╔.𖥸. .════════════════╗

𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬

chapter twenty-five
pretty in pink

╚════════════════. .❀.╝

ALYSSA LIU WAS never one to just impulsively change something physical about herself out of the blue. Sure, there had been the sudden explosion of karate that came into her life, but the muscles and strength that came along with it took time. As for other aspects of her physical appearance, she had basically stayed the same.

So when she booked an appointment to get all of her hair dyed pink, literally no one — including herself — saw it coming.

It was actually Sam's idea. Alyssa had confessed that she was absolutely bored with her hair, considering it had been the same length and whatnot for years. So then Sam suggested she dye it, and Alyssa just decided to go all out, choosing a color that was bound to get attention. Sam would've come with her, but she had a dinner that night with her family and Miguel's family, so Alyssa asked Moon to go with her. In fact, Sam, Moon, and her mom were the only people who knew what was going on.

Yet that wasn't until later. For now, Alyssa was at karate practice, and her hair was still brown.

The sparring deck was fully completed now, looking exactly like the designs Eli had created. It was their first day of trying it out, and so far, it was working extremely well. With the extra space, they weren't so cramped up in the backyard.

Practice consisted of Sensei LaRusso sparring with the Miyagi-Do's, Sensei Lawrence sparring with the Eagle Fang's, and Sensei LaRusso and Sensei Lawrence sparring each other while taking turns wearing protective gears. The day was split up with lunch, where Sam kept quietly gushing to Alyssa how excited she was to see her new hair.

Here's a few highlights from Alyssa's day.

First, sparring with Sensei LaRusso. In the months of her learning karate, she had progressed a lot. She wasn't really expecting to win, but she could at least defend herself and get a few good strikes in. The sparring session went on for a good while.

Like she said, she wasn't expecting to win, and she didn't. She went to strike Sensei LaRusso in the chest, but he blocked it with his forearm, and he pushed her arm to the side. He then used his other hand to gently punch her in the stomach, causing him to win the fight.

"That was really, really good, Ally," Sensei LaRusso told her as she placed her hands on her hips, breathing a little heavily. "You put up quite a fight. I can see the improvement. Just remember to—"

"Never give up the defense, yeah," Alyssa agreed. "Thanks, Sensei."

She then got down from the sparring deck. Alyssa walked and took her place next to Eli, who already had his hand up for her. She slapped her own hand against his in a high-five before turning around and facing the sparring deck again.

Second, watching Eli fight Sensei Lawrence. The dojo had gradually become less hostile towards him ever since the building of the sparring deck, and everyone was becoming more accepting of him. Eli also seemed to be really holding his own against Sensei Lawrence, but a kick from him had cause Eli to lose. She watched as Eli got down from the sparring deck and walked over to her.

"What'd you think?" Eli asked, trying to catch his breath.

"Hm, not bad," Alyssa commented.

"Not bad?"

Third, lunch time. Lunch was basically the only time of day where all of them could just relax and forget about karate for the time being. They all sat in one of the rooms inside the house in one giant circle on the mat. Alyssa, as always, had taken her place next to Sam. Sam was in the midst of gushing over how excited she was to see her new hair while they ate.

"You have to send me pictures when it's done," Sam said. "I'm so sad I'm not going to be there."

"You'll be there in spirit," Alyssa responded. "I'll send you pictures when it's done, don't worry. You'll be the first one . . . besides maybe my mom."

Something suddenly then hit the side of her head. Alyssa flinched in surprise and looked down, only to see a grape next to her. She stared at in confusion before looking up, only to see Eli, Miguel, and Demetri chuckling with one another. However, she immediately could tell who the culprit was, considering the smirk on their face.

"Eli, for real?" Alyssa complained.

He stared at her. "How'd you know it was me?"

"You look the proudest out of the three of you, bitch." Alyssa then picked up the grape he had thrown at her and threw it right back, landing it right on his temple. "Fuck you."

Eli shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"Oh, do not give me that," Alyssa stated. "You started it."

Eli stood up. "And I'll finish it."

"Can't a girl just eat her lunch in peace for once?"

"Oh, so you're backing down."

Alyssa's eyes narrowed at her, and she thrust her container into Sam's hand. "Hold my salad." She stood up from the floor and raised her fists. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Eli raised his fists as well. "Bring it on."

The two of them circled at each other before starting to throw punches. It was nothing but playful — the punches weren't aimed to hurt, their form was a mess, and they were laughing while doing so.

