A/N-Hi guys! This is Taylor, with a brand new multi-chapter Kickin' It story! Okay, so honestly, I don't know where I got this idea from. But with all the Cinderella Stories filling up the archive, I decided to make one my own…but don't worry, I'll try to make it as non-fairytale as possible…hence the title not being "Another Cinderella Story" or something like that. But check out those stories…my favorite is by LetTheMindRunWild. It's pretty good! Anyway, the story is AU, and this is my first AU fanfic, so hopefully you'll all like it! I'm pretty satisfied with the way this story turned out, so…yeah.
ENJOY MY NEW STORY!
Chapter One: A New Beginning
Kimberly Crawford didn't ask for this.
Of course, nobody would be concerned if she was upset about something. Heck, there was nobody even for her to be concerned; let's face it, she was alone in the world. Every night, she would crawl into her bed with an insecure, depressed lonely emotion that heavily drenches her heart. At times, she wishes to stay curled up in her bed, and never come out of her room, so she wouldn't have to deal with the torture she's endured for the past ten years.
Of course, she couldn't afford to do such thing.
After all, what could a 15-year-old girl like her do if she was displeased with something? Tell her parents? Make a scene? Fight for what she wanted?
She couldn't do anything.
Not when her parents were no longer with her. Not when all she had was a wicked, abusive stepfather along with two horrible girls she's forced to call "sisters". Not when for the first time, Kimberly Crawford was actually scared of her entire world.
Yes, yes, it's actually true.
In light of recent events¸ she has lost her formal confident, go-for-what-she-wants self.
By the format of this story, it's reasonable for you to think that this could end up being some sort of fairytale, a story children can read off of books. But for Kim Crawford this was no fairytale. In fact for her, it was the opposite.
A nightmare.
Yet, it was an adventure.
In other words, this is her story.
Of how a girl who deals with many unfortunate events tries to overcome her roadblock and gain her confidence back.
And how she learned about friendship, loyalty, and how to deal with the world.
Beep, beep.
"Kimberly Crawford, get your lazy butt off that bed NOW!"
Kim lethargically slammed her alarm clock shut and forced her eyelids to rise open, staring at the demented, wooden ceiling. She stared at the clock, the time being 6:45 in the morning, which was actually later than when she would normally get up. Well, could you blame the girl? Her horrible stepdad worked her to death the previous day. Realizing her stepfather had been screaming her name, she jumped out of bed, throwing her comforter on the wooden ground, and frantically rushed down the two flights of stairs, from the rusty attic, being her bedroom, to the ground floor, with crystal white walls covered in decorations, expensive furniture, and a cold marble tiled floor. She came face-to-face with her stepfather whose hair was a mess, and wore a silky bathrobe on along with an irritable frown on his face, tapping his foot impatiently. Kim gulped down hard in anxiety.
"I called you so many times, and it took you this long to come down!" He screamed. "You know we have a huge tournament tomorrow, and I need to make preparations! In fact, I'm due with the other Senseis for a meeting to discuss the scheduling in twenty minutes!"
"I'm sorry Uncle Ty, it won't happen again." Kim said softly. He walked up towards her with a menacing glare.
"It better not." Ty said. "Be lucky I'm allowing you to stay in my home. Even though nobody knows—that would ruin my reputation as best sensei in California."
All Kim did was stare at him, not wanting to say anything that would potentially cause Ty to hurt her in any way…again.
"Now go make me and the girls some coffee…and go change! I don't want you wearing that to school!" He stared in disgust at Kim's white tank top with cotton capris.
"These are my pajamas." Kim countered. Ty looked at her.
"Is that attitude you're showing me?" Ty asked. Kim inhaled deeply.
"No I—"
"Just get it done! Pronto!" Ty screamed. Kim rushed towards the kitchen counter, trying to make the coffee rapidly while the sleep deprivation remained in her eyes, making her want to shut them, and sleep on top of the coffee maker machine. It was bad enough Ty had made worked her to death yesterday, and now she's forced to get up in the morning and make him some damn coffee? Couldn't he do it himself?
