"You can't keep running away from your problems, you know?" I said seriously as Sam and I ate our burgers, while watching a comedy show on TV.
And maybe the show was affecting her thoughts, because Sam took my statement as a Joke. "And what if I did?" she replied with a jovial smile, "What if I chose to bunk school tomorrow as well?"
"Then I won't be calling your Dad." I said seriously by staring into her eyes and leaning forward, "I will be dragging your ass to school myself."
"Alex, you.." Sam went quiet all of a sudden, because she realised I was not joking anymore.
"I just feel like I am not ready yet." Sam replied after a moment, "I feel like everyone's staring at me when I enter the school. I wasn't even able to climb the staircase, because it was the same one which Miguel fell on."
"So you want me to rip off that staircase from the school?" I questioned with a scoff, "If not going to school is going to change everything back to normal, save Miguel, and bring Robby back. Then please, do consider the option." I said in sarcasm.
"Have I ever said how much I hate you, Alex?" Sam narrowed her eyes at me with a cheerful smile.
"In that case, I hate you more." I argued back with a nonchalant shrug, "Promise me you're going to school tomorrow."
"Okay, fine. I promise." Sam groaned and shook my hand, "You can be such an asshole when you want to be. Also, you'll have to drop me home as I haven't brought my car with me."
"That won't be a problem." I replied with a smile, "I have to go out to purchase groceries anyways, so I can drop you off at home."
"Thanks, Alex." Sam said by holding my hand, "Honestly, I always feel like I can rely on you whenever I am in any trouble."
"Then I hope you don't turn that into a habit." I replied with a chuckle, "You can call me daddy though." I suggested.
"Daddy." Sam mumbled as she thoughtfully stared at me.
My eyes went wide as I saw and heard Sam actually say it, "What?" I looked at her in disbelief.
"I said it by mistake, okay?" Sam blushed in embarrassment and looked away from me, "Fuck, what's wrong with me? Gross! You were the one who made me say it, Alex!"
"Hey, don't blame me! That's even worse." I yelled back.
And all of a sudden, we started laughing like idiots by falling into each other's arms. If that was not enough already, we started fighting with our food and caused a choas all over the living room.
~
"I had a lot of fun today." Sam said as she got off from my bike and smiled at me, "Thank you, Alex."
"Don't bother, just remember your promise, okay?" I reminded her, "Otherwise, I am literally going to drag you to school tomorrow."
"Like I would let that happen without putting on a fight." Sam said with a challenging smirk.
"We both know who will win." I grinned back at her.
"We'll see about that." Sam lightly tapped on my chest with her fist, "See you later."
"See you later." I replied and drove away from her place.
~
I wasn't surprised to see Tory standing in front of my door when I reached back home with a bag full of groceries.
"So, how was your school today?" I asked to grab her attention from the phone.
"I was just about to call you." Tory sighed in relief, "Where were you?"
"Shopping some stuff." I said by handing her the bag and freed my hands to unlock the door, "You did not answer me." I said as I opened the door and got in.
"Nothing much." Tory shrugged as followed after me and closed the door behind her, "There were some nuisance, but I took care of them."
"Took care of them?" I suspiciously narrowed my eyes at her.
"I mean." Tory chuckled in amusement, "I did not beat them or anything. Just told warned them to fuck off."
We took off our shoes and went inside the living room. I placed the bags in the kitchen and changed into some casual wear, "Do you want something to eat? I can make waffles and Hot chocolate."
"You're such a sweettooth." Tory stated and cheerfully nodded at me, "Please. I am starving."
"Alright. Wait for five minutes." I said joyously and entered back to the Kitchen.
When I came back, I saw Tory going through my Laptop and wondered, 'What's with girls and going through other people's privacy?'
Just like what I did earlier today, I sneaked on Tory behind the couch and saw her going through the pictures that were saved on my laptop.
I faked a cough to grab her attention, as I placed the waffles and mugs of coffee on the table. I sat next to her on the couch and looked at what she was watching.
"These are my pictures from when I go to late night biking." I said as I looked at a picture of a sunset, that was clicked from the top of woodland hills.
"You can be a photographer, you know?" Tory said with a smile as she softly tackled my shoulder, "Hell, you can even sell these pictures. There are lot of rich guys who would want to buy stuff like this."
