Chapter Seventy-Six: Disappear

"All I wanted was you. All I wanted was you. I think I'll pace my apartment a few times and fall asleep on the couch."

~All I Wanted by Paramore~

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Warnings: abuse, addiction, anxiety, biphobia/homophobia, depression, domestic violence, slight eating disorder, language, panic attacks, sexual harassment/assault/abuse, violence, and other mature themes

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Robby's POV: Prom Night

I wait for Zion to get back from the bathroom, but find myself frustrated by all the drunk people around me. It reminds me of my mom and I worry that Zion may give into temptation and drink. I've seen that look in her eyes tonight. It would kill me to see her wasted like some of these people are.

I step back inside the house to get away from these people when I walk into what smells like weed, which I'm unfortunately too familiar with.

Within the next minute or so, loud noises come from by the pool and I figure it's just some lame party thing.

"Fight! Fight!" Stingray runs by me and out the door.

My eyes widen as I realize what's happening; I almost slide into the fight.

I see Piper and Tory ganging up on Sam at the same time that Demetri falls back in pain beside Miguel. It's then that I recognize Eli and Z on the ground, holding each other close.

"Get off of her!" I let the jealousy take over when I see that piece of shit holding her.

I grab his arm and pry him off of her. Eli puffs out his chest and I strike first. He blocks my kicks and I realize that he's really thrown himself into Miyagi-Do's teachings. We circle each other and I move in to pin him in a way similar to when he had his little haircut.

Sam yanks my wrist back and holds me in a tight grip, "You think I broke your heart? You broke mine, too!"

I stare at her confidently. That's exactly how I want her to feel after everything. I'm doing a good job and Sensei Silver would be proud of my growth at Cobra Kai. This is just the kind of thing to throw them off balance.

Tory knocks Sam down and she lets go of me at the unexpected move. I turn back to Eli, not forgetting about him.

"You obviously didn't learn to back off when we gave you a little shave. It's like I said: She doesn't care about you," I spit in his face after I knock him back with a hook kick.

He runs at me and jumps at the same time I jump. We kick each other and both stumble back.

"She seemed to care when she apologized to me five minutes ago," he argues.

The statement takes me aback, "What?" I turn to Zion and see her fighting Demetri. What he's saying can't be true.

Miguel jumps behind me and nods his head to the side. Eli moves away from me as Miguel now faces me. I lunge in with an uppercut that Miguel just barely dodges.

He then tries to punch me and I realize his weaknesses are his kicks since the accident. Good thing for the weakness lesson.

I take advantage of his pain and kick his leg to have him drop to one knee and Miguel grunts.

"You think my dad cares about you? He's just trying to make himself feel better for screwing up with me!" I tell Miguel as I kick his head and send him back. I reach over to pick him up by his collar and am almost successful.

One hand is removed from him and I turn back to the person, ready to fight them now, too. I stop myself when I realize it's Zion.

"Are you insane?!" Zion exclaims in a panic. "Do you not remember what happened last time?"

The last time: he took advantage of Sam, he cheat on Tory, and he somehow made my dad care more about him than he ever did about me.

"He deserves it!" I tell Zion in hopes that she remembers all we've worked towards in this new year to separate ourselves from them. He ruined my life. I can't be my own worst enemy. Miguel can be, though.

I kick Diaz back and he tries to defend himself as best as possible, but my muscle memory is stronger. His offense seems better, but I don't worry about it as I grab his arm and twist it.

In one fluid motion, I pin him down with my hands on his shoulders and his knees on the ground. He's stuck and I smirk down at him confidently. Miguel actually looks worried and I remind myself that this is what Cobra Kai is all about: defeating the enemy and making them feel pain. No mercy.

"No, stop!" Zion's voice rings in my ears as she pleads with me. I freeze in my actions, but don't let him go. "Robby, look at me."

My eyes reluctantly move from Diaz to Zion. I see her big, pleading eyes as she looks at me in fear. I feel my muscles relax as confusion infiltrates my mind. I don't want to be the one to scare or hurt her.

Miguel grabs and twists my arm to push me away from him. I glance over to Tory and Piper and realize that we can work together like an army to defeat all of them. Sam, Miguel, and Eli need to reap what they sow.

"It's time to settle this, bitch," Sam smirks at the blonde in a suit.

