Efflorescence

chapter one

Three days passed, after Sapphire's dad finally gave her consent to move to LA. Hours upon hours were spent on packing her simple, boring life in Oregon, into a couple boxes and suitcases. She was shocked she could accomplish the task in those three days, but she wanted to leave as soon as possible. 

Maribell finished packing not too long after her, which was also a shock considering the fact that Maribell was a vintage clothing junkie. She collected anything and everything from the eras of the past. It was her best friend's favorite thing to do, and always had been since she was a kid. 

Sapphire sat on the edge of her bed, which were still covered in Eiffel tower sheets, thinking about all the memories she had here. It was her home for twenty years, of course she would miss it.  

A faint smile spread across her face, as she remembered the first time she walked into her bedroom. She was hoping for a blue theme, or even purple would be fine with her, but pink? The color was repulsive in her opinion. She could love the color at times, or hate it, and the moment she walked into her new bedroom at the ripe old age of seven, she hated the color. It just wasn't her style, and her mother knew that, but she never wanted accepted the fact that her daughter didn't want to be her  living doll to dress up and play with.

Speaking of the devil. Her mom walked into the room, and sat next to her. 

"Hey.. I see you're all packed and ready to go," she said feeling a sense of pride at the beautiful young woman her daughter turned out to be.

Sapphire was effortlessly beautiful, though she would never let anyone tell her that. She always considered herself average, and nothing more. But no average girl was blessed with her vibrant green eyes, that had flecks of gold, which she thanked her Dad for. To go with the gold in her eyes, she had dirty blonde hair, with natural golden highlights, exactly like her Mother's hair. She always kept her makeup to a minimum, with usually a coat of mascara and some lip balm. She didn't have to wear concealer or foundation to cover up any imperfections, because she rarely had any. She had a few freckles spread across her nose and cheeks, but she never considered them imperfections. Overall her skin was basically perfect. Even after sleepless nights, she would never gain dark circles. Perks of being vegan.

She'd been a vegan ever since the day she found out where meat came from. She decided to never support harm of animals, and become a vegan. There were many benefits to veganism, like a healthy body. Sapphire was a sporty girl, so she was always in shape and was fit, but being a vegan added the cherry on top. She had long, toned legs and a moderately flat stomach, but even after people telling her that she had a great body, she was still self-concious of herself. 

"Yeah, that's just about it.. I'm gonna miss this place. Lots of memories here," Sapphire said with a hint of sadness in her voice. She would definitely miss her mom. She wasn't as close with her compared to her dad, but her mom was still the best. She was the parent she'd go to when she'd been heartbroken, or when she was dealing with drama at school. Her mom always knew how to comfort her and give her advice. She just always knew what to say, and Sapphire was scared to leave without her mother's wise words being available whenever she needed them. 

"Promise you'll call us everyday?" her mom said leaning to give Sapphire a kiss on the cheek. After reassuring her mom that she would always check in with her and tell her everything, she decided she needed a cold shower to clean the sweat on her body. It had been hot that week, and she just needed to cool off. 

She went to her bathroom, and turned the water on to the middle temperature, leaning more towards cold. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and laughed at her appearance. Her messy bun, and baggy, oversized t-shirt weren't making her look any better either. She stripped her clothes and stepped into the shower. She winced as the icy water ran through her mid-length hair, and down her back. After standing there for a few minutes, letting the water soak her skin, she decided to wash her hair and body. She reached out waiting for her best friend to hand her a towel, knowing the moment she walked into the bathroom.