A/N-Hey guys! So, this really came out of nowhere, but I had to write this since I was madly in love with this new song by Maroon 5 called "Wipe Your Eyes", which is an amazing and incredibly sweet song. I thought it was a perfect KICK song, so I created a dark-themed one-shot based on it. Yeah, I know all my songfics seem to be dark ones, and I'm sorry for that...I know this isn't the kind of story you want to be reading over the summer. But give it a try, please? I can tell you that it will hopefully inspire you if you ever happen to feel this way. This one-shot is full on KICK and I hope you guys like it! I thought this would make a nice present before I leave in a couple of days.
Enjoy the one-shot!
I'm afraid that I gotta do what I gotta do
But if I let you go, where you gonna go?
We gotta make a change, time to turn the page
Something isn't right, I don't wanna fight you
The relaxing, summer wind breezed across Jack Anderson's face, as he ambled through the San Jose Boardwalk, with the gentle sound of beach waves resonating in his ears, and the aroma of the moist, salty waters wafted into his nose. The sun began to sink into the horizon, with the shades of pink and orange circulating around the setting. It was such a picturesque moment so peaceful, so…perfect.
Yet, none of these things seemed to appeal to Jack.
Sure, he did enjoy the beach. But what's the point of spending time at the beach, when there was nobody for him to spend time with?
Rudy was gone. It was mid-way into July; even he needed a break from teaching martial arts. So, he went on a cruise to the Caribbean with Bobby, enjoying, partying and was having one hell of a summer.
Milton was off to camp. Of course, someone as nerdy and obsessive as him would reward his summer with even more educational activities. So off he went to Calculus Camp with his girlfriend Julie, having the time of his life solving equations, and punching numbers in calculators.
Jerry was in Mexico. With him having such a large extended family, he needed the entire two months to spend quality time with his Mexican group. With the daily calls Jack had received, it seemed that Jerry was enjoying his time in Mexico with his loving, supportive family…even with his baby cousin Pepito.
Eddie was on a summer job. Unfortunately, his parents were having financial issues, so he managed to get a part-time job in Falafel Phil's just to help out his family…regardless of what happened the last time he worked there with Milton and Rudy.
And Kim…
Now Jack didn't even want to talk about her.
Jack pondered the idea of spending time with his own family…since throughout the school year he barely had time for them with his schoolwork, and martial arts competitions.
But what family did he have?
All he had was his mom.
Who at this very moment, was probably in another argument with her manager.
So no Karate. No friends. No parents.
What an exciting summer.
Letting out a big sigh, Jack continued walking all alone down the boardwalk, trying to divert him with things that were surrounding him, so he wouldn't have to think about how lonely he was.
Look at that seagull swooping down into the sea trying to catch it's prey.
Look at those little crabs scattering around everywhere.
Look at how quiet this beach is.
And look at that girl being intimidated by that guy.
Wait…what?
Jack's eyes frantically darted towards the girl and the guy. Jack could see the girl looking terrified, and hurt as she glared at the boy that was shoving her down into the sand. The boy had blonde hair and a maniacal scowl plastered on his face, as his eyes pierced knives into the other girl. There were two other guys behind him, staring at the girl like she was some sort of fresh meat. He could hear screams coming from the girl, and malevolent chuckles echoing from the three guys. Jack inched closer into the scene, and soon enough, could clearly see who the girl was. His eyes widened in shock, and he dashed into the scene. The girl had brown eyes, pin-straight honey blonde hair that flew over her shoulders, and for the first time had tears running down her cheeks.
Kim.
We've been through tougher times, you know it gets worse
We can turn this around please let me be first
And as I feel your tears spilling on my shirt
Something isn't right I don't wanna fight you
"Leave…me…alone!"
Kim struggled to release from the boy's grasp, but the more she tried to struggle, the tighter his grip was. Her eyes were wide in fright, as he started pulling her closer towards him. She could catch the scent of alcohol lurking among his breath, which only made her want to puke. A couple of other boys behind him chuckled in encouragement, which only started to petrify Kim even more.
"You should probably do what I say," The blonde-haired boy said slyly. Kim attempted at flipping the guy over, when instead the guy pushed her down into the sand. Kim saw a couple of pairs of eyes stare at her seductively, which only caused her to back away even more.
"Say goodnight princess," Said the boy, approaching closer towards her. Kim thought to run away, when the other two guys pinned her arms to the sand, restricting her form making any sort of escape. Her heart nearly stopped in trepidation, as she stared at the boy with amplified eyes. She started screaming, struggling to release uncontrollably from the firm, rough clutch. But the more she thrashed, the more the blonde haired boy inched towards her.
