Most kids with younger siblings dreaded the day their younger sibling was old enough to go to the same school as them. Dylan was the complete opposite. She couldn't wait until next year when Devon would finally go to West Valley with her.

Was it because she was starting to get sick and tired having to go wake up an hour earlier than she'd like so she could drive Devon to her middle school on the other side of town? Yes.

Will she admit that proudly? Absolutely.

Dylan had just dropped Devon off at her school and started to head toward West Valley High when she started to see a Coffee Bean at the light. Dylan looked down at the clock on her dashboard and her lips pursed at the time. She looked back up to the coffee shop she was getting closer and closer to before she finally caved in.

"I've got time." She muttered as she impulsively pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop.

It was the quickest coffee run she had ever done. It took three minutes max for her to order her regular iced chai and be back at the car so Dylan had no clue how the hell her car stopped working so fast.

But here she was, stranded in the Coffee Bean parking lot with her now sputtering car.

Dylan's groans were louder than the car. She smacked her hands on the steering wheel angrily until the noise stopped. She rested her forehead onto the wheel, making sure not to accidentally land on the horn as she huffed.

She stayed like that for a good five minutes before her phone rang from the center console. Keeping her forehead against the wheel, Dylan's eyes moved to her phone to see who was calling her.

Sam's contact photo and name was bright on her phone. Dylan closed her eyes as she reached for it and answered. "Hey, Sam." Dylan muttered tiredly.

"Did you just wake up? Dyl, class starts in five minutes and you're normally here before me!" Sam whispered like a reprimanding parent. Even though Sam couldn't see her, Dylan shook her head and finally lifted her head off of her steering wheel.

"No, no. My car broke down. I'm not gonna make is to chem. Or... any of my classes today." Dylan sighed, rubbing her eyes and careful not to smear any of her eye makeup,

Sam straightened up at Dylan's words. "Well, wait. Just call my dad's dealership. I'm sure he'll put some priority for your car to get done faster and he'll maybe even give you a discount," Sam suggested and Dylan pursed her lips, She honestly didn't even think about what to do once she was done groaning about her car. Calling Mr. LaRusso wasn't a bad idea at all.

"You really think he'll give me a discount?" Dylan asked and she faintly heard Sam snicker before she answered. "I'll threaten him if I have to." Sam giggled out and Dylan nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, okay, I'll call them right now." Dylan said and Sam relaxed in her seat. She looked to her left and sighed when she realized Dylan wouldn't be there to be her chemistry partner. Sam looked down at her desk and forced a smile on her face even though Dylan couldn't see her. "Okay, be safe please."

"I will." Dylan said and when they hung up, Sam instantly texted the towing phone number to call.

It took another 30 minutes for a tow truck to come. Luckily, he drove Dylan into the dealership so she wouldn't have to Uber or walk. He dropped her off at the front doors and then towed her car to the lot.

Dylan stepped into the dealership and instantly, the blast of air-conditioning made her shiver. She looked around the room before her eyes spotted the front desk. Dylan sighed. She hated talking to receptionist or adults she didn't know well in general.

She looked around the dealership one more time, hoping to spot Mr. LaRusso so she could talk to him instead, but he was no where to be found.

Dylan looked back to the reception desk and after taking a deep breath, she slowly started to walk over.

When Dylan reached the desk, she anxiously placed her arms onto it and held back drumming her fingers as a stress reliever. The woman behind the desk had yet to look up from her computer and Dylan forced a sweet smile onto her face before she spoke.

"Um, hi." Dylan said, her voice wavering just enough that made her want to leave the dealership entirely. The receptionist looked up from her computer and smiled at Dylan. "Hi there! What can I do for you?" The lady, "Sheila" based off her name-tag, asked sweetly.

Dylan swallowed, looking down at her hands before she looked back to the woman in front of her and squinted. "Uh, my car just got towed here. It pulled in a minute ago."

