"Hey, where have you guys been?" Rudy asked as Azalea, Kim and Jack entered the dojo, "Practice started a half hour ago."
"Sorry, Rudy. It's Wednesday. We volunteer at the nursing home," Jack explained to him,
"We volunteer at the nursing home," Rudy mimicked Jack, sounding like a baby.
"Actually they volunteer, I was forced," Azalea piped up.
"Get your priorities straight, people," Rudy snapped, "Just like Azalea."
"So you want all of us to have same sensitivity as Voldemort?" Jack snorted, earning a death glare from his girlfriend, "Hey, your words, not mine."
"Tomorrow is the Champions Tournament!" Rudy continued.
"Where I am getting my orange belt," Eddie added proudly from behind Rudy.
"I said we're proud of you, now zip it!" Rudy silenced the boy.
"Rudy, man, you're a little wound up," Jack said a little shocked, "but we are ready for the tournament. Azalea has been helping me with my spinning back-kick."
"Yeah, show him, Jack," Azalea picked up a board as Jack prepared himself. She held it up and Jack did a perfect spinning back-kick.
"That is perfect," Rudy told him, "You need to do exactly that tomorrow. You never know who's gonna be watching you."
"Sounding a little stalker-ish there, bro," Azalea said, getting a little suspicious. Despite not being the most stable person, Rudy wouldn't get this anxious and annoying if he wasn't hiding something.
"My whole family is coming to watch me get my orange belt," Eddie smiled proudly.
"Oh, please. Let it go," Rudy groaned.
"We are all very proud of you, Eddie," Azalea patted his shoulder.
☆★☆
Azalea sat beside Milton on the staircase in school, watching Eddie and Jerry hand out flyers for the tournament. "Yo, yo. Karate tournament tonight, ladies," Jerry flirted but the girls just walked past him.
Eddie and Jerry shared a look, smirking before both of them said, "Jack is gonna be there." The girls turned back and took one flyer each.
Azalea rolled her eyes at their eagerness. She knew Jack was the most popular guy in school and she wasn't blind nor deaf, she had seen how all other girls looked at him and had been standing next to him on a few occasions when they flirted with him.
It wasn't his fault that no one knew that he was taken and he would always turned the girls down, so she really shouldn't be jealous about it. Not to mention that she was the one who wanted to keep their relationship a secret in order to avoid having Rudy interfering.
"Hey, tell Jack my friends and I will be at the tournament to cheer him on," Lorie, a girl in their grade with an enormous crush on Jack.
"I'm competing also, so I guess you will be cheering me on too, right?" Jerry flirted, or at least tried.
"Jerry you and I will never—"
Jerry shushed her by placing a finger on her lips, "Let's not rush this, okay? Let it breathe."
"He put his finger on my lips and it smelled like feet," Lorie said in disgust, "Oh!" she screamed before storming away followed by her friends.
"Jerry, I don't say this enough, but I really appreciate you as a friend," Azalea smirked, watching the girl storm away with delight.
"Yo, there is the new kid," Jerry said when a boy with brown hair walked past them, "I heard he transferred here from his other school cause he stole his principal's car."
"We don't know he did anything." Milton defended the new kid, "I don't judge a book by its cover. Let's go talk to him," Milton took a step before turning back, "You coming, Lea?"
"Sure, but if he turns out to be a psychopath I won't carry you to safety," Azalea said in amusement, walking after Milton to make sure he wasn't killed by the new kid while Jerry and Eddie protested behind them.
"Hey there," Milton greeted the new guy, "My name is Milton. These are my friends. I hold out my arms to you as a welcoming symbol of acceptance to our school."
"We are not hugging, dude," the guy said, looking at him weirdly.
"I high five you as a welcoming symbol to our school," Milton said instead, holding up his hand, "Come on, new kid. Nothing?"
"I wish I could say that he wasn't always like that, but that would be a lie," Azalea said, trying to save the situation, "So like a normal person," she pulled down Milton's hand, "I welcome you to our school."
"And what's your name?" the new guy looked her up and down with a small smile.
"Azalea. What about you?"
