Purple Violet Flowers: Book One

Chapter 44

Sunflower rubbed on her cheeks, sulking in the process. "Greeting people is so hard, I don't really like smiling at a bunch of strangers." Sunflower sighed.
"Tomorrow you'll have to see everyone off right? Your relatives and such." Dia asks, grabbing her glasses from her pocket.
"I hate doing this. My legs are sore, I've been everywhere today." Sunflower crouched down rubbing on her legs.
"Stand straight, you'll ruin your image by presenting an unholy act in front of everyone." Dia warned her.
"This place has too many strict rules, I can't believe I've followed them all." Sunflower sighed and stood straight.
"Sending you away was an awful idea, you're out of shape. You are so indecent, pay attention to your figure. What if people get the wrong idea and think you're a lazy slob?" Dia squinted her eyes as she looked at Sunflower.
"Let them get the wrong idea, I'm just being myself. They can't stop me from wanting to act the way I always do." Sunflower stood straight, looking at the ground.
"I think we both know that we can't do that." Dia grabbed a pamphlet from her pocket, handing it to Sunflower.
Sunflower grabbed the pamphlet, she began to read it.
"Tomorrow there is going to be an event, I want you to go there. Alone, obviously. I also believe you didn't tell them you're going to leave in a year to study in Italy." Dia asks her politely.
"Eh? Italy, I never knew I was going to study abroad." Sunflower frowned.
"Your Mother went to study abroad in Italy as well, I heard it runs in the family." Dia sighed as she looked around.
"I guess they assigned me there without my permission." Sunflower looked at her hands.
"They don't need your permission, they do it without thinking about you." Dia stared at her hands in a cold manner.
"That runs in the family too." Dia pointed out, muttering the last part. Dia had an intense expression as she looked up slowly.
"There are a lot of stupid things about my family that I don't wanna mention, It's a waste of effort, mentioning the faults that your family had caused." Sunflower mumbled.
"Did you recover from the death of your Father?" Dia asked Sunflower, looking at her with a curious gaze.
Sunflower looked at the ground with a painful look.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I don't blame myself about that anymore, I've learned my lesson." Sunflower says.
"It must be traumatic coming back here." Dia says as she closes her eyes.
"It is, though... I have to put up with it. No matter the problem I have to ignore it, it's what a Minafile does. Not a Havenster." Sunflower gazed down at her hands.
"I may be a Havenster, but I'll always be a Minafile by heart." Sunflower smiled and crossed her arms.
"What are you gonna do when the Willypetes come?" Dia asked Sunflower.
"That King better not pester me.." Sunflower's voice trailed off for a moment. "He is always bothering me, so I think I'll hide when they come." Sunflower chuckled. "Sunflower!" Lavender hugged her from the back. "Eh-." Sunflower turned her head to see Lavender. "You seem to be having an interesting conversation. Mind if I join in?" Lavender purred and rubbed against Sunflower's arm.
"E-Err.. -." Sunflower blushed as Lavender gave her a look full of hope.
Dia looked to the side, she didn't like looking at lovely-dovey situations.
"Did you see Kate and Louise anywhere~? I feel so energetic right now that I wanna pester Kate." Lavender asked Sunflower as she clung onto her arm.
"Why don't all of us just go looking for them?" Sunflower asked Lavender, clearly embarrassed.
"Let's go get the others." Lavender pulled her by the arm, dragging her to the wall.
Dia followed them, not caring about anything they did.
"Hey! My, Cherry Pie and Cookie Dough are going to look for Kate and Louise. Do you want to come with us?" Lavender had a grin on her face.
"Yeah, sure." Erlen shrugged.
"Wait, where is Gabby?" Sunflower scouted the girls.
"She went, to hang out with the maids, I'm not sure where though." Elisa shrugged.
Jesse looked at Sunflower with a blush on her face, she had a troubled look.
"Let's all split up, if you get lost just message me." Sunflower told the girls.
