Title: I'll Be Back
Summary: When Jack has to leave Seaford for a week, he promises he'll be back soon enough. But when Kim starts getting into trouble with Kai and Jerry and Milton are worried about her, will it be soon enough?
Author's note: This is a long one. I started writing it a while ago BUT it's got everything you guys.
- kick (duh)
- Jerry/Milton friendship
- Kim hurt/comfort
- humor
- Jack beating someone up
everything you guys always ask for is packed into this one so it's worth the read I promise. don't worry, this isn't like a last hurrah or anything. I still have other ideas or stories half finished in my google drive. again, who knows when i'll post after this but enjoy what you've got.
"I'll be back, I promise. It's just a week," Jack said for the tenth time, finally pulling back from the hug.
Kim nodded, swallowing the urge to ask him to stay. It was silly to ask of him. He was only leaving for a week. But this past summer Kim had gotten used to having Jack around. They spent almost every day together whether it was at the dojo or on a date or just hanging out. She was going to miss the best friend side of him just as much as the boyfriend side.
"Have fun," Kim said, choosing to focus on Jack's exciting week rather than her own sad one.
Jack, seeing right through her, offered her a smile. "It's just a week, Kim."
"I know," Kim sighed. "You should go, I don't want to make you late."
Jack glanced at the time and nodded. He had stopped at Kim's house on the way to the airport to get one final goodbye in. He was off to China for a week to watch his grandpa receive an award.
Jack was excited to go but also understood what Kim was feeling. He got to spend a week in China having fun while she was stuck at home for a week without him. He definitely got the better end of the bargain. Plus, Kim was receiving her own award in the coming week as well.
It was kind of crazy that both Kim and Jack's grandpa were receiving awards this summer, let alone within a week of each other.
Jack knew how special it was to Kim and he vowed to be there to watch her the second he heard about it. His flight was scheduled to come back to California a few days before he needed to be home, so he wasn't really worried about missing it, just that he wouldn't be there this week.
"See you later," Kim said, leaning against the open door frame as Jack stepped outside.
"Bye, Kim."
"What time was his flight?"
"10," Kim told Jerry through the phone, taking a sip of her water. "He should be about there by now."
With this being perhaps the last summer the gang had to spend all together, they were all adamant that they should spend as much time together as possible. Even with Jack gone, Jerry had still called Kim to ask about her plans so they could do some fun things to fill the next week.
Milton had a whole itinerary, which Jerry immediately ripped to shreds. Milton countered that he still had a digital copy but Jerry threatened to smash his phone. Milton explained that the document was stored on the cloud, but eventually, he got the idea that Jerry wasn't a big fan of structure.
"Why don't you come over to the dojo?" Jerry suggested, sensing Kim needed some pick-me-ups right away.
Kim didn't even need to ask why. They always found something to do when they were all together. Although that was usually when Jack was there. Kim could always have a good time if Jack was there. Were Jerry and Milton also fun?
Kim shook her head, of course, they were fun. Before she and Jack had started dating they all hung out as a group and had plenty of fun. They were Jack's best friends and hers too.
"Okay," Kim smiled. "Thanks, Jer."
"See you soon, Kim," Jerry said.
Jerry called Milton right after, letting him know he needed to get to the dojo and help cheer Kim up. Milton responded quickly, chiming in that he knew just the trick to get Kim's dopamine up.
Kim took her time getting ready. She was happy to spend time with her friends, but it didn't immediately get rid of the sadness of saying goodbye to Jack.
When she pulled into a parking spot in front of the mall, she smiled at the familiar sight. She was going to miss the day she couldn't just show up at the dojo whenever she wanted. One day soon, she would be far away. She just hoped that was a good thing.
Kim passed by the Hunney Buns shop on her way to the dojo, wondering if she should pick up a treat for Jerry and Milton. It would be nice of her. And maybe giving them a gift would cheer her up. Plus, she felt guilty for thinking they weren't fun-even if just for a second in her head.
With her mind set, Kim waited in line and ordered 3 of their classic Cinnamon Rolls.
While waiting for her order to be called out, Kim stepped aside.
"If it isn't Jack's little pet," a taunting voice said behind her.
Kim turned around to come face to face with Jack's biggest enemy, his cheating, no-good cousin Kai.
Kim looked around the small but crowded register. Not wanting to give them any trouble, Kim led Kai further away from all the bustle.
"What do you want, Kai?" Kim spat. "Jack's not here."
"I know," Kai responded. "He is in China as our grandpa's 'special guest' while he receives his stupid award."
"Yeah," Kim said. "And?"
"And I wasn't invited," Kai said angrily. "I'm his grandson too, why is it always Jack that gets to go to things?"
Kim rolled her eyes. "Maybe because Jack isn't a cheater? Jack actually has honor. He saved your life when you admitted you would have let him die, remember?" Kim asked, referring to the terrifying moment when the cousins had fought off the side of the Great Wall of China.
"Our grandpa has always picked Jack," Kai spat. "Jack isn't a perfect little grandson either!"
"Sorry," Kim said. "I don't know why your grandpa does the things he does and frankly, I don't care!"
"Well maybe you would care a little more if Jack bothered to care," Kai gritted.
"Don't blame your actions on Jack," Kim said, upset that his cousin hated him for something he hadn't even done. "You brought this on yourself, Kai."
Kim's comment only made Kai even angrier. "You're on to talk," he said. "He left you."
Trying not to be so hurt by that statement, Kim replied, "He's coming back. And he calls me every day, not that I have to justify our relationship with you."
"Why don't you give him a little message from me then, hm?"
Before Kim could wonder what that meant or anticipate anything, Kai raised his fist and punched her across the temple, hard. Kim let out a small scream as she dropped to the ground and her hands flew to her throbbing face. Kai said nothing as he took one last look at Kim and walked away. Kim, meanwhile, was in pain.
"Kim! Oh my gosh, Alice, come here!" Charlotte, one of the employees at Hunney Buns, recognized Kim from the countless times she had seen her around the mall over the years. Charlotte crouched down in front of Kim, assessing the situation. "Alice, go get Jack!"
Alice, a newer hire, nodded and ran towards the karate dojo. "Jack!" she yelled as she burst into the room. "Jack! Is Jack here?"
"What's up?" Jerry asked, stepping around the corner and putting the cloth he was holding down.
"Are you Jack?" Alice asked, not knowing the gang enough to put names to faces.
"No, he's out of town. Why do you need him?"
"Your friend, the girl, she got hurt. She's at Hunney Buns and Charlotte's with her. She said I needed to come get Jack."
"Kim's hurt?" Jerry asked, grabbing his phone quickly.
Alice nodded and Jerry turned around, yelling for Milton to come with them. Alice led them to where Kim and Charlotte were sitting and Jerry and Milton rushed forward at the sight of Kim.
"What happened?" Jerry asked, crouching down as well.
Wiping her eyes, Kim tried to offer her friends a brave smile. "Kai," she said meekly, not giving any more explanation. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears if she did.
"Kai?" Milton asked, confused. "He did this?"
Kim nodded slightly, wiping at her face again. The blood mixed with the tears and she was only irritating the already red skin on her cheeks.
"Was it because of Jack?" Jerry asked, starting to piece together what happened. Kim nodded, a smaller nod this time, and Jerry knew he had guessed right. Kai was angry at Jack and took his anger out on Kim because he was too scared to face Jack. And of course, it had to happen the day Jack left Kim when she was already in a sour mood.
