chapter eleven.
the aftermath
💥

COBRA KAI
season three episode one

After spending several days in the hospital, Clementine's discharge marked the beginning of a daunting reality. Robby and Miguel dominated her thoughts—Miguel, lying in a coma with an uncertain awakening, and Robby, a fugitive wanted for arrest.

Guided by her father Caleb, Clementine, wearing a cast on her hand resulting from a tumultuous encounter, stepped into her home. She has to wear it for a month. The weight of the situation hung heavy in the air as she grappled with the emotional aftermath. All she could muster was an overwhelming desire to release the tears that had been held back for far too long.

Clementine shifted her gaze toward her dad, her voice barely audible as she said, "I'm... gonna head to my room." Caleb observed her with a wary look, responding, "If you need any help, let me know, okay?" She nodded in acknowledgment.

Running her fingers through her hair, Clementine made her way towards her room. As she opened the door and stepped in, a sudden intrusion startled her. A hand swiftly covered her mouth, stifling her scream. Panic set in as she turned around to discover Robby's presence. Her heart sank at the sight of him. Taking a few steps back, she managed to utter, "D—Don't touch me!" Her finger trembled as she pointed at him, the fear evident in her shaky voice.

Robby stood in front of Clementine, his tear-stained cheeks and freshly cut hair catching her eye. Despite these changes, her anger overshadowed any immediate concern. "Why are you here? Why are you here!" she whispered-yelled, tears streaming down her face. Robby, struggling to contain his own emotions, cleared his throat.

In a shaky voice, he began, "I... I just wanted to say goodbye. I'm leaving. I'm gonna try to head to the border, and I wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Clem." His attempt to hold back tears mirrored Clementine's emotional turmoil.

Clementine's hand cut through the air, the sharp sound of the slap echoing in the room as it landed on Robby's face. His head turned to the side, and he instinctively held his jaw, meeting Clementine's gaze with a somber frown. "I—I deserved that," he mumbled in acknowledgment.

As Clementine took a determined step forward, she forcefully shoved him into a wall. In the charged silence that followed, she whispered, "I... just why, Robby? Why did you... you push... Miguel," her voice trembling. She looked down at her feet, a mix of anger, hurt, and confusion reflected in her eyes as she tried to compose herself amid the whirlwind of emotions.

Robby swallowed hard, his voice shaky as he admitted, "I... I don't know... I was just so angry... I just... I'm sorry, Clem." Clementine looked up at him with a mix of understanding and frustration, hesitating before tentatively taking his hand.

Their eyes locked, and she responded with conviction, "Don't apologize to me. You need to apologize to Miguel." Robby's hands slipped from hers as he walked away to another part of Clementine's room.

"No! He started the fight with me. I was trying to help Sam and to stop the fight. He should apologize!" Robby exclaimed, his frustration evident. Clementine rolled her eyes, folding her arms in response.

"Robby! You are a wanted fugitive. Miguel's in a coma because of you," she stated firmly, trying to make him grasp the severity of the situation they were in.

Before Robby could respond, a voice emerged from behind Clementine's bedroom door. "Clem, is everything okay in there?" Tyler inquired. In response, Clementine rushed over, swiftly locking the door with her good hand. "Yeah... I'm just... talking to myself. Like if I see Robby again, what I would say to him. Just practicing," she chuckled softly.

Tyler, skeptical of her explanation, touched the door handle and tried to open it. Realizing it was locked, he insisted, "Clem, let me in." Clementine's eyes widened, and she subtly waved her hand, signaling for Robby to hide under her bed. Robby promptly dropped to the floor, crawling beneath the bed as Clementine exhaled, attempting to force a smile.

She unlocked the door and opened it. "No, Robert Swayze Keene, here," she declared, showing Tyler the seemingly empty room, concealing Robby's presence beneath the bed.