Sheila nodded and started typing. "Got it! What's the name on the car?" She asked, barely looking up at Dylan as she typed.

"Dylan Lee."

Dylan pressed her nails into her palms, resisting the urge to check over her shoulder, like maybe she could see her car or finally spot Daniel as Sheila continued to type.

"Alrighty!" Sheila announced, making Dylan snap her head back to her. "Looks like it just arrived in the system, which makes sense since you said it just got dropped off. Do you know what's wrong with it, or do you need a full inspection?"

When Sheila looked up to her, Dylan suddenly felt her face grow red. She gulped down her nerves and squinted uncomfortably. "I'm uh... I'm not too sure. It just wouldn't turn on. I'm not really sure how cars work." Dylan nervously laughed out, her voice tilted up slightly.

And when Sheila shook her head, that same sweet smile onto her face, Dylan let herself relax a bit more. "Oh, that's no problem, sweetheart! We'll take a look and let you know." The woman reassured and Dylan let out a breath of air she didn't even know she was holding in.

"Sounds perfect." Dylan breathed out and Sheila let out a satisfied hum, handing Dylan a thin clipboard.

"Great! Just need your signature here."

Dylan took the clipboard and scribbled her name, her fingers shaking a little. She really hoped Daniel would help her out with the cost, or at least she hoped it wasn't too expensive. When she handed the clipboard, back to Sheila, the woman nodded. "Okay, we're gonna get your car in the queue. It might take a couple of hours, so you're welcome to wait here, or we can call you when we have an estimate."

Dylan shifted on her feet. Waiting sounded awful, but going home or to school and stressing about when they'd call sounded worse.

"I'll just wait." Dylan said quietly, pressing her lips together in a thin line. Dylan mumbled a quick thanks and shuffled toward the waiting area, pulling out her phone as she collapsed into one of the empty seats. By the looks of it, there wasn't anyone else waiting for an update so hopefully, there was only a handful of people in front of her in the queue.

Dylan didn't know how long she'd be stuck at the dealership, so she decided to pull her knees into her chest and watch X-Men: First Class while she waited for her name to be called.

Just as Hank McCoy appeared on her screen, the smell of buttery popcorn filled the air and she could see a body stand directly in front of her out of the corner of her eyes. Thinking that maybe instead of calling her name, someone had just walked up to her, Dylan paused her movie and looked up.

Her gaze landed on a boy her age, his brown hair slicked back and tucked behind his ears. He had a faint smile on his lips and he had a container of popcorn in his hands.

As soon as his eyes met Dylan's, the boys felt the heat crawl up his neck and ears, his fingers gripping the popcorn bucket just a little tighter. "Hi, can I help you?" He asked, flashing her a quick, slightly nervous smile.

Dylan froze.

Her lips parted slightly as she blinked up at him.

He was really cute.

After a second, Dylan realized she needed to answer and she smiled casually. Luckily, she didn't take too long for the boy to question her. "Oh, um. I already talked with Sheila. I'm just waiting for an update on my car." Dylan saved herself, pointing to the woman still at the front desk, hoping she didn't look as flustered as she felt.

The boy followed her motion and when he turned back to her, there was a bit of a crinkle in his eyes and a growing smirk on his face. He raised a finger toward her in a mock-serious way. "Good thing for you, my job is to sit and talk with people waiting for updates on their cars."

Before she could respond, he dropped into the empty seat beside her, his shoulder brushing hers. When Dylan turned to look at him, he was already watching her. He tilted the popcorn bucket in his hands toward her, silently offering her some.

Dylan raised an eyebrow, biting back a smile as she took a small handful. "Do you share popcorn with all of your customers?" She teased with a small hum, her voice lighter than before.

As Dylan ate the three pieces, Robby watched her, the corners of his lips twitching upward.

"Just the ones I want to get to know more."

