Question Everything

My Turn

I rode home from the Latosh building on the bus, my brain buzzing with memories and thoughts.

I'm in love with Greson. My best friend's childhood is over. Greson kissed me. I have no idea what I'll be. Why? Why do these things happen that declare who you are? Who controls it? Why does Greson love me? I'm unpredictable, weird, and a total freak. Why?

Then I realized that Greson had just gotten into the bus and was standing next to me.

"Hey," he said, seeing my worried face. "Are you ok?

"Yeah, I'm fine," I responded, and looked at the floor, then back at him. "Greson, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Why do you like me?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you like me? Like, reasons why you kissed me yesterday. I'm a total freak. And I'm super weird."

He cupped my face with his hand. "You're not weird."

"How dare you," I said, with playful offense.

"Ok, maybe you are a little weird-"

"A little?"

He ignored this. "But that just makes you more amazing. You're different, April. There's something special about you, I can feel it. And besides, you're really nice to your friends, and you're beautiful, too." He winked at me.

"Uh-huh. Sure."

He smiled. "This is my stop. I'll see you later." The doors of the bus hissed open, and he kissed my cheek and walked off.

When I got home, I ran inside hugged my mom hello, grinning, and told her everything. She was happy for me, and said that she had met Greson before and he was sweet.

"You should probably get to bed, April," she said after a while. "It's pretty late, and you've got a big day tomorrow."

She was right. I had been born a day after Gia, but with all the things that happened at her Latosh, I had almost forgotten about mine.

I change into my PJs, a long shirt and shorts, and got into my bed. "And you're beautiful, too," Greson had said. Was I beautiful? Did people really see me that way? I had one blue eye, and one green eye, freckles, a round face, I was tall and skinny, and my hands and feet were huge. Was that beautiful? I fell asleep with these thoughts running through my mind.

I woke up to my mom shaking me with a big smile. "It's time to get ready for your Latosh!" She said, pulling my blanket off of me.

I took a shower and brushed my auburn hair. Next, my mom helped me get on the shoulder-less silver dress that went down to my knees, and I put on my strapped black high-heels. Then, I put the traditional gem crown on that was identical to the one Gia had worn the day before. I put on some mascara and bubblegum-pink lipstick.

I saw myself and touched the reflection in the mirror, then turned away. Stop it.

I hugged my mom and went to the bus stop. When the bus picked me up, people dipped there heads at me in honor of my Latosh.

When I got to the building, I went inside and immediately walked toward the food table and started eating.

When I was eating a plate of orange chicken and rice, and hand landed on my waist. Startled, I jumped, then looked to see Greson smiling down at me.

"Why do people always scare while I'm eating?" I muttered. Greson chuckled. I leaned into his chest, and took another bite of chicken. I felt his chest shake from laughter. Feeling it would be the polite thing to do, I stabbed a piece of chicken with my plastic fork and held it up to Greson's face. He laughed again, then ate it.

"Thanks," he said.

I smiled at him.

We talked for a while about ourselves, and it turns out, Greson's favorite color was blue, his favorite food was pretty much any kind of pasta, and his favorite subject in school was math. "I'm kind of a nerd," he said.

I chuckled. "Same."

"Oh, I think something's happening," he said, looking at me.

"What?"

"Look at your hair."

I looked down and the ends were starting to glow.

This was it. I shut my eyes tight, thinking I wonder what I'll be. I was complicated. I got mad easily, but was usually happy, and I was nice and funny, but also rude and sarcastic.what could I be?

In the darkness of my eyelids, i heard a collective gasp from the group of people that must have gathered around me, but no one was cheering.

Confused, I opened my eyes and looked at Greson. His eyes were wide, and his hand was covering his mouth.

I grabbed my hair and held it in front of my eyes. It took me a second to register what I was seeing.

This can't be happening, I thought. No, no, no, no.... No.

The hair I held had strands of every color of the rainbow in it. I looked at the rest of my hair to make sure it wasn't just weird lighting. It wasn't. I had gotten rainbow. Greson was right. I was special.

I slight pain appeared on my shoulder and the Aries zodiac appeared, but no one was paying attention to that. They were all too distracted by my rainbow hair.

Suddenly, Greson grabbed my hand and shouted, "Let's give it to the second person to have rainbow hair in history!"

Wild cheering burst out from the crowd, much louder than any cheering I had ever heard at anyone's Latosh.

Greson cupped my face with his hand and kissed me, long and tender. "Congratulations," he whispered in my ear, and he kissed me again, and I sunk into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck.

I was special.