┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 🔮⛓🪩 ༉‧₊˚✧ ꒰ 𝓓ancing 𝓠ueen ꒱
𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 ⎯⎯ 𝗋𝗎𝗌𝗍𝗒 𝖽𝗎𝗌𝗍𝗒 𝗃𝗎𝗇𝗄𝗒𝖺𝗋𝖽
VENUS TORRES was officially over karate. She could cope with the blood, the pain, and the borderline-abusive screaming. However, when it started interrupting her Saturday sleep-ins? Now there was an issue. So when Eli called her last night with a hilarious joke saying she needed to be up and ready at eight in the morning, she laughed and hung up.
Much to her dismay, it wasn't a joke.
"Goodmorning, Starshine! The Earth says hello!" Eli's cheerful voice sang through Venus's ears.
A groan fell from Venus's lips as she felt the blanket's warmth ripped from her. "I swear to god, if your porcupine looking ass doesn't leave me alone!"
Chuckling at the Torres girl, Eli looked down at her with a wide grin. His hand itched to grab his phone and snap a photo of how cute she looked. Her bubblegum-pink hair sprawled around her head as she lay clad in an oversized Big Time Rush t-shirt and Hello Kitty pajama shorts. Her face was scrunched up in annoyance at the disturbance of her slumber.
"E, please go away," Venus whined, pulling her knees up to her chest in an attempt to grasp a little warmth.
Sitting down next to her, Eli placed a hand on her back and rubbed it in soothing circles, "Venus, c'mon, it's time to get up."
Venus shoved her face into her pillow, and her muffled voice whined, "How did you get into my house."
"I know where the spare key is. Now, let's go!" Eli shook her, and a smirk found its way onto his face, "C'mon, I got you an iced coffee."
A groan of irritation left her lips again, causing Eli to click his tongue with a sigh, "You've left me no choice."
Suddenly, Venus felt hands grip her sides; she was lifted from her spot on her comfortable bed and thrown over Eli's shoulder, "What did I ever do to you?"
The blue-haired boy let out a loud laugh; Venus felt his shoulders shake from her spot over them, "You became my best friend."
⎯⎯⎯
After half an hour of Venus whining while getting dressed and Eli playing music to help calm her down, she stood with the rest of the Cobra Kai kids in a dirty junkyard. Shuffling closer to Eli, Venus let out a huff and leaned her head on his arm. Fanning herself as she squinted up at Sensei Lawerence.
"You've trained hard. You've gotten stronger, tougher, faster. You've done your best." Johnny barked, looking down upon his students from his spot atop an old broken-down van, a beer clutched in his hand, "You're ready for this tournament, am I right?"
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Wrong! Your best ain't shit!" Sensei Lawerence chucked the beercan at the students. Venus's face scrunched up in disgust as she pulled herself, Eli, and Miguel backward to avoid being hit by the can.
Sensei gave the group a stern look, "If you want to win the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, you gotta give me better than your best. Which is why from now on, you're gonna get my worst. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sensei!" They shouted in sync.
"Are you losers?"
"No, Sensei!"
"Are you sure?"
"No Sensei!" Johnny facepalmed at their answer.
Venus frowned in confusion, looking at Miguel and Eli, "I-I don't know why I said that. My mouth started to move before my brain could tell it the answer. I think the sweat is seeping into my brain."
⎯⎯⎯
"Get those feet moving! Go! Go! Go!" Sensei Lawerence clapped his hands loudly, urging his students to sprint through the tires he had set out on the ground. His gaze zeroed in on Venus, who was at the front of the line, "Move those feet, strawberry shortcake! C'mon!"
"I have short legs, please stop screaming at—" A shriek fell from Venus's lips, successfully cutting her off as she lost her footing and toppled over, causing a domino effect of Miguel, Eli, and Aisha collapsing atop each other.
"Oh my goodness," Sensei grumbled in annoyance.
Venus's muffled voice groaned from beneath the pile, "I think my body is broken."
⎯⎯⎯
"Your enemies are all around you. Destroy them!" Johnny demanded, taking a step back after handing each Cobra Kai student a random object that could be used as a weapon.