We all advance towards each other. Eli stops me from reaching Miguel, but I don't mind it. I go in with different kicks that he uses his forearms to block. He grabs my wrists and tries to flip me, but I turn it into a move and dive low to break free.

Tory jumps behind Eli to settle her qualms, too, so I leave them. Tory gives me a nod of mutual respect as I help Piper push Sam back. She runs into Demetri and they topple like bowling pins.

Piper smiles at them in satisfaction; my eyes land on Miguel as he talks to Zion and I feel my anger spike even higher. I can't let him hurt her in any way like he did with Sam and Tory. I won't let Zion get hurt after she's trusted me with so much.

I begin to sprint towards Miguel and prep for a kick that will hit his back and send him flying into the pool. I can ruin his perfect night just like he ruined my life.

"No!" Zion yells as I fixate on Miguel's figure.

My leg goes up, but suddenly Zion is in Diaz's place. Before I can do anything to stop myself, my foot presses into Zion's back. Hard.

Zion releases a shriek as she falls forward. I watch in horror as the girl I love falls into the water because of me. She makes a big splash that makes its way to the concrete.

I glance at Miguel and see he's just fine. He let this happen. What I did was an accident.

"Robby, what did you do?!" Sam looks up at me in terror as the boy lays limp on the ground.

Her dress floats more than she does and my instincts kick in as I dive in after her.

I fully submerge myself in the water and then reach over to help her to the surface. My hands lightly grab her waist and help her in any way possible. She looks pathetic as she chokes on the water that I pushed her into. I need her to know it was an accident and I'm not like the other people in her life because I would never, ever wish to hurt her.

Zion takes deep breaths and surveys her surroundings as I try to calm her down. "Are you all right?"

Her arms shove me off of her, "What the hell was that?"

I shake my head guiltily and push my hair back, "I'm sorry. You weren't meant to get in the way. I was aiming for Migue-"

"I told you this wasn't what tonight was supposed to be!"

"I didn't start it," I begin to get irritated with her. She should understand.

"You didn't stop it, either," she looks at me in disappointment. Then, her eyes glance away and I see her staring at Diaz. "You were trying to hurt Miguel."

"They're our enemies and I was only defending Cobra Kai, but you weren't."

"Because I didn't want to be on anyone's side tonight! I wanted a fun, drama-free night, but look at this. It's all ruined and I should have known it was too much to ask for. I should have known that nothing can work out for me just once."

My heart aches when I see her so devastated. I remind myself that this was not my fault.

"I was by your side the whole night to make it perfect."

"No, no," she stops me, "you said that Miguel deserved being paralyzed. You almost killed him, Robby!"

I look away from her at the realization that even to her I don't compare to Miguel. He's better than me in every way, apparently.

"I'm giving you time to cool off. I think it's best if I just go," Zion's voice breaks as she turns away from me.

She walks slowly through the water to get out. I remember that tonight was her one night of perfection and see that she thinks I was to blame for it. I was partially to blame, I know, but she's pinning it all on me. Sensei Kreese says life isn't fair and I agree. This isn't fair.

"Zion, wait, wait," I call after her as she makes it to the staircase. I take her hand in mine. "Think about it like this: we threw the competition off balance, just like the lesson from today. We can celebrate."

She blinks a few times before responding, "Celebrate?"

I nod eagerly as she looks around. Her eyes look up and I stare at her in confusion because I thought she would be proud of me for embracing the Cobra Kai lifestyle.

She yanks her hand out of mine and shakes her head with worry written all over her face. My heart drops to the ground as she practically runs away from me. I try to find words to say as she flees because of me.

I let her go as I try to collect my thoughts. I see everyone in the water having a party, but Sam gets out of it angrily. Piper holds Tory as they kiss in the water without a care in the world.

I make it out of the pool now, too, and decide I should head out. I figure that Zion took the car, though, so I'll need a lift.

Miguel glares at me as I pull off my tuxedo jacket and walk towards the house to dry off. I don't understand Zion's obsession with him.

I walk over to Kyler as his date, Delaney, walks off with a group of girls.

"Hey, do you mind giving me a ride home?" I ask.

"Yeah, homie, I gotchu," he agrees. "Man, Delaney is a good kisser." He wanders away from me, so caught up in his own life. He's not a very good friend.

I make it to the bathroom and wipe myself dry. I need to figure out what I'm going to say to Zion when I get home.

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I stand outside Mom's apartment and search for Zion's car. It's not here.

I walk into the apartment and call out, "Zion?" She doesn't respond.