Eli then captured her arm and tugged her in close. He wrapped his arms around the front of her and tucked her back flush against his chest so she wouldn't escape. Alyssa didn't even try to fight back, honestly loving the feeling. The room erupted in a chorus of oh's, deeming Eli the winner of whatever had just happened.

(It didn't matter. She would get him back.)

Four, leaving practice. This moment was one of her favorites, because it made her realize that she could show Eli her new hair in person. She had just left the house with her things, ready to go dye her hair (she couldn't believe she had just said that), when she felt a familiar arm sling around her shoulders. She looked up to see Eli standing next to her, acting casual like he hadn't just caused her entire body to feel fluttery from such a simple thing.

"What're you up to?" Eli questioned. "We can hang out."

"Oh, sorry," Alyssa said. "I actually have plans with Moon right now. But I'm free later tonight if you wanna have a movie night?"

Eli nodded a little — he seemed a little deflated from her initial rejection, but he had brightened a little at the mention of a movie night, something they hadn't had in quite some time. "Sure. My house?"

"I'll be there."

And that brings us back to right now.

Alyssa had stopped by her house to take a quick shower and get changed before going to the salon, where Moon had been waiting for her. Like the sweetie she was, she had brought coffees for them. Now Alyssa sat in the chair, staring at the bleach and the pink hair dye in front of her.

"Are you sure that this color will work with me?" Alyssa inquired.

Moon smiled. "Yes, Ally. You're going to look incredible."

She let out a deep breath, nodding a little. "Okay. Let's do this."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

WHEN ELI OPENED his door and set on Alyssa, he was sure his jaw dropped all the way to the floor.

He had heard the doorbell rang and immediately stood up from the couch. Eli pushed his hair back with his fingers — which was down, by the way, because he felt more than comfortable enough with her to have it that way. He then opened the door, only for his eyes to not really register what he was seeing.

Well, Alyssa was there. Duh. But instead of the brown hair he had grown so accustomed to over their entire lives, Alyssa's hair was now a shade of bubblegum pink. It stuck out against her skin and her clothes, and it suited her incredibly well. If he was being honest, she looked . . ethereal.

"Oh," Eli let out, which was the only stupid thing he could say right now. "Pink."

Wow, really smart.

"I know, right?" Alyssa responded excitedly, brushing past him and taking off her shoes. She smiled brightly and took both of his hands, pulling him farther into the house. "I love it. Do you love it? Because I love it."

Words couldn't describe how much he loved it. Alyssa had always been extremely beautiful, but something about this made a strange feeling erupt in his stomach. He just continued staring at her as they ventured further into his house, nothing else in his brain except how badly he wanted to kiss her right now, and how badly he had wanted to kiss her ever since that night but hadn't . . .

But they were home alone now.

". . . so I was getting bored with my hair, and then Sammy had this amazing idea that I should dye it," Alyssa was saying, bringing Eli out of his daze — slightly. "She was actually supposed to come with me, but she had this dinner tonight with her family and Miguel, so then I went with Moon, and now my hair's pink."

"I — I like it," Eli admitted. "It's very fitting."

"Isn't it? I think you should dye your hair again, though. You've been rocking the red for too long."

Eli actually couldn't take it anymore. He suddenly leaned down, pressing his lips onto hers. Alyssa froze for a second, making him immediately pull back. Wow, just like what had happened that night. Extreme déjà vu.

"Oh," Alyssa whispered.

"Sorry," Eli said. "Too forward?"

"No, I think my brain's just short-circuiting." She smiled up at him. "Well, are you going to continue or not?"

Alyssa might've seemed like she was cool on the outside, but on the inside, she was positively freaking out.

(Oh, yeah, it's her now. Eli's perspective on this was so boring — Alyssa obviously had a better point of view.)

The corner of Eli's mouth twitched up in a small smirk. He walked towards her — slowly, which Alyssa knew he was fucking doing on purpose — and placed his hands on either side of her face. Alyssa's breath slightly hitched in her throat from the touch and stared up into his blue eyes.

He then leaned down and kissed her. Alyssa's mind practically exploded. They hadn't kissed since that night at Eli's house and had been dancing around each other for days. Everything suddenly felt resolved the second they kissed. Her eyes fluttered shut and she reached up, pressing her hands against his stomach over his shirt.

Alyssa literally thought she was floating out of her body when Eli's hands trailed down from her face, running against her sides over the fabric of her shirt, down to her hands. He took her hands that had been resting against his stomach and lifted them upwards, guiding them to his long hair. Alyssa smiled slightly to herself before gripping onto it, gathering the same reaction it always did.

