Dream on Fire

This doesn't go with the prompt. Go down to my comment for a better explanation. Enjoy!

“Ro c’mon! What's taking so long? Are you trying to move at your slowest speed possible?”

 I sighed and shook my head before grabbing my bag and jean jacket off my bed.

“I’m coming Tam, calm down!” I yelled back. 

I could hear the impatient groan of Tam downstairs and stifled a laugh, tempted to test her impatience. 

“Oh my gosh come on!” She yelled up the stairs. I closed my door behind me and flew out of my room. 

Tam glared at me as I rushed down the stairs and held up her wrist, which was sporting a gold, bedazzled watch. 

“You told me you would be ready by six. It's way after six and you're moving at a sloth's speed.” She spat, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out the door. 

I shrugged and nudged her playfully and caught her lips lift slightly before frowning again. She tossed one of her tight blonde curls over her shoulder and checked her phone, tapping her foot. She sighed again and stuffed her phone back into her pocket before stepping closer to the street. 

A small gray car pulled up and Tam smiled out of relief before pulling out her phone again. I slipped into the backseat as Tam talked to the driver before jumping into the seat next to me.

Tam picked at one of her freshly painted nails and sighed a few times and I could feel her holding back the many questions of when we were going to arrive.

I rubbed my eyes and Tam looked up at me and made a face. 

“No makeup huh?” 

“I was rushing,” I mumbled. 

Tam shook her head. 

“You didn't seem to be rushing when we were 20 minutes late.” I watched as Tam pulled a small bag out of her purse.

She used one of her long, thin hands to turn my head towards her. 

“We can do better than this.” 

Tam pulled out an eye shadow palette and shushed my groans of resistance. 

By the time we finished, the driver told us we were about a mile away and Tam rested her back in her seat, satisfied with her work. 

I studied my hair and face in the small hand mirror Tam had given me and nodded my thanks. Tam slipped out of the car as he pulled up and thanked the driver before coming to the other side. I made a face at Tam and stared up at her large house, expecting to be at the school. “Why’d we come here first?” 

Tam straightened out her long, lacy, periwinkle dress and shrugged. 

“It seemed faster.” She said simply. 

I grabbed her wrist, checking the time, and nodded, deciding it was better to let Tam have her way. 

Tam made her way up the stone path leading to the gates to her house. As she pushed them open, a giant smile spread across her face and she ran up to the door.

It took me a bit to realize what she was doing, so I stood there like an idiot for a good minute. By the time I figured it out Tam was already in her brother's arms, both of them beaming. 

Tam squealed a few times and bounced up and down. 

“I can't believe your home!” She squealed again. 

I played with the strap on my bag and looked down, hiding my smile. 

Going to Tam’s house first wasn't any faster, she just needed an excuse to go to her house first.

A few minutes later, Tam ran back to me and grabbed my wrist, her gray eyes sparkling with excitement as she led me to the garage, suddenly caring about being punctual again. 

“Cal’s gonna drive us so we don't have to wait for another Uber!” I nodded and laughed quietly before following behind Tam into the car. 

As Cal pulled up to the school Tam got extra excited and started bouncing up and down in her seat. 

She jumped out of the car as soon as Cal had parked the car, and met me on the other side. Tam skipped up the sidewalk to the school entrance, dragging me behind her. 

“Come on Ro, you can't be slow the whole night!” 

She burst through the big double doors and ran into the gym. 

Tam spotted a table near the back and waved me over.

 She slipped into one of the chairs and rolled her eyes as I slumped into the one next to her, the nerves weighing down on my shoulders.

“Ro it’ll be fine, nothing's gonna happen.” 

Tam’s friend Lelia ran over and sat next to me, fiddling with her long brown hair as we sat there in a dense, awkward silence. 

Tam perked up a few minutes later and I followed her eyes to someone across the room. I held in a sigh as Tam jumped up and waved over her girlfriend. Sara ran over and embraced Tam in a giant hug before plopping down into the chair next to Tam. 

“Hey Bee.”

My eyes shot up and I could feel my entire body tense at her words. The taste in my mouth became sour and I rested my eyes on the ground, bitter thoughts clouding my mind. 

What was the point of love anyway? Love is a choice and anyone in their right mind who knew that, wouldn't engage in love at all. Love only leads to pain. Pain, regret, hardships, they’re all tied together with love. You can't have love without them.

I glanced up at the ceiling and bit back tears before pushing my chair away from the table and standing up. 

I saw Tam’s face fall as I started to turn away. 

“Where are you going? You alright Ro?” She pressed. 

I nodded and smiled. 

“I’ll be right back. Just going to look around.” I lied. 

Tam nodded but I could see the worry behind her sparkling gray eyes. 