Venus gave an irritated sigh and glared at the blond-haired man, "Can I hit him with this?" She gestured at the man with the metal bat she was gifted.
A loud chuckle left Eli's lips as he placed an arm around her, "How about we take that anger out on a car?" He pulled her towards an old, rusted yellow van.
Venus shook her head rapidly, a strand from her pink bun falling onto her face, "No, a car does not deserve this. A car didn't make me run suicides at nine in the damn morning." Her face scrunched up, and she leaned a little bit forward, "I think this is the van I was born in."
"Okayyyy," Eli grasped her shoulders and guided her towards an abanded truck, "Just imagine that the truck is Sensei Lawerence."
Venus swung her bat on the side view mirror, watching as she only made a dent, "Wow...how thrilling."
Eli rolled his eyes and looked over at Miguel with a pointed look.
"Venus, if you don't break that window, I'm gonna post those photos of you and Hawk!" Miguel threatened her from the next car over.
Eli and Venus's faces flushed red, remembering Miguel's photos of the two asleep cuddling on the couch. A stammer left the pink-haired girl's lips, "Miguel!"
"Do it!"
Venus slammed the bat onto the side mirror, successfully shattering it with a forceful swing. She stumbled backward into Eli's arms, who cheered, "That's what I'm talking about! Let's rock this bitch!"
Abruptly turning, Venus glimpsed up at the boy, a glimmer of amusement in her doe eyes, "Did you just quote Mean Girls?"
"Maybe. No. Shut up."
⎯⎯⎯
"I think I'm gonna throw up." Venus winced as she gazed in front of her, a hand clutching the back of Eli's arm.
The students now stood in a single line before a dumpster filled with shards of glass, metal, and garbage. Across the dumpster lay a thick piece of wood they were instructed to walk across.
"Go! Come on, princess." Sensei Lawrence shouted to Miguel as he crossed the plank, "Let's go. Move that ass!"
"There's nothing to fear except fear itself." Once Miguel is across, next up is Eli, "That and falling into sharp metal and broken glass, so don't do that!" Sensei called out the blue-haired boy, who almost fell but made it. Venus stared ahead of her wide-eyed, frozen in her spot.
"Move it, Shortcake!" Johnny yelled, annoyed, gesturing for the girl to run forward with his hands, "We don't have all day."
Turning her head towards the blonde man, Venus shook her head with pursed lips, "You know what? I think I'm just gonna sit this one out."
Sensei Lawrence let out a groan, "Holy shit! Just go!"
Venus's voice raised a few octaves, "But I—"
"Go!" Johnny roared at her, arms flinging out to the side in exasperation.
Venus let out a loud shriek, his voice vibrating harshly through her ears, "Okay!"
Rushing forward, screaming every time she almost fell, Venus's eyes never left her feet until she ran right into Miguel's chest.
Panting, she shouted to Johnny, waving a finger at him, "This is abuse!"
"It's Cobra Kai!"
⎯⎯⎯
"You want to win. You gotta be hungry!" Johnny shouted, passing out pieces of beef jerky to give to one another, "You guys hungry?"
Eli handed Venus a piece, who frowned at it in utter disgust before passing it to the kid who stood next to her, "I don't think my body can handle chewing right now."
The blue-haired boy sighed and placed an arm over her sagging shoulders, "Don't worry, V. We'll get actual food after this."
"Are you guys hungry?"
"Yes Sensei!" The class screamed, taking a bite of their beef jerky.
"Good," He steps back, a sinister smirk on his lips as he lifts up a whistle, "'Cause so are they." It was silent once he blew the whistle, and then they heard the dogs.
"Oh Shit!" Aisha shrieked as a herd of dogs ran around the corner, barking and snarling at the teens.
With that, everyone sprinted for safety. Venus uttered a loud scream, clutching Eli's hand and pulling them towards a car. "Don't be afraid!" Johnny exclaims, amusement on his face. "They can smell fear."