Tyler cast a skeptical glance at his sister before stepping into her room. Clementine, keeping a pleasant smile, waited patiently for him to leave. After he closed the door, she swiftly locked it again. She let out a soft whistle, signaling for Robby to crawl out from under the bed.

"Did you just whistle for me?" he raised an eyebrow, his expression showing a mix of confusion and discomfort. Clementine chuckled, "Yeah... I'm not doing that again," she admitted with a laugh, scrunching her nose in amusement at the unexpected and awkward way she had called him out.

Clementine sighed, the itchiness beneath her cast becoming unbearable. She turned, grabbing a pencil from her desk and using it to alleviate the irritation. Robby, noticing her cast and the tape over her nose, widened his eyes in realization. "Oh my god, how did I just notice. Clem, are you okay?" he stepped forward, gently taking her injured hand and examining it closely.

A smirk played on Clementine's lips. "Best injuries ever. Got it from beating the crap out of Blaire. Poor bitch was curled up on the floor," she shared with pride, recounting the victorious confrontation. Robby looked up at her in surprise. "Why aren't the cops after you as well?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Clementine blew a raspberry, circling Robby with a teasing smile before taking a seat on her bed, avoiding direct eye contact with him. "I might have threatened her..." she admitted, the mischievous glint in her eyes revealing a side of the recent events that Robby hadn't fully grasped.

Robby's eyes widened in disbelief. "Clem!" he scolded her, shooting her a disapproving look. She defensively pointed at him, retorting, "Hey! I'm not the one who pushed a kid off the balcony! I just beat her up to a pulp!" Robby couldn't help but shake his head, a smile breaking through as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"We're really made for each other," he chuckled, acknowledging the unconventional connection they shared. Clementine grinned up at him, a mixture of camaraderie and mischief dancing in their eyes, as if their tumultuous journey had forged a unique bond between them.

The weight of reality settled on Robby as he sat down beside Clementine, taking her good hand with a frown. "I need to go, Clem. I'll stay in contact with you, okay? I got a burner phone, and I'll text you whenever. Come find me one day in Mexico, okay? I'll never forget you," he said, his words carrying the weight of imminent separation.

Clementine furrowed her eyebrows, standing up in front of him. "A — Are you breaking up with me?" she asked, her voice croaking with a mix of vulnerability and fear. Robby frowned more, standing up. "No... I don't know," he sighed, expressing the uncertainty that clouded their future.

Not wanting to confront the complexities in that moment, Clementine gently cupped his face and pressed a rough kiss to his lips. His eyes closed, and he instinctively grabbed her waist, pulling her closely. Their kiss was passionate, a momentary escape from the reality surrounding them. When they pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers.

"I promise to contact you as soon as I can, okay?" he reassured her. She nodded with a somber smile, understanding the challenges and uncertainties that lay ahead for both of them.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Anastasia and Caleb reluctantly stepped into the school building, compelled to attend a mandatory parent and faculty board meeting. The atmosphere carried a sense of obligation as they made their way inside. Caleb, expressing his discontent, groaned audibly while walking alongside his sister. "Ughh, I don't wanna be here. Why is this mandatory?" he whined, his reluctance evident.

Anastasia rolled her eyes in response to her brother's complaint. "Hey, we need to talk to them. Make sure they're gonna make some safety rules. I don't wanna Tyler hurt, and I don't want Clem to be hurt again, and I know you feel the same," she reasoned, giving him a determined look. Caleb, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, quietly admitted, "You're right... but why couldn't you just go? I don't wanna be here," expressing his reluctance more openly.

Anastasia, understanding his hesitation, rolled her eyes and carried on, recognizing the shared concern for the safety of their loved ones that brought them to the mandatory meeting.

Caleb struggled to hold back his laughter as he observed Daniel and his wife Amanda engaged in an argument. "Sup, LaRussos," Caleb snickered, only to receive a swift smack on the head from behind, courtesy of his sister Anastasia. "Stop acting like a teen!" she scolded him before extending a greeting to Amanda. "Hey, Amanda! Nice to see you. We must talk soon," she added, addressing Daniel's wife before following Caleb into the auditorium.

