Chapter Text
“Together Teressa! Come on! You’re going to be late. Mama called. I quickly finished clasping my polka dot button up,up and pulled on my shoes. I did a check in the mirror, making sure I looked presentable enough, adjusting my black ballet flats and flattening out my white, freshly ironed poodle skirt.
Mama had bought this outfit specially for me, saying I need to ‘impress’ all the boys since I was sixteen and was finally old enough to date. To be honest, I'm still the same thirteen year old Teressa who had to make up crushes when all the girls were gossiping about them. I used to pick a random boy in my homeroom then decided that I liked him. It never worked though. I just can’t get myself to actually like a boy, I've always felt different from that, especially since mama expects me to start dating so early. I think I just need time.
I rushed out of my front door, I could not be late to homeroom, particularly on my first day. I could tell my ballet flats were already getting dirty. I finally reached home room.
“Teressa, you're late, on the first day as well. How disgraceful.”
“I am so sorry teacher, it will not happen again.” i answered “It will not indeed Teressa, stay after class for your punishment with Violet over here. She waved a finger opposingly at a girl in the back row.
I looked over, the girl violet waved at me to sit next to her. I walked over nervously. Violet glanced over at me then started scribbling on a piece of paper, she handed it to me, it wrote “Hello! My name is Violet. What's yours?. I stared at her, she had these beautiful hazel eyes, like pine trees in a lush forest, I could get lost in them for hours. She smiled at me, waiting for a reply and god it was the prettiest thing i had ever seen. It could heal billions of people with a slight flicker, like the sun, the sun, that was the right word. She smiled like the sun. And oh gosh I would stare at it until I lost my vision.
Crimson red flushed my cheeks as I realised I was staring for so long. I grabbed my pencil and started writing. “My names Teressa, Violet is such a pretty name! But that teacher is such a party pooper, isn’t she?”
I could see her have to stifle her laugh, it pained me how much it warmed my heart. She passed the note back to me, containing a few words that I would not like to say, when I had a sudden thought, what if we get caught? I expressed my concerns to Violet. I see her roll her eyes at me then mouth “drip”, I gaped dramatically, pretending to be offended. She then nodded sassily like she was right, well she was a bit.
I turned my head right around, deciding to start actually focusing on the lesson. A blonde haired girl, standard looking pretty, and her friends split their mouths into a wide grin while looking at violet. I could tell something was off but I just blocked out what they were saying. A voice at the back of my head keeps saying I should do something, but I can't get in trouble again, could I?
“Violet, Teressa line up, she held out a ruler, I gulped. I’ve never really been punished before, only once.
It was in 7th grade, all the girls were gushing about this boy named James, his short, smoothed back hair with a sleek wave and his expensive suits tailored to fit his muscular body. He was basically every girl's dream type. They asked how I felt about him and I said I didn't really care about boys. They misunderstood me and called
me this word ‘gay’, it was my first time hearing it, for the rest of the lessons. I don’t understand why it's such a bad word, I guess I would date a girl, but only if it's the last resort because I don't like girls. The teacher heard all this ruckus and thought it was me. Long story short, I got a caning.
The teacher raised the ruler and striked me over and over and over, until my wrists were swollen and dried out of all its blood. It looked like a red wine festival living on my wrists except for the red parallel marks that stood beneath all the gore. Violet looked at me as if i was being tortured from head to toe, that look in her eyes was worse than the pain I was feeling.
It was Violet's turn next, she stood there not a flash of pain crossed her eyes, directing her eyes right back to the teachers. The teacher didn’t like that by the way she was scowling.
We walked out of the door, the teacher still frowning from her desk.”I’ve been through that about a thousand times.” Violet quipped “what about you Teressa?” she asked. I blushed as if I had a hundred degree fever “Only once.” I admitted embarrassingly, “Goody little two shoes.” She mocked but followed up with "hey are you okay?” I then rested my head on her shoulder as we walked. I could tell it was uncomfortable but Violet didn’t care.
Violet, like the angel she was, offered for me to sit with her at lunch with her friends, Linda, Susan and Mary. It was a bustle of introductions, all of them managing to speak over each other. But finally they got it.
“Hello! I’m Mary, ur Violet’s new friend right? I nodded confidently or at least tried to “Well hello! We haven't got a new friend in ages!’ She said excitedly, “It's not my fault you guys are so annoying, if it was all me I would have got the whole school around my finger”. Linda I think? Responded sarcastically. She had golden brown, curly locks dancing at the hem of her buttons and aquamarine eyes that had a comforting warm presence to it, but don’t let that deceive you, I could tell she had a piercing tongue.
She reminded of the ocean. Clear, luminant eyes and a jumpy but soothing personality that would make you think she hadn’t got a clue about the world. But underneath it had its rough waves. Snappy, cool and quick, ready to jump in to fight a storm.