" Zane", he smirked at her, "I will see you around, Azalea," he winked before walking away.
"What do you do with the new guys?"
☆★☆
It was the day of the tournament and the dojo was packed. In the moment they were all watching Eddie's routine that would earn him his orange belt. When he was done the crowd cheered as Eddie took a bow.
"Whoo! Yay, Eddie!"
He walked over to two senseis and one of them handed him his orange belt, "Oh, thank you, sensei," Eddie bowed before turning to the rest of the crowd, "Today, I've become a man. From this day forward, when I pee, I will do it standing!"
"That is too much information," Azalea patted his shoulder, a slightly disturbed look on her face.
"Oh, he's here, he's here, he's here!" Rudy repeated, looking at a man who just entered.
"Who is here?" Milton wondered.
"Uh, certainly not a mysterious stranger from Japan who could change our lives forever," Rudy said nervously before walking over to the man.
But instead of following him Azalea walked over to Jack who was up next. "I'm kind of nervous," Jack admitted, "This guys I'm going up against hasn't lost in two years."
"Well, he is about to," Azalea said reassuringly, "He has no idea who he is messing with. Bobby Wasabi's second best student," she gave him a teasing smile.
"You are supposed to pep me, not yourself," Jack tried to look serious but he couldn't hide his smile.
"You will do great, I believe in you," Azalea told him, she was about to kiss his cheek when she was ushered off the mat. The referee signalled for them to start and it was brutal. Both of them were extremely quick and precise, resulting in both of them landing some kicks and punches.
The other guy managed to kick Jack in the stomach, resulting in him falling to the ground but he quickly stood up again. The fight continued and it looked like the other guy was getting frustrated because he became sloppier which gave Jack the opportunity land a good kick and win.
"Yes, yes!" Jack jumped up and down, cheering in victory while the crowd clapped.
"I AM THE GREATEST SENSEI IN THE WORLD!"
Azalea decided to ignore Rudy's self love, "Jack, you did it! That was incredible!" she ran over, jumping up to hug him which almost knocked him over. But he caught his balance and spun her around a little.
But then they realised that they were standing in the middle of the dojo with at least twenty people staring at them, that definitely didn't know they were together.
"I'm just gonna-" Azalea turned to walk away while Jack gave her an awkward smile, walking over to speak with the referees.
"Woo-eee," Joan smirked when Azalea got closer, "You are turning this dojo into a Hungarian hothouse, missy."
"I don't even wanna know what that means," Azalea stated.
"Oh, I saw what was going on between you and Mr, Kicky-kicky-chop-chop."
"Whaaaaaat?" Azalea said with an awkward smile, "There is nothing going on between me and Jack."
That's a lie.
"Oh-ho-ho, really? Well, let me just take out my old passion meter, huh?" Joan said doing some beeping sound, like a metal detector when it detected metal. "Ooh, your first love is the most important one in your life. You just pick up the old Joan phone if you are ready to talk or, you know — kick it-" Joan somehow managed to kick of her show so it crashed through the ceiling, "Oh, Holy Hanna! Base, I'm gonna need a woman's right. Eight and a half. Stat," she said into her walkie talkie.
☆★☆
Azalea walked down the stairs towards Jack when Lorie came over with a heart balloon, "Jack, you are just so awesome. I mean, that fly-kicky thing you did was like, wow! I hope you like the balloon."
"Oh, thanks," Jack took the balloon with a polite smile while Lorie giggled like a madwoman.
"See you, Jack," she continued to giggle as she skipped away.
"I mean that fly-kicky thing you did was, like, oh, wow," Azalea mimicked her, cackling in the end as she walked over to Jack.
"You really don't like her, do you?" Jack asked in amusement.
"What makes you say that? Hey look!" Azalea said and when he looked away she used her pen to pop the balloon. "That felt great."
"Are you jealous?" Jack asked in amusement.
"Can't a girl want to punch another girl that is flirting with her boyfriend without being jealous?"
Everyone except for Jack, who had been called into Rudy's office were busy training until the guy Rudy had been speaking with at the tourney emerged from the office.
"Next time you are in town, call me," Rudy said walking behind the man, "It doesn't have to be business we can just hang. Do you foosball?"
