"Like In Fairytales"

43.

Rose:

"The next question. Where does the origin of the symbol commonly used @ trace back to?" the host asked.

I pushed the buzzer as Theodore answered.

"Latin," he replied as he looked over to the host.

"It is in fact correct," the host said.

"The last question, what is the scientific name for the tulsi tree, common and ritually important to Indians called?" the host asked.

"Ocimum gratissimum," the opponent answered.

The host looked at us.

"Is this the right answer? If not, what is your answer?" he asked.

"No. Granted the fact that the name they presented is Basil but it is not the Holy Basil or tulsi that the question had asked for. The correct answer would be Ocimum tenuiflorum." Casey answered.

"Are you sure?" the host asked looking at the answer.

"Yes," Lara answered confidently.

"That brings us to the close of phase one of the competition. The teams selected from group A are Weston International High and Eureka High and team B are Tottenham High alongside Reddy High. Phase two shall be held exactly on the upcoming Tuesday. It's settled. You can return back. Thanks for playing," the host ended it.

The members smiled at each other before walking away from the table. I looked at Theodore who was sitting next to Carlos and Casey.

The Tottenhammies looked at us.

"What a small world! You looked at us winning the first round!" Theodore said going closer to the auburn haired devil.

I pulled him away with me. Casey went out to phone over to the Principal as we returned back to the hall. I picked my coat and the bag as Theodore walked over.

"That was good... Pretty easy when we have you and encyclopedias walking around," he said smiling.

"It was so easy. I have no clue why we haven't been winning for the past few years," I said.

Casey walked in smiling as he wore his coat.

"Wanna go over to the cafe?" he asked me.

"Alright," I said and patted Theo's shoulder.

"I'm famished. Let's go and eat together. Do you know somewhere good? It's Theodore's treat," Carlos said as he pounced onto Theodore from behind and hugged him.

"I heard you talking highly of someplace called Waffles. Let's go and eat there," Theodore said looking at me.

I looked at Casey and then back to Theodore, glaring slightly.

"Alright to me," Carlos said as they walked out of the hall and got into the car.

"You need to drive me there," Theodore said as he walked over to me.

"I was wondering if I could go over with Casey for a change. You can drive over my car to Waffles," I said looking at him.

"Rosalie... A minute?" Theodore asked as he pulled me outside.

"It's somewhere special to me and Casey. If you wanna be with me then you have gotta drop this attitude of jealousy towards Casey. He means to me," I said.

"And I am just someone, right? You leave me for him. We had so much fun in that one hour and all you've got for me is blowing me off. Every time I go out if my way and try to plan or do something nice, you are there with him. Seriously woman! I like you. Hell, I can even fall in love with you. But for that, I want you next to me. I am not good at this shit. I never go so out of my way to be with someone. If I have no meaning to you, then fine. I can walk away from it right now. And for whatever it takes to prove that you mean to me, I'll do it. I like you very much," he said as he turned to walk away.

"I'm so sorry. It's just that him and me are different. I am not really good at this. You are the first boy who has ever kissed me. You are the first boy who I have dated. You don't know how much terrified it makes me at times just wondering that after all of this, I would emerge a broken piece of china. I can't trust people. For all of my life, I never expressed any feelings to anyone except Casey. I couldn't let Skylar know the tears, nor could I tell my mother. I was afraid that if I shatter, I might shatter her. You don't know where I come from and I know it's weird. But if you actually like me then you should know that Casey is my best friend. If you can't accept him and me, then you aren't worthy of being with me," I said as I stormed off to my car and closed the door.

I looked at the windshield as tears started falling down my face. I clenched my fists as I rubbed my eyes with the tissue. I couldn't stop crying.

The door on the passenger seat opened as Theodore looked at me.

"Don't see me like this. I bet I look ugly. See me when I am clad in satin or silk," I said as I wiped my tears.

"I am really sorry," he said.

"What's the point? You know what, just get out of the car. You can share with Carlos. He is still here. The black Maserati is his," I said.

"Two things here... I have no idea how you know that that car is his. Secondly, I am not leaving. I am gonna stay right here. Like a glue and stick onto your seat until you forgive me," he said.

"It doesn't matter. Your apology or my forgiveness. The truth is that I am not as sorted out as you think. I lead a calculated life. I can never be enough for a person like you," I said as I blew my nose.

"That's right. You can never be enough for a person like me. But you are more than enough for me. You are like a mystery. You are like a beautiful face, your mind works differently. True the fact that you have never dated. True the fact that you lead a calculated life. But you need to know this fact that this calculated life leads you to the goal. It's the displacement. You can reach the destination from a clear road. You do not take the detours or u-turns or just run in a circle. If you have the detours, it's true that the distance increases but when you reach to the goal, you'd look back at the road and there won't be a single inch of the road that you hadn't had covered. You'd look back at it and smile widely and breathe in the scent of success. Let me be the vehicle to the distance. It's true that displacement is easier. It's true that distance may even lead you back to point A. It's also true that the path may just be a circle. But it's also true that life would be challenging. I like you. A lot, in fact. You may be terrified but I am petrified about this journey. I have made a lot of wrongs and I don't want to make another wrong and drag you into the mess. I have made mistakes, Rosalie. All these years, everything had some meaning. But you, you are all the words of the dictionaries, compiled to make one beautiful glorious mess," he said as he wiped a tear off his face.

"This is the first time a girl has seen me cry. I may look ugly. But that's what all of us are. Nothing is pure and beautiful. I have bent out of my ways for no one. Except you. I never thought I'd know the meaning of words that I did never use before. You taught me the word petrified, woman. If you are a mess, then you are a tangled piece of a mess," he added as he pulled me towards him. I hugged him. He pulled me out as I shifted in top of him as he hugged me.

"You can not even fathom the way you bend me out of the norms I rule according to," I said as I hugged him closer.

In that moment, I latched onto him. Maybe I was ready to take one detour. Maybe I was ready to go through a distance rather than a displacement.