Guessing Sparkles (WA 2013)

Red Roses And Handsome New Boy

"Roses are red, violets are blue. You may not know this, but I'm falling for you." - Anonymous.

Chapter Twelve: Red Roses And Handsome New Boy

 The next morning, I was brutally awakened by loud knocks coming from the door of my bedroom. When I turned to my side, the clock said it was only five-thirty in the morning—too early to be disturbed. I hesitantly went out of bed to see who was banging up my door at such an early time of the day. And guess what? It was the snow queen— I mean, my mother. She was all dressed-up, which actually confused me since it was too early for her to go to the mall. Her strawberry-blonde hair was curled up in loose waves and she was wearing that same old smile I had learned to hate as years gone by. When she saw me, her once happy face was replaced with a horrified one. Trust me, it actually didn't shock me. Yeah, not even a bit.

"Sweetheart, you look really messed up!" she said and covered her mouth with her "precious" hand. "Peter won't be happy seeing you like this. Come on, dear, your mommy will help you out."

 Then she waltzed into the room as though I invited her in, but since she was my mother— I had no choice but to act oblivious about it. She headed straight to my walk-in closet and rummaged my drawers probably in search for something appropriate to wear. After what seemed like forever, she finally came up with a burgundy, pleated crepe dress that I bought from Burberry. I wore that dress for the first time during my junior promenade at school— and that was actually the last time too. Mom got up from her seat and handed the dress to me. 

"You'll wear this tonight at the dinner," she said and smiled broadly. "Katniss invited the Robinson's at the dinner, so make sure you look presentable."

And that, my friends, officially ruined my morning. I couldn't believe they just made a decision without even asking for my opinion. Then it dawned on me that I was not a part of this family at  all. That Katniss and my mother still ruled the entire household, leaving me as their slave forever. Now, don't get me wrong, the Robinson's were like an extended family to me too—but having them around would be too awkward for me. 

"I'll go ahead now," Mom said and walked outside the room.

When she was already out of sight, I took a deep sigh and plopped down on the ground. I acted as though I was a submissive robot programmed by my very own mother. Trust me, it was an utterly horrible feeling. It felt as though I was Hedwig trying to escape from my locked cage created by Uncle Vernon. My wings were folded and unlike the other birds around—I was not free to do whatever I wanted to do in my life. Freedom was like the next impossible thing I could have in this world. Love was the first one. I actually told myself a few times already that I will stop the dutiful daughter act and show to them the fiercer side of me—but I couldn't even do it. 

Three minutes later, I finally decided to get up and take a shower. Yesterday, I wasn't able to go to school because of my dramatic pass out at the kitchen. Today, I reminded myself that my "relationship" with a real life prince won't be an excuse to skip my education. The second hard thing to do aside from finding true love was choosing what clothes to wear. Apparently, I wasn't a fashion enthusiast. A pair of jeans and a simple white t-shirt would be quite enough for me already. There was just no fashion in me. Yep, not even a bit. As much as I wanted to stay on my "simple" look, I just couldn't. The news about my sudden romance with Prince Peter of Oaklace made me feel super conscious about how I look in public. Trust me, the looks I got from those random people I passed by down the street yesterday were pretty scary than that of some horror movies I had watched before. It was as if I was some kind of a criminal and they were the dudes from CIA. Yep, utterly scary.

After what seemed like a decade, I finally found something comfortable yet at the same time fashionable to wear. Funny, but I didn't know I had a few trendy clothes buried under my closet. My top picks were a pink carnation dress and a blue lapel vintage dress. I settled on the blue one because it wasn't too girly for me—oh and I loved blue too! When I looked in the mirror, I was quite happy to see my beautiful reflection. My brown hair was curled up in the best way and there was just enough powder on my face—not too much to make me look like a ghost or something. I walked outside my room, completely satisfied with my little makeover.