School of the Supernatural

Finley: Colourful Words--Do You Use Crayola?

I walk down the halls with a happy grin, finding my way to Amber's room. I rap on the door and wait patiently, but it doesn't open. My heart drops and I knock again. No answer. "Amber?" I call. There's the sound of shouting inside. Suddenly worried, I push on the door and see that it's open. "Amber?" I say agian, my throat growing tense.

I follow the sound of her shouts and see her sitting in front of her telly screen, jamming the buttons of her controller and shouting into her headset. "Dammit! You fucking spawn-killing asshole! Don't fuck with me, you little  prick! I will hunt you down, motherfu--dammit!"

I walk up behind her, tapping her shoulder. I say, "Wow, your language is more colourful than a rainbow. What brand do you use? Crayola?" She gives me a glare and spins back to her screen. I watch as she's shot hardly a moment after respawning. She slams her controller on the table and I clear my throat, taking her headset off. She groans in protest, but I ignore her and hold the microphone to my lips ."You cowardly, dick-sucking, motherfucking, spawn-killing, bitch-ass sonuvabitch. When you get to hell, tell Satan I say hello, you douche bag," I growl into the mike. I place it in Amber's outstretched hand and chuckle at her wide eyes.

Amber switches off her XBox and stares at me. "Wha--Fin! I didn't know you had that in you!" she exclaims, grinning ear-to-ear. I give her a half-smile and she stands, laughing. I hold out my arm and say, "Come on. I have a surprise for you." She takes my arm and I lead her out the door.

"Where are we going?" Amber asks. I answer, "You'll see." She groans, but still follows me.

 I lead her out into the lot and find my car, climbing into the front seat. Amber rides shotgun and asks again where we're going. I say, "It's a surprise! You have to wait." She groans, leaning back in the seat. "It's a long drive, I'm afraid," I add. She groans again and clicks her seat belt in place.

Twenty minutes into the ride I look over to see Amber asleep in her seat. A red light appears and I reach out, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. A soft smile touches her lips in her sleep and I fall into a smile. She's so beautiful, I think, stroking her cheek with the back of my hand. There's a hoot behind me and I stiffen, driving again. Miraculously it didn't wake Amber up. I sigh in relief and keep driving.

XX

 The hour-long drive finally ends and I turn in my seat to wake Amber up. However, I'm caught by looking at her. Her fingers twitch in her sleep, her eyebrows furrowed. She's trembling and murmuring things I can't make out. Tears drip from her eyes. A nightmare.

I reach out and gently touch her shoulder. "Amber?" She doesn't respond. I shake her shoulder and she launches up, letting out a brief cry. Her chest rises and falls heavily and  she looks up at me in surprise and horror. "F-Fin, I'm sorry," she says, shaking her head as if to shake away the dream. I rach out and wipe a tear off her cheek with my thumb. "Don't be," I whisper. She blinks and I ask, "What was it about?" She shakes her head at me, looking at her feet. "Nothing good." I pull her into a hug that surprises her. Still, Amber lets me hug her and even hugs me back.

Amber looks around. "Where are we?" I grin and answer, "A concert." She looks up at me, confused.  I climb out of the car and open her door, gesturing for her to get out. She does and I take her arm, rushing to the doors. I hand the woman our tickets and take Amber inside.

We move through the mob of people and Amber asks, "What concert is this? Who's it for?" I grin down at her. "You'll know, trust me." We stand toward the front of the stage and she frowns at the empty stage. "Who the hell preforms on an empty stage?" she mutters to herself. I can practically see the gears spinning in her head.

The lights all focus on the stage. Suddenly, the holographic person appeared on stage and a squeal escapes Amber's lips. She looks up at me with pure joy on her usually-harsh face. "Fin! You brought me to a fucking Vocaloid concert?!" she squeaks. I grin and nod. Amber wraps her arms around me and hugs me tightly, laughing. I almost jump I'm so surprised. Still, when I look at her smiling, giggling face, I can't help but laugh back and return the hug.

The concert goes smoothly and Amber sings every song. Toward the end, Romeo and Cinderella comes on and she looks up at me. "C'mon," she says, grabbing my hands, "let's dance!" I let her move my hands around and join in, her energy spreading to me like a disease. You can feel it all around you in every person as they bounce up and down to the music. Suddenly Amber stops, looking up at me. Her grin's still there, but there's something else there. She says genuinely, "Thank you so much, Fin." I give her a smile and reply, "It was my pleasure."

The concert ends and we walk back to my car. The sun sets around us as we clamber into it. Amber looks up at me and giggles, "Fin, this was the most fun I've had in a long time." I grin back. "I'm glad this made you happy," I reply. She leans back as I start the car, yawning, "We should do this again some time."

My heart skips and I look over at her, but her eyes are already closed. I throw my hands up in the air and quietly shout, "Yes!"

Now to think of a second date.