"Eli, please! I'm sorry!" yelled out a crying Olivia as she was pushed to the ground. "I didn't mean it!" Hawk sneered at the brunette on the floor.
"Pathetic," he kicked her chest so that she lost balance again. Trying to back away, Olivia found herself hitting a wall. Whimpering, she looked around for an escape. "You're weak. All you do is cry, bitch, and moan at the world around you. When are you going to take ownership of your life, Olive?"
The spiky-haired teen mocked as he crouched in front of her. "When are you going to stop letting your friends get hurt?" Hazel-eyes ducked down, trying to hide from the teen in front of her.
"Oh no, no-no. Don't hide from me," growled Hawk as he grabbed her by the shirt. "Look at me!" he shook her violently. "She's dead because of you! He's hurt because of you! You weren't strong enough, and you never will be." Olivia sobbed more as she tried to deny it.
Sneering, Hawk lifted his hand into a fist. "Pathetic."
He let it fly and-
Olivia shot up out of bed, tangled in her sheets and breathing heavily. Quickly turning on her lamp, she took a moment to look around the room and out into the storm. Blindly grabbing her inhaler, she gave herself two puffs before shakily climbing out of bed and cracking her back.
Maybe she shouldn't drink warm milk and eat a box of Oreos before bed. Looking over at the clock, Olivia read the bright red 03:54 am and decided that sleep wouldn't be a part of her morning anymore.
Olivia started her routine.
It's all in the routine.
...
Olivia's dad was out of town.
Again.
The brunette wondered if she should feel sad about the lack of her dad's presence or angry that he wasn't there to deal with the panic she felt inside. Instead, she felt relieved that he wouldn't know how much she struggled in life.
The young nerd knew her dad was also struggling. The man moved, got everything he ever dreamed of, and his wife died months later. Not only that but combined with your daughter's PTSD from almost being mu-.
Tonight, she found herself eating at the LaRusso's, sitting next to her favorite ant at the kitchen counter. Olivia had her Switch on the counter, and the two each had a controller, playing Smash.
"You're freaking DEAD, LaRusso," Olivia commented furiously as she went to finish her special attack. "Prepare to eat my stardust, loser." The brunette pressed the down button and looked at the screen smugly. Her face fell when Anthony last-minute dodged the attack and teleported behind her. With a kick to her character's back, she was sent falling off the map.
"You thought," hollered Anthony in a cackle. "That's my win!" Olivia quickly grabbed the kid by his neck and gave him a noogie in his head. "H-hey! Stop that; I won!" The brunette kept the kid under her armpit and snorted.
"Yeah, in a game. But this is real life, little ant. And I'm gonna squish ya!"
Amanda just shook her head with a smile at the two as she continued cleaning up. Eventually, the two continued to another round, looking intently on the screen. When she noticed her husband come in, Amanda greeted him in kind.
Olivia hadn't even noticed the other man walking into the kitchen until she heard Miguel's name being mentioned. Continuing playing her game, she listened in on the conversation, frowning at the nickname Mr. LaRusso had for her friend.
"I'm with Dad on this one," piped up Anthony, still looking at the screen intently. He let out a tiny hiss as his character Marth got knocked down by Rosalina. Olivia let out a small victory 'ha!'
"What about you, Liv? Want to join the team?" tried Daniel as he looked over at the teen girl. "There are lots of routines!"
Olivia's hands froze for a second at being offered a chance at Karate. Taking her silence as a go-ahead, he continued, "Your dad might feel better knowing that you can protect yourself when he's g-"
"I can protect myself just fine, Mr. LaRusso," quipped Olivia as she knocked out Anthony's character again. "I have pepper spray, my phone, and 911 on speed dial." Her head tilted towards her set of keys. "Look, it's even pink with rhinestones, so everyone knows not to fuck with me." She knew the language was too rough for the house, but she took advantage of their inability to correct her.
When your mom is dead you could get away with shit like that.
Rosalina used her special attack on Marth, causing the third strike and the win screen to pop up. Putting her control down on the counter, Olivia hopped off the stool and looked up at the LaRusso's.
"Thanks for having me over. I gotta go; I'm meeting some friends tonight and don't want to be late." Danny and Amanda both said their goodbyes to the angsty girl, and Anthony followed her to the front door.
