Forever Crimson

Chapter 13

SCARLET COULDN'T STAND STILL as she listened to Ms. Stanford give instructions over the day's meeting. Mr. Williams had taken center stage with the entire cast surrounding him from afar, and it took all of her willpower not to look for Jake.

Ms. Stanford brought her back to reality, reminding her that they were going to start building the sets. Halfway through the semester, they had to start building if they wanted everything done in time. She followed her group to the stage, where wooden panels, beams, and different toolkits waited for them.

Elliot walked past her on his way to the sound crew, and her body tingled. The kisses they shared came back to mind, and she fought hard to shove them away.

He wasn't the guy she wanted, but he knew how to touch her body. He was a walking spell, casting its magic on her whenever their eyes met. There weren't any feelings between them, just a pull to... feel each other.

Scarlet wanted to scream.

"Alright, well, you all have the plans for what you'll be doing," Ms. Stanford said, after she had apologized to Mr. Williams for taking up some of his space. She could feel eyes on the back of her head, but she was too scared to stare into the charming blue she had grown fond of. "Hopefully none of you run off."

Scarlet stared at Ms. Stanford, who was already looking pointedly at her. She reserved herself as Ms. Stanford sashayed away.

The Preppies took out plans they had been working on, and Winter Bay volunteers came up with easy approaches to start. She stayed quiet, but before she knew it, they had a steady frame coming along for Juliet's balcony.

"Hey." She dropped her hammer onto the stage. Everyone turned to look at her as the loud clack echoed all over the auditorium. She winced before turning towards Jake.

"All you ever do is scare me," she said, running her hands through her wild hair. He smiled and sat by her.

"Sorry, you get really concentrated when you work," he said. Scarlet stared into his beautiful blue eyes before blinking to snap herself out of it. "How are you today?"

The question took her by surprise. When she thought about it, she realized her day had been the messiest thing she had ever experienced. Starting with Ms. Stanford's spat and ending with Elliot all over her, she was sure she had hit rock bottom. There wasn't anything that could happen to make the day worse.

"Honestly," she started as she played with loose metal nails. "This day has been terrible. You don't know half of it." 

Jake scooted closer, eyes searching into her own for answers.

"Class was hell," she said, shaking her head. She continued twirling a nail in between her fingers, distracting herself from Jake. "And I feel like I lost myself for a good portion of the day." Her voice cracked, and she let go of the nail.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I... made a terrible decision," she tried to explain, "involving Elliot." She finished in a whisper as she shut her eyelids.

"Scarlet?"

She opened her eyes to find Jake studying her. She wasn't sure if that was disappointment in his eyes, or something else. Before he could say anything else, her phone rang in her back pocket. She apologized as the name Hales Bay Hospital shone on her screen.

"Hello?" she answered, wiping away at her teary eyes.

"Is this Ms. Scarlet Turner?" a male voice asked from the other line.

She frowned. "Yes, this is she."

"I am calling to inform you that your mother, Mrs. Christine Turner, has been taken under our care after an emergency call." Typing was heard from the background and an insistent pen clicking as everything from her day crashed all over her like a tidal wave. "Your mother is asking for you."