"It's okay, Kim," Jerry sighed, "Come here." Jerry opened his arms for Kim, feeling incredibly bad that she had been the innocent target of someone so cruel. Kim hesitated for a second before falling into Jerry's embrace. Jerry wrapped an arm tightly around her and held her head to his chest, rubbing her back softly as she sobbed both from the pain of Kai's actions and words. She missed Jack.
"Thanks," Milton told both girls. They nodded, giving Kim one last glance before returning to their place of work.
Kim calmed down slowly, but the feeling of Jerry's arms around her reminded her that she had good friends and that is what got her to the point where she could pull away and breathe evenly.
"Let's go to the dojo and I can help you with that cut," Milton suggested, nodding to the small red mark that Kai's fist had created on her skin.
Kim nodded and took his hand so he could pull her to her feet.
The boys took Kim to the dojo and helped her bandage her cheek. They could only help the cut, the bruise, unfortunately, would have to heal with time. Kim just hoped it got better by next week. Before they left, Charlotte had given Jerry the cinnamon rolls and the gang enjoyed the sweet treat in silence.
Kim was tired, but Jerry wasn't willing to let the day go to waste. He told them he had something fun for them and ushered Kim and Milton to the car.
Kim sat up front with Jerry and within a few minutes of the drive, she was peacefully sleeping.
Jerry turned the music down softer and they drove in silence until Jerry pulled off the highway and into a parking lot.
Kim stirred as Milton started asking Jerry questions.
"-was just thinking maybe we should tell him before things escalate to the point that she-"
"Hey Kim," Jerry interrupted, looking at Kim. "Good nap?"
Milton stopped talking and turned to Kim as well.
Kim nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Where are we?" she looked around, seeing they were in a very large parking lot.
"We are at the mall!" Jerry announced with a big smile. "You know the abandoned mall in Fairville?"
Milton and Kim nodded.
"Welcome to Fairville Mall!"
Kim furrowed her brows. "But Jerry if it's abandoned…"
"It's huge and almost completely empty. Except for some really cheap mini golf. It's like three bucks for unlimited mini-golf and there are four different courses inside. Come on, it'll be fun," he said, convincing Kim.
Kim looked at the building again and smiled. "Okay, let's go."
Walking through the mall in itself was already a fun little adventure. Most stores were empty and the eerily feeling was just creepy enough to get Kim's adrenaline going as she wondered what might be lurking in the dark.
When they finally found the mini golf entrance, Kim was surprised at just how big it was. After the kids got their balls and clubs, Milton grabbed a score sheet and they were off.
In the dark UV light, everyone laughed at the white things each person was wearing. Milton's buttons were glowing brightly while Jerry's shoes looked cool. Kim had white on her shirt and the boys avoided mentioning the way the butterfly bandages on her cheek also lit up.
Things started out normal enough, but by the end of the first course, the competition was fierce and everyone wanted style points. Clubs were used upsides, strokes were made with closed eyes, and Milton even hit the ball so hard it bounced out of the course, out of the mini-golf course, and into the hall of the mall.
When the trio got back to the car, still laughing at Milton's last shot, Kim paused when her screen lit up.
"Oh, it's Jack," she said quietly, loud enough that the other two quieted down as she hit answer.
"Hi Jack," she greeted happily.
Milton and Jerry shared a look as they pretended to swoon.
Kim smacked Jerry as she turned her back to the boys so she could focus on Jack.
"Are you tired?" she asked. There was a short pause before she laughed. "I'm sorry. How's the hotel?"
"That sounds awesome," Kim chuckled, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Oh… Yeah, um… good. Good. Jerry took us mini-golfing… Yeah, I'm with them." Kim paused to glance back at the guys. They quickly looked away and pretended to be looking outside.
"Yeah, nothing too crazy. I've had a totally normal, typical day. I miss you. How was your day? … oh yeah, well, good morning! What are your plans?"
Jerry and Milton shared a confused glance. It was not a normal, typical day for Kim.
"Yes, Jack, I promise…" Kim said, rolling her eyes and pulling her knees to her chest. "Okay… I love you too. Bye."
Kim let out a long sigh as she turned her phone off and slumped back in her seat.
"How's Jack?" Milton asked first.
"He's good. Just woke up, he said. He hasn't really had a chance to look around, except for his hotel room. It sounds really nice," Kim relayed.
Milton and Jerry nodded, recalling the last time they went to China together.
"Why'd you tell Jack you had a 'normal, typical' day?" Jerry asked with no tact.
Kim looked down guiltily. "I didn't want him to worry."
"Kim, you should have told him," Milton said matter of factly.
"What I tell Jack is none of your business," Kim snapped defensively.
"Hey," Jerry intervened. "Kim, we just think Jack would want to know."
"Well I'm sure he would but I also know Jack would be worried sick and he doesn't need to know. Okay?"
"If you don't tell him, then we will," Milton said, still not backing down.
Kim opened her mouth, ready to yell at Milton, but Jerry quickly intervened.
"No we won't," Jerry said quickly. "Because we trust both of you," he said with a glare toward Milton. "But Milton is right about Jack wanting to know. You realize he cares about you, don't you?"
At Kim's nod, Jerry continued. "He would want to know not because he would want to get revenge or anything. He would want to know because he loves you and he would want to know anything involving you."
Kim frowned, knowing Jerry was right. She bit her lip as she contemplated it all. They really didn't have a place to meddle in her relationship with Jack, but they were her friends and they did make a fair point.
"Okay, I'll tell him. But later. I don't want to ruin his mood. I'll tell him as soon as he gets home. I promise."
Jerry nodded, taking what they got out of her. She clearly didn't like talking about this.
"You hungry?" Jerry asked, changing the subject. "I saw a few restaurants on the way we could stop at and get some dinner."
Kim nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks."
"So who exactly is this girl?" Kim asked again, finding Milton's story incredibly hard to believe.
Milton sighed for the fourth time. "Her name is Trinity. We met last year and ran into each other a few days ago at a convention. You'll like her, I promise."
"Humph," Kim let out, leaning back. She wasn't sure how much she actually would like this girl. Milton picked nice girls, but she didn't exactly trust his taste.
"And she has a pool, which she so graciously invited all of us to use," Milton added.
Kim had to admit, she was grateful for the invitation. It was a hot summer day and swimming sounded nice. She just hoped the pool was at least in the ground.
"This is Trinity's house?" Kim gaped, staring up at the near-mansion. There was a circle driveway (of course) and the house was huge, yet still modest.
Jerry looked down at the address Milton had given him and back up at the house. "Yep. This is it."
Definitely not what Kim was expecting.
Kim was the last one to step out of the car and when she did, she heard a gate squeak and a girl walk out from the back gate and towards their car. She was pretty, but not fake. She had little quirks about the way she looked and the way she walked and held herself and in just a split second, Kim could suddenly understand why Milton liked her.
"Hi!" she greeted with a sweet smile, looking at Milton. Then she turned to Kim and Jerry. "You guys must be Milton's friends. I'm Trinity," she introduced with a shy wave.
"Hi," Kim greeted back. "I'm Kim."
"Jerry."
"Thanks for inviting us," Kim added. "Your house is beautiful."
"Thanks," Trinity blushed. "Um, if you have your stuff I can show you to the backyard."
Milton nodded and Kim hurried to grab her bag and shuffled along after them.
Trinity's backyard was just as cool as the front. She had a pool with a big patio with lots of chairs and a covered table. She also had a big grassy yard, big enough for playing games like soccer or kickball. And there was a firepit.
There were 4 towels laid out, along with some pool toys and floats, snacks, and water.
