introducing TIMOTHEE CHLAMET as HARRY TAYLOR
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LANIE WAS WEARING HER jeans and blouse, not necessarily the most appropriate attire for a beach club, but she couldn't refuse Daniel's kind offer when he invited her. She also thought it would be nice to go to the beach club with other people besides her parents.
Typically, Lanie would dread the sound of the forbidden place, but since she was going with Sam, Robby, and Daniel, she put on a different mindset, hoping for a happier experience.
Closing Daniel's car door gently, Lanie looked up and traced every feature of the white building, a shaky breath escaping her lips. Robby noticed her uneasiness and immediately, he got worried for the girl.
"Hey, Lanie, are you okay?" Robby's voice was quiet and soft, his curiosity disguising as his worry. She looked up and met his eyes, and also noticed how he seemed to be fearful of the place as well.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I've been here a few times and they weren't the best memories. But are you okay? You seemed tentative to go in." Lanie searched for any signs of fabrications on his face it was evident that he had a history with the beach club.
"Yeah, I just used to work here. It was just for a summer." Robby gave one last glance of the front of the building before turning to Lanie, a smile forming on his face from her beauty. "Shall we?" Robby held out his arm like a chivalrous gentleman for Lanie to take.
She gladly placed her hand in the crevice of his arm and they walked on their way to the entrance, both of the teenagers having traumatic pasts associated with the beach club.
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When Sam left to go talk to Aisha, she sneakily gave Lanie a wink, knowing exactly what she was doing by leaving both her and Robby alone. The air was slightly awkward as Lanie wasn't sure what to say, but luckily, Robby spoke up first, starting a conversation.
"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I'm curious as to why you are wearing non-summer attire at a beach club." Lanie shuddered at the question, not sure if she wanted to tell Robby about her family now, so she quickly mustered up random words.
"I like summer, but I also don't like to show my body as much." Honestly, this was a lie. Lanie used to adore summer and she looked forward to wearing the pretty swimsuits that would come out seasonally. But ever since the bruises on her body started to become suspiciously visible, Lanie hasn't been able to enjoy clothing like she used to.
"That's totally understandable," Robby agreed with Lanie. He noticed her eyes were trailing down, focusing on something intently and when he followed her eyes, Robby saw that she was staring at his structured abs.
A small blush formed on Robby's face and he smirked at the girl before snapping his fingers, catching her attention back up to his face.
"My face is up here, sweetheart." Now it was Lanie's turn to blush, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry Robby. I didn't mean to-"
"No, no, it's okay, I find it pretty flattering, especially if it's you looking." Both of the teenagers were now staring into each other's eyes, none of their blushes going away anytime soon.
Before Lanie could feel her face burning up, even more, she got up from the beach chair and flattened out her pants to get some food. "I'm going to get food, do you want anything?"
Robby shook his head no and Lanie smiled softly before walking off, feeling an intense stare from the back of her skull. At first, she thought it was Robby watching her walk away, but when Lanie reached the snack bar, she felt a hand grab her shoulder.
By instinct, Lanie swiftly turned around and attempted to twist the arm of the intruder, but before she could get far in hurting them, Lanie let out a frustrated sigh seeing the person she always found annoying.
"Well good afternoon to you, Lanes. I see your karate is still as hot as ever." Lanie scoffed at Harry and continued to grab food from the snack bar, trying to ignore his pestering voice.
Harry was a friend of the Capuletgue family. Lanie rarely got along with Harry as he was an annoying kid who always got on her nerves. She didn't hate him, instead just thought of him as another older annoying brother, even though Harry thought the opposite.
"What do you want, asshole? I'm not in the mood to talk to you." Lanie looked down at the balcony and saw Robby looking as peaceful as ever with his eyes closed. She was in awe of the boy, him looking like a literal Ken doll. But Lanie felt hurt, definitely not seeing herself as Barbie.
"Him? Really, Lanes? You can do much better than that," Harry whispered over Lanie's shoulder. She glared angrily at Harry before grabbing more food onto her plate. She was about to snap back at Harry until she noticed Marshall, one of the beach club employees starting to raise his voice at Robby.
"Oh shit!" Lanie quickly gripped onto her plate, and ran down the stairs, leaving Harry with chocolate strawberries stuffed in his mouth, attempting to shout after the girl, but failing miserably.
"Um, what's going on here?" Lanie was quick to be at Robby's side and she noticed how his shoulders slightly eased up at her presence.
"Ms. Capuletgue, there's nothing to worry about here. I was just removing this delinquent from the property."
Delinquent. Lanie noticed how the employee had a harsh tone and distaste coming out of his mouth. By the way Robby was reacting, it was obvious the history with the beach club was not good.
"Well this delinquent, happens to be my guest." Lanie was starting to get annoyed, her hand angrily gripping the locket on her neck. It was a habit of when she was either stressed or angry. After bickering back and forth, Lanie won the argument and the employee walked away, while Lanie looked down at Robby, a look of concern on her face.
"What was all of that about?" Lanie sat down on the same beach chair as Robby. their hands brushing against one another.
"Before I met you, I was a different person. My friends and I did some stuff here that I regret." Robby held his head down low in shame and it was evident to Lanie that Robby was getting genuinely trying his best to be different. Slowly pressing the palm of her hand on Robby's cheek, he glanced up, meeting her brown doe eyes.
"We all make mistakes. It's what we do next that counts, right?" Lanie was internally questioning herself, wondering if her parents deserved a second chance, but with the many times they expressed how much they loathed her, Lanie dismissed the thought.