They moved backwards until Alyssa's back hit the island in the kitchen. Eli suddenly took the back of her thighs in his hands and lifted her up, setting her down on top of the counter and standing in between her legs. Alyssa felt herself get a little dizzy from how he did that so easily before she wrapped her legs around his waist, tugging him in closer to her.

It was like nothing else fucking existed. The two of them were wrapped up in pure bliss, wrapped up in each other. There wasn't a thought or care in the world at all. Nothing else mattered except Alyssa and Eli.

But that moment was — unfortunately — broken.

Suddenly, the sound of keys jangling and the doorknob jiggling rang throughout the house. At once, the two broke apart, looking at each other with wide eyes. Eli quickly stepped away from her and Alyssa slid off the island, leaning against it casually. She cleared her throat, running her fingers through her freshly dyed hair to make herself more presentable. Alyssa tried to control the redness in her face and adjusted her shirt, letting a deep breath.

Mrs. Moskowitz then suddenly walked into the kitchen, and once her eyes set on Alyssa, they slightly widened. "Ally, hi. Haven't seen you in a while. It's good to see you."

"Hi, Mrs. Moskowitz," Alyssa replied. "It's good to see you, too."

The woman's eyes then focused on on her hair, and she smiled. "Taking a page out of Eli's book and dying your hair, huh? I love it. It's very you."

Alyssa smiled back at her. "Thank you."

"Just don't tell me you also got a tattoo." She looked accusingly at Eli. "And not tell your mom."

"It was one time!" Eli insisted.

"It was two," his mom corrected.

She shook her head, letting out a small laugh. "No, no tattoos for me. At least not yet."

"Well, you two are having a movie night, I assume," Mrs. Moskowitz continued. "I'll leave you to it. I'll be back in my room if you need me."

The two of them watched him walk away. Alyssa felt the tension in her shoulders decrease, her heart rate slowing back to normal — well, as normal as it could be when she was around Eli.

Alyssa looked up at him, scrunching her nose the tiniest bit — his lips were shiny with just the smallest amount of glitter on them. "You've got some of my lip gloss on your lips."

Eli's eyes glinted. "How about you give me some more?"

Her face burned, and she hit the back of her hand against his stomach. "Shut up." Alyssa started to walk away towards the living room. "Are we watching a movie, or what? I—"

She was cut off by Eli grabbing her wrist, spinning her around and pulling her into him. Alyssa's breath hitched in her throat as her body pressed up against his. He placed his hands on her hips and dipped his head down, kissing her again. Alyssa rose up onto her toes and kissed him back.

Eli pulled away for a moment. "Nope."

Alyssa giggled. "Eli, your mom—" he kissed her in the middle of her sentence, and she pulled back to continue talking "—is literally—" another kiss "—in the next room."

He kissed her again. "Don't care." Another kiss. "Kissing you."

"Okay, hold—" she placed her hands on either side of his face and forced him to look at her. "Hold on. Slow down."

"Oh." Eli dropped his hands from her hips. "Sorry, we can stop—"

"Hey, no. That's not what I meant." Alyssa glanced over his shoulder in the direction that Mrs. Moskowitz went. "I'm trying to say that we at least shouldn't do this in the living room, you know, out in the open."

"Are you asking me to take you to my bedroom, Lys?" Eli teased.

"You know what? I'm actually going home. This has been fun, hope you enjoyed my big hair reveal, I'll see you—"

She was cut off by Eli leaning down, wrapping his arms around her hips and lifting her up off the ground, throwing her whole body over his shoulder. Alyssa shrieked from the sudden movement and clutched onto his shoulder, starting to laugh as Eli carried her away, presumably in the direction of his bedroom.

"Who knew pink hair would make you act like this," Alyssa commented.

"It's not so much your hair, I think it's just you," Eli told her.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

REMEMBER WHAT ALYSSA said about hating running? Yeah, well, she hated stairs even more.

The Sensei's had agreed to swap students so they could learn the different styles. In other words, Sensei LaRusso was taking the Eagle Fang's to teach them defense while Sensei Lawrence was taking the Miyagi-Do's to teach them offense.

Alyssa couldn't just figure out what exactly was so offense about climbing a bunch of stairs in a seemingly abandoned building. Her legs burned and she was quickly losing her. But, hey, at least her hair was pink. There was always a plus.

"Where is he taking us?" Nate asked as all of them took a pause.

"Nowhere good," Demetri answered. "I heard he drowned a kid in a pool trying to teach him how to kick, and that was before he sicked a rabid dog on Eli. This does not bode well."

"True," Alyssa added. "I remember driving Eli to the hospital. Those were . . ." She paused for a second and thought it over. "Actually, those were not the good old days. Those were actually some bad days." She shook her head. "Forget I said anything."

