A Mahogany Bracelet

Samantha searched through her closet desperately trying to find her favorite white with orange print top. A car horn blared throughout her room.
“I’ll be down in a sec!” she shouted out the window. She started to run back to her closet, but paused when she saw the top laying on the bed. She rolled her eyes and slipped it on. She headed toward her dresser and slowly picked up her brand new, thick, mahogany bracelet. Carefully she put it on her wrist and ran out the door.
It was a beautiful 75 degrees in Malibu, California. Alex, Jeff, and Olivia were waiting for her in Alex’s green Jeep. She jumped in the passenger’s seat and they took off for their weekend at Jeff’s beach house. They had all been planning this adventure for months and Samantha couldn’t wait to get away.
As soon as they arrived, Samantha, Alex, and Jeff headed straight for the ocean to do a little surfing. Olivia stayed behind to suntan.
“Come on, Olivia! Come surf with us! I’ll teach you.” Jeff yelled towards the spot where Olivia was sun tanning.
“Why don’t you come out here with me?” Olivia yelled back. Jeff sighed and started to get out of the water.
“Dude, you are so whipped!” Alex laughed.
“Shut up!” Jeff said splashing him on his way to Olivia.
“Guess it’s just you and me, Sam.” Alex said smiling at her.
“More like just me, you keep falling off your board.” Sam said laughing.
“Oh yeah? I’ll show you.” Alex smirked. They both surfed for a few more hours then they all got together and made a bonfire and played some volleyball. Their first day on the beach ended quicker than it started. Sam and Olivia headed off to bed while the boys put out the fire.
“You like Sam, don’t you?” Jeff asked once the girls were out of sight. Alex looked up at him for a second, quickly nodded his head and went back to cleaning up. “I so knew it! Why don’t you ask her out?”
“I don’t know. What if she says no? That could ruin our friendship.” Alex responded.
“She won’t say no. I can tell that she likes you too.” Jeff said with a smile as they walked into the beach house. “Speaking of Sam, have you noticed the big bracelet she was wearing? It’s made of mahogany and she wore it in the water. That can’t be good.”
“Maybe she forgot she had it on?” Alex said shrugging off Jeff’s comment.
“Or she is hiding something, like a new tattoo! How hot would that be man?”
Alex just laughed at him and stared walking towards their room. “Wait a second. I want to find out.” Jeff said stopping in front of the girls’ room.
“Oh come on, Jeff. She is sleeping. Let’s just ask her in the morning.” Alex complained.
“What’s the fun in that?” Jeff asked walking into the girls’ room. Sam was sound asleep in the bed on the right side of the room. Alex couldn’t help admire how peaceful and beautiful she looked while she slept. Her left hand lay across her pillow with the mahogany bracelet still wrapped around her wrist. Jeff quietly crept over to her and carefully slipped the bracelet off her wrist. Immediately he backed away from her in shock.
“What? What’s wrong?” Alex asked when he saw Jeff’s horrified expression. Jeff just kept staring at Sam’s wrist so Alex walked towards her to see what startled him. Where the bracelet used to be was a purplish green ring and a huge slash under her palm. His eyes grew wide. He looked over at Sam’s sleeping face and he felt a stab of anger and agony in his chest. After a moment he got up and walked out to his room, not saying one word to Jeff.
