There is an OC in this chapter. Don't worry she won't show up very often in the story.
Johnny was certain that he must have blacked out and walked home at some point. The plush carpeting underneath him was an unexpected comfort to his aching muscles and definitely didn't belong in the dojo. The air smelt wonderful- clean with a hint of citrus- it wasn't his apartment that was clear now. He didn't want to move; whatever this was there was no reason to end it too soon. He only dared to blink open his eyes when he heard a child scurry past.
He knew this room and that terrified him more than any uncertainty in his life. Johnny hadn't set foot in this room in thirty-five years. This was his room in Sid's house, sure Johnny's mother had decorated the entire estate, that had been made an adamant fact long ago. He was either dreaming or in a drunken coma.
"Johnathan, final warning, you better be up and ready. I told Mr. Rukers that you would lifeguard at the club today."
The was sweet but stern and brought tears to his eyes. He picked himself up off of the floor; dragging the Walkman with him by the headphones entangled around his torso. Shaking his head as he went the whirling of the cassette still thrumming in his ears.
Everything was as he remembered. He turned in a circle double checking for anything to be amiss… maybe lucid dreaming took thirty years to have an effect. No luck, everything was how he remembered right down to the blue and white striped walls and the stickers on his typewriter casing. This was what had been his bedroom at Sid's place - plush white magazine carpeting and all. Johnny tripped his way over to the closet; slinging the door open with a little more force than nessacary, he paused listening for his mother's voice only hearing the air conditioning and girlish giggles in its place. He held his breath trying to find the courage to face the mirror on the inside of the door.
It really was true that God liked to play tricks on the willing. All of his other solutions couldn't explain away the fact that his seventeen-year-old body was being reflected back at him. It was weird to see his face without any more damage besides his mild eczema, and his bangs were so feathered and long. Johnny ran his fingers through them surprised by how soft the locks were. He grinned, finally a chance to make it all work. Maybe this time he could keep Ali and Daniel in his life- start with the petty stuff and then move on up the mountain of success.
Johnny dug through the closet and dresser drawers until he found a decent pair of swim trunks. Sure, they were neon blue and green but at least they complimented his hair. He hastily threw the black gi pants into the back of the closet; silently praying that his mom wouldn't come around here snooping. Only after he was satisfied that nothing in the room looked changed from his arrival did he turn back to the mirror. He needed to put sun lotion on, he squeezed a small dollop into his palm but stopped millimeters from his face. There was so much about his reflection that he didn't remember… his eyes and cheeks were so childlike; a human cabbage patch doll. It was a wonder that Ali had gone out with him at all. he heard from laughter from out in the hallway again… the kind that needed no reason to be just happiness and excitement.
Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open to reveal a small girl standing in the hallway as if she owned the world. It was Sarah, his younger sister, Johnny could tell by the scowl across her face. The very same one that had greeted him in the Police Station after the Applebee's fiasco. Johnny didn't remember her being so young; but then again he didn' remember much about senior year besides Ali, Daniel, and having his Cobra's by his side.
"Come on Johnny! You're taking me to the pool today Mommy promised." Sarah whined impatiently. Her pink and white T-shirt and shorts; she kept picking at her shoulders where the straps of her bathing suit were. She began tugging on his arm trying to move him out the door faster.
It was just like his mother to commandeer him for both lifeguarding and babysitting. He could hear her in his head "An idle mind is the devil's playground, darling". He grimaced, Sarah's hands were sticky with something; hopefully just jelly from the breakfast that his mom surely had prepared downstairs. People said a lot about Laura Lawrence being a career woman, but Johnny had never forgotten how efficiently she had run the house.
The tot barely gave him enough time to finish gathering his things. He was adult, no matter what his body looked like and people took kids to work all the time. There were essential items that he needed in order to avoid suspicion his headband, sunglasses, a t-shirt. At the last second, he grabbed the old crucifix necklace hanging above the dresser. If only for two reasons, he knew that there was no way his mom was letting him out of the house without it, and he definitely need God on his side now more than ever.
Johnny couldn't make himself speak once he was downstairs and finally facing his mother. There was nothing to say; he just wanted to hold her tight and never let go. He could already feel the tears rolling down his cheeks and heat creeping along his neck. She was going to think he was sick- that something was terribly wrong. She hadn't really LOOKED at him yet. Too busy buzzing around the kitchen, gossiping on the phone, probably planning yet another family dinner at the country club. She absentmindedly wheeled him over to the kitchen table.
"Oh, good, you're up and ready. Here's a piece of toast eat it and be on your way. The girls will be here for bridge any moment." It wasn't just a piece of toast there was eggs and sausage as well as a glass of orange juice.
Johnny chose to make a sandwich using the toast and eggs. It was almost pathetic how anxious he was in this moment. If this was real food then that meant that all of THIS was real. But these were his mother's salted eggs on the line; he couldn't just let them go to waste.
Johnny felt nauseated, none of this was right… this was so wrong like he was getting kicked in the stomach over and over. As much as he was wanting to enjoy this he knew he didn't belong here. There had to be a way to get back to LaRusso and Cobra Kai. Halfway through the sandwich now and he was bawling. Sarah had gone from trying to pull his arm off to instead rubbing his shoulder in comfort.
"Oh, darling…" Laura's voice rang clear across the kitchen, stopping Johnny's pity party in the process. The phone set off the dial clearly forgotten. "I'm sure you and Ali will work it out really." She smiled at him softly.
"I'm fine. Mom, really, nothing to worry about." Johnny hastily finished the sandwich and juice. He couldn't even look her in the face. Of course she thought it was about Ali what other problems would he have. Eight o'clock in the morning and Johnny was already exhausted.
At the front door, he and Sarah both grabbed flip-flops and were on there way. The girl blabbering on about all of her friends and how he better not embarrass her. Rich four-year-olds were like everyone else's six.
Johnny needed answers and with duffel bag and towels in hand, he was ready to find them; there had been too much crying this morning. Hopefully, Bobby would be willing to help. Johnny hollered I love you as he walked out the door. Bobby and the other's would know what to do, or at least they would believe him, he hoped.
