atelophobia 🖤 lawrusso

- 01 -

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。゜。°。°。°。
。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。° '' Don't look back, a new day is breakin'.

It's been too long since I felt this way!" Music blared out of a small compacted device as Johnny Lawrence walked down the street. He had a bag slung over one shoulder containing his equipment along with a slight bounce in his step. As the music played, he sang. As he sang, the music played. He got looks, and they certainly made him uncomfortable, but what kept him going was the fact that not a single one of the people who looked had a scrap of annoyance in their eyes. If anything, they just smiled. It always helped to feel like he had brightened someone's day.

Johnny turned the corner, and his destination lay at the end of the street. Slight anxiety bubbled up inside of him, and he tried desperately to shove it aside, but it clawed its way back out every time. He had chosen to walk today because riding his motorcycle prevented him from hearing his music and he had been excited to listen again once he had dug his old Walkman out of his closet, amongst other things.

It was hot out that day. The All - Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament was over, and, true to his word, Johnny had not told a soul about what had occurred in the parking lot outside the Sports Complex that night. He knew he should, but what would that accomplish? The very reason his mother had fought so hard to get him these lessons in the first place was so he could learn to defend himself, so that he could make friends. So what if most of the friends that he had made were leaving? Tommy was still there, Bobby was still there. Kreese was still willing to train him.

The last thing Johnny wanted was to disappoint his mother. He had already disappointed Kreese, and it had nearly gotten him killed, for more reasons than just one. He could remember the panic rising in his chest the second that kick hit his face. The thought of it made him lift a hand and touch his forehead, muscles tensing. He could already feel the sweat forming on his brow. His throat had already begun closing up long before Kreese had gotten his arm around his neck.

Johnny shook his head firmly and pressed onwards. Thinking of such things was only going to make matters worse. He could not be late for class. There were only a handful of students left, meaning that he had to be there. For his sake, for his sensei's sake, and for his mother's sake, as well.

Walking through the door of the dojo was like walking into a totally different world. The heat of the summer gave way to...

More heat. But this was artificial heat, not the natural kind you get from the sun. Kreese liked to keep it hot so they would break more of a sweat. They were required to wear their karategi at all times during class, and there were no breaks. They were left to stretch in their own with what time they had between their arrival and the beginning of their lessons, then they went at it hard for at least two hours. Unless, of course, Kreese wanted them to have an extended class, which Junior Instructors were almost always required to stay after.

Johnny kicked off his shoes and picked them up, bowing in and heading straight for the back room. He tossed his bag down, glancing around at the other teens in the changing area. Nobody was talking. It had been silent amongst almost all of them since the tournament. Kreese had been particularly harsh lately, and nobody wanted to step a toe out of line. Johnny threw his bag down and stripped himself of his shirt. He already had his karategi pants on so he just substituted his T-shirt for the top, tying it appropriately and kneeling to put on his belt the respectful way that had been taught to him before Kreese had torn this place to shreds.

Johnny tightened the black strip of cloth around his head to ensure it wouldn't fall off, taking a deep breath. He began his stretches, reaching for each foot. He had become more flexible than most over the years of his training, and was no longer wowed when his legs managed to spread into a near-perfect straddle. His stomach hit his knee as he reached over his head for the right foot, sifting through his bag at the same time. He took a quick sip of water and swished it throughout his mouth a few times, well aware of the fact that this was going to be his last drink for two hours at the least. He switched sides and stretched for the other leg after tossing the bottle back in his bag.