"Let's go, Miyagi's," Sensei Lawrence urged from his place much higher up the stairs then them. "Move your asses!"

Alyssa rolled her eyes and continued her climb. After what felt like ten years, she finally reached the top, where Sensei Lawrence was waiting for them. He kicked the door open and led them out onto the roof of the building. Alyssa squinted through the sunlight as she walked across the roof. They finally reached the edge, and she peered over the edge. A couple of dirty mattresses were on the ground, but they were extremely high up.

Demetri sighed. "Oh God. I'm tired of being right."

"What are we doing here?" Sam questioned.

"When an eagle's hungry, it doesn't hesitate," Sensei Lawrence replied. "It'll dive down at a hundred miles an hour to snatch its prey. It doesn't wait around for a fish to jump in its feet."

"Talons," Demetri corrected.

"It's not talent. It's instinct."

Alyssa patted Demetri's arm. "You tried."

"An eagle knows it has to make the first move," Sensei Lawrence continued. "If you want to beat Cobra Kai in the All Valley, you gotta break yourself of this wait-and-see crap."

"And how exactly are we gonna do that?" Sam inquired.

"You're gonna jump from this roof—" he turned and pointed to the building next to them "—to that one."

Alyssa's eyes widened in shock. "I'm going to what?"

"What?" Sam demanded. "Are you crazy?"

"That building is, like, five Nates away and we're at least fourteen Nates high," Demetri stated.

Nate looked at him. "Please don't use me as a system of measurement."

"Okay, I know I've talked many times about throwing myself off of a building, but I was always joking," Alyssa said.

Sensei Lawrence pointed at her. "I actually got the idea from you."

Alyssa's jaw dropped in shock.

"Ally!" Demetri complained.

"What have I done," she whispered, putting her hands on either side of her face.

"Quiet!" Sensei Lawrence yelled. "If you wanna be an eagle, first you gotta learn how to fly. And you can't do that unless you jump."

"What if we fall?" Abe asked.

"That's what the mattresses are for."

"And if we miss the mattresses?" Demetri added.

"Try not to," Sensei Lawrence voiced. "All right, who's first?"

Absolute silence. None of them stepped up to the challenge. Alyssa couldn't believe this. No way was she jumping from one roof to another.

"We're not leaving till someone jumps. Let's go, I'll wait."

"Then I guess you'll be waiting a long time," Sam told him. "'Cause we're not jumping."

At once, all of them turned around and walked away from the edge of the roof. Alyssa slung her backpack off of her shoulders and let it fall to the ground. She then slumped on a wooden crate near the center of the roof. Sam sat down next to her and pulled out her phone.

Sensei Lawrence had taken the liberty of putting more wooden crates near the edge to prepare them to jump, even though none of them actually wanted to do it. Alyssa was absentmindedly twisting the friendship bracelet around her wrist when she noticed Sensei Lawrence walking up to her and Sam.

"All right, what's the problem, LaRusso?" Sensei Lawrence began. "Don't tell me you're scared of heights."

"I'm not scared," Sam responded.

"Then what is it? Are you and Fairy Princess worried you're gonna mess up your hair?"

"Fairy Princess?" Alyssa repeated, her eyebrows raising. "What happened to Purple?"

He shrugged. "I can't call you that when your hair's pink."

"Well, I'm actually going to take it as a compliment. I do look like a Fairy Princess, thank you very much."

"My dad wouldn't want us doing this," Sam revealed.

"Oh, give me a break," Sensei Lawrence said. "You do everything your mommy and daddy tell you to do? If they told you to jump off a bridge, would you?"

"You're telling me to jump off a building."

"Yeah, onto another building. Look, all I'm trying to do is help you doormats survive the All Valley."

"How are we supposed to survive the All Valley when your training will literally make us not survive the afternoon?" Alyssa countered. "By the way, never take anything I say seriously anymore."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Look, we came here with an open mind, but this is dangerous."

"Yeah, well, I know what I'm doing," Sensei Lawrence insisted.

"Do you? Because based on your track record, you don't have the best judgement."

"Oh, you wanna talk judgement? How about smashing into by Firebird and driving off with your girlfriends? You wanna explain that?"

Alyssa's eyes glanced between them like she was watching a sports match. She slowly took a sip of her water through the straw of her bottle. Well, this was interesting.

"I wasn't even driving, I was in the backseat," Sam protested.

"How about showing up at my place drunk, causing your dad to kick down my door?" Sensei Lawrence added. "I'm guessing that wasn't your fault either."

