Lights!

　　Stupid lights everywhere suffocating, blinding, confusing lights. Why were there so many lights?

　　I closed my eyes shut. Panting, I counted to ten then twenty then thirty.

　　According to my stylist I was dehydrated and weak and nervous. According to me I was hyperventilating.

　　I was doing fine in the ridiculous orange and teal blue, fluffy dress until I spotted him. All at once the dizziness washed over me. My heart started beating too fast and I couldn’t breathe in this stupid dress. Whose idea was this dress anyway? It is killing me. I could tell that the people loved it though. I remember the way they kept coming over and lifting the bright orange skirt and complimenting it, how they grinned and gave impressive nods at me. Right until I fainted.

　　“Bleuhh” I open my eyes and the lights have somewhat dimmed. The noise begins to settle in and I release panicked breaths.

　　“Relax no one is here” I turn to the voice and sigh in relief spotting the mass of electric blue curls that has to be T.

　　“What? Where?” I manage my voice slurry.

　　“You are in the dressing room and Myra just left. She said she was gonna bring some lemon and honey water. She said you were dehydrated” T said in her unique way of speaking where she starts slow then hurries the words at the end.

　　I slowly lift my hands and haul myself up to a sitting position and rub my right temple. A tiny bruise has appeared, right where my skin was smooth minutes before.

　　“Yeah I heard her somewhat” I say and drop my arms exhausted. I blink a couple times till I am confident with my vision and turn to look at her.

　　Her blue curls are untamed and everywhere. Her eyes a mixture of green - yellow expertly accented by some blue lines and makeup. Her freckles weren’t hidden by make up like any other girl would have wanted. That’s why I like her.

　　Because she is real and doesn’t try.

　　“What do YOU think happened?” I ask her.

　　“Honestly it’s the dress” I blurt out laughing to her answer.

　　“I know right it’s so stupid. Why am I wearing this again?” I say standing up.

　　“Cuz you wear black everywhere and this isn’t a funeral” T said and added “Can you walk?”

　　I pick my poof up elegantly and walk around in the torturous high heels.

　　I spin and my skirt flies around me. Bright shades of orange and blue and the sea twirl and mix and the stones on them catch light and

　　“Oh boy” I say clutching my head.

　　“Yeah that’s what I thought” T says and helps me sit.

　　“Is she ok?” the door bursts open and Myra my stylist walks in. No scratch that, dashes in with a glass of spilling clear water and a somber looking Naina behind.

　　“I am fine” I grab the water and toss it back. The sweet and sour water somewhat helps me and I find strength again.

　　Myra gives out a sigh and Naina props herself next to me crossing her legs.

　　“Can you come?” she asks barely a whisper which is unnatural for her usually, outgoing personality.

　　I nod in answer and they try to help me up but I wave them off. With T leading and Myra staying behind in the room I follow Naina and her sequined net dress to the ball.

　　Cameras start flashing as soon as we step in. I was graceful and was almost gliding but that was before I fainted and bruised my head. To further avoid such embarrassing events I lift up the poof and walk. Each step sending me pricks of pain all the way from my toes to my head.

　　“Amy are you alright?”

　　“Amy are you sick?”

　　“Is it your mental health?”

　　“Is it the stress?”

　　“Will you be singing again?” I ignore them all though the question of mental health had definitely caught my attention.

　　Mental health? Seriously. I roll my eyes and pass them all to the ball room where they won’t be feeding off my dead skin.

　　I instantly head to the fountain of sparkling blue water, pick a glass, fill it and sip it.

　　Food Food Food. My brain screams just as I am nudged and turned to face someone.

　　Ugh! More bright colors.

　　“You know when they said the theme was bright sea I was hoping some corals and pearls and cute clown fish, not this” I gesture to his costume.

　　Which was a mixture of bright colors all wrapped with ocean blue patches of net clothing.

　　Phil Brian, lead vocalist of the boy band ‘Hell-Oh!’ gives me a cheeky grin as I try not to gag.

　　“How is your head?” he asks pointing to my bruise.

　　“Right where it should be” I answer tracing a finger over the droplets of water around my glass.

　　“I was hoping we could make an alliance. Surely you of all people understand the costs of losing” he says in his thick Brit accent.

　　I click my tongue “Well usually I am the undeniable ruler of the kingdom of Loserville but I am abdicating. The throne is all yours” I say and raise my glass to him.

　　“If only your tongue wasn’t so sharp I would have made you my queen” Phil says coming few steps closer and dropping his voice.

　　“Well then, good thing I have the sharpest tongue” I say and toss back the water.

　　“Yeah, but maybe we could find some other uses for it” Phil whispers again.

　　“Mmm, good idea. Why don’t you ring your mom and take permission from her first?” I say and slip around him but he grabs my arm.

　　“This isn’t over Amy” he says his smile gone and a different look taking up his face.

　　“Boy do I want it to be?” I say sarcastically and pull back my hand and go smack into someone.

　　“Umm sorry” I say and side step and start to go. Then it hits me, the cologne of the man, the after shower, the shampoo. My head spins and there he is standing right where we collided.

　　The moment our eyes meet his expression, his mouths hangs open and his eyes widen in surprise or disbelief I don’t know.

　　My body automatically takes a step towards him.

　　“Ri_” my mouth lets out a whisper. But before I could say anything. A strong arm grabs me. Its T.

　　“Come on Ames let’s go” I look back at him.

　　“Amy!” T snaps and drags me away. When I look back, I try to identify the mass of dark black hair among the others. But I don’t catch him.

　　The same thought keeps coming into my head.

　　I screwed up real bad.

　　To be continued...