End Of The Line

Boo-Boo Eye

Touching my black eye with a wince, I pout; who wants to have a bruised face for Christmas, especially this Christmas. My first Christmas with Johnny.

I had been badgering my mom for days because Laura had asked me to go to their house for dinner. The plan I had offered was to be with them for the morning to be a family and then go spend dinner at the Lawerence's.

Ali was coming to have dinner here. God bless her soul and stomach. So I didn't see why I couldn't go to Johnny's. The other guys would be coming round after dinner with their parents too.

Yes, I was grounded for the rest of the century, according to my ma's rant when we got home after the tournament, for forging her signature and helping Daniel go even though she had already said no.

However, I was attacked for trying to stick up for my friends, so I was hoping that she would relent with the aid of my practiced puppy dog eyes and the uncovered bruise.

A small part of me hoped that she would say no. I didn't want to show my face around others, but I knew Johnny wanted me there.

Also, Laura wanted me to meet her husband, Sid. I got the feeling that he and Johnny didn't get along, but if there was anything I knew, it was father issues.

"Kat! Ma said dinner!" my brother shouted, banging my door on the way past to the kitchen. He had been very chirpy since winning the tournament. He hadn't even started a fight with me since.

Maybe the little shit knows he practically owes me his life.

Stepping out of my bedroom, I walked into the kitchen, where my ma's eyes filled with sympathy when she saw my sad expression and the massive black eye.

"Oh, baby," she gasped, moving her hand to grasp my face, "does it hurt more? It looks worse today" this was hauntingly similar to the time Daniel had his black eye after the beach incident.

Gently taking her hand away from my eye, I frowned; this would be the best time to play it up, but from the heartbroken expression on her face, I could see that would only make her feel worse.

"No, ma, it's fine," I sigh, taking my plate from the counter and following my brother to the small table as Ma wandered down the hall to the bathroom. The sink in our kitchen was broken again.

Rolling my eyes, I huff, "Daniel get your trophy out of my seat," I tell him, motioning to the giant metal trophy placed on my spot at the table. I knew this wasn't an accident by the mischievous expression on my twin's face.

"Oh, you mean my All Valley Karate Tournament trophy," He smirks, pretending not to know what I was talking about. "The trophy I won kicking your boyfriend's butt? That trophy right there?".

Twisting my head, I breathed in, "Ma! Daniel's being mean to me and making my boo-boo eye hurt!" I added on the end even though it was a total lie. I just hated his smug face.

"Daniel LaRusso! Be nice to your sister," My ma screamed back almost instantly. My brother quickly moved his trophy hearing our mom's footsteps.

The fury of an Italian woman was scary, and our Ma was no different. "A grown man attacked your poor sister. She doesn't need you being mean to her too."

It was my turn to give Daniel a smug smile. Throughout most of our lives, I was usually on the receiving end of our Ma's wrath.

Dinner was unusually quiet, and I knew this was my time to strike. "So Ma..." I was cut off before I even began.

"Nope" My eyes widened at her quick refusal; I hadn't even told her what I wanted yet. Even though she could probably guess from the number of times, I had bugged her already.

"Ma," I sighed, ready to tell her that I was a big girl, and at 18 years old, I could decide what to do with my day, but her broken expression stopped me.

"Don't Ma me, I am just trying to keep you safe. Look at what happened to you because of them!" My mom ranted, pointing to my eye, and I suddenly realized why she kept saying no.

Covering her hand with mine, I turned to face her. "Mom, this didn't happen because of them. It happened because their sensei is a massive man child with a God complex-".

My brother snorted as he continued eating his spaghetti "- I don't want you to hate the guys and Johnny because Kreese was out of control. Remember when I said you need to trust us to make our own decisions?".

Mom eyed me for a moment before putting her index finger to my face in a warning. "Fine, but you spend the whole morning with us before you go, only to Johnny's house. If that vile man shows up, you leave and-"

Being so excited about having her permission to go, I almost missed out on the last point of her rules "Bring Johnny around?" Ma nodded with a smile "for dinner?" another nod, "that you'll cook for him?".

"Poor Johnny," Daniel muttered under his breath as mom hit him with her slipper. My brother massaged the back of his head after crying out in pain.

"It's that or nothing, take it or leave it, Katherine, but I want to meet him for real and not for 5 minutes here and there" sighing, I knew it was time to pick my battles.

This was one of those times where I knew I needed to agree to the terms even if it's not something I really wanted.

"Okay, how about I ask him? If he says no, then that's up to him," I bargain, Johnny had agreed to come round when Ma asked before, but I was never actually going to keep that promise.

Until now.

"Deal" Ma smiles happily as we finally dig into our food. My brother was almost finished as he watched our negotiations with an uninterested expression. "Oh, my babies are all grown up."

Mine and Daniel's eyes met as our Ma let out a small sob. Instead of running off to different areas of the apartment from it, we both placed an awkward hand on each shoulder and tapped soothingly.

"Must be the menopause," I whispered to my twin before feeling a thump on the back of my head. "Did you just hit me with your slipper?!".