Ocean Blue & You

stolen kisses

The next day everything felt like some crazy dream. I often tried to remind myself it was real, even though it felt like a magical fairy tale, that was far from my reality. I ran through what had happened that night several times in my head in the space of about two hours. Everything had happened so fast, and so wonderfully. Jack and I had gone for a walk along the pier after Prom. He told me about the feud between our parents. We had been so close to kissing. Then Faith and Anna ran in looking for me. I was whisked away from the one person who I felt more drawn to than anyone else in the world, and then fallen into bed last night with my head still swirling. I remembered it so vividly. After all, it was only last night, and the events were still fresh in my mind. It had been a dream that had almost come true. Almost.

I changed into the cotton white dress I had worn to Emma's party. It was cool and comfy, and definitely something I could wear everyday. Then I brushed my hair and let it fall loose over my shoulders, and slipped on my comfy, familiar converse sneakers. I didn't bother doing my makeup. My skin was looking great. My spots had seemed to have cleared up. And I wasn't going to bother smearing loads of makeup on my face just for Emma. I was getting changed to go see her for her sleepover. I dreaded what was to come, like a storm about to break, and it had loomed over me for weeks like a haunting ghoul. Why was she so desperate for me to come? Jack was right. When Emma was suddenly nice it was not a good sign. But I thought (given the circumstances) I would much rather risk her taunts and teasing to come, than have her tell Jack's parents about us. It would be terrible, and would tear us apart. I just knew it.

I ran downstairs and straight out the door without Mum coming over to question me. I had already told her it was a sleepover with Anna and Faith. I slung my rucksack over my back and then got the tram to the street near Emma's house. Once it arrived there, I slumped over her gravel drive and down the path to those big, polished oak doors reluctantly. The house had been much more spectacular at the party. But now it was just a plain, big mansion. Fancy and ridiculous still? Yes. But it had lost some of the spark that made it so jaw-dropping since the fairy lights had been stripped down and the decorations packed away.

I knocked on the door and once again the speaker came on. I announced who I was and my purpose for being here, and it let me in. I wondered in my head if there was actually a security guard who worked for the family who did the intercom thing every time someone arrived (and what a sad life that must be if there was) or if it was just a robot. But soon this thought was pushed aside when Emma opened the door, ranked by three of her girlfriends.

"Hi Posy," she said, in a sort of amused voice, with that same look a predator gives its prey before pouncing on them. I noticed her exchange knowing, mischievous smirks with the girls before she said in that too sweet voice "come on in! We've got popcorn, chocolate, sleeping bags and, of course-" and she held up a few movies in her hand, fanned out like a deck of cards, "-rom-coms!" The girls around her squealed in excitement. I suppressed a weak smile before following her up the grand staircase to her room. I had never been upstairs here before. As we walked I looked around.

It's very different going into a house you've only ever seen packed and decorated at a party. The huge entrance hall that was packed with dancing people on the night of the party in mid-May now seemed even bigger than it had first appeared to me. Huge and echoey, with high ceilings and grand, polished floors and walls. It was very clean and neat. I suspected they had a cleaner. But as we walked further through Emma's beautiful, intimidating Victorian house, I looked to my right and left. There were long and shorter corridors that led to different rooms with closed doors. Some had been left slightly ajar, so I could see little snippets of dusty bookcases, empty double beds or even a few rooms just piled with boxes for storage. It was a marvelous house, with a definite feel of it being a bit too big. Clearly a three person household didn't really need all of these rooms.