What if the seven dwarfs never really existed and were just branches of Snow White's personality? Happy for the good days, Grumpy for the bad, Sneezy when under the weather and Bashful around that special someone. What if every time you looked into...
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Leaves rattling in the breeze, The sky was painted hues of grey Raindrops falling on our heads, Our story began on that day
The scent of damp earth lingering in the air, Your eyes locked into mine Barely an inch apart, Our fingers intertwined
You twirled me through the puddles, My hair was soaking wet You set down your umbrella, So it was as magical as it could get
We were the only two people in the world, Dancing in the moonlight As raindrops fell to the ground, You held me in your arms, tight
Now as I walk in the rain, The memories fresh in my mind I feel like I still see us, Dancing with our fingers intertwined
I still feel your breath against my neck, The spark inside your eyes The toads beginning their song, As our history rewinds
I used to love the rain, Because it reminded me of you Our dance through the puddles, A star-filled sky blessed with the moon
But now when I walk, Under the sky streaked with hues of grey I like it because no one can see me, Cry as I remember that day.
"What are you writing?" Will asked, pulling in closer to me. I shied away at first, and blushed. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a poem,"I said quietly, hoping he didn't hear me. I didn't know why I was so embarrassed by the fact that I enjoyed writing, but showing him my poetry felt like showing him a part of me I'd kept hidden for a long time. I didn't know if I was ready for it yet.
"Poetry isn't nothing. It's a beautiful art, if you ask me. I wish I could write,"he sighed. I smiled at him. "It's not that hard. You just have to recount a memory and exaggerate it so much that people's hearts reach out to you."
He chuckled. "What do you mean?" I pointed at my notebook. "Like this one. I don't have someone special like this in my life to dance in the rain with. But I do know what heartbreak feels like. So all I did was put in those emotions in an imaginary scenario, and voila!"
His face fell instantly. "Elody, can I read your poem?" He asked, so quietly I wasn't sure if I'd heard him correctly. Before I could register what I was doing, I pushed the notebook towards him.
After a few minutes, his eyes glazed over with tears. I was appalled. Did my poem stir such strong emotions in him? Did it remind him of something terrible that had happened in the past?
I felt guilty beyond measure. I didn't know what to say to him or what to do to make him feel better. He just stared at the notebook in a daze, unmoving, eyes fixed on the words.
"Do you remember?"he asked softly, slowly turning towards me. The classroom was empty. The bell had rung five minutes ago and we were the only two people left inside. Something like fear dug a pit inside my stomach. I gulped. "What are you talking about?"I asked nervously.
The little hope flickering in his eyes dimmed, and his expression was downcast. "Nothing,"he murmured, picking up his books and leaving me alone in the room.
Once I made my way outside, Riley looked at me expectantly, waiting for a reason as to why I'd taken so long. "Did he kiss you?" She asked excitedly, and I shot her a surprised look. "Far from it," I muttered darkly, still unsure what I'd said to upset him to such an extent.
This is why I should never show anyone my poetry, I thought to myself.
"Are you alright?" Riley asked, putting an arm around my shoulder. I was about to give her a smile and tell her I was fine, when it hit me. This was Riley, my best friend. I couldn't lie to her.
"Can we talk about it on the way home from school? I don't want the others to know something's up." She gave me a side hug. "Sure thing, Ellie. Cheer up, okay?"
We walked a few steps further, on the way to the cafeteria, when her head swiveled in my direction. "Oh my God, did you hear? Stacy ended it!"
I gasped. "She did? Finally! I thought she and Ace would never have the courage to admit they were the worst couple in history!"
Riley burst out laughing. "Now that's the best way to put it. Do you want to go comfort Ace or Stacy right now?" Trust me, she wasn't kidding. This is how things worked every time there was a fight within the group or when a couple broke up. Usually we each picked sides and helped the two get back to normal, and then the group would join together again. The choosing sides part was most definitely the hardest part, though. That determined where your loyalties lay, and also determined who you were closer to.
My favorite type of fights were the ones between our group and outsiders. We were very close knit, so they usually worked in our favor because we'd never leave each other's side. We were a team, that way. We all loved each other too much to give up and walk away.
"Ace was being a jerk throughout the relationship, but he's still been there for me longer and talks to me a lot more. I think I'm siding with him," I said, pretending to be sure of my decision. Yes, I was extremely proud of Stacy for standing up for herself and not letting Ace walk all over her. Yes, he was the idiot in the relationship. But when it all came down to choosing, Ace needed me. Emma was probably the only other one on his side, her being his best friend and all, so they needed my support.
"That's the right choice, Ellie. He needs you and Em right now. I'm going to go find Stacy and the others,"Riley said, giving me an encouraging smile. "Meet me after lunch so that we can go to Chem together,"she said, and we parted our ways.
It was beginning to sound like we were marching into a warzone, but trust me, that's how fights within our group worked. We needed to act like we were troops fighting on either side for a while so that Ace and Stacy felt like they had enough support and love. They didn't expect us to stop interacting with the so-called enemies, but they needed some one-on-one motivation boosters and hate parties. How broken couples managed to get back to being friends after all this, I had no idea. Yet, it worked with Ralph and Ashley, once upon a time. I had no doubts things would be fine between Ace and Stacy eventually as well.
"I knew you'd come,"Em smiled warmly at me when I approached their table. "How could I not?"I asked, giving Ace a hug. Then my expression turned grave, and Em knew it was my turn to lecture him for ruining his love life.
"What were you thinking? Can't you keep one girl, Ace? You know I love you, but what you did with Stacy was bad even for you. You pretty much forgot she existed half the time!" I ranted, giving him a hard look. Em decided to join in. "And not to mention, the possessiveness? You know she's a hardcore feminist. One second you forget she exists, and the next you act as if she's your property?" Em huffed. "No, you just don't do that to a girl."
I was about to contribute some more to this lecture session, when a familiar face popped up at our table. "So, I heard I had to pick sides..... Can I be on Team Ace?" he asked, and I wanted so badly to put my head in my hands and disappear forever.
Of course, the boy was none other than the boy I wanted nothing more than to avoid for the rest of my life: Will.
A/N I love Elody's group's drama so much. Also, did you get why Will was so upset after reading Elody's poem? Turns out somewhere, at the back of her mind, Elody remembers Holly and Will's dance in the rain the previous week. Tell me what you think of this chapter!
