Chapter 29 "Pasts"

I turned to Tory as the roar of the motorcycle still echoed in the distance. "What do you mean, Tory?"

She hesitated, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Are you… really dating Larusso?"

"Yes," I replied firmly. When I said this, she clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

"Why…" she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Why what, Tory?"

"Why her…" he muttered, still looking down.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I've known Sam for a long time, since I was at your school."

"I… I don't accept this," she said, finally looking up, her voice shaking.

I thought to myself, What's wrong with this girl? She treats me badly and still expects me to be her doormat or something? I sighed and said out loud, "What does this have to do with me, Tory? You've been treating me badly for years. Ever since that kiss in the alley, you've changed on me. I left because I had to, for a variety of reasons. Almost two years later, I come back, go to your apartment to talk, and what do you do? Slap me in the face and treat me like dirt. What do you think I am?"

"You're a liar," she snapped, her eyes watering. "That's why I hate you."

"Me, a liar?" I countered. "What lie exactly did I tell you?"

"YOU SAID YOU WOULD NEVER LEAVE ME!" she screamed, tears beginning to flow. "AND WHAT DID YOU DO? THE NEXT DAY YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING AWAY FOR A YEAR! HOW IS THAT NOT A LIE? AND YOU WERE GONE FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS, YOU IDIOT!"

"Tory," I said, calmer, "I came back to this city just because of you."

"!!!! WHAT?" She stared at me, surprised, her eyes wide.

"It's true," I confirmed. "I came back to Los Angeles just for you. I had no intention of coming back here. I can travel anywhere on the planet, I'm free from ties. But when I think about all this, leaving you here alone… Another guy coming and taking you for himself… It hurts. But I can't force you to like me. That's why I'm moving on."

"Clark…" Her voice trailed off. "I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me before?" Her face flushed, her heart racing. "I'm sorry, Clark… I'm sorry for treating you so badly. I was angry this whole time, thinking you didn't like me, that you were just messing with me. That the kiss you gave me that day was just a joke of yours. And when you said you were leaving… It all just reinforced what I thought. I'm sorry for treating you like this." The tears were flowing freely now as she spoke.

"Tory, it's okay, don't cry," I said, walking over and wrapping her in a hug.

"I'm sorry, Clark…" she sobbed, her face buried in my chest. "Sniff… My life is a mess. I have a lot of problems, but that's no excuse for treating you the way I did."

We stayed like that for a few minutes, the silence between us filled with emotions. Then I pulled away a little and asked, "Is everything okay now?"

"Yes…" she replied, wiping her face. "Clark, I have to go. I have to get ready for work."

"Okay. Give me your phone," I said. She handed it to me, and I wrote down my number. "When you have time to talk, call me."

"Okay," she said, her voice still weak.

I got on my bike and set off, the wind blowing in my face as I listened to Limp Bizkit's Behind Blue Eyes on my headphones. The music echoed in my ears when I spotted Sam walking alone on the sidewalk.

Vroom, vroom. I stopped beside her. "Hey, kitty, what are you doing walking around all by yourself?"

"Clark!" she exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the one asking you that," I retorted. "Why are you here on foot?"

"I'm running, exercising," she explained, panting.

"Oh, I see. Want a ride?"

"Yes, I do. I'm going home," she replied with a smile.

"Then climb in there, babe," I said, pointing to the backseat.

A few minutes later, as we drove through the streets, I commented, "I spoke to the Cobra Kai sensei."

"!!! Why?" she asked, her voice thick with curiosity.

"I went there to talk to him to make his students stop attacking you guys at Miyagi-Do."

"And what did he say?" he wanted to know.

"He accepted the terms. No one is going to go around cowardly attacking you like before."

"Did you believe him, Clark?" she retorted suspiciously. "Of course they're lying. I don't trust them at all."

"Yes, I know he was telling the truth," I replied. "But I don't know about his students…"

She was silent for a moment, then asked, "Was she there?"

"Who?"

"That girl," she said, her tone more serious.

"Yes, Tory was there," I admitted.

"Clark, what's wrong with you and this girl?" she asked, almost begging. "Please tell me everything. I want to get this straight."

"I met Tory at school one Friday on the terrace," I began, and then I told her the whole story of how we met. The chance encounters, the conversations, the way she always seemed ready for a fight.

Sam listened in silence, absorbing every word.

"Sam, I'm not going to lie to you," I continued. "I don't want you to find out something from someone else. I came back to Los Angeles because of Tory."

"!!!! Why?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"What we had was special, Sam," I explained. "I know it's weird to tell you this, being my girlfriend and all, but I'd rather say it now so I don't cause any problems later."

"Is that it?" she asked. "You guys didn't… like, go to bed or something? Or kiss?"

"Yes, we kissed," I confessed. "Want all the details?"

"Yes, I do," she insisted. "I want to understand why this girl is like this."

"Okay, Sam. Listen," I began. "But I'm pretty sure the reason Tory is mad at you isn't me. I wasn't even your friend before all this. From what I hear, you two have a history."

"Tell me," she asked.

I told her about the fight we had, every detail I could remember. "I promised I would stay with her," I explained, "but she thought I was leaving for good. Then all this happened."

"Understood," she said thoughtfully.

"Clark, I remembered something," she said after a moment. "What about school? What are you going to do?"

"I already graduated," I replied. "I took extra classes, finished early, and got my diploma."

"Wow, I didn't even know you could do that," she said, surprised. "Good thing this is my last year."

"What happened between you and Tory before I came back here?" I asked.

She hesitated before answering. "She was dating Miguel, my ex-boyfriend. But I was also dating Robby… at least for a while. There, at a party at Moon's house, Miguel and I kissed. Tory saw and created that scandal. I know I shouldn't have done that, but I was drunk, and it was Miguel who kissed me. I just… let it happen."

"I get it," I said. "In the end, the only one who got screwed over in all of this was Robby. Tory played the victim and started all this chaos, but I don't think it was just jealousy. She has a personal grudge against you. She lumped it all together and took it out on you all at once."

"!!!! WHAT?" Sam exclaimed. "What do you mean? I mean, we've had our disagreements, but I've never done anything so serious for her to react like that."

"In my opinion, considering Tory's life, she wasn't jealous of you or Miguel," I explained. "She was jealous of your life. Her life is one problem after another. She probably thinks yours is perfect and is jealous of that. Even before all this at school, she would mention your name every now and then in our conversations. Always with disdain, making fun of how perfect you had a life and stuff."

"Rich parents, stable family, a bright life and a promising future," I continued. "That's what she's talking about."

Sam was silent, processing everything.

"I'm not saying Tory is innocent," I added. "It's just that her life, since she was 14, has been very hard. Her mother is sick, she had to get jobs at a young age to support the family, working hard every day."

"I didn't know about all that," Sam admitted, his voice low. "I mean, she never talked to me or anything. But that doesn't give her the right to do what she did to me. I'm not going to take this lying down."

"I know," I replied. "I don't expect you to forgive her or become friends. I only told you this so you have all the details."

"I'll think about it," she said. "Clark, thanks for telling me. We're here. I'm going now, bye." I took off my helmet, and she gave me a kiss before getting out.

So I headed home, the roar of the motorcycle echoing through the streets as the sun set.