tulip

"and why, exactly?"

The bright sun beamed down on my baby blue dress. My summer had been going great. Yesterday I had returned from vacation to Hawaii, where I swam with my friends and went on volcano tours and such. Today I had been in a field of flowers, gathering tulips to send to my mother for her birthday. Tulips were her favorite, hence my name. But the white tulips were just so gorgeous it made me forget why I came. So, with a tulip in my hair, I frolicked in the feilds like a little kid. This is why I love Iceland. And it's a bonus—this place is nearly empty. Except for some old couples who were picking flowers, it was just me and the Tulips. I was fine with that. My parents say I'm a social butterfly, but that's all a show. I act like that to please them. I'd much rather be alone, reading a book or resting with my cat. I cringed a bit; I'd have to move soon. But I didn't want to think about that. Pushing the thought away, I untied my long blonde braid and played with my hair, running my fingers through the golden strands.
I was so busy skipping and twirling my dress that I tripped on a rock. Taken by surprise, therefore not having time to change my position and fall on my knees, I crashed onto the white flowers. Quickly getting up, I brushed off my dress, which had specks of dirt here and there.
"Dammit," I grumbled to myself, pain throbbing from where my nose got smushed. This day had been ruined.
A bit away, I heard a deep male voice chuckling. I snapped my head to the sound. Is he laughing at me?
Taking a breath, I stomped over to the man, forgetting to keep my "kind demeanor".
"What are you laughing at?" I demanded. I'm sure he was laughing at me. He was looking at me.
The man looked at me as I observed my dress. "You," he replied. Seriously?
I looked back at him, fixing him with a glare. I watched his green eyes meet mine, and, for a second, I wanted to look away. But I kept the eye contact. "And why, exactly?"
"Because you fell," he responded simply. I rolled my brown eyes.
"Why is that funny?"
He shrugged. "Because it is."
I scoffed and whisked around, stomping away. "Jerk," I grumbled to myself.
I froze as I heard his voice calling after me. "Hey, flower-lady, your sandal fell off!"
My sandal . . . ? I quickly looked down, shocked to find my barefoot all muddy. Ughhhhhh! I turned around and rushed over, attempting to run with one foot (it didn't exactly work).
The man was already standing, holding out my white sandal. As I reached out my hand to grab it, his hand brushed mine. I felt my face turn red, and I quickly snatched the shoe. His gaze met mine and I wanted to run. "T-thanks," I stammer.
He smiles warmly. "No problem, uhh . . ."
"Tulip," I say.
"Tulip." He has a tiny smirk. "How surprising." His bright eyes trailed off to rest on the tulip in my hair and the faint white tulip print on my baby blue dress.
I gave a little roll of my eyes and walked away.

* * *

"Thank you my dear."
I smile and embrace my mom. "No problem. Happy birthday."
My mom hugs me tighter, then let's go. She gestures for me to sit down. "So," she starts, "how've things been?"
I tap my fingers on the leather chair. "Good."
My dad, who is on the couch with my mom, smiles at me. "Found any colleges yet?" He asks. I shake my head.
"Not yet, dad."
"You better hurry. Most kids apply for schools in high school." My mom says.
"I'm looking," I say, a little impatient but determined not to be snappy with my mom.
"You say that, but don't take too long!"
I nod silently. My mom leans closer. "Sooo, have you found a 'special someone' yet?"
I laugh awkwardly. "Heh, no. Not yet."
My mom narrows her eyes. She then relaxes, winking. "Oh, come on. You can tell us!"
I inwardly groan. I haven't! I stop. I think . . .
My mind flashes back to meeting that handsome yet rude guy at the park. Perhaps he's the "special someone". No, I don't have his number. Disappointment flows through me. I shake my head. No! He's rude.
I realize that my has been staring at me knowingly. "Who is it?" She asks, her tone warm with affection.
"No one," I grumble. But is it no one?
My mom hesitates for a moment, then leans back in her chair, as if she can tell she's not getting anything out of me. I check my phone, eager now to leave. The time is 7:52.
"I better get going," I tell my parents. They nod. "You're right. It's getting dark."
My mom kisses me on the cheek and my dad hugs me as I gather my stuff.
"Bye. Love you guys." I yawn and drag my bag over to the car. It'll probably take me ten minutes to get to my house. I bring out my keys and unlock the car, getting in. I feel totally drained of energy as I start the car and begin to drive along the road.
When I pull up on my driveway, I stop and glance up at the sky. How beautiful, I think to myself as, one by one, the stars slowly start to appear.