ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ "ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ" ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀs
"Daniel, wake up! Look off the starboard bow, paradise at last!" [Lucille Larusso says as she pulls the 1969 Chevelle Concours Wagon in front of her new home apartment complex, South Seas. Her son, Daniel Larusso, rubs sleep from his eyes and looks through the window of his mother's car. He's just as disappointed as he assumed, he never wanted to move to California] "Come on, this is it!" [Lucille says excitedly as she steps out of the car and stares down the clearly low-income complex. She knew within herself that this place was definitely not the way it'd been described when she bought in, but she was optimistic especially since she knew her son would not be]
"You're telling me." [Daniel says in a sarcastically as he opens the passenger door to begin unpacking the car]
"Look at the palm trees! Ya know what that means?" [Lucille points to the two tall palm trees sticking out of the middle of the complex]
"Yeah, watch out for falling coconuts." [Daniel remarked as he struggled to take his bike off of the roof of his mother's car. He pulls and pulls but the bicycle will not budge, he groans to himself in frustration but silences for his mother to speak again. Lucille shook her head at Daniel's sassy behavior]
"Wise guy-" [Daniel's mother remarked back to her son] "No more Newark winters!" [She continued excitedly]
"I like winters, Ma." [Daniel pulls hard enough and successfully takes his bike off the roof of the car. He carefully places the bike on the sidewalk he stood on, lightly kicks the stand out for the rusty blue cycle to not fall over]
"Did I tell you they had a pool here?" [Lucille leans over to her son]
"Yeah, about 100 times, Ma." [Daniel replies with his eyebrows pointed downwards in annoyance- all without looking back at his mom and focusing on getting his luggage out of the car]
"Well make it 101!" [Lucille says with even more excitement] "Open your eyes, my darling son. This is the Garden of Eden!" [She says as she pats her son's back and ignores his same negative expression. She then stepped away from the car and over to the gate entrance to South Seas] "We're in apartment 2-D, ok? One flight up. I'll start putting stuff away." [Lucille walks out the gate and up to her apartment, but is stopped by an old woman- and her dog -sitting on her porch on the way...]
[Scarlette Sevem, 16, noticed the crazy old lady- with her small terrier -speaking to someone she doesn't recognize. Scarlette squints from the higher story of the apartment complex, leaning over the railing- It was a middle-aged woman she saw, who had said something about being from New Jersey. Scarlette heads down the stairs swiftly where she sees one of her neighbors, Freddy. They didn't speak much, but she thought she might get some information on the new kid in Reseda from him]
"Hey, Freddy." [Scarlette waves casually as she took the final step down the stairs and made her way over to her neighbor] "I heard the new neighbor talking to the old lady about New Jersey. That's probably where she's moving from." [Scarlette says as she leaned her arm against the wall beside her. Freddy nods-but he had wondered how he should respond to Scarlette due to the persona she held. Scarlette Sevem was 'queen karate', she was part of a tough group. Therefore, Freddy's friends never necessarily liked her; but Freddy didn't know much about Scarlette himself, only rumors of fights she always won. Besides, his friends weren't around right now -so it couldn't hurt to have a small conversation with Scarlette]
"Yeah, I heard her talking about her son. He's 16 and he goes to our school." [Freddy replies in a friendly/neighborly manner. Scarlette steps away from the wall beside her then she steps around Freddy, circling him for a moment to stand in front of the gate entrance. Scarlette was very pretty- although she didn't try too hard for it, it didn't matter to her much to wear a lot of makeup like the other girls at her school did. Just a bit of eyeliner and eyeshadow was enough for this 1980s teen. She also wore acid-washed jeans and a sleeveless tee-shirt- she cut the sleeves off herself because of "how damn hot California gets". Scarlette also wore a black tied headband, because of "how it looks badass'']
"Rad." [She says as she pushes her curtain bangs to the side] "I wonder where he is-" [Scarlette Sevem makes a confused expression, squinting, as she looks around the complex for the new kid- she didn't have to look much further]