Of course, Kim would never tell him that.
She knew very, very well of what Ty was capable of.
"KIM!"
Kim ran out of the kitchen coming face-to-face with Kelsey and Claire White, two of the three most popular girls in school, along with the head of the trio, Donna Tobin. Kim exhaled deeply with frustration and stared at the two girls. While she was afraid of her stepdad, she was willing to beat the hell out of these girls any day.
Just when Ty's not there.
"What do you want?" She retorted irritably.
"Where's our coffee, maid?" Kelsey demanded.
"I'm getting to it…I just woke up, you know after you killed me yesterday rearranging your stupid gigantic closets."
"Oh, you poor thing…well get to it quickly! I don't want to be late for school!" Claire said, with that annoying high, perky voice of hers.
"Huh…didn't think you two of all people would actually be excited to go to school." Kim snapped, returning to her coffee making. Kelsey and Claire followed her into the kitchen, which just made Kim even more frustrated.
"Um, hello? The Halloween Bash is tomorrow, and we need to find costumes and more importantly, dates in school! We haven't had any offers yet, which is tres mauvais. I'm sure we'll get our offers today." Claire said, with a smile. Kelsey spontaneously squealed in delight, as she stared at her phone.
"Why would you need a costume? Just go being yourself—that's scary enough." Kim countered with a smirk on her face. Claire shot her a glare.
"Oh em gi, Donna just texted me saying there was a new kid coming into school today! And it's a guy!" Kelsey said, staring at her phone excitedly. A thrilled grin grew on Claire's face.
"Really? Perfect…dibs on the new guy!" Claire said, with a flip of her red hair. Kim rolled her eyes, stuffing the coffee cups in their hands.
"Please, like the new kid would ever want to go out with you freaks." Kim mumbled. Claire and Kelsey glared her.
"Listen, you better watch your mouth, Kimmy. Daddy's already stressed and angry as it is…wouldn't want to anger him more now would we?" Claire said, stepping closer to her. Kim narrowed her eyes at them.
"Besides," Kelsey said. "If you think the new kid wouldn't go out with us, what makes you think he's going to want to go out with…you?" They both laughed loudly. All Kim did was glare at them, shaking her head in disbelief.
"You won't even be allowed to go to the dance tomorrow!" Claire laughed. Irritably, Kim shoved the coffee, into the two girls' hands.
"Here." She muttered. "Just drink your stupid coffee and—"
"KIM! WHERE'S MY COFFEE?" Kim heard her stepfather scream.
"Coming Uncle Ty!" Kim screamed frantically, and rushed over to hand him the coffee. From behind she could hear her so-called sisters laughing at her in amusement. Kim handed Uncle Ty the coffee, and rushed upstairs to get ready for school, with only fifteen minutes to shower, change, and rush over to her only friend, Grace's house so they could walk to school together.
Just three more years Kim…then you can finally move out of here.
Jack Anderson was nervous.
Sure, he's traveled multiple times throughout his life, always moving because of his mother's work. Always referred to as the "new kid" and never "Jack". Always the outsider. Of course, over the years, he had somewhat gotten used to entering new schools, meeting new faces. It seemed like a routine for him, therefore never had the chance to grow true friendships.
This time, however it was different.
As of right now, his mother's company decided to stay in San Jose. Which meant they were no longer moving…
Which also meant he had a reputation to build.
What if they didn't like him? What if the kids at school think he's a loser? As this was Jack's "real" first day of school, he didn't want any screw-ups. He wanted this this day to go mellow and peaceful. If that was even possible.
Being a 15-year-old, Jack wasn't ready to drive yet, so of course his first day of Seaford High begins with the cliché mom-dropping-off son initiation, with both of them in the car, staring at eachother in apprehension as well as excitement. Not the best way, but what could he do about it?
