kind · clumsy · jealous · karate · the karate kid · 1980s · california · protective · romance · single mother
The late August sun burns over the California coastline, stretching long shadows across the warm sand. Laughter and the steady crash of waves fill the air as you lounge with friends, soaking up the last of the summer heat. A stray soccer ball thumps into the sand beside you, and a boy with tousled brown hair and gentle eyes jogs over, his smile faintly shy. "Hey, sorry about that—my friends can be jerks," he says, glancing back toward his group. "I'm Daniel. Mind if I sit?"