"HEE-YYAAA!!" [Daniel Larusso grunts as he kicks open the gate, pushing his bike along with his bags/luggage. His eyes widen and jaw drops when he sees that he has knocked Scarlette down. Freddy stood to the side, stiffly, holding back laughter. Daniel glances quickly over at Freddy before leaning his bike against the gate and rushing over to the girl he had just knocked down. Scarlette had voluminous dark reddish-brown hair just past her shoulders- long enough to reach her back. She had light brown eyes and tan olive skin, the same 'Italian glow' as Daniel. He thought she was stunningly pretty, and for lack of better word, he thought she was hot]
"What the fucking hell, man?!" [The girl exclaims angrily as she sits up and looks up at the "idiot" who just knocked her over with a mockery of a karate kick to the rickety gate of the apartment complex she's lived in her entire life. The "idiot", Daniel Larusso, was tan/olive skinned and tall- he had the darkest shade of brown hair and brown eyes. Scarlette surely was attracted to Daniel, so her face looked less upset and more serious as the boy began to speak. But just because she was attracted to him did not mean she was going to be so kind]
"Oh shit! I am so sorry, I didn't know you were there." [Daniel said with his eyes still widen with shookedness. He knelt down slightly to assist Scarlette back up] "Here, lemme help you up." [He said as he held his hand out for Scarlette to grab. Scarlette silently looks at the boy for a minute, with his hand still out to assist her. She glared and stood back up on her own] "That was so stupid! I really am sorry, are you alright?" [Daniel shakes his head at himself, putting his palm on his forehand and other hand on his hip, this wasn't exactly his ideal first interaction with somebody at his new apartment]
"It's fine- I'm fine." [She says in a serious tone, she then tilts her head more neighborly. She makes a very small smile, which, however, was enough to surprise Daniel. Just seeing the girl smile made him ease into a smile himself-] "You're the new kid, right?" [Scarlette asks, and the tall Daniel Larusso nods swiftly]
"Yeah, I'm Daniel Larusso. I'm from-"
"Newark." [Freddy interrupts] "We heard your mom talking about it."
"Yeah, that's right- Newark, New Jersey." [Daniel replies as he steps back to the gate to get his bike with his bags on the handles of it]
"We can tell by your voice, Larusso." [Scarlette says, leaning against the wall again with one hand in her hair. Daniel laughs at this comment and pulls his bike through the gate, parks it again, and walks back over to his new neighbors. Larusso had made his way specifically over to Scarlette, but attempted to be subtle about it] "I'm Scarlette Sevem. Apartment 3-D."
"I'm Freddy Fernandez. I live in apartment 1-A"
"That's cool, that's cool." [Daniel nods as he looks around his new home and new neighbors. Reseda wasn't at all what his mother had explained in the car on the way over- the pool was completely drained, the patio and floors were covered in dirt, and the paint was chipping. This was no paradise at all, but it was the valley]
"So, what brings you to the shitty state of California?" [Scarlette asks, crossing her arms, she still leans against the paint chipping wall that was also spotted with rust. Daniel laughs and puts his hand in his hair casually]
"My mom got a job here." [He replies with a small smile leftover from the laugh]
"Well, welcome to the valley, Larusso." [Freddy pats Daniel on the back hard]
"Pfft- this is hardly, 'the valley.'" [Scarlette says making the others laugh again]
"Daniel, you want any help with your luggage?" [Freddy asks]
"Sure, that'd be great- Thanks." [Daniel nods- things weren't going too badly on his first day of Californian life after all. The three teens got Daniel's luggage up the stairs, all was left but his bike. Then a loud voice comes out from apartment 1-A]
"Freddy, dinner! Get your ass in here!" [Yells Freddy's mother. Freddy groans with a red and embarrassed face. He scratches his head as he shamefully walks off to his apartment]
"Ugh, I'll see you guys around." [Freddy says, leaving Scarlette Sevem and Daniel Larusso alone to carry the bike]
"I can handle this myself, Scar." [Daniel says as he steps down the stairs beside Scarlette. The girl smiles largely at the fact Daniel had already given her a nickname, her face becomes slightly red and she bites her lip to hide her smile. She then jokingly glares at Daniel competitively]
"I can handle it too, karate kid." [She smirks, walking past Daniel to the bicycle. Daniel made a large smile, he really liked her already. The two then carried the bike up the stairs with ease, they then rest it beside apartment 2-D and exhale in relief. Daniel wipes dirt off his hands and onto his light blue sleeveless t-shirt]
"Looks like that's it." [Daniel says with a sigh of relief as he slides his back against the wall beside the entrance to his apartment. Scarlette followed, sitting next to Daniel]
"So, are you excited for your first day tomorrow?" [She asks]
"I don't know. Should I be?" [Daniel continues to looks over to Scarlette, she shrugs then looks at the sky ahead]
"Depends on perspective."
