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SWEET CHILD O' MINE ; CHAPTER FIVE
[ season one, episode three ]

The commencement of a new term meant a redo of the seating plans in Josie's subjects.

In Geography, she was pulled away from Lainey and assigned the seat beside Eli Moskowitz. To avoid conflict, the teacher had opted to put people together based on the alphabetical order of their surnames ── of course, L and M came hand-in-hand. Lawrence and Moskowitz.

Even in middle school, the teachers would run through the register alphabetically and pair her and Eli together in Gym Class or History. That didn't exactly make them friends, but they certainly knew of each other.

Josie dumped her belongings on the table. People were mooching aimlessly around the classroom, trying to find their new seats. Lainey was up front, squashed next to rambunctious Brucks, which she looked highly uncomfortable about. In the corner, Demetri was talking animatedly to a timid-looking girl, who didn't appear to be interested in a single word the former had to say. That was the smart choice with Demetri ── pretend to listen. Nothing that came out of his mouth was ever that interesting.

Honestly, Josie wasn't sure how Eli had tolerated him for so long.

The boy in question leaned his chin against the palm of his hand, gazing blankly at the whiteboard. Absently, he drummed his fingers against the side of his pen and discreetly used his other hand to conceal the notorious pink scar delved into the skin above his lip.

"Hi," Josie said awkwardly.

Eli looked at her and blinked, "Oh, uh, hi."

"How's your leg?" she asked, internally wincing as she recollected the moment she accidentally kicked his shin under the table.

"It's fine. You didn't kick me that hard, so . . ."

Josie nodded. She reached down and unzipped her handbag, grabbing her notepad and numerous sharpies from inside, "Blame it on the genetics. Kicking is in my blood, unfortunately."

"Right," Eli murmured. He fidgeted with his pen tentatively, "You have a karate dad, don't you?"

She emitted a small sigh, "I'm guessing you overheard Miguel."

"Yeah. I think it's . . . pretty cool," Eli mumbled. He lifted his hand higher, completely shielding his scar from view as if Josie would have a problem seeing it, "My dad is an orthodontist. It'd be awesome if he knew karate."

An idea sprang to Josie's mind, "Well, if you're interested, you could take lessons at my dad's dojo? He's looking for more students."

"Me? No, I ─ I can't do karate."

"That's why you take lessons. To learn."

Eli lifted his shoulders in a feeble shrug, "I can't. I don't think I'd be very good at it."

"Everybody has to start somewhere," she said.

"Do you take lessons?" he inquired.

Josie shook her head, and Eli visibly deflated, "No. I'd rather focus on things I enjoy."

"Like art?"

Befuddled, Josie's brows pinched together, "How'd you know I like art?"

Eli's cheeks immediately reddened, and he looked down at the table in embarrassment, "I ─ I saw your paintings on display in the art classrooms. They're really good."

"Oh," Josie muttered. Her frown quickly dissipated, replaced by a smile, "Thank you. I'm glad you like 'em."

Eli's mouth curved into a genuine grin that made his round, navy eyes crinkle in the corners. Without another word, he glanced up at the whiteboard and unscrewed the lid on his pen. When he attempted to copy the information on the board, however, his pen refused to cooperate ── the ink was nonexistent.

Wordlessly, Josie held out a dark-blue sharpie. Eli glanced at it and then at her face. She reassured him with a nod.

"Take it," she instructed, "It's yours."

"Thank you," he said, carefully plucking the sharpie from her fingers.

"No problem. I have, like, forty more at home."

"For your art?"

She chuckled, "Yes. For my art."

The scarlet hue returned to Eli's cheeks. He knew Josie much better than she thought ── he paid attention to the small things. All Josie knew about him was of his supreme intelligence and that he had an obsession with video games; things she heard in passing or via Demetri. She never paid much notice to him. She didn't even realise he paid her any notice at all. But maybe that was just her ignorance shining through.

Wouldn't be the first time.

"Cyber bullying is no laughing matter," Counsellor Blatt announced, her voice amplified in the microphone clutched between her hands.

Around the cafeteria, Josie's fellow disinterested classmates scrolled through their phones or whispered to their giggling friends. Unfortunately, Counsellor Blatt's elevated voice was falling on deaf ears ── which was expected from a room full of egotistical teenagers. They didn't care. Cyber bullying was a mere past-time to people like Kyler and Yasmine; it was something they weren't willing to drop just because it might hurt someone's feelings. That was their intention, anyways.

Still, Blatt continued on her rant, "Sending a cruel message to someone online can be just as hurtful as saying it to their face," she said, an air of melancholy enveloping her, "Now I'm not gonna name names, but the other day a mother called me up because her son was crying after some kids online made fun of his facial deformity."

Who else could that possibly be? Was Counsellor Blatt really that insensitive?

Josie's gaze immediately snagged on Eli. He lifted his hand and covered his scar, ducking his head in shame. They were sitting at the same table again, accompanied Miguel, Demetri and Lainey ── who all simultaneously gave Eli a sympathetic smile. But it was clear he didn't want their sympathy. He avoided their eyes and stared at the table. No doubt he just wanted to be . . . normal.

"But today, our goal here is to make this school a safe place for all students," Counsellor Blatt concluded, her thin lips forming a small smile.

Josie rolled her eyes. So long as Kyler and Yasmine remained at the school, it would never be a safe place for the outcast students.

"You know, if you're sick of getting bullied, my karate dojo's looking for recruits," Miguel offered hopefully.

Before Eli could respond to that, Demetri cut in with one of his characteristically sardonic remarks, "Yeah, right. You hear that, Eli? A little karate training, and you're gonna kick some major ass."

"I'm serious, Demetri," Miguel pressed on, "My sensei's the real deal. I'm sure, with some extra persuasion from Josie, I could get you both discounts."

Josie nodded in compliance, "I could ask my dad."

"As enticing as that sounds," Demetri drawled, his subsequent grin nothing but scornful, "I think we'd rather spend our afternoons playing Crucible Control than getting hit in the face."

With a singular glance over at the opposite side of the table, Josie quickly noticed the expression of utter disappointment plaguing Eli's face. She piped up with, "I'm sure Eli can answer for himself." She leaned on her elbows and snapped her gaze over to the boy, raising her brows beseechingly, "Can't you?"

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Counsellor Blatt's amplified voice immediately cut him off.

"One last thing," she announced, "While we're all looking forward to the Halloween dance, let's make sure our costumes are culturally sensitive. For example, instead of 'sexy nurse,' maybe try 'gender-neutral hospital employee.'"

Lainey scoffed vehemently, "She does know what generation she's talking to, right?"

"Clearly not," Demetri said, taking a sip from his chocolate milk.

"What are you going as?" Miguel asked Josie, offering her an apple slice from his lunchbox which she gratefully accepted. His Yaya packed so much food that he physically couldn't eat it all.

She shrugged, biting into the apple, "No idea. I think Lainey and I were planning on a duo costume. Not sure what yet──"

"Oh, shit!" Lainey hissed, slamming her palm against her forehead, "I forgot to look on Pinterest for ideas. We only have a day to buy a costume."

"I'm sure Josie could go as herself," Demetri mumbled under his breath, "That's scary enough."

Frustratingly enough, Josie heard him and jerked her head around, eyes shooting daggers into his skull, "What are you going as? A glorified nerd?"

"No, actually, I'm going as──"

"I don't care."

Lainey stifled a laugh behind her hand, "Settle down, children."

"She started it," Demetri grumbled, twirling his spoon around his half-empty pot of yogurt.

"I didn't. You did," Josie vouched viciously.

"That is incorrect──"

"Guys, stop," Eli said, his voice surprisingly stern.

Miguel nodded, "Yeah, please do. We need to think of costumes, remember?"

"Right," Lainey said, jerking her thumb in Miguel's direction, "If we listen to Jean-Claude Van Damme here, I might not have to wear a bed-sheet to this dance and claim I'm a ghost."

"You and me both," Josie added peevishly.

"My yaya is making me a Deadpool costume," Miguel stated, tearing a slice of cheese in half and popping one piece in his mouth, "Why don't you two go as X-Men characters, too? Like Storm and Mystique?"

"Only the most basic X-Men female characters in history," Demetri said, rolling his eyes, "What's next, Wonder Woman and Jean Grey?"

"It was only a suggestion," Miguel murmured defensively.

Josie reached across the table and patted her neighbour's shoulder reassuringly, "A good one at that. I think superhero costumes could be the way to go. Right, Lainey?"

She nodded stiffly, "I guess. But I call dibs on Jean Grey."