Sam stood up. "I'm a teenager who's made a couple of mistakes. You're a fifty-something-year-old man who lives alone, drinks all day, and clearly hasn't figured out his own life."

He was quiet for a moment. "I figured out one thing for sure. If I did everything my parents wanted me to do, I'd be wearing a suit and tie in some worthless job while I wait out the clock. I didn't want that. And now I get to do what I love every damn day. I get to try to help kids like you find their own way. If you wanna sit in the backseat your whole life, go right ahead. It's no sweat off my back."

"Shit," Alyssa commented quietly as Sam sat back down. "Why is he always so strangely motivational?"

"Motivational?" Sam echoed incredulously. "Sometimes I wonder if everything is okay in your head."

"Oh, it's not. Hey, Dem, did you bring those Flipz chocolate covered pretzels?"

Unfortunately, he did not bring the chocolate covered pretzels. They all continued to sit there on the roof, stubbornly resisting his challenge. Alyssa wasn't sure how long they were up there for, but the day seemed to be drawing to a close.

"So no one wants to fly?" Sensei Lawrence questioned. "You all just want to stay in the nest. Pathetic! All right, fine, you win. You can bore Cobra Kai into submission. You all failed. Grab your crap and let's go."

Alyssa stood up and grabbed her backpack, putting it back on. Together, her and Sam started to head back towards the staircase.

Sensei Lawrence fell into line with them and looked across Alyssa at Sam. "Looks like you got what you wanted."

Sam suddenly stopped in her tracks. Alyssa did so as well, and she followed her gaze to see her staring out ahead of her.

"Earth to Sam," Alyssa said, considering the girl seemed to be in her own dimension.

Sam took off her backpack and shoved it into Alyssa's chest. "Hold this."

Alyssa put the backpack in her hands, her eyebrows knit in confusion. "Sure." Her eyes then widened in realization. "Wait, you're going to — okay, just don't die." She gave Sam a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, girl, I got your back . . . from right here."

Sam backed up a couple steps before raising her fists. She then broke into a run, heading fast across the roof. Sam stepped up onto the crates and launched herself off the roof, flying through the air. Alyssa's heart thudded against her chest as she watched Sam soar, but it soon decreased when Sam tucked herself into a roll and landed on the other roof. She gasped excitedly, nothing but pride filling her insides as she watched Sam stand up and turn to them.

"Nice move, LaRusso!" Sensei Lawrence praised.

"Yes!" Alyssa shouted, jumping up and down. "That's my girl!"

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

ALL OF THE Miyagi-Do's gathered in the front of the dojo, waiting for Sensei Lawrence to show up. After what Sam had done yesterday, all of them seemed eager to take on their next challenge . . . well, as long as Alyssa also didn't have to jump across a roof, she would be fine.

Sensei Lawrence then pulled up in his Eagle Fang themed van. Alyssa crossed her arms across her chest as she watched him get out.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Sam inquired. "Something else life threatening?"

"Oh yeah, but now you're ready," Sensei Lawrence announced. "Remember, if you get put in a scary situation, you don't back down. You gotta grow a pair." He then looked at Alyssa and Sam. "Of legs. To jump."

Alyssa let out a small laugh. "Right."

"It's okay, we understand," Sam agreed. "Sensei."

"All right, let's get to work," Sensei Lawrence encouraged.

He led them all into the backyard. Alyssa saw all the other Eagle Fang's watching Sensei LaRusso and Miguel on the sparring deck. As she got closer, she saw that Sensei LaRusso was presenting Miguel with a headband, much like he had. She slowed to a stop in her usual place next to Eli, but when her arm brushed her sweatshirt, water stuck to her skin.

Alyssa's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Why are you wet?"

"Tried to catch a fish with my bare hands," Eli replied.

"Well, did you?"

"Unfortunately not. What about you? How was your Eagle Fang training?"

"It was fine," Alyssa answered. "You know, Demetri used Nate as a system of measurement, I got a new nickname, and Sam jumped from one roof to another."

Eli nodded. "Huh. New nickname?"

"Yeah. I apparently can't be Purple anymore with my pink hair, so I am now Fairy Princess."

Eli nodded. "Fitting."

Alyssa gave him a small smile. "I like to think so, too."

•─•°•❀•°•─•

me 🤝 making my oc's have pink hair

shoutout to athena blake love u queen

okay but HOW COULD I RESIST jodi's pink hair phase was IMPECCABLE

anyways

the besties 🥰 manip by -swrites

AND SO WHAT IF THEY SLAY SEASON FOUR.