┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 🔮⛓🪩 ༉‧₊˚✧ ꒰ 𝓓ancing 𝓠ueen ꒱

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗂𝗏𝖾 ⎯⎯ 𝖿𝗅𝗂𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖼𝗋𝗂𝗉𝗍

CELIA TORRES sat idly on her unmade bed, a blank stare painted on her face as she stared down at her right hand. A lit cigarette lay limply in her left hand as her other held a small baggy filled with white powder.

It was so tempting.

Celia could almost taste the high she'd get. The adrenaline, the happiness, and the energy she'd get. Her hands shook as she took a drag from her cigarette. Her glare hardened at the bag one of her...friends had left over. This thing ruined her life, but it still had her in a chokehold.

She hated it. She truly despised it with her entire being and soul. But god, did she crave it.

Maybe it won't hurt if she does it just once. Sure, she's well aware of the slippery slope, but maybe...just this once? Then she'll flush it. Putting the cigarette in her mouth, the woman hesitantly leaned by her bedside table and shakily began to open the bag. As if in slow motion, she began to pour it out, only a little leaving the bag, and created a thin line using a card from her drawer. She could feel her heart running a hundred miles per hour, literally about to burst from her chest.

With a rolled-up one-dollar bill, she leaned down, and just as she went to inhale—

"Mamá! Are you home?"

Celia jumped up in a panic and blew the powder off the table, frantically swiping it away.

"Ma?" Venus walked into the hallway, Eli trailing behind her, carrying a few bags and bringing them into the bathroom, waving hello to Celia on the way.

The pink-haired pixie looked at her mother's shaken-up frame, her wide eyes, and rapidly rising and falling chest. With a panicked tone, she rushed forward, "Mamá? Are you okay?"

Celia's hand felt like it was on fire as she clutched the small baggie under her comforter; she nervously swallowed and looked at Venus with what she hoped was a smile. "Sí, you just startled me, that's all." 

Venus felt anxiety begin to rise in her chest, eyes dancing around the room suspiciously. The pink-haired girl glanced back to her mom, who sat frowning and raised her eyebrows curiously, "That's all?"

Celia's gaze hardened into Venus' honey brown ones and scoffed defensively, "Yes, Venus, that's all." With a roll of her dull hazel eyes, The Torres woman gave her daughter a disapproving look, "And, don't talk to me like that. Soy tu madre, no una de tus amiguitas."

Venus looked down with a sigh, "Lo siento, Mamá."

"Damn right, you're sorry." Celia huffed, standing and discreetly tucking the baggie into her pants, "I'm going out. I'm not sure when I'll be back." The woman hesitantly leaned forward and kissed Venus on the cheek, "I love you, mija. You know that right?"

The short-haired girl nodded at her mother with a small smile, "I love you too." Venus' eyes darted toward the bedside table, where the halfway rolled-up bill lay, and the feeling in her chest nearly made her sick.

The two walked out of the room, Venus towing behind with furrowed brows. Celia popped her head into the bathroom, where Eli had dragged a chair from the kitchen and unloaded the bags, "Eli, honey, I gotta go, but it's great to see you."

Eli gave Celia a wide grin, "Great to see you too, Miss Torres." Eli turned his attention to Venus, who was staring at the back of the older woman with a frown. Her eyes followed her form as she left the apartment.

"Venus," Eli gave the girl a worried glance, "You okay?"

Snapping out of her trance, the girl gave Eli a small excited smile, "Yeah, I'm okay." A smirk crawled on her face as she waltzed in front of him, "But, I'm pretty sure we're going to have to bleach your hair. So, I'm going to ask you again, are you sure you want to do this?" The bubblegum-pink-haired girl questioned.

Eli hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes, but I'm not sure if I trust you to bleach my hair."

"My mom did it to her hair, and she did it to mine at first, so if she can do it, I probably can. I mean, how hard could it be?" Venus scoffed and began reading the directions off of the bottle.

⎯⎯⎯

"This is difficult. Why are there so many steps?" Venus groaned as she read through an article on how to bleach hair properly.

"I'm a bit worried," Eli spoke, staring at his bleach-covered head in the mirror. "I think the fumes are making us dumber."

"I wouldn't be shocked." Venus laughed, "We need to open the window."

"How long does it need to be on for?" Eli asked her. His hands reached up to touch his head, only to be slapped away by the pink-haired girl.

"I don't know, like twenty-something minutes?" She shrugged her shoulders, placing down her phone, a polaroid of Demetri, Venus, and himself peeking through the phone case. Making Eli smile down at the memory.

"You don't sound like you know what you're doing." Eli turned to look at her, nervousness seeping through his tone.

"I am trying my best and am being attacked!" Venus huffed dramatically. "Stop worrying."

"You just said that it was difficult!"

"I was being dramatic!"

⎯⎯⎯

"Oh my." Venus covered her mouth as she stared at Eli's yellow/orangeish colored hair. A laugh almost fell from her lips, as Eli's face contorted into one of fear.

"Should it look like this?" He asked, panicked, staring at himself in the mirror.

"We still need to add toner. Don't worry. It's fine. It's fine." Venus nodded, trying to convince the boy, but she looked like she was trying to convince herself more.

"Fine? It's fine!?" Eli questioned the girl with raised eyebrows. "I look like I made a wig using straw!" The boy groaned, putting his hands over his face.