I begin to accept that she came and grabbed her car and then went out because she wasn't ready to talk yet. I go to my room to change out of my cold, wet clothes.

I take a shower and emerge shirtless with a towel around my neck and another around my waist. I walk into my bedroom and I expect her to be there, waiting for me so we can talk this out.

She's not here and my heart sinks.

And, so, the night continues in solitude. My mom isn't home yet, so I try to stay awake as I wait for Zion. I begin to doze off and figure that this is ridiculous. I call her. It goes straight to voicemail.

At some point, I fall asleep and wake up when the sun is up in the morning.

I try again once I'm awake enough, then throw my phone down angrily. I messed everything up and now she isn't responding to any of my texts or calls.

I lounge around on the couch once I've told Mom everything. She doesn't know how to help since she hasn't seen my girlfriend, either.

"I shouldn't have let her walk off alone," I say as the fears strike me. "I know she can handle herself, but anything can happen."

"She's a strong girl and I'm sure nothing happened," Mom assures me. "Honey, it's obvious that she loves you. She'll come around eventually. Just give her some space. Let me know of any updates on her, okay, Robby?"

I turn to face her and she kisses the top of my head. "I will," I assure her. She walks out and I pick up my phone.

The next idea I have is to scroll through my contacts until I see Tory's number.

"Hello?" the girl asks in a sleepy voice after about five rings.

"Hey, have you seen Zion?"

"What do you mean? Since last night? No." I sigh angrily. "Why? Did she not come over?"

"No, she never made it back here. I'm really worried."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her-"

"Who's that?" a voice asks in the background.

"Robby. Go back to sleep, babe. Look, Z can't be too far. She has moments where she goes off alone, but she'll be at karate tonight, at the very least."

"I feel like a dick for saying those things and letting my judgment get clouded."

"Your clouded judgment about what?"

"The fight. I should've tried to stop it, but instead I kicked her. I hurt her."

"Oh, that was an accident. She knows that," Tory realizes. "You were obviously wanting to kick Miguel."

"That's what she was upset about," I explain. "She didn't want me to fight Miguel."

There's silence a moment as Tory considers this. "That's weird. Miguel is obviously the enemy and Z knows that."

"I think she's doubting things... What if she's doubting us?" I ask. My worst nightmare is to lose her after everything because she's the one person I always feel like my true self around.

"She isn't. She's a Cobra for life, just like us. She's not a traitor like them. Trust me, Robby, she loves you."

"Shut uuup," I hear Piper's voice in the background again. "Come back to sleep, Tor."

"Gotta go. You'll figure this out. Bye."

The call ends and I find myself even more frustrated than before. I don't know where she could be, except maybe at the dojo. I'll give her her space and see her when I go to class tonight.

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"Fall in."

I look at the empty spot beside me.

My eyes glance over at Tory and she shrugs. She looks as confused as I am. Where could Zion be?

"Where's Z?" Sensei Kreese asks when he realizes her absence. He looks at me directly, as if I should know. That's just it: I should know.

I shrug in response and see his face contorts in confusion. He turns to Sensei Silver who shrugs, as well.

"We will move on without her for today. We have a tournament to focus on," Silver assures his co-sensei.

I stare in shock at the apathy he has towards her not being here, but I know he's right. We can't stop training for one student.

We train for an hour as we practice different techniques collectively. It truly feels like training for the army.

"Hydrate," Silver claps his hands and leans against the wall.

I keep my head down and walk over to my bag. It's so weird without her here. I don't know what's going on or if she's even okay.

I open the bag and see a piece of paper in it. It take it out of the bag in confusion. It reads:

No time. I'm sorry. I love you. -Zion

I stare at the short phrases handwritten on the paper. It's barely even a letter.

I flip it over and hold it up to the light for some understanding, but there's nothing else to it. It was just written, though, because I had my bag yesterday morning. Zion must have gone into the house before leaving to go... wherever she is.

"What's up with you?" Tory walks over with a slight laugh.

"I found this," I hold it out for her to take.

"What the hell? That's it?" she examines it. "And we have no clue where she is? At least it seems like she's okay."

I run my hand through my hair, "Do you think her mom maybe got her?"

"I sure hope not," Tory hands it back to me. "Would she have had time to write a letter if Janice took her?"

"No, I guess not," I sigh, "but her handwriting is sloppy. It's like she did it in a hurry."

