Holiday One-Shots

February 9th

Mardi Gras One-Shot:

Phantom

~I follow the hooded man to an empty alley way. I've been seeing the same figure in my dreams for months now and I finally get to see who he or she is.

The figure stops. I take slow, steady steps to the figure. My salmon heels click softly below my dress. Once I'm directly behind the figure I stop. It turns around, it's face still hidden beneath the hood.

Without a thought I reach for the hood. It stops me by taking my hand in his. Our bodies gravitate toward each other. Before I can comprehend what is going on his lips collid with mine. My hand slides beneath its hood where it runs through his silky, short hair.

Before long I fall victim to his lips and I melt beneath him, mesmerized by his mystery.~

"Mandie!" My sister screams her name to me, waking me in the process. I run an exasperated hand along my face. "Mandie!" She screams again. She always does this, she loves to mock the way I scream at her.

"What?" I whine, letting out a tired sigh while opening my room door.

"Yuck." She scuffs at my pj's. She enters my room with clothes hanging over her shoulder in bags. I reach for them but she pulls away. "Get up, parades start in an hour, and we're going out tonight."

"Me standing here obviously means I'm up." I say, closing my room door. "And who gave you the permission to make plans for me?"

She throws an outfit on my bed before hanging up the last item covered by the bag. She sits in front of my mirror and pulls a ton of makeup out of her purse.

"Seriously, Victoria." She rolls her eyes at my rhetorical question before pointing at the outfit on the bed. A pair of mini shorts and half of a crop top shirt. Not literally but the thing is small. "We have to go."

I roll my eyes, picking up the outfit. We obviously won't be going anywhere anytime soon with all that makeup. "Where is the rest of these clothes?"

"Hardy- har- har." She says, putting on blue eye makeup. "I'm serious, put it on, Victoria."

I hate when she calls me that, it's like she's trying to chastise me. Last time I checked she was my sister, not my mother.

"It's cold." I state blandly.

"Okay, and?" She asks. "The girls will be there, and the sexy guys hitting on you will keep you warm." She turns to me and winks before going back to her makeup.

I scuff at her causing her to stand. "Look," she says walking up to me. "You have a nice butt, hips, and glorious tits... show them off."

"You're not my sister." I state plainly, trying not to glare.

"Vickie!" She whines in a begging tone.

I fold my arms across my chest and roll my eyes. "No."

"Vickie!" She whines even louder. "Victoria!" Mandie damn near cries.

"Fine." I sigh.

"Good," she smiles, hopping off back to her now acclaimed makeup desk.

Before long I am dressed and we're out the door. Sasha beeps her car horn signaling her and the gang are there. We walk to the topless car that already holds three people. Sasha, Brianne, and Emily. They're not my friends but they're cool people. I love them and have been hanging with them since high school.

We get in the car and head off to the bridge. Most of the parades are being held in New Orleans this year. New Orleans is a beautiful city with a lot of wacky people on a good day. Only God knows what kinds of things we're going to see this year.

We park by the leavey and take the ferry across the river. We walk the rest of the way, seeing all kinds of "things" and all kinds of people. The parade had started a while ago but I can tell this one is bigger and better than the last.

People on large, exaggerated floats throw beads and trinkets at the crowd. People hold up children and their shirts so they can be graced with beads, coconuts, toy spears, and teddy bears.

People are either over dressed with over the top costumed or not dressed at all. Mardi Gras is New York city for Louisiana. You see things you've never seen before and things you wish you'd never see again. It's weird, it's fun, it's culture, it's tradition. You can't help but love every bit of it.

Sasha flashes her boobs, grabbing the attention of college guy on a King Trition like float. He hands her a stuffed pair of red lips as she hands him her number. I roll my eyes at them, whispering, "She's definitely not my friend," under my breath.

Another float comes by almost in slow motion. My eyes lock with a blonde beauty with smooth tan skin and an almost perfect face. He stares at me, well maybe not me, with his light brown eyes. My heart skips a thousand beats as he intrigues me.

He tosses a single rose from an entire bouquet into the air but I can't wield myself to catch it. My eyes stay glued to him for some unknown reason.

There is a small tap on my shoulder and I turn to face a older women. Her face holds reluctance, as if she's slightly aggravated but she carries on anyway.

She hands me the single rose. "I think this is yours."

"Thank you," I say a bit confused but give her a small smile anyways.

I look up as she walks away. The guy and the float is no longer there but slightly up the street. My sister walks up to me with a large smile.

"You see that, Vickie?" She slaps my butt. "I told you this outfit was hot. God, did you see that guy?" She swoons. "I'm more than sure that when that lady caught the rose he got upset and pointed at you for about a minute."

My heart beats faster and I can't help but to doubt it. That doesn't keep my hopes from slightly raising as I play with the pedals in my hand.

"Hey," a guy jogs up and calls to me. "That rose was for my friend, that was her boyfriend trying to throw it to her." He says, pointing at the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

She's like a Goddess, I'm nothing if you compare a girl like that to a caramel girl like me.

"Oh," I say, fidgeting with the flower before handing it to the guy. "I'm sorry." I say in a low breath.

"It's fine." He says, " But, hey, why don't you and your friends come hang with us. We have enough room and more than enough booze."

Mandie smiles at him before pushing me to him. "Sounds great, my sister could really use a drink right about now." She leans into me and whispers in my ear. "The best way to get over a twenty second crush is to drink until you have a crush on someone else." She winks to the guy.