"Jesse, do you mind if you come.. With me?" Sunflower avoided eye contact, her face was reddened with a blush.
"Ah- sure..." Jesse nervously went beside Sunflower.
"Elisa you can come with me." Lavender put her hand on her shoulder. "W-Well, I have no choice y'know?" Elisa cleared her throat.
"Aqua and Dia can come with me, I don't really mind who does." Erlen shrugged.
"Yeah, but.. Leaving Sunflower and Jesse alone is like.." Aqua muttered, rubbing on her arm.
"It's okay." Erlen put her hand on her shoulder, she used her other hand to thumbs up.
"If we can't find them, we'll meet up here." Sunflower pointed at the wall.
"Alright, whoever finds them first gets a reward." Lavender smiled, her hands tied behind her back.
"Let's go." Sunflower motioned Jesse to follow her.
"Let's go this way." Lavender grabbed Elisa's hand, causing Elisa to blush and stutter.
"We can't waste any time, so let's do this quickly." Dia grabbed a book from her pocket, she started to turn the pages.
"It seems like you really don't care about finding them." Aqua gave Dia a smug look.
"I get my orders from Sunflower, if she tells me to be enthusiastic about it I will. Though, all she said was find them. I don't really need to do anything." Dia explained, licking her finger to turn the page.
"Ah, you're that kind of person." Erlen put her hands in her pocket.
"I listen to everything she says, she is my princess and I am her knight. I take all orders with no hesitation, I am simply a weapon made of steel to protect the one I appreciate the most. Nothing more, I was born to be a soldier. I vowed my life to protect her no matter what, she's the only objective I have right now." Dia explained, flipping the pages slowly as she walked.
"Wait- did you and Sunflower ever like each other?" Aqua asked Dia with a jealous look.
Dia blinked.
"No, we've never held feelings for each other. We're simply friends." Dia says as she gives Aqua the poker face.
"Thank the stars." Aqua sighed in relief.
"Why dedicate your life to her if you don't wanna enjoy it with her?" Erlen asked her, quite curious for the answer.
"She's the only one that understands me, and I'm the only one who understands her. It's simply easier to protect the one close to you, you don't need to be in a relationship for every special friendship you have with that person. You just want to protect them, regardless of how they are. There's no explanation for wanting to protect someone dear to you, I just don't want to see her getting hurt. Can you understand what i'm saying?" Dia asked the two girls.
"I know how that feels." Erlen stretched her arms, she looked at Dia directly. "More than you'll know. There isn't any explanation for wanting to make sure someone is happy, you don't need to be in love just to protect something. You just do it, despite everything." Erlen let out a long sigh.
Aqua was lost for words, she couldn't really relate.
.
"Awh, Cherry Pie looked very pretty today." Lavender put both of her hands on her cheeks, sighing dreamily.
"Cool." Elisa looked at the ground as the two girls walked.
"Sometimes I wanna hug Cherry Pie, but she doesn't let me. She can be so serious all the time, I just want to hold her." Lavender frowned.
"Nice."
"I wonder what Cherry Pie and Jesse are doing, I really wanted to go with them." Lavender sulked as she crossed her arms.
Elisa was expecting something more lovely-dove between her and Lavender but all the girl is talking about is Sunflower.
"Tch." Elisa looked at the ground, her face showing no available expression.
"What's wrong Elisa? You seem more grumpy than usual." Lavender looked at her.
"Sunflower is all you ever talk about, it's kind of annoying now.." Elisa looked to the side.
"Well of course it's annoying, but I like to express my feelings. My love for Cherry Pie is too much for me to not keep it all in." Lavender explained with a cheeky smile on her face.
Elisa stopped in her tracks, she looked at the ground. "Love'' is such a strong word. You can't just declare you love someone when you have no experience." Elisa muttered.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Lavender stopped walking, she looked at her.
