother's deaths. He was desperate to talk to her. He wanted to apologize, to tell her he had been an idiot. That he wanted to do everything to get her back into his life again, even though that seemed desperate. He would do anything to make sure he wouldn't lose her.

Finally the bell rang and Jack hurried off to the cafeteria, knowing for sure he would find Kim there. From his chair at their usual table he could oversee the entire cafeteria, but he couldn't see her. Jerry and Milton joined him soon enough.

'Have you seen Kim?' Jack asked both of them.

'Not since this morning in math,' Milton said. The three of them began eating, but after a few seconds Jack couldn't stand it anymore.

'I'm going to look for her,' with that he got up and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving his untouched lunch on the table. She was not at her locker, at the bottom of the stairs, not in the gym, nowhere to be found. That was until Jack came into the library. Kim rarely ever came here, but now she was sitting there, second row, staring at a book with a pen in her hand.

'Kim!' She jumped at hearing her name, throwing her pen on the ground.

'Jack.' She seemed to be truly surprised that he was here. He picked up her pen and handed it back to her as she closed her book and put her stuff in her bag.

'Listen, Kim, I'm sorry about the other day. I had no right-.'

'You know damn well you had no right!' she snapped at him.

'What's wrong with you? We used to be so tight. Now all you're doing is pushing me away. What is going on?' Kim was terrified. She was scared of her father, scared of the things she had done wrong, scared of what would happen if anyone knew the truth. But mostly she was scared of herself. She still couldn't focus, she was losing control over what she was doing to herself, she had no control over her feelings and thoughts. And now she had to lie to the one person that she had once been prepared to trust with her everything. She was going to have to save him from herself.

'What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you?! You keep on trying to meddle with things that don't concern you. And you really don't see that I want you out of this. This has nothing to do with you. I'm sick of you trying to poke your nose into my business! I want you to leave me alone!'

'Kim,' he tried once again.

'I hate you, Jack! I hate you!' And for the first time ever Jack didn't know if she was lying. He stared after her as she stomped out of the library. Jack's bag dropped out of his hand and the sound snapped him back to himself. She had just really walked out on him.

Kim skipped her last periods and went straight home. Her dad was drinking in the living room. Kim hurried up the stairs into her room. She threw her stuff in a corner and pulled her long sleeved shirt over her head before grabbing under her pillow for the knife. Today everything had gone wrong. She hated herself and she felt like she was losing it with every second she was still breathing. But even now the knife trembled in her hands at the thought of doing it. She broke open the old scars, but the tears were still stuck in her throat. Eventually she threw the knife back on her bed and screamed in frustration. Downstairs she heard her father swear and without even thinking she went to see him.

'You did that on purpose.' She was losing it that she was seeking this out.

'I didn't.'

'Yes, you did!' Kim wanted to cry, but even her father beat her until she didn't have the will to get up anymore, didn't help. She was just a broken girl.

Jack didn't see her in classes, but was to sad to really think much on it. Had she lied when she said she hated him? How could this have happened? They had been so close. They had understood each other without saying a word. Now he couldn't even tell if she actually meant what she said. This was worse than when he had to leave for Japan and she hadn't shown to say him goodbye, this was worse than when they had been fighting over him letting her win, even worse than when he had seen her with Brett after they had split up. He freaking loved her and this was what he got. This was what he got for trying to get close to her.

Kim hated him. She had told him she hated him.

At the dojo he told what had happened and none of them really felt up to training anymore. This was not like Kim. Kim was too loyal to say anything like this. She was too strong to be hit this hard. Rudy had left the three guys alone to go into his office and make a very important call to a woman named Anne. Something had to be done. Jack, Jerry and Milton were sure of that too, but they didn't know what. Kim was pushing all of them away, and the closer they would try to get, the faster she would run.

The Kim they knew would never have done anything like this. She would have talked, she would have whined, she would have hit people, but she would have come around eventually. The Kim they knew would have been very sad, but she would have asked them to stay close. The Kim they knew would never have quit karate. The Kim they knew would have stood her ground. The Kim they knew would never have even tried to lie. The Kim they knew wouldn't even have considered pushing them away.

But this wasn't their Kim. This was someone who looked a lot like someone they cared about. This person lied, pushed her friends away, was secretive, didn't talk to anyone, never smiled, and was basically a broken figure.

Rudy was still in his office talking to Anne, he would go to New York the next day for this couldn't wait and had to be done in person. When they were finally done talking and everything was arranged Rudy went back to his students.

'I have to go to New York and I'll be gone tomorrow the entire day. The dojo will be open and I will ask Joan to keep an eye on it, okay?' Rudy asked. His three male students nodded.

'Why are you going to New York, Rudy?' Milton asked.

'I need to take care of some things.'

'Rudy, we need to get Kim back,' Jack suddenly blurted out.

'I know.'

'What can we do?' Milton asked.

'I'm doing everything I can,' Rudy sighed. 'I wouldn't know anything else we can do for her if she doesn't want us to help her.'

'Rudy, we can't just lose her!' Jack said loudly.

'We need, Kim!' Jerry added.

'I know, but there is nothing we can do.' Jack turned away, grabbed his bag and left the dojo. Kim was all that there was on his mind. At the same time Kim's mind wouldn't make way for any other thought than Jack. He was the most perfect guy in the world, and she'd hurt him so bad. He was everything to her, and yet she had lied to him. The only person that could possibly understand her and she had chased him away.

She had just learned to lie. And she hated it.