"So you have everything?" His mom asked with concern. Jack turned to his mother, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Yes, mom would you calm down? I'll be fine…hopefully." Jack said with a smile. She grinned back.
"I know you will…just remember, if you need me to pick you up after school, I'd be more than happy to leave—"
"You don't need to leave work. They need you…and it's cool I have my skateboard." Jack said. She rolled her eyes playfully.
"Just don't get into any trouble, okay?" Her mom said. Jack nodded, keeping in mind as to what she was really talking about.
"I won't get into any sort of trouble at all, Mom, okay? I promise." He smiled. She let go of the wheels and squeezed him into a tight embrace. Shaking his head in disbelief, with a slight chuckle, Jack squeezed her back.
"Bye mom." Jack said. He let go, and got out of his mom's BMW and with a deep sigh, stared at the large school building with kids swarming in all sorts of directions. With a smile, he started walking into the doors of Seaford High for the first time, with excitement and anxiety churning together in his stomach.
And as far as Jack was concerned, those two emotions don't mix well together.
::
135…136…ah here it is, Locker 137!
Finally locating his locker, Jack merrily twisted in the combination, and stared into his empty battered up, slightly clean locker. He started filling his books into it as fast as he could, before the first bell rang so he wouldn't be late for class. While it's only been five minutes since he's been in this school, a positive feeling enveloped his mind, as he thought of how nice the teachers and principal were to him. He hasn't quite interacted with any of the students' yet¸ but if they were anything like the accommodating teachers, he'd be just as comfortable to hang out with him. And while it was only October, he still had a good opportunity to develop friendships with others before the end of the year. Maybe this school wasn't so bad after all…
"Whoa! Have I seen you before?"
Jack peered his head out of his locker, and saw a somewhat tall boy with jet-black hair slicked back, and a goofy, immature grin on his face. Judging by the "Like a Boss" T-Shirt this kid was wearing, Jack assumed this guy was somewhat of a troublemaker. The boy twisted in the combination to the locker next to him, and he gave Jack a warm smile.
"Um, no actually. Hi, I'm Jack." Jack politely held out a hand. Rather than shaking his hand, the boy slapped it.
"Yo, you're the new kid, yeah I've heard of you! Well, my name is Jerry Martinez. 20 percent smart. 35 percent funny. 25 percent devious. And 75 percent all swaggitude."
"Uh…that's 155 percent." Jack said quizzically, laughing a bit.
"Damn right it is! Whoo!" Jerry said high-fiving Jack. He laughed.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Jerry. Looks like we're locker buddies."
"Cool man, and if you need any help or anything with finding your classes, you let me know." Jerry said, patting his back, and shoving his backpack into his locker and getting out his books. Jack smiled.
"Definitely. Thanks Jerry."
"Oh, and during lunch, want to sit with us? I'm sure Eddie and Milton would love to meet you. They take karate with me at the Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy. Ever heard of that place?"
"No, I haven't. We just moved in yesterday so—"
"Not to worry bro, got you covered. I'll introduce you to Eddie and Milton, and after school, I'll show where we practice karate."
"Sounds like—"
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Martinez." Jack and Jerry spun their hands around, coming face-to-face with a curly haired boy who wore a menacing grin, and a jacket that had a badge saying "The Black Dragon Martial Arts Academy." Jerry tried to mask on an assertive look to the curly haired kid, but Jack could see the fear in his eyes.
"What do you want, Frank?" Jerry demanded.
"Just wanted to see how you're doing with the new kid. Aw, were you going to invite him over so he can see your crappy dance and karate moves? Ha, well good luck with that. You wouldn't know karate if it hit you in the face." The curly haired kid retorted. Jerry glared at them, with hurt clearly portrayed in his eyes. Jack's fists clenched¸ but since this was the first day of school, he controlled his temper.
"Hey guys…just back off, okay? Leave him alone." Jack demanded.
"Aw, the new kid's standing up for his new best buddy." Frank teased. "How adorable."
