✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

November 1984

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄 since Daniel, Mr. Miyagi, and Rebecca visited the Cobra Kai dojo. Just like last time, she avoided her boyfriend and friends like the plague—but this time, it wasn't just out of fear. She was tangled in the middle of this karate chaos, and more than anything, they had hurt someone she loved—her best friend.

"Have you spoken to the Cobras?" Ali asked as the two girls walked to Rebecca's locker after fourth period. The blonde clutched her books tightly to her chest.

Rebecca opened her locker with a heavy sigh, her fingers pausing for a moment before she grabbed her book and notebook for French. "No. Bobby called me the day after, but I didn't want to talk." She closed the locker slowly, almost like it took effort, and they continued down the hallway.

"How's your forehead?" Ali asked in concern. "What did your dad say?"

"It feels better. He was upset—but not at me. He just told me I shouldn't have gotten involved." Rebecca replied, her voice soft.

"I'm so sorry you ended up getting hurt," Ali said gently.

Rebecca shook her head. "It's not your fault. I was just trying to stop them from doing something stupid."

Ali glanced at her. "Have you seen Daniel?"

"Not since this morning," Rebecca replied, hugging her books tightly to her chest. But then she looked up and spotted him by the lockers. "There he is. Go on."

Ali's lips curved into a warm smile as she approached Daniel and tapped his shoulder, while Rebecca stayed behind.

"Hey, there you are! I've been looking all over for you today. Where've you been?" Daniel asked.

Ali scowled, clearly irritated. "I don't believe it," she muttered, scoffing before walking away. Daniel and Rebecca followed quickly behind.

"What? Hey, where are you going?" Daniel asked.

"Where are we going, Ali?" Rebecca added, her pace matching her best friend's.

"I'm gonna go find that idiot, and it's gonna stop," Ali snapped.

Susan greeted them cheerily. "Hi Ali, hi Becca!" Barbara smiled and echoed the greeting. Rebecca smiled and waved back, though her heart wasn't in it.

"Relax, everything's been taken care of," Daniel said as he stepped in front of Ali.

"Oh yeah? Until next time around?" Ali retorted—and then her eyes narrowed. "There they are."

Rebecca glanced over Ali's shoulder and noticed The Cobra Kais approaching them, and watching the three of them as they stood together, but they weren't watching Ali—they were watching Rebecca. Both Bobby and Johnny's eyes were fixed on her. The beautiful brunette hugged her books to her chest and she stood closer to Ali, almost hiding behind the blonde, and trying not to cry. The truth of the matter was, she wanted to be back with Bobby, she was just too stubborn to admit it.

"Watch this," Daniel said, motioning for the girls to follow him. "Hey guys, how you doing? Good to see ya. Hey, sorry about the eye there, Johnny. Your shoulder okay, Tommy? You guys better be careful not to go steppin' in front of any more buses now, all right?" he chuckled, walking off.

Rebecca shook her head, as Ali laughed beside her. She heard Johnny throw his books down in anger. He was pissed off that Daniel was using Rebecca against them.

"Hold it. Remember what sensei said? We gotta wait for the tournament." Bobby said to Johnny, then looked back at Rebecca, who was walking away with Ali and Daniel

"Must be 'take a worm for a walk' week!" Tommy shouted sarcastically

As they walked, Ali asked, "You did all that damage?"

"What? Don't you know when you make a wish in the shower it always comes true?" Daniel replied with a wink.

"I should have kept my mouth shut," Ali muttered.

"No, no, no, we have an agreement," Daniel countered.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Ali asked.

"They agreed not to beat up on me, and I promised not to get my blood on their clothes. That was it," Daniel joked.

Ali laughed softly. "I don't believe you."

"What am I gonna do? Moan and groan?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know, anybody else would." Ali said

"Yeah, well, who'd listen anyway?" Daniel asked

"Me," Ali replied sweetly. She stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Oh really? You, uh, feel like listening on Saturday night then?" Daniel asked hopefully.

"Sure." Ali beamed, tearing a page from her notebook.

"All right, great, great, so Saturday night, we'll go out, we'll have a good time, we'll do whatever and, uh... what is that, your address?" Daniel grinned.

"You got it." Ali handed him the paper just as the bell rang. "Oh, I gotta go. Bye, Becca." She hugged her best friend tightly.

"Bye," Rebecca smiled, hugging her back. She noticed Daniel staring at the paper like it was sacred. She waved a hand in front of his face, chuckling. "Um, hello? Anyone home?"

"I can't believe it. I finally got a date with Ali," Daniel beamed.

