The Stories of America

The Twenty-Fifth Star

In Order of Appearance:
Arkansas Territory/State of Arkansas: Valentina "Val"
State of Missouri: Louise
State of Louisiana: Jean

In Order of Mentioned:
State of Tennessee: Adam

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June 15th, 1836-Washington D.C

Finally, she was able to become a state. She was no longer a territory. They had a tradition, a tradition the 13 had made a thing. This tradition was that every state could have their own name after they became a state. It didn't matter if it was just a first or middle or last name or two of them or all of them, you could change your name.

Everyone forgot about the tradition until a territory announced they wanted to become a state. She had been searching for surnames for a while, before she even decided to become a state. She sighed as she looked at the wooden red star, the star was the color of background on her flag. 'Arkansas' was already written at the top.

"Val?" A female voice called her name. She was suddenly brought back to reality. The stars on the wall had been moved to create a spot for her state. Louise stood in front of her with a quill in her hand. The quill was dripping with ink.

There was cheering and hollering in the background, but it was tuned out. All she could see was Louise standing in front of her with the quill. She couldn't move. She could feel her heart threatening to beat out of her chest and her hands becoming clammy.

The thought of touching Louise's hand, even for a moment, was terrifying and exciting at the same time. She looked beautiful. Her black hair tied neatly into a bun. Her midnight blue dress fit her skin color, body and hair. She was all done up except for her face. Her natural beauty always amazed her.

She could be beautiful without makeup while she needed lots of makeup to make herself look as beautiful as Louise. Her face flushed bright red as Louise smiled softly and stepped forward. Her heart beated faster, she was surprised that her heart hadn't beat out of her chest yet.

"I know it's frightening...to become a state. Trust me, I know how it feels and trust me, it feels nice afterward. So take it, become a state." Louise's voice made her blush even more, she was glad Louise thought it was fear. Her hand shook as she took the quill from Louise. As she looked at the red star, a thought suddenly hit her. What if she didn't deserve it? What if she was a horrible state? What if she wasn't good enough? Suddenly, a hand was placed on hers.

"Here, let me help you." Louise said as she swung behind her shoulder. Placing her hand on Val's hand, she gently massaged her hand.

"Take a deep breath and control your hand." Louise whispered in her ear, she closed her eyes. Val took a deep breath and willed her body to still her nerves for a while. When she opened her eyes, her hand was still, but still a little shaky.

"Ready to become a state?" Louise mumbled, Val nodded, Louise's hand was still on hers. She slowly wrote her name because her hand was still shaky and because she wanted to prolong this moment as long as possible. It took her a lot of willpower to pull away from Louise as she walked up to the wall.

The cheering and hollering softened as she walked up to it. She looked down at her star before looking back at the wall. She straightened herself before placing her star on the wall and backing up a little. The cheering and hollering was louder than before.

She smiled as she turned and looked at the others. The states and territories were all there, they were all there to see her become a state. Val smiled, however, all she wanted to see was Louise, smiling back at her.

oOo

Val was on the sidelines, drinking her wine as she watched Louise dance around. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest as she watched Louise and Adam dance around the dancefloor. She clutched her wine glass so hard that her knuckles became white and tears pricked her eyes. If Louise was happy then she should be happy, right? However, seeing her crush with Adam made her unhappy.

Angry. Heartbroken. She wiped her tears before they could fall. Today was supposed to be happy, not sad. She stormed off to the bathroom. She couldn't let anyone see her cry. When she got to the bathroom, she closed the door and let her tears pour.

She collapsed against the door, crying. Why couldn't she find the courage to ask her? Val knew the answer. She was scared, scared of being rejected. She didn't want to care about it, but she did.

"Valentina!" She heard Jean's voice yell. She jumped and slammed her hand on her mouth.

"Valentina?" Jean inquired, more softer this time. She still didn't respond.

"Can you come out here?" Jean asked.

"O-okay..." She replied, softly. She got up and opened her purse. She fixed up her makeup before opening the door. Jean was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Once she opened the door, Jean rushed to her side. He hooked his arm around her elbow and led her away from the bathroom.

"Look, I know it's hard watching someone you love dancing with someone else. However, please remember that someday, you might have her. You just have to wait...or you can tell her now. However, I would recommend you wait for the perfect moment...well, to you." Jean said to her, "Now, do you want me to take you home?"

Val shook her head, "No. If this night isn't going the way I want, I'm going to make it go my way."

Jean smiled as Val shook out of his grip. Val moved to the dance floor and decided to dance by herself. Maybe, just maybe, it would happen someday. Unitl then, she'll dance.

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Me again. This ship is not a one-sided ship. Well, in this one-shot, it is. But, it does change. I'm not very good at describing people, please don't mind that. Anyway, I hope you like this!

Words: 1020

-Rose