❝ it's called a dojo, genius. ❞

―

GWEN FELT OUT OF PLACE.

She sat in the passenger seat of her mother's car, looking out the window. There were palm trees everywhere she turned her head. She could feel the rays from the sun shining down on her through the windshield. The San Fernando Valley sure was a far cry away from the small town in Kansas that she used to call home.

The car pulled into the small parking lot of the Reseda Flats apartments.

"It's the end of the line, kiddo," Gwen's mother, Alice, told her.

Gwen sighed. "You're telling me."

Gwen pulled the handle of the car door and got out. She picked up her oxygen tank and shut the door. As she put her tank down on the asphalt, Gwen glanced around, taking in all of her surroundings. Her mother popped the trunk open and began to unload the car. Gwen followed her mother through the courtyard and up to the door to their new apartment.

Gwen looked around as her mother unlocked the door and pushed it open. She stepped inside, glancing around the small apartment.

"I know it's not exactly easy on the eyes," Alice said as she stood next to Gwen, a box in her hand. "But we'll turn it into something special. Just like we always do."

Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Alice placed the box down and then turned to Gwen, tucking her hair behind her ears before resting her hands on her cheeks. "This move is going to be good for us, Gwenny. I know it's far, but this new job will be great for me, and they have excellent doctors here."

"I know," Gwen said, smiling at her. "You don't have to worry about me, mom. I'm very good at adapting."

Alice kissed Gwen's forehead. "I know, baby. I know."

She let go of her Gwen's cheeks and announced that she was going to get the other boxes. Gwen followed her outside, going to grab her suitcase from the car so that her mother didn't have to do it all. She wheeled her suitcase into the apartment and into the back room. As Gwen went back outside to offer to help more, the moving truck was pulling into the parking lot.

Alice insisted that Gwen should take a look around the apartment and start unpacking some of the boxes. Gwen knew better than to argue with her mother, so she walked back into the apartment and started unpacking the boxes marked "kitchen" in her mother's loopy handwriting.

The movers started bringing in the heavier pieces of furniture, placing them where Alice instructed them to. Gwen continued to unpack the kitchen boxes, and it was not long before the movers brought in all the furniture from the truck.

Gwen had started unpacking her room when her mother came back inside, calling out her name. Gwen made her way in the living room to see Alice sitting on the couch. Gwen took a seat next to her.

"Looks better already with all the furniture in here, don't you think?" Alice asked.

Gwen nodded. "Definitely. All it's missing now is all of our pictures and your artwork."

"That'll bring a more special touch for sure," Alice agreed. "But that's a task for another day. I'm too tired and hungry to even think about doing anything. What should we order for lunch?"

Gwen shrugged. "No idea."

Alice reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. "Why don't you go finish unpacking your room? I'll look up which restaurants near us deliver."

Gwen nodded her head. She stood up and walked back to her room. Most of it was unpacked except for a few clothes and pictures. Her bed frame sat propped up against the wall, yet to be put together. Her dresser was pressed against the wall, and her nightstand was next to her mattress.

Gwen reached inside the box she had been working on when her mother called her. She pulled out a picture frame decorated with glitter and macaroni shells that she had made in kindergarten. Inside the frame was a photograph of herself and her parents. Gwen smiled down at the photo, specifically down at her father. He had passed away when Gwen was thirteen, and she missed him every single day.

She placed the picture frame on her nightstand and continued unpacking. When she had nothing but empty boxes, she went into the bathroom to take a shower, making sure to tell her mother beforehand just in case.

After getting out of the shower and changing into clean clothes, Gwen stepped back out into the living room.

"Hey, Gwenny, could you go see if the neighbors are having trouble with the water pressure? I just tried to turn on the sink, and it was very low," Alice asked. "It'd be a great way to meet some of the neighbors."

"I was just about to tell you that the water pressure in the shower was weird," Gwen told her, nodding her head. "But yeah, I'll go check around."

"Thanks," Alice replied.

Gwen hummed in response and opened the front door. She stepped out of the apartment. She closed the door behind her and glanced around, wondering where she should start. Her head turned when she saw a boy who looked about her age standing next to the mailboxes. She did not think that she would meet anyone else that was her age.

She began to walk toward the boy. He closed the mailbox and turned to look at her, flashing her a smile and revealing the braces on his teeth.

"Hello," Gwen said as she smiled back at him. "My name is Gwendolyn. My mom and I just moved in."