"If you don't have a towel, I put some out, just in case," Trinity explained, feeling sheepish. Of course, Milton's friends had towels, they had swimsuits. "Um, and there's snacks and lots of toys and stuff. You're welcome to all of it."
"Thank you," Kim said, nodding at the poor girl.
Milton had yet to say anything and when Kim peeked a glance at him, he was just looking at Trinity. Oh boy, he was whipped.
"This is sweet!" Jerry whooped. He dropped his stuff by a chair and stepped towards the pool.
"Jerry, don't forget to sunscreen!" Milton shouted, too late.
Jerry made an obscene gesture before cannonballing into the deep end, sending a big wave and splash to the concrete.
Kim and Trinity laughed while Milton frowned. Nobody ever listened to him, he was only trying to protect Jerry.
"It will be his own fault if he gets sunburned," Trinity consoled Milton. "But for the rest of us, I have some sunscreen in here. I'll just go grab it."
When Trinity returned with a few bottles of sunscreen, everyone else lathered up. Jerry stepped out of the pool and dried off so he could put sunscreen on as well.
"Your swimsuit is so cute," Kim complimented Trinity.
Trinity blushed. "Thanks, yours too."
"Thanks!"
"Hey, Kim, catch!"
Kim hardly had time to turn before she saw Jerry chucking a giant foam ball at her. It was completely soaked in water and when it hit her in the side, hard, it splashed water all down her body.
"Jerry!" she gasped, turning to face him with anger. "You little- You better run!"
Jerry's look of amusement transformed into horror as he realized his mistake. Kim was not one to mess with when it came to teasing. She always got you back.
Trinity and Milton were left to themselves as Kim took off after Jerry with a towel, of all weapons, in her hand.
Jerry laughed as he ran away from here, half out of amusement and half out of fear.
"You can't run forever!" Kim yelled, chasing him around a chair.
Jerry let out a shriek as Kim reared her arm back. The towel came smacking down hard and fast, hitting Jerry with a loud slap!
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Jerry cried, holding his side as he limped away.
Kim watched, smirking victoriously.
Milton and Trinity both laughed, turning to each other when they realized they were alone now.
Already wet now, Kim jumped into the pool, swimming across the deep end to stand at the side. Jerry followed after her, splashing her again. Typical.
"Milton, Trinity, hop in!" Jerry called out, waving the pair over that were talking goofily with each other.
Trinity jumped as if forgetting they weren't alone.
Milton looked at Trinity and when she shrugged, he smiled and they each jumped in after Jerry.
Trinity had a diving board so that prompted a diving contest. Each person performed their very best dives and everyone else rated them based solely on how difficult it would be to replicate the dive.
Jerry had fun naming his own dives. His winner was the backtuck frontslip triple-double half-under straight canon-baller.
When Kim pulled out a ball as a prop for one of her dives, an impromptu game of water polo started. It was girls v boys and both teams refused to back down until they won.
After half an hour, it was tied, 11-11.
"Next goal wins?" Jerry offered during their 5th time-out of the game.
Kim and Trinity glanced at each other, panting. Trinity nodded and Kim turned back to Jerry. They could do this, Kim and Trinity together were a much more agile team than Jerry and Milton. The win was theirs for the taking.
"Sure," Kim agreed.
Kim shared a glance with Trinity at the same time Jerry shared one with Milton.
The only difference was, Kim and Trinity worked out a strategy, and Jerry's look conveyed giddiness.
Placing the ball in the middle of the pool, everyone started at the edge.
"Go!" Jerry yelled.
Milton and Kim raced toward the ball in the middle. Trinity and Jerry stayed back, defending their goals.
Milton ran like his life depended on it, grabbing the ball just before Kim could.
Kim was so focused on getting the ball from Milton, she didn't notice Jerry leave his post at the goal and approach them.
When Kim finally grabbed the ball from Milton and Trinity yelled, it was too late.
"Kim! Watch out!" Trinity yelled.
"Ah!" Kim screamed, feeling Jerry wrap his large arms around her torso. He lifted her off her feet and pried the ball out of her hands.
"Jerry!" Kim yelled, fighting against him. "Put me down!"
Jerry grabbed the ball and handed it to Milton while Trinity swam over to help the situation.
Kim struggled and flailed and Jerry's tight arm was still painfully keeping her in place. Kim grunted, hitting Jerry's arms.
Jerry kept Kim restrained while Milton dodged Trinity left and right.
"No!" Kim screamed. "Let go!"
Milton acted fast, using Trinity's position away from the goal to his advantage. Quickly calculating the angles, he faked Trinity out and then threw the ball hard.
It swished just inside the goal, knocking it over.
Jerry whooped and hollered in celebration as he finally released Kim like holding her had been nothing.
Kim turned around and shoved Jerry as soon as she was free. "You cheater!" she accused. "That was so unfair!"
"Says who?" Milton asked, with a big smile.
He was so proud of himself that Kim almost didn't care that they cheated.
"There wasn't a rule book," Milton added. "You could have done the same."
"You know we couldn't have," Trinity said with a mother's disappointment. "But congratulations, I guess."
"Sorry, Trinity," Milton apologized. "We had to do what we had to do."
Trinity forgave Milton more easily, Kim on the other hand, was still glaring at Jerry in the way only a sister could.
Trinity announced she had sandwiches in the kitchen she would go fetch, sensing Kim and Jerry probably needed something to distract them so they could cool off.
The gang ate their sandwiches happily, loudly laughing and joking about every little thing.
After reapplying sunscreen, Kim grabbed an innertube and jumped in it. It was too hot outside to just lay on it, but Kim still wanted to be in the pool so she let her legs dangle below her in the water and rested her head on her arms. She floated around the pool, taking a short nap and appreciating the peaceful feeling of having no worries.
A splash a little while later alerted Kim to her senses and she peeled her eyes open. She had drifted off a bit from where she started, and she looked around to make sense of where she was.
When Kim's eyes landed on something dark (a leaf?) near the edge, she paused.
When everyone heard Kim scream bloody murder, they all froze and turned to see what happened.
Kim was scrambling to the side of the pool frantically. Jerry was closest to her and grabbed her arms, lifting her out of the pool.
"What happened?" he gasped, looking down at her.
"There's a massive bug!" Kim panted, scrambling away from the pool.
Milton and Trinity walked to the edge of the pool to inspect.
"Woah!" Milton jumped.
"Ew!" Trinity squealed.
Jerry had to hold back a laugh. Surely his friends weren't this big of wimps. All scared of a little bug?
"Come on, guys," Jerry chuckled. "I'm sure it's not that bad."
"If it's not that bad, then why don't you get it out, hm?" Milton suggested.
Jerry shrugged. If he got to play hero, why not? "Okay."
"There's a net over there," Trinity said, pointing a shaking finger toward the fence.
Jerry retrieved the net and walked around the pool. Kim watched him as she wrapped up in a towel, trying to unsee what had been inches away from her for who knows how long. She would never close her eyes in a pool again. Who knew what kind of dangers were lurking while you napped?
Jerry's smirk was big and wide the entire time and even as he passed Milton and Trinity.
"So, where is this little guy- Ah!" Jerry yelped and jumped back three feet. "What is that?" he breathed.
Milton raised an eyebrow. "Not so brave now, huh?"
"You said it was a bug, Kim, not a rodent," Jerry argued.
"It's not a rodent," Trinity rolled her eyes. "Just a very large beetle."
After hyping himself up, Jerry finally removed the (live!) beetle from the pool. It involved a lot of flinching, wincing, dropping, squealing, and closing of eyes, but he got the job done.
