Beautiful Symphony

Chapter 7

I woke up shortly after noon, because of a late night Mozart marathon that lasted until approximately 3 am. Sometimes I just couldn't stop listening, and I would lose track of all time. Plus, it was still taking some getting used to sleeping in a different bed every night.

I got out of bed and took a quick shower. With my bathrobe still on and my hair soaking wet, I snuck down to the kitchen, where Dad was eating lunch with a fidgety-looking Crystal. They were muttering something about being too early, or maybe too late. What are they talking about?

"Honey, it's a town festival, nobody is going to care when we show up. There will be too many people to even notice!"

"I know, I know, I just want to make a good impression." She sighed.

Crap. The summer festival. That's today. I opened the fridge, making my presence known.

"Oh, Ariette! There you are! We were just talking about what time we should leave for the festival. Do you think early is better, or fashionably late? Or maybe right on time? Oh, and what should I wear? Oh my goodness. What am I going to wear?!" Crystal rambled on for another minute before sprinting to her closet.

Dad gave me a look. The, "she's a handful but we love her" look. I gave a small smile. I grabbed a juice box and made myself a sandwich. I headed back upstairs, munching as I went. What am I going to wear? I really didn't put too much effort into my appearance, but I did have a knack for fashion. All of my cousins and relatives around my age always appreciated my fashion choices, saying things like "She's so cool. Like a hipster or something."

I ran my fingers across all of the items in my closet, thinking of each one. I settled for a simple black t-shirt with red flannel and blue jean shorts.

*****

We arrived at the festival an hour or two before sunset, and the place was already pretty full. There were lots of food booths, ranging from seafood to carnival snacks. There was a small section dedicated solely to kids, with a bouncy castle and party games. Most of the adults were socializing or listening to musical performances scattered about the festival.

Crystal wanted to shop, as usual. Dad reluctantly obliged and encouraged me to find someone my age to talk to before they scurried off into the ocean of people buying worthless knick-knacks and t-shirts. I wandered over to the food. The scents coming off of the booths were heavenly. I decided to buy myself a waffle cone, filled high with strawberry ice cream.

I nibbled at the treat and searched for a place to sit. I found a bench between a few shops, with few people. I kept to myself, focusing only on my ice cream, hoping that nobody would engage in conversation. I heard a child, a girl, yelling playfully nearby. It reminded me of when I was about her age, running around, screeching with laughter.

"Can't catch me!!" She squealed. I guess her older sibling or someone was chasing her around. I went back to my ice cream, when suddenly it came crashing into me. Right onto my shirt. I paused, looking up at what had hit me. It was the little girl. Her mouth was frozen in the shape of an o, and she was breathing heavily.

"Uh, I'm really sorry! I- uh-" She stuttered while raising her hands in defense.

"Anna! What happened? Why did you- oh." He stopped behind her. It was him. The tree guy. Elliot.

"I am so sorry, we were just playing and- wait, don't I know you? You're that girl! From the woods!" He exclaimed.

Red flushed through my cheeks. I got up, maneuvering myself so that the ice cream wasn't laying directly on my stomach. They both kind of stared at me. I stared back. I tossed the rest of the waffle cone into the trash bin and speed walked away.

"Wait! I want to talk to you!" He called out. I hesitated, but kept going. This is just great. Everyone I walked past stared at me, with the ice cream leaking down my chest. I found a bathroom and got most of the stuff off. There was still a wet and sticky spot covering my chest and stomach. I saw a few people snicker, and only then had I realized that there was a piece of waffle cone in my hair. Lovely. I snatched it out and headed to the boardwalk.

There wasn't much of anyone there, just a few lost souls looking out to the sea. I plopped myself down over the edge of the planks. I texted Dad.

Me: Take your time. Going home early.

Dad: Okay honey. Be safe. We love you.

Me: Love you too.

I sighed, sliding the phone back into my pocket. I stared out at the sunset, recalling the last few events. They brought me back to when I was in school. I never really "fit in" with people my age, and it had always been that way. Things were even worse after mom died. I got quieter. Much quieter. I lost what few friends I had due to no communication.

I don't know why, but I started crying. Part of me just wished I could be normal and live my life, but another part of me just wanted to disappear. I sniffled, staring at the glassy sunset.

"Uh, hey."

I snapped my head around, and he was standing there, with two waffle cones in hand.

"You probably don't want to talk to me right now, but I wanted to apologize. And get you a new ice cream." He looked away, slightly blushing. I wiped a tear and accepted the ice cream. He looked surprised, and sat down next to me.

We didn't talk. Every once in a while, he would glance over at me, worry etched across his face. We remained silent, until something jumped up at me from the water. I jumped, sending myself directly into him. I turned around, blushing. He laughed. He laughed an adorable laugh and smiled at me.

"I just realized."

I gave him a questioning look.

"I still don't know your name." He looked into my eyes, hopefully. I looked down at the water.

"Ariette."