"Hey…I think maybe we should teach these two a lesson." A guy next to him hissed.
"Not a bad idea…how about I teach you and your new friend what real karate is?" And with a malicious glare, Frank shot his fist in the air aiming for Jerry's face.
When a fist caught it.
But not just any fist.
Jack Anderson's fist.
"You probably shouldn't have done that." Jack said, and with a glare, and a twist of his arm, he flipped Frank to the ground. Pandemonium ensued, and the rest of the Black Dragon people charged in Jack's direction, and using his limited martial arts knowledge, Jack was in full self-defense mode, as he spun in the air, and kicked the guys in the stomach, throwing them against the lockers, and knocking them out cold. Even as Frank managed to stand up once more, Jack beat him to the ground again. Before he knew it, four boys in Black Dragon sweaters lay on top of eachother on the ground, moaning in pain. It seemed like the entire school had crowded around in a circle and watched the fight, staring at Jack in complete shock. Jack looked up and saw hundreds of eyes fixed on him, including Jerry's, with their jaws dropped and their eyes wide. Suddenly, he could feel his face heating up, and butterflies angrily striding through his stomach. Sweat beaded down his temples and the more deep breaths he took the more nauseous he felt.
What had he just done?
He promised his mother he wouldn't get to any kind of trouble.
This is the kind of trouble she meant.
Unsure of what to do, Jack hastily grabbed his skateboard out of his locker, set it on the ground, and he rode off to the exit, to get away from the school for a minute to take a breather. He could hear the indistinct murmuring, positive that it was totally about him…
When a sudden bright light interrupted his train of thought.
When Jack ran into someone.
His body crashed with other person's and he fell to the ground, his body colliding with the cold, marble floor. The skateboard had fled away by itself, and while Jack was meaning to catch it before more trouble would arise, he could barely get up himself for a minute. Wincing in pain, Jack could faintly see rough scrapes and red marks over his arms and legs serving as a punishment.
"God, really?" He heard an annoyed, higher-pitched voice. Jack hastily attempted to stand up, and regain his vision to help the person he had bumped into.
"Oh god—I'm so sorry, I—" At the moment, Jack's 20/20 vision had returned and he was able to catch sight of who he had bumped into. As the person was in extreme pain, Jack really wished it was one of those Black Dragons he had hurt unintentionally…
But instead it was a girl.
A pretty girl.
The girl made eye contact with Jack for the first time, with her blonde hair covering her face in a mess, and her doe-like brown eyes peeking out of her bangs. She had on a frustrated scowl, as she saw her books lying across the hallway. While the pain was still stinging, Jack hastily got up, and offered a hand. Rather than taking his hand, she ignored it, and attempted to stand up herself.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"
"Don't you know the school rules?" She snapped. "Or are you just that stupid to know you don't skateboard in hallways?"
While Jack understood she didn't particularly like him at the moment, he could really do without the snippy attitude.
"I'm really sorry, um…" Jack looked around, and quickly gathered her books that were scattered all over the place, before she could really do anything…in fact, she couldn't. The girl could barely stand. "Here." Jack handed her the books. She snatched it from his hands, and gave him an irritable frown.
"Thanks." She muttered under her breath. She seemed a bit weak, clutching her head in pain. She attempted at walking over to her next class, and ignoring the stares, while she stumbled and almost fell.
When Jack caught her by the arms.
And they attempted to lock eyes.
"Do you need me to take you to the nurse or something?" Jack asked, not letting go of her. Instead, she hastily released from his grasp.
"I think you've done enough damage, don't you think?" And with a frown, she trudged off. Jack stared at the jaw-dropped students, and saw a skinny-looking boy, along with a dark-skinned boy emerging from the crowd, and facing him.
"Dude," The skinny, sweater-vest boy said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "That…was…AWESOME!"