"Hey, can we still play that new game you got this weekend?" asked Anthony, hands around his Switch and looking at the girl with hopeful eyes. "My parents are taking my sister to this dumb thing, and I really don't want to go." Olivia looked at the kid with an unhealthy technology attachment and sighed. She hadn't really wanted to do anything this weekend and forgot she offered to play.
"Sure, little man. But you gotta ask your parents first, alright?" Olivia gave him a mischievous look before stuffing him under her armpit, causing him to let out a yelp. "S-stoP!" he giggled out, trying to push the taller girl away.
"No mercy!" hollered the brunette in good fun, grinning all the way. Pushing the young boy away after a few seconds, she gave him a pat on the head and gave her goodbyes.
Olivia always wanted a younger brother to pick on.
...
"No mercy!"
In the kitchen, Danny LaRusso froze mid-sip at the phrase uttered in the front of his home. Followed by the laughter and yells of his younger son, he found himself with a weary opinion.
So when he refused Anthony's proposal for this weekend, Danny knew it was for the best.
Even when Amanda gave him a look from the side of her eyes.
Danny LaRusso was going to keep his family away from bullies.
...
The brunette pulled into the restaurant's parking lot and sent Demetri a text announcing her arrival. Her best friend met her at the door, giving her a welcome fist bump, and led her to the table.
Olivia took a look at the people at the table and sent a small smile at Aisha. Hawk and his girlfriend sat on the opposite side of the girl, making out. With a nose wrinkle, she looked around noticed Miguel seated at a table alone. Confused, she continued her walk over to the main table and grabbed a nearby chair to pull up.
Hawk noticed the new person and looked up with a smirk before his face fell at the newcomer. "What's she doing here?" he asked Demitri.
"Since we are celebrating victories, we should also celebrate the new champ of the LA Cyber Patriot Competition," pointed out Demetri as he slid in next to Aisha. "You're looking at the lead of the West Valley High's Cyber team, who just won first place."
Olivia was confused. She was under the impression that they knew she would be here and welcomed by everyone. Instead, she could see the awkward shift in her old best friend.
The blue-haired teen snorted and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well we're celebrating badass victories only tonight, not nerd shit." Looking over at the brunette, he ended with a "no offense, Olive."
Rolling her eyes, she stole a nacho from the center of the table. "I don't need a celebration to know I've done good in life, parrot head." Hawk scoffed, putting his arm around his girlfriend, and ignored the girl.
The South Carolinian just got there but was already feeling out of place. Faking a text, she looked at her phone, "oh, shoot. I forgot that I have to go get dad from the airport. I'll, uh, see you guys later." Demetri stood up with her, looking confused.
"W-wait, you just got here?" The black-haired boy hurried after his only regular friend, tripping lightly over a chair. "Liv, wait!" Moon giggled at the boy and leaned into her boyfriend.
"They're so cute together, don't you think?"
Hawk scoffed, taking a sip of his drink. He didn't want to say what he was thinking about the two.
There was nothing to say.
...
Olivia hurriedly went to her vehicle but was stopped by Demetri. "Liv, Jesus girl! What are you doing?" The teen brushed his shirt off and straightened out the collar. "Where are you going? Your dad doesn't get back in until Sunday, remember?"
The brunette took a deep breath and shook her head at the boy. "Don't you get it? They don't want me there, hell, Demi, they don't want you there!"
"What do you mean?"
Rolling her eyes, she shoved a hand towards the diner, "Hawk. Aisha. Them. They don't want us there because we won't conform." Throwing her arms up, keys shaking, Olivia continued with a shaky voice. "Everythings changed, Demetri. It's only a matter of time before we start getting harsher backlash."
The black-haired teen rolled his eyes and scoffed at her. "That's ridiculous, Olivia. Eli is just going through a little phase. Maybe he has too much confidence, but he's not going to turn into a bully overnight."
"Maybe not overnight," she retorted. "Maybe not tomorrow. But one day."
Olivia Reynolds yanked her car door open and looked back at her confused friend, "I refuse to surround myself with people who don't want me there." She hopped into the car seat and closed the door. As she sped away, she hit a curb causing Demetri to wince.
"Well, shit."
...
Back inside the uncomfortable quiet of her home, Olivia looked at the broken cabinet and groaned. She had been holding onto the cabinet when a loud clap of thunder sounded. Olivia accidentally ripped the door off its hinges.
It was too late to go to the hardware store tonight, so she'd have to go tomorrow,
Instead, she decided to hop onto her computer and saw the Cyber Patriots results were still loaded on the screen.
