Fairytale • Robby Keene

twenty one

Trauma happens easily and that's a natural part of life.

It doesn't have to be an epic disaster or some monumental event for it to leave a lasting mark. Sometimes, trauma is simply the accumulation of stress, loss, or fear. It's a response to the weight of emotions we aren't always prepared to handle. And what's even more complicated is that, as humans, we are inherently social creatures—our instincts drive us to love, to be loved, and to belong. We're designed to be part of a community, to feel secure within relationships, and to share experiences with others.

But society often tells us the opposite: to be independent, self-reliant, emotionally tough. We are expected to weather storms on our own, to push through, to suppress pain and vulnerability. This conflict can lead to trauma, even if we aren't fully aware of it. It's normal to feel overwhelmed by the toll this can take.

Two weeks had passed since the traumatic event at the school.

Time doesn't always heal wounds as quickly as we'd like it to. The anger of the parents, the confusion and fear among the students, it all felt like a storm that didn't want to pass. The walls of safety and certainty that had once existed now seemed shattered, and there was no way to put everything back together again.

Miguel, the person at the center of it all, was in a coma—his future uncertain. The repercussions of the fight had been far-reaching, affecting not just him, but everyone around him.

Cobra Kai's leadership crumbled, with Johnny being kicked out, and Kreese stepping in to take control. Johnny, consumed by guilt and confusion, retreated further into his own isolation, drowning his sorrows in alcohol and avoidance. The relationships he once held dear, like his role as a mentor to the students, seemed to slip further away.

Aisha found herself caught in the wake of the aftermath. Her parents removed her from the school, pulling her away from Sam and the rest of her friends. Aisha, so strong and loyal, was now separated from the very thing that had given her a sense of purpose and connection.

Meanwhile, Tory faced the consequences of her impulsive actions. Expelled from school, she became another casualty of the fight, her future uncertain, her emotional state fragile.

Oliver had come out of the doctors and said that he was fine, but they had taken a blood test just in case.

For Robby, the repercussions were just as hard to fathom. He had disappeared—run off without a trace—and in the weeks that followed, Odette had tried everything to find him. She called shelters, hospitals, anyone who might have information about his whereabouts. But it was as though he had vanished into thin air. Every attempt to reach out to him was met with silence, and the weight of that silence was unbearable.

Odette, once filled with hope and optimism, found herself sinking into a pit of uncertainty. The emotional numbness that had settled over her was new—she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this hollow, this disconnected. The sadness that had once felt sharp and raw was now dull, just a constant, gnawing emptiness that followed her everywhere.