Brown #2, Tea Rose #7, Tyrian Purple #15
Name: kay_brooke
Story: Unusual Florida
Colors: Brown #2 (brown someone off), Tea Rose #7 (friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love), Tyrian Purple #15 (the gift of fire)
Styles/Supplies: None
Word Count: 523
Rating/Warnings: PG-13; no standard warnings apply
Summary: Stargazing with Hope and James
Note: Another rewrite. Constructive criticism is welcome, either through comments or PM.
"Do you see that star up there?"
Hope let her gaze linger on James just for little longer than necessary before she followed his pointing finger and looked up into the sky. She couldn't tell exactly what he was pointing at; out here on the lake, with the lights from the resort in the dim distance and blocked by the trees, thousands of stars were visible. It was almost as good as the field near her home in Colorado.
But thinking that only made her feel bitter, both because stargazing was so childish, and because once she moved to New Jersey she would never be able to look at that exact night sky again.
She shouldn't be thinking about that. She was out here with James, and he seemed to be opening up to her for once. So she said, "Which one?"
"The really bright one," said James. His arm was pointed nearly straight up.
"Oh," said Hope. "What about it?"
"It's always been my favorite," said James. "It only shows up in the summer. In Maine--" He took a deep breath. "It was cold up there a lot. When it finally got warm enough not to die from the cold, that star was always there. It was the only time I was happy, so." He shrugged.
"You stargaze?" said Hope, thinking maybe stargazing wasn't so childish at all. She could hardly believe James was confiding in her like this. It was almost a struggle to breathe, the anticipation was squeezing her chest so tight. Was something going to come of this? Hope had never kissed anyone before, and whoa, she was really jumping the gun there, but what if it happened? Tonight? The nervousness and excitement almost brought tears to her eyes.
"Not really," said James, answering her question. "I just like that star, because it's so bright."
"It's called Vega," said Hope before she could stop herself. "It's one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere during the summer." She looked over at James, putting on what she hoped was her most seductive smile.
He looked back at her like she had grown a second head. "What?"
The smile slipped off her face. "What what?"
"You just kind of . . . vomited out facts," he replied, snorting a little with laughter. "What, did you memorize the encyclopedia?"
"I just--" Hope could feel her face burning and was glad it was dark enough that James probably couldn't see it. She grasped for some way to salvage the conversation. "It's just that it's my favorite star, too. So I just found out some stuff about it, you know?"
"Whatever," said James. "I'm going back to the hotel."
"Wait," said Hope, grabbing his arm.
He looked down at her hand and ripped his arm away. "Don't touch me." She couldn't see his face very well in the dark, but it was clear that he had suddenly gotten very angry.
"I'm sorry," she stuttered, wondering what she had done that was so wrong.
"Forget it," said James, turning and stalking back toward the resort, leaving Hope standing alone on the dock.
Story: Unusual Florida
Colors: Brown #2 (brown someone off), Tea Rose #7 (friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love), Tyrian Purple #15 (the gift of fire)
Styles/Supplies: None
Word Count: 523
Rating/Warnings: PG-13; no standard warnings apply
Summary: Stargazing with Hope and James
Note: Another rewrite. Constructive criticism is welcome, either through comments or PM.
"Do you see that star up there?"
Hope let her gaze linger on James just for little longer than necessary before she followed his pointing finger and looked up into the sky. She couldn't tell exactly what he was pointing at; out here on the lake, with the lights from the resort in the dim distance and blocked by the trees, thousands of stars were visible. It was almost as good as the field near her home in Colorado.
But thinking that only made her feel bitter, both because stargazing was so childish, and because once she moved to New Jersey she would never be able to look at that exact night sky again.
She shouldn't be thinking about that. She was out here with James, and he seemed to be opening up to her for once. So she said, "Which one?"
"The really bright one," said James. His arm was pointed nearly straight up.
"Oh," said Hope. "What about it?"
"It's always been my favorite," said James. "It only shows up in the summer. In Maine--" He took a deep breath. "It was cold up there a lot. When it finally got warm enough not to die from the cold, that star was always there. It was the only time I was happy, so." He shrugged.
"You stargaze?" said Hope, thinking maybe stargazing wasn't so childish at all. She could hardly believe James was confiding in her like this. It was almost a struggle to breathe, the anticipation was squeezing her chest so tight. Was something going to come of this? Hope had never kissed anyone before, and whoa, she was really jumping the gun there, but what if it happened? Tonight? The nervousness and excitement almost brought tears to her eyes.
"Not really," said James, answering her question. "I just like that star, because it's so bright."
"It's called Vega," said Hope before she could stop herself. "It's one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere during the summer." She looked over at James, putting on what she hoped was her most seductive smile.
He looked back at her like she had grown a second head. "What?"
The smile slipped off her face. "What what?"
"You just kind of . . . vomited out facts," he replied, snorting a little with laughter. "What, did you memorize the encyclopedia?"
"I just--" Hope could feel her face burning and was glad it was dark enough that James probably couldn't see it. She grasped for some way to salvage the conversation. "It's just that it's my favorite star, too. So I just found out some stuff about it, you know?"
"Whatever," said James. "I'm going back to the hotel."
"Wait," said Hope, grabbing his arm.
He looked down at her hand and ripped his arm away. "Don't touch me." She couldn't see his face very well in the dark, but it was clear that he had suddenly gotten very angry.
"I'm sorry," she stuttered, wondering what she had done that was so wrong.
"Forget it," said James, turning and stalking back toward the resort, leaving Hope standing alone on the dock.