"I'm sorry, bro, but based on his clothes, he is way out of your league," Azalea said, earning a glare from her brother.
"Alright, everybody, bring it in!" Rudy told them, "Jack had an unbelievable announcement to make."
"It's a little crazy," Jack said, "But I just got offered a scholarship to the Otai Academy."
"So full of pride," Rudy exclaimed, looking ready to cry.
"What?" Azalea asked, her brain having a hard time comprehending all of it.
"But the Otai Academy is in Japan," Milton pointed out.
"Wait, what, what are you saying, Jack?" Eddie asked the boy.
"I'm moving to Japan," Jack replied with a small smile.
"Oh, no. My legs are going. Mat me! Mat me, Jerry," Rudy ordered and Jerry quickly pulled a mat in front of Rudy who of course fell backwards instead.
But Azalea was still too shocked by the news, not even laughing at her brother's fall.
"Dude, you gotta be more specific," Jerry said.
☆★☆
"I still can't believe that I'm moving to Japan," Jack said a few minutes later when they sat gathered in a circle. Azalea was still trying to process the news and honestly wondered why Jack was acting so causal about it.
Sure, it was a great opportunity for him and she couldn't be more proud and happy, but it seemed like he saw no con with moving to Japan.
"I mean, I leave Friday," Jack continued, not when noticing everyone else's reactions.
"I was just reading about the Otai Academy," Eddie said, "This brochure says the scholarship is for four years."
"When come back, we will all be in college," Azalea said quietly, her leg bouncing up and down like it usually did when she was stressed or deep in thought, "Or at least some of us."
"Wow, you — you are right," Jack said, seeming to realise this for the first time, looking at Azalea with an unreadable expression.
"Man, this place is unbelievable," Jerry looked at the brochure, "State of the art training center, outdoor dojo — and the cafeteria has got a 'make your own waffle' station. Shut up!"
"Sounds like a great opportunity," Azalea said with a slightly forced smile, earning a worried glance from Kim, "I will catch up with you guys later."
With that Azalea stormed out the dojo, passing Rudy who was wearing a sweater that said 'PROUD SENSEI OF AN OTAI STUDENT' while carrying a large flag with the Otai Academy crest.
☆★☆
Azalea sat in a booth at Falafel Phil's and across from her sat Joan who watched her play around with her food. "Hey, why so glum, soul sister?"
"Remember during the tournament when I told you I didn't have any feelings for Jack?" Azalea asked, deciding that she could trust Joan, "I definitely do. And now he is moving to Japan and I don't really know what to do."
"What?" Joan exclaimed, "Let me tell you something. Eight grade, the first boy I ever had feelings for, Brendan Harper, tells me he's moving to Wisconsin. You know what I did?"
"You supported him no matter how much it broke your heart?" Azalea asked hopefully, although she knew that it was highly unlikely that Joan was that reasonable.
"No. I put chains around his legs and locked him in our woodshed," Joan said casually and Azalea's eyes widened. "If you love something, don't set it free. You will never see it again."
"Well, I did ask for love advice from Joan," Azalea said a little uncomfortable, "I'm a little afraid to ask, but Brendan isn't still locked up in your woodshed, right?"
☆★☆
Azalea had been so focused thinking about what seas going to happen with her and Jack that she managed to miss the normal craziness that surrounded her friends. For example Jerry, Milton and Eddie held an audition to find the 'New Jack' and the winner was the new guy, Zane.
And now they were teaching him the Wasabi code. "Okay, let's try it one more time. I think I got it," Zane told them.
"We swear by the light of the light of the dragon's eye, to be loyal and honest and never say die. Wasabi!"
"You got it, Zane," Azalea said as the others chuckled.
"Thanks," he grinned down at her.
"Hey, guys," Jack said in a slightly clipped tone.
"Hey, Jack," Jerry smiled oblivious to the tension, "This is Zane. He is the new you."
"Awkward," Milton sang while Azalea facepalmed.
"Oh, Jack, Zane is gonna need your locker," Eddie added.
"Awkwarder." Milton sang again.
