Chapter 4 :

So here you are, yet another edited chapter! I cut out a bit at the end of the chapter, because I wasted to put it into the next chapter instead, seeing as that one doesn't have many words.

So, again, there will probably be quite a few differences compared to the original chapter, but I hope that you still like it.

I mean, I do, so…you should, too.

GO ON.

LIKE IT.

NOW.

…..

"You know what? I think we're gonna get along just fine, you and me."

Just fine, indeed.

"So," He said after a while. "Why'd you move to Seaford? I mean, it's heat and all, but it's not exactly the life of California." He seemed genuinely curious, so I decided to answer him.

"Well it's not that interesting, really. My dad works as a spokesperson for some international candy company, I forget the name, and he got offered a promotion here in Seaford. We didn't really have anything important back in Tennessee, so we just packed our bags and took the first flight to California." I didn't bother to add the part about my mother dying of Cancer, and my dad being so depressed by the sight of our old home that he couldn't wait to leave everything behind.

"Ah," he nodded to himself. "I knew you were a southern belle. All you're missing is the pigtails, cowboy boots and daisy dukes." He said that last one with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Sorry to crush your fantasies, pervert, but I stopped wearing pigtails when I was six years old, and my daddy would shoot me on sight if he ever caught me wearing daisy dukes. As for the cowboy boots, I did not grow up on a ranch. Besides, when heat gets a risin' you wanna be wearing flip-flops, not a pair of chunky boots. Far too impractical," I tutted.

He sighed. "Well, now that you've ruined southern belles for me, I'm gonna have to find a new fantasy. I was thinking asian girls, but for some reason they just don't excite me as much. Maybe it's the small boo-"

"Lalalala!" I chanted, my hands jumping up to cover my ears. "I can't hear you! Lalalala!"

I saw him chuckle at my childish behaviour, and I stuck my tongue out at him like a little six-year-old.

When He stopped speaking, I slowly removed my palms from over my ears and placed them back in my lap.

"Thank yo-"

"Or maybe it's their small asse-"

My hands flew straight back up to my ears.

"So what is there to do for fun around here?" I had finally gotten him to stop talking about his sick fantasies, and I was eager to change the subject.

Jack seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Well, apart from the mall and, of course, the beach, there isn't that much to do around here. Lots of kids from school like to go out to eat at Circus Burger, but me and my friends prefer to go to Falafel Phil's, 'cause we get discounts on the falafel balls. There's also an arcade-type place called Gamer's Lair where all the geeks like to go that's pretty cool, and our friend Lonnie works at Reptile World, and he lets us feed his lizard all kinds of weird stuff.

"My favourite hangout, though, would have tho be the Bobby Wasabi dojo,"

Dojo? Did I hear dojo?

"It's the best dojo in the country," He boasted, "and me and my friends all do martial arts there. Rudy, our sensei, is really cool, ad although he's a total goofball, he's actually a really good teacher." I smiled at the way his eyes lit up when he talked about karate, it was the same look that I'd used to get whenever I talked about it.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to know if Rudy's accepting new students, would you?" I knew that it was wrong, not to mention risky, going against my father's wishes like that, but I couldn't let him dictate my life because of his ludicrous paranoias. It was time I took control of my life. Starting with Karate.

His eyebrows shot up slightly, obviously not expecting my question.

"You're interested in karate?" He sounded surprised.

"Interested?" I let out a dry laugh. "Karate's my life. Has been since I was a toddler. It's in my veins." I don't know why the last part came out so defensive, maybe it's because ever since mom died and dad stopped competing, the whole world, including himself, had forgotten who he was; a champion. A champion whose daughter would work until her last breath to follow in his footsteps.

He didn't look too convinced. Sexist bastard. "Yeah? What's your belt?"

Ah. The one question I couldn't answer.

Since I'd been trained outside of a dojo, I had never actually earned any of my belts, seeing as I couldn't enter any tournaments.

"You know, I'm a firm believer that we shouldn't let our belts define our capabilities. In fact, there are many gifted martial artists who haven't earned any belts because in tournaments they freeze up from the pressure and-"

"So in other words, you suck. You have no belts." He looked amused now, obviously finding the fact that I was apparently just as weak and frail as I looked highly entertaining.

"It's not like that," I tried to explain, shooing my anger away. I told him about my situation-minus any personal details-and tried my best to make him understand.

