The afternoon sun bathed Reseda in golden hues, but to Moon, sitting on her porch, the light seemed cold and distant. She held a cup of mint tea in her hands, the steam rising in curls that dissipated into the air. It had been five days since Jack had been admitted, five days since she had last seen him in the hospital, five days since the image of him kissing Sam in the pool had become a scar on her mind. The phone next to her buzzed with messages from him—apologies, promises to change—but she couldn't bring herself to respond. Not yet.
The sliding glass door creaked, and Tory stepped out onto the porch, carrying a bag of snacks and a worried look. "You've had this funeral look on your face ever since you got back from the hospital," she said, plopping down in the chair next to Moon. "Have you made up your mind about Sullivan yet?"
Moon sighed, setting her cup down on the wicker table. "I accepted his apology, Tory. He called me yesterday, said it was a mistake, that he didn't mean to hurt me. And I believe that. But…" She trailed off, her eyes welling up as she stared off into the distance. "Just thinking about being around him hurts. It's like I feel that kiss all over again, every time I look at him."
Tory snapped open the bag of chips, offering one to Moon before grabbing one for herself. "Then just finish it. You don't deserve to be burning yourself over a guy who doesn't know what he wants."
"It's not that simple," Moon said, her voice soft but firm. "I love him, Tory. Or I did. But every time I try to imagine us together again, I feel this stab in my chest. I can't trust him anymore. I can't stay with him knowing that he might still have feelings for her."
Tory chewed her snack in silence, thoughtful. "You're stronger than you think, Moon. If you can't go on, nip it in the bud. It'll survive."
Moon nodded slowly, the tears finally escaping. She picked up her phone, opened Jack's most recent message— "Please give me a chance to fix this" —and took a deep breath. Her fingers shook as she typed out her reply:
"Jack, I forgive you. But I can't be with you anymore. Being around you hurts me too much. I hope you find what you're looking for, but I can't be a part of it. Goodbye."
She pressed send and let the phone fall to her lap, the weight of the decision like a stone lifted from her shoulders, but leaving a void in its place. Tory placed a hand on her arm, a rare gesture of affection. "You did the right thing. Now breathe, go live your life."
Moon wiped away her tears, offering a weak smile. "Do you think he'll be okay?"
"He's a tiger, remember?" Tory said, with a half smile. "Tigers always find their way. But you have to find yours, too."
Moon looked up at the sky, the sun now dipping below the horizon. She knew that the end with Jack wasn't the end for her. It was a new beginning, painful but necessary.
A few days later, the streets of Reseda were shrouded in a fine fog, the kind that made everything seem blurry, like a dream fading away. Johnny Lawrence rode his motorcycle through the less-traveled alleys, the roar of his engine echoing between the weathered buildings. Beside him, in a red Pontiac Firebird, Daniel LaRusso kept his eyes on the road, a worried frown creasing his forehead. They weren't together by choice—they were together by purpose: to find Robby.
"He's not at the dojo, he's not with Sam, he's not anywhere I know," Johnny said, stopping his bike at a deserted intersection and taking off his helmet. "The kid's gone, LaRusso."
Daniel turned off the car and got out, pulling his jacket tighter against the cold. "He's hurt, Johnny. He pushed Jack and ran away. Don't you think he might be hiding out of guilt?"
"Or anger," Johnny said, his voice hoarse. "Robby hates me. And now, with this Sullivan thing…" He trailed off, the weight of Jack's revelation still fresh in his mind. "If he finds out he has a brother I left behind, too, he'll hate me even more."
Daniel frowned in confusion. "Brother? What are you talking about?"
Johnny hesitated, but decided there was no way out. "Jack Sullivan. He's my son. His mother, Martha, told me years ago that she had a boy, but I didn't pay any attention. I thought it was just another mess. Now he's here, and I screwed him over too."
Daniel was silent for a moment, processing. "So Robby and Jack… are they half-brothers? My God, Johnny, how do you manage to mess things up so badly?"
"Don't lecture me, LaRusso," Johnny snapped, but there was more weariness than anger in his voice. "I know I'm a failure as a father. That's why we have to find Robby. I can't lose them both."
Before Daniel could respond, a noise from a nearby alley caught their attention. It was the sound of a can being kicked, followed by a low murmur. They exchanged a glance and followed the noise, finding Robby leaning against a brick wall, his hoodie pulled over his face and his hands shoved in his pockets. A battered backpack lay at his feet, and he looked smaller, more fragile than the confident boy he had once been.
"Robby!" Daniel called, stepping forward. "Are you okay?"
Robby looked up, his face dirty and his eyes red from having not slept in days. "Don't tell me what to do, LaRusso," he said, his voice sharp. "And you," he pointed at Johnny, "can go to hell."
Johnny ignored the venom in his words and stepped closer, crouching down to his son's level. "I know you hate me, kid. And you have every right to. But what you did to Jack… that's not who you are. We're going to help you."
"Help me?" Robby laughed, a bitter sound. "You can't fix what I did. I pushed him, Dad. He's in the hospital because of me. And Sam…" He stopped, her name stuck in his throat like a thorn.
Daniel put his hand on Johnny's shoulder, signaling for him to back off. "Robby, you're lost right now, but you don't have to be. We're going to get you home, somewhere safe. What happened at school… the police are looking for you. If you run away, it'll only get worse."
Robby looked at the two of them, the weight of reality finally catching up with him. He grabbed his backpack and stood, shoulders hunched. "I'm not going home," he said, his voice steady despite the shaking. "I'm turning myself in. If I hurt Jack, I'll pay for it. I'm not running away anymore."
Johnny was silent, pride mixed with pain at seeing his son choose this path. "You're stronger than I ever was," he murmured, almost to himself.
Hours later, at the Reseda police station, Robby sat in a metal chair, his hands handcuffed as an officer filled out paperwork. Johnny and Daniel waited outside, watching through the glass. The lawyer Daniel had called was already on his way, but Robby's fate was clear: He would be sent to juvie.
"He made the right decision," Daniel said, his voice low. "But it won't be easy for him in there."
Johnny nodded, his eyes fixed on his son. "He's a Keene. He'll survive. But I'm not going to let him go through this alone. Not this time."
Daniel looked at Johnny, surprised by the determination in his voice. "What about Jack? Are you going to tell him?"
"When I know what to say," Johnny replied, the weight of two lost children pressing down on his chest. "For now, one step at a time."
On Moon's porch, night had fallen, and she held the letter she'd found in the mailbox earlier—Sam's words, a plea for forgiveness written in black ink. She read it silently, the tears returning, but this time with a touch of relief. Sam was no longer her enemy, just a girl as lost as she was.
Tory, still at his side, looked up at the starry sky. "So? What are you going to do with this?"
Moon folded the letter carefully, a sad smile on her lips. "Nothing, for now. But maybe one day we can talk. Just not today."
And so, beneath the Reseda sky, Moon let the past begin to dissolve, while, in another corner of town, Robby faced the consequences of his choices, and Johnny and Daniel prepared for an uncertain future.