"I'm so happy for you. This has been a long time coming. Since the beach party, to be exact," Rebecca teased.

"It was that obvious?" Daniel asked

"I'm afraid it was, my friend." Rebecca laughed, nudging him gently.

They walked toward their classrooms when Rebecca felt eyes on her again. She glanced behind—Cobra Kais were following. Not wanting a confrontation, Daniel flagged down Mr. Harris.

"Hey Mr. Harris, can I talk to you for a second? Daniel LaRusso, third period history class."

"Rebecca Winchester, also third period," she added with a small grin.

"Yeah I just wanted to let you know, I gotta lot of lecture the other day about how the Indian got the horse the other day, it was really great." Daniel said

"Oh that's nice to hear." Mr. Harris said happily

"Yeah I was telling my best friend here and my buddies about it, but I kinda messed it up. So I was wondering if you could give us a quick review on it now." Daniel said

"Oh sure. I'm free this period." Mr. Harris said

"Well that's great for me then." Daniel said

"No, we gotta finish class." Bobby said

"We gotta go." The Cobra Kais said as they left

"I guess that leaves the three of us." Mr. Harris said.

"Oh I apologize Mr. Harris, but I gotta go to class too. Have fun." Rebecca said as she left both Mr. Harris and Daniel who started giving him the lecture on the plains Indians.

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

Lunchtime came and Rebecca's loneliness was a weight on her shoulders. Seeing Daniel and Ali together, so effortlessly happy, only reminded her of how hollow she felt without Bobby.

She entered the cafeteria and spotted Daniel and Ali seated at a table, engrossed in conversation and smiling. She loved both of them dearly, and was happy for them, but she just wanted to be alone.

She grabbed her lunch and headed to the courtyard, wanting solitude. She donned her headphones, turned on her walkman, and Joni Mitchell's Roses Blue began to play. A short while later, after finishing her lunch, she settled at the table, engrossed in Wuthering Heights, a gift from Lisa. Suddenly, a gentle tap on her shoulder startled her.

A soft tap pulled her from the page. She turned, heart skipping—the Cobra Kais stood behind her, their lunch trays in hand. But her eyes found Bobby's instantly.

"Can we sit with you?" Dutch asked.

Rebecca gave a quiet nod and tried to focus on the page, though her fingers trembled. Bobby sat beside her—close enough that his warmth seeped into her skin—and her breath caught.

"What are you reading?" Tommy asked.

"Wuthering Heights," Rebecca answered, flipping the page and holding the photo of her mother, which she used as a bookmark, in her hand.

"We wanted to know if we could talk to you." Jimmy asked

Rebecca marked her page, voice low. "There's nothing to talk about. I asked you to leave my friend alone—and you didn't. You promised."

"We're sorry," Tommy said.

Rebecca sighed and shook her head, feeling mentally drained. "I think all of you are sorry because there were consequences." she said.

Johnny huffed. "We weren't expecting someone to beat our asses."

Rebecca rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, I can tell. Anyway, if he wouldn't have, all of you could have killed him, someone who is weaker than you. Look, I said that there was nothing to talk about, and I meant that. You guys went too far this time. Even if I had made a mistake, you'd beat the shit out of me regardless."

Johnny's voice cracked. "Where did you get that—"

Rebecca rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Your sensei made it clear—it's open season on me too. I'm not an idiot."

"We would never hurt you," Jimmy said, gently

"You already did." Rebecca said

She started to stand, but Dutch stopped her. "Please don't go."

Rebecca sighed, "What? What do you want me to say? You want me to say that I forgive you for all the bullshit? For Johnny breaking Ali's radio, and one of you running it over? And the soccer try outs when you got Daniel kicked out because you couldn't leave him the fuck alone? Then all of you ran him off the The halloween dance, when you beat him to a fucking pulp and nearly killed him and for what, because he sprayed Johnny with water? Sounds to me like Johnny was getting a dose of his own medicine. Then your sensei threatened to go open season on us if he didn't show up at the tournament. Why me? I didn't do anything."

The boys looked down in shame. "You're right. You don't deserve it," Johnny said.

Rebecca sighed, wiping away her tears. "I'm ready to forgive you. I want to put this behind us."

"Please, please forgive us, baby sister," Dutch said, standing up and pulling her into a tight hug.

"You have to promise me, and for real this time you're going to leave him the hell alone. I won't forgive you anymore. This is the last time." Rebecca said.

"We promise."

"I forgive you knuckleheads. I mean it. This is the last time." Rebecca said.