The next morning Sam woke up to find her bracelet on the floor next to her. She quickly put it back on before Olivia woke up. She walked into the kitchen for some breakfast. Jeff and Alex were already in there eating cereal. Sam and Alex’s eyes met for a brief second and she could see the pain in them.
“Are you okay Alex?” she asked him while she poured her own bowl of cereal. He just leaned over his bowl and started eating again so Sam looked at Jeff for an answer to her question.
“We need you to explain something to us.” He replied to her inquisitive gaze and pointed at the mahogany bracelet. Immediately Sam understood that her bracelet had not fallen off, but had been taken off. “Look, if you are feeling depressed you can come to us, you don’t have to…”
“Wait! You think I cut myself?” Sam interrupted.
“Well yeah.” Jeff replied a little unsure now.
“I can’t believe this. You of all people know that I have zero tolerance for pain! You really think I would go ahead and cut myself?” she said to Alex. “And since when have I been depressed? I can’t believe you guys!” Sam screamed as she burst into tears. She ran outside towards the end of the beach. There was a little hill of rocks that she liked to sit on when she wanted to look at the vast ocean. A few minutes later she felt someone sit down next to her. She dried her eyes, but didn’t turn around to see who it was.
“I’m sorry we jumped to conclusions, Sam.” Alex said quietly after awhile. Sam turned around and looked him in the eyes. The pain was still there and she quickly looked away. They were both quiet for a moment, listening to the waves crash onto the shore. Then finally, after gathering up enough courage, Sam spoke.
“Last week I got off of work a little later than usual. I was walking to my car when a man came out of the alley and asked me if I wanted a ride home. I said no and walked faster towards my car. Well he didn’t want to take no for an answer. He grabbed my wrist tight and dragged me to his car. I tried fighting him off and screamed for help. He almost had me in the car when someone from down the street shouted at him. He threw me to the ground and took off. When I fell my wrist landed on a piece of a broken beer bottle and cut it open. After that I was so scared I just ran to my car and drove straight home.”
She looked up at Alex and saw that he had tears in his eyes. She laid her head on his shoulder as tears began to flow down her cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Sam.” Alex said putting his arm around her. “I can’t believe this happened to you. This will never happen to you again, I’ll make sure of that.”
“Alex, you are such a good friend. I’m glad I have you in my life.”
Alex hugged her tighter and they both sat there looking at the ocean in silence. Even though Alex had learned something tragic about Sam, he couldn’t help feel a little jolt of happiness in his chest because he was holding the girl he loved and made a silent vow to himself that no matter what happened between them, he would protect her.