"Love is when you desire them, love is when you want to spend your time with them forever, love is.. When you want them to be happy. It's complicated, it's so messy and complicated. How can you be sure you feel that way?" Elisa continued to stare at the ground, her face was slightly darkening.
"It's just this feeling you get when you're around them, you get all bubbly and happy when you're with them. You get all blushy and heartsick when you aren't with them.. It goes on. You worry for them and wonder what they're doing, these are just a few feelings I feel for Cherry Pie. I can ramble on a lot more about these feelings I have, but that'd be annoying." Lavender smiled warmly, blush fluttered on her cheeks.
Elisa slowly clenched her fist. "...Tupid..." She whispered. "Huh?" Lavender looked at her.
"Stupid." Elisa says before looking up.
"You're so stupid!" She raised her voice, her eyes were watery.
"Why can't you think about how I feel for once? You're always rambling on about things you have no clue about! You're an idiot!" Elisa yelled, stomping her foot. Her face was slightly darkened as she stared at the ground.
"E-Eh.." Lavender looked at Elisa with a devastated face.
"I'm always here, supporting you and your decisions but.. This is too much! I can't just stand by and watch you moon over a girl- It's so stupid! You never think about how the people around you feel, you never.. Think about my feelings! Can't you see? I also want to be the first person you think about whenever you're alone, Why can't I be the first thought that comes to your mind?" Elisa's voice rose, her fists clenched as she trembled on the spot.
"I-I'm in love with you! B-But you love her! I'm just a second choice! I'll never be the first one in your thoughts, I never will be! All you think about is her, don't you know how much that h-hurts..." Elisa looked at the ground, she trembled on the spot. Her lips were quivering as she stared at the ground with watery eyes.
She tugged at her clothing, tears going down her eyes.
"I-I.." Lavender put her hand on her mouth, blush on her face as she looked to the side with a saddened gaze.
"If you have something to say- just say it!" Elisa wiped her tears with her arm.
"I loved you too!" Lavender yelled, looking at the ground.
Elisa's eyes widened as she looked up.
"You were stupid too! You didn't notice anything I did, I tried my best just to get you to love me! My feelings for you went away because you led me on! I'm not that stupid. You just never bothered to question it, even you know that- Don't you know how many times I cried at night? It was painful." Lavender covered her mouth, her eyes watering.
"Don't say I don't understand because I do. I started to crush on Cherry Pie since I thought you were tired of me showing my affection to you, the cold way you acted towards me made me think that we would never be a thing. I thought you hated me this whole time, how you just wanted to poke fun at me.." Lavender looked away, her face showing a confused expression.
"You're such an idiot! Why would I be with you just to use you?" Elisa's voice rose.
"I don't know!" Lavender yelled before her expression started to fade away.
"I just.. Don't know.." Lavender looked at the ground with a saddened expression.
Elisa had an angry facial expression, it started to go away once her eyes became watery.
She tried her best to keep it in, tears started to go down her eyes.
She swiftly turned around and began to walk off.
"Wait- Elisa-." Lavender frowned, she started to walk after her.
"Leave me alone! I don't want to put up with you right now." Elisa snapped as she started to run.
Lavender stood there, she started to whimper on the spot.
.
Jesse and Sunflower walked down the hallway in silence. Sunflower looked down at her hands. "Tomorrow I'm leaving for an event in town, it starts around noon. I'll be back in the afternoon."
Sunflower says.
"Ah, alright." Jesse looked at the walls.
Sunflower nervously turned her head to the side, was now the right time to confess?
She didn't know if she was mentally prepared for it, she never did this before.
Get it together, you have to make Jesse understand. Whether you like it or not.
"S-Sunflower.." Jesse fidgeted around, sweating.
"Y-Yes?" She turned her head to Jesse, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Earlier, when you said you turned down everyone that proposed to you, and Lavender said what If.. I proposed to you? You said you wouldn't turn me down right? I was wondering what.. You meant by that is all." Jesse was hesitant to speak, but she soon got it all out of her system, the girl had a nervous look on her face.