Rebecca hugged each one—saving Bobby's for last. When she hugged him, she didn't let go. She clung to him, pressing her cheek to his chest like she'd never let go again. He held her just as tightly.

"Becca, you know we'd never lay a hand on you. No matter what Sensei says," Johnny said.

"Becca, you know we would never lay a hand on you, no matter what sensei says." Johnny said

"I know." Rebecca whispered, then turned to Bobby, her heart in her throat. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

"Of course."

Bobby led her to an empty janitor's closet. He turned on the light and locked the door. She instantly wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in like he'd been starving for her.

"I'm so sorry, Bec." Bobby whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry for ignoring you. I just—"

"Don't you dare apologize," Bobby murmured, then pulled back and kissed her softly. Their lips met with longing and forgiveness, with love and sorrow.

"I've missed you," Rebecca whispered.

Bobby's hand cradled her cheek. "I've missed ypu too."

Rebecca looked into his eyes—her beautiful greens, meeting his ocean blues—and their lips met again. This kiss lingered, soft and desperate.

"I need to tell you something," Bobby said, breathless.

"What is it?"

"I'm in love with you. Deeply, completely. I don't want to be apart from you ever again." Bobby said

Tears streamed down Rebecca's cheeks. "I love you too, Bobby. I never stopped."

They kissed again, holding each other like lifelines. They shared a sweet and passionate kiss, their love for each other palpable. After a few moments, they rested their foreheads against one another's, their hearts full of love.

"I love you, Bec," Bobby whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

"I love you too, honey," Rebecca replied, tears streaming down her face.

As they walked out of the closet, they shared a sweet and loving embrace. Rebecca tearfully smiled—her mother's apparition stood smiling at the end of the hallway. Hands clasped, gazing and smiling warmly in approval at the sight of the young lovers.

Rebecca closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Lisa was gone. Lisa had been watching over Rebecca, seeing how she made friends with Ali and Daniel, and how she fell in love with Bobby.

While still in Bobby's embrace, Rebecca found herself smiling happily. She had her lover back, her two best friends were going out on a date this Saturday night, and she had made amends with her guy friends.

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

Later, while Bobby was at Rebecca's, Johnny, Tommy, Dutch, and Jimmy headed to the beach. The ocean breeze was cool, the sun dipping low in the sky, casting a golden hue over the water. They sat in a quiet circle on the sand, each with a beer in hand, the mood unusually somber. After a long silence, Johnny finally spoke, his voice low and hesitant as he made a confession. A shocking confession.

"She's a beautiful girl, and her smile lights up the room," Johnny said, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The other boys turned to him slowly, sensing the weight of what was coming. "I'm in love with her. She's the one person in the world that I'd drop everything and anything just to be with her. Even karate. I love her. I truly love her."

His words hung in the air like a fragile truth, raw and unfiltered. Johnny's knuckles were white around the neck of his beer bottle. "Sometimes I just imagine what it would be like to be loved by her. It must be a wonderful feeling."

Tommy looked up, stunned. "Johnny... yes, Rebecca is beautiful. But she's in love with Bobby. And Bobby is in love with her."

"You think I don't know that, Tommy?" Johnny snapped, though his voice cracked with pain. "It kills me to hear about their dates, to call her sis when I think of her as so much more." His voice dropped, thick with emotion, and on the verge of tears. They were those of a broken heart. It was worse than when he and Ali ended things.

Dutch put a hand on his shoulder, steady and comforting. "Hey, man. I thought you were still hung up on Ali?"

Johnny gave a bitter laugh. "No. Look, I get it—I screwed things up with Ali. I know I did. I ruined what we had. But then Rebecca came to town. And man, I don't think I'll ever be able to forget her. There's just something about her. She's... she's the kind of girl that changes you."

He finally looked up, his eyes glassy, but holding back tears. "We don't deserve a friend like her."

"I know, man," Jimmy said quietly. "But out of respect for Bobby, you have to promise you won't act on those feelings. No matter how strong they are."

"I promise." Johnny whispered, then dropped his head into his hands. "God... when I saw that bruise on her forehead..."

"Johnny, it's gonna be okay," Tommy said gently.

"No, it's not," Johnny murmured. "I'm never going to be able to forgive myself."

There was a long silence between them, only broken by the waves lapping at the shore.

"We have to do something special for her," Johnny finally said.

"Yeah, but what?" Tommy asked.

"How about a party?" Dutch suggested with a half-smirk. "Drugs, booze, everything."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Shut up, man. I highly doubt she wants drugs and booze."

Dutch raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. It was just an idea."

Johnny sighed, the weight still heavy on his chest.