"I'm Miguel," he greeted her. "My family and I just moved into 109."

"Really?" Gwen asked. "Well, then it looks like we're neighbors."

Miguel smiled. "Cool."

"Hey, while I have you here, I was wondering if your water pressure was being weird?" Gwen asked.

Miguel nodded. "Yeah, a bit. My mom's been trying to get in touch with the handyman, but no luck."

Before Gwen could respond, she heard a sudden noise and then the sound of a door shutting. Both she and Miguel turned their heads, noticing a blonde man stepping out of one of the apartments.

"You think his water pressure is being weird too?" Miguel asked as he turned to look at Gwen.

She shrugged. "Probably."

"Let's go find out," Miguel said before he started walking away.

Gwen stood back, watching as he walked up to the man. Gwen sighed and walked as fast as she could to catch up with them. The wheels of her oxygen tank could be heard on the concrete. As she stood next to Miguel, Gwen took a long look at the blonde man. She thought the guy looked rough, almost like he hadn't slept in days.

"Hey, I'm Miguel. My family and I just moved into 109."

"Great," the man said. "More immigrants."

"Actually, we're from Riverside. But anyways, I was wondering if you were having trouble with your water pressure," Miguel told him, pointing between himself and Gwen. "'Cause I know ours is both being weird right now and... Oh, bottles go in the blue bins!"

Gwen sighed as she watched the man open the garbage can and throw the trash bag in. The man slammed the garbage can shut, turning to look at Miguel.

"Listen, Menudo, I've lived in this shithole for over ten years," the man told him. "The pipes don't work. The fountain's full of piss, and the only good thing about being here is that I don't have to talk to anybody. So, nice knowing you."

He picked up his toolbox and started walking away from the two teenagers.

"Okay, well...have a nice day," Miguel said, watching him leave. "I guess."

The door to his car squeaked as he opened it. Gwen and Miguel watched him drive away. They turned to face each other, confused expressions on their faces.

Gwen let out a sigh. "Well, he's certainly seemed interesting."

Miguel nodded. "Uh, yeah. That's one way to put it."

They both turned, making their way back to their apartments. Miguel tapped the mail in his hand against his palm while Gwen stared down at her shoes. The two teens stopped in front of their apartments, turning their heads to look at each other.

"I'll, uh...I'll see you around, Gwendolyn." Miguel gave her a small smile. "If you ever need anything, feel free to give us a knock."

Gwen smiled back, nodding her head. "Yeah. You too."

Miguel opened the door to his apartment. Gwen placed her hand on the doorknob. She turned her head, glancing at Miguel.

"Hey, Miguel!" Gwen called out.

Miguel turned his head, peering around the door. "Yeah?"

Gwen glanced down at the ground before shifting her gaze back to Miguel. "You can call me Gwen."

Miguel nodded his head. "Okay. I'll see you around, Gwen."

He stepped into his apartment, and the door closed behind him. Gwen couldn't help but smile as she opened the door and walked inside. Alice turned her head to look at her daughter, instantly taking notice of the smile on her face.

"What's has you so smiley?" Alice asked.

Gwen shook her head. "Nothing."

Alice raised an eyebrow at her. "I know you better than that, Gwenny."

"Really, mom, it's nothing," Gwen told her before quickly changing the subject. "I spoke to some of the neighbors. The boy from 109 next door said that his water pressure was being weird too. And this other man—who I'm pretty sure might have been hungover—said that he's lived here for years and the pipes don't work. Also something about there being piss in the fountain?"

Alice cringed. "Well...that's... I don't even know what to say to that."

"Yeah," Gwen said, letting out a sigh. "He seemed like a character. Miguel—the boy next door—said that if we ever needed anything, just knock."

"That was nice of him," Alice responded.

"I hope you don't mind that I returned the sentiment," Gwen spoke.

Alice shook her head. "Of course not. It'd be nice to have some neighbors we can count on."

"So," Gwen said as she took a seat on the couch. "Did you find something to order for dinner?"

"How's Chinese food sound?" Alice asked.

Gwen gave her a smile. "Sounds great."

────────────

Gwen and Alice finished eating their takeout. It had instantly gone to Alice's stomach, causing a very unpleasant feeling.

"Gwenny, could you go to the mini-mart down the street and get me some Pepto?" Alice asked. "My stomach feels awful. I don't think the Chinese food is agreeing with me."

Gwen nodded her head. "Sure."

