Best friends Frankie and Penelope have just arrived in the Valley seeking to escape the past. All they needed was each other and a fresh start. They make new friends and potentially find love. Unbeknownst to them, they stumble upon a war between two...
"You should try taking care of your own kids, because when it comes to anyone else's, you both suck! Look what happened to my niece! You think that's a child's fault? It's not! You're his father, you should be setting an example for him! And you - you're supposed to be his teacher. You should have taught him responsibility when it came to karate!"
Donnie's voice carried in from the kitchen, where he was in the company of Sensei Lawrence and Mr. LaRusso. To say he was upset would be an understatement, as he'd quickly lost all of his patience after only ten minutes of standing in a room with the other two men. Everything had devolved so fast, it left poor Penelope and Robby with what felt like whiplash.
The teens sat on the living room couch, waiting for the reprimand to be over. It was awkward and silent between them, neither able to do more than listen to Donnie tear into both Daniel and Johnny for the mishandling of everything that had happened and then some.
Penelope couldn't remember the last time she'd ever heard her uncle use such a scolding tone with anyone. It was almost frightening.
Beside her sat a cleaned up Robby. He'd showered and been given some clothes to wear so he wasn't sitting in the ratty, filthy clothes he'd been wearing for days. His hair was still a little damp, hanging in his face. He's cut it so people would have a harder time recognizing him on the streets, too afraid of what would happen to him after what he had done.
He kept his head down in shame, arms crossed over his chest to keep himself closed off. He'd already told Mr. Harris everything, or at least tried to. It was hard for him to put it all into words, but he mostly just apologized over and over again, because it was all he could really do.
Penelope already forgave him long before he came knocking on her door. She wasn't mad at him, but she was a little confused. She still couldn't remember all the fine details, but what she knew wasn't enough to make her feel any differently toward Robby. He was still her friend and she would continue to be his friend, even if he thought he didn't deserve it.
"Donnie-" Daniel tried to speak, but he got cut off.
"I'm not finished. You two really think that everything you've done, which is barely anything at all, is enough to make up for the severe lack of accountability you've taken? Because it isn't. It's no wonder Robby didn't feel safe coming to either of you, you don't know what you're doing."
Johnny attempted to speak next. "We tried-"
"Don't feed me that! You haven't!" Donnie took a deep breath. "You haven't tried to parent him, you haven't tried to connect with him, you have tried discipline. You've done nothing for him except give him tools without teaching him how to properly use them. Instead of helping him, they've only led him toward destruction."
Daniel sighed. "They were supposed to teach him balance."
There was a beat of silence.
"Well, from what I've seen, you can't have balance without stability, and unfortunately Robby doesn't know what that feels like," Donnie told them in a stern, unamused tone. He was done. "Get out of my house."
"But what about Robby?" Daniel asked, looking into the living room with an unsure look. He didn't do much to stop from being led to the front door. "What's gonna happen to him now?"
"If you really care to know, an officer is on their way to take his statement for the accident report," Donnie said, then opened the front door. He looked between both men, a frown etched deeply into his face. It made him look far older than he was. "After that, he'll be staying with me."
"Is that really a good idea?" Johnny asked, looking over his shoulder at his son and the girl that had gotten caught up in everything. He watched the way she rubbed his back assuredly, but Robby kept his head down. "I mean, should he really-"
"Sir, I don't think you have room to talk," Donnie said, staring Johnny down. "You don't get to start acting like a parent when you don't know how to be one. So until you learn how you can actually help Robby, I think it's best you stay away from him."
"You can't just take Robby in, though," Daniel said.
"I can actually," Donnie said, self assured and confident. "I've already spoken to his mother. She can still dictate where he stays, but the two of you... you don't deserve that right, let alone that authority. Now get out."
Without putting up much more of a fight, Daniel and Johnny walked out the door. Donnie shut it behind them, feeling an air of tension follow after them. He took off his glasses and held his face in his hand as he recollected his composure.
When he felt more calm, he walked into the living room and sat with Robby and Penelope. He didn't say anything, allowing Robby to start the conversation if he wanted to. He was happy when he did.
"Thank you... for all of this," Robby said, finally picking his head up.
He'd explained that he'd seen the news report for the fundraiser and felt like he could actually come back. It was Mr. Harris that made it possible for him to even feel a little bit safe, as he felt like he'd been seen somehow. He's struggled on the streets, only able to scrounge up a couple bucks every now and again, hopping between homeless camps and underpasses for shelter for weeks. When he finally showed up on the Harris-Bishop doorstep, he was starving and nearly dehydrated, running on adrenaline.
He was too tired to deny that he needed anyone's help. He just wanted somewhere to be, a place he didn't have to live in fear. Penelope had made him lunch while he was in the shower and he'd eaten it so fast, he almost made himself sick. She was constantly refilling his glass and making sure he didn't need anything else, but he didn't want to take too much.
She wished he'd asked for more, knowing he needed it.
"You don't have to thank me, Robby," Donnie told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just happy you're okay."
It felt like he was going to say more, but decided against it. So instead, he squeezed Robby's shoulder. Nothing more needed to be said, and if it really needed to be verbalized then it could be said later. For now, everyone let the house calm down.
It was quiet for a while before there was a knock at the door and Donnie stood up to answer it. Robby tensed up, knowing that it was a police officer coming to talk to him. Though he'd been assured repeatedly that nothing would happen to him, it was obvious that he was still scared.
So Penelope moved closer and wrapped her arms around him. She rested her chin on his shoulder and tried her best to make him feel safe, eventually leading him to relax in her arms. They listened to the low voices of her uncle and the officer, but they couldn't make out what they were saying, but Penelope was confident that Donnie wouldn't let them take Robby away.
They didn't part until they heard footsteps coming into the room. They both looked up to see a blonde woman in uniform standing with Donnie.
"Robby, this is Officer Reagan," he explained in a gentle, calm tone. "She's here to listen."
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Sorry for taking so long to update this story 💜
Thoughts, feelings, concerns? What's life gonna look like for Robby from here?
