Hey sorry I low-key forgot to keep posting these. I'll do better i swear (maybe)
When the sun started to rise, Kim got out of bed and crawled around her room trying to gather what she would need for the day.
She hardly ever stayed up past midnight, going to bed closer to ten or ten-thirty on school nights. Only getting a few hours of sleep was already taking a toll on her usual routine and she hadn't even had breakfast yet.
She had escaped her parents' worried looks and made a beeline for her car. The heated seats nearly put Kim to sleep before she had fully backed out.
She also nearly crashed into a car as it drove past her driveway, having been too tired to see it driving by. She slammed on her brakes when she saw it and was confused when it parked right in front of her driveway so she couldn't back out.
Then Jack stepped out and started walking towards her. She put the car in park as Jack opened the driver's door.
"You are in no condition to drive, Kim. Just stay home today," he insisted. "You need to lay down."
"I can't, Jack," Kim complained. She wished it were that easy. "And I don't want to worry my parents by staying home."
"Well, I can't let you drive. You couldn't even make it down the driveway without almost getting in a wreck. Get out, I'll drive you."
Kim sighed as she unbuckled. Jack grabbed her bag from the back and set it in his car while Kim got in the passenger seat.
Jack knew it had been one of his smartest decisions to check on Kim when she hadn't even bothered to turn her car off or shut the door. Shaking his head at her stubbornness, he parked her car back in the garage and stuffed her keys in his pocket for safekeeping.
He watched Kim closely on the way to school, checking for anything to be concerned about. Within two minutes, she was already passed out and sleeping soundly.
The drive to school was only fifteen minutes so when he parked, he didn't bother waking her up. She needed all the sleep she could get, even if she could only sleep in his car. He would take whatever would get her to sleep.
Jerry and Milton saw Jack's car still on and walked over to see why he hadn't gone in yet.
Jack rolled down his window as they approached and explained everything that Kim had told him early that morning and how the sleep she was getting right then was virtually the only sleep she had gotten the whole night.
They both agreed Kim needed to sleep and Milton had even offered to visit Kim's teachers and collect the classwork for the day so Kim could stay with Jack until she woke up on her own. Having recently studied sleep cycles, Milton was more than equipped to educate the others on circadian rhythm and how tired Kim's body would be if they woke her up before she was ready.
Jerry didn't have much information to offer, but he did have some blankets in his truck that he brought over and laid on Kim to keep her warm. Very slowly, Jack and Jerry lowered the seat so Kim was laying down.
"Man, I have never seen anyone sleep so deep in my life," Jerry noticed.
Jack agreed, noting how Kim's chest gently rose and fell under the blanket.
"Well if it isn't the Wasabi Worms!"
Frank and his brainless friends had seen Jack and the others all loitering around Jack's car. It had been ages since they'd had a tournament together and Frank was itching for some action and confrontation.
"What do you want, Frank?" Milton spat, having courage in Jack's presence.
Frank just sneered and looked around.
"Where's little Kimmy, hm? What? Did she betray you too? Maybe we ought to pay her a visit, hm?" he taunted.
Jack and Jerry glanced at each other, wondering when or if Frank would notice Kim sleeping and try something underhanded. Even if they were right there, he'd rather not risk it.
Jack quietly cracked Kim's door and started to walk away, leading Frank further from where Kim was resting.
"Come on, Frank, is that the best you've got? Petty insults?" Jack jeered. "You could at least make this worth my time."
"Oh, it'll be worth your time when I pound your face in!"
Jack rolled his eyes. "And how many times has that happened before?"
"Well- There's a first for everything!" Frank sputtered.
Jack usually was somewhat entertained by the back and forth with Frank, but today he was itching to get back to Kim.
"Can we get this over with then? If you came to do something, do it. If not, I'd like to move on with my da-"
Jack was interrupted by a familiar scream coming from the direction of his car.
All eyes turned to his car and everyone rushed over to see what had happened. Jack had a fairly good idea, but even Frank and the other Black Dragons had come to check it out.
They stood a few yards back but watched closely over Milton and Jerry's shoulders as Jack opened the door and found Kim withering in her seat.
Jack tried to get her attention and calm her down, but her thrashing was making it hard. Finally, Jack grabbed Kim's hands and held them tight in her lap with one hand and pinned her torso with his other forearm.
"Kim, wake up. It's just a dream, Kim." Jack tried to sound as soothing, but also reality-inducing, as he could.
Kim tried to thrash around again but halted suddenly as her eyes opened and she jolted.
Jack let up his hold on her and brushed the hair away from her face, letting her stay laying down.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, still brushing through Kim's hair.
Kim nodded and tried to make sense of where she was. The last thing she remembered was being tired and trying to get ready for school and then suddenly she was in the dojo and there was blood and screaming and that girl.
"What happened, Kim? You were sleeping so well on the way here?"
Kim was confused. She was sleeping? It made sense that she'd had a nightmare, but how did she fall asleep in the first place?
