Olivia opened the truck bed and pulled out the wooden chair. Demetri helped her yank it out of the vehicle and carry it to the porch, where she so often sat to watch the others train. The two were quiet as they worked together.
It was a rocking chair, and carved on it were olive branches and two doves on the top. After setting it down, Demetri looked at this friend.
"Alright, so you've been secretly training with Cobra Kai, or your just a fucking wizard!?"
"Demetri, I know you're confused, but-"
"Confused?!" Exclaimed the lanky teen. "I'm frustrated. You've been letting me believe that you had no way of protecting yourself?! I was afraid for you, Olivia. Afraid!"
Olivia went quiet as she listened to her friend. Eventually, Demetri finished pacing and plopped onto the wooden deck with a loud puff of air.
"So, what's the deal? Secret spy undercover? Your dad also a Karate mastermind?"
The brunette shook her head with a smirk.
"Nah, no spy business, and my dad wouldn't hurt a fly."
"Was it your mom, then?"
Olivia frowned. "No, but she was my biggest supporter. Well, co-biggest supporter." She sat down next to Demitri, crossing her legs and looking out into the Koi pond.
The sun was setting.
"Uhm, had this friend. Rachael," started Olivia quietly. "We met in first grade, she was being picked on by some kids our age, and I was the only one to stick up for her. After that, we just kind of stuck like glue, y'know?" The brunette smiled faintly at the memory.
"Leave her alone!"
"Yeah, why should we listen to you!?"
"'Cause I don't like bullies."
"I, uh, got my ass kicked," chuckled Olivia. "But, I made a friend, met my soul mate..."
Demitri remained quiet in the story, not liking the past tense used in her sentences.
"One day in second grade, she came running up to me at recess and demanded I go to Karate with her," the scared girl laughed, eyes filled with mirth.
"We could learn to protect each other!"
"I excelled well," continued Olivia, playing with the frays on her shorts. "I caught up to her within a few months, and it was us against the world. Reynolds and Raine. We were going to open our own karate studio one day."
"We'll call it R n' R, Liv! We'll teach young girls to be awesome!"
"In fourth grade, Rachael quit. Claimed karate wasn't for girls and that if she needed help, she could dial 911. The police would be there." Olivia went quiet as she drew her knees into her chest. "...but that was a lie."
Sighing, she continued the story, "Rachael joined the dance studio in the same strip mall as the dojo. We stayed best friends, supporting each other in their own endeavors. I went to every recital, and she went to every tournament."
"Way to go, Rachael! I didn't know you could put your foot so high!"
Demitri looked at the young girl next to him as she sniffed a little bit, "Olivi-"
"I, uh, won a lot of tournaments," smiled Olivia, looking at the teen. "I not only won the Kempo Classic Tournaments but also the Junior High district competitions. I was sent to state and got to compete in the East coast championships."
"Winner! Olivia Reynolds!"
"I got cocky. I was good, like..really good, Demetri," she hesitated and looked away. "I started picking on kids in my school who used to bully me and Rachael, I turned it around on them. I cornered them after school, stole their money, and gave it to kids who didn't bring any. They called me Robin."
"Oh shit, there's Robin. Scram!"
"Like Robin Hood?" inquired Demetri, as his gaze returned to the peaceful backyard. "Steal from the rich, give to the needy. A real moral dilemma."
The brunette snorted and nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Something like that... Anyways, I won the East coast championship in sixth grade and seventh...my ego inflated."
"Rachael was the only one who kept me grounded. She called me out on my shit and protected those who needed it. I never would hurt her...not my red-headed ballerina... and one day in eighth grade, we went on a hike. The sweet girl had planned on talking with me about my... attitude and how I needed an adjustment."
"Run, just fucking run!"
Olivia's face went grim.
"But instead..."
The young teen finished the story about Rachael's death and how Olivia wasn't able to protect her. She told Demetri about the stabbing and then how the three teens pushed a small boulder onto Olivia's arm. It now made sense why she now had a large scar from shoulder to wrist.
"They literally opened up my entire arm and had to reposition everything... Thankfully I wasn't awake. After I blacked out, I slipped into a stress-induced coma for two weeks. When I woke up, I couldn't remember anything except for Rachaels phone call the night before, inviting me on a hike."
Demetri put his arm around his friend as she started to cry. "I-it took me almost two years. That's why I have these panic attacks, and I freeze sometimes. I've been remembering what happened, and I had to remember that my best friend was dead because of me."
"That's not your fault-"
"It was my fault," hissed Olivia as she wiped her face. "If I hadn't been so caught up in being a bully, she never would have invited me to the forest that day. Had I been just a little stronger, I could have protected us both." She got up and moved around the backyard.
"She died on the way to the hospital, Demi. She didn't even get the grace to die peacefully!" Olivia yelled out in agony, recalling the screams and the harrowing thuds.
Clenching her fists up to her face, Olivia turned towards Demetri.
"A-and now, I'm watching our best friend make the same mistakes I did." Olivia fell onto the grass, looking up at the sky.
Demetri soon joined her, the crowns of their heads touching. They both lay quietly, thinking about all that was said.
The young girl felt her chest lighten at finally telling someone about what had happened.
The young boy felt his chest tighten as he realized his friend's pain and torment.
There were no words on Earth that could be placed together to describe how the two teens were feeling. The sun was almost entirely gone, and all that remained were the quiet bugs chirping away.
However, they couldn't help but think, maybe silence was the best thing to say.
...
The two friends went back to the dojo porch, and Demetri asked what the chair was for. Olivia played with her ponytail.
"For one, I would like a comfy chair when I stay and wait for you to get done, my son." Demetri snorted and knocked away the attempted hair ruffle. "Two, it was a gift from my mother when I achieved my second-degree brown belt. We were gonna finish carving it with a rainbow on the back when I got my black belt."