"My purse is on the table. Just grab my wallet," Alice told her. "You can buy some snacks if you want. You can get those Sour Patch Kids you love so much."

Gwen laughed as she pulled her mom's wallet out of her purse. "Okay. I'll be right back."

Gwen slipped on her shoes and tucked her mom's wallet in her back pocket. She went to her room and switched out her oxygen tank. Rather than pulling it the small backpack that she kept her portable tank in behind her, she opted for wearing it on her back instead. It was easier to walk long distances when she wore it as a backpack instead of pulling it.

She stepped out of the apartment and began walking toward the minimart that they had passed on the drive to the apartment. She was glad that it was not too far.

The bell to the mini-mart jingled above Gwen's head as she opened the door. She stepped inside. The blonde man from earlier stood at the counter in front of the small pizza oven. Gwen decided it was best if she just ignored him and got what she came for.

She started looking around the aisles for the Pepto.

"¿Dónde está el pepto bismol?"

Gwen lifted her head at the sound of the familiar voice. Miguel walked to the aisle that she stood in, giving her a smile.

"Hey," Miguel greeted her. "I didn't think we'd be seeing each other again so soon."

"Yeah," Gwen chuckled as she grabbed a bottle of Pepto Bismol.

"You're here for Pepto too?" Miguel questioned as if he couldn't believe it.

Gwen nodded her head. "Yeah. It's for my mom. Bad Chinese food."

"That sucks," Miguel responded. "My Yaya asked me to get some. Don't know the details as to why. Kind of don't want to."

Gwen couldn't help but laugh. "Probably a good idea."

The two of them started walking to the checkout. As Miguel stood at the counter, Gwen made a beeline for the candy aisle. She grabbed a bag of Sour Patch Kids and walked up to the checkout counter.

The blonde man turned to look at them both, obviously recognizing them from earlier. Gwen turned her head instantly, staring down at the items in her hands as the worker was bent down behind the counter.

Miguel smiled at the blonde man awkwardly, holding up the Pepto bottle. "My grandma's not feeling well."

"Didn't ask," he replied, shutting Miguel down as he began speaking to the man working behind the counter. "C'mon, what's Spanish for 'Just give me my damn slice'?"

The worker spoke in Spanish. Gwen didn't understand what he said, but judging from the look on Miguel's face and the way he tried not to laugh, she figured that it was some kind of insult.

"What did you just say?" the blonde man asked, turning to Miguel. "What did he say?"

Miguel shook his head. "You don't wanna know."

"No, I know it's something bad. Just tell me," the man insisted.

"Uh, and that you have a tiny..." Miguel trailed off, gesturing downward.

Gwen's eyes went wide. She knew it was an insult, but she wasn't expecting that.

"He said I have a tiny wang? Tell him he has a tiny wang."

"I speak English, asshole," the worker replied.

The blonde man tossed his money at him. "Oh, really?"

He snatched the slice of pizza out of his hand and walked out of the store. Miguel stepped up to the counter and paid as the worker continued to complain about the man. Miguel stepped to the side, his gaze fixated on Gwen.

"Hey, do you want to walk home together?" Miguel asked.

Gwen turned her head to look at him as she pulled her mom's wallet out of her pocket. "Uh, sure."

Miguel smiled. "Great."

Gwen chuckled, shaking her head as she handed paid for the items using her mom's card.

"I-I mean, I just figured since we're going to the same place that maybe we could walk together," Miguel backtracked. "I mean, why not, right?"

"I understand," Gwen replied.

Miguel breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. Okay, good."

The bell above the door jingled again. Gwen placed the card back in the wallet, shoving it in her back pocket as a group of four boys walked in. Gwen grabbed her bag from the worker, thanking him.

"Hey," Miguel said to one of the boys.

The boy in the yellow jacket turned to him, laughing with his friends. "Do I know you?"

Gwen sighed. "I'll be outside."

She turned on her heels and exited the mini-mart. The blonde man was sitting on a curb, eating his slice of pizza. If Gwen didn't know any better, she would have thought that he was homeless.

Gwen leaned up against the wall, staring down at the ground as she avoided the gaze of the blonde man and the homeless woman by the trash can.

The bell jingled, causing Gwen to turn her head. Miguel was pushed out of the door, one of the boys who walked in shouting at him.

"What the hell are you doing? Why you gotta blow up my spot?"

"Look, dude, I—"

"He thought we were in college, dumbass."