He licked his lips to hide his smile when he noticed Dylan's cheeks start to turn red. He looked down at his lap for a few seconds before he turned back to Dylan. "I'm Robby." He introduced, tilting his head to the side. This gesture seemed softer than before–his smirk was replaced with a small smile and his eyes weren't as big anymore.

Dylan somehow felt both relaxed and a little dizzy all at once. She smiled at Robby and started to introduce herself.

"I'm—"

"Dylan?"

Dylan and Robby both turned their heads at the voice calling out Dylan's name and the girl immediately felt her shoulders that have been tense since her car broke down, finally relax when she saw Daniel LaRusso coming toward her.

The man looked at Dylan with furrowed eyebrows and a scrunched nose. He held his hands out by his side, shaking his head. "Shouldn't you be at school?" He asked just as he reached Dylans seat.

Dylan sighed, rubbing her palms against her jeans as she tilted her head. "Trust me, I've been freaking out about it for the past hour." Dylan snickered unenthusiastically. She looked down at her phone in her lap and felt her stomach twist at how much time had passed. "I'm missing history right now. But my car broke down on the way."

Daniel frowned at Dylan's words. Her and Sam haven't been friends for long, but he wasn't blind. He knew how much Dylan meant to his daughter and he could see from all his interactions with her that Dylan was a good person. He sighed, turning to the receptionist desk  Dulan stood at almost an hour ago.

"Sheila, can I see the estimate for Dylan Lee's car?"

Sheila's head snapped up from her laptop and she scrambled to get the information on Dylan's car. She started walking toward him, Daniel meeting her halfway to take the iPad out of her hands.

Daniel clicked his tongue as he walked back toward Dylan and Robby still seated, Dylan moved to the edge of her seat as she waited for an update.

When Daniel's eyebrows shot up, Dylan's heart sank.

But then, he looked up from the iPad and she saw the amused look on his face. "Volkswagen Beetle?"

Dylan sighed, smiling at just the thought of her bright red car. She hummed as she nodded her head. "Mhm. Love Petunia." Dylan muttered under her breath, but Robby heard her.

Robby chuckled, turning toward her with an amused grin. "You named your car Petunia?" Robby repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Dylan was sure he didn't mean any harm in laughing. She took his words as a genuine question and shook her head. "Oh, I didn't. My mom did. It was her car before–"

"Looks like it's just an electrical issue! Easy fix." Daniel interrupted, which Dylan was kinda grateful for so she wouldn't accidentally start sharing too much of her personal life. She just met Robby ten minutes ago. He did not need to know about her mom dying.

Dylan quickly jumped back into her conversation with Mr. LaRusso, raising her eyebrows and giving him and sheepishly sweet smile. "Is it a cheap fix?" She asked, her voice getting a little higher in pitch.

Daniel chuckled at the question, nodding his head slowly. "Let me see how low I can get this repair." He looked down at the iPad and started typing. Dylan shimmied to the edge of her seat and waited eagerly.

"Friends and family..." Daniel muttered and Dylan pulled her lips into a line to stop herself from smiling.

"My own personal code." He hummed, eyeing Dylan with a smile. Dylan had to hold back any surprise at that. Friends and Family she could understand, since she was his daughter's friend, but person code? Dylan is definitely gonna thank Sam later for whatever she says to her dad about her when she's not around.

Daniel turned the iPad around for Dylan to check out the price. "How's that look?" He asked and Dylan stopped fighting the smile on her face at how low the price was.

She let out a shocked laugh and looked up at Daniel. "That's lower than I was hoping for. Thank you, Mr. LaRusso." Dylan gushed and Daniel smiled, taking the iPad back from her. "Anything for one of Sam's friends." He looked between Dylan and Robby for a few moments before raising his hand and pointing at Robby.

"How about you hang out here with Robby while my guys work on your car? Should be no more than an hour. You'll be back on campus by fifth period." Daniel suggested as if the last part of his offer was a gift.

It also didn't really seem like an offer at all, more like a nice demand because before he could let either teens answer, he walked away.

Dylan sighed, slumping back into her seat. "P.E. Yay..." She grumbled sarcastically.

Robby watched Dylan quietly. He didn't really know what to say now. His hand readjusted around the popcorn bucket when—wait. He has popcorn.

Robby tilted the bucket to Dylan again and pursed his lips. "Want some more popcorn?".

Dylan turned to him, then down at the half-empty bucket in his hands. She looked back up, raising her eyebrows. "Can I get my own bucket this time?"

Robby's smile widened, a breathy laugh slipping past his lips. He placed the bucket down on the table beside him and pushed himself to his feet. Standing in front of her, he gestured behind him.

"Right this way."

He didn't move after that, waiting for Dylan to get up. When she smiled at him, Robby felt his stomach flip.

He started to lead her toward the popcorn machine, his hands nervously shoved into his pockets. "So you're one of Mr. LaRussos daughter's friends?"

Dylan kept her gaze on the floor as she nodded. "Yeah, uh... I'm Dylan." Her face twisted and she looked back up to Robby, shaking her head with a nervous smile. "I never got to say it earlier."

Robby smiled, his shoulders relaxing. "Good to officially meet you, Dylan."

Her stomach flipped at the way he said her name.

A silence started to grow over them. It wasn't awkward, it was actually pretty comfortable, but Robby wanted to keep talking. He wanted to get to know Dylan more. But he couldn't think of any questions. Luckily, Dylan did. She turned to face with a crinkled nose.

"Do you go to school at West Valley? I don't think I've seen you there." Dylan asked, watching Robby closely. He really didn't look familiar at all. God, she hoped she wasn't just too stuck up to not recognize him.

But then Robby shook his head, looking down at the floor instead of Dylan—suddenly, it was just too hard to look at her.

"Oh, uh... I go to East Valley." Robby said and dramatically, Dylan cursed to herself and shook her head playfully. Robby stopped walking as they reached the popcorn stand, eyeing Dylan with an amused smile as she grabbed a popcorn bucket and started to fill it.

"Ah... West Valley." Dylan hummed, pointing to herself.

Robby squinted, leaning casually against the table—but it only brought him closer to her. "I think that makes us rivals..." He said, tilting his head like he was really thinking about it.

Dylan sarcastically huffed, dramatically slamming her popcorn bucket down into the table. "That sucks! I really enjoyed stealing your popcorn." Dylan complained while she shook her head and gestured to the popcorn bucket Robby left by their seats.

Robby chuckled, shaking his head. He watched as Dylan grabbed a handful of popcorn and popped a few kernels into her mouth, his gaze lingering just a little longer than necessary.

He opened his mouth to speak. To ask for her number or just a simple question to get to know her more—Robby didn't know yet. But just before the words came out, a voice beat him to it.

"Hey, Yo! Robby!"

Dylan and Robby turned at the voice, Robby turning around completely and Dylan peaking out from behind Robby's shoulder. Her eyes landed on Louie, Daniel's cousin that she met a handful of times in the past seven months of being friends with Sam.

Louie was gesturing Robby over with a frantic hand and Robby sighed. He turned back to Dylan, his smile gone and the corner of his lips turning downward. "I have to go." He muttered before he gave Dulan the best smile he could despite having to leave. "But it was nice meeting you, Dylan."

Dylan smiled completely. It spread across her entire face until it made her eyes squinted and her nose crinkle. "You too, Robby."

With that, Robby walked to Louie, leaving Dylan by the popcorn machine. She watched him go with a soft smile until Louie led him into another room. When he was gone, Dylan walked back to her seat, her smile hard to get off her face.

emily speaks...
KEENLEE MEET CUTE I WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS
i love them to death im so excited to get more into them

making this chapter while the power went out in my house from how bad the winds are😍😍😍lovely