"Yeah, yeah, that's no problem," Jack said in an attempt to sound casual, "I was coming to clean it out anyway."
Jack walked past them and towards his locker and Azalea followed him, "You know he's just the new guy in the dojo, right? Nobody could replace you."
"We are going to Falafel Phil's with Jack's replacement," Jerry told them, "See ya!"
"Are you coming, Azalea?" Zane asked.
"No, you go," she said, giving him a tight smile. With that all the guys and Kim who gave her a pointed look that said 'talk to him', walked out of the dojo.
"Psst," someone said and much to Azalea's horror she saw Joan's head on one of the training dummies, "Put chains around his legs and throw him in the locker. Don't set him free. You will be never see him again! You will never see him again!"
"Hey, Zalee, check these out," Jack broke her out of her hallucinations, "We took this at the photo booth down at the pier, remember?"
"Yeah, it was our first date," Azalea smiled fondly, "Damn, I'm not photogenic."
"There is four pictures here. You take two and I will take two?"
"It's a wonder you didn't get a math scholarship," Azalea said sarcastically, smiling a little.
Jack ripped the picture in half and gave her one of them, "Hey, I remember that one," Jack grinned, "That's where I gave you a wet willy."
"And look at the next one," Azalea said, "That's the one where I gave you a black eye. Good times."
"You know, we haven't really talked about this," Jack said, his expression turning serious, "In fact, you have kind of been avoiding me."
"I — I needed some time to think," Azalea said, taking a deep breath, "about us."
"What's there to think about?" Jack asked with a frown. She loved him, she truly did, but he was naive sometimes.
"Jack, I'm so proud of you and this is a wonderful opportunity that you have to take, but you are moving to Japan. That's the other side of the world," Azalea sighed, the realistic and pessimistic part of her brain taking over.
Some of Jack's excitement seemed to dampen and she felt terrible for that. "We could make it work," he said, "We can call each other everyday, visit each other during breaks-"
"Jack, it's four years. When you come back I will be in college," Azalea told him.
"So you want to end it? Just like that?" Jack snapped, a little angry.
"Most adults can't handle long distance relationships," Azalea pointed out, "I'm just being realistic, Jack. We are fifteen Jack, we have our entire lives ahead of us-"
"And you don't want to be stuck with me when I'm on the other side of the globe while you are here with guys drooling over you," Jack snapped again, "Perhaps you can replace me with Zane like the guys have. He definitely wouldn't mind-"
"I'm not looking to replace you," Azalea was getting angry now too, "I'm saying that it's neither fair or realistic for two fifteen year olds to stay together for over four years when they are on different sides of the globe! I'm sure there will be just as many girls in Japan as there is guys here."
"I really shouldn't be surprised by this," Jack clenched his jaw, "You have never wanted to be open about this relationship. Damn, I can't even hold your hand when I want to because you are scared what people will think-"
"I'm not scared of what others would think. I couldn't care less about their opinions! I just now that if Rudy found out it would cause more pain than it's worth-"
"Oh, so our relationship means nothing to you?" Jack glared at her, "Too bad it took me moving to Japan for you to realise that. It could have saved both of us some time."
"That's not what I meant and you know that," Azalea pursed her lips tightly, she wanted to cry now, but she wouldn't. She refused. "I love you, I really do, and it's because I love you that I want you to follow your dreams to Japan with no strings-"
"Well, maybe I will do just that," Jack said coldly, "I'm sure it won't be that hard for me to find a new girlfriend. One that actually wants to be with me and doesn't think she can control everything."
"Then do just that," Azalea told him, "Because we are done. Have a nice flight, Jack."
☆★☆
Azalea sat inside Falafel Phil's once again, but this time she was just poking around in her food with a sad expression. She hadn't wanted it to end that way. Truth be told, she hadn't wanted it to end at all, but it was necessary.
Perhaps this would be the best for both of them. Jack would be able to start over in Japan and she — she would be able to focus more on her schoolwork, that she didn't really need to focus more on. Or she could find new hobby. Or just binge watch all the Harry Potter movies over and over again.