I don't know why I craved his approval this much, we barely knew each other. But there was just something about him...

When I had finished my little story, he nodded his head, seeming thoughtful.

"So your dad is..." he looked at me questioningly.

"Ian Crawford," I finished for him.

He let out a long whistle.

"Wow. I've seen him compete in my dad's old recordings. He's a huge fan of everything Japanese, including the sports. Your dad is really good. I especially loved watching him in the 2002 world championships against-"

"Oscar Vazquez" We both said at the same time.

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah. He was brilliant."

He beamed at me. "Well, if you're his daughter, I have no doubt that you'll be just as brilliant. Why don't you come with me to the dojo this afternoon and train with us. While you're there you can meet the gang and we'll talk to rudy about letting you join our team. You in?"

His big, brown eyes were so full of excitement that I was mesmerised by their beauty, and I wasn't even aware that I had agreed until I saw his face light up in triumph.

"Great. This is gonna be so awesome."

Just as he had uttered the words, we heard the bell ring once again, and I reluctantly got to my feet, not wanting to face yet another class of unfamiliar faces.

As if sensing my dread, Jack gave my a reassuring pat on the back and said "Don't worry, you'll do fine. They're all gonna love you. And if they don't, I'll sort them out for you," he teased.

I laughed, grateful for his encouragement. "Thanks, Brewer."

He winked. "No problem, Crawford."

Just as we were about to go our separate ways, he turned around.

"Hey, have lunch with me? I wanna show you to the gang."

I felt a rush of excitement in my stomach. I was actually making friends.

"Sure," I answered him, feeling more sure than ever about my new life.

Convincing my dad to let me go out with some 'friends' after school was surprisingly easy. As soon as I got home I had almost begged him to let me go, telling him how I had met these really cool girls who invited me to go shopping with them.

Although, technically, it wasn't a lie.

At lunchtime that day, Jack had approached me and told me that he couldn't eat with me due to an appointment with the principal, something to do with rubber spiders in the girl's toilets. So to make up for it, he had introduced me to some of his female friends on the cheer squad.

Their names were Grace, Kelsey and Mika, and they were all pretty cool. As it turned out, we had a lot of things in common, like our mutual love of 'America's greatest redneck weddings'* and the song 'Milkshake'.

They had spent the whole hour gushing over my hair, and my clothes, and trying to convince me to join the cheerleading squad with them. I was hesitant at first, but they were so convincing that in the end I caved and said that I would think about it. Which we all know means yes.

Anyway, the point is that we had later made plans to go shopping together one of these days, so, technically, I hadn't exactly lied.

I was going out with friends. Just not today.

I threw a pair of yoga pants and a tank top into my gym bag and zipped it up, formulating a genius plan in my head to keep my father from knowing about my actual plans to meet up with Jack and his friends and-dare I say it-join a karate dojo.

First, when he dropped me off, he would obviously want to meet my friends, so I would have to make up some lame-ass excuse for him not to.

After that, I'd have to some way convince the sensei, rudy, to let me sign the signup papers myself-that is, if I even get accepted.

And, last of all, I would have to walk back home from the dojo to, once again, keep my dad from meeting these imaginary 'friends' of mine.

I was torn away from my thoughts when I heard my dad call my name.

"Kim! Come on sweetie, get in the car. We need to be quick because I have to pick up Isabelle along the way."

I was confused. Pick her up from where? Her school ended nearly two hours ago, she couldn't possibly still be there.

I voiced my confusion to my father and he just looked at me, his expression almost relieved.

"Believe it or not, you're not the only one who made new friends today. When I arrived to pick her up, one of the other parents approached me and said that Izzie had made quite an impression on her daughter, and that she had been invited to go back with them for a little while. So, we exchanged contacts and I'm supposed to pick her up in five minutes."

I smiled at that. Little Babelle, as I liked to call her, seemed to make an impression on almost everybody. She had one hell of a personality.

"Alright, hop in," said dad. "We're already late."

As my dad pulled up into an empty parking space in the Bay View Mall parking lot, I couldn't have left the car faster if I tried. I wasn't sure my ears could survive another round of Isabelle's Justin Bieber CD, especially with her singing along. That girl may have the face of an angel, but her voice was a whole different story.

My father followed me outside and my sister stayed inside, continuing to sing at the top of her lungs.

"Alright, you ready? I've locked the car for Izzie so I can wait with you for your friends inside the mall" I made a face.