What happened to her?
Why couldn't she fight?
What happened to the girl who wasn't afraid of anything?
"HEY! GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Right before her eyes, she saw an immense force of speed shove the boy into the sand. Kim's jaw dropped, as she saw the boy stand up with a fatal look on his face as he stared at the other boy with the brunet hair. The blonde charged in his direction, but the brunet's self-defense mode activated instantly, as he performed a rotate-kick aiming for his stomach. He backed away a bit, clutching his stomach in pain.
But that didn't seem to stop the spiky blonde.
The brunet faced Kim with frantic eyes, looking at her with concern in his eyes. The boy who refused to speak to her for weeks. The boy who despised her for making a certain decision.
And now he's saving her?
His eyes suddenly squinted shut as a rough fist collided with his jaw. Screaming his name, I struggled even harder to help him, but the boys that were pinning my arms and legs to the ground were stronger than I thought. It was like titanium bars were pinning me to the sand.
The brunet clutched his mouth in agony, with trails of blood oozing out of his mouth. With a deadly stare, he charged for the blonde, flew into the air, and kicked him into the water, which caused his entire body to get drenched in the salty beach water. The brunet rushed towards him, and grabbed him by the collar.
"Leave this place. And take your little bastards with you." He snarled. With a fearful look, the blonde haired boy climbed out of the water, sprinting in the opposite direction, with a slight limp on his right leg, as he clutched his stomach in soreness. He glared at the guys who were pinning Kim down. Suddenly, she felt the grip loosen on her arms and legs, and she saw them run away in terror. Wiping the blood away from his mouth, the brunet approached Kim, and helped her to stand again, but she could barely move. What surprised Kim was that it wasn't just anybody that chose to save her.
It was Jack.
And for the first time after weeks of not speaking to eachother, they got caught in each other's gaze.
Hey you, come over and let me embrace you
I know that I'm causing you pain too
But remember if you need to cry
I'm here to wipe your eyes
She's not supposed to cry.
It's not in her personality, it's not something she's comfortable doing. It's something she's always avoided, even with the events that's haunted her in the past. It's just not what she's known for.
But this time, Kimberly Crawford couldn't help herself.
Her breathing grew loud and irregular, and tears angrily strided down her cheeks. Without even saying anything, Jack took her in his arms, squeezing her into a tight embrace, which only caused the tears to fall down harsher. Here she was, sitting on the sand, with the cold summer wind breezing through their hair, with nobody else in sight of the beach. She could feel her tears smudge on his shirt, pondering how irrational this was. Since when was she such a minor? A weakling?
Kimberly Crawford was never the frail little girl that she looked like.
Until now.
"It's okay." Jack said soothingly, rubbing my back. "It's all over."
"Why did you come?" She croaked, wiping the tears from her eyes. He backed away and faced her with confused eyes.
"What do you mean?" He said.
"I could've handled it myself." She said. "You've been ignoring me all this time, and now you choose to swoop in like the hero you are and come save me?"
"Yeah, you really looked like you could handle it. Especially with those guys pinning you to the ground." Jack snapped.
"Maybe if you hadn't come, I would've handled it myself." She growled.
"I came for you because I care about you!" He screamed. "None of this would've happened if you had listened to me…but you just had to date him! I just couldn't deal with you anymore…you never listened to me about anything. I always end up stepping in, to help clean up your mess. And here you are, asking me why I came? Blood is oozing out of my mouth right now, and you're scolding me for saving you?"
Tears flowed endlessly down her cheeks. She hated to admit that Jack was right about him. She hated to admit that she couldn't handle that herself. She hated to admit that he didn't listen to him, and instead got herself in trouble.
But most of all Kim hated to admit that she was no longer the superior blonde everyone thought she was.
Kim faced Jack apologetically and stared at him, squinting her eyes, the tears mercilessly falling down her face, not even bothering to stop. It felt like at that second the whole world was crashing down on her. Jack's angry eyes softened as he saw Kim covering her face in her hands. She managed to let out something in a trembling voice that made Jack start to wonder if he was too harsh on her. That if she was scolding him for possibly a different reason.
"I don't know who I am anymore."
Tonight before you fall asleep
I run my thumb across your cheek
Cry 'cause I'm here to wipe your eyes
I know I made you feel this way
You gotta breathe, we'll be okay
Cry 'cause I'm here to wipe your eyes
Jack lifted Kim's chin up, and stared at her concern. Instead of yelling at her, or telling her what she did wrong, or even saying the words "I told you so", he didn't say anything.
It was the Silence that made Kim cry even more.
As he took as his thumb and wiped the tears across her cheek.