One AM

Inspired by the song "In Too Deep" by Sum 41

Driving at one in the morning is not what Amanda wanted to be doing. She’d rather be asleep, but of course her cousin Asher had gotten into trouble again. She drove as fast as she could to a house she vaguely remembered. When she pulled up to the house she felt a pang of grief and anger that had nothing to do with Asher. She could hear the loud music and people shouting inside and also began to feel sick to her stomach. Anxiously, she walked up to the door.
A familiar face opened the screen door and stared at her in shock. “Amanda? What are you doing here?”
She ignored him, tilting her head so she could see into the living room. There were about twenty drunken college kids inside playing stupid games and making out with one another. She spotted Asher on the couch with a beer bottle in one hand and his other draped around some girl’s shoulder. He must have sensed her staring at him because he met her gaze seconds later. For a minute he just sat there staring at her, but then he got up and shouted, “Hey it’s my awesome cousin! Coming to join the party?”
Amanda just kept glaring at him as he took another sip of his beer and another step towards her. To the drunken mass it might have seemed as if Amanda and Asher were telepathic because they just stood there staring at each other for a good minute. Finally Asher sighed and said, “Guess it’s time for me to go and I will see you later,” pointing at the girl on the couch. He pulled his car keys out of his back pocket, but Amanda snatched them away.
“Give those back!” Asher shouted, clumsily reaching for the keys. “I have to drive or else mom and dad are gonna wonder where my car is in the morning!”
Amanda, still not saying one word, backed away from him holding the keys tight. Asher’s eyes widened as he realized that she was walking towards her car with his keys. In a burst of drunken anger he rushed after her.
“Give me those!” Asher shouted. His fists flew and hit her right in the mouth. Once she was on the ground he grabbed for the keys.
“Hey!” the familiar boy at the door shouted, but before he could move, Amanda slid her feet under Asher’s causing him to fall on his back on the hard concrete. In one swift motion she stepped on his arm, grabbed the keys, and said, “I will come back for your car as soon as I get you home.” She glared at him so intensely that he gave in.
Amanda quickly drove him home, got him into bed without waking anyone, and called her friend Ella to come pick her up. Ella drove her back to the house and dropped her off by the beat up Chevy and left. The familiar boy must have seen her come back because he was walking across the street towards her.
“Amanda! Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Amanda said, opening the car door.
“Your lip is bleeding,” he gasped, “I can’t believe he punched you.”
“I’m used to it.” She said shrugging the comment off. He just stared at her in shock. She sighed and began to explain, “Asher has been going out for a week now, getting drunk. Every night I would go out and try to find him so he won’t get into any trouble. He is going through a rough time right now so I don’t mind taking care of him and covering for him. He is kind of an aggressive drunk as you have seen. The first time he hit me I was shocked, but then I learned from it which is how I was able to tackle him down so fast. He doesn’t mean to hit me, he really has no idea what he is doing. It’s okay.”
“I just don’t like to see my friends get hurt.” He said looking sorry for her.
“Excuse me? Since when?” Amanda said.
“What?” he said confused.
“Since when have I been your friend, Bentley?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well first off you let my cousin into your house to get wasted!”
“Hold on a second! I didn’t know he was your cousin.” Bentley retaliated.
“See it’s things like that. You know nothing about me and don’t pretend you care about me. I don’t need your fake pity.” Amanda said angrily and started to get into the car, but Bentley stopped her.
“What the heck is wrong with you? I am your friend!” he shouted.
“No, see that is where you are wrong. A friendship can’t be one sided.” Amanda said glaring at him now, trying to wrench his hand off hers so she could get into the car.
“What are you talking about?” he said, tightening his grip.
“Look, you have always been one of my closest friends. I have trusted you, talked to you all the time, and I care about you and your problems, but I was never one of your friends. You never call me up to hang out or if I’m upset you never try and help. I have always been there for you, but you have never been there for me. I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out, but I have. You may not want to admit it, but you could care less about me.” Amanda explained as she finally freed her hand and got into the car.
“That’s not true!” Bentley protested, “You are my friend and I do know plenty about you and care about you!”
“Okay, here is a simple question for you then. When is my birthday?” Amanda asked not sure if she was trying to prove a point or give him a second chance. He just stared blankly at her, biting his lip. Amanda just shook her head and said, “It was yesterday. I even sent you an invitation to the party.”
“Amanda I’m so sorry. I must hav-“ Bentley began, but Amanda cut him off.
“You have been doing stuff like this for years, Bentley. I’m tired of trying my hardest to be your friend and you not trying one bit to be mine.” Amanda said solemnly.
“Amanda,” he began, his eyes growing wide, “That’s not true!”
“I wish it weren’t, but unfortunately it is.” Amanda said starting the car.
“But-“
“Goodbye Bentley.” Amanda said with a look in her eyes that meant this goodbye would be the last. She drove away, not looking in the rearview mirror once. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had just lost a close friend, but she couldn’t concentrate on that now. She had to go take care of Asher who was probably asleep on the bathroom floor. She wanted to believe that Bentley was standing in the middle of the road, upset, and maybe even come after her, but she knew better. He would just shrug off her comment, go back into the house and drink with his friends. Though Asher was going through a rough patch and had hit her numerous times this week, he was always there for her when she was going through bad times, so now it was her turn because that is what friends are for.

