The Roses
She walked in the rose garden. Her long blonde pigtails dragged behind her. She sat down. Her mind was burdened with many questions. Many questions that depressed her deeply. She looked to the roses for comfort and advice.
"Huh," she sighed to no one. "Why am I so lonely?"
The roses looked down on her in curiosity and sympathy. Her sad blue eyes turned to the blood red roses for support. Blowing, the wind made the roses whisper. Their stems and petals danced in the breeze while the roses' sweet perfume wafted through the garden. She smiled.
"Thank you," she whispered to the roses. "I understand."
She had a lonely heart. Her heart longed for a love she could never have. Serena stood up and sadly watched the couples in the park.
"Hey Meatball Head," said a deep voice. Serena cringed. She turned and was met by a young man with dark hair who had eyes as wild and blue as the sea.
"Oh Darien! How many times do I have to tell you?!" she screamed angrily. "My name is Serena! Not Meatball Head!"
"How many tests did you fail today?" Darien asked teasingly. "With all that meatball mush for brains, I'm surprised you're in high school."
"Hmpf!" she said as she held her head high and walked away trying to hide her tears. She felt her heart being ripped out by his cruel words. She loved him, but he would never notice. 'Why do I bother liking him?' she thought sadly. 'He's mean, arrogant, a pain, and... popular and smart..and totally dreamy!'
He watched her walk away noticing her damp eye lashes. 'You idiot!' his mind screamed. 'Why on earth are you so mean to her? You have to be nice to the one you love!'
'Easy for you to say,' another part of his subconscious answered. 'She just gets to me. How could you not love her blue eyes or her long blonde hair?'
'Hmm,' his mind sighed dreamily.
He had to make it up to her somehow. Then, he noticed the roses, and a plan formed in his mind.
Shining brightly, the moon hung low above Serena's house. The stars glittered and guarded the night sky. The white, lush rose vines crept up the side of the house, curling around the stone banisters of her balcony.
In the darkness, a shadowed figure watched her house silently. He walked to the terrace of roses and began to climb picking the roses on his way. The thorns pierced his palms and red streams of blood ran down his hands. He felt as though the roses were punishing him for what he had done to her. Yet, he continued to climb. He silently crept on to her balcony. Carefully, he examined the roses. The roses' soft white petals were as pale as the moonlight and glowed cleanly in the darkness.
He walked quietly into her room and found a small figure on the bed. He smiled. Gently, he began to pick the petals off the white roses.
Serena awoke to find the golden rays of the sunlight flooding her room, invading her dreams. Looking around the room, she looked with delight to find a shower of white rose petals scattered around her room and on her bed. Upon her pillow lay a small, white long stemmed rose with a small card.
"Meet me in the rose garden at 7:00 when the crescent moon rises," she whispered as she read the card. She looked for a signature, but found none. 'Who could have?' she asked herself. 'Is it... no it can't be.'
At school, she pondered throughout the day of who could her admirer could be. She often daydreamed that it would be from Darien, but harshly pushed the thought out of her mind. 'Why would it be Darien?' she thought to herself. 'Darien would never be this sweet. Well, not to me.'
She returned home more depressed than ever. She watched from her window as the sun slowly began to set on the horizon. The clock read 6:45. She bid her mother and father farewell and ran to the rose garden.
He waited anxiously in the rose garden. His palms were sweating, and the wounds from the roses were no longer visible. Darien paced around the rose bushes, constantly checking his watch. He watched the sun slowly set as the first stars began to shine. Then, he saw her. She saw him. He was among the blood red roses waiting for her. She ran up to him.
"Hey Darien," greeted Serena. "What are you doing here?"
"I... uh.. I was waiting," he replied not sure of what to say.
"For who?" she asked sadly realizing that he must be waiting for someone else.
"You," he said. She looked up at him in wonder. He cut her off before she could say anything. "I wanted you to come here because.. I want to apologize."
"Apologize?" she asked. "For what?"
"For my teasing and everything," he replied. "And I wanted to ask you something."
"I wanted to apologize for my teasing and calling you Meatball Head all the time," he said. "In truth I never meant what I said all those times. I just had to hide my true feelings."
"And?" she asked with a look of hope in her eyes. "What did you mean by 'true feelings?'"
"I love you," he suddenly blurted out blushing.
She stared at him in shock. He pulled out a bouquet of red roses from behind his back and handed them to her. She was sure the roses weren't there before. The next thing she knew, she was being swept in his strong arms and being given the gentlest of kisses. She threw the roses up into the air. With a touch of magic and a twist of destiny, the roses exploded and showered the couple in a storm of red roses. Up in the sky, a smiling crescent moon shined down on them.