| serendipity |
finding something good without looking for it

A cloud of smoke escaped Lyssandra Taylor's lips, as she trudged through the snow that coated the streets of New York in a perfect blanket of paradise. The girl hugged her coat closer in an attempt to keep out the freezing winds, as she adored the Christmas decorations that spread as far as the eye could see, creating a magical atmosphere. Trees sparkled all around her, standing majestically and glimmering under the early morning sun, each one unique but still beautiful. Doors were lined with mistletoe, holly or tinsel, each and every person was getting into the spirit of December. Meanwhile, soft bells dingled somewhere in the distance, whilst Christmas songs echoed around her, melodic to even the ears of the grumpiest souls. After all, as Lyssa put it, being grumpy at the most magical time of the year was just madness.

The teenager could have admired the decorations all day - she'd lived in New York all her life but Christmas never failed to amaze her - yet a brunette girl snapped her out of her trance, practically leaping on Lyssandra. Confusion etched the latter's freckled face, but it evaporated as she glanced at the other girl.

"Oh my goodness, Allie, you scared me!" she laughed, pushing her best friend off of her. While Lyssa was the quiet type of girl, the daydreamer, the hopeless romantic who wanted her happily ever after, Aaliyah Hussain was the complete opposite. As the definition of bubbly, Allie was a complete chatterbox, although she wouldn't hesitate to slap someone and would stand up for herself, no matter what.

"So..." the Arabic girl started, grabbing her friend's pale hand and dragging her along the path to their school, "Christmas is so soon! What are we going to do this year?" The girl let out a childish squeal, blabbering on and on about gingerbread houses and decorating trees, the things that they knew they were too old to do, yet did anyways.

Lyssandra started to respond, coming to an abrupt halt as she caught sight of a figure in the distance - Jason McGregor, looking as perfect as ever. At least behind the rose-tinted glass Lyssa saw him through. At least from the distance. At least in the eyes of a girl so charmed by his looks, to not think twice about what was behind the glittering, gorgeous, green eyes.

Next to her, Aaliyah groaned, "Jeez Lyss, what do you see in that jerk? You're way too good for him." Per usual, the redhead shook her head, not paying attention to her friend's remark, "He's the one who'll save me, I'm telling you, Al."

Childish freckles, flaming red hair, untameable curls, glassy blue eyes, it was no wonder Lyssandra got bullied - at least in her view. But unlike her friend, it was also no wonder she'd taken all the bullying and sobbed over the crude, cutting comments. If she'd retorted, maybe she wouldn't have broken, let parts of her chip away with each remark, the hate from pretty teenagers, with their own hurts hidden perfectly behind a seemingly unbreakable facade. But she hadn't and she'd taken it all, not daring to utter a word back, lost in her daydreams of one day being saved by her Prince Charming.

Exasperation filled Aaliyah's stormy, chestnut eyes, as she brushed a loose curl behind one of her petite ears. A dry laugh escaped her lips, as she turned to face her friend. "Why can't you see what he really is, Lyssandra. He isn't your Prince Charming. God, he doesn't even know you exist. And thinking someone who only knows how to flirt with skinny girls, the same girls that bully you, will save you, then you're delusional. Lyss, you can't spend your life relying on someone else, especially someone like him," disgust filled voice as she pronounced the last few words. "Look, I love you but I can't stand you like this. They've hurt you but they haven't killed you. And you have to live."

And with that, she left her friend gaping after her, unable to speak, eyes fluttering in hurt and disbelief.

Even a couple hours later, Allie's words echoed around Lyssa's head. She'd always known her best friend detested Jason - the girl made it clear enough - but she'd never spoken up against Lyssandra before. As the math teacher droned on about algebraic equations, Lyss couldn't help but contemplate whether her friend was being truthful. Whether she was actually that hung up over Jason and whether she was actually unbearable. More doubt than usual clouded her head, almost suffocating her. That was until she felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to see piercing green eyes, eyes that she'd recognise anywhere, eyes she'd dreamed about.

"Lyssandra, is it?" he whispered before she could say a thing, a slight Australian accent seeping into his voice, "I just wanted to invite you to a party. My friend, Trevor, is having it tonight at his house and we'd love it if you came."