"Yeah, man you just took out FOUR Black Dragons all by yourself and saved my friend!" The dark-skinned boy yelled a bit too loudly, pulling Jerry from the audience. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the entire group of kids burst into applause and smiles. Jack stared quizzically at the two boys, his eyes wide, and his breaths still short and sharp.
"What was that?" Jack asked.
"Thank me later." The dark-skinned boy hissed. "I just saved you from total humiliation, and possible reputation loss."
"Thank you." He said, sighing in relief. "I'm Jack by the way. You must be—"
"Eddie, that's the name." Eddie smiled.
"And I'm Milton." The skinny, nerdy kid said. "Now, we should probably get you out of here before Principal—"
"JACK ANDERSON!"
The applause and excited chatter immediately died down and the hallway cleared to come face-to-face with a stern looking Principal Squires. Just minutes ago, he had a welcoming smile on his face…now it's you're-so-dead face.
"My office—now."
It was a proven fact.
Jack Anderson couldn't go one day without getting in trouble.
Maybe he was what his previous schools had said he was.
A troubled kid.
::
"What were you thinking?"
Jack fiddled with his fingers, staring down at it, so he wouldn't have to stare at the principals' disappointed face. The fact that it had only been half an hour of his first day of Seaford High and he was already sitting in the principal's office wasn't a good sign. Fed up, he decided to look into the principal's eyes, so he could explain and clear himself up.
"Look, Principal Squires, I didn't want to cause a fight, I promise you." Jack blurted. "Frank was about to punch Jerry in the face, so all I did was catch the fist, and then just…you know, flip him over. So then, his friends charged for me and tried to attack me…so I just went into self-defense mode that's all. I swear."
"Alright, its okay Jack, calm down." Mr. Squires laughed a bit. "I understand you were trying to stand up for your friend, and yourself. But physical violence is not tolerated in this school."
"But what about Frank and them? They're the ones who started it!"
"Don't worry—I'll speak with them after they return from the nurse's room."
Jack groaned in guilt and slumped in his chair.
"So…are you going to expel me?"
"I'm leaving you off with a warning, Anderson. Let's leave it at that." Mr. Squires said.
"Really?" Jack sighed in relief. "Oh…thank you so much, I promise I won't—"
"And." Mr. Squires stood up from his chair. "One week of detention."
While Jack was slightly annoyed he was getting an entire week of detention, he solemnly nodded, and walked out of the office.
"Oh, and Jack?"
Jack turned around to face the Principal.
He smiled, and laughed a bit. "Welcome to Seaford High."
With a chuckle, he walked out of the office, only coming to see Milton, Jerry and Eddie bounce at his faces.
"What did he say?" Jerry asked. "This is totally my fault…"
"Did he suspend you?" Milton asked.
"Oh the horror!" Eddie squealed.
"Calm down!" Jack hissed at his three new friends. "It's okay, don't worry about it…I just got 'sentenced' into a week of detention."
"LUCKY!" Jerry screamed. "I miss seeing my peeps! Mind if we trade places? Eh…whatever…I feel a prank coming on anyway." Jack rolled his eyes.
"That's…horrible." Milton shuddered, glaring at Jerry. "I can't imagine getting into detention. Of course, I would never even dream of tarnishing my perfect record."
"It's okay Jack…" Eddie patted Jack on the back. Jack smiled at Eddie. "Principal Squires is easy going. He won't hate you or anything, so you still have a good reputation in school…in fact—"
"Hey, new kid!"
Jack spun around coming face-to-face with a…pretty looking girl actually. Her red hair was in long, glossy curls that fell over her shoulders, and she had a flirty smile plastered on her face with her shimmering blue eyes staring right into Jack's. There was another girl with sandy brown hair standing next to her, wearing an equally seductive grin. While Jack found this a bit creepy, being the nice guy he was, he gave the girl a smile and held out a hand.
"Hi, I'm Jack." He smiled. "What's your name?"