"I feel like Nancy Drew," Tory sits beside me. "Do you think the other dojos know where she is?"

"No," I say definitively. "But..."

"But what?"

"Her job might," I say proudly.

"You guys haven't seen Z?" Kenny comes over.

"No," I sigh as I shove the note back into my bag.

"Is she okay?" the boy asks me.

"Yeah," I say even though I'm not quite sure. I don't want him to worry.

"She'll be back soon," Tory gives him false hope.

"Break's over. Let's get to work," Silver calls out as Kreese emerges from his office.

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"She hasn't come in for a while and she's called out a lot more, too. I don't know what's going on with her, but uh..." her manager looks over the schedule.

"Will you let me know if she comes in?" I ask hopefully.

"No," the woman shakes her head, "but if you see her, you can tell her she's fired."

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"She disappears all the time for karate and other things. I need a good employee."

"Zion is a good worker, I know it. Don't fire her just yet. She needs this job," I argue on behalf of her.

"You're her boyfriend you said?" she asks.

"Yes."

"Tell her that she can be here for her shift tomorrow or she can get a new job. Now, get out. Paying customers only."

I stare at her in disbelief as she stares over the counter at me in all seriousness. I reluctantly walk out of the Subway in devastation. Where the hell could she be?

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Third Person POV: Sunday Night

"John, stop stressing yourself out. She'll come back when she's ready. And, if she doesn't, then we can make do without her. I warned you not to get too attached," Terry Silver pats his friend on the back.

"She's our star, Lieutenant," Kreese shoves him off. "She hasn't disappeared without telling me since Diaz fell at the school. It's not like her."

"You're distracting yourself from the tournament, which is way more important, Captain," Silver says slyly.

Kreese shakes his head as he grabs a beer from the mini fridge in the dojo.

"Tell you what. I'll search for her some tomorrow, but if I don't find her, you let her go and focus on the bet we made and can't afford to lose," Terry stands right in front of John Kreese.

His manipulations work all too well as John agrees.

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"That's wonderful, Jolene," Silver writes down the address his assistant provided for him. "I'll go out there tomorrow and make sure to find her to ensure she never comes back. Okay. Bye. I love being rich."

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Tory's POV: Monday

Robby seems really concerned for Z's well-being. I know he should be, but something about how he's reacting to this makes me worried, too. It's not like her to not tell either of us anything about what's going on.

Even our lunch table lacks my best friend. I decide to say something.

"Where's Z?" Liv asks before I can.

I turn to the girl in surprise, "You haven't seen her, either?"

"No," Jai shakes their head. "Wait, what do you mean 'either?'"

"I haven't seen her since prom," Eva takes a bite of her school pizza.

"We haven't, either," Piper says.

The gears in my brain turn as I try to think about what this means. There's only so many people who would know where Z is.

"Have you asked Miguel?" Eva suggests.

"Why Miguel?" Piper questions.

"I don't know. They're, like, talking a lot recently. I figure if your dojo doesn't know, maybe he does," the girl elaborates.

I glance over my shoulder at my ex in surprise. I didn't know he and Z were becoming so close again. I also didn't think to ask him about her whereabouts. Extreme situations require extreme measures- such as, talking to your ex-boyfriend.

"I'll be back," I decide. There's no way he knows where Z is.

I walk over to the Miyagi-Do/Eagle Fang table and all their heads snap up to look at me in surprise. I note Miguel and Sam sitting across from each other and not beside each other as usual. Good.

"What do you want?" Sam snaps at me. I feel silly for being over here.

"Miguel," I address him directly, "have you seen Z?"

He looks at me in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Like, since prom. Have you seen her?" I press.

"No, why?" he asks casually.

I hate that he's being genuine and I hate that this means he has no clue where she went. I don't know what to tell Robby. I don't know what to think of this myself. I've tried reaching out to the girl, but she's gone off the grid.

"Did something happen to her?" Miguel pieces it together.

The whole table looks at me with mixed looks of confusion and concern. Miguel and Eli specifically exchange a look.

I don't know how to respond, so I turn away and head back to my table in concern.

"Tory," Miguel rushes after me. I turn to him in hostility. "Is she okay?"

"It doesn't matter. You answered my question," I try to keep my guard up and suppress the worry building in my chest.

I walk away from him again and this time he lets me go.