Shocked speechless, Lyssandra gave him a nod, her face radiant with joy. Jason McGregor was talking to her. Her thoughts immediately went to Aaliyah and by instinct turned to tell her, before realizing that her friend wasn't there. After all, as much as Lyssa wanted to talk to her, both girls had their pride and neither had approached the other. But this was her chance to prove everything Allie had said wrong. Anger, with a hint of regret bubbled through Lyssa, but even that was overpowered by the soft smile that lit up her features in a rare yet precious way.

The hours after passed by in a blur, a blur of excitement, as the sky darkened to an obsidian black. The moon shedded lackluster light across the neighbourhood, only adding to the magical atmosphere surrounding. Still, everything changed when Lyssandra pushed open the door to Trevor's house, with a loud, squelching creak. There was no sign of it being Christmas, not anymore. Beer cups littered the floor, although it was only the early hours of the night and pizza was left on the floor to rot, causing the redhead to grimace. A questionable stench filled the air, though the countless people ignored it. But the boy who approached her made up for it all.

Immediately, her attention was captured by this boy, swept away from the rest of reality. If it wasn't, she might've detected the signs, heard the quiet echoes of disaster, noticed the smirks and whispers directed at her. But she was oblivious to all of this, her gaze focused on Jason and Jason alone.

And it seemed as though Jason had caught on and before she could say anything, his lips were on hers. And she felt as though she was floating, like she was in heaven.

When she pulled away, the room had fallen eerily silent. Every eye was on Lyssandra, watching her, waiting. As for Lyssa, adoration and bliss etched her features. That was until Trevor's obnoxious voice ripped through the silence. "Bro, that was awesome."

And with that, cheers echoed across the room, Lyssandra's expression morphing into one of confusion. When she dreamed of kissing Jason, she hadn't expected this, she hadn't expected people hollering - for him. Bewildered, she glanced desperately around at the jeering faces, hoping it wasn't what it was, but heat rushed to her cheeks as Aaliyah's words came back.

"W-what was that for? A dare or something?" her voice was trembling, tears threatening to spill from her ocean eyes. The faces surrounding her said everything she needed to know, causing a single tear to escape her grasp and roll down her porcelain features. Nobody stopped to care, though. Nobody felt pity for the girl who loved too easily and got hurt even easier. Nobody felt anything for the girl who wanted to be saved but was crushed instead.

Instead, their laughing faces, their cruel snickers, their malicious grins blurred together, as Lyssandra felt her heart break in her chest, as she felt another piece chip away taken by the teenagers who loved to torment her and watch her crack under the pressure. The ones who saw her as fragile and used that as an opportunity. And they succeeded, every single time.

That's when she knew Aaliyah was right. That's when she knew that she wasn't going to get a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and save her. That's when she knew that she was going to have to stand up and save herself, pick up the broken pieces because that was life.

Flitting across the crowd, her eyes landed on Jason, before she opened her mouth to speak. "I used to think you were glamorous people, people who actually had hearts. But instead, you're just people who enjoy inflicting pain on others, take pleasure in being cruel. You find entertainment in pulling others down, just because you can't handle the fact that they're adored more than you. My tip? Try being nice. And just for the record, every word that escapes your lips will have consequences. Maybe you'll drown in guilt or maybe you'll fragment until you break. Frankly, I don't care. None of you are worth my tears, nor my pain, not anymore. After all, you're trying to drag me down. And I'm above you."

With that, Lyssandra escaped the stifling room, stepping back into the atmosphere she loved so much. As the lights flickered above her, her thoughts wandered. It was surprising how so much could change in the matter of seconds, how her realities could shift drastically. How she could lose something with a couple words but gain something else with the same few remarks. And although she felt remorse, she knew standing up for herself, instead of being reliant on others, was worth it. There was just one thing left for Lyssa to do - find her best friend, Aaliyah.

yes, the ending is rushed,
i know. that's because i
did this for english class
and well, five pages
maximum. i'm not super
proud of it but it's decent and
i wanted to publish it
anyways so here you are

and yes, i did this two months ago
but i forgot it existed.