"Claire." She giggled, shaking his hand. "I know your name already. Um, listen, I just wanted to tell you that you were amazing taking down those Black Dragons. The Black Dragon is the best dojo in town…I go there actually since my dad owns the dojo and all. But you…you're incredible! You must have some great background in martial arts."
Jack blushed slightly. "Well, I—"
"I'm Kelsey!" The sandy-brown hair girl yelped. With a weirded out grin, Jack shook her hand as well.
"Nice to meet you too." Jack smiled. Claire glared at her, which caused Kelsey to back away a bit.
"You were, like, a hero!" Kelsey giggled. "Everyone in school, like, already loves you…dude, you're like majorly popular!"
Jack gave them both a quizzical look. "I am?"
"Totes!" Claire squealed. "Anyway, so tomorrow, there's this Halloween Bash that everyone's going to…everyone's going to be dressed in costumes, and it's going to be totally rad! Anyway, so I was wondering if—"
"Ahem."
Who is it now?
They all came face-to-face with yet, another girl whose hair was in sandy-brown curls as she wore on a seductive grin adjusting her miniskirt and blouse, and securing her purse on her arm. Scowling at Kelsey and Claire, she sauntered towards Jack, followed by the clanks of her high heels, with a wide grin spread across her face.
"Yo what it do, girl?" Jerry attempted, putting on a smolder. Donna rolled her eyes, and fixed them on Jack.
"You must be Jack right?" The girl said smoothly. "I'm Donna…see, you've already made a new friend!"
Jack chuckled. "Hi. It's nice to meet you." He said, once again. "I've uh…met your two friends…nice girls."
"Oh, they're not my friends." Donna said a little too quickly. Kelsey and Claire seemed taken aback at Donna's response. She gave them a menacing glare, and Kelsey and Claire fearfully scurried off, managing to flash flirty grins and waves towards Jack. While he loved all the attention, he didn't particularly like these girls.
"Just ignore them." Donna said. "They're freaks. But just remember…if you need help with anything, just let me know."
"Thanks. So what's this about a dance that everyone's talking about?"
"Oh, its Seaford High's first ever Halloween Bash. I thought of the idea, being head of the school activities committee¸ because I thought it would be cool to come dressed in cool costumes and be incognito, you know?"
Jack chuckled nervously. Donna laughed and handed him a post-it note with a phone number on it.
"What's this?" Jack asked.
"Call me sometime." And with a smile, Donna clanked away with her heels. Jack's jaw dropped as he stared at Milton, Jerry and Eddie, utterly baffled.
"Whoa—the new kid has got game, whoo!" Jerry hooted high-fiving Jack. He chuckled, but shook his head.
"I'm not really interested." Jack muttered.
"Are you kidding me?" Eddie argued. "Donna Tobin is the most popular girl in school! You'd be a fool to not go out with her!"
"I'm sorry, but she's just not my type." Jack argued. And it was true. Donna Tobin seemed like the kind of girl who would cry if her nails broke. The kind of girl who would beg for the latest Prada bag.
Jack didn't like nor want those kind of girls.
"Oh, and who is your type?" Milton questioned. "The girl you ran over with your skateboard?"
Jack recalled the scene where he had bumped into the blonde hastily and painfully, barely catching a glimpse of her face, but still pondering her as an extremely pretty girl. He did feel awful for running over her like that—but he wasn't too pleased with the girls' grouchy attitude.
"Who was that anyway?" Jack asked curiously.
"Her name's Kim. She's not the kind of girl you wouldn't want to mess around with." Jerry said.
"But, she's pretty nice once you get to know her…I guess." Milton said. "I talk to her sometimes, but we're not really friends."
"She's pretty athletic, she's a cheerleader, but she's really…quiet." Eddie said. "She doesn't get out much. She gets invited to a lot of parties but never shows up to any of them. And she's always hanging with Grace."
"Well, look who's been feeling stalker-ish lately." Jerry teased.
"She looks…nice." Jack said, deep in thought.