"Please don't think of me any differently, Lanie. I promise I don't do that stuff anymore and I will do anything if it proves to you I changed," Robby pleaded. He just got Lanie in his life as a friend and he didn't want to jeopardize anything to ruin their friendship.
"No, no, Robby, I believe you, I really do. I know you are trying your best." A smile was pressed on Lanie's lips and Robby couldn't help but smile as well.
"Wow, and I thought barfing once a day was already enough, but I guess I will have to do it again after seeing you two together," Harry said before attempting to wrap an arm around Lanie's shoulders. His distinguishable voice pierced Lanie's ears and Robby felt that Harry was a threat to both him and Lanie, so he discreetly grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to this body and away from the man before he could touch her.
"Who are you?" Robby said, standing up defensively, still making sure that Lanie was protectively behind him. Lanie sighed lightly in frustration and put a reassuring hand on Robby's arm before standing in between the two boys.
"Robby, this is Harry. Harry this is Robby," Lanie stated in a monotone. Robby still seemed unsure of the boy, but greeted him with a head nod, Harry reciprocating. Lanie noticed the tension and how they were practically shooting daggers at one another and she dragged away Robby from Harry so the greet couldn't get any more awkward.
Lanie pulled Robby into a more secluded part of the beach club and noticed how Robby was still tense from the encounter with Harry. She brushed it off at first until Robby spoke up with a question.
"Who was that?" His tone seemed to be filled with jealousy and distrust of Lanie's friend.
"A family friend."
"He didn't seem to think that." Lanie tilted her head in confusion at Robby's tone of voice, but then it suddenly hit her. Her perplexed face was replaced with a sly smirk, figuring out why Robby was acting like this.
"Are you jealous, Mr. Keene?" The boy seemed to choke on air as his words were inaudible and Lanie couldn't help but laugh at his cuteness.
"W-What? No, what do you mean-"
"Robby, stop, it's okay. I find it kinda cute." Both teenagers blushed at the words and Robby's awkward demeanor went back to normal when he finally figured out that Lanie was indeed, the girl of his dreams.
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When Lanie arrived back at the dojo, she was pacing back and forth, her anger rising through her body when Robby told her that his old friends hit his head harshly. She saw the way Robby kept rubbing it and she wished that she was there with him so she could help beat up his friends.
"I should've been there. I should've been there, Sam." Lanie felt guilty for not going with Robby and many thoughts raced in her mind, wondering if there was anything she could've done to prevent Robby's friends from hurting him
Just as Sam was about to respond to reassure her that everything was okay, Lanie suddenly felt an arm slither around her waist. At first, she felt chills running down her spine, the unfamiliar feeling triggering something in her mind, but at the same time, when she turned her head to see Robby there, the feeling of comfort and peace overwhelmed her body.
"How's your head? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's a little sore, but I'm fine. Maybe a kiss on the head will make it feel better?" Robby asked, his voice squeaking higher at the end of his sentence. Lanie contemplated at first, but then kissed his soft blonde locks, making Robby smile like a child on Christmas day.
"I think my headache immediately just went away," Robby said with a cheesy smile on his face. Lanie chuckled faintly before punching her fist playfully on Robby's hard rock chest. Daniel started to explain to the teens how students were going to come, they didn't have to force it but simply had to wait for the right students to arrive. Just as Lanie was about to speak up, an obscure voice spoke up.
"Excuse me? It was unclear if the gate was the front door or if I was supposed to ring the doorbell. Is that a koi pond?"
Everyone looked at each other and the boy said he was here for karate lessons. The lanky boy was named Demetri and a smile was on Lanie's face, knowing that Daniel finally had another student.
Lanie was internally cheering inside with the other student Miyagi-Do received, but that celebration was cut short when she felt her phone buzz, indicating she got a text message.
Dad.
Delaney, you better come home this instant or there will be consequences. We need to talk.
Lanie's heart dropped, usually knowing that meant she was in trouble. She wanted to scream, not wanting to go back to her home, but her car was still at the dealership getting fixed. Attempting to ease her breathing, Lanie recomposed herself and put a hand on Robby's shoulder, him turning around so his attention was now fully on her.
"Um, I have to go home right now, tell Daniel I'll see him tomorrow." Lanie was about to leave out the gate until she felt a gentle grip on her wrist, making the girl wince from the bruises that were hidden by her sleeve.
"Wait, you don't have your car, how are you going to get home?"
"By using my legs and walking," Lanie said sarcastically with a dry chuckle.
"Like hell you are. You're not walking alone. C'mon, I'll drive you home," Robby said, already fishing for his keys in his pockets. Instantly, Lanie's heart dropped, she didn't want him to know what her home life was like and she certainly didn't want him to experience what she had to go through with her parents.
"Robby please it's unnecessary-"
"No, I'm driving you home. Period." Lanie sighed, knowing she was going to lose this argument, so she reluctantly got into Robby's car and buckled her seat belt as he drove away from the dojo.
Lanie was grateful for Robby taking her home, but all she could think about was how he was going to react when he figured out what her home life was like. A piece of her thought that Robby will leave her and stay away from her, but another piece said that he would never do that. Robby was about to meet Lanie's parents and she couldn't do anything to prevent it
And hell is about to break loose.
i really dragged out this chapter so I'm sorry if its long and not good jdhsjfhs.
VOTES AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED <3