Rae got home to see her dad using the computer.
"I'm back, Dad!" She yelled. Rae heard what she thought was a YouTube video, but before she figured out what it was, it was paused.
"Oh, hey." Johnny awkwardly smiled, shutting the computer lid.
"What're you watching?" Rae interrogated.
"Oh, nothing."
"Sure seems like something." Rae said, opening the computer to see a video titled 'Bun in the oven? Here's your pre-arrival checklist!'. "Dad, you're cooking?"
"No?"
"Then what does bun in the oven mean?"
"Oh, god. Sit down."
"Alright." Rae complied. "Are you, like, planning on cooking, or something?"
"No..."
"Then what?"
"Okay, I don't know how to tell you this, but.."
"But..?"
"Carmen's pregnant. We think. You're gonna have a little sibling."
"WHAT?" Rae shouted. Johnny didn't know if she was happy or angry.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, oh my god Dad, that's great!" She hugged her father.
"I'm glad you're happy."
"Don't get all soppy, you've still got nine months until you can replace me as your favourite child."
"Ha." He chuckled.
"You've gotta tidy this place up anyway. I'll help. C'mon."
____________________________
Later in the day, Rae was helping Johnny build some furniture. Well, if helping was lying collapsed on the floor. The house was tidier than ever, and Rae felt like she wasn't even at home.
"Hey, sensei. Hey Rae." Miguel greeted, sticking his head through the Do you, uh, have a second? I-I need your advice."
"Yeah." Johnny accepted.
"I, uh..." Miguel sniffed. "What is that smell?"
"It's either paint thinner or pesticide." Rae muttered.
"Don't worry, it'll air out in a few days. Breathe through your mouth." Johnny reassured him.
"What's with the, uh... What's with the place?" Miguel asked.
"Oh, it's, uh..."
"Making a few changes. Don't worry." Rae got up. "Have a seat."
"Okay." Miguel smiled.
"Want milk? I got a fridge full of it." Johnny offered.
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." Miguel denied.
"Uh, okay, um... I think Sam and I are having issues, and I've been talking to Hawk and Demetri and Rae about it, but-" He paused.
"Hawk's a stud but I wouldn't trust a word that dork Demetri has to say." Johnny opinionated.
"He's had a girlfriend for a while."
"I'm sure she's a real looker. Wait is it Rae?" Johnny, cluelessly, questioned.
"Ew, gross, he's my best friend Dad. He's dating one of the, if not the most, prettiest girl in the school." Rae explained
Anyway, um, I'm supposed to meet with Sam tonight, but I have this feeling she's still mad at me, and I wanna fix it, but we haven't spoken in a while. And honestly, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to say." Miguel vented.
"I've been there. How about the truth? We all get shit wrong sometimes. Some of us get it wrong a lot." Johnny began.
"You." Rae coughed.
"If you own up to your mistakes, you have a shot at making things right. You don't have to have it all figured out. Just be honest. See where it goes from there." He finished.
"That's actually some really good advice." Miguel complimented.
"Yeah, hello there Mr Miyagi Do." Rae murmured.
"Yeah, I guess it is." Johnny sighed.
"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it." Miguel smiled, leaving the house. "See you guys."
"Bye Miguel!" Rae exclaimed.
____________________________
Hours after, Rae was lounging about in her room when she overheard the front door open. She wasn't paying much attention, but she believed it was Carmen.
"Johnny... What's going on? You did all this today?" The feminine voice began.
"Yep. Just trying to be prepared. You know, just in case. This whole apartment is baby-proofed. Just try to stick your finger in any of the sockets. It's a lost cause." Johnny grinned. "Oh, and did you know that babies can hear music in the womb? I adjusted the headphones to fit around your stomach. There's Sabbath in there, but you could put in Metallica, Dokken, whatever."
"Metallica. Always." The voice stated.
"This morning, I didn't think I could be one of those lame dads with the baby carrier, the diapers, and all that crap. But if it means I'm doing it with you, our child, I'll do whatever it takes." Johnny explained.
Rae felt like he was getting way too excited, seeing as they didn't even know if Carmen was actually pregnant yet.
"I know you would." The voice reassured, softly.
"I can't promise I won't screw up from time to time. But I can promise I won't run away. I won't back down." Johnny grinned.
At this point, Rae stopped listening and plugged in her headphones. She decided to put her playlist on shuffle, and a little song called 'Edge of Seventeen' by Stevie Nicks. It was ironic because Rae's age had passed the edge of seventeen, but she still liked the song. All she heard after that was Johnny's voice erupt into one of his favourite words : 'badass'.
YOU ARE READING
STRIKE FIRST - A COBRA KAI STORY
AzioneRae Lawrence was a normal girl with a normal life. Well, normal-ish. She never knew her mom so her dad single-handedly looked after her, even if that meant he had to work several jobs. Home life was a bit of a struggle, but at least school was okay...