Sunflower looked to the side, her face reddened with a blush. How am I supposed to reply to that? Why do you gotta ask such a complicated question?
"Er- Because I would.." The only words able to come out of her mouth. Do I have to risk it and become vulnerable? No, of course I don't.
These thoughts running through my head are all wonky, none of them make sense. The one thousand thoughts in my head are all just simple questions, but one of those thoughts is to tell her how I really feel.
"Ah, alright.. I'm pretty sure it was a joke.." Jesse looked at her with a pained smile. "Lavender probably told you to say tha-."
"It wasn't a joke." Sunflower says with a stern voice, becoming awfully serious.
The two girls made direct eye contact.
"Ah- uhm.." Jesse looked to the side with a smug look, it looked like the girl still didn't believe her.
Sunflower put her hands on Jesse's shoulder, she held the girl straight.
"Eh?" Jesse was confused, but her face still lit red.
"What can I do to make you understand that what I said was true?" Sunflower stared Jesse directly in the eyes, with full intentions of making her regret what she said.
Jesse was quiet, they both stared each other in the eye.
It was awkward, but even this was good enough to make Sunflower feel content.
Sunflower's grip on Jesse softened, her gaze went down slowly. She looked at her lips, she longed for the desire to kiss her again.
What would she think of me If I tried to kiss her again? If I expose myself will I regret it later on?
Sunflower leaned forward slowly, Jesse's eyes widened. Her face developed a faint blush.
She looked into Jesse's eyes, her eyes held a desire for heartache. Her eyes were full with someone who was in pain, someone who was lost. Sunflower's hands ran down her shoulders. Her hands dragged along her arms, towards her hands.
"I'm sorry." Sunflower muttered, squeezing her hand softly.
I don't know why, I don't know how, but it looks like Jesse is saying no. The look in her eyes says so, she is rejecting my advances.
I itch for your gaze to be laid upon me, I yearn for the look of love in your eyes. If you can't do it, what am I to do? I'm not going to be satisfied if my hopes are always going to be up, these feelings will never go away if I'm always with you.
I still want to be with you despite all of that. Do you understand these feelings of mine?
The feeling of heartache is such a complicated emotion. You get your hopes up, you long for their gaze to be upon you, and you only.
Love can be so scary, especially if you desire someone enough to hurt yourself in so many ways.
"I.. I'm sorry." Sunflower let go of her hand, she turned around.
"Let's look for them. We got caught up in our little moment." She walked forward.
If i'm okay with this, why does it hurt so much?
.
Kate rubbed on her neck as she looked at Erlen.
"I-I'm sorry for running off like that." Kate chuckled nervously, Louise was beside her.
The girl was holding her hand, she had a blush on her cheeks as she looked to the side.
"We all split up to look for you, let's go meet up with the others before we miss out on anything." Erlen says with a thumbs up.
Dia narrowed her eyes to them before looking back at her book.
"If we go this way we'll meet up with them." Dia pointed to the right side.
"Let's go before we make them wait any longer." Aqua walked forward.
"A-Ah, right." Kate walked forward, Louise was blushing with guilt on her face. In all available places, it had to be on their friend's bed?
.
"We're all finally here. Well, except for Gabby." Sunflower says as she clears her throat.
Kate and Louise were clingy to each other, they both looked satisfied and ecstatic.
Erlen had a look of loneliness, she couldn't really do anything without Gabby.
Elisa's eyes were a bit red, she was looking at the ground with tense shoulders.
Aqua looked clueless, she didn't know what to do.
Lavender had a saddened look on her face, she had a dark aura.
Jesse just looked at the ground, she didn't have any available expression.
Sunflower had a confused look on her face as she looked at them, they looked so down.
"I heard from your Mother that the party is going to end soon, you may have to come and bid farewell to the guests." Dia says as she looks in her little notebook.