"Uh, daddy, I'm not really sure how to say this, but uh…you'd kinda be cramping my style."

His bushy eyebrows furrowed. "What? Suddenly your old man isn't cool enough for you? Wasn't it just yesterday that you were doing the chicken dance with me and your sister in the kitchen?"

I rolled my eyes. "Exactly dad. In the kitchen. Where nobody was around to see me. This is different. We're in public, and, as much as I think that you're a cool dad, you're still a dad. And going out to the mall with your dad is so not cool."

He seemed reluctant, but he eventually nodded his head in agreement, seeing my perspective.

"Okay, but be safe," he warned. "And no talking to strangers…Look, are you sure you're okay with walking home? I mean, I know I'll be at work and all, but I could still drive out to get you if you needed me to." He sounded so worried.

"Nonsense, dad. This is your first week working in Seaford, and you're hardly going to make a good impression if you bail from work. I'll be fine, don't worry."

As I had mentioned before to Jack, my dad had recently found a job as a spokesperson for a new emerging candy company-whose name I still hadn't acquired-and just a few weeks after he started, he got offered a big promotion here in Seaford.

He had initially asked for daytime hours, so that he would finish work the same time that we finished school. But there had been a mix-up wit the schedules, and now my dad was - temporarily, he swears - working night shifts.

Because of this, he had to hire a french housekeeper called Marie to look after Isabelle during the evening, and sometimes stay the night if I wasn't home, either.

It wasn't ideal, but we knew that it wouldn't be permanent.

He looked contrite. He still felt guilty about not spending as much time with us as he should, even though I kept telling him that it wasn't his fault. But of course the stubborn mule never listened.

After a moment of me glaring at him to stop being so hard on himself, he sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine. Just let me know when you're heading home, okay? I don't like not knowing what's going on with your life. It makes me nervous."

Well, then he was going to have a nervous breakdown if he ever found out about my recent escapades.

"Don't worry, daddy, I will." I promised, and that seemed to satisfy him a little.

"Now go," I ordered him, elbowing his stomach teasingly in the direction of our blue minivan. "I think you forgot to turn the oven off, again."

His eyes widened in realisation. "Shoot!" He gave me a quick peck on the forehead and rushed back inside the car, his door opening to the sound of my sister singing at the top of her lungs "Baby! Baby! Baby! Oooooh! Like-" She was cut off by the door slamming shut, and I returned my father's wave goodbye as he backed up from his spot and left the car park.

Well that was easier than expected.

Well, there was no mistaking the Bobby Wasabi dojo. The name 'Bobby Wasabi' was written across the front in large, green letters and next to it, their logo; a young Bobby Wasabi in a traditional gi. In addition to that, Jack was standing right outside.

He was waiting for me.

Sigh.

I walked up to him, feeling nervous and excited about what was to come.

He tilted his head in greeting. "Hey, Kim. Ready to meet the gang?"

I let out a little snort…meet the gang…hehe

He furrowed his eyebrows, obviously confused. "What is it?"

I gave a little smile as I looked at him. "Nothing, nothing. I just feel like I'm in Scooby-doo, is all. But really, 'meet the gang'? What decade are you from?"

The corners of his mouth lifted up to form a small smile that he was obviously trying his best to conceal.

"You are so adorably strange," he said after a moment.

Well didn't that just make me weak in the knees.

All of a sudden he turned on his heel and made his way to the large, transparent doors.

"You coming?" he asked, turning his head to look at me.

A small smirk played on my lips.

"Right behind you, Fred,"

...

YAY! More KICK in this chapter! I feel all tingly inside! Feel free to comment on this chapter, tell me what you liked, didn't like, what you wish I hadn't changed, etc...

*The 'America's greatest redneck weddings does not, unfortunately, exist-that I'm aware of, that is-but I couldn't find the American equivalent of 'My big fat gypsy wedding'. Unless there's a 'My big fat gypsy wedding USA', and I'm being completely ignorant...

Oh, and I may have gone a little crazy with the line breaks, but I assure you, they were needed.

I feel like I'm just writing now to give this chapter more words…which is kinda pathetic…But then so am I...

Okay, I'm done now.

Seriously.

I'm finished.

For sure this time.

Ha! I lied.

But seriously, though.

I'm through with you people!

Jk.

I love you.

Bye.

-CCC