She met eyes with Sara and jumped up after she nodded. 

Tam rushed over to me as I started to walk away, slipping her hand into mine and sporting a small smile. 

“You're not alright Ro. I can see it in your eyes. When you think about--him--your eyes go sad.” She whispered. 

I looked away and shook my head, wiggling my hand out of Tam’s grip.

“I’m fine. Really Tam. I don't need your help this time, you've helped enough.” Tam glanced at the ground but didn't stop. 

“I’m just trying to protect you, Ro. I’m worried about you.” She mumbled. 

I swallowed hard and a stubborn tear rolled down my cheek. 

“I don't need you to protect me, Tam. There's no need to worry. I’m fine.” I winced at the bitterness in the last word. 

I could see the tears welling in Tam’s eyes as she nodded and turned away. I stood there, guilt building up in my chest, but I said nothing.

Zero apologies came to mind as I turned again and walked away. 

I made a run for the exit, avoiding contact with anyone. 

I let out a small strangled sob as I escaped into the halls and ran out the school doors. 

The cold, crisp air swarmed around me, loud city noises drowning out the small sobs I had been holding in. 

I stared at the ground as I walked the streets, trying to find somewhere empty. I snuck into the nearest coffee shop and quickly bought a cup of coffee before running back out. 

I walked the streets of Huntington, sipping my coffee and trying to look as normal as possible. 

Staring at the ground-just my luck-I slammed into someone rushing past. My cup flew out of my hands and crashed onto the pavement, splattering all over my shoes. 

I groaned and crouched down to pick it up. The stranger started to apologize as I stood up. I smiled and nodded, trying to wipe off some of the frappuccino splattered on my gold heels.

“Not into partying either?” The stranger asked after a minute. 

I choked for a second and stood up straighter. 

“I-I’m not sure what you mean.” I coughed. 

“Your ticket for the Huntington Prom is sticking out of your pocket.” The stranger told me, holding up their ticket. 

“Plus I’ve seen you around school a few times. 

I dug the toe of my heel into the ground, not sure how to respond. 

“I’m ditching too.” The stranger added. 

“I-uh don't think I’ve met you before.” 

The stranger laughed and stepped into a small dimly lit patch of light. He flashed a smile and laughed. 

“Sorry. Should've started with introductions. I’m Henry.” 

I nodded slowly, my mind yelling at me that it was a trap. 

“Your date must be missing you. I could walk you back?” Henry asked. 

I shook my head, “I’m not interested in going back there. And I don't have a date anyway. The only thing love gets you is pain and guilt.”

I could see the look of shock printed all over Henry’s face. 

“That's not true.” He shot back. “Love can be a fine thing if you treat it correctly.” 

I rolled my eyes and shook my head again. 

“I disagree.” 

Henry rolled his eyes back, “and why are you so bitter about love?”

“I’ve had a bad experience in the past.” 

I could see Henry stifle a laugh and shake his head. 

“What could be so bad about one experience with love that makes you hate it so much?” 

I pursed my lips and looked at him, his red hair covering one of his eyes. 

“I don't want to talk about it.”

“Then clearly you don't have enough evidence to support your case of love being painful,” Henry told me, a goofy grin forming on his face.

I could feel my heart racing, emotions rising in my throat and I frowned. 

“Fine,” I said. “My father left me when I was little, and later on my mother told me it was because of me. We were really good friends, my father and I, I guess I just misplaced my trust.” 

I said quietly. 

Henry stayed silent for a minute then eventually sighed. 

“That's it?” 

I raised my eyebrows and stared at him. 

“Seriously?” 

I could feel the anger building in my chest as Henry stood there like an idiot. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I shouted. 

Henry shook his head and tried to calm me down but I stepped away. 

“I just told you something personal, and you don't even take it seriously? What is wrong with you?” I spat and stormed away. 

I could hear Henry running behind me but I wasn't going to stop. He grabbed my arm and I froze, too shocked to do anything else as the words left his lips. 

“You have to move on!” 

I stood there, feet glued to the ground and my mind echoed the words. 

---------8 years ago------

“Rosabelle.” The voice says. “Rosabelle please listen to me.” 

I shake my head and cover my ears. 

“He’ll come back!” I shout the words, echoing hope in my head. “He loved me! He’ll come back!” 

A cold hand rests on my shoulder and squeezes it lightly.

“It’ll be alright. You wait here for your mother ok? She’ll be here in an hour.” 

Tears soak my cheeks as I move a shaky hand off my ear. I squeeze my eyes tighter and let out a small, sob. 

“What if she doesn't come back?” 

I can feel my body sink into the chair as I say it. The hand on my shoulder moves and wipes a tear off my face. 

