patience is key | the karate kid

xviii. trouble in paradise

xviii. trouble in paradise

COME MONDAY morning, Kathleen awoke in her bed with a smile. But soon it disappears once she finds her back to be aching with great pain. She winces but forces a grin. She's in a good mood.

She'd spent practically the entire weekend at Mr. Miyagi's, training with Daniel and sweating endless buckets. She'd hardly thought about Johnny because of this, and she didn't even notice it.

What Kat had noticed, is that she and Daniel were finally on better terms. As they worked and trained, their troubles and anger towards one another started to fade.

Instead of glaring and giving each other the cold shoulder, they found themselves laughing and forgiving with unspoken words.

The looks and smiles that were exchanged said enough. And this is the reason why Kat wakes up with a smile. A repaired friendship.

So this Monday morning — this bright and early Monday morning — Kat hops out of bed in a near instant. It only takes her a quick minute to get ready; she grabs an old sweatshirt and slips it over her head while tugging a pair of jeans on.

She swiftly slips out of her room and spots the rest of the Martin bunch in the kitchen — Zack over the stove and Ace seated at the table. The two turn their heads in her direction and she flashes them a warm smile.

"Good morning." She greets. Then she steps into the bathroom and closes the door behind her. Zack and Ace give each other a strange, bothered look. Zack shrugs and turns back to face the eggs he'd been cooking.

The bathroom door opens and Ace looks over his shoulder to see his little sister. Again, Kat smiles and walks towards the table. But she stops when she notices Ace's facial expression.

"What?" She asks with her smile slowly fading. Ace grunts and shrugs his shoulders. His eyes glance back onto the newspaper he'd been holding.

"Nothing." He mumbles, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Just not used to you being happy and all."

Kat scoffs and pulls out her chair. She sits in it and looks at her brother with a smirk.

"Oh? And is that such a bad thing?"

"It's weird."

Kat opens her mouth to reply, but Zack cuts her off. He looks at his children while turning around with the pan in one hand and a spatula in the other.

"I think it's nice." He comments and winks at Kat, who gives him a great big smile in return. As Zack plops some scrambled eggs onto the bare plates, he continues:

"Must've had some weekend, huh? I think this is the most interaction we've had with each other in a few days." He chuckles. Kat shrugs and starts to dig into her breakfast.

"Yeah I've just been sorta busy, y'know. Doing some extra work for Mr. Miyagi."

   "Not out with Johnny, huh?" Ace asks with a mouthful of eggs. He elbows his sister, who shoots him a look. "Trouble in paradise?"

"That's none of your business." Kat comments, then begins to notice how she hadn't really thought much of him over the weekend. But she brushes it off. "We're fine, thanks."

"Yeah right." Ace mumbles, now stabbing at his eggs. Kat scoffs.

"What's it to you, huh? Why're you all upset?"

Ace doesn't reply, but instead forces his eggs into his mouth and huffs. Disturbed, Kat looks over at her dad.

"Mr. Miyagi.. he's paying you, right?" Zack asks, changing the subject. "I mean we haven't seen you all weekend, KitKat. He must be working you hard."