Don't Blink!

Orange

Orange is the lucky color this year, January 1st. It's by far the liveliest color in the spectrum. And I hate it. They say it's such a happy color. Well, do you think shrimps are happy turning orange when getting cooked? I don't think so. But you know why prisoners wear orange and life vests are the color of tangerine? It's because it's the brightest color you can see in the dark. 

 This was the evening of December 31st. As much as I'm not a fan of holidays, I wasn't also fond of gatherings — but I still went to this dumb party venue at a resort. Where I wore this stupid shirt which you can guess by now what the color was. The party was organized by my batch mates who were mostly the people I despise and don't want to spend the next coming years. As skeptical as I was, I tried to avoid superstitions because it's a hunka load of BS. But this? Holy crap. They put it everywhere! Orange confetti, orange pants, shorts, shirts, caps, tables, chairs, food, lights, fireworks. It burned my eyes like flames of hell!

Everyone was either eating or mostly taking a swim on this night of festivity. Derrick was flaunting his 6-pack together with his girlfriend, Diane, with an orange two-piece. Fuck them both for boasting and being so narcissistic. Liam and Joyce were kissing in the bar, with an orange cocktail placed under their slithering tongues. Gandy and Sam were playing billiards, the unmoved 5-ball stared at me like a gouged eyeball. Connor, already drunk as a skunk, was singing in the karaoke. I swore I was gonna push him to the pool and let him drown if he asked me again, "Is orange a fruit or a color?" 

Only a few were dancing with their citrus hats and balloons. Soon enough, they'd start the countdown to welcome the new year. As for me, I went inside my room like a mouse scampering into its hole. I couldn't stand any more of it. The threads of my shirt seemed to enjoy scrubbing its infernal color against my skin. Once inside, I quickly stripped it off, leaving only my pants and shoes which I removed next.

I stepped to the bathroom and my feet soiled the white tiles. My hands worshiped the white walls as I leaned my back on it. Then I looked at myself in the mirror by the tap. With my eyes, I explored my body, pale, skinny, and dotted by minuscule hairs. My nipples were as hard as marble. They pointed like they're going to rip off my chest as I failed to resist the arousal of my own nudity. I was also hard. So I plodded over to the sliding door where the shower was waiting. Squeak. I let the cold water trickle on my face, on my shoulder, on my chest, on my crotch. It was heavenly. Then someone knocked on the door. 

I didn't budge. It's probably Connor. But harder, it continued. Harder and louder. For the love of Christ, I put my underwear on, not orange but red, and grabbed a towel which was thank God, blue. I got out of the bathroom and left the shower on. Tightening the towel around my waist, I opened the door. No one's there. Only the hellish decorations. But I could hear the sons of bitches counting backward. It's almost midnight. 

 10... 9... When I heard a thud in the bathroom, I removed all my clothing again. 

 8... 7... I got back in. The mirror was a blur of moisture now. 

6... 5... I looked for the origin of the stone-like sound before. The shower was pouring strong, the shuushh was loud, faltering all the noise but still, I heard the... 

4... 3... I stepped in the shower and heard a distinct high-pitch swiiiipp as my foot violently cartwheeled to the right. 

2... 1... The world flipped horizontally and there I knew I fucked up while all the people I hate were cheering outside. 

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor, paralyzed, rivulets of shower water cascading on my body. While the slow contamination of red liquid flowed all over the dirty white tiles. Naked. They would find me butt-naked. The fireworks exploded but became muffled as I became dizzier and dizzier. Then I saw something sliding, its momentum decreasing. Brighter even in the shadows. It must have ricocheted on the wall after I stepped on it. Now it stopped directly to my eyes. It's a soap, I saw. It's a goddamn orange soap.