17 Roses

Finally done with classes for today I walked quickly back to my dorm. My headphones were blasting a Relient K album and I swiftly went into my own little world thinking about anything but the cold. About ten minutes later I reached my residence hall gladly absorbing the heat as I walked in. I didn’t know it then, but what lay on the other side of my dorm door was going to change my life.
As soon as I opened the door I saw a dozen roses lying on my pillow. I just stood in the doorway staring confusingly at them. Out of all of my friends I was the single one. I did not have a boyfriend or even any guy interested in me for that matter, so why were these roses on my bed?
“Um your flowers are on my bed, Jenna.” I said to my roommate when I finally decided to walk through the door.
“Those aren’t mine,” she laughed, “They’re yours.”
“What?” I said dumbfounded, “Who would send me flowers?”
“Read the card.” Jenna said smiling at me.
“You know who sent them because you had to let them in here. Spill!”
“Nope. Just read the card.”
I sighed and walked over to my bed. I picked up the note tied to the stem of the flowers.
Hello beautiful. I suggest you go for a walk.
I stared at those words dumbfounded. Too many questions raced through my mind as I stood there trying to figure out who would have sent this. Then it hit me… this was a trick. Some sick joke one of my friends was setting up to prove how gullible I was. “Ha ha very funny. “ I said glaring at Jenna.
“What are you talking about?” she asked looking pretty sincere. It was going to be hard to determine if she was lying or not.
“I’m not falling for this joke. Nice try.” I added.
“It’s not a joke. Honest! Just go for a walk and see for yourself.”
I just huffed and turned to walk right back out the door. “Fine I’ll go, but if you’re wrong I am so getting you back.” And with that said I slammed the door.
I had no idea where to go, so I just started walking across campus like I was going to class. The sun was beginning to set and I really did not want to be out here wondering around in the cold for a mysterious, fictitious secret admirer. I had only walked for about five minutes when I decided that this was probably the dumbest idea I had ever had. Boys don’t do stuff like this, especially for me. I sighed and sat down on a large rock beside the sidewalk. I instinctively looked down at the ground as I rubbed my shoes in the dirt.
Then something red caught my eye. Laying on the ground right next to my feet was another red rose with an ivory envelope attached to it. I picked it up realizing the words written on the envelope were my name. Lacey Felton I glanced around my shoulder to see if the person who left this was hiding somewhere. I could have sworn it wasn’t there when I sat down. I slowly opened the envelope, hands shaking, even though I was sure this was still a trick.
Don’t give up now. Just walk a little further. You know, the sun looks as beautiful as you as it reflects off the ocean when it sets.
This was way too much. I sat there staring at the letter trying to decide if this really was a trick. It had to be, but my curiosity overpowered me and I got up and headed downtown. See I knew exactly what the letter was talking about. There is a restaurant downtown that is by the beach and has the best view of the amazing New York City sunsets.
It took me all of ten minutes to walk to the restaurant. As I approached the tan building I began to panic. I am going to be so made fun of for falling for this. All my friends are probably here with cameras ready to post this on the internet. I can see it now “The Gullible Lacey Felton.” I was about ready to turn around when the host walked out the door calling my name.
“Lacey Felton correct?” the host asked. I just nodded and thought it’s too late now. “Follow me. We have been expecting you.” He said with a smile that wasn’t at all patronizing. He led me to the balcony where a table for two waited. The table was lit with a candle and had four more of those red roses. The host pulled out my chair for me to sit down, but instead I walked over to the railing and looked at the ocean.
I didn’t want to look at the table. Something about it made me nervous. Maybe it was the constant voice in the back of my mind telling me that this wasn’t a set up. This was real. My hand began to shake and all I wanted to do was run away from this restaurant and return to my dorm. All of a sudden I felt a hand on mine. I think I stopped breathing. I turned around slowly. As I looked up and saw his face my heart began to beat so fast I thought it was going to burst. I bet my eyes were as huge as saucers and I could have sworn I was going to go into shock. Apparently he thought so too because he put his hand on my cheek and looked me straight in the eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked and I saw the worry in his eyes. I wanted to tell him that I was fine, but I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move and his hand on my cheek didn’t help. It was because I was looking into the eyes of Landen Barker. I have had a crush on him for as long as I can remember, but I never told him. Instead I moved away from Virginia in the summer to pursue my dreams in the Big City. Of course Landen and I were friends, it wasn’t like he was some guy that I never talked to in my life, I just never had the guts to tell him how I felt. Yet here he was standing in front of me as I had hoped for so long.
“I’m fine.” I finally said when I started to breathe again. “W-what are you doing here?”
“Listen,” he started, taking a deep breath, “Ever since you left I regretted not telling you how I felt and I didn’t want to lose you. I realized having you in my life is what I looked forward to everyday and have missed that since you moved. You are the most amazing girl I have met and I have fallen for you before, but I think I’m falling all over again just by looking into your eyes.”
His hand was still on my cheek as I felt my face heat up. I was blushing majorly, how embarrassing. I really wanted to respond to what he had said, but I didn’t know what to say. I had wished for this moment and now that it was coming true I was too shocked to speak. I just gazed back into his eyes with a huge smile on my face that gave away exactly how I felt. He smiled back and leaned in to kiss me as the beautiful ray of light from the sunset began to shimmer upon the ocean.