"People, please take your seats."

Caleb and Anastasia found seats at the back of the auditorium. Caleb, adjusting his jacket, took a moment to glance around the room. "Damn, did I have kids young? I see a lot of old people here," he whispered to his sister with a playful smirk. Anastasia swiftly smacked him on the arm.

"Enough with the jokes, Caleb! This is serious," she argued sternly, her tone reflecting the gravity of the situation and her determination to maintain focus. Despite her serious demeanor, Caleb couldn't resist laughing at her attempt to bring a sense of seriousness to the moment.

"Thank you all for coming," the principal expressed before continuing, "Everyone at the school board cares about the safety of our students." However, his speech was abruptly interrupted by Caleb, who stood up and yelled, "Where the hell were the teachers? My daughter has a broken hand!" His outburst resonated with others in the room, who joined in expressing their discontent with the situation. Tension filled the air as concerns about the safety and well-being of the students came to the forefront of the discussion.

Daniel turned to Caleb with a smirk. "Isn't your daughter the one who beat the crap out of that one girl?" he snickered, attempting to provoke a reaction. Caleb, glaring at Daniel, swiftly responded, "Hey! Don't talk about my daughter like that, LaRusso! You're just a bully, like, you bullied me back in the 80s!" Pointing an accusatory finger, Caleb brought up past grievances. In response, Daniel waved him off dismissively with a scoff, the exchange highlighting the personal history and animosity between the two.

Counselor Blatt intervened, addressing Caleb. "Mr. Katz, please sit down. We understand your frustrations. But the NEA guidelines are quite clear that no teacher can get in between two students fighting," she explained. Another parent expressed their outrage, yelling, "That neckbeard teacher attacked the kids!"

"Mr. Stingray never worked here. Last we heard... Last we heard he's on probation and not allowed within 500 feet of any child."

"How do we know this isn't gonna happen again?" a concerned parent stood up, expressing their worries. Counselor Blatt perked up and responded, "We have a new initiative called Hugs Not Hits. It's like DARE except it actually works." This explanation prompted Caleb to snicker, while Anastasia scoffed and stood up.

"Your solution is seriously to hug kids? No teen is gonna wanna hug another! That isn't gonna solve bullying. Teens who bully usually have some personal issues that they won't admit to, you guys need to help them, and also support the kid being bullied," Anastasia argued, offering a more nuanced perspective on addressing the root causes of bullying and providing support for both the bullies and the bullied.

"What Counselor Blatt is trying to say is no more karate. Zero tolerance from here on out," Principal Santos interrupted, taking charge of the situation and asserting a strict stance. The announcement left Caleb's face dropping, realizing the impact of the decision on Clementine, who had started to develop an interest in karate. The shift in policy signaled a significant change, prompting concern and disappointment among those affected by the decision.

Daniel stood up in offense. "Wait. You don't need to turn this into some kind of karate Footloose! Karate is not the problem! When I went to school here, I was bullied, and karate saved me," he argued passionately.

Caleb took a stand once again, shouting, "Bullshit! You were the real bully, LaRusso!" Daniel turned back at him, yelling, "Caleb! You, Johnny, and his friends tortured me!" Caleb scoffed, retorting, "I hung out with them one time, LaRusso! It was at that Halloween dance, and I tried to stop them, and you punched me and tortured me for months until I graduated!"

As the tension escalated and parents began talking over each other, Daniel's expression faltered, realizing the difficulty in maintaining control. "Parents, please... Can we please..." the principal tried to reason, attempting to restore order to the chaotic room. In the midst of this, Caleb couldn't help but smirk at Daniel's reaction, finding satisfaction in the heated exchange. Sitting back down, he reveled in the moment, feeling a sense of victory.

