THE PRINCESS CAN PUNCH, cobra kai

chap. 01

the gardener.
1x01

JUNE ELIZABETH CARTER WAS BORN LUCKY. Her last name was a one-way ticket to popularity and adoration. If she had a different family, a different name, no one would bat an eye. Maybe she would've been the girl her friends would make fun of, but she isn't. She got lucky. June reminds herself of that every morning.

"Guys, have you heard about the new kid?" Moon asked as they sat down. Word had spread that there was a new student at West Valley High, and of course, the whole school was talking about it. Gossip was like oxygen, maybe even more vital.

"I heard he got expelled from his last school." Yasmin speculated, her sources were as unreliable as ever. Most of the time she didn't even believe what she was saying, but at least it was entertaining.

"More importantly, I heard he's hot," June added, bringing their attention to the important issues. The four looked around for him, their eyes landing on the table he was sitting at, next to Eli and Dimitri.

"Oh, my God, you guys. Do you see that guy over there who looks like he went down on a lawnmower? He's wearing the ugliest sweater I've ever seen." The blonde joked, Moon and Sam, laughing along.

"Come on," June reprimanded, "he's cute." She smiled at Eli with a wave, to which he shyly glanced away. Dimitri patted him on the back as if he'd just won at life, while the new kid beamed at her. It was kind of endearing.

"Of course, you'd say that, you flirt with anything that moves." Sam pointed her fork at her matter-of-factly, and June stuck her tongue out in response.

"Check out Fug-lisha. She looks like she ate a picnic ta-"

"That's enough Yasmin." The table went quiet, tension quickly replacing whatever comfortable atmosphere had been there before. June grabbed her tray with a sigh ad left the table, choosing instead to sit next to Alisha. Eyes followed her, speculation ensued, and she did her best to push down the usual feeling of anger that arose whenever this happened.

"They're making fun of me aren't they?" Her friend asked, slumping her head on June's shoulder.

"You're just too cool, they can't handle it." She responded, nudging Alisha playfully. "Hey, wanna do a Die Hard marathon at my place next week?"

"Duh."

Dropping her keys on the counter, June called out, trying to see if there was anyone home. Her brother was probably at practice and her parents were in the office. She mentally cheered, glad to get the house all to herself.

It was a three-story villa, encircled by trees and plants, but the outside was nothing compared to the inside. With modern architecture and monotone furniture, it looked like the pages on an Ikea catalog. The bedrooms were the only rooms that had a sense of personalization.

June walked into hers. On the second floor, it was the last room at the end of the hall. The first thing you saw when entering was the medals carefully displayed on her shelves. Gymnastics, swimming, dance, basically all of the sports imaginable, except golf. Golf is shit.

In the end, none of them stuck, and after winning a few medals she quit. They had started to feel more like something else she had to be good at, instead of something she enjoyed.

Above them were framed photos of her and Sam, and Moon. And a birthday card from her brother. He had made it when he was younger. The drawing was of them together, it was terrible. With bright yellow letters, it said "HAPY BIRTDAY JUNEY". His spelling hadn't gotten better since.