No phone calls for interviews, no news article photos, no crazy school announcements. Just a few lines of the digital report.
And Demetri's Discord message of congratulations.
Eli hadn't been online in a while, most likely deleting the app due to his away message of "doing something badass, be back never."
It was a lie to say Olivia wasn't hurt by the lack of recognition. She had also trained hard for this with after-school hours in the computer lab, tons of reading, and practicing with the team. Olivia spent a lot of time over the summer and school year for this, only for some Karate tournament to overshadow her win.
A win that was paid for at the expense of another kid's bodily health.
Exiting out of the window, Olivia went through her folder of photos and videos from the summer before. She clicked on a folder labeled /First sk8/ and connected through the images. Olivia giggled at the fun pictures of her, Eli, and Demitri skating. While the brunette was no pro, she had gone skating plenty of times with her mom.
So when the two boys mentioned they never had gone, she quickly found a local rink, and that's where they spent their Saturday night.
The teen got to a video taken by Demitri of her trying to help Eli skate, only for him to fall down. Grinning, she replayed the video, and her eyes shifted over to the photo of the three of them falling on the ice. It was such a great memory.
Sighing in melancholy, the girl closed down her computer and went to bed. She'd head to the hardware store in the morning to pick up the supplies and then worry about her friendships.
If she could sleep.
...
Olivia wondered if life enjoyed throwing her curveballs. She grumbled in her head as she made eye contact with a particular blond adult, who held a list in his hand. They both stood awkwardly in the aisle as they waited to see who would speak first. It wasn't going to be her.
The brunette was never one to enjoy silence.
"So... that tournament was something."
Snorting, Johnny rolled his eyes. "Didn't think you liked violence, Knuckles."
"I don't," commented Olivia with a shrug. "I like my friends. Really enjoyed the mercy your students had."
"Yeah, well, at least they aren't too scared to fight," bit Johnny. Sighing, he wiped a hand over his face. "What are you even doing here, kid? Don't you have some kind of weird computer nerd shit to do? This isn't a place for girls; you could get hurt." He said the last part sarcastically.
Narrowing her eyes, she responded, "I broke my kitchen cabinet. I'm here to get things to fix it."
"Why not get your dad to do it or something?"
Olivia sighed, feeling the negativity leave her body as she remembered her dad's lesson on kindness and helping others. Johnny needed more empathy than most.
"He's out of town, so it's just me. It usually is just me," she muttered out the last part, crossing her arms. "What are you doing here?"
Johnny nodded, holding back a jab about her and breaking things. "Dojo mirror shattered."
The brunette nodded in understanding, "yeah, I totally understand. Mine shattered a few weeks ago. I think they're over here." She gestured to Johnny to follow her, and he did so with a shrug of shoulders. Heading back to where they used to be, she noticed they weren't there.
"Huh, guess they moved," commented Olivia. Looking around, she found an employee down the aisle. "Here, there's a worker." The two-headed over to the heavy-set man.
"Hey, man," Johnny said to the bearded man. "I'm looking to replace a 4x8 mirror."
The young teen watched the conversation on the 80's pass through the men and found herself trying not to smile. It was humorous seeing Johnny socialize with strangers.
"Hey, looks like your daughter got your taste of music," commented the man with a grin. "Rock on, little dude."
Sputtering, Johnny tried to spew out that she was not his daughter. Instead, Olivia took the chance and grinned evilly.
"Oh yes, my dad always played his 80's music growing up. Between you and me, he listened to Guns n' Roses while getting his colonoscopy last year." She whispered loudly as if telling a secret.
The bearded man named Raymond only nodded in understanding, "totally metal dude."
Johnny Lawrence, annoyed and embarrassed, pushed the young girl away.
"Do you have the mirror glass or not?"
With a loss of excitement, Raymond stuttered out that he would be right back. With the weird man gone, the blond turned to the smiling teen and sighed with a hand over his eyes.
"Kid, what are you-"
"It's over here, Mr. LaRusso." Johnny stopped his sentence and looked over towards the familiar voice. He walked over to the location, and Olivia followed, too invested in the man's day to leave.
"Why are you staring at Mr. LaRusso and Robby Keene like they killed your pet hamster?" whispered Olivia. Johnny only shook his head, mood falling further. "Are you t-"
"Hey, Metallica man!" called out Raymond. The sudden voice behind her caused Olivia to jump and grab the blond man's sleeve, "We got that, uh, mirror glass all set for you."