A Cup of Tea

She threw her bag on the floor and burst into tears. The pain she felt was completely unbearable. Clutching her chest, she curled up on the floor, shaking from her violent sobs. Memories kept flooding her head like waves crashing to the shore and she was the victim that kept getting sucked in and almost drowning with each wave as she tried to hold tight to the shore.
This abuse had been going on for months. She was a prisoner of her mind. Every day she would try to make it through, but one little thing triggered the wave of attacks. Living in the past is one of the most dangerous things. Most people leave the past behind them, learn from it, and move on to a better future. Emma never had that luxury. She was trapped in the past and there was no escaping.
As she lay in the fetal position on the floor she began humming to herself, trying to think of every joyful memory to outweigh the painful ones. Finally, after an hour of waging war with the past, she finally was able to sit up. She was so sick of this mental abuse. Almost every day was the same. She needed some way to cure it. And with that thought she gathered enough motivation to get up and start looking for a solution. She was scouring the internet for nearly three hours before she found it.
A smile spread across her face as she jotted down the address on the screen. Just as she opened her door to leave her two friends were walking towards her door.
“Hey we were just coming to get you. You wanna go shoppin?” A tall girl wearing a plaid skirt and tank top said.
“Actually I’m really busy right now, Ericka.” Emma replied turning to lock her front door.
“What do you have planned?” the second girl in jeans and a t-shirt asked.
“I just have something I need to take care of, Brittany.” See Emma’s friends had no idea how much mental stress she was going through. Sure they knew about her past, but they did not know she was trapped there and that’s the way Emma wanted it.
“Hold on one second.” Ericka said grabbing Emma’s arm, “What’s going on?” Emma just wrenched her arm away and started heading towards the elevator. Ericka and Brittany followed her and it didn’t seem she was going to get off that easily.
Emma stayed perfectly quiet as her friends kept firing questions at her. They wanted to know what was wrong and what she was doing, but she didn’t want to tell them anything. Unfortunately, they were going to follow her to the house so she would have to explain herself sometime.
After walking 25 blocks and trying to ignore her friends and the pain, they finally rounded the corner and there it stood. A dark house with red curtains and a sign on the outside reading Madame Torret.
“Oh you have got to be kidding me!” Ericka exclaimed, “You’re gonna see a psychic? What for?”
“You know these people are nuts right?” Brittany added. Emma turned to them slowly knowing the time had come, let out a long sigh, and began explaining her plan to them.
“I’m so sorry Emma. I didn’t know you were going through that much pain.” Ericka said leaning forward to hug her friend.
“Are you sure this is gonna work?” Brittany asked looking skeptically at the house.
“I don’t know, but I hope so.” Emma said.
“Well we will be right out here waiting for you.” Ericka replied with a smile.
Emma walked into the dark house alone. The place was set up like a creepy magic shop. There were decks of cards that could tell your future and other magical assortments on sale. Emma stared to think that this really was just another scam artist trying to make money, but she needed to try anyway. She walked up to the counter and rang the little bell once. An old lady with dark black hair emerged from the back room.
“How may I help you?” she asked.
“I would like a cup of tea.” Emma said confidentially.
“I’m sorry I don’t sell those anymore child.”
“Does it work?”
“Yes it does, but there is no way I’m giving it to a child. Now be on your way.” Madame Torret said annoyed.
“I am 18 years old! I’m not a child and I can make my own decisions! Please I need your help!” Emma exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.
Madame Torret studied her for a moment before saying, “Alright. Follow me.” She lead the way into the back room where she had emerged from. A circular table with one teacup sat in the center of a dark room.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Madame Torret said from across the table. Emma leaned toward the cup. As she looked in to the cup memories started to swirl in the liquid. The pain was almost unbearable as the flood hit her. She wanted to scream or curl up on the floor, but mostly she wanted them to disappear. The solution sat in front of her on the table. She reached for the cup wanting more than anything to stop the agony she had been living in for what seemed like eternity, but something strange happened. Images of Ericka and Brittany popped into her head. Other memories of her having fun with all of her friends poured in her head as well. Once she drank the tea she wouldn’t remember any of them.
Her hand shook as it hesitated just inches from the cup. She had to make a decision, the memories of happiness of the pain from the past. Then she realized Ericka and Brittany are waiting outside and will remind her of everything happy she had experienced. Finally, Emma grabbed the cup and drank the tea.
As soon as she was done, she felt the pain slowly drift away. It was like someone took a big eraser to her mind. Soon she couldn’t remember anything. Madame Torret slowly led her out of her house as Emma looked around confused. Two sets of hands grabbed hers as she walked out the door. She looked up at the two strange girls as they led her down the street.
“Hi Emma. I’m Ericka and this is Brittany. We are your best friends.” They both smiled at her and started telling her about all her friends and the fun things that they all have done. Then Emma felt something she had never felt before…peace.

