𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 || 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫)

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛

The next day, a Friday, Montana sat on the beach listening to a George Jones cassette tape on the walkman as He Stopped Loving Her Today played, a tune which reminded her of her grandfather, Nathan, as he introduced her to George Jones, and was one of the many reasons she loved him, and her big brother Robby always sang Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes to her when it would be his turn to put her bed.

Yes, Montana knew they called him No-show Jones, due to the fact he was drunk most of his shows, and some rumors even indicated it was because he was double booked, but that didn't stop the Walker family from loving the man.

Perhaps it was because he possessed the remarkable voice that conveyed both aching vulnerability, or because he was one the most respected artists in the country music genre through deeply emotive ballads like He Stopped Loving Her Today, and The Grand Tour, - both heart-wrenching tales of love and loss. Whatever it was, he was deeply loved and respected by the Walker family.

Kept some letters by his bed, dated 1962, he had underlined in red, every single I love you.

Dog gone it! There goes the water works. That verse gets her everytime. She couldn't help it. It was such a beautiful, yet, heart-wrenching verse, and such a powerful song, so naturally, she shared it with everyone she knew, whether liked country music or not. In her humble opinion - you didn't need to be a fan of country music to like Mr. George Jones.

As Montana watched the waves and listened to the song, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she was met with the blue eyes of Johnny. Turning off the walkman, she placed her headphones over her neck, and smiled warmly. "Hi." she greeted

Johnny also smiled warmly as he greeted her. "Hi. I didn't mean to startle you."

Montana shook her head and smiled warmly, then patted the spot next to her. "No, you didn't. Please, sit down."

Johnny smiled as he took a spot next to the blonde, and studied her, especially the significant similarities she had to his mother, Laura. There was a brief moment of silence before he spoke. "I still can't shake this feeling we've met before. I know I know you from somewhere."

Montana clasped on to the pendant and couldn't stop her eyes from becoming misty. She missed the real Johnny Lawrence, the one she knew. She wanted to tell him who she was so bad, but she had to remember what Mr. Miyagi said. "Well, it's like I said, we probably knew each other in another life. Life's funny that way." she said. "Anyway, I heard about the tournament. Are you ready for it?"

Johnny sighed then spoke. "Sensei's been pushing us extra hard, but he always does around the time tournament. You see, I won last year, and he's expecting me to win again this year."

"Is karate something you really enjoy?" Montana asked

Johnny sighed then turned to face her. "Yes. I never told anyone this, not even Ali, but I used to be a loser with no friends, until I joined Cobra Kai. My stepfather, Sid, he's verbally abusive, and calls me a shithead and a lost cause. Karate is my escape from it all."