After seeing the bug in the pool, nobody else had any more interest in swimming.
They munched on some more snacks before Kim demanded a rematch from water polo, only this time soccer.
Trinity played soccer since she was 6, which Jerry argued made it unfair. But Kim knew how to work his pride and he agreed to play.
The game was long and hard, it left everyone panting. The sun was getting lower by now and it was starting to cool off. After celebrating their victory, Kim and Trinity put their sun dresses back on for a little more warmth.
Trinity's dad had come out to greet everyone and turned on the firepit, telling Trinity's friends they couldn't leave until they had at least 3 s'mores.
Trinity gave her dad wide eyes, telling him to leave, although she wasn't really embarrassed by him. The others could see how great her dad really was. When he did finally leave, Trinity was a little shy again but showed everyone the marshmallows, chocolate, and crackers.
As promised, everyone ate at least (much more than) 3 s'mores.
Milton, poor Milton, was a messy eater. There was nothing he could do to help it as marshmallow dripped down his chin every single time he took a bite. Luckily for him, Trinity thought it was adorable and hilarious.
When everyone was filled up on s'mores, Jerry began telling his very own campfire stories. They had flaws, but that just made them more entertaining and he had everyone in a giddy mood.
At some point during Jerry's third story, Kim's phone rang out from the table.
Kim hopped up to grab it, seeing it was Jack.
"Hey, Jack," she greeted happily. "I'm good. We've been at Milton's friend's house all day. It's great, Jack. I wish you could have been here… Yeah, let me turn my camera on…"
Kim fiddled with her phone and began panning around the yard. When she reached the others, they greeted Jack with waves.
They had a short conversation before Kim stepped away from the group and sat on a lawn chair.
Jerry gave Kim plenty of time with Jack alone, staying with Milton and Trinity for a little and then cleaning up some of the snacks and gathering the things they had used.
When he was done and it was thoroughly late, Jerry found Kim still laying in the same chair she had sat in a while ago.
Her hand was out and her phone was on, still with Jack, but her eyes were closed.
Jerry held back a chuckle as he gently took Kim's phone out of her hand.
"Hey, Jack," Jerry greeted, waving.
"Hey, Jer," Jack smiled back.
"You watching her sleep?" Jerry asked, glancing back at Jack. "Creep."
Jack rolled his eyes. "She was telling me a story and she fell asleep like three minutes ago. I swear. Sounds like you guys had a good day?"
Jerry nodded. "Yeah, it was really good. Especially for Kim, she needed it after…" Jerry stopped, realizing Jack didn't know everything that had been going on and Kim wanted to keep it that way.
"After what?" Jack asked.
Jerry shook his head. "She's just been having a hard time, you know? But don't worry, she had a good day, I promise," Jerry said. He knew Jack was counting on him for accurate reports regarding Kim. All the boys knew Kim well. If you wanted to know something about her, you had to ask someone that wasn't her. She didn't like sharing details about herself very often.
"I should probably go," Jack sighed, realizing the time.
"Yeah, us too. I'm going to go take Kim home."
"Thanks, Jerry."
"No problem, bye man."
"Bye."
When the screen turned off, Jerry tucked Kim's phone in his pocket and walked over to the sleeping girl.
He woke her up gently, stifling a laugh when she could barely open her eyes at first.
While Kim put on her shoes, Jerry walked over to Milton who was holding Trinity in his arms.
'Ready to go?' Jerry mouthed at him, shocked at Milton's game.
Milton looked down at Trinity and shook his head. 'Go without me.'
Jerry made an exaggerated gasping motion, pretended to faint, and gave Milton a salute, before walking back over to Kim. He held a bag in one hand and Kim in the other, guiding her out of the dark backyard to the driveway.
Jerry was busy working the next afternoon, which gave Kim the perfect excuse to have some one-on-one time with Milton. She had been a little delirious last night, but when she woke up, everything came crashing back and she was eager to get some answers.
So, Kim and Milton were at the mall for some shopping and a much-needed gossip session.
Kim had a thousand questions about last night and Trinity. Milton blushed a little but promised he had just stayed a little longer before Trinity drove him home and they set up a little date.
Kim squealed at the news of a date and asked what they were planning on doing. She was less excited when Milton explained they were going to a science museum, but Milton promised it was her idea and Kim realized Trinity was just as much a nerd as he was.
After thoroughly discussing Milton and Trinity, Milton shifted the conversation back to Jack and Kim.
"Milton," Kim said as she rolled her eyes. "Jack's been gone for almost a week, nothing has happened that is worth gossip. You know that."
Milton shrugged. "It never hurts to ask. Besides," Milton said, looking at Kim through the rack of clothes. "I know you have talked to him more recently."
Kim frowned, annoyed at Milton's detective skills and persistent nature.
"Okay, we talked again this morning. He just called because he wanted to know if I slept well because he knew I was tired last night," Kim explained curtly, leaving out that really Jack had called to tease her because she had embarrassingly fallen asleep last night while he was on the phone.
She didn't really remember that happening, but as Jack told her, it came back in flashes.
"Judging by the blush on your face, I doubt that's all," Milton said coyly.
"You!" Kim huffed. "Okay, fine. He was teasing me because I fell asleep last night while he was on the phone."
Milton smirked victoriously.
"Okay…" Kim said, stepping back from the rack of tops. "I'm hungry. Phil's?"
"I need to run to the bookstore, I was going to pick something up for Trinity. Meet you there?"
"Sure," Kim said, agreeing to meet Milton at Phil's once he was done.
After Milton had brought up Jack, as much as she fought it, she was in a sad mood. She knew Milton had good intentions, but she couldn't wait for Jack to return. Today he was at his grandpa's award ceremony, so it made sense why he couldn't be there, but she wished he could have gone shopping with her.
He didn't like shopping, but she knew he would be there for her as she picked out what to wear for her own award. Plus, she knew after they got her things, Jack would convince her to go wherever he wanted and do something he thought was fun. And if Jack was having fun, so was Kim.
But instead, she went with Milton who was just a little too chatty and opinionated. Jack would tell her she looked good in everything.
Sighing, Kim walked into Phil's. She had only made it a few steps inside when she saw a familiar face sitting at one of the tables. Kim had never seen Kai inside Phil's before, and the sight was so shocking she just froze.
She wasn't sure what he was doing there and after their last interaction, Kim was a little wary of his presence. She was still debating what she should do when Kai looked up and made eye contact with her. He smirked as he slowly stood up and started walking toward her.
Kim backed away, not in the mood to have a little chat with Jack's jealous cousin today, but she was too late. Kai already had his sights set on her and she wondered briefly if this run-in was accidental or planned. She desperately hoped it was the first, but knowing him it was likely the latter.
"What are you doing here?" Kim asked, hoping she could just piss him off enough to get him to leave.
"It's no secret this place basically sponsors the Bobby Wasabi dojo," Kai scoffed, lurking closer until he had Kim by the wall.
"Exactly. So I'm asking again: what are you doing here?"
Kai sneered taking another step toward Kim. She tried to side-step him to avoid backing herself against the wall, but he matched her step.
"Can't a guy go sit at a restaurant?" Kai asked, sneering down at Kim.
Kim's eyes darted around Kai's body to see if she could spot an exit. She had no such luck. There were hardly any people there and she couldn't cause a scene at Phil's, she couldn't do that to him or his business.
"You're not here to just sit at a restaurant," Kim pointed out, thinking maybe she could just distract Kai by talking and then she could slip away.