Anastasia turned to her brother, acknowledging his apparent triumph. "Cal, I think you just won that fight with him," she remarked, holding her hand up for a high-five. Caleb laughed and reciprocated the gesture, savoring the satisfaction of making his point in the intense confrontation.

Two weeks had passed since Clementine last saw Robby. He had texted her twice, updating her on his situation. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it over the border to Mexico and was hiding out at an old friend's place. He explicitly told her not to come find him, wanting to shield her from potential legal repercussions.

Clementine found herself slumped in a chair beside Miguel's bed, the rhythmic sound of snores escaping her mouth every few minutes. She had been coming every day, sleeping there, and the toll on her well-being was evident. Dark circles adorned her eyes, and she was visibly sleep-deprived. All she longed for was Miguel to wake up, hoping for a positive change in the midst of the circumstances.

Clementine was soundly asleep when her phone began to ring persistently. A gentle tap on her shoulder roused her, and she jumped to see Nurse Petra standing in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat, and her hand instinctively went to her chest. "Shit! You scared me," Clementine exclaimed.

Nurse Petra chuckled softly. "Sorry, hon. Your phone is going off," she explained. Clementine cleared her throat, letting out a yawn, and leaned over to grab her phone from the stand. With a mix of curiosity and a touch of worry, she saw it was her dad calling. She clicked accept and brought the phone to her ear, wondering about the reason for the call in the midst of her vigil at Miguel's bedside. "What?"

"Clem, it's monday. You go back to school It's 5:30am. I'm outside."

Clementine let out a groan, a mixture of frustration and fatigue evident in her voice. "Can I just... not go? Please," she pleaded with a sense of desperation. On the other end of the phone, she heard her daughter groan in response. "No, I'm sorry. You need to face your fears, Lemon," Caleb insisted, using the affectionate nickname he had bestowed upon her since she was a baby.

Scowling at the familiar moniker, Clementine reluctantly conceded defeat. "Fine, I'll be out in a few minutes," she informed him, a hint of resignation in her tone. With that, she hung up the phone, bracing herself to step away from the sanctuary of Miguel's hospital room and confront the challenges waiting outside.

Clementine walked over to Miguel's bedside, her every step echoing the weight of exhaustion and emotional turmoil. As she reached him, she gently took his hand, her eyes fixed on his unconscious form. She cleared her throat, a sign of nervousness and the difficulty she felt in expressing her thoughts.

"Hey, Mig. I... I really need you to wake up," she began, her voice soft but filled with urgency. "I've been coming here every day, and I've been holding up the courage to talk to you like this because I thought it'd be weird, but... it's been two weeks. Most people in a coma after that long... don't wake up. And — And I need you too."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of her emotions. "I'm really sorry, and I feel like this is my fault. I should've been there, and I would have been able to break through to Robby. Just... Please wake up," she pleaded, her voice cracking with a mix of guilt, regret, and an earnest desire for Miguel's recovery.

During the car ride to school, Clementine took a moment to assess herself in the mirror attached to the sun visor. With a determined expression, she grabbed her mascara, applying it messily with deliberate smudges to achieve a distinct emo look. As she worked on her appearance, she also took her hairbrush, brushing through her hair with a sense of purpose.

Throughout this process, her dad glanced at her intermittently, a mix of curiosity and perhaps concern flickering in his eyes as he observed her unconventional grooming routine. The atmosphere in the car carried a sense of mystery, leaving him to wonder about the motivations behind Clementine's unique styling choices.

As Caleb pulled into the school parking lot, Clementine seized her backpack. Before she could exit the car, her dad gently clasped her arm. "Hey, have a good day okay? I love you, and your brother is at school too if you need him," he expressed, his words laced with parental concern. Clementine simply nodded in acknowledgment and proceeded to get out of the car.

However, in the process, she tripped over her own feet and ended up falling flat on her face. A gasp escaped Caleb's lips from the car, but Clementine quickly held up a thumbs-up to signal that she was okay. "Clementine?" Demetri's voice called out, and as she looked up, she saw the familiar figure of the Alexopolous boy approaching.