“I’ll be right back sweety. Just wait here.” 

I let out a shaky breath and grip on to the cushions on the couch. 

I can hear people running around, talking amongst themselves and my name. It echoed between them, bouncing over their words. 

I hear someone sit next to me but I don't dare open my eyes as they stay silent. 

The person next to me starts talking, their voice deep and smooth. 

“What would you like me to call you? So I can call you what you like until your mommy gets back?” The man asks. 

I tuck my knees into my chest, curling up on the couch. 

“I-I have a lot of different nicknames,” I mumble. 

“Well, let's name some. If you want to go by your full name I could call you Rosabelle. Such a pretty name with so many nickname options.” 

The man rambles on and I slowly feel myself relax into the cushions. 

“With the Rosa part we could do, Rosa, Rose, Ro. For the Belle part, we could do Belle, Elle, Ellie, Bee.” My eyes shoot up and I shake my head at the last name. The man stops for a minute, then slowly says, “did you like any of those?” 

I open my eyes slowly, my body relaxing again and my heart slowing down. 

I inhale a quiet, shaky breath and nod, “I guess you could call me Elle.”

The man nods and I glance up at him. 

He looks around my mother's age, with light hazel eyes and combed down, light brown hair. He smiles gently at me as I study him and continues to talk. 

“Alright Elle, that's a great nickname.” 

I nod and let out the breath I’d been holding. He rests a hand on top of my knee and smiles again. 

“I know you're scared right now. This is a very grown-up thing, but I promise your mommy will be back in less than an hour.” He tells me. 

I nod again as he stands up and says something quickly to another worker. 

“Do you want to see something cool?” 

I stay silent for a minute before nodding and standing up slowly. 

“My name's Gray by the way.” He says as we start down the long halls of the building. 

Every hall we turn down is more bland and boring than the rest. 

We stop in front of two big, white doors and Gray pushes them open, leading me inside. 

As soon as I step inside the big room, the overwhelming smell of ice cream sundaes and brownies forms a giant smile on my face. 

Gray nods to a big stand in the center of the room. 

“This is the cafeteria. Do you have one of these at your school?” 

I nod, still in awe with the big machine in the center. 

“That's a cotton candy machine.”

He looks down at me and nods again. 

“Do you want to go see it?” 

The smile on my face grows bigger at his words. 

We walk over and I don't take my eyes off the machine as a man spins the wispy candy into different shapes. 

Gray pulls up two chairs and we help the chef think up different things to make for the basketball game he's going to. 

Soon enough I notice my mom, standing off to the corner of the cafeteria, a small smile on her face. 

My eyes light up and I run over and jump into her arms. Her hug swarms me with warmth and comfort. 

“Hi, sweet pea.” She says quietly. 

“Is-is he back?” I squeak. 

I can feel my heart drop as mom shakes her head. 

Tears brim at my eyes and I break away, shaking my head. 

“You're going to have to move on, sweety. We have to get used to this. It gets easier once you move on.” 

Reality swarms back into my brain and the room starts to spin. I call out for help, and I can only hear shouts of words my brain slurs together. My body starts to sway as everything spins. Before everything turns black I feel steady hands on my back, catching me before I hit the floor. 

------now-----

The cold wind froze the tears slowly rolling down my face as I blinked a couple times. 

Henry, still standing feet away from me cocked his head. 

I glared at him and pursed my lips.

“I tried moving on.” I spat at him. 

Henry moved his hair away from his eye and looked at me.

“Clearly you didn't move on enough.” He shoots back. 

“It doesn't matter, ok? I don't even know you.” 

“If you don't sort this out, it's only going to get harder, and you're going to be lonely. You're always going to feel like somethings missing.” 

I could feel the anger everywhere in my body, the bitterness at my father, at my mother, at Henry, at everyone. My fists shook as I clenched them and held back shouts.

“I don't need love to be happy.” 

“But if you just listened. There's a way to love without getting hurt.” 

“You're not listening to me. I don't need love! I can be happy on my own!” I shouted and turned away, running into the wind. 

Tears stung my cheeks as Henry’s words swirled around in my head. 

Had I really been wrong? But it was my fault dad left, right? Why else would he have left?

I held a hand up to my head, trying to clear my thoughts. 

As I neared the highschool I could see Tam’s face light up as she came into view. She ran to meet me halfway and stopped only a few feet away. 

“Ro I'm so sorry. I should've warned Sara about the nickname. I knew you were still sensitive about it.” 

“We can talk about this later Tam. It's alright.” 

Tam cocked her head and gave me a look. 

“Are you sure you’re not mad?” 

I nodded and met her eyes. 

“I’m not mad Tam, I promise. I just have a lot on my mind. I promise. I need time to think things over.”