"No," he smiled. "I'm not. And how lucky am I that the Wasabi Warrior that walked through those doors first was you?" Kai leaned in closer, his nose practically touching Kim's cheek. She couldn't help the instinct to jerk away but Kai just placed his hand on the wall next to her and kept her in place.
"I must say, I always have the best interactions with you," Kai taunted, breathing down on Kim's skin and making her shiver.
Kim screwed her lips shut, trying desperately not to let Kai see how uncomfortable he was making her. She had to fight every instinct in her body not to screw her eyes shut also and flinch away from him. But she couldn't give him the pleasure.
"No comment?" Kai hummed, looking up at Kim's eyes.
Kim held his gaze, refusing to cower away. Kai wanted a reaction that she wouldn't give him, she couldn't.
"I'm disappointed," Kai sighed, his hand on the wall slowly inching toward Kim. "I always heard you were the feisty one."
Kai chuckled as he reached for Kim's waist.
She quickly stepped to the side, shoving Kai's arm away from her. She was just about to walk past him when his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in a tight hold.
"Let go of me," Kim hissed. The last time Kai touched her was when he punched her. She didn't wish to repeat that interaction.
Kai ignored her as he held her in place and his gaze fell to her temple. "Almost all the way healed, I see," he commented emotionlessly. "Good."
"It wouldn't need healing if you hadn't hurt me in the first place," Kim snapped, unable to hold back. If Kai was going to bring it up, Kim wasn't going to let him act like a saint.
Kai frowned, breathing heavily through his nose. "Yes," he agreed, surprising Kim. He looked at her again with… was that sympathy? "Not one of my… proudest moments. I, uh, don't usually hit girls," Kai said, struggling slightly with his sorry excuse for an apology.
Kim wasn't impressed, she knew from experience that no matter how he appeared on the outside, on the inside he was always a sneaky jerk. "And you do confront them about issues you have with their boyfriends? You're too much of a coward to face Jack yourself that you have to come after me?"
Kai leaned in and let out a growl of anger. "Jack isn't here," he spat. Kim raised her hand to wipe her face with the back of her wrist.
"Kai let go," Kim repeated, trying to twist her other wrist free.
Kai clenched his jaw and yanked Kim toward him so fast she fell into his chest with a short cry of shock and pain.
"Let go of the poor girl," a stern heavily accented voice interrupted from the side. "I do not tolerate that kind of behavior in my restaurant."
Kim turned her head and saw Phil standing just to the side, staring Kai down and holding his phone in one hand.
"You have five seconds to leave before I call the police."
Kai looked at Phil for a second, let out an amused scoff, and turned back to Kim. "I see Jack still has his little bodyguards following you around. Never thought you were one to sit quietly and obey his every command."
Kim didn't get the chance to answer or defend herself before Kai dropped Kim's wrist and stormed out of the store.
Phil stood, glaring Kai down until he was out of sight before turning back to Kim.
"Kim? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
Kim shook her head a little, her mind still reeling from the conversation.
"Thanks, Phil," was all she said.
"I'll go call those boys. Or Jack. I will call Jack. You can talk to him about it, okay?"
"No!" Kim quickly said. "Don't call Jack. Please?"
Confused, Phil put the phone down. "Okay. Why don't you sit down, I will bring you some fresh falafel."
Kim smiled gratefully and took a seat a little more secluded and quiet while Phil brought her some food and water. He kept an eye on her while he served the other customers, trying to figure out what was going on.
When he spotted Milton walk through the door, he quietly waved the boy over. He explained that he saw an intimidating, blonde greasy-haired boy who cornered Kim and was practically on top of her.
"Thanks," Milton said, glad Phil was there to look out for Kim. "I'll talk to her."
Milton had to look for Kim, she wasn't in her usual spot. Instead, she was sitting in the corner, staring blankly at the wall.
She broke out of her trance when he slide into the booth across from her and took a falafel from the bowl.
"Been here long?" he asked, studying Kim's face.
Kim shook her head and shrugged.
"I talked to Phil."
Kim looked up at Milton and knew Phil had told him what happened.
"He's just sour that Jack is there right now with his grandpa. Jack told me this morning they had a family call and things didn't go so well with Kai and his grandpa," Kim explained.
"'Sour' doesn't make someone corner someone else and hurt them," Milton said pointedly, looking to see if he had punched Kim again.
Kim subconsciously rubbed her wrist and set it in her lap.
"He was just talking," Kim insisted. "Actually, I think it was an attempt to apologize in some convoluted, nasty manner. He seemed remorseful about my forehead. But then he started yelling at me and threatening me again. You can change you words and tone, but I guess you can never get ride of the jealous coward that's on the inside," Kim sighed.
Milton gawked at Kim's explanation.
"I may not have the best social skills, but threatening someone is no kind of apology," Milton informed her as if she didn't already know.
"I think it's probably the best he could do," Kim said.
"Are you defending him?"
"No!" Kim squeaked. "Of course not. But he's obviously a horrible person, I don't think he knows how to apologize and I'll bet he does feel bad for what he did."
"I should hope so," Milton scoffed. "Doesn't matter how terrible you are, you don't go around punching girls. It's basic guy code, it's on the same level as the every-other-urinal rule," Milton explained.
"The what rule?" Kim asked, momentarily distracted.
"The every-other-urinal rule. You know, you always leave an empty urinal between you and anyone else at all time- never mind. Doesn't matter. As horrible as Kai is, he probably realized hitting you was low. But he did it because he let his anger and jealousy get the better of him and it sounds like it got the better of him today. It's a good thing Phil was here, I don't think he would stop again if he got mad enough."
That was another thing Kai had told her. Jack wasn't here and he basically implied that she was an object that needed looking after while he was away. It was true she was always with Jerry and Milton, but they weren't guarding her. They were her friends. They spent time together to hang out. The boys were around her because they cared about her and wanted to make her feel better.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Milton asked, breaking Kim out of her trance.
"Sorry… Just thinking."
"Don't let him get to you," Milton said. "Come on, let's get these to go so we can meet Jerry at work. I'm dying to see him in that new mascot outfit they got."
Kim laughed, equally eager to laugh about Jerry's unfortunate uniform.
The day Jack finally was scheduled to come home, everyone was anxious to have him back. Not that they needed Jack to have fun or anything, but he was their friend and they missed having him around. Kim, more so than the others, was glad Jack was returning. Not only was he her boyfriend and best friend, but she had been dealing with Kai for a week and as much as she tried to ignore his encounters, she wasn't a saint. Kai had hit her pretty deep and as selfish as it might have been, Kim was glad Jack would be back to deal with Kai himself.
Jack's flight had been a redeye, and Kim's parents didn't feel comfortable with letting her drive on the busy and dangerous roads in the middle of the night, so she didn't get to see Jack at the airport.
She had been upset with her parents, but she knew they just cared about her and wanted her safe.
Kim had fallen asleep late at night and was out like a light. When Jack pulled up to her house the next morning, she was fast asleep. Jack had tried to text her, but when she never answered, he actually had to go to the door and ask Mrs. Crawford to go wake her daughter up.
Mrs. Crawford greeted Jack with a bright smile and a hug, asking about his trip. After a short conversation, she promised to get Kim and let the two of them have a nice reunion, as long as Jack promised to have her back before 8.
Kim was a little frazzled when her mom woke her up and she was barely awake as she threw on a different pair of shorts and a t-shirt. When she saw Jack downstairs, she grinned wide and ran into his arms. Usually, she wasn't one for PDA in front of her parents, but she had missed Jack and, in her defense, she was still only half awake.
Jack made sure Kim grabbed a granola bar and he led her out to the car.