"Seriously though," Jimmy said again, quieter this time. "It's gonna be okay, man. You'll see."

Johnny didn't respond right away. He just stared out at the water, where the last sliver of sun sank beneath the horizon. In his heart, he knew letting go of Rebecca was the right thing. But knowing didn't make it hurt any less.

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

That night, Johnny sat across from his mom, Laura, poking at his food, barely eating. His karate bag sat by the door, untouched since he got home.

Laura watched him carefully, her fork resting on the edge of her plate. "How was school today, sweetie?" she asked gently, trying to break the silence.

Johnny sighed and set his fork down. "It was fine." He paused before he spoke again. "I'm in love with someone." he said quietly. "Rebecca."

Laura nodded slowly. "Rebecca Winchester? Ali's best friend, and the one Bobby's been seeing?

Johnny nodded, not meeting her eyes.

Laura smiled faintly. "I'm not surprised. She's beautiful, kind, and gentle."

"That's the thing," Johnny said, voice cracking. "She's everything I ever wanted. She's smart, and funny, and kind. Her laugh—it lights up the whole damn room. And she sees people in a way that makes you feel like maybe you're not so broken after all. Even me." His voice cracked as he looked away. "I'd give up anything—karate, everything—just to be with her. I love her. And it hurts like hell to pretend I'm just her friend while she's out on dates with Bobby."

Laura reached across the table and gently took his hand. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," she said, her eyes full of compassion. "There's one lesson I never wanted you to learn, but you have to: love doesn't always work out the way we want it to. And when it doesn't—it hurts. I know."

Johnny nodded silently, his jaw clenched as he fought to keep it together.

From the other room, the sound of a clinking glass and heavy footsteps echoed. Sid, his stepfather, wandered in from the den, holding a drink and wearing that usual smug expression.

"What's all this crying crap now?" Sid grunted. "Crying over some teenage skirt, Johnny? Boo-freakin'-hoo."

Laura turned sharply in her chair. "Sid, don't start. Please."

But Sid ignored her. He stood near the doorway, smirking. "What happened now? You couldn't get the girl who happens to be Ali's best friend? C'mon kid, grow up! You're a loser, and you're a shit head. That's why Rebecca chose Bobby over you. That's also why Ali doesn't want you anymore. You're a no good degenerate and lost cause."

Johnny flinched like he'd been slapped.

"Sid—"

But Sid just kept going, fueled by scorn and whiskey. "By now she's probably screaming his name every night, wrapping those pretty little legs around him like a goddamn necklace."

Johnny's face went pale. His whole body tensed like a live wire.

Sid sneered. "Yeah, that's what girls like her do with guys like him. You? You're just the shadow she steps over to get to someone worth her time. You don't even cross her mind after dark."

"Sid, that's ENOUGH!" Laura shouted, rising from her seat with fire in her eyes, and stood in front of her son.

But Sid wasn't finished. "You baby him too much. Maybe that's why he turned out so damn weak. You think this crying is gonna make her fall for you? You think she wants some sad little runt who folds every time the world pushes back? You're pathetic, Johnny. Always have been. You wear that pain like a badge, like someone's gonna pity you into loving you. But no one's coming, kid. Not Rebecca. Not Ali. Not your dad. Nobody."

Johnny felt his world collapse in silence. The words didn't just sting—they carved something out of him. He couldn't breathe. His chest ached like his heart had been ripped from it, still beating. His fists trembled under the table. Rage, grief, shame—all of it twisted together in a storm behind his ribs. He wanted to scream. To smash a hole in the wall. To disappear.

But he didn't move. He just stared at the plate in front of him, seeing nothing but the image Sid had shoved in his head—Rebecca in Bobby's arms, choosing someone else, again and again. And the cruelest part? A piece of him believed it.

Laura turned, her expression breaking into something raw and pained. She dropped back to her knees beside Johnny, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder. "Don't you dare believe a word he said," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "You feel too much because you love too much. That's not a flaw, Johnny. That's something the world needs more of."

Johnny's lips trembled as he looked at her, eyes glassy. "Why does it always feel like I'm the one left behind? Like no matter how hard I fight, I'm never enough for anyone?"

Laura pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him like armor against the world. "Because they don't see you yet. But one day... someone will. And when they do, they'll never want to let go."

And for the first time in a long time, Johnny let himself cry. Not just for Rebecca, but for everything—his dad, Ali, the quiet ache of always being the one reaching while everyone else walks away.

In the flickering light of the TV from the other room, he held onto his mother's embrace like it was the only thing tethering him to the earth. And maybe, for now, it was.