"But, then you quit karate..."
"And she died," finished Olivia quietly.
"You know, in my Karate style we're taught to bow a little differently."
"What do you mean?"
"Here, make your right hand into a fist like this," Olivia grabbed Demetri's hand and closed it up. "And then open your palm, facing the fist. Then you bring them together and bow." Demetri and Olivia bowed at each other using the new form.
"The first represents war and the open hand symbolizes peace. The bow is to show that peace is superior to war and the fight upcoming was unpreventable."
Demetri nodded his head. "That actually makes a lot of sense."
Olivia smiled.
"The chair was supposed to symbolize peace and reconciliation. Before you attempt war, you make every possible negotiation for peace. Karate is supposed to be about self-defense and protecting the ones you love. Not causing war."
The brunette shook her head as she hummed.
"But it's so easy to give in to the temptation of power."
"Like Eli..."
"...Which is why I am leaving it with Mr. LaRusso. I can only hope that the students here will help bring peace to the valley."
"You sound like an old monk," said Demetri after a few minutes of silent driving. "Where'd you get so wise?"
Olivia shrugged and let a teasing smirk fall on her lips.
"RuneScape."
The black-haired boy rolled his eyes, and the tense atmosphere was broken. "I really don't know how to reply to all of that, but I do know that I'm here for you...even if you are just a crazy hobbit."
"Hey!" the brunette made an indignant noise as she turned towards her friend. "I can't help the crazy; it's just something I'm born with."
Demetri hopped up with a snort and a pointed at the girl.
"That is something we can agree on..." After recovering from a slight stumble, Demetri brushed off his shirt and looked up at his best friend. With a serious face loading, he helped the brunette up. "Really, Liv. I'm here if you need anything."
Olivia felt the tears in her eyes as she pulled in the other nerd for a hug.
"Thank you."
...
The two best friends would eventually walk around the garden and talk about anything and everything. On occasion, Olivia's head would snap up but she would get distracted by Demitri making fun of her for being too on edge.
As it got darker, the two went inside the dojo one more time, and Demitri took the chance to look at all the paraphernalia on the walls.
"Attention to orders."
"Hey, this looks like a medal hanging up in your living room," commented Demitri. As he put his hand on his chin, his eyes lit up. "Right, the medal of honor, the highest honor from the US Military. I didn't know Mr. Miygai was a recipient..."
"The president of the United States of America, authorized by act of Congress March 3, 1863..."
Olivia walked up next to her friend.
"Huh, me neither." The brunette lightly touched the outer case as she went back to her visit to Washington, DC.
"...has posthumously awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to Sergeant First Class Sarah M. Reynolds, United States Army."
"I didn't know your mom won the Medal of Honor," commented Dimitri casually with hands in his pocket. "I never really realized what it was."
Olivia nodded slowly.
"Y-yeah. Posthumously."
The black-haired boy was silent for a few minutes.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"...for conspicuous gallantry at the risk of her life and above and beyond the call of duty."
Olivia was tired of explaining the traumas of her life, so she asked if they could go. It was dark, and she felt on edge as if they were being watched. Demetri agreed, although remained firm that she was being ridiculous.
...
But they were watched. A particular seething cobra laid patiently in the surrounding perimeter, waiting. Watching until the nerds were gone, they struck.
And while coming up on a rocking chair carved with olives and doves, all the boy could think about was a black-haired teen and a brunette embraced.
So, he tore it apart.
Just like his heart.
...
"W-what happened?" whispered Olivia as she and Demetri pulled up to Miyagi-Do. The place was trashed, and the yellow car was missing. The two quickly hopped out of her Honda Civic and headed to Robby and Sam, who stood out front. "Is this another weird cleaning exercise from your dad?"
Sam shook her head with anger on her face.
"N-no. It was Cobra Kai. They trashed the dojo and even stole the Medal of Honor." Demitri froze for a second and went to the backyard, Robby following the other male.
In shock, Olivia looked at the girl, "holy shit, seriously?" Demetri had already walked around back with Robby to look at the garden. "When did they do this? Demetri and I were here last night?"
Even though her eyes were still sad, the oldest LaRusson sibling looked at her neighbor with a small smirk. "You and Demitri were here alone last night? What were you guys doing?" Olivia rolled her eyes and nudged the teen's shoulder playfully.
"Not what you think, you dirty monger," teased the hazel-eyed girl. "I was gifting your dad and the dojo with my-" Olivia trailed off in horror. She turned on her heels to run to the backyard. She was stopped at the gate by her best friend, who hugged her, "l-let me go, I have to see it!"
"Olivia, this isn't a shiny Pokemon card, y-you don't need to see it," tried Demitri as he attempted to keep the girl away from the once beautiful chair. "There are so many other things to see, l-like that rock out front, o-or the Japanese Maple, which did you know has over a thousand varieties? It- oof!" The brunette shoved her momentum up, causing Demetri to bend his back to overcompensate. Demetri started springing back down, Olivia's feet hit the ground, and she used a soft palm to the chin. He let go and stumbled back.
Olivia ran in a panic over to the rocking chair, or what it once was. Her fists clenched, and for the first time in over two and a half years, she felt rage.
She spent two years as a pacifist, just like she was told to.
She spent two years running from revenge.
She spent two years doing everything right, and this is what happens!?
Demitri walked up behind the trembling girl, thinking that she was upset, "do you need your inhaler?"
Olivia shook her head slowly, "no...I don't."
And for the first time in over three years, the brunette didn't need her medicine in her heart. She allowed the oceans of rage to flood her lungs, to shove the blood pumping through her veins.
...
A/N: I didn't want her to start karate too soon, but idk I kinda want her to start no