Forbidden Things || Cobra Kai

62 Detached Heart

Frankie had no idea there was a way to get high other than drugs. She wouldn't have believed she didn't need weed or amphetamines or pain pills if she wasn't feeling the effects so clearly. She was high headed and could hardly believe it was real.

It felt as if all her guts had melted and turned into fuzziness. It was so easy to smile, warmth making its way throughout her entire body. It made it impossible to lay in bed with a blanket, so she had kicked it off ages ago, but she was still unable to fall asleep. Everything felt like it was in knots, from her stomach to the joints in her fingers.

All she could do was stare at the ceiling and smile, feeling as if she were dreaming, but the nausea was all too real. The giddiness made her fingers jumpy and it allowed her blood to be filled with an excitement she hadn't felt in so long. It was a feeling different from anything she had ever felt before.

She could hardly believe she was in love.

She finally understood what everyone was talking about.

It overwhelmed all her systems so much that she couldn't begin to think her usual thoughts about how undeserving she was of such a feeling.

It was late, the moon high in the sky and illuminating Frankie's bedroom from the window. She didn't know what time it was, but she knew her dad had gone to bed ages ago. So had Demetri. He'd blown her a kiss goodnight from his window and she'd done the most cheesy thing ever when she caught it and pressed it to her lips.

Now it felt as if the moon was smiling down on her throughout her sleepless night.

It made her think of Egan.

She was a journalistic writer, always seeking out the facts, but she wrote them down with a poetic touch. There was no doubt where Penelope got the talent from.

Frankie couldn't recall a time her aunt hadn't been working on a story, hunting down a lead or deep diving into the nitty gritty, sometimes dark, details of the world; she was always reading, rummaging, or talking on the phone. She had dedicated her life to putting the truth out into the world, no matter the cost or energy needed. It was admirable.

It was long nights like this that made her think of Aunt Egan and Uncle Ed. They made her miss them even more. She still wondered why they were gone, angry at the fact that they were dead.

When they died, it was the first time she really had to confront death and learn that it was just as unfair as life. It was a torment she had ignored for months, so she was still learning to deal with the aftermath of such senseless and unjustified death.

All she knew for sure was that she shouldn't have lost them.

Deep down, Frankie felt wrong for thinking such a thing. It was true, they shouldn't be dead, but she felt guilty for the hole in her chest their presence used to fill. It felt selfish to feel that way because they were her aunt and uncle, not her parents.

If anyone should be feeling and thinking all of that, it was Penelope, and Frankie was sure she felt that way. After all, she hadn't spoken a word since she'd been notified of their deaths.

The moment Detective Warner, Ed's partner, said, "I'm so sorry, Pen... they're gone," she hadn't made so much as a peep.

At the thought, Frankie opened up her camera roll and went straight to the videos. She scrolled for a moment before finding one she wanted to rewatch, playing it with the volume just loud enough for her to hear despite the silence she was bathing in.

Her own voice laughed from the speaker, "Hey, Pen! Pen! Do the thing!"

"No! Not on camera!" Penelope's sweet, soft voice answered back. She was the only person in frame, her naturally dark brown hair pulled into two ponytails with silky pink ribbons holding them together. She was outside, at the park that wasn't far from her old house. She was laughing, the sound angelic to Frankie's ears. "You do it and I'll film you!"