"Well," [Daniel chuckles at how vague Scarlette's response was, but it had also got him curious] "What's your perspective? Are you excited for school tomorrow?" [Daniel asks, still looking at Scarlette- who still had her eyes on the polluted California sky]
"What? No, of course not!" [She waves her hand in denial] "School sucks." [She replies and looks back at him, making Daniel laugh hard]
"But you have friends, right?"
"Yeah I guess I do-" [Scarlette replies- she wasn't very sure if what she had with her 'friends' was really friendship, most of them weren't emotionally invested in eachother or anything of that matter. Besides, she didn't think that her friends and Daniel would get along- she didn't know exactly why but she had a gut feeling about it] "But I don't think you'd like them."
"Why?" [Daniel chuckles as he asks this]
"You'll know." [She replies looking away again. Daniel laughs once more then finally turns his head to look at the sky as well. It was getting quite dark] "So Daniel, the whole school is gonna be at this party at the beach tonight. You should come. I think Freddy's gonna be there too and it might be good for you to make some friends before school starts." [She says as she looks back over to her new neighbor, who nods- swiftly -with a smile]
"Y-yeah, sure. That sounds like fun!" [He says in some excitement- his stutters make Scarlette chuckle] "Already being invited to a party by a girl is better than a good start." [He thought, still nodding to himself, then spoke aloud] "Am I gonna get to meet your friends?" [Daniel asks with a chuckle]
"Let's hope not."
"Now you've got me curious, Scarlette." [Daniel says shaking his finger and smirking as he stands up, Scarlette follows- standing up as well -and the two teens laugh together once more]
"Alright, then." [Scarlette nods as she takes a couple steps back, and towards her apartment] "I'll see you here in an hour, karate kid." [Scarlette waves goodbye as she enters her apartment]
"See ya." [Daniel says as he watches his new neighbor close the door to apartment 3-D. In apartment 3-D, Scarlett's leant against the door a moment before continuing into the rest of her home. She leaned to the window, glancing a Daniel when he cannot see her. She smiled to herself when she watched him, all before scoffing at her so recent behavior. It's not like she'd never liked or flirted with anyone before, but it just felt so strange and different to Scarlette Sevem. She accepts it as a silly crush, a fun flirt, and stubbornly walks away from the window and entirely of her living room area. Daniel also felt a change in his heart, like he'd never felt before] "She's something. I think she really is." [Daniel thought as he begins to walk inside of his apartment, looking back- with his hand on the doorway, making a small yet genuine smirk and a nod-one last time before entering his new home completely]
--an hour later--
[Scarlette exits her apartment to see Daniel standing right beside her door, he had been eagerly waiting for her for a few minutes now. The two teens leave for the beach, it was within walking distance away] "So, how was the un-packing?" [Scarlette asks, she now wore a red leather jacket over her black one-piece bathing suit and some simple plastic red sandals. Daniel wore a grey sleeveless shirt with red swimming trunks, sandals, and a red hoodie tied to his waist. It was a surprisingly windy and cool late-afternoon, at least for Los Angeles]
"Oh, my mom's so sweet, she did it all herself." [Daniel smiles] "She really wants me to make friends here."
