patience is key | the karate kid

xviii. impulsive decisions

   After the table is finally set, the three Martins sit down and say a quick word of grace before digging in. Their father had prepared hamburgers, fries and pasta salad. A little bit of a weird combination to say the least.

    "So, Kathleen," Zack says, putting some pasta salad on his plate, "how was your day?"

    "It was alright I guess." She replies, going to grab the ketchup. Unfortunately, Ace snatches it before she does.

    "Must've been more than alright." Ace snickers with a stupid grin plastered on his face. Kat furrows her eyebrows.

"What're you talking about, dumbass?"

"Hey, language." Her father says with a warning look. Kat sighs and picks at her fries while glaring at her brother.

"Kat has a boyfrienddddd." Ace teases and makes kissy noises. Kat's eyes grow big and her cheeks blush. Zack immediately turns to Kat.

"What?"

"I-I don't." Kat says, becoming flustered. "Dad—"

"Sure, Kat, sure," Ace shakes his head and still wears the same stupid grin, "then who was that blond I saw you hugging today?"

"What's he talking about?"

    Kat sighs, giving up. "Fine, there's this kid at school that I've been seeing. His name's Johnny."

   "Well he's not a drug dealer, is he?" Zack questions, taking a sip of water. Kat shakes her head.

   "He's not a drug dealer."

   "And he hasn't gotten in trouble with the law?"

   Kat, again, shakes her head no. Their father nods and shrugs.

   "I wanna meet this kid." He finally says after a moment of thinking. He digs back into his pasta salad and Kat raises her eyebrows.

   "Really?" She asks, and Ace makes the same expression.

   "Really?" He asks, also. Zack nods and looks at his children with a serious expression.

   "Yeah," he answers, "any guy who thinks he's good enough for my Kat, I think I oughta meet."

Kat narrows her eyes and shoots Ace a deadly look, for it was his fault for bringing up Johnny. She kicks him again underneath the table and he winces. Why oh why did he have to bring him up? The last thing she needs is this.

Sure, she likes Johnny. I mean, don't we all? But she hasn't even been going out with him for a month. It's like everything is moving so fast (unlike this story).

"You know, dad," she speaks up, "he's a pretty busy guy so I don't think—"

"If he has enough time for you, Kat, he'll have enough time for us. We'll have him over for dinner this weekend. That's final."

And the conversation ended there.

——————

After dinner, Kat is left to clean up the table and the dishes. Her father went to bed and didn't say a word to her, but did give her a kiss on the head. And Ace, well Ace decided to take the keys and go for a drive.

She stands over the sink, scrubbing away at the dishes. She doesn't mind, it gives her time to think about the day she had and all of its events.

Going to school, seeing Johnny, making sure he actually apologized to Daniel, going to work, coming home and.. kissing Johnny for the first time.

She could feel chills run down her spine and again, the butterflies stir in her stomach. But then they drop when she also remembers how she saw Daniel again that afternoon, and the conversation they had.

And suddenly she hears an indistinct conversation happening outside. She sets down the dish she had in her hand and goes over to the window, hearing the conversation more clearly as she approaches it.

Surprise surprise, it's Daniel and his mother.

She sighs and thinks for a moment. Then impulsively goes and opens up her door and steps outside into the night.

She sees Daniel about to go in his apartment after his mom, but he stops when he hears her step out. They look at each other and don't say anything for about a minute or two.

"Hey." Kat finally says. Daniel lowers his brows.

"Hey." He looks at her, confused.

She rolls in her lips and starts to feel all shaky and nervous. She isn't really sure what she's doing and can already tell that maybe this isn't the best idea.

"Look," she begins, though isn't really sure where she's going, "I want to be on good terms. And I know that's complicated right now and everything because I'm dating your mortal enemy—"

"Kat—"

"I like you Daniel," she continues, "but I also really like Johnny. I need you to understand that. And that I want to be on good terms."

Daniel sighs, unsure of what to say. He looks away from her face and down at the ground.

"How can you like him?" He asks, looking disturbed. "He.. he beat me up."

"How can you like Ali?" She laughs, confused. "She hurt me." Daniel shrugs and looks at her in the eyes.

"I.. I don't know."

"Exactly."

There's another moment of silence between the two, both of them unsure of what to say next. How did they end up here?

"How did we end up here?" Daniel chuckles uneasily, breaking the silence. Kat weakly smiles and shrugs.

"I don't know."

Daniel thinks for a moment. "Maybe.. it's best if we're not seen with each other, you know?"

Kat lowers her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Like at school." Daniel explains. "Here and maybe a few other places would be fine, but I don't wanna risk yours or my 'relationship', you know?"

Kat frowns. "Yeah."

"It's for the best." Daniel shrugs, feeling a little bit down as well. "At least for now, until things are neutral for sure."

"I understand." Kat nods, half smiling again. Daniel nods and extends his hand out.

"Friends?"

Kat looks at it, and then at him, and nods.

"Friends."

————
a.n.
i don't know what i'm doing anymore please help me i feel like i'm just giving y'all filler chapters