Tory to Robby: hey so look um her school friends and the other dojos dont know where she is

Robby to Tory: Wait wait you asked them

Tory to Robby: i had to try and get an answer for us

Tory to Robby: i'm starting to worry a lot more now

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"Tor," Piper calls me over to her table.

She decided to come visit me at my kid's party for the night because we don't have karate today and if I'm not here, I'm at home with my mom. I don't want her over at my house because it's a chaotic mess.

Piper holds out her phone for me and I look at the conversation on iMessage.

Moon to Piper: hiii is everything okay with z?

Piper to Moon: Hey, why?

Moon to Piper: i can tell that eli and everyone in these dojos are worried

Moon to Piper: i want to help them dispel of their negative energies and i thought you'd know

Piper to Moon: Ngl we don't know where she is

"Why would you tell her that?" I exclaim. They don't need to know our business and, as far as I'm concerned, she doesn't need to be texting her ex-girlfriend.

"Please, keep reading."

Moon to Piper: oh no

Moon to Piper: i havent seen her

Moon to Piper: and wait

Moon to Piper: neither have the guys or sam

"Shit," I say when I finish reading. "So, she really is missing?"

Piper stands up and gives me a hug, but I shove her off before she can wrap herself around me fully.

"Not in the mood," I push her away. "What are we going to do?"

"I know. I mean, the tournament-"

"No, not just the tournament. I mean, her mom may have gotten her or something worse, even. Shit, shit, shit."

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Third Person POV: Monday

An old pickup truck pulls up to a house in Santa Maria. Terry Silver emerges from the car in standard middle class clothing. His hair is down as he walks up to the door and knocks.

The door opens to Jasmine King, "May I help you?"

"Is this the King residence?" the old white man questions.

"Yes," Jasmine responds wearily.

"Well, I was wondering if-"

"Who's at the door?" Jess King comes up behind their mom.

Silver smiles at them, "You must be Jess."

"Jess, go back inside," Jasmine says as she presses her arms on either side of the door frame. "Who are you?"

"Douglas Payne. A pleasure," he extends his hand.

Jasmine stares at him with a serious face as he drops the charm a second.

"I'm looking for a Zion Ambrose. I'm with Child Protective Services."

"I haven't seen Zion in months," Jess speaks up in surprise. Jasmine's protective eyes never leave the man. "Is she okay?"

"Why did you think it was all right for you to come bother us?" the mother looks at Silver in question.

"She ran away from her mother and I heard that she values you like family. We're making sure to cover all our bases, ma'am."

"Zion isn't here. I hope you find her, but I don't appreciate you interrupting my work day," she narrows her eyes.

"I understand," Silver agrees. "My apologies. Do you have any idea where else she might be?"

"She's close with Miguel Diaz," Jess intervenes again. "But, that's all the way in Reseda, right?"

Terry Silver smiles at the suggestion, "That's true, dear, but it's a valid idea. Thank you."

"Mhm," Jasmine shuts the door as the man walks back out to his car.

She peers through the windows to make sure he clears her property before walking back over to her desk. She resumes a work call, "Go on, Willa, you were saying?"

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Back in Reseda, Silver has his assistant stakeout the Diaz household for any movement concerning Zion. It's a dead end.

Meanwhile, the Keene apartment is silent.

Finally, Shannon opens his bedroom door and finds him lying down with his back to her.

"Robby, you've been in here all day, haven't you? Come out and eat. I have spaghetti."

The boy doesn't respond. His mom looks at him in dismay before closing the door. He's awake, but refuses to acknowledge it.

Shannon knocks and enters again. She sets a plate beside him with noodles and green beans. "It's here, if you want it."

The door closes again and leaves the boy in his dark room. The sun has just finished setting; it's been two days without her.

The darkness hides the tears that occasionally fall and the blanket covers him as his hands clutch his butterfly keychain tightly. His knuckles turn white and it leaves indents on his skin, but he doesn't seem to care.

He's worked all day to make sense of the letter until his head hurts. Robby can't figure out what Zion is sorry about or why she disappeared without warning and so quickly.

He got the news from Tory earlier about how nobody knows where she is. The boy even asked Reid, her friend from Santa Maria, if he knows anything; it was a dead end. Robby feels depressed in a way he hadn't felt since he was in juvie. He blames himself and his temper.

"This was all my fault," he whispers as if he hopes Zion can hear him. "I wish I could tell you how sorry I am. Come back to me, love."

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A/N: Oooh it's a mystery!