"I don't know…" she admitted, looking around slowly. "Where…"
"We're at school. You fell asleep on the way here so I was going to let you rest. Then Frank came over and we left to deal with him and you started freaking out," Jack explained.
Kim sat up a little more and realized she had an audience. Not only were Jerry and Milton not far, but the Black Dragons were also watching. Not only watching but they were concerned for her.
Kim was more than a little embarrassed at the attention and Jack picked up on it almost immediately. He stood up and turned back to the boys, telling them all Kim was fine and just needed a minute. The Black Dragons stood around for a second longer before slowly walking off.
Jack turned back to Kim to see she was already yawning and blinking slowly.
"Why don't you go back to sleep, Kim? I'll be right here with you, I promise." Jack pulled the bunched-up blanket back over Kim's body and helped her get comfortable again.
Kim tried to fight it, but she was desperate and soon, sleeping again.
Jack sighed heavily, wondering what he was supposed to do now. He couldn't wake Kim up, but it seemed she could hardly stay asleep herself. He wasn't sure if she had woken up because of the shouting or if somehow her unconscious brain knew he was gone.
Either way, he took Milton up on his offer. Jerry volunteered to watch Kim during school since he wasn't missing anything he wasn't already going to skip. Unfortunately for him, Jack was adamant that he would watch Kim while Jerry helped Milton in getting their missed school work.
He spent the next few hours driving around with Kim, before parking in an abandoned lot to wait for Kim to wake up.
He got bored fairly quickly and decided to do a little research while he waited.
He was still in denial about any ghosts. Kim seemed convinced and he didn't want to make her feel bad, but it just wasn't practical. Without a second witness, the ghost could easily be a figment of her imagination.
Instead of likely wasting his time looking up fictional ghost stories, Jack looked for treatment for insomnia. Kim could not go another day without sleep like she had the night before. She had a rigorous schedule, she couldn't afford sleep deprivation.
He had seen her tired before, but today was something different. She was exhausted. Physically and mentally drained. It pained Jack just to see her, normally spunky and fiercely independent, so incapacitated.
When Kim's eyes fluttered and she became aware of her surroundings, it was hours later. She was still in Jack's passenger seat, reclined and under a warm blanket.
Jack was sitting in the driver's seat and messing with his phone. Kim noticed even in her sleepy state, that it was turned off and upside down. When he turned toward Kim, he acted surprised as if he had only just noticed she was awake.
Choosing to ignore it, Kim hummed contently and snuggled further into the seat and blanket.
"Sleep well?" Jack asked, setting his phone to the side and turning all his attention and care on Kim.
Kim nodded but didn't bother trying to move or sit up, she was way too comfortable. The past few days had been tough on her and had taken a toll on her body.
She hadn't slept so soundly since she was a little girl. It was like going to bed tuckered out after a full day of fun outside in the middle of summer. There wasn't a more refreshing sleep in the world.
"I'm sorry, you didn't have to skip school for me," she finally muttered as she fought to keep her eyes open.
Jack shook it off. "It's okay, I didn't ask. But I would like you to answer a few questions."
Jack pulled out his phone with some of the notes he had taken about her insomnia. They may have skipped school, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be a productive day. He was getting to the bottom of this once and for all.
"How long has it been since you've slept through 8 full hours at night?"
"Um… a few days probably?" Kim guessed, unsure where the question was coming from. "Why?"
Jack continued. "Are you stressed about anything? More than usual?"
"Jack, where is this coming from?"
She was starting to get an idea of what Jack was thinking. He thought she was going crazy and that everything was all in her head. She didn't necessarily blame him. At first, she wondered if it was all in her head too. But every time she let herself think it wasn't real, the ghost would be back and remind her just how frighteningly real it was.
"Kim, I just want to help. I looked up causes for insomnia and I think you're a prime candidate-"
"Jack, listen I'm not making this up-"
"-you just have so much going on and you're constantly stressed out and-"
"I saw her with my own eyes-"
"-it's okay if you need help, you don't have to be embarrassed or pretend to be stronger than you are-"
"It's real, Jack!" Kim finally shouted, effectively silencing him.
She was trying to be patient but the reality of her situation was making her anxious and she didn't have time to argue over whether her problem was even a problem.
"It's real," she said in a conversational volume. "I saw her at the dojo and I saw her at my house and I see her in my dreams… She's everywhere Jack and I just want it to stop."
Jack watched as Kim slipped away. She was losing herself and he didn't know what to do. He thought he could help her work through whatever was going through her head, but it seemed it went beyond that.
"Okay," Jack decided. "What can I do?"
Aw cute. Also guys I'm so ready for Christmas but I'm also enjoying fall/halloween so much right now which doesn't usually happen. And it's not even cold yet, we still are in the high 70s during the day but at night it gets a little chilly and I love fall so freaking much. Also thanks for reading guys, I feel like I never say that but I really appreciate every comment or favorite or follow. It's so weird to me cause I just wrote these all for myself and then randomly posted one one day a few years ago. My writing has improved so much and I really enjoy the process of story telling. So thanks for keeping me going!