FLYTRAP| BRADLEY BRADSHAW

fourteen

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fourteen - Venus came, Hangman saw, and they both left.

" I would not want anything different."

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~ᴠɪᴄᴛᴏʀɪᴀ~

"When you fall you do some sort of fighting pose," Venus shouted to her best friend from across the frozen pond.

Hangman and Venus were currently in Russia and ice-skating on a frozen pond. They came for her mother's funeral but decided to stay for an extra two weeks.

Victoria showed Jake where she grew up and the two best friends explored her hometown, greeting new people. They went to the movies, but Hangman didn't really know what it was saying. She also taught him how to speak some Russian.

Jake skated towards her on the empty pond, "I don't do a fighting pose." His face pulled into a frown as he watched her try to do what she called, 'a fighting pose.'

Venus laughed at the man, her ponytail bobbing as she nodded, "Oh, yes, you do. You are a total poser." Hangman gestured for her to show him an example. She huffed and kneed down, surprisingly not falling on ice, and extended one leg to the side. Her right arm held her up and her left arm was high up in the air, she swung her head up, making her ponytail go flying up.

"I do not do that!"

"Oh, yes you do, Jake."

Venus stood up and did a small spin. She was good at ice-skating, she's been doing it ever since she was little. Jake huffed, "I still don't understand how you're so good at skating."

"It takes balance, something you do not have."

Hangman fake laughed, "Har. Har. I miss when you used to be so innocent and pure. No talking back to me." He swung around his arms, exaggerating how there was no such thing as back-talking.

Venus laughed as she skated towards the edge, Hangman in toll, "It is not my fault you followed me to Russia." The girl shrugged and stepped into the snow. Venus was in a large, fluffy jacket and Jake was wearing the same exact thing. The found it in her dad's old closet.

The two walked towards her house, it was about fifty feet from the pond. They walked inside, shrugging off their jackets and walking towards the fireplace to get warmed up.

As she took off her jacket, it reminded her of the scars up and down her arms. The girl had scratches and marks around her torso and legs. But, one scar took place on her neck, it went from her ear to her collarbone.

Six years ago when they graduated from Top gun, the girl had gone on many missions, but one mission in particular a little over a year ago, made her stop flying and take a break.

So, that led her to now with her best friend, sitting in front of a fireplace, just enjoying each other's company. It was silent, the only sounds came from the crackles of the fire. The couch they sat upon was leather, but a blanket swept over them. Jake sat on one end and Victoria sat on the other, but her legs took up the rest of the couch.

Jake's voice interrupted the silence, "Did you get the call?" His voice was barely above a whisper as he continued to stare into the fire.

The girl sighed, and nodded, "Yes." She hesitated for a moment, "I am going to take it."

Jake's head whipped around to look at her, Venus was sure it gave him whiplash, "What? Why?" Venus sighed and stood up, throwing the blanket off of her.

She knew he would react like this. The girl doesn't blame him for it either. Hangman was there when she got into her crash, he was the one that saved her. Jake was there in the hospital every day, taking care of her. He was there for her when her mother died, he was there even before the crash. They were best friends and Venus was sure that he was scared he was going to lose her.

Venus walked towards the kitchen, making herself some hot cocoa. She heard Jake follow her to the kitchen, "You know what happened last time, right?"

Victoria sighed and turned around, "Yes, I understand-"

"You clearly don't." Jake huffed and ran his hands threw his hair. His face was red and his chest was moving up and down fast. Venus walked closer to him, slowly pulling him into a hug. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and his arms wrapped around her waist.

"I will be fine, Jake." She pulled away, looking him in his eyes, "I swear and if it is too much, I will stop."

Jake hesitantly nodded and breathed out. He walked away, back to the couch, "But, we are talking to Cyclone and asking him to invite the other three."

Venus laughed, "I would not want anything different."

Venus was currently in her room, packing to go back to San Diego. Her suitcase was big and filled to the brim, she threw off her cold shirt from skating and looked in the mirror.

Scars littered her stomach and there was even a bullet hole on her left side. It eventually healed, but the bullet was still inside of her. The doctors told her it would do more damage taking it out than leaving it in. On her chest were only two scars, one right above her right boob and the one from her earlobe to her collarbone. On her left forearm was a burn mark from the explosion, the girl was lucky to even be alive.

Venus threw on her yellow-knit sweater and zipped up her suitcase. She walked out of her childhood room and down the hall to the guest room where Jake was staying. The girl knocked on the door and heard a quiet, 'come in'.

She opened it to see Jake setting his suitcase on the ground, "Ready, Hangman?"

"I'm ready to do anything with you, Blondie." The girl chuckled as they walked through the house.

Her childhood home wasn't huge, but it wasn't small. It was a two-story home and had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The guest and her bedroom were upstairs with a bathroom, but once you go downstairs, there was a living room, kitchen, her parent's bedroom, and a bath. The guest bedroom used to be her sister's before she left.

The two walked out and put their luggage in the car. She hopped in the driver's seat with Jake in the passenger. Venus didn't know what t expect when she got to California, but she knew she wasn't the same girl that left. If her crash and Hangman taught her anything,

that there was no time to get scared.