"Unfortunately, they can't afford it." I replied with a smug smile, "Your coffee and waffles." I passed her the plate, "Tell me what happened at school."
"As I said, nothing much." Tory said and took a mouthful bite of the waffles, "Damn, these are so delicious! How do you get them so juicy inside without bursting them to pieces?"
"I guess you're not much of a good cook." I answered with a chuckle, "There's extra in the kitchen if you want some for your brother."
"Sure." Tory nodded with a soft smile, "As for school. Teachers were being a pain in the ass, especially that counsellor. There are guards and stuff as the school had announced. But yeah, one thing."
Tory leaned closer to me, "That Sam bitch did not show up to school today." Tory said and chuckled excitedly, "Do you think I beat her so much that she's still recovering at the hospital?"
"You should not laugh at somebody's expense." I scowled, "Not to mention, your boyfriend is also at the hospital."
"Way to ruin the mood, Alex." Tory glared at me, "For what you care, Miguel is not my boyfriend anymore after what he did to me. And that Sam, she's got what she deserved. I won't even be surprised if the both of them were hooking up at the hospital as we speak."
"For your information, Sam was discharged from the hospital after two days of the fight." I replied while eating my waffles, "I know, because I am from Miyagi-Do and have a friendly relationship with them."
"Then, would you have not left if it weren't for Kreese?" Tory asked with an raised eyebrow as she gave me a curious stare.
"No, I would've still left." I answered truthfully and shrugged, "What Cobra Kai teaches is confidence and aggression through thier martial arts techniques, but at Miyagi-Do, they teach the complete opposite of Cobra Kai Karate."
"Yeah, I can tell." Tory nodded at me with a meaningful smile, "Larusso taught Robby a lot of patience and non-aggression, don't you think?"
"Robby, well." I sighed, "He's a moron, okay? He thinks every adult around him is his enemy, whether it be his own father or Mr. Larusso. Both of them want only good for him, but that idiot keeps rebelling against them for no reason."
"Though." I continued, "This time he had a reason. Sam was his girlfriend, and just as Miguel cheated on you, Sam cheated on him as well."
"That explains all that rage against Miguel during their fight." Tory nodded in understanding.
"I think you both would get along." I suggested with a chuckle and immediately regretted saying it.
Tory wasted not a second pinching my ears and twisting it around, "What did you say?" Tory questioned me with a glare, "Are you saying I should get along with people that have been cheated by their girlfriends? What sort of a moron are you, Alex?"
"Okay, okay, my bad." I raised up my hands, "Now released my ear unless you want me to fight back."
"We both know who would kick ass." Tory challenged me with a smirk.
"Do we?" I snorted in amusement with a raised eyebrow, "You should know already, I won't hold back against my opponent even if it's a girl."
"Why, because you would get to touch her body?" Tory leaned forwards and whispered with a mischievous grin, "You want to touch me, huh?"
"Do you really doubt my skills to seduce a girl?" I questioned with a chuckle, "You know what happened at the Party that day, don't you?"
"Then too bad for you, because I am not a Slut like Moon." Tory replied by tilting her head with a sweet smile.
"Yeah, right." I rolled my eyes, "As if I ever plan on dating someone. I love myself, and that's my limit."
Tory stayed quiet and kept staring at me, which was kinda making me feel awkward.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." Tory shook her head and took a sip of her hot chocolate, "This is also good, no surprise."
"You sound more like you're mocking me, you know?" I scoffed in response.
"Because I am." Tory replied with a big smile and stood up, "I'll go pack the Waffles for Ethan. I know he'd love them, unlike someone I know who only loves himself."
"Hey, is this going to be routine now?" I asked with a light frown, because I actually found her annoying.
"Deal with it." Tory replied as she headed towards the kitchen.
After that, Tory left my apartment back to her Home, because she also had Karate sessions at Cobra Kai to attend later in the afternoon.
Even with her probation, Tory was allowed to work parttime to provide for her family, which she did by working at a Roller skating cafe at night. Sometimes she would call me to pick her up when it got too late, otherwise she would walk back home to save money.
Tory had a rough life and I could relate to her circumstances, which was one of the reasons I cared about her so much.