Maddened by her own inefficiency, Josie drove her knuckles against the surface of the table and scoffed, "Dammit."

"Wonder Woman it is," Demetri remarked smugly.

She casually flipped him the bird, which Demetri merely scowled at before turning back to his yogurt.

"If it's any consolation," Miguel said in a low whisper, "Wonder Woman is hot. You'll be batting guys away all night."

Josie's nose wrinkled in dismay, "Gross. I will be spending all night gorging on free candy and dancing to poorly remade classics from the 80s ── not concerning myself with guys."

"All right," Miguel said, a puff of laughter slipping past his lips, "You do you."

"I will, thank you very much."

When her father accidentally let slip about the fact he had received a phone call yesterday from Robby's school, informing him his son had been caught with drugs, Josie had no choice but to take matters into her own hands, knowing Johnny wouldn't do so himself.

She rapped her knuckles against the door to her half-brother's apartment. Inside, the low hum of hip-hop music reverberated through the walls and filtered into the hallway. Josie tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed over her chest.

Drugs. Seriously, drugs? She didn't know Robby exceptionally well, but she was almost certain he wasn't the type to participate in illegal activities.

Again, Josie raised her fist and slammed it repeatedly against the door. The music quietened, a bout of sudden laughter warping into low murmurs of conversation. She strained to hear. Footsteps rapidly approached the door, and then ── at long last ── it cracked open.

"What do you want?" was the first thing Robby said, his voice strained with vexation.

Josie's eyes narrowed to slits, "I hope you're joking. You know exactly why I'm here, Robby."

He rolled his eyes, peering at her through the gap between the door and the door-frame, "Oh, I get it. Dad sent you so he wouldn't have to talk to me himself. Very brave."

"No, he doesn't know I'm here."

Robby's brow cinched in confusion. He smoothed back his gelled hair; it was a nervous habit he'd had for years. Maybe he didn't know she cared enough to make solo trips to see him.

With a vehement sigh, he peered over his shoulder at whomever was inside the apartment, and then slipped through the gap and into the hallway, slamming the door shut in his wake. He leaned against the wall behind him and folded his arms petulantly.

Josie mirrored his stance, "Did you want Johnny to come? Is that why you're carrying drugs on you at school ── to get his attention?"

"No, I don't care about him. He's a pathetic, drunk loser──"

"──don't talk about him that way. He's our dad. Your dad."

Robby let out a dry laugh, his expression utterly devoid of any humour, "Yeah, when it suits him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Josie demanded, heat churning in her chest.

"He's a dad for you, Josie," Robby countered forcibly, slamming the straight side of his hand against the palm of the other, "For me, he's just someone I share DNA with. When I was a kid, I had to imagine what he looked like. He didn't stick around long enough for me to remember. I don't see him as anything other than a sperm donor. Blood, DNA, genetics; nothing more."

That stung like a blade shoved through the heart. Josie knew her dad better than Robby ── she knew he was trying to make amends. Trying was better than doing nothing at all, right? Time was supposed to heal all wounds. But why was it making them progressively worse?

"Is that what you think of me?" Josie said quietly, trying to quell the sadness teeming in her voice with a harsh swallow, "Just someone you share DNA with?"

Her half-brother threw his head back in exasperation, "No. You actually make an effort to see me. That makes us family, Josie."

Warmth seeped into the gaping cavity in her heart where the metaphorical blade previously met flesh, and it sealed the beating muscle back together again. Hearing Robby call her family meant more to her than words could express ── it was his way of saying he cared.

If only he had the same sentiments for their father. Things would run a lot smoother in that alternate universe. Things would be better.

"Your Mom doesn't seem to think so," Josie added, "She hates my guts."

Robby chewed on the inside of his cheek and tipped his head to the side slightly, "Can you blame her? Your Mom got everything mine didn't."

"That isn't my fault, though."

"No, it's not. But my Mom wants someone to blame, and she doesn't have Erin to take her anger out on anymore, and Johnny's old news," Robby said. He made a fleeting gesture in Josie's initial direction, "You're the closest to it. You get hit with the shrapnel."

Josie rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I know."

"I'm sorry. I'll talk to her about it."

"Does she know about the drugs?"

Robby looked down at his shoes and shook his head, "No. My principal called her, but she didn't answer. She won't find out."

