Bruised and Scarred [short story]

Bonus Chapter: Flower Children

"hakuna matata. it means no worries for the rest of your days."

[the tale of a girl with a rose in her hair and a boy with a daisy crown]

  "You know, it's unmanly to want to be in a field of flowers," I tease, turning my head to smile at him. "That job is usually left to us girls, you know?"

  "So you're saying I'm a girl, then?" He gazes at me with a raised eyebrow, looking incredulous.

  "Mmm, maybe," I smirk. "You did go to that one lingerie store-"

  "Shut up!" He whines, clamping a hand over my mouth. "It was one time!" His cheeks are flushed pink, and he looks so adorable that I want to laugh.

  "Sure it was." I add a final jab, but drop the subject anyway. We fall into a comfortable silence, one that's only broken by the gentle whispering of the breeze.

  Admittedly, the place where he had brought me to was romantic, despite it being so cheesy. The field near the park was one meant for couples, as there was a heart-shaped grass patch in the middle of the pastels and vibrants of the flowers. He had brought me for a spontaneous hide-and-seek game at the park, before taking me to rest (read: lie down and banter) at the grass patch.

  "Hey, I'm going to go walk around the park for a while, is it okay if you stay here?" He breaks the silence, sounding slightly worried as he asks me. I almsot smile at the thought- he's always worried that I'll be too frightened to be alone.

  "Yeah, sure, go ahead," I reply. I feel his hand brush mine in a gentle caress, before I hear him walking away. The moment I can no longer hear his footsteps, I get up, smiling. I had intended to take advantage of the flowers to make him something.

  I begin to walk around the field, keeping an eye out for any potential flowers. He wouldn't dare to carry around a flower, but a flower crown would certainly be okay.

  Yellow tulips would be good, but too bulky to wear. Eventually, my eyes settle on a cluster of daisies. Innocence.

  "You're really pretty, you know that?" He breathes. I blush, biting my lip.
  "T-Thanks," I stutter. "Does that mean that you agree to go with me?"
  As quickly as it came, the look on his face is replaces by revulsion.
  "God, no!" He laughs, a cruel, grating noise that burrows into my body, tearing me apart. "You're like Death personified, and don't think I don't know that you have this crazy obsessive crush on me or something! God, you're so innocent, and so easy to fool. Who would want you?"

  I snap out of the painful flashback, returning to the present. That was the past, and I can't do anything about it. I set my jaw, determined not to let these things deter me, before crouching down and beginning to weave a daisy crown.

  "Oh good, I finally found you!" It's at least ten minutes before I hear his voice again. I stand up, beaming at him as I prepare to give him the crown.

  "I got something for you!" We both blurt out in unison. I gasp when I see what's clutched in his hands. It's a white rose with bleeding red tips, and it looks almost ethereal under the glowing sunlight.

  "You-You made me a daisy crown?" He splutters, looking equally shocked.

  "Well, you got me a hybrid rose, Flower Boy," I shoot back. "Thank you for it," I soften my tone.

  "Thanks too," he murmurs. I make a move to take the rose, but he jerks back as if electrified. A dull flush works it way up his neck, and he looks so adorably shy that I want to melt. "I-I wanted to put it in your hair," he mutters.

  "Likewise," I smile softly. Soon, the crown adorns his head, and I can feel the silky petals of the rose against my ear.

  "Flower Girl, you realise that the daisies will probably wilt after a while, right?" He jokes lightly. I punch his arm, laughing.

  "Shut up and kiss me already!"