worst in me | joe keery (1)

06 : revenge and wars

Valoria stood up, brushing her hands off on her shorts as a satisfied smile crept onto her lips. She pulled out her phone after a minute of examination, taking a few photos of her accomplishment.

It had taken her two weeks to plan out her revenge prank on Joe, and she finally came to the idea to mess with his hair care products. Valoria had to discuss it with the Stranger Things crew, but they agreed and laughed it off. She had managed to slip temporary hair dye into his shampoo and some colored spray into the same can of hairspray he uses daily, giving him a blue hued hair color.

She slipped out of his room once she was done, the bag of products in her hand. Finn and Noah approached her once she sat down in the crew room, sly grins on their lips.

"Is it done?" Finn asked eagerly, and Valoria laughed with a nod. "Yep. The stylist told me he should be hopping into the shower now, since he had a dirty scene to film. Give it an hour."

Noah shared a wicked grin with her brother then ran off, both to shoot and to inform the other kids. Once they ran off, Natalia stole the seat on the sofa beside Valoria, resting her head against Valoria's shoulder.

"I can't wait till Joe sees what you've done." Natalia said with a laugh, causing the brunette to let out a chuckle. "It'll be a site, that's for sure."

"What even is your relationship with him?" Natalia asked, readjusting her position so she could look at her friend, who shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"We're friends."

"Uh huh, sure." Natalia rolled her eyes. "I don't believe that. Is it really nothing more?"

Valoria stared at her friend with wide eyes, scoffing gently. "I couldn't be more with Joe, it'd risk too much. I can't do anything to harm Finn's career."

Natalia let out a small laugh. "You're so sweet but so stupid all at once. Finn's career has nothing to do with your love life. Whether you date Joe, dump him, or even marry him, Finn will still be a constant on this show. Its the way it works."

Valoria let out a huff, "I've only known him for two months, I can't just fall for him. Its not like that, I promise."

Although unconvinced, Natalia nodded. "Alright, I won't pry anymore. Anyway, Joe should be wrapping up soon."

Shortly after those words escaped Natalia, an angry Joe stomped into the room, the can of tampered hairspray in his hands and his hair sporting a deep blue shade.

Valoria exploded into a fit of laughter as Joe approached her, tossing the can into her lap. "You think this is funny?"

The brunette attempted to collect herself, gazing up at Joe and nodding, small giggles escaping her lips.

"You've never looked better," she breathed out, "I love it."

Joe let out a breath through his nose, anger seeping through him as Valoria continued to laugh. She stood up, facing the taller boy and returned a straight face as he stared her down with a frown.

"I think you look lovely." She reached out and touched his hair gently, the crisp blue strands tinting her fingertips.

"I'm planning how to get back at you as we speak." Joe breathed, the anger slowly leaving him as he took in Valoria's gentle smile.

She grinned, "I'd like to see you try."

She moved her hand down to rest on his chest, patting it gently. "I haven't been beat in pranks for years now."

"Is that a challenge?" Joe said with a raised eyebrow, a hand extending to grip her hip as he tugged her closer. A small gasp escaped Valoria's lips, her heart speeding up due to the lack of proximity between the two.

Regardless of her nerves, she still looked at Joe with a bashful smile. She could feel his breath fanning her face as she whispered, "It might be."

He grinned, "Well, Val, if you must know; I'm a fan of challenges."

She stared at him for a moment, his gaze never breaking hers. "Is this becoming an official war?"

Joe let out a raspy chuckle, "I believe so."

Valoria pulled away from him with rosy cheeks, a wide grin plastered on her face. "War's on, Keery. What's your move?"

He let out a low breath, "Believe me, I'm working on it."