The fact that there was someone there to do that for her made Kim feel more secure. But as soon as he brought up the conversation again, so did the tears.
Why couldn't she stop this?
"Kim…you're a great person. Why would you waste your time on him?" Jack asked softly.
"I don't know!" She screamed. "I know dating Emmitt could've probably been the worst thing I've ever done."
Jack grunted at the sound of his name.
"But I used him as an excuse. Okay?" She said, her voice breaking. "I needed to get away from my dad somehow. He made me feel like a weakling. I thought dating Emmitt would make me feel more superior. But instead he hurt me…just like everyone else." She sobbed.
"Why would you want to get away from your dad?" Jack asked.
"Because…" Kim hesitated for a moment. She stared at Jack who was returning the stare with curious eyes. For years she hasn't shared this with anyone. Should she start now?
"Kim. You can trust me." Jack said, rubbing her arms comfortingly.
Yes. Yes she should.
When did we cross the line?
How could we forget?
Why do we let the pressure get into our heads?
Your broken heart requires all of my attention
'cause something isn't right, I don't wanna fight you
She took a deep, trembling sigh. "My dad's an alcoholic. He's also OD'd several times…ever since my mom died, he went completely insane. The more I stay with him, the more of a weakling I feel. He tries his best not to hurt me, because I know that deep down he loves me…but some nights…" She couldn't say anything. She shut her eyes tightly, and took another quivering breath, as the tears flew down once again. "He can't control himself. I try to stop it but…I can't. I just sometimes wish he wouldn't make it sometimes…so he'd learn his lesson."
Jack was closer to me than ever, his staring at me intently. "Don't say that…he's your dad."
"But that's what I can't take!" She screamed. "The fact that I can't stop him, or talk to him about not doing drugs and alcohol makes me feel like I'm useless. I've spent countless nights sleeping over at Grace's house just to get away from my dad. And then I realized, that I'm not helping myself or him in any way. I'm just running away from my problems. And then I met Emmitt. At first, he seemed like a nice guy and he even somehow helped me gain my confidence back…but then I realized that today—"
"—He was drunk too." Jack finished. She nodded, sniffing while rubbing her bloodshot eyes.
"And here you are coming to save me again!" Kim said, looking at him once more. "And I'm sorry for getting so mad, but it's just…you always made me feel like I was weak Jack. You saved me from Ricky. You saved me from Brody. And now you're saving me from Emmitt. I know you mean well, but you've caused me pain too!"
"Kim…you need to realize something." Jack said gripping her hands, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm always going to fight for you. Whether you like it or not—"
"And that's why I tried avoiding you all this time!" Kim screamed. She stood up. "I…I can't take it anymore! I just want to end all this crap!"
"Kim," Jack said sternly. "Look at me—"
"No, Jack." She said interrupting him again. "I'm just done."
Please don't lose your faith
Don't worry 'cause I'm here to keep you safe
I promise if you let me see your face
That I won't let you down
I won't let you down
I'm here to wipe your eyes
She started running away from Jack, embracing herself for warmth. The blonde felt a chill breeze rush through her, as the sun began to sink below the ocean, with the dark shades of blue dominating the sky. The weeping wouldn't stop, as Kim tried running out of the beach, away from Jack, away from the world.
Away from everything.
It felt as if the world were to be lifted on her shoulders, and she soon came to realize that if she wanted to get rid of the overwhelming pressure, she had to end it.
Once and for all.
When a pair of robust hands seize her arms, spinning her around.
Ashamed for the brunet to see her bloodshot, puffy face, Kim spun around staring at the sand. Jack lifted her chin once more, and stared at her with amplified, shocked eyes. He saw my teeth chattering because of the cold wind, due to the fact that I was wearing a tank top and shorts. He took off his sweater, and wrapped it around my cold, bare shoulders, and brought Kim closer to his face, so she would able to see the solemnity and concern in his eyes. He rubbed her eyes gently as the tears continued to stream down, their faces so close, so she could feel his fast-paced breathing panting on her.
"Kim, listen to me," Jack said sternly. "You're not going to kill yourself."
"I think it's better for everyone anyway. I've become a horrible person, I let that guy abuse me, I let my dad ruin his health, and I've turned my back on you and everybody else…I don't even know who I am anymore. I mean, look at me—it's been over twenty minutes and I can't stop crying!"
"But, killing yourself is not the answer! Don't lose faith in yourself like that! You're just giving up on yourself, and that is what shows weakness more than anything else!" Jack screamed. She faced him. He took a deep sigh, and continued.