In the privacy of his car, they were able to give each other a proper greeting–a fairly chaste kiss followed by goofily smiling at each other's faces. To anyone watching, they looked like idiots, but they were idiots in love so it was fairly typical for them.
"How was your week?" they both asked at the same time, falling into a chuckle.
"You first," Kim said, eager to just hear Jack talk. "Tell me everything."
"I mean we talked like every day," Jack argued, trying to think of the things he hadn't already told Kim. At Kim's eye-roll, he relented. "But, okay. Remember that one building I was telling you about? Well…"
Kim listened goofily, soaking in everything Jack was saying. Somehow talking with him made anything interesting, even talking about traffic and the color of a leaf. Jack had started driving (Kim hadn't even bothered to ask where he was taking her) sometime during the conversation.
When Jack's stories had begun to slow down, he asked Kim about her week.
"It was good," she shrugged. "Um… Just hung out with Jerry and Milton."
"I know that, silly," Jack teased. "Tell me more."
"I, uh, got my dress," Kim said. She had told Jack she was shopping for it, but she hadn't ever told him that she bought the dress.
"Okay," Jack nodded. "What else?"
Kim sighed, thinking back to what happened, carefully avoiding her interactions with Kai.
"Jerry took us to an abandoned mall. We played mini-golf. It was fun."
Kim kept up like that, sharing details about the events, but nothing more. Jack could tell there was something weird going on, but he didn't want to offend Kim and ask why she was talking the way she was.
They pulled into the mall parking lot and Kim shouldn't have been surprised, whether they had practice or not, they always met up at the dojo.
They walked into the mall hand-in-hand while Kim leaned on Jack's shoulder, immensely grateful that she could.
When they got there, Jerry and Milton were already out front, snacking on food from Phil's they had brought outside.
"Jack, you're back!" Jerry greeted, offering Jack a hand as they dapped each other up.
"Hey, Jer."
"How was it?" Milton asked, sitting up.
Jack and Kim pulled out their own chairs and sat down. Jack recounted everything again, forgoing the more boring details he had talked to Kim about.
"Enough about me, though," Jack said, always so considerate. "What's up with you guys?"
"Milton's got a new friend," Jerry said suggestively.
Milton blushed and bit his lip, but didn't fight Jerry. "Her name's Trinity," he said.
Jack raised his eyes at Milton's reaction. Milton must really like her if he is telling Jack her name.
Jack hardly had to ask any questions about the girl and Milton and her's budding relationship. Jerry was quick to offer up suggestive remarks and Milton was quick to answer them, elaborating on what a cool girl Trinity really was–Jack would totally like her, Milton assured him.
Kim was pretty quiet the whole time. Jack noticed she would laugh here and there, contribute a yes! or a no way! every once in a while, but other than that, she just sat there.
"What do you think of her, Kim?" Jack asked, turning to Kim. He had already briefly spoken with Kim about Trinity, but he wanted to know more and really, he just wanted to know what Kim was thinking about.
"Oh, I like her," Kim shrugged. "A lot," she added.
"That's it?" Jack laughed, usually, Kim was full of opinions, especially when it came to other people and relationships. "You're being pretty quiet," Jack commented, nudging Kim with his knee.
"I wonder why," Jerry muttered, covering it up with a cough.
"What?" Jack asked, turning to Jerry.
"I just mean she's been quiet all week, with everything going on, you know?" Jerry added quickly, acting like it wasn't a big deal when Kim sent glaring daggers his way.
"Jerry," Kim hissed, shaking her head. She hadn't told Jack about 'everything going on' yet and she didn't want it to come out like this.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked, confused.
"Just that I missed you," Kim said, trying to snuggle closer to Jack.
Jack pulled away, feeling like Kim was hiding something. He might be the worst liar in the friend group, but Kim wasn't so good herself.
"That's all?" Jack asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes at Kim, daring her to lie to his face.
"Well…" Kim squirmed. She couldn't just lie to him.
"Kim," Jack said, his volume dropping. He could read her like a book and the way she was looking at the ground, the way her shoulders were turned in, her posture–it all showed that she was uncomfortable. "Hey?"
"It wasn't that big of a deal," Kim prefaced, despite that being completely untrue.
"What was?"
"Just, don't freak?" Kim asked, wincing.
"Why would I freak?" Jack asked carefully. If Kim thought he was going to freak out, there was a good reason for it. Jack didn't just casually freak out.
"Because Kai has been… talking to me," Kim said, not sure how to describe what was going on between her and Kai.
"Talking to you?" Jack asked, not understanding. He looked at Milton and Jerry for confirmation and further explanation.
"Confronting her," Milton supplied.
"Confronting you?" Jack asked Kim.
Kim just nodded biting her lip.
"Hitting her," Jerry spat from the side. Maybe Kim just didn't want to cause drama but Jerry wasn't going to sit there and pretend like Kai had just chatted with Kim when he had actually assaulted her. Twice.
"What?!" Jack asked, his chair screaming as he shot away from the table. "Kim? He hit you?"
Kim pursed her lips, suddenly feeling angry at Kai for causing all her problems. "Yes."
"Wh- Where? When?" Jack asked, looking Kim over. He hadn't been looking for it, but when he caught sight of a small mark on her forehead, he realized it wasn't there before. It could pass as a scratch or scar, but now Jack could see it was a cut that was still healing.
"Last week," Kim sighed. "He was angry because you got to go to China and he didn't."
Jack swore, running his hand through his hair. "Kim, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."
"Kai is the one to blame," Kim argued, but Jack shook his head and cut her off.
"We had a fight before I left. Since I was leaving, I thought I could just leave him here alone while he cooled down. I didn't think he would come after you," Jack said, feeling incredibly guilty. "If it happened last week, how come you never told me?" Jack asked, more hurt than offended.
Kim frowned, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. "I didn't want you to worry. You were stuck in China, why should I bother you when you had a whole week ahead of you to enjoy?"
"I could have talked to him," Jack sputtered.
"That wouldn't have changed anything," Kim said. "It might have made it even worse. After you talked to him the other day he approached me again. If you had brought up the fact that he hurt me, things could have been worse."
"He approached you again?" Jack asked, feeling betrayed. "Kim, be honest. How many times did Kai interact with you?"
Kim opened her mouth but before she could respond, Jack continued. "Don't lie. I will just get it out of Milton and Jerry. You know I can."
"I know," Kim agreed with a sigh. "It was just those two times. I promise."
Jack studied Kim for a second, before deciding she was telling the truth. "Tell me what happened, exactly what happened. Don't leave out a single detail."
So Kim, with Jerry and Milton's help, recounted both of her encounters with Kai. All about the things he said, the threats he made, and the way he had punched and grabbed her. When Kim was talking about the interaction in Phil's Milton was offended to discover that Kim had withheld information about what Kai had said and done to her, even after he asked. He hadn't known Kai hurt her wrist-if he had, he would have done something about it.
Kim apologized guiltily, saying she just didn't want Milton to worry. By the end of it, all three boys were angry at Kai as if they had been the ones on the other end of his wrath.
"So how are we going to get back at him?" Jerry asked first.
"Guys!" Kim scolded.
"I could hack into his personal laptop. See what kind of dirt we could dig up on him," Milton offered.
"Guys!"
"That's good," Jack said. "But he's smart, it wouldn't be easy. And that's not really on par with what he did."
Kim groaned, feeling completely ignored as the guys all plotted her revenge. Feeling left out and unwanted, Kim got up with a groan and left to go to the dojo.