"I-I didn't know you were trying to buy beer," Miguel stammered. "I'm sorry."

Miguel was shoved into a bush. Gwen tensed up as he fell to the ground. She clutched the plastic bag in her hand as the guys started teasing Miguel for the bottle of Pepto. Gwen wanted to step in and say something, but she was afraid to.

"We should call him 'Rhea."

"Give it back, dude. It's for my grandma!" Miguel pleaded.

"Oh, it's for your grandma? Oh, shit. I'm sorry, man."

Gwen didn't know what to do. She was frozen, her body unable to move from where she stood.

"Hey, you want it?" one of the boys asked, opening the bottle and pouring the pink liquid on Miguel. "Hey, you can take all that shit. Take that!"

The boy's friends laughed. Gwen gulped, feeling bad that she had done nothing but stand there. When the boys started to walk away, leaving Miguel alone, Gwen walked up to him.

"Asshole," Miguel mumbled.

The boy in the yellow jacket turned back. "What'd you say, 'Rhea?"

"I... I didn't say anything," Miguel stammered, walking backwards to get away.

Miguel was punched in the stomach, falling to the ground. Gwen gasped, stepping back as she looked down at him.

"That's brute, Kyler!"

Gwen glanced up at Kyler. He stared back at her, his eyes staring right at the nasal cannula in her nose. She was used to people staring and never really mind, but she suddenly felt very small as Kyler stared at her.

Kyler laughed. "The hell's wrong with you? You sick or something?"

Gwen shook her head. "It's...it's nothing."

"Leave her alone," Miguel defended her.

Miguel stood up, only to be pushed into a car in the parking lot. The blonde man stood up abruptly.

"Hey! Watch the car, man."

"Who's this dude?"

Gwen stepped away slowly. She kept taking steps backwards until her backpack pressed against the wall of the mini-mart.

"Just leave the dorks alone."

"You see this guy? Eating his dinner at the mini-mart like a bum. Wait, I think I know this guy. He's the jerk-off who cleaned my dad's septic tank."

Miguel walked up to Gwen. They stood side by side, watching nervously as the scene unfolded in front of them. Gwen's heart was pounding.

"That explains why he smells like shit!" one of Kyler's friends laughed.

"Trust me, you guys are pissing off the wrong guy on the wrong day, all right?"

The blonde man stepped closer to Kyler, who shoved him. The man stumbled but caught his balance as Kyler and his friends laughed. The man kicked Kyler in the face, causing him to fall. Gwen and Miguel turned to each other, exchanging a look of surprise. Their heads turned back to the right that had broken out. Gwen couldn't believe her eyes as she watched the man take on the other boys one by one.

"Holy shit!" Miguel said, amazed. "How did you—"

Kyler attacked the man from behind. He flipped him over and then wrapped him in a headlock as they stood up. But Kyler did not stand a chance; the older man flipped him over.

"Is that all you got, ladies?"

Kyler's friends begged him to leave, but he wasn't going to back down. Neither was the blonde man. He grabbed Kyler and then placed him in a chokehold.

The sound of police sirens could be heard as they pulled into the parking lot. Blue and red lights flashed in Gwen's face.

"Hey! Get off the kid!" a cop yelled as he ran up to the scene.

He sprayed the older man with pepper spray, causing him to scream from the sting in his eyes.

"It's not his fault!" Miguel tried to explain as he ran closer.

Gwen watched as the man was knocked to the ground. Still in shock, Gwen approached Miguel. The two teens watched as the blonde man was put into the back of a cop car.

"Well, I was not expecting that to happen," Gwen said, turning her attention to Miguel.

Miguel nodded. "Me either."

"We should probably get home," Gwen told him.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Miguel responded.

The two teens began walking back the way that they had come. The only topic of conversation that they could focus on was the fight.

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The next morning, Gwen sat outside her apartment with Miguel. They could only seem to focus on the fight from the previous night. Gwen had to agree that it was quite mind-blowing how he managed to take on Kyler and his friends all at once.

"You think he could teach me?" Miguel asked.

Gwen shrugged. "I don't know. He doesn't really seem like the kind of guy that would be willing to teach some random kid karate. No offense."

"None taken," Miguel replied. "But think about it, Gwen. You saw him the fight. If he taught us, we could learn to defend ourselves."

"We?" Gwen asked. "Miguel, I can't do martial arts."

Miguel furrowed his eyebrows. "Why not?"