Grinning, she pushed herself up, attempting to brush off the incident with a show of nonchalant humor. "Sup, Dem," she greeted, trying to maintain a casual demeanor despite the awkward start to her day.

Walking alongside Demetri into the school, the weight of unspoken tension hung in the air. "I haven't seen you since... the fight," he said quietly, a subtle acknowledgment of the tumultuous event that had transpired. Clementine nodded, the shared history casting a shadow over their present interaction.

As they approached a table where a cop conducted bag checks, Demetri casually placed his backpack for inspection. A routine procedure, yet the atmosphere remained charged. Clementine raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued, but before she could react, a jab in her shoulder drew her attention. "Ma'am, gotta put your bag onto the table," the cop informed her. Slowly, she complied, taking off her backpack and handing it over.

The cop meticulously inspected Clementine's bag, creating a temporary pause in their conversation.

Clementine observed Demetri proceeding through the metal detector, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Retrieving her backpack, she tentatively walked through the metal detector, surprised that it didn't trigger any alarms. "What is this?" she questioned, her voice tinged with curiosity and skepticism.

Demetri sighed, offering an explanation, "They started doing this since the fight to make sure no one has any weapons on them." Clementine, scrunching her nose in mild irritation, gripped her backpack strings. "But no one was even using any weapons?" she retorted, expressing her bewilderment at the necessity of heightened security measures in response to an incident where weapons didn't seem to play a role.

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when a girl walked past them, addressing Demetri with a flirty look. "Hey, Demetri," she greeted, prompting a playful exclamation from him, "A human female!" Chris joined the scene with a chuckle. Clementine patted Demetri's shoulder, encouraging him with a smile, "Nice, Dem. Get 'dem girls."

However, Clementine's smile faded when she noticed Hawk, who shot her a nasty glare. Unfazed, she threw a verbal jab his way, "Is the red hair dye getting to your brain, Hawk?" His response was sharp, "Guess you can't hurt me with that broken hand, Clementine, like you did with Blaire."

Demetri and Chris positioned themselves protectively on either side of Clementine, forming a united front. Across the scene, Tyler observed from a distance, leaning against a wall and eavesdropping on the unfolding confrontation. Unfazed by Hawk's remarks, Clementine suggested with a hint of defiance, "I can always punch you with my other hand."

Hawk, rolling his eyes, shifted his attention to Demetri, shooting him a glare. Mitch, attempting to intervene, waved his hand in Hawk's face, while Chris seized the opportunity to escalate the situation. Holding up a textbook, he smirked, "Yeah. Check out my new Lit book. A lot of hard-hitting shit in here," delivering a threat that momentarily caught Mitch off guard.

Hawk's threatening words hung in the air as he targeted Demetri. "All this security isn't enough to protect your scrawny ass and your weakened friend," he warned, glaring at both Demetri and Clementine. Tyler, witnessing the escalating situation, straightened up, prepared to step in and defend Clementine and Demetri if necessary.

Demetri, maintaining a defiant stance, declared, "We don't need security," embodying a sense of confidence. However, Clementine, feeling the tension, swallowed the lump in her throat, instinctively seeking refuge behind Demetri for support.

Counselor Blatt intervened, walking over to the group, which brought a sense of relief to Tyler. He exhaled, putting his AirPods back in, turning on his music, and making his way to his first class. Tyler had taken on the responsibility of keeping an eye on Clementine, as promised to his dad and Anastasia, ensuring her well-being in the challenging dynamics of the school environment.

Counselor Blatt approached the group, her expression displaying suspicion. "What's going on here?" she inquired. Demetri responded with a sarcastic laugh, playfully nudging Clementine in the side. "Oh, Counselor Blatt, we're just... having a friendly conversation," Clementine lied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Demetri nodded along, adding, "Of course, we are! We are all buddies here," with an exaggerated sense of camaraderie.