"Stop yelling at me! We can fix it!" The girl squeaked.

"I'm not yelling at you! I'm in a state of panic!"

It was silent for a few beats, "Manic Panic?" Venus questioned in a small voice.

"Venus Catalina Torres..." Eli sighed, shaking his head, letting a small smile cover his face.

"What? You can't tell me that wasn't clever!"

⎯⎯⎯

"See, look, it's okay. You had no reason to worry."

"I had every reason to worry, V." Eli laughed, turning his head to look at the girl.

"What is with the attitude? You sound like Demetri." Venus placed her hands on her hips. "You know what, I did this for you and did not even receive a mutter of a 'thank you.' Shame on you!" She playfully shook her head.

Eli's lips pulled into a smile, and he shook his head, "Thank you, Venus."

Venus displayed a wide grin across her face, "You're very welcome!" Her eyes then latched onto the remnants of blue hair dye around the bathroom. Looking back at the boy, she sighed, "It looks like we murdered a smurf."

Eli pursed his lips as he looked at the aftermath, "Yeah...we should clean this up, so your mom doesn't kill us."

⎯⎯⎯

Finally, after Eli and Venus ensured that there was no hair dye left behind. The mess was cleaned up, and the two teens traveled to Venus's room. They leaned on the wall next to each other on the bed. Venus's head laid on Eli's shoulder as she drew small doodles on his hand in marker. The beginning of Sparks by Coldplay played softly in the background. The night breeze flowed through the bedroom window making the two shuffle a bit closer to each other.

Eli stared down at the girl, a sparkle in his eyes and a slight blush blooming on his cheeks. The twinkling glow from the fairy lights hung up on the wall illuminated her features. He admired them. Her hair was a bit tousled, and she would keep pushing back the few strands that fell onto her face. Her eyebrows were a bit furrowed, and her tongue stuck out a bit from her mouth as she tried making the edges of the drawing as straight as possible. Her nose would scrunch up every now and then after she made a mistake. Her cheeks were also colored a dusty rose. However, the boy couldn't precisely decipher if it was from him or not.

She looked utterly beautiful.

The moment was perfect. Eli wanted to stay here forever, become frozen in time—just the two of them. Together, forever and always.

"Hey, V?" He whispered, only getting a slight hum in response. "Thank you. For everything."

Venus looked up at the boy, a particular look twinkling in her beautiful doe eyes with a smile tugging on her lips, "There's no reason to thank me, Eli. I'll always be there for you."

The boy softly grinned, a burst of emotion surrounding him in a warm embrace. He leaned his head on top of Venus's as she went back to drawing and began humming quietly to the song. "But I promise you this. I'll always look out for you. Yeah, that's what I'll do."

⎯⎯⎯

The next day, Venus stood without Eli in the Cobra Kai dojo. The two fell asleep, and he left earlier that morning, leaving a note telling her he'd meet her at practice. However, the boy was late and as uncomfortable as she felt without him beside her. Venus was grateful that Miguel and Aisha were there.

Miguel spoke as Sensei Lawrence walked in, "Three more absences, Sensei."

"Bunch of pussies." Aisha rolled her eyes.

Sensei Lawrence shook his head, "No, it's my fault." He turned his head towards the students and began pacing in front of them, "Since you joined Cobra Kai, I have been hard on you. I've called you names. I've humiliated you. Some of you I hit. And for that, I don't apologize."

Venus sighed, shaking her head, just as he started sounding decent.

Sensei Lawrence continued with his speech, "Cobra Kai is about strength. If you're not strong on the inside, you can't be strong on the outside. Right now, you're all weak. And I know that because I was you." He gestured to the class, "I used to have no friends. I used to be the weirdo kid. Not that weird. I hooked up with babes and all, but...The point is, I wasn't always the badass sensei I am today. Just like a cobra, I had to shed my loser skin to find my true power. And you guys will too." As he finished, the doorbell jingled, making everyone turn their heads. Venus's mouth dropped slightly when Eli walked in with a new confident stride, and his blue hair formed into a mohawk.

"Eli, what happened," Miguel asked the boy, shocked by his friend's new look.

"I'm flipping the script." He spoke loud and clear as he looked around the room with a smirk plastered across his face. When his eyes landed on Venus, he gave her a sly wink and looked back toward sensei.

Sensei Lawrence began moving closer, "Wait. Are you the kid with the lip? Nice cut, bro! You see that?" Sensei pointed at Eli, "It doesn't matter if you're a loser or a nerd, or a freak. All that matters is that you become badass!" He looked towards Eli once more, "Hawk. Fall in."

The smirk on Eli or "Hawk"'s face became broader as he kicked off his shoes and took his place next to Venus on the mat. The girl looked up at him; still, a bit confused and shocked about his sudden change in attitude. Who the hell was this, and what did he do with Eli?

"Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?" Sensei questioned, walking up to Eli.

"No, Sensei!"

He continued to Aisha, "Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

"No, Sensei!"

Lastly, he stood before Miguel, "Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

"No, Sensei!"

Moving towards the front of the class, he stood in front of the mirror, "Class, are you ready to learn the way of the fist?"

"Yes, Sensei!" They all shouted in sync.

001. 𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹'𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬.      edited june 12 , 2022.
posted july 11 , 2022.

literally one of my favorite things ive ever wrote was that little moment between e and v listening to sparks. i <3 that song !!