All Roses Have Thorns

Erin V

She had screamed until her voice was hoarse and cried until her eyes were drained. Exhausted, she had gotten into the shower to re-energize herself. She didn't even have the strength or heart to sing which usually cheered her up.

Still feeling under the weather, Erin changed into fuzzy pants and a loose tank top. Suddenly, she remembered the dragon on Safiya's arm and quickly opened her laptop. She opened FaceTime and selected Sebastian Solace.

"Eri! Hi!" Sebastian waved, "What's up? Hey... are you okay? Your eyes look red."

She sighed, "Seb... I- I found my soulmate." Her voice was still hoarse and it hurt to speak. Her eyes kept closing, but she had to stay awake for Sebastian.

"And you're... not happy?" He tilted his head to the side, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

She had a million things she could say in response. She could pour her heart out, show him all of her insecurities, tell him how she always felt like she was going to throw up when a message showed up without warning, but she couldn't let him see her that way. So she picked two short sentences that conveyed her basic thoughts.

"I'm fifteen!" She whispered harshly. "I'm not ready for this!" There was a moment of silence and neither one of them spoke. "Sorry," she sighed. "Anyway, show me your arms." He stared at her for a moment before shrugging and lifting up his sleeves. There it was, the blue dragon on his left forearm. "Holy ship," Erin whispered.

"What?"

Erin thought about it for a second. She shouldn't tell him. He should find out on his own. "Nothing. I just had a weird dream that you got a tattoo last night," she waved her hand dismissively. Dealing with bullies had taught her how to lie. "Anyways..." she looked at her calendar. "What if I took a trip to visit you during winter break with some of my friends? Maybe introduce you to them?"

"Sure," Seb nodded. "I assume you'll want to stay at my parent's place. I'll give you the friend discount," he winked.

She smiled, "Thanks. I'm sure we'll all fit in one or two rooms, so we won't take up too much space. I haven't actually thought this out, but it would be nice to see you before camp, since I missed you this summer.."

"Yeah," he smiled back.

Erin looked at her watch: 5:24 pm. "I have to go, Seb. Work must be done."

"Kay. See you later."

"Bye." She ended the call. What the frick was she supposed to do now?