WAKING up late the following morning, jet-lagged and groggy, Katherine stumbled out of bed, her eyelids heavy with sleep. She padded to the bathroom, the cool tile a stark contrast to the warmth of her covers. After a quick splash of cold water to her face, she emerged into the kitchen, where the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Amanda, ever the attentive aunt, was waiting with a steaming cup, a kind smile playing on her lips. "How'd you know I needed this?" Katherine asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She took a sip of the dark liquid, the warmth seeping into her weary body. "Call it intuition," Amanda replied, her smile widening. "How'd you sleep?" She inquired. Katherine grinned, her eyes filled with a lazy contentment. "I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow," She confessed. Amanda returned her smile, a sense of relief washing over her as she saw her niece genuinely happy for the first time in years.

"Listen, Daniel and I are going to be out for most of the day," Amanda began, her voice gentle. "Feel free to stay and settle back into your room. But, if you want to explore the city again, be our guest. You can borrow Sam's car until Daniel and I find you one. And if you guys need anything, just call us." Katherine nodded, her mind already racing with endless possibilities. She was eager to rediscover the city she'd once called home.

As Amanda grabbed her black bag and kissed her niece on the forehead, she headed out the door, leaving Katherine alone with the comforting silence of the house. A few minutes later, Sam came downstairs, her hair still damp from a recent shower. "Where are my parents?" she asked, her eyes scanning the empty room. "Amanda said they're gonna be out for most of the day," Katherine replied, handing her cousin a cup of coffee. "So what are we gonna do for the rest of the day? Do you wanna go drive around?"

Katherine suggested, Samantha, however, was quick to shake her head, a mischievous glint in her eye. "No, I think I have a better idea, something that'll be way more fun," She replied, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. Katherine raised a brow, watching as Samantha typed away on her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. Intrigued, Katherine raised an eyebrow. Samantha grinned and disappeared into her room, only to emerge a few minutes later, dressed in a vibrant swimsuit.

"Go put on your bathing suit and meet me outside in fifteen minutes," She commanded, before dashing out the door, leaving Katherine baffled. Not quite understanding her cousin's intentions, Katherine went into her room and opened her nearly empty suitcase. She sighed, a wave of annoyance washing over her. She'd forgotten to pack much, her mind preoccupied with other things. She made a mental note to go shopping for new clothes before school started. Taking out her turquoise two-piece bathing suit, she quickly undressed and threw it on.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, a bit self-conscious of the minimal material hugging her figure. Shaking off the negative thoughts, she grabbed her sunglasses and headed outside. Expecting to find only Samantha, perhaps lounging around on one of the pool floats, she wasn't overly concerned about how the rest of the evening would play out. That was until she heard the obnoxious blare of loud music coming from outside.

Opening the backyard door, she was met with a chaotic scene. A horde of screaming teenagers, clad in various bathing suits, were jumping in and out of the pool, their laughter echoing through the air. Looking around, she immediately spotted Samantha sitting on the edge of the pool, chatting with a blonde and a brunette girl, presumably the best friends she'd mentioned the night before. Walking over, Katherine sat down next to her cousin, instantly catching the blonde's attention.

"Who is this?" The blonde asked, her tone dripping with disdain. "Katherine," The brunette girl replied, her voice level. "I'm Samantha's cousin, and who might you be?" Katherine shot back, her glare sharp. Samantha quickly shot her cousin a warning look, knowing her temper could flare at a moment's notice. "Yasmine," The blonde introduced herself, her arrogance palpable. "Moon," The brunette girl next to her added, her expression more neutral. "Katherine just moved back from France," Samantha explained, trying to diffuse the tension.

Moon was quick to send Katherine a friendly smile. "It's so nice to meet you!" She chirped, extending her hand for a shake. "I love your sunglasses." Katherine smiled back, appreciating the brunette's energetic attitude. "Nice to meet you as well," She replied, shaking Moon's hand. After a brief moment of awkward silence, the three girls quickly returned to their gossip. Seeing as all the lawn chairs were occupied by strangers, Katherine had no choice but to sunbathe at the edge of the pool.

Deciding to relax for the evening, she emptied her mind and leaned back, immediately noticing a few guys gawking at her. She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Okay, you were right. This is so much fun," Samantha exclaimed excitedly, breaking Katherine's thoughts. "Told you. Always better to be the one throwing the party," Yasmine responded cockily. "And Kyler's been eye-banging you all day," She added, making the four girls glance over at the group of guys across the pool, who had their eyes trained on them. Samantha blushed like a giddy teenager as Yasmine and Moon teased her.

Katherine had to bite her tongue, restraining herself from making a snarky comment. She had promised to be nice and try to have a good time without hurting anyone's feelings. Why did she have to promise to be nice? "What's your dad going to say when he sees all this?" Katherine asked, snapping Samantha out of her heart-eyed daydream. "Don't worry, we'll clean it all up when everyone leaves. He'll never know," Samantha reassured her. Katherine wasn't so sure she liked that idea.

Lying to her aunt and uncle did not seem like the smartest decision, seeing as they had agreed to let her stay at their house rent free. She knew they were kind and understanding, but she also knew they valued honesty. Her thoughts were cut short by obnoxious cheers and splashes as the partygoers continued their revelry. "Hey, Rory, do your flip again. I want to get it for my channel!" Moon yelled, pulling out her phone to record. "Yes, Rory!" The crowd cheered as the boy gracefully dove into the pool.

However, the moment of excitement was short-lived as a familiar figure walked into the backyard. And he looked beyond pissed. "Hey, hey, what the hell is going on here?" Daniel exclaimed, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene. "Oh, shit," Moon gasped, quickly putting away her phone. Daniel sighed in frustration, reaching over to turn off the blaring music. "All right, everybody get out of here right now," Daniel ordered sternly. "I'm so sorry, Dad," Samatha coxed hoping her father wouldn't cause a scene in front of all her friends.

"I had no idea you were going to be home so early," She reasoned, trying to calm her father down. Only her excuse made Daniel grown angrier. "It doesn't make a difference what time I get home, Sam. Do you think we want a bunch of strangers in the backyard making a mess?" He ranted. "They're not strangers. They're my friends," Samantha countered, her voice rising. Daniel scoffed. "Some friends. Is he wearing my bathing suit?" He paused, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the group of teen boys standing around the pool, looking like deer caught in headlights.

"Wait, are all of you guys wearing my bathing suits?" He exasperated. Katherine watched the unfolding chaos with a mixture of amusement and concern. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the bewildered boys, but she also knew that Daniel was about seconds away from unleash his wrath. She turned to Samantha, who was now looking sheepish. "Well, this is awkward," Katherine muttered under her breath, trying to hide her grin. It was safe to say that Samantha was not at all amused.

"All right, listen, the party's over, let's go. Take the suits off and leave." He snapped. Not wanting to hear more of Daniel's stern orders, Katherine watched as some frazzled teenage boy started taking off the trunks right there, making both her and Samantha look away in embarrassment. "Obviously not out here, genius. In the pool house." Katherine scoffed, pointing to the secluded area behind the house making the boy nod and quickly huddle away. "Thank you, Katherine," Daniel praised, making the girl nod.

She decided it was best to keep quiet and not anger him further. With that, the house was quickly emptied of the partygoers. "Daniel, can I talk to you inside?" Amanda interrupted, looking between the two girls and her husband, who was still fuming. After debating the many options in his head, Daniel nodded, following his wife inside. "This is so not how I wanted today to go." Samantha whimpered as she and Katherine walked inside, hoping their punishment wouldn't be too severe. "What's done is done, let's just let your dad cool down." Samantha reluctantly nodded, following Katherine upstairs.

A few hours later, as both girls were laying on Samantha's bed scrolling through social media, when suddenly her bedroom door swung open. In walked Daniel, who looked a lot more composed and cooled down. "I just wanted to say," He started. "No, look, Dad. I'm sorry about today," Samantha interrupted, knowing that today's incident was entirely her fault. "I'm sorry too," Katherine interjected. "I should have tried to at least put an end to it, seeing as a bunch of strangers coming over wasn't the way to go, especially since this isn't my house," She concluded. Daniel looked between the two girls.

"Well, maybe I overreacted a little," He conceded. Samantha gave him a look. "Maybe more than a little, okay? Just have those guys bring their own trunks from now on, okay?" Katherine laughed, and Samantha shook her head but nodded in agreement. "Deal." Daniel sat at the edge of the bed, looking at his daughter in particular. "So these guys. Anyone I have to worry about?" He questioned, noticing the blush creeping onto Sam's face. Katherine smirked at her cousin, biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

"You don't have to worry, Dad," Samantha reassured, pausing dramatically. "But there is this one guy, Kyler. He and I have been texting a little bit." Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Texting. Just words, though, right?" Katherine nearly burst out laughing, catching onto what her uncle was implying. "What do you mean..." Sam paused, finally catching on. "Oh, gross. No, no. Just words, Dad." Both girls watched as he let out a breath of relief. "Good, that's good. So Kyler... how about we invite him over for dinner on Friday?" Daniel suggested.

"You want me to invite Kyler to Friday family dinner?" Samantha asked, wondering why the sudden change in her father's demeanor. "I'm not talking about walking you down the aisle. We're going to give the kid a meal. Besides, your brother has a sleepover. It'll be a good chance for us to get to know him." Katherine shrugged when Daniel met her gaze. There was something about the boy that she didn't like. "Okay. I'll see if he can come," Samantha agreed, even though she wasn't entirely sure why she was agreeing. "Great," Daniel stated, standing up to leave.

"You don't have to worry about me, Dad. I can handle myself. I'm a LaRusso." Katherine smiled, wishing she had the same kind of bond with her own father. "That's my girl. Jersey tough," He remarked, pausing to look over at Katherine. "Both of you, I know I've taught you both to handle yourselves. Now get to bed, it's late." Katherine saluted him as he left, turning to Samantha as the door shut. "So, what's the deal with Kyler?" Katherine inquired, eager to know more about her cousin's new crush. By the looks of it, Samantha was more than eager to indulge her, gushing about how much she had grown to like this boy.

ANOTHER FILLER CHAPTER!
Yet I'm sure we all love badass Katherine standing up to Yasmine!! Hope you guys liked the long chapter don't worry it's gonna get way more exciting soon!! Don't forget to comment and vote if you enjoyed this chapter, there is SO much more on the way!