Realitly Check

We all know the story of Cinderella. She grew up with a terrible step-mother and was her slave until she met her lovely Prince Charming and lived happily ever after. Unfortunately, as much as we want to believe this story is true, it is not reality. Here is the reality of the story of Cinderella.
In a small town in England lived a young maiden named Cinderella. Her father had died when she was young and she was trapped in a small cottage with her horrid step-mother and two step-sisters. Each day they made her clean the house, do the laundry, make them food, and anything else they could think of while they pranced around like spoiled princesses.
One day Cinderella's step-mother demanded she go to the market to pick up apples to make her some pie. On her way to the market she noticed a foot sticking out from behind a rock. She walked curiously towards the rock. As she peaked over she noticed a handsome man attached to the foot. He wore royal robes and seemed to be in pain.
"Are you alright?" Cinderella asked.
"Uh I think so." the man groaned as he tried to sit up, "Just fell off my horse." Cinderella started to laugh at him.
"You dare laugh at the Prince?" he asked appalled. Cinderella suppressed her giggle, but continued to smile.
"Sorry your highness, but I figured you of all people would be graceful." Cinderella mocked. She grabbed his hand and helped him up.
"Thank you." he said as he got on his horse, "You are a very interesting girl Cinderella. I hope to see you again." He waved and she curtsied and laughed as he rode off.
She did see him again. Every day she went to the market he was waiting by that rock and he walked her to the market. They would talk and laugh and very soon became great friends. Once in awhile the idea of a Prince befriending a commoner crossed her mind and bewildered her, but she soon ignored the thought because she was starting to fall for him.
As the months passed the time for the Prince to choose his bride neared. The King decided to throw a ball for him and invited every maiden so he had a variety of choices, yet he preferred his son to marry into royalty.
Cinderella decided that this was her opportunity. She had been debating over the last month to tell the Prince how she really felt about him, but was afraid that he didn’t feel the same because she was a commoner. She began making a beautiful dress for the occasion and thought about how she would word her feelings towards him.
On the day of the ball Cinderella worked fast to get her chores done so that she was ready. Her step-sisters realized what she was doing and piled more work on her for they did not want her to ruin their chance at royalty. To their surprise Cinderella finished these extra chores in a timely manner. This angered them so much that they ran to her room and tore her dress in half.
When Cinderella saw what they had done she fell to her knees and cried. The ball was in an hour and there was no way she could fix it in time. Her family left for the ball as she sat on the floor frantically sewing. In her haste she broke the needle and had to go to the attic to find a new one. As she was rummaging through the drawers she noticed a trunk that she had never seen before. The name on the trunk was Heather. Her mother’s name. She opened the trunk to find a sparkling white gown. Her heart filled with joy as she raced down the stairs, put it on, and ran out the door.
When she arrived at the ball she became very nervous. Butterflies filled her stomach as she climbed the stairs to the grand hall. The room was so magnificent and elegant. Cinderella marveled at the décor as she made her way to wear the spectators were standing at the edge of the dance floor. She saw the Prince dancing happily with an elegant princess. Her heart sank only for a moment, but she reassured herself that he had to dance with everyone. The song ended and he looked around and noticed Cinderella standing in the crowd. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the terrace.
“I’m so glad you came.” He beamed.
“Me too.” She blushed.
“I have some exciting news. I’ve chosen my bride.”
Cinderella’s heart filled with both hope and dread. She hoped he would have chosen her, but deep down she knew she was wrong.
“Really? Who?” she asked.
“The young princess I was just dancing with.” He said excitedly. Her heart sank and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She was right to think he wouldn’t like her. She decided to hide how she felt.
“That’s great. I’m so happy for you.” She said sincerely.
“Thanks. That means so much to me because you are practically my best friend and your opinion matters most.”
She smiled at him trying to fight back tears. She looked up at the clock briefly searching for an excuse so he wouldn’t see her tears and said “I have to go. More chores.”
“Oh. Well Goodnight Cinderella.” When he turned to walk back in to the grand hall she raced away from the castle, tears streaming down her face.
One month later a beautiful wedding was taking place. The Prince and the Princess were to be married. At that very hour Cinderella sat on the kitchen floor of the cottage, scrubbing the floor. Tears streamed down her face, but she really was happy for him. She wanted nothing but the best for him. Even though she didn’t get her happy ending she knew he did and he deserved it.