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare your daughter. So, uh, just come upfront and pay for it." Olivia looked up at Johnny and noticed his lack of comfort in moving past the LaRusso. She assumed that it had to do with their weird rivalry and decided he needed some kindness. She gave the man a nudge with her shoulder and a small smile, hoping the adult knew he wasn't alone.
Johnny looked down at the girl and nodded, getting the energy to move forward.
Mr. LaRusso and Robby looked at the man.
"Johnny."
"Woah! LaRusso Auto!?"
As the bigger man continued his one-sided conversation, Olivia could feel the growing tension in the air. It was awkward, and the brunette couldn't figure out why. Daniel looked down at the grip she had on Johnny's sleeve and quickly let go, cracking her hands like nothing happened.
"Is this your son?" Olivia looked at Johnny as his whole body seemed to melt down into defeat. Looking at his customers, Raymond said jokingly, "must be brought your-kid-to-work day, huh? Sweet, cool, gnarly-" The air was getting worse.
Johnny stopped the annoying manchild, "Hey man, just..put the glass on the loading dock?" Olivia scratched her head as she walked a little closer to the blond.
Maybe she should have left while she had the chance.
"What are you kids doing here?"
"Just working on a little project," Mr. LaRusso nodded at his neighbor's daughter. "What about you?"
"Mr. Lawrence is helping me fix some things in the house," blurted out Olivia. She wasn't sure where it came from, but something about her neighbor's attitude started to bother her. He looked at her like a stranger, not like the girl who ate at his house. The girl who played video games with their son. "I, uh, broke my mirror and the kitchen cabinet." The brunette nodded, shoving her hands in her pocket. "He, Uhm, offered to teach me how to do some things while dad is gone."
Johnny took a side glance at the girl but otherwise said nothing. Robby looked anywhere but his real dad and the girl acting like his daughter. Daniel nodded slowly and looked at the father and son. Giving a sigh, he took the equipment out of Robby's hands and looked at Olivia.
"Hey, why don't you come with me for a second? Amanda wanted me to talk to you about dinner tonight anyway," he held his hand out to the young girl, giving her a look when she tried to say something. Closing her mouth, Olivia walked aggressively towards LaRusso and allowed him to lead him to the front.
At the cash register, the silence was awkward. The young Reynolds had the screws, hinges, and other equipment in her hand, and Daniel motioned towards the conveyor belt.
"Go ahead and put it there; I'll pay for it."
Olivia shook her head. "No, Mr. LaRusso. It's fine, I promise." Daniel chuckled and grabbed the items from her hand, handing them directly to the cashier.
"Think about it as payment for keeping Anthony busy," remarked Daniel.
"I don't need the payment for giving Anthony some attention," mumbled Olivia, with her arms crossed. As the cashier bagged the items, Daniel paid for everything. Outside of the store, he handed her times in a separate bag and sighed.
"Listen, Liv. If you want to join Karate, Cobra Kai is not the way to go," he began passionately. "If you hang around with him, you'll-" While the black-haired man continued talking, all Olivia could hear was a bully knocking someone who hasn't had a fair shake in life. No wonder Johnny wanted to avoid the man.
"Mr. LaRusso, with all of my respect, I know your family is very kind," Olivia interrupted the adult. "You feed me; check on me when my dad is gone." She hesitated on the right words to get her message across. "But, why pick and choose where your kindness goes based on the past?" Daniel looked at her with furrowed eyebrows, opening his mouth to tell her that people like that don't change.
"If you knew my dad 10 years ago, you would have ignored us," the brunette continued passionately. Shifting her weight back and forth, she looked away, "people can change. Some people just need more kindness than others." Olivia took a deep breath and let it out loudly. "Tell Miss Amanda that I said thank you for the invite, but I have some home repairs to work on."
With that, Olivia left the older man. Daniel's brain was reeling at the conversation. Ultimately, he felt angry again; Cobra Kai wasn't done brainwashing their students.
...
Back at the house, Olivia cursed as she realized that the damage was more than just replacing a hinge. The door wasn't going to sit properly due to the hole ripped out. She set the drill down and took a seat at the counter, head in her hands as she tried not to freak out in frustration.
Just as she was about to scream, the doorbell sounded.
...
A/N:
Olivia can't ge k, but who's at the door? Comment your guess!
Also, I know the outfits aren't super 'cute' or anything, I just wanted them to be a little realistic of what a teen would wear. Specifically things that would cover the scar.
Thnx for being here!