She looked at me and noticed she hadn’t introduced herself yet, “oh im Susan by the way.” I nearly got it. “Oh and I'm Linda! The girl on the side poked her head out and smiled.
Not like Linda or Mary or Violet, though no one could compare to her smile. She smiled like she was waiting for something, a reaction maybe? To see if she can trust me? Either way I'm not sure.
I sat myself awkwardly down next to Violet and listened to them chatting for a while before Violet nudged me on the shoulder, “Hey you’re quiet, wanna go outside?” Violet asked me. Then lit up, as if she was thinking of an idea Einstein couldn’t compete with. She took me by the hand, caressing her oh so soft hands on mine, warming my frozen hands up. She ran out of the lunch hall, leaving her tomato wedges and sandwich- forgotten.
We ran along together, the wet, dewy grass clutching to my brand new shoes. A mixture of confusion and anticipation drawn on my face, like an abstract piece of art. I don't think I would call it beautiful though.
Violet turned to me after what felt like hours, but her face was completely composed. Not a single bead of sweat on her body.
That was the utterly opposite 0f mine. The rainshower poured down right to my toes, my breathing took down the adjectives rag and heavy, taking each new breath every millisecond. Not to mention my face. In short I looked like a mess. In Front of Violet too! What would think of her new friend? An idiot who barely knew how to keep her composure? A loser who was only being her friend for-
‘You look like a tomato.’
Of course this was the real Violet.
‘Your not looking much better.” I lied through my teeth bluntly. She raised an eyebrow then pointed down at something .
‘Look.” I narrowed my eyes down and was shocked to see a big ice pond thingy? Teressa don’t really know. It was crystallised over, the lumaint light blue reflecting the sunlight off its pale surface. It could easily fit about 15 people, with room still left. Violet then carefully stepped on, showing me it was safe, then quickly jumped off and hurried somewhere in the distance. She came back with weird looking shoes with makeshift blades on them. I narrowed my eyes on her.
“Oh! These are ice skates, well not proper ones, from the school's back shed.” She then pulled on hers and helped me tie up mine, together we took the leap of faith and skidded on the ice.
My feet couldn’t control themselves, whooshing, weaving, doing anything but walking around. It was like a toddler version of ballet. And of course I could hear Violets’ hysterical laughter in the background. It was impossible to miss.
“Come on, it's not that hard! She said gliding along the ice with pure ease, it looked like the actual version of ballet. Suddenly warm hands met mine. She smiled, the smile that I love. Even if I met her a few hours ago, it felt like I could stay with her for an eternity.
She guided me around the little ice pond. It felt like I don’t have to speak when i'm around her, words didn’t matter. Just actions.
I didn’t have to constantly act polite and graceful, like a perfect little housewife or Bubbly and smart, always sensible but willing to have fun.
It's hard trying to balance out both. Especially when you’ve been doing it your whole life.
‘Here, she gestured, pointing to a small part that was hidden around the corner. Teressa didn't hear her though. Her foot crossed mine, causing her to stumble. Dragging me down with her.
That's how we ended up laughing ludicrously on the ground, white tiny spots covering our body. “It was definitely your fault.” Violet said matter of factly, sarcasm dripping from her tone. I buried myself in her arm, leaching off the warmth echoing from it. “Lunch is likely to be over now, let's head back in, we don't want to be late .” We rose to our feet, quaking from the sheer coldness of the ice, Violet wrapped her arm around back, helping to stabilise both of us as we looked like we had a hunchback.
Our feet chased after each other, leaving a mark in the pure snow. We eventually got back to the school, Saint Mary's catholic school and quickly wandered in. After a long, hard day of whispering with Violet for the rest of the lessons, the bell rang.
I rushed to pick up my books and half completed maths worksheet, hoping I could at least get home for dinner without a litre of sweat on my forehead from bolting, then Violet came up to me.
“Hey i just wanted to thank you, I haven’t made a new friend in a long time, everyone thinks I’m either too weird or not fun enough to hangout with.” She paused. “ But you did, so here.” She hastily put something in my palm then sprinted away into the distance.
I opened my hand and nodded at it curiously. It was a friendship bracelet. The dark blue and purple clashed with each other perfectly, I guess she remembered my favourite colours then. It was one that you could tell it was rapidly put together with cheap beads, but nonetheless it clutched at my heartstrings and pulled at them with full force. I’ve never received a friendship bracelet before, or just a token from a friend. The only time I did was from a person I met 8 hours ago.
I wanted to run after her and thank her in person but as I turned out of the doorway she was already gone.
I couldn’t wait to get home and tell mama about Violet, how cool and eccentric she was, her power to recall a detail that was mentioned in passing and how kind she is. She would be proud of me wouldn’t she? I haven’t made many friends over the years, a thing me and violet both shared.