Kristine

Three girls started walking up the hill for their morning english class. The day was bright and sunny just like every other day this week. The girls chatted and enjoyed the warmth as they made their way towards the white marble building that stood at the very top of the hill.
Julia held the door open as Lauren lead the way into the building. None of them noticed the door lock into place after they entered. They were walking up the stairs still laughing about a joke Julia told when Kat noticed something strange. The walls seemed to curve and wind instead of their usual straight shape. Kat ran her hand across the wall with a puzzled look on her face.
"Um guys?" Lauren called from across the hall. She was staring out the window. "It's 9 am right?"
"Yeah why?" Julia asked. Lauren just continued to stare out the window. Finally Julia and Kat joined her. The color in their faces began to drain as they saw what she was staring at. It was pitch black outside. This didn't make since. It was bright and sunny when they walked in the building.
"Uhh I think we should just go to class." Julia said. Lauren and Kat agreed and started walking down the winding hallway towards their english classroom. Just as they approached the room the lights turned off. The whole building became as dark as it was outside. The girls expected to hear screams of teachers trying to figure out what went wrong, but there was no sound. That's when they realized that they were all alone.
"What the crap is going on?" Lauren said angrily.
"I don't know but I think we should get out of here." Kat whispered.
"How? I can't see a thing?" Julia stated. Just then a screeching noise came from the down the hall.
"What was that?" Kat cried. The girls ran the other way down the hall, but when they reached the end of there was something blocking the way. As the figure came closer the first thing they noticed was the bright red poofy hair that resembled a chuckie doll. She wore a yellow raincoat and bright stripped socks that matched the craziness of her hair. The girls began to back away as the girl approached. She was carrying a knife and a crazy look in her eyes. She began to laugh as she walked closer to them. They were trapped and she knew it and was proud of how her plan worked out so well. The girls began to scream and everything went black.

In other news the nerds are rioting and beginning to storm Charlie's Chocolate Factory.

