Orange Juice (Lawrusso)

Part 2 - The Detention.

To say his cheek is sore would be a lie. It's absolutely on fire. It's burning like crazy, slightly purple and has already swelled up a little. A great look for his first day at school. It's not helping that Mrs Brown keeps giving him worried looks either.

"Just get the office to call me if it bothers you at all, okay? I'll come pick you up" She says as he walks out the door. "Thank you" He smiles, even though it hurts and he wouldn't call her even if he felt like his cheek was going to fall off.

Technically Daniel is supposed to be catching a ride with Bobby in Johnnys car but never in a million years would he ever get into a car with that blonde dick so instead he walks to the nearest bus stop, ignoring the way Bobby calls after him, and takes the bus to school.

He'd researched everything in this town last night until he could barely keep his eyes open long enough to put something into the word search and so he's pretty comfortable finding things like bus stops and schools and malls and that kind of thing.

He'd also maybe searched up 'Johnny Lawrence' just to see if anything came up. and come up it did.

'California Teen dominates at state karate finals'
'Johnny Lawrence - The world's next Jackie Chan?'
'Why the karate world is keeping an eye on Johnny Lawrence'
'Top 10 hottest (single) karate teens under 20' - He was number 1.

It had sent Daniel down a rabbit hole he never knew existed. Sure you could take karate in Italy but it was never something Daniel was interested in before this. How good was Johnny that he had multiple, hundreds even, of articles written about him?

There were pictures too. So many pictures. Many where Johnny was practically shirtless. Not that those pictures mattered to Daniel. At all... Okay so maybe a little. Johnny, as Daniel had already assumed, is jacked. Like fucking toned and jacked.

Abs, biceps, V-line, the whole works. And yeah so maybe it made Daniel slightly jealous but so what. No one had to know that, right? He could continue living his life normally knowing someone who could crush him with one arm already hated him. Whatever.

"Daniel?" Ali's voice breaks through his thoughts and he turns to her "Why'd you take the bus? Did Bobby not offer you a ride?". Daniel looks back to where Johnny and Bobby and their friends are just now pulling up "Didn't really feel like being in a car with that one"

Ali looks over at Johnny and chews her bottom lip. Daniel can tell that whatever had happened between them was weighing on her and she did want to talk to him but was being too stubborn now. "You should talk to him" Daniel clears his throat and she looks confused "I know i've only known you like 2 days and we've talked for like an hour max but it's better to talk and know then just wonder, right?"

"Yeah," she shrugs "I guess you're right. I just don't really feel like talking to him. Like I want to know what he wants but I don't wanna talk to him, yknow?". Daniel knows. He nods. "Especially after he hit you for defending me, God he can be so dense and overprotective some times. We broke up ages ago"

Daniel blinks "You dated him?". For some reason he can't imagine Ali, the nicest person he's met here so far, dating Johnny, the rudest person he's met here so far. Maybe physically, yeah they suit each other, but personality wise? No way. Ali shrugs again "Yeah, he used to be really nice"

"Als!" A girl yells out and Ali smiles, her whole body seems to relax as two girl comes running over "Als! Oh my God I missed you so much". The two girls engulf Ali in a hug and Daniel just stands there awkwardly, he doesn't want to walk away but watching them is just as bad.

Finally they break apart and Ali looks so happy it makes Daniel happy. Her smile is contagious. "Susan, Barbs, this is Daniel. He's on an exchange from italy" She turns, directing her smile at him and everything else just seems to stop. Jesus he's known her 2 days and is already smitten.