"Oh, really?" Jerry raised an eyebrow at Jack's direction. He chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"I meant she seemed nice." Jack added quickly.
"Uh, she called you stupid, and then gave you her famous death-glares…and you call that nice? Huh…I'd love to know your definition of not-nice." Eddie teased.
"Well I mean, she—"
"Hey guys! There's something called classes that we need to attend!" Milton squealed with anxiety. "Let's go!" And he took off to his classroom. Rolling their eyes, Jerry and Eddie followed behind them, leaving Jack all alone in the hallway. Jack pulled his schedule out of his folder, and stared at the first class he was supposed to have attended a half hour ago. Just thinking about the fact that he had already gotten in trouble on his first day of Seaford High made his stomach lurch in pure guilt.
I won't get into any sort of trouble at all, Mom, okay? I promise.
Jack was the kind of guy who keeps his promises.
Not breaks them.
With an anxious sigh, he trudged off to his first class which was Algebra. While people gave him amazed stares, calling him a 'hero', and while he was gaining popularity in an instant, none of it seemed to matter for Jack…
Because he still felt like a criminal for hurting someone, when he swore to himself he'd never do again…
And break a promise.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Kim stopped at her tracks and faced Grace, panting repeatedly. Grace, being her only friend who could possibly understand what she was going through, had a concerned look on her face, looking this way and that to see if this coast was clear. Kim gave Grace a reassuring smile, and patted her shoulder comfortingly. While she was oh-so appreciative of Grace always having her back, and helping her get through everything, she can be a bit over-protective at times.
But Kim still loved Grace anyway.
"Yes I'm sure." Kim said, smiling. "It's the only chance I get. All I need is just some time to get away from all the drama today in school." Kim recalled the whole bumping-into-the-new-kid scene, clutching her head again. Thanks to him, for the next two periods she did nothing but stumble across the hallway and trip and fall, as she was feeling extremely lightheaded. Okay, she will admit the new kid was pretty cute, but there was no way they would ever interact again. In fact, she hasn't seen him ever since he bumped into her. It was just unfortunate that they briefly locked eyes, and said a few words. Kim made up her mind she was never to think about that boy ever again.
Donna, Kelsey or Claire would probably beat her to asking him out anyway.
With Kim's awful head collision, tripping and falling, as well as her sleep deprivation from being worked to death by Ty, Grace dragged her to the nurse, and she was forced to take a pain killer and be sent home to rest.
Yet, rather than taking some rest, she decided to the opposite.
"It's just…you hit your head on the floor, you almost fainted in AP English, and you were sent home early to get some rest…not to practice. Plus, if your stepdad finds out, he'll kill you."
Kim stared longingly at her stepfather's dojo, just waiting to get inside, secretly change into her gym clothes, and learn her own karate skills. Honestly, she never asked her stepfather if she was allowed to join his martial arts lessons. But she already knows the answer, so what's the point?
"Please Grace. This is probably my only chance in getting extra time to practice. I'll be fine; you can go back to school. Please?" Kim smiled her willingly, and with a scoff, she rolled her eyes, and sighed reluctantly.
"Alright fine!" Grace said.
"Thank you! I'll see you later!" She hugged her, and with a squeal, ran inside the Black Dragon Martial Arts Academy, and changed into her gym clothes she had secretly stashed in one of the back lockers in the girls room. So far, her stepdad hadn't ever discovered that she was secretly practicing one of her most auspicious hobbies in his dojo. Hopefully that continues.
Once she finished changing into her gym clothes, she made her way towards the mats, and started off with her daily routine warm-ups. She practiced by kicking and punching the dummies as hard as she could just to get her mind off of things. While her head was still throbbing in pain, it didn't seem to matter once she was on her own practicing the one thing she loves. Karate allowed her to disconnect with the world. It allowed her to release her emotions out, and forget about everything…and just be herself. Her worst day ever could suddenly turn into the best day of her life.
But of course, this passion stays only to herself.