To maintain the facade, Demetri wrapped each of his arms around Hawk and Clementine, creating an appearance of unity. "Isn't that right, fellas," However, beneath the forced smiles, there was an unspoken tension. Demetri and Clementine exchanged glances that conveyed a shared understanding, and their glares at Hawk hinted at the deeper conflicts within the group. Despite the outward appearance of friendliness, the dynamics among the trio were far from amicable.

Counselor Blatt's stern expression prompted Clementine and the others to disperse. "Don't you all have somewhere to be?" she stated firmly. Clementine, seizing the opportunity, mumbled a quick "Yep" and swiftly ran off. In her haste, she unintentionally bumped into a girl, who turned out to be a blonde with Moon.

"Sorry," Clementine quickly apologized, but Moon, recognizing her, smiled and grabbed Clementine's wrist gently. "OMG, Clementine!" Moon exclaimed, pulling her forward. "You must meet my best friend, Yasmine! Yasmine, this is Clementine. She moved here over the summer while you were in France," Moon introduced them. Clementine and Yasmine exchanged awkward smiles as they navigated the introductions, marking the beginning of their acquaintance.

Later that day, Clementine found herself standing in the lunch line, surrounded by the chatter of other students. As she waited, she overheard a girl next to her engaging in gossip and making jokes. Eyeing the girl, Clementine took a step forward in line, leaning in to dip salsa onto her plate and grabbing chips to accompany it. She then reached for a cup of milk.

As she got closer to the cashier, the girl behind her loudly made a derogatory joke about Clementine. "Oh my god, that girl in front of us looks so emo... and didn't her boyfriend kick that Miguel guy off the balcony on the first day of school?" she gossiped, unaware that Clementine was within earshot. The comment struck a nerve, prompting Clementine to snap around.

"If you have something to say, then say it to my face, bitch," she declared, folding her arms and glaring defiantly at the girl. The lunchroom tension heightened as Clementine confronted the gossip head-on.

As the girl offered a insincere apology, Clementine's frustration reached a boiling point. Disregarding her lunch, Clementine dropped the plate onto a nearby table. The girl, sensing trouble, began to run away. Unwilling to let the incident slide, Clementine, driven by a surge of anger, pursued her.

With a determined step forward, Clementine used her good hand to reach into the girl's pants, grabbing hold of her underwear and ripping it off. Holding the underwear triumphantly in the air, Clementine grinned with a sense of defiance. To emphasize her point, she delivered a swift kick to the girl's butt, prompting laughter from onlooking students who found the unexpected spectacle amusing.

However, the moment of triumph was abruptly interrupted as the principal, clearly displeased by the commotion, intervened. "Miss. Katz, my office now!" he sternly commanded, signaling that Clementine's actions had not gone unnoticed and that consequences awaited her in the principal's office.

Clementine's impatience grew as she waited outside Principal Santos' office. Anxiously bouncing her leg, she blew a raspberry in frustration. The sudden ping of her phone drew her attention, and as she read the text, her heart raced. Reacting with urgency, she shot up from her seat, snatched her backpack, and pushed open the office doors, paying little heed to the calls of the secretary.

Navigating through the crowd of students in the hallway, Clementine made a beeline for the exit. Ignoring the calls from the secretary, she burst through the school doors and into the open air. Outside, she scanned the surroundings, searching for her brother's bike. Spotting it, she dropped her backpack to the ground and quickly rummaged through her belongings for a hairpin.

Successfully unlocking her brother's bike, she secured her backpack and mounted the bike with a sense of determination. Pedaling away swiftly, Clementine aimed to distance herself from the school and on her way to the hospital.

Carmen: mig's awake.

ASH SPEAKS...

AHHH THIS IS A LONG CHAPTER AND IM PROUD OF THIS CHAPTER!!!

I CANT WAIT FOR THIS SEASON HEHHEEHE