Eli lifted Venus onto the car, assuring her safety before attempting to jump onto the car himself. The pink-haired girl grasped one of the boy's arms and tried pulling him up with all her might. Her honey brown eyes glanced behind him, her eyes landing on a dog charging right at Eli. Her hands tried to pull him up more rapidly, "Eli!"
Just as the words left the short girl's mouth, the dog bit Eli, causing him to scream in pain. Venus gasped and leaned forward, slipping off the car next to the boy, "Holy Shit, are you okay?"
"Obviously not!"
⎯⎯⎯
A few days later, Miguel, Aisha, Eli, and Venus were watching some stupid new movie at the theater. Venus tried her hardest to pay attention, but it was pretty hard when Eli kept throwing their popcorn at the girls in the row in front of them.
With a roll of her honey brown eyes, Venus lifted her head off Eli's shoulder, making the boy look at her with a slight frown. The pink-haired pixie gave him a look before gazing over at Miguel and Aisha.
"So Sensei and Sam's dad had some beef. What's that have to do with you?" Aisha shrugged, handing Venus some m&m's. Who gave the girl a grin in thanks.
Miguel scrunched up his face like it was obvious, "Do I have to spell it out for you?" He shook his head, "Sam's dad hates Cobra Kai. I'm a part of Cobra Kai. So, by the transitive property, Sam's dad is gonna hate me."
Venus leaned over Aisha with a sympathetic smile and patted Miguel on the shoulder, "Oh, honey, that isn't true. He's gonna like you because you make his daughter happy."
The boy gave her a slight grin, but it fell as Eli opened his mouth with a chuckle, "Jesus Christ, you're such a nerd."
Venus furrowed her eyebrows and smacked the back of Eli's head as he threw another piece of popcorn to the girls, "What the hell is the matter with you? And stop throwing the popcorn. You're wasting money."
Eli gave her a smirk as Miguel shook his head, "I'm telling you, it's not just on my mind. Sam was acting weird the other day when her dad walked by."
Aisha let a hum in response and gave the boy a sympathetic look, "Listen, I've known Mr. LaRusso since third grade. He's a really nice guy. You just have to talk to him."
Miguel let out a sad scoff, breaking Venus's heart, "I haven't even been invited over yet. She's probably too afraid to introduce me."
"Dude, just go over there," Eli suggested with a shrug, a smirk on his face, "It's an alpha move."
Venus gave the boy a look of confusion, "How much hair gel are you using? I think it's seeping into your brain."
The mohawk-wearing boy rolled his eyes and tossed another piece of popcorn, but instead of hitting the girl's bucket, he smacked the man in front of her. The man stood up and sighed sharply, "Who the hell did that!"
Eli's eyes widened, and he sank into his chair, his hand lowered next to Venus' as she laughed, "Is this an alpha move?"
"Shut up," Eli hissed with a broad grin.
⎯⎯⎯
At around one in the morning, Celia quietly opened the door to her apartment, tip-toeing her way in. The woman winced as she shut the door. It made a squeaking sound as she did so.
Her hazel eyes were red, her pupils were dilated, her nose was runny, and she kept sniffling every few minutes. With a sigh, Celia glanced over at the couch. Finding her daughter passed out on the floor, her head laid upon an open textbook, soft snores leaving her lips.
Celia admired Venus' features. She looked just like her father, and she acted like him too. She was too caring and kind like him. It was her weakness. But it was also what everyone loved.
The woman remembered how he would act and the energy he would bring whenever he entered a room. It seemed that it was passed on to her daughter, and Celia would forever be grateful for that.
Celia's eyes welled with tears as she sniffed again; Venus didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to have a mother like Celia. A mother hooked on drugs, too high to even make dinner.
With tears dribbling down her hollow cheeks, Celia grasped a fluffy blanket from the couch and placed it on Venus' petite frame. Lifting the younger girl's head up to replace the textbook with a pillow. Celia leaned down and kissed Venus on the forehead, "Te amo, mi querida Venus."
001. 𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹'𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬. posted september 13 , 2022
i literally cant believe I fucked up by putting chapter 8 as chapter 7 im an idiot anywho!!! thoughts?