"And are you?" [She crossed her arms as she walked down the California concrete sidewalk- Cars zoomed by the two teens, the sun beams down on Daniel]
"Yeah; You so far."
"Whoa, slow down there, Larusso!" [She says chuckling and looking over to Daniel, who laughs hard] "I never said I was your friend." [She half-joked]
"Alright then what are we, Scar?" [Daniel asks as he laughs again. The two teens looked at eachother, into their brown eyes, their walk pace had slowed with both hearts beating unlike they ever had before]
"I-I don't know yet, Daniel.." [Scarlette replies- She thought Daniel was attractive, fun, he could be boyfriend material for her- but she just could never trust anyone and especially she believes she could never trust someone like Daniel.. Someone she wasn't "supposed" to be with]
"So, what do you like to do around here?" [Daniel asks as he looks around the environment, his mom certainly was correct about the abundance of palm trees in the valley. The two teens were currently walking down a long and straight sidewalk, lined with telephone poles and of course- the dreaded, coconuted -palm trees]
"Well.." [Scarlette plays with her hair as she thinks of a response] "I like to listen to music."
"What kind of music?" [Daniel asks, interested, with his hands in the pockets of his swimming trunks]
"Rock." [She quickly replies- ever since Scarlette had discovered rock music she was head-over-heels for it. Her room featured many rock posters, as well as her wardrobe featured many band tees- of course she also had many cassettes for her Walkman which she brought practically everywhere]
"Me too! I like Journey and!-" [Daniel replies excitedly- rock was popular this time around, but Daniel didn't know many that didn't mainly listen to pop music. Scarlette was quite happy to see Daniel was energetic about her interests]
"And Van Halen, Motley Crue!-" [Scarlette continues the same amount of excitement]
"-The Clash!"
"They're so awesome-" [Scarlette says- in a calmer tone -as the two teens approach the beach. They laugh at each others excitement for their interest in music. Scarlette then looks over at Daniel competitively and begins to walk faster, eventually jogging towards their destination. Daniel smirks and follows Scarlette, catching up to her pace]
"Oh, I see what's going on!" [He says as he caught up to her and had soon enough passed her. Daniel stops once his sneakers reach the sand of the beach, beating Scarlette in the race]
"Damnit." [She stamps her foot jokingly as she jogs the rest of the way- only having to take a couple more jogging strides]
"I win." [Daniel says, putting his hands on his hips as he watches Scarlette slowly catch up- now walking since the race was over]
"You may have won this battle, but I will win the next, Laursso." [Scarlette says, pointing her finger jokingly. They laugh again- they had now come very close to the party as they could easily observe the teen beach goers. Scarlette had spotted plenty of familiar faces, but none she was personally excited to see. Scarlette was neutral with most people, even her best friend she was never too excited around]
"You're very competitive, that's for sure, Scar." [He continued his focus on the girl beside him
"Well, Daniel Larusso, you better get used to it." [She stepped closer, poking her finger at Daniel's chest]
"I like it." [Daniel smiled— Scarlette's head pops up quickly as she hears this, her face turns red and she bites her lip to hide her smile]
"You do?" [She asks, with a tilt of her head, unsure of Daniel's seriousness. Daniel looks back up at her and nods, biting his lip slightly]
"Well, yeah." [The flirty Daniel scratched his head] "Do you like me?" [He asks with a goofy smile, Scarlette laughed and blushed a light red]
"Hmm..I don't know yet..." [Scarlette repeats] "Why's he trying to move so damn fast? I don't really know him. He surely doesn't really know me either. Who the fuck does he think he is?" [She thought to herself as her and Daniel neared the teen beachgoers. She became somewhat angry at these thoughts, because somehow these logical ideals contradicted how she really felt. She couldn't deny that Daniel gave her butterflies, she couldn't deny that she liked him- but she could deny that she would let him into her world with ease]