"LAURA, DO NOT GO THERE!"

My friends had had their concerns, and at the tender age of seven, none of us really knew what abiding to any of them meant. I took deliberate small steps to the area where numerous amounts of daffodils were scattered on the ground, and gently began collecting them in my tiny hands. Mom used to say that flowers had families too—and they didn't like being plucked away from their loved ones—but these were already fallen on the floor, steered away from their home.

And so, I could take them to my home. It was only justified, giving them a new place to live. Or so I had thought.

Once I noticed that my fists were almost full, I tucked a singular flower into my hair and smiled. When I had finally thought of returning to my friends, a girl came running towards me—and with all the force she could muster, grabbed my arm, and hoisted it in the air.

I watched the flowers fall onto the ground with a chilling stare.

"Who are you?" she had asked with anger evident in her voice. "Those were mine! How dare you even touch them."

I continued to gaze at her in distaste. Her eyes were almost like mine, the color replicating that of the ground beneath us. She gave me another huff, and then tapped on my hand rather harshly to get a reply out of me. I stared at her some more, dropped my gaze to the flowers, and crouched low to pick them back up.

"Hey! Are you even listening?"

The girl had kept shouting, but I ignored all her whines. They were daffodils after all, my favorite. If she would've liked them so much, she wouldn't have left them. Satisfied with my reasoning, I continued walking with a smile on my face. A small tap on my shoulder brought me back from my happy stance, as I turned around to find a scrawny-looking boy smiling at me.

"You shouldn't have done that. She's crying."

When I did look over his shoulder, she was crying. Apparently, she liked the flowers a lot too. A pang of remorse hit my chest like a thousand bullets raining down, and the boy next to me jerked me forward with his elbow, smile intact. "Come on, don't be a meanie."

I had done what he said. I walked up to her, gave her a humongous grin, and dropped all the daffodils I had in my hand to hers. She didn't let me walk away, however, she grabbed my wrist back, divided the flowers equally among us, and reciprocated the smile I had given her.

Before anything else could've happened, she disappeared with the rest of her friends, and a strange warmth was left in my chest a seven-year-old was incapable of explaining. The boy who had been by my side was now behind me, and I had turned around to display the evidence of confusion crystal clear on my face.

He had another flower in his hand for a reason unknown, and he had decided to drop it in my hand. With furrowed eyebrows, I took it in my palm. "Who are you?"

His eyes were twinkling in the sunlight, a mixture of thunder and rain. "Jayden."

▂

It was finally Saturday—the day all hell could break loose. And that probably seemed like a dramatic way to put it, but it was no short of what I was feeling. Stella bickered about the makeup products scattered on my bed, and the lack of Chloe's presence spoke in bulks. I threaded my fingers through my hair, glancing at my reflection. It was in slight waves, cascading past my back—unlike how it usually was, pin-straight in a ponytail.

Black satin hugged my body and dropped right above my knees, and I was slowly starting to realize how bad this was. It was going to get cold tonight, but apparently, I didn't have another choice. This ended up being the most appropriate dress, even though I told Stella it was too extravagant for a party with literal high schoolers.

Somehow, it was a little different than the ones I had previously been to. I could only see for myself, though, so I anticipated getting a call from Xavier, who had decided to carpool with us and was going to pick us up shortly.

Stella walked quietly towards me, in her hands my phone. She wore a red dress made of silk that flared past her waist, and her eyes were big and wide—accompanied by a thick layer of eyeliner. I nudged her, and then winked. "You look hot."

"No, you," she smirked, and then laughed. "Someone's all dressed up today, and I wonder if it has anything to do with. . ."

"Shut up," I muttered, eyes gleaming solely because of how she looked at me—because Stella Reyes was nothing short of a puzzle taking it's sweet time to unravel, and she'd let me take a place in her life without a hint of hesitation. I hadn't ever thought I'd get to know a person as beautiful as her in such a short amount of time. "You do know that you get on my nerves, right?"

She winked. "You wouldn't have it any other way, mahal."

And I grinned, because I really wouldn't.

things have been all over the place, and i've had no time to edit or write. sorry!! i am trying my best. i hope you're doing well. you're golden