Because if anyone ever found out—
"Kimberly Crawford, what do you think you're doing?"
Spoke too soon.
Crap.
Kim frantically turned her head to see a shocked, angered Ty White, as he saw Kim with sweat beading down her temples, and her fists still clenched from the punching. Kim opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but no words came out.
"I…I…"
"Did you ask my permission to be in here? What are you doing out of school? Have you been ditching?" Ty bellowed loudly.
"No, see, I—"
"You have been ditching!" Ty stomped towards Kim, and tugged on her hair that was tied into a ponytail. Kim screamed at the top of her voice, but he didn't seem to take any notice, and he used it to shove her away from the mats, causing her to fall to the ground at the entrance of the dojo.
"I haven't!" She screamed. "I was sent home early because I wasn't feeling well!"
"Don't lie to me!" Ty screamed. Kim breathed heavily, staring at Ty with wide eyes. "What are you doing here? My boys have an important tournament to train for this Saturday!"
"I was just tidying up the dojo!" Kim screamed quickly. "That's all! That's why I was here"
Ty looked around skeptically, and stared back at her. "Well, it does look a little clean…"
Kim stared at Ty willingly.
"But that is NO excuse for ditching school, coming here without permission, and lying to me! You are grounded for a week for ditching school, do you hear me? That means you aren't allowed to go anywhere but the school for an entire week—and your cellphone will be confiscated as well! You are to go straight home and into your room! I'll have a list of things for you to do after practice!"
Kim stood up and faced Ty. "Listen to me, I didn't—"
"GET OUT!" And he shoved her hardly out of the dojo, which caused her to burst out of the doors, and almost topple to the ground….
When Kim hit her body against someone.
She collapsed on the ground, and noticed another kid had also toppled to the ground as well. Kim looked up, and saw three figures standing above her, in shocked eyes.
"Whoa. Where'd you come from, mamasita?" She heard a deep, obnoxious voice. Her vision began to regulate, and once it did, she saw three familiar boys from school staring at her. The skinny nerd was Milton…the dark-skinned was Eddie…and the annoying Latino was obviously Jerry.
Oh yeah…she knew these three boys well enough to know they're complete fools.
Kim locked eyes with who she'd just bumped into, and noticed it was a very familiar brunette who had caught her gaze earlier today. It was hard to see him clear, as her bangs were covering her eyes scrappily. Still not knowing his name, he immediately stood up and offered a hand.
And again, Kim refused to take it.
She attempted to stand up on her own, with wobbly legs, and stared at the boys. They all had confused looks on her faces. The new kid, stood in front of her, and managed a smile.
"Well, we just can't stop bumping into eachother can't we?" The new kid said with a smile. Kim gave him a scowl and stood up.
"No because apparently, you just love seeing me get hurt. Just like everybody else." Kim snapped, and attempted to leave, when she felt a hand collapse on her wrist. She refused to turn around, but she heard him say it loud and clear.
"I'm sorry for bumping into you earlier. I didn't mean to." The boy said. "But…you bumped in to me this time…so… did someone push you or something? Are you okay?"
"Any other points you'd like to make?" Kim barked her voice cracking.
"I didn't mean it like—"
And she released from his grip, and ran off with tears in her eyes.
Kim was gone….
Not ready to face the world anymore.
A/N- Yeah, see I told you it was AU. Before you get all mad, I made Kim lose her well-known confident personality for a reason. Keep in mind she IS still her confident self but for the first time is actually scared of Ty, which is why she's lost that mindset to always stand up for herself and things. But anyway, hope you liked the first chapter! Yeah, it IS kind of Cinderella, but…I'm still trying my best to get rid of the clichés. And I'll try my best to include J, E, and M more.
So, if you don't mind, click on that review button right below and give me some feedback. I love hearing your thoughts and predictions! Review, subscribe, favorite! Do what you need to do(:
Haha, hope you all liked the chapter! I'll see you soon with my next update!
~Taylor :)