Perfect Date

She lay on her couch surfing the internet on her brand new laptop. The doorbell rang, but she ignored it. She continued playing on her computer and flipping through songs from her favorite rock band. Suddenly she felt a slight thud on her head. She looked up angrily ready to yell at her brother, but she was stunned by what she saw instead. There in front of her stood a gorgeous brown haired boy holding a pillow.
"Aren't ya gonna say hi to me?" he mocked waving the pillow around as a warning.
"Hey jerkface." she growled jokingly. "What are you doing here?" He hit her with the pillow again. "Hey!"
"That's what you get for calling me a jerkface." he sneered.
"Well it's nice to see you too," she grumbled rubbing her head, "You didn't answer my question."
"You'll see." he replied. "Stand up." He demanded. She looked up at him confused. "Just do it, Lily," he sighed. She huffed and stood up next to him. Suddenly a red bandana covered her eyes.
"Brody what are you doing!?" Lily cried. She grabbed the bandana to tug it off, but his hand grabbed hers to stop her.
"Stop. I have a surprise for you." Brody said. She contemplated this for a second then dropped her hand. He guided her out of the house to his car.
Once she was situated in the car and it began moving she decided to interrogate him, "So I haven't seen you in months and you show up at my house and kidnap me."
"I told you I have a surprise for you. I'm not kidnapping you." Brody stated.
"It's still weird. What brought this on? It's not my birthday?" Lily proceeded.
"Don't you ever miss your friends and just want to see them?" Brody asked catching on to her game.
"Yeah I do, but being blindfolded by them randomly isn't what I would call a casual visit."
"That's because it isn't. Like I said three times now, I have a surprise for you. Just sit back and be patient." he said. Lily gave in and sat there thinking of all the possibilities her surprise could in tale. After almost an hour of chatting and catching up with each other, Lily fell asleep. Brody glanced over at her when they were at a stoplight. He smiled at her and couldn't wait to see her face when they got there.
An hour later they arrived to the mystery location. Lily was still asleep so Brody went over to the passenger side to wake her up.
"Lily we're here." Brody whispered gently stroking her hair. She went to rub her eyes forgetting the bandana was there and Brody laughed. She socked him in his arm. "Hey!"
"That's for laughing at me" she said mockingly, sticking her tongue out. He chuckled as he grabbed her hand to lead her towards her surprise. After walking for about a minute he reached over and pulled the bandana off Lily’s eyes. She gasped as she looked around. She was standing on a beautiful beach at the edge of the wet sand as the waves crawled towards her feet. She stared out into the vast sea foam green ocean and sighed. A feeling of peace welled up inside her as she closed her eyes and let the wind surround her.
Brody stood at her side watching her. He couldn’t help but stare at her. The way the sunlight shined on her face made her even more beautiful to him than she already was.
“It’s so beautiful. “ Lily sighed, “I have missed the beach so much. I’m so glad you brought me here!” She hugged him real fast catching him off guard and ran ankle deep into the water. “Come on!” she called to Brody as she walked further down the beach. He followed her and she started splashing him. They spent hours just running up and down the beach splashing each other and laughing harder than they had in a long time.
“This was such a great surprise.” Lily said as she sat in the sand.
“Oh this was only half of the surprise.” Brody said still standing up.
“What?” Lily said shocked.
“Come on.” Brody laughed grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. They raced across the beach through the crowd of families. They rounded a more secluded part of the beach with more rocks. All of a sudden there was a loud rushing sound. As they came around the corner there stood a marvelous waterfall.
“Wow. It’s amazing.” Lilly gasped. Brody grabbed her hand and guided her to a secluded spot near the waterfall, but far enough away that they could hear each other. He laid out some towels and they lay down and watched the stars.
“This has been such an amazing day. I can’t believe you did this for me. You are the best friend I have ever had.” Lily said hugging him again. The smile on Brody’s face faded. He sat up and looked out towards the ocean.
“What’s wrong?” Lily asked sitting up as well. Brody turned and looked into her eyes.
“I didn’t do this just to be a good friend. I did it to show you how much I care about you. I know that the beach is your favorite place; you feel at peace here. So I took you here so I can tell you that...that I am in love with you.” Brody finally told her. Lily just sat there staring at him in shock. He stared back at her and became lost in her eyes. He slowly leaned forward and kissed her.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered when he noticed that she was staring wide eyed at him. “I shouldn’t have rushed it. I should ha…” His apology was cut off by Lily’s lips.
“I love you, too.” She said smiling at him. He smiled back and kissed her again. The night faded away into their happily ever after.