"You're not a horrible person, Kim. We may have become enemies over the past couple of weeks, but I've known you for the past four years. You're the smartest, prettiest, and strongest person I know. I only look after you because I care about you, and I don't want anything happening to you, even when I know you can handle things. Not because I think you're weak."
"Really?" She sniffed
"Yes, really. I don't want to ever fight with you. And I'm sorry if I caused you any pain." He took her hand, and gazed into her dark hazel pools. "But you should know I never give up on my friends. If they're in the trouble, I'm in trouble with them. I never knew these things about you, and I know I may have seemed like the person who doesn't care. And I know there have been people like Emmitt who broke your heart. But I promise to never do that you. And I promise that I won't let you down."
All she did was stare at him, with a blank expression on her face. A sentimental feeling drenched her heart, and suddenly the dark thoughts that were boiling in her mind had slowly begun to fade as she stared at Jack's chocolate pools.
And for the first time, a smile crept upon her face.
"You need to know, that I'll be there to catch you if you fall. And sometimes…it's okay to fall. But it's not the falling part that determines how strong you are. It's your choice if you want to get back up or not. That's what proves your courage."
"But, what if I'm too broken down to get back up?" She whispered.
"I'll be there to help you up." Jack said confidently. "And I'll be there to wipe your eyes."
Tonight before you fall asleep
I run my thumb across your cheek (across your cheek)
Cry 'cause I'm here to wipe your eyes
I know I made you feel this way
You gotta breathe, we'll be okay (be okay)
Cry 'cause I'm here to wipe your eyes
It was his words that made her smile.
She took in every single word that he said not only into her mind, but in her heart. It was like she was suddenly sprayed with a fragrance of hope that was long-lasting and was never going to wear off. Sometimes words can cut you like knives, and haunt you for the rest of your life. But other times, they can be gifts to your heart. Kim finally pondered the thought that she was going to be okay after all. She wasn't a horrible person. Even though she made mistakes, Jack chose to forgive her anyway. She wasn't letting her father die, and she wasn't going to kill herself.
But most of all.
Kimberly Crawford was strong.
Just like she always was.
The two were standing underneath the moonlight in the dark, starry night, holding each other's hands, and locked in their own gazes, with nothing but the sound of waves crashing along the shore. Kim let out a last sniff, and let out a wide smile, and for the first time, let out a small laugh. That little laughter was enough for Jack to spread a wide grin across his face and join into the laughter as well.
Kim hadn't felt this happy in a long time.
"So," Jack said, with a smile. "Are you okay now?"
It was a question that hasn't been addressed to her in a long time. She took a deep sigh, and let out a small smile once again.
"Yeah. I'm okay now."
"But just remember," Jack said, inching his face closer towards me. "I'll always be there for you. It's what friends do. And if anything else happens along the way…we'll get through it together."
While his words obviously didn't magically erase the fact that his dad was forever to be an alcoholic, it was enough for Kim to cry once again.
Not tears of grief.
But happiness.
Jack rubbed her blotchy red eyes once more, wiping the water that remained on her cheeks. All this time, she was wasting her life with that heartless person, when she could've been spending it with someone who cared about her. Someone that she knew she could trust and will be always be by her side.
Someone that she knew was always going to be there for her to wipe her eyes.
With a smile, Kim threw her arms around Jack, embracing him tightly for a long time. With Jack squeezing her back, she pulled away and they got caught in each other's eyesight once more.
And without any fear, Kimberly Crawford did something that she's wanted to do for a long time.
She kissed him under the moonlight.
Kim pulled away and faced Jack, who had a slightly dazed look and smile on his face. Kim wanted to tell him so many things at the moment. How she was sorry for not realizing what he'd done for her all these years, but instead complaining. How his words touched her heart, and physically and mentally made her stronger.
How she loved him with all her heart.
But instead she pulled his ear near her lips and whispered two words she hasn't said to Jack Anderson the entire time for being there for her when she need her most. For helping her overcome her darkest times.
For wiping her eyes.
I'm here to wipe your eyes.
"Thank you."
A/N- So it's not my best work, but I hope you all like it. And I know at least some of you might have felt the way that Kim had felt-when you feel like you just want to end it all, and you're not strong enough...but just know that you are strong no matter what. And that it's your choice whether you want to get back up from the ground and stand tall. Hope that somewhat inspired you! But I have a strong doubt it might have changed your mindset on Kick a little...this was really angst-ridden after all. But I hope you still liked it! I know the KICK was kind of mushy and stuff, so I apologize if you found this cliche. I just had to get this out.
Mind dropping in a review for me?
Thanks!
Remember to cherish every moment. Because you'll never get it back.
Taylor :)