"Kim," Jack said, standing up and putting a hand on Kim's shoulder to stop her. "You okay?" he asked over the sound of Jerry and Milton talking.
"Fine," she sighed. "Just don't really want to be part of this conversation. I'm kind of sick of talking about Kai."
"Okay," Jack nodded understandingly. "You're right. Do you want to take a break at the beach? China was great, but it's got nothing on California beaches."
Kim grinned, nodding immediately. "Yeah. Please."
So Jack interrupted Jerry and Milton's somewhat heated discussion and announced they were headed to the beach and Jerry and Milton were welcome to come along if they wanted to have any kind of fun.
The gang took a quick stop at everyone's house before meeting up at the beach and spending a day out in the sun and waves. They had packed sandwiches, chips, and juice to last them all day long and they didn't go home until after the sun had set along the horizon.
The day of Kim's big award, she was wearing her new dress with thin straps that came to her knee. Her hair had been curled and pulled up beautifully with a diamond clip her mom had added. Her mom also loaned her some of her more expensive jewelry and Kim felt like a real princess–all dolled up like she was.
They were at the school auditorium, and it was a little strange for Kim to be back in the school after the year had ended. But this particular award show was held during the summer months so that students in all sports and clubs could be recognized despite the athletic season.
Kim, specifically, had been awarded not only for her athletic achievements, although those played a role, but her role in the community and academic successes. She kept good grades, held the cheer squad together last semester, was on the event planning committee, and worked with the town to hold events during the summer as well. Tonight was to recognize her, along with a few other members of the community, and thank them for their contributions. As well as receive a $2,500 cash check to be donated to any cause of Kim's choosing.
While everyone was seated in the auditorium, Kim was out in the hall, going to get a drink of water.
She heard footsteps behind her and out of the corner of her eye saw a teenage-boy-shaped shadow. She smiled slightly, not turning around. Jack had his eyes on her all night.
"I hear you're getting an award."
Kim whipped around at the voice that definitely wasn't Jack's.
Kai was there, all dressed up nicely with his hands lazily in his pockets. He looked completely relaxed and nonchalant. He didn't look the least bit threatening, but that didn't stop Kim's entire body from tensing immediately as her fight or flight kicked in.
"What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly, scanning for quick exits. She hadn't meant her voice to sound like that, but her heart was racing and she couldn't help it.
"Parents dragged me. Said I need to be more involved with the community. Appreciate this dump. I never wanted to move here but my parents said it was nice to be by family," Kai scoffed, still with his shoulder low and loose.
"And you actually came?" Kim asked, trying to come off as snappy and chill as she wished she felt. The hallway was completely empty and secluded. There was a door leading outside behind Kai, if it became necessary. Kim was backed up by the water fountain though, there was a little cutout for the bathroom entrances and it wouldn't be hard to box her in.
"My plan was to dip," Kai shrugged. "Until I took a glance at the program."
Kim swallowed, bracing herself with a hand behind her on the drinking fountain. She felt exposed, wishing she could hug a jacket or shawl around herself.
"Imagine my pleasure upon discovering you are receiving an award," Kai sneered, letting his true intentions slip through his cool demeanor.
"Go back to your family," Kim snapped, not wanting to talk to Kai for a second longer.
"I just wanted to give congratulations," Kai replied, stepping closer.
Kim pressed herself back into the fountain, the edge digging into her back painfully.
"Get away from me," Kim said, loudly, but with a shake in her voice.
Kai laughed at her, taking the last few steps to stand in front of her. There was hardly half a foot between them and Kai leaned down so Kim had no choice but to arch her back painfully.
Kai raised a hand, letting it float over Kim's arm but never touching it. He let it glide up from her wrist to her elbow and shoulder. He paused at the crook in her neck, finally dropping his hand to loop a finger through the thin strap of Kim's dress.
"Don't." Kim lifted a hand and smacked Kai's wrist.
He dropped her strap with a chuckle but didn't back up.
When his hand lifted, to her face and hair, Kim was afraid of what he would do. Even if he was just here to tease her, she was in a fragile and vulnerable state right now. One tug and her hair would come undone or her dress rip. He had already hit her once. He apologized, but clearly, he was capable of doing it again and Kim didn't exactly trust him to not try it again.
"Get away from me," Kim repeated, deciding she was done letting Kai torment her. She raised her hands and pressed them flat to Kai's chest, ready to shove him back and make a quick exit.
But Kai caught her wrists and held them, preventing her from following through with her action.
"Kim?"
"Let me go!" Kim whimpered, trying to free her wrists.
"What's going on here?" Jack's voice boomed from outside the alcove.
Kai lowered his hands but didn't let go of Kim's wrists.
"Hey, cuz," Kai chuckled as if anything about this situation was comical.
"Get away from her!" Jack seethed. Kai had some nerve showing up here and cornering Kim when Jack was just around the corner.
Kai smirked as he let out a huff and took a step back, tugging Kim harshly toward him. She fell against his chest and he made a show of catching her.
"You scumbag," Jack hissed, already marching for Kai.
Kai dropped his hold on Kim and she kicked him in the shin immediately, shuffling away from him as she looked at him with slight horror and disgust.
Kai winced at Kim's kick but quickly stood up and faced Jack who was still marching straight for him.
"I heard what you did. What kind of a coward hits a girl?!" Jack shouted, his fists flying to grip the button up on Kai's chest. "Huh?" Jack asked, shaking Kai and he pushed him back to the wall.
Kai growled as he tried to push Jack off him. Jack wasn't having any of it. His fists were clenched impossibly tight and he had Kai pinned to the wall.
"You have 3 seconds to apologize to her and stay away from her forever," Jack spat, shoving his forearm across Kai's chest, his elbow digging painfully into Kai with each second that passed.
"Come on," Kai laughed, despite his position. "You're mommy's perfect little boy. What would Grandpa think of you starting fights over a girl?"
"Apologize. Or else."
Jack pulled Kai back and shoved him harder into the wall to accentuate his point.
"You wouldn't," Kai said, sure of himself. "Come on, let's have at it!"
Jack sucked in his lip as he pulled Kai off the wall and threw a punch to his face.
It took Kai off guard and he stumbled back, wiping his mouth as he took a second to recover. "I stand corrected," he smirked, straightening out and raising his fist.
That was all it took for Jack to enter fight mode. His vision narrowed and all that was important was taking Kai out.
Kai threw many punches, but Jack dodged plenty and the few that landed, he barely registered.
Kim watched on with wide eyes, scared and not sure what to do. She couldn't step between the boys, she couldn't get within ten feet of them without being scared she might get struck by a limb.
Kai had clearly wanted the fight, he had clearly been pleased it happened, but Jack was the one in control.
It didn't take more than a minute for Kim to see that clearly.
Jack kicked Kai to the ground and held him up by his shirt, positioning him just so. "How does it feel when it's you?" Jack growled, punching Kai hard across his cheek. "How do you like being hit?" Another punch. "You think she deserved it?" Another one.
Jack didn't stop even when it was clear Kai had lost. With every punch Jack threw, Kai's head snapped to the side and lingered there for a moment before he could lift it again.
What was worse, Kai wasn't begging for Jack to stop, Kai was fighting back. He was smiling.
Kai grabbed Jack's wrist holding his shirt and pulled Jack down to the ground.
Both boys grunted from the force and Kai rolled on top of Jack, slamming his fist down. Jack caught it and flipped over, straddling Kai now.
"You're sick!" Jack spat, watching Kai enjoy the fight. He got off Kai and pushed him aside, expecting Kai to give up and surrender.
But Kai being Kai, never knew when to back off.