Josie blew out a sigh, "Robby, you shouldn't──"

"Don't parent me, Josie," he snapped. He shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided her melancholic eyes, "Maybe you should go."

"I'm not trying to boss you around," Josie continued, regardless of Robby's distinctive lack of interest, "I just want you to know I care about you, Robby. Drugs? You don't need to mess around with 'em to fit in."

He pressed his mouth into a tight line and pretended to be very interested in his sneakers.

Josie took a step closer to him, making sure he had no other choice but to listen to her, "I'm always here for you ── not those doped-up, high-school dropouts you call friends. Me. And as long as I'm around, you'll never be alone."

Robby finally looked up, stunned by the proclamation. He managed a smile, and then said, "In that case, you can count on me too."

"I know I can," Josie murmured. She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed softly, "You just need to remember you can count on me as well. Okay?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Alright."

"Good," Josie said. She swayed slightly, feeling much happier than she had ten minutes prior.

Without caring about the fact they weren't as inordinately close as siblings were meant to be, Josie leaned forward and slung her arms around Robby's shoulders ── something siblings also didn't tend to do. But she didn't care. Robby tensed as Josie tugged him close ( very clearly taken by surprise ) but soon enough he let his guard down and reciprocated the gesture. He patted her back and then they split apart, grinning abashedly.

"No more drugs. Promise?" Josie said.

Robby sighed and gave a reluctant nod, "I promise."

"Okay. I'll tell Dad."

"No, you don't need to. He doesn't care anyways."

Josie rubbed her nose, "He does care, Robby. I've lived with the man since I was four, and not a day goes by where he doesn't talk about you ── about his regrets."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really," Josie assured sternly, "Maybe give him a chance. I'm sure he'd love to see you."

A sudden bout of raucous laughter sounded from inside Robby's apartment, and then the door swung open. His friends ── Tweedledum and Tweedledee ── came out into the hallway, looking Josie up and down coyly.

"Man, you almost wrapped up out here? Got us a gig at the hardware store," the darker one, Trey, said, thumping Robby's shoulder playfully.

The one with the horrendous moustache, Cruz, nodded, "Yeah, dude. Gotta make some extra cash for those advancements, right?"

Robby rolled his eyes irritably and gently pushed Trey's hand away, "Give me a second."

"Who's this?" Cruz asked, pointing at Josie.

"Someone's who leaving now," she retorted, flashing them both a fake smile, "See you, Robby."

"Josie──"

"Yo, it's his sis," Trey said. "Hey, slow your roll, Blondie."

"Guys, go back inside," Robby demanded sharply. When they made no move to obey, he shoved open the apartment door and gestured inside, "Now."

But Cruz jogged to catch up with Josie, and swooped directly into her path, "You free tonight, Blondie?"

"Not for you, Shit-Stache," she bit back.

He reached up and self-consciously touched the pale hair sprouting from his upper-lip. A frown dominated his expression, and before Josie could slip away down the hallway, Cruz grabbed her wrist and steered her back around. He smelled like weed, lingering between a faint aroma of sweat.

She immediately recoiled, "Get off me, creep."

"Dude, leave her alone," Robby ordered exasperatedly.

"What?" Cruz drawled. He was too close to her; Josie felt horribly uncomfortable, "She off limits or something?"

Before Robby could intervene, Josie reacted. She suddenly remembered the lessons she'd seen her father teach Miguel at the dojo. Strike first, strike hard. She raised her right leg and swung it forward like a rearing horse, planting a hard kick at his groin. It made an audible crunching noise when it made contact. Then, as Cruz was doubling over ── clutching at his balls ── Josie threw her fist forward and struck him in the jaw. Cruz instantly keeled over, groaning in pain.

Behind, Trey and Robby gaped in shock. There was palpable amusement in Robby's expression, and he pouted pridefully.

"Shit. Did you have to punch me as well?" Cruz gasped, kneeling on the ground and panting agonisingly.

Josie chuckled. She recalled the mural painted on Johnny's dojo's wall, and said, "No mercy. Especially for creeps like you."

She patted Cruz's head mockingly and ── without looking back ── walked down the hallway and back out into the street.

Maybe she was wrong about Cobra Kai. Perhaps it wasn't a waste of time like she thought. Maybe it was something worth joining.

After all, karate was in her blood.

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AUTHORS NOTE

she serves all day everyday.