Time After Time 🌹 Daniel LaRusso [1]

Chapter 37: Much Less Cool Way To Die

"Yeah but what about the tree? I mean, isn't it gonna die? You just..." Jessica persists. "Nah. The tree's gonna be fine. We just have to pack the roots well. That's the most important thing. Believe me, Mr. Miyagi taught us everything about these trees," Daniel claims. The girls are still not convinced. Jessica offers to help him with the tree but Daniel quickly rejects her, wanting to do it himself. He doesn't want to risk hurting the tree. "All I need is a bag to pack the roots in," he claims, reaching for the yellow bag strapped to him. Then out of the blue, Jessica screams and lets go of her rope. She instantly wraps her arms around Rosalía's waist when she falls.

This alarms the couple, making Daniel accidentally drop the tree. "It's okay! You're okay! I got you!" Rosalía voices, trying to calm her down. "Hang on! Hang on!" Daniel yells as he and his girlfriend pull Jessica up. Jessica is panicking, shrieking, "Rosalía, help me up!"  Rosalía holds onto her, helping her up. "Don't let go!" Jessica fearfully yells while the couple instructs her to grab the rope. "Are you okay?" they ask her. Jessica doesn't answer that question. Instead, she yells, "I got it! I got it!" Informing them that she now has a hold of the rope.

Rosalía sets a soothing hand on the girl's back, making sure she's all right. "You're okay," she comfortingly tells her. Meanwhile, Daniel peers down, spotting the tree. "Oh, my God, the tree's in the water!" he freaks out. "Oh, no!" Jessica reacts while Rosalía looks down. "Ah, shit," Rosalía remarks, preparing herself to climb down. I knew this was a bad idea. "I gotta get it! I gotta get it! I gotta go!" Daniel panics. The three teens start lowering down, faster than they did before... well, this is how fast Rosalía went the first time. She and Jessica take the lead, Daniel being just a bit behind them.

"It's gonna get washed out! Come on! Move! Move, hurry up!" Daniel shouts. This irritates his girlfriend. "Shut up! I'm going faster than you!" she retorts. I should be telling him to hurry up. The boy isn't thinking straight as he's in full panic mode, wanting to get to the tree as fast as possible. "Get out of the way!" he shouts at Jessica. "No one's in your way, man! Stop yelling!"  Rosalía screams. She hates when people react like that, it never helps the situation. It just makes everyone else more nervous. "Sorry!" Daniel apologizes. "I gotta get it! It's gonna get washed out!" he continues to freak out.

Rosalía reaches the ground before the others and unties herself from the rope. "The roots! The roots! Hurry! Get the canteen, quick! We gotta wash the roots off, come on," Daniel shouts as he and Jessica land. "I got it," Rosalía assures him, taking the canteen from her bag and rushing to the tree. The other two untie themselves and Daniel keeps blabbering, "come on! The saltwater will kill them!" Rosalía fetches the tree from the ocean and instantly starts pouring freshwater all over the roots. "Is it gonna be okay?" Jessica questions. "I don't know. Mr. Miyagi will know what to do. Just, let's move it! Move it!" the boy replies, racing over to his girlfriend. Jessica follows after him.

Rosalía approaches them after soaking the roots. "I washed it. Put it in the bag," she orders Daniel. "Okay," he responds, taking the bag and opening it. "Put it right there," he instructs the girl. She places the tree in the bag and Daniel wraps it up. "Alright, little fella. I'll have you home in no time. Good, no big breaks. Ah, we're in good shape," he speaks to the tree. Como si fuera su hijo [As if it was his kid], Rosalía thinks as she listens to how he talks to the tree. "Okay, come on, guys. We gotta get out of here, the tide's coming in," Jessica rushes them. "Listen, I'm really sorry. I- I just should've tied off better," she apologizes, feeling guilty for causing the tree to fall.

"No, it's not your fault."

"Don't worry about it, girl. Your safety comes before the tree."

The pair speaks simultaneously, trying to reassure their friend. "Look, it was my idea to c-" Daniel cuts himself off when he glances up. "The ropes," he voices, noticing the ropes lifting. The two girls look at him in confusion. "What?" they both question before looking over as well. What the fuck?? Rosalía thinks when she sees the ropes going up. "Hey!" Daniel calls out, making the girls do the same. They all shoot up and run toward the cliff. "Put the ropes back down, bitch!" Rosalía furiously shouts, even though she doesn't know who the culprit is.