fool (lester averman)

chapter five

•─────────•❋•─────────•

chapter five: what is a father if not a living nightmare?

a/n:

if you relate in any way to (my attempts) at writing a complex relationship between rory and her father, I am very sorry. this story will be very rough for you, though, so please be careful.

tw(s) -- strained parent-child relationship, descriptions of a panic attack and derealization, and an adult being creepy and slightly violent toward a child.

•─────────•❋•─────────•

Rory lifts her hand in a peace sign as Julie points the camera in her direction and smiles for the picture. The blonde, who's never been this far off the East Coast in her life, became adamant about documenting as much of the trip as possible as soon as she saw a palm tree, and that resulted in the three girls nearly breaking curfew just walking around Los Angeles trying to find her a camera. Rory figures that she doesn't mind too much because her entire life has been in front of the camera, but, while Connie's scared anyone out of giving Julie any grief and ruining her excitement, most of the rest of the team is growing weary with the pictures.

Kenny, for example. Wholly unprepared for the picture, he frowns deeply after Julie as she walks away.

"Wait! I blinked!"

The brunette laughs as he then pushes through the group to chase the blonde down.

Anticipation for their first game has really brought the team to life. There isn't a kid who isn't bouncing with energy as they walk down the path toward the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum -- well, maybe for the exception of Dean, who listens to music on his Walkman and pretends to humor Fulton as he, not noticing that his friend is preoccupied, points things out.

And Averman, thrilled to be in Los Angeles, tells her all about his feelings on the Karate Kid.

"It's just that-- God, that kick to the face was so satisfying." He shoves his hands in his pockets. "After all that shit he pulled it was just so... I have a list of guys who I wish I could do that to."

Rory cocks her head to the side. "Really?"

"Mhm. I could even tell you off the top of my head: McGill, Larson, Peter Mark..."

As he continues on to recount his list of greatest enemies, he loses her to her thoughts.

"What?"

"Hm?"

"You've got this weird look on your face."

"Oh, I was just," Rory gnaws on the inside of her cheek and she struggles to find the words, "isn't it important to acknowledge that Johnny, like, regretted his decisions? He didn't want to sweep the leg. He looked kind of horrified."

"Yeah, well, he still did it."

"Because Kreese asked him to."

"That's not a solid defense." He points out.

"I think it's more solid than you think it is."

"So, you're saying that, if Bombay told you to, you'd go hook someone in their broken leg?"

"Not if Bombay did, no, but for my father?" She leaves the question open, shrugging her shoulders.

Averman just stares at her.