Gwen gestured to her nasal cannula and oxygen tank. "Hello?"

"I mean, I didn't think that really mattered," Miguel replied with a shrug.

Gwen didn't get the chance to reply. The blonde man's car pulled into the parking lot. Miguel immediately sat up and walked towards the man's red car. Gwen followed him, standing next to him as they watched the man get out of his car.

"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you," Miguel told him.

"All right, well, you said it."

The man started to walk away from them, going in the direction of his apartment. The two teenagers followed him, Miguel asking him questions.

"So, last night, was that, like, Tae Kwon Do or jujitsu or MMA or something?"

"It's karate. Old-school karate."

"Do you think you could teach me?" Miguel asked, glancing at Gwen. "Teach us?"

The man stopped in front of his mailbox. "What? No."

"What?" Miguel asked. "Come on. When school starts, those guys are gonna make my life miserable."

The man groaned. "It's not my problem."

"Look, if I knew just a little bit more of what you knew, then I would be—"

The man turned around. "Forget it. I don't do karate anymore, all right? Besides, I need to find a job."

"Well, you could open your own karate school," Miguel suggested.

"It's called a dojo, genius," Gwen corrected him.

"Well, then he could open his own dojo," Miguel said, turning to the older man. "You could open your own dojo."

"Look, I'm not getting into this with you, all right? I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to be around kids right now. All right, you want my advice? Stop being so annoying. Maybe you'll stop getting your ass kicked."

He walked past the two teens, leaving them standing by the mailboxes. Miguel sighed, his eyes darting to the ground in disappointment.

"Well, that went well," Gwen spoke sarcastically.

Miguel turned, glaring at her.

Gwen whistled. "Wow, tough crowd."

Miguel sighed. "I've got to get home."

Gwen nodded. "Yeah, same. I'll see you."

"See you," Miguel replied.

They walked to their apartments and stepped inside. Gwen was met with her mother getting ready for work. She closed the door behind her and took a seat on the couch, resting her arm on the back of it.

"What have you been up to?" Alice asked.

"Just hanging out with Miguel," Gwen responded. "He's trying to get the guy who said there's piss in the fountain to teach him karate."

Alice sighed. "I finally got that tidbit of information out of my mind."

Gwen laughed. "Sorry. But after what happened last night at the mini-mart, Miguel wants to learn karate."

Alice raised an eyebrow, tuning to look at Gwen. "And what happened last night at the mini-mart?"

Gwen's eyes went wide. "Uhhhhh....nothing?"

Alice placed her hands on her hips. "Gwendolyn Elizabeth Peterson, what happened at the mini-mart?"

Gwen sighed. "Okay, fine. This group of boys came in and were trying to buy beer. I guess Miguel knew them somehow, and he ruined their plans. They started messing with him and punching him. They poured Pepto all over him. I think he might still be slightly pink."

Gwen took a breath before speaking again. "This one guy—Kyler—started messing with me, so Miguel tried to defend me, and so Kyler pushed him into a car, which just so happened to be the blonde man's car. And then he started using karate against the guys that were messing with us."

"Gwendolyn! Why didn't you tell me this last night?" Alice scolded her. "You could have gotten hurt!"

"Mom, I'm fine," Gwen told her. "Honestly, the only thing that's bothering me is that I don't know the weird blonde man's name. I keep calling him the blonde man."

Alice sighed. "I'm just glad that you're okay. Maybe I should send him a thank you."

Gwen shook her head. "I don't think that's necessary. He wasn't even really defending us. I mean, I think he cared more about his car than us."

"Still," Alice responded as she glanced down at her watch. "I've got to get to work." She walked up to Gwen and kissed her forehead. "Be safe, okay?"

Gwen nodded. "Don't worry. I will."

Gwen watched her mother walk out the door. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it. She clicked on the internet icon and began typing in the search bar.

cystic fibrosis and karate

Her finger hovered hesitantly over the blue "go" button before she pressed it. In a matter of seconds, thousands of websites and blogs appeared on her screen.

— EMILIA'S NOTES

"it's the end of the line" is a reference to the first karate kid movie. daniel's mom says it to him when they get to their apartment & he says "you're telling me." i wanted to do a little flashback to that.

also i hope referring to johnny as just "the blonde man" and "the older man" wasn't too confusing. i just thought that since this is from gwen's pov it was fitting because she doesn't know his name yet.

anyway here's to the first rewritten chapter of this story. i'm so much happier with it.