Kai rolled to his side, looking up at Kim standing far off, practically shaking. He sent her a wink and a smirk and that set Jack off all over again.
With all the control and precision of an athlete competing during the championship game, Jack sent three punches to Kai's temple, the third solid enough to knock Kai down to the ground.
"Stay away from her," Jack spat, kicking Kai in the gut for good measure.
Kai didn't answer, only groaned in response. He was beat.
Kim wanted to run to Jack, but she couldn't bring herself to walk any closer to Kai and instead waited for Jack to come to her. When he did, he gently grabbed her arms and looked her over.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Kim nodded, trying to keep the water in her eyes from falling. Crying was the last thing she needed right now.
"You're not," Kim whispered, looking at the blood and beginnings of bruises forming on Jack's exposed skin.
"It's okay," Jack argued.
"Come on," she said, tugging Jack toward the bathroom. He smirked when he saw she was taking him to the girl's bathroom.
"Scandulous much, Kim?" Jack joked.
"Shut up," Kim quipped, taking a deep breath. Jack was okay. He was teasing her just like always. It was okay. "There's nobody here."
"Okay," Jack relented, letting Kim pull him by her small hands. She sat him on the corner of the sink before wetting a trashy school paper towel–emphasis on the paper.
"Stay still," Kim commanded sternly as she started to wipe the towel on Jack's face.
Jack immediately flinched away and Kim gave him an unimpressed glare. "I said stay still."
"It's cold!" Jack argued. "You could at least warn me."
"Warning: I'm wiping your face," Kim said, going back to work.
Jack clenched his eyes shut in a wince and Kim rolled her eyes. Jack started to pull away after a few more seconds of wiping and Kim let out a small groan of frustration.
"Jack."
"It's itchy!" Jack whined.
"Well maybe you shouldn't get into fights while we're at the school," Kim argued, ignoring Jack's whines and continuing with her work.
Jack stayed quiet, a big frown on his lips.
"What?" Kim sighed, deciding she had wiped off what she could.
"Kai doesn't know where to stop," he sighed. "His fight with me should have stopped with me. None of this should have happened."
Kim pursed her lips, she couldn't disagree with Jack, but agreeing wouldn't help the situation.
"I really didn't mean to get in a fight here. Not on your special day, not in front of you."
Kim let out a hum as she threw away the paper towels she used.
"But Kai started it, you know that, right?" Jack asked, afraid Kim blamed him.
Kim nodded as she washed her hands in the sink next to Jack. "I know. You don't have to defend your actions to me."
Jack let out a sigh of relief.
"Besides," Kim said, a smile tugging on her lips. "I don't think Kai will bother me or you ever again. Not after that."
Jack mirrored her smile and let out a short laugh. Kim lightly punched Jack's shoulder in scolding and Jack winced, his body still sore.
"Be nice," she said.
Jack rolled his eyes–be nice? "Kim, you do realize he punched me? That's the opposite of nice."
"And you punched him back. Now you're even. You don't start fights."
"I do end them," Jack said with the biggest smile Kim had ever seen, cracking himself up. "I always end them."
Kim rolled her eyes as she got a fresh couple of paper towels and wet those in the sink with ice-cold water.
"What's that for?" Jack asked curiously, watching Kim flit around the small bathroom.
"Kai."
Jack folded his arms and looked at Kim with a frown.
"Don't give me that look. I'm not going to patch him up and kiss him or anything. But he's probably getting blood all over the floor. I think you broke his nose."
Jack smiled at the memory and the satisfaction that he walked away from a fight that Kai hadn't.
"Stop smiling," Kim sighed. "People will think you're a psycho."
"You know," Jack said. "You didn't patch me up and kiss me either."
"Is that what you want?" Kim asked.
Jack nodded with a big, fake pout. "Yes."
"Fine," Kim sighed, coming over.
Jack leaned down to give Kim better access and she quickly rolled up on her toes and placed a kiss on Jack's nose.
"Hey!" Jack cried as Kim stepped away.
"I gave you a kiss, didn't I?" Kim laughed.
"Get back here," Jack said, catching Kim's waist and pulling her back so he could kiss her properly.
Kim couldn't stop smiling even when Jack tried to tell her to be serious.
"Kim, come on," Jack mumbled against her lips.
Kim giggled, her head shaking a little so that Jack had to grab her head and hold it still.
"Kim," Jack groaned. "Stop smiling, I can't kiss you like this."
"I can't," Kim laughed. "Sorr-"
Jack cut her off, trying to kiss her again. Kim physically couldn't get her muscles to relax and Jack was left to kiss Kim's stiff top lip like an idiot.
"You're a terrible kisser," Jack groaned, leaning back and letting go of Kim's face.
"Hey!" Kim laughed, slapping him.
Jack winced and Kim winced with him, forgetting that he was hurt. "Sorry," she apologized.
"We should probably get you back to the stage," Jack said, grabbing Kim's hand.
"Wait!" Kim said, stopping in front of the mirror. She looked herself over, making sure the two boys hadn't ruined her hair or makeup.
"You've always been so conceited," Jack sighed dramatically, appearing behind Kim in the mirror.
"Another one of those comments from you and I'm hitting you for real," Kim threatened, pushing Jack out of the bathroom in front of her.
"Okay! Sorry!" Jack apologized with a chuckle.
When they made their way back out to the hall, Kai was still in the middle. Now he was sitting there, holding a hand to his nose.
He looked up when Kim and Jack stepped out. Kim tossed the wet towels at him without saying a word. Kai stared at them for a second before grabbing them and looking down.
"I think you owe her a word," Jack said, unable to leave things that way.
Kim sighed. "Jack-"
"Kim, he owes you an apology," Jack repeated sternly.
"He's right," Kai grunted.
Kim's eyes snapped to Kai, who wasn't looking at her.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, still keeping his gaze down.
It wasn't anything impressive, but it was a lot coming from the Kai she knew.
"...Thanks," Kim finally said.
Jack wrapped an arm around Kim's waist gently and led her away. Kim's gaze lingered back on the scene for just a moment before she leaned into Jack and let him guide her back to the stage.
He stayed with her until they were just off stage, holding her close.
"I missed you lots," Jack admitted. "While I was in China."
"Me too," Kim agreed. "I'm glad you're back."
"Me too."
"So…"
"Okay, okay," Jack chuckled. "I'll go wait in the audience. Front row, just for you, baby."
"Jack," Kim groaned, squirming when he tickled her side.
"Jerry and Milton are there too," he said.
"They are?" Kim asked, surprised.
"Of course, they are," Jack rolled his eyes. "They love you too, you know."
"I know," Kim said. Boy did she know. The past week had been hard but Jerry and Milton had been there for her. "I love them too."
"You'll be great. We'll get fro-yo to celebrate when this whole thing is done," Jack promised, taking a step back.
"Can't wait," Kim smiled, pulling Jack back in for one quick real kiss. "Love you."
bro so sweet amiright? did this or did this not have everything? I wrote like the last 35-40% of it this morning and then edited it all throughout the day. Crazy.
I can't wait for summer today when I was walking to campus it was snowing big chunks that didn't stay frozen and I was soaked by the time I got to class. i just want it to be like 50 degrees is that too much to ask?
happy weekened everyone! (just now realizes it's thursday but that's close enough)
also this story gets us passed 100k words! thanks everyone for keeping me motivated! I have seriously become a much better writer in the past few years. you guys may have gotten me into college cause I won't lie my college essays two years ago were cracked. like they were so freaking good. so thanks for getting me into college lol! love you!