Short One Shots

Everything's Black.

Everything's black. The only way you can recognise certain things is by their outline. Everybody lives like this. Until they see 'colour'.

Some people go crazy, knowing there's something there that they're not seeing. That there is a world filled with more than outlines and darkness.

There is said to be a certain time in your life when you're exposed to 'colours'. But you never know when. Some people actively search for the 'blues' and 'reds' the 'colour-seeing people' constantly mention. Others believe that 'colours' are nothing but a mere wives tale. Since it's so popular, though, almost no one ignores the topic all together.

I try not to think about it. After all, why dream about something you know nothing about? Best to not get my hopes up, just in case the 'colour-seeing people' are making up fairytales.

Violet Bentley, one of my oldest friends, is always talking about how she wishes she could see 'colours'. Apparently she's named after one. She's found it before, in a book. A shade of something called 'purple'. But no matter how long she looked, it was still just an outline.

I never thought I would see 'colours'. Thought that there couldn't possibly be an alternative to the dull darkness in contrast to the bright outline. Everyone knows me to be Victoria Adams, the girl, most likely the one person in the whole town, who didn't have an opinion on the matter. So, of course, everyone thought I'd live my life in black and white. And, I did... until I saw her.
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It was just a normal Monday school day, start of school to be exact, and of course today had to be the day I get a pounding headache. I've gotten headaches before, everyone has, but it's never really been this painful. It just seems like today the darkness is too somber and the outline is too bright. Although, I decide to brush it off, hoping it'll go away.

The walk to school with Violet was no different than usual. She was ranting about how her Grandma told her what 'colours' certain objects are supposed to be. Apparently apples are 'green' but they can also be 'red'. The apple she's eating right now is supposedly 'red'.

When we reach school everybody's talking about a new kid from a different town. This is unusual as there's hardly ever a kid from someplace else. This school mostly consists off the locals.

Her name is Riley Larsen and she's definitely something else. I see her and we make eye contact as Violet and I are walking past to roll mark. My vision goes blurry and the darkness gets... tinted almost? I shake it off as not getting enough sleep and zone back in to listening Violet complain about having Math today. That was... weird, to say the least.
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Violet and I finished English and managed to get through Math, with a lot of complaining from her, as we sit down to eat lunch. It's not long until we finish eating and Violet is staring at the new girl, Riley.

"Violet, you're being creepy, stop staring." Her gaze doesn't falter as she replies.

"She looks lonely, doesn't she?"

"I'm sure she's fin- oh," I look over to see Riley sitting by herself, staring at her lap awkwardly. "Maybe we could invite her to sit with us?" I offer.

Violet say nothing but stands and starts walking over, so I take that as a yes and follow shortly. I halt slightly in my step as when her eyes lock with mine the darkness flashes but stops as if it never happened. I finally catch up with Violet as we both stand in front of the new girl.

Violet speaks for both of us. "Hi, my name is Violet, this is Victoria-" she says, pointing to me and I wave, "-her friends call her Vikki. You're the new girl, Riley, right?"

She seems a bit shy and manages to say, "uh, yeah. That's me." Huh, cute.

Violet smiles and says, "Would you like to sit with us?"

Riley seems to brighten up and says, "I would love to."

She walks back with us to where we normally sit during lunchtime and tells us more about how she's adapting to the new school.
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After I know it, a month has passed by and I already feel like Riley is one of my closest friends. Despite only sharing business class, she regularly comes over to my house so we can work on Math together while also hanging out. Although, whenever we seem to make eye contact, the darkness and outline glitches, somehow.

There's a bigger problem than that, though, and that is that, somehow, I've managed to get a crush on her. She's so nice, and also completely adorable. Which is why I'm currently over at Violets trying to figure out what to do.

After telling her my dilemma, she stares at me for a moment and then says, "Just tell her. You know how nice she is, even if she doesn't like you back, her rejection won't be harsh."

Going through what she said, I decide I will tell her. Confessing will be good for me. Tomorrow's Monday, so I'll tell her at lunchtime.
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Sitting in the silence of the school library, I glance at my phone every few seconds. Lunchtime had started 5 minutes ago. I had just texted Riley to meet me in the library because I have something important to tell her and I can't seem to sit still.

She finally appears. "Vikki? You wanted to tell me something?" I know that it's obvious how nervous I look considering the concerned expression on her face.

"Uhh... yeah." I'm hopeless. The darkness is becoming tinted but I don't notice seeing as I'm too focused on what I'm about to admit. Taking a deep breath and looking into her eyes I mutter, "I like you... a lot." I cast my gaze downwards and refuse to make eye contact.

It's silent for a few seconds before I feel her take my hand. I look up as she says "I like you too."

"Really?" I ask. Unsure.

"Yes, really. Be my girlfriend?" She asks. I nod immediately and she takes me into a hug trying to dissolve my worry as I close my eyes and smile faintly. But when I open them again, somethings different.

Everything's not black.

I see multiple different colours and various different shades of those different colours. I look to see the girl I like, colourful and perfect. She seems to be in the same trance. It an understood thing of the reason we can now see magnificent colours, bold and bright. We found our soulmate.

It's also an understood thing that we can't tell others how we can now see colour. And they will never find out, because they have to find out by themselves. When the time is right. Right now, in this moment, all I can think about is how beautiful my girlfriend is.
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Back from the library, news has spread like wildfire and everyone in the school knows that Riley and I can see colour. Violet seems upset that we won't tell her how it happened. Although, as she gets distracted by the boy she's had a crush on recently and they make eye contact, I have hope she's going to find out very soon just what the colour Violet looks like.