Red ✔

Ready or Not

He softly takes my hand. We tiptoe to the moonlight. We are in a beautiful, enchanted forest. The trees are lined up in a neat line with lights on the side of our path. He tugs my hand gently as a sign to move faster. We end up jogging to the end of the pathway. When we finally get there, the setting takes my breath away. There are a few tables set up nicely for a romantic dinner for two, and, as a border, there are hedges with several roses. The stars glitters with the full moon as their leader. From the distance, you can see snow-covered mountain, a shape of an upside down ice cream cone. The wooden floor is light brown like ginger.

Relaxing, classy music tingled in my ears. I look at the cute guy beside me. He grins at me with those adorable dimples. He grabs my other hand and we waltz on the wood floor of the terrace. The moonlight makes his eyes glimmer brighter than ever before. I glance at his outfit. He is wearing a black suit and a tie. His hair is neatly gelled down, so there is not a hair sticking up. The aroma from his body fills my nostrils with a strong minty smell. My feet shuffles with his to the beat.

"You look beautiful," he compliments.

My heart wavers. I pull him closer to me. "Thank you. You do not look so bad yourself."

I am wearing an elegant, dark red dress, a red corsage tied on my wrist. I am wearing my Mom's black wedges. My head is almost the same height as his. The leggings strapped in my legs make my skin look smooth and silky. My hair is braided into a bohemian hairstyle. This whole get-up makes me feel elegant and pretty, not a usual feeling of mine. At the back of mind, I am hoping that my makeup is not smudged.

I lamp up at him. His lips are moving but nothing comes out. My image commences to blur. My vision becomes as bright yellow as the sun. A girl's face replaces his.

"Scarlet," the girl's voice echoes. "Scarlet."

I squint and realize I am back in reality, where I am to worry how I look and act like. Dreams are much better than reality. Reality is not good enough for me. Too many problems, too many fights, too many hurting; I just cannot take it, so I leave reality and go into dream world for the few moments I have...until someone ends it. Sometimes, I wish I can live in my dream world forever, but I know that reality is too good to be true.

Holly snaps her fingers impatiently. "Earth to Scarlet. Are you there?"

"What?" I say, blinking quizzically. "Sorry."

"Daydreaming?" Nicole guesses.

I nod.

"Who is he?" Marilyn asks from the bathtub ridge.

I try my best to look innocent. "What makes you think there is a he?"

"We know you. You do not like a lot of guys, but we cannot forget that crush phase," Leo says. "Who is it?"

I have not told my friends that I am going with Clive to the dance. I think it will be too soon to know I am crushing on him, but now, I am going to get busted. They will probably freak out if they figure it out. Also, I want to surprise them. It is my specialty.

"No one," I respond. "Why would I like anyone?"

"Come on, you can tell us," Nicole urges.

"Please?" Holly pleads. "Pretty please with whip on top?"

"Whip cream will make me fat," I protest teasingly.

"Cherry then?" Marilyn offers.

I shake my head intently. They groan in disappointment.

Holly pulls the curlers from my hair. My hair bounces on all directions. It looks like it is alive. When she finishes, my hair puffs out. It reminds me when I went to the Science Centre and I did that electricity show, where a volunteer (me) has to touch this large metal ball and to test the science of static electricity.