The Way of the Fist 🐉Tory Nichols🐉

27. EXPLANATION

JACK

KITADA SUSHI 

I sat at the table eating Dragon rolls before my phone blew up with tons of notifications. I raised a brow. I grabbed my phone to see an Instagram notification. It was from Hawk and it was a video of me fighting the recruit. The caption read, "THE RETURN OF THE BEAST; JACK "THE DRAGON" HOLLAND!" I shook my head scoffing. "Jack?" A girl asked. I looked up to see Tory. "Tory." I stated. "How'd you know I worked here?" She asked me. "I didn't. I thought you worked at the roller rink." I answered. "No, that's at night. I gotta work two jobs now. Mom's not doing well." She explained. "I'm sorry." I told her. "No, I'm sorry." She said sitting down across from me. "I know that I should've come to see you." She started before I looked away. "I just didn't know how to help." She stated. "So you did nothing." I voiced looking up at her. "I felt guilty about everything. I just....I saw you and Sam at the party...and I got jealous." She sighed. "But we're doing everything we can to get back at Miyagi-Do for what they did to you. As Sensei Kreese says, "If one of us gets hurt, we all get hurt."" She stated.

I looked at her with furrowed brows and squinted eyes. "Nobody else got hurt, Tory. I'm the one who was paralyzed in a wheelchair." I argued. "Yeah, I just meant--" She started. "I know what you meant." I interrupted. "Tory, I never gave a shit about Miyagi-Do or Kreese. I cared about us." I told her. "Did you? Or were you just going out with me to forget about your mom?" She asked coldly. I glanced over at her before slamming my hand on the table. "Don't you ever speak of my mother." I growled seething. "I don't care about Miyagi-Do or Kreese or Cobra Kai or the LaRussos or Johnny. I don't care about any of them. The only thing I care about is making Robby feel every single thing that I did." I snarled. "The unbearable pain in my back, the long agonizing mental torture I got wondering if I'd ever walk again...much less, wake up. Being haunted every fucking second by the memory of Robby kicking me over the railing while in my coma. Not being able to communicate with anyone. Not being able to move anything below my waist a fucking inch! Do you have any idea what that feels like?!" I spat. Tory's eyes were filled with tears. "It sucks! It fucking sucks! Watching all of my friends do karate! Watching everyone around me walk on their own goddamn feet! You have no idea how much I wanted to drag myself out of that fucking hospital out into the woods just so I could scream bloody murder." I said as tears streamed down my face. I slumped in my chair staring at the table. "It was horrible, Tory." I whispered. I let out a sigh. "Look, I don't want to keep you from your job. So...I'll just." I said getting up. She reached out and grabbed my hand. I looked down at her. She at me with teary eyes rising to her feet. "Your job is more important than me right now, Tory. Besides, if you didn't visit me then...you can visit me later. I hope. Maybe I'm asking too much but, you worry about your mom, okay?" I said before paying the bill and walking away down the sidewalk.

"Jack!" She called out. I stopped walking and turned around to see Tory running to me before she pulled me into a kiss. She pulled back and looked at me. "I'm sorry." She breathed. "For what?" I asked. "You getting hurt." She said. "Tory, it's not your fault. It was Robby's. You had nothing to do with what happened to me." I explained. "Hey, look at me." I told her. "It wasn't your fault, okay?" I stated cupping her face. She nodded her head. I nodded my own before dropping my hands to my sides. "Cool. Now, go take of your mom." I said. She backed away before heading back to work as I sighed. "The things that girl does to me." I muttered shaking my head before heading home.