Too be honest, after their argument she had tried to convince herself that this was for the best. Maybe they were just not meant to be, at least not now. She would always love and care about him but she could do that as a friend.
Now she just wished that they had been able to end it in a cleaner way. In a way that didn't leave them angry at each other when they wouldn't see each other for who knows how long.
"Listen," Joan's voice broke her out of her thoughts and Azalea looked up to see Joan slide into the booth across from her, "I rethought your whole situation. Before Jack leaves, he had to know what's in your heart."
"I think that's a bit too late now," Azalea muttered, "And I've never been good at telling people how I feel."
"That's because the heart doesn't speak. It siiiiiiiings," Joan sang and picked up a keyboard, she then started to play and sing, "I've had feelings for you. From the very start. First you broke some boards, then you broke — my — HEART."
Azalea had no idea how to react when Joan started to sing opera, "Aaaaaaaw, snap, boom, crack and snap. Chop, chop, hyah, chop, chop, chop!"
"I'm — definitely— not — doing — that."
☆★☆
"Guys," Jack said to the boys and Kim, "I keep texting Azalea but she's not answering."
"I'm sure she's gonna show up," Jerry shrugged, "She is your girlfriend after all."
Kim let out a loud snort that brought Jack's attention to her, "She told you, didn't she?"
"She did," Kim said, "But I still thought she was going to show up."
"Told her what?" Milton asked curiously.
"We broke up," Jack admitted with a sad expression. He hadn't wanted to, he had believed they could make it work, at least in the beginning. He just regretted the way it all ended, "We're ruining out of time," Jack changed the subject, "My dad is gonna be here, like, any minute."
He then looked around at his friends, "Oh, man, I'm going to miss your guys," he pulled them into a group hug, "You guys are literally the best friends I'll ever have. And I love you guys. Promise me you will have each other's backs."
He pulled them tighter and when they all pulled away Jack chuckled sadly, "Never thought I'd say this — Bye."
☆★☆
Azalea ran through the mall. She knew she was late, and there was a chance Jack wasn't there but she had to see him again. She didn't want them to part like this. Luckily for her she arrived just as Jack was done speaking with Rudy outside the dojo.
"Oh, Lea, Jack put some of his personal thoughts down in this letter and wanted me to give it to you, Rudy said handing her a letter while Jack ran forward to stop him, "See you."
"Uh, it's okay, Jack," Azalea said awkwardly, "I did the same thing. It was either that or singing and no one wants to hear the latter."
She offered Jack the letter and he took it, "There are some things I wanted you to know. I know that you got angry yesterday, I was too, but maybe this was for the best. We are great as friends. Just promise me you will wait to read it until you are on the plane."
"I would but-" Jack said with a tight lipped smile, "I changed my mind. I'm not going."
"Dammit," Azalea exclaimed before realising what she was saying, "I mean, not dammit as, I want you to leave but as — can I get my letter back?"
"Yeah, I want mine," Jack said and the two changed letters. It might have seemed silly, sense they had been together for almost a year, but after everything, well everything was just different.
"So what made you change your mind about going to Japan?" Azalea asked awkwardly, shifting a little on her feet.
"Oh, I don't know," Jack said looking into the dojo, "I thought it might cost too much."
The two stood there in silence for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Neither of them were very good at expressing their feelings.
"Sooo, where does this leave us?" Jack wondered, rubbing his neck awkwardly.
"I don't know," Azalea admitted, "I mean, I care about you, very much.."
"And I care about you," Jack assured her, "I just, I'm tired of hiding it from everyone. And I know you aren't ready to tell Rudy-"
"So friends?" Azalea asked with a sad yet hopeful smile, "I mean we were friends before."
"Yeah," Jack looked a little disappointed, "Friends."
For now.
☆★☆
In the spirit of both off them wanting to show how okay they were with being friends again they decided to go to Falafel Phil's. What didn't help then was that Joan was having a little performance.
"This next song is going out to a couple of great kids," Joan announced, "And, uh, I don't want to embarrass them by saying their names, but they rhyme with shmack and schalea."
"Please kill me now."
"You know who you are. And it's called — Crack, Boom, Snap and Whap."
____________
Azalea's Outfit: