Fairytale • Robby Keene

four

At school, the air was thick with whispers, and one particularly ugly rumor seemed to dominate the halls. Sam allegedly performed oral sex on Kyler at the movies last night. The very thought of it left Odette feeling disgusted. The idea that anyone could spread such a story, and even worse, believe it, was beyond her comprehension.

Odette found herself questioning everything about the rumor. She had never seen any indication that Sam and Kyler were even remotely close in that way. Besides, why was anyone so invested in what happened between two people outside of school? It wasn't as if anyone's business was anyone else's concern.

"Why do people care about this stuff?" Odette muttered to herself as she stood in line with Miguel, Demetri and Eli, waiting to choose their meals. The cafeteria was buzzing, but the gossip followed them like a shadow.

Eli gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll blow over. People forget quickly."

"Yeah, no one really cares in the long run. People are just bored." Miguel added.

Odette appreciated their words, but she couldn't shake the feeling that, for now, the story was sticking like glue. Still, she knew that they were right—eventually, it would fade, replaced by whatever new drama high school life had to offer.

When they finally reached their table, Odette was taken aback. Sitting there, where they normally gathered, was someone who hadn't been part of their group before.

"Aisha?" Odette asked, a mix of surprise and curiosity in her voice.

Aisha looked up from her tray and gave them a tight-lipped smile. "Hey."

"Are you sitting with us today?" Odette wondered as she set her tray down beside Aisha and took a seat, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Yeah, if that's okay?"

"That's fine."

"Yay, just another random person at our table." Demetri muttered under his breath. His voice carried a hint of sarcasm, but Odette chose to ignore him. She couldn't deny that it was a bit unexpected, but sometimes, it was nice to have a change of pace.

The group of four sat around their usual table, the low hum of the cafeteria filling the air as they began to eat. Between bites, Aisha casually revealed that she had joined Cobra Kai, along with Miguel.

Odette hesitated for a moment, her gaze drifting away from the cafeteria and toward her tray.

A heavy feeling lingered in her chest as Daniel's warning replayed in her mind. Cobra Kai is dangerous, he had said. The dojo's negative history still loomed over the school, and its core principles—'Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy'—didn't sit well with Odette.

Those words represented everything she didn't want to become—aggressive, ruthless, uncaring.

Cobra Kai Karate, she thought, her mind drifting to the style itself. It was a unique mix of Shotokan and Tang Soo Do, with its emphasis on side kicks, knee kicks, roundhouse kicks, sweeps, straight punches, backfists and chops. A fighting style that was meant to dominate, to overwhelm an opponent without mercy. It was efficient, certainly, but in the wrong hands, it could be a weapon.