Hey! Okay, so, yeah, hi! The next chapter or two will be very time-skippy, as you can tell by this one. Don't hate me! It gets happy soon! I swear! And I can finally use that one thing I wrote a bajillion years ago! By that I mean...three months ago! Yeah, I know! A bajillion years!
I brush the collar of my suit off, straightening the tie in the mirror. I like it. I like it a lot. Kalyn, the tailor, had wheedled the long coat at me for who knows how long before I agreed to it, but I'm glad I did. The color green was just obviously my first choice. It's my favorite. Sally's eyes are green,I absently think. Then I slap my hand to my forehead.
"Crud," I mumble. "Mom," I say in a raised voice so my mother can hear, "remind me to call Sally later, okay?"
"Yes, Oncie," she answers back. I bring my hand down over my face and sigh. Her graduation was two weeks ago, and I keep forgetting to call her. She probably hates me,I think, taking my hat off and setting it on the table. I lean on my elbow beside it and drum my fingers on the table, my eyes flitting to the window. The roar of construction has been going on for about six days now, building my factory. They said it would be finished in another week or so.
I take a sip of my water and look outside again. I see a little Bar-ba-loot being picked up and tossed aside by a construction worker and I slowly shut the blinds, turning back around and sipping my water.
~!~Sally's POV~!~
"You simply have a darling figure," Charice, the lady who's dressing me for the play I'm staring in, says. "And I love your eyes!" I force a smile at her. I cannot stand stylists or hairdressers or makeup artists or anything like that. They just bug me.
"Thanks," I say. It's been a month. A month since graduation. Well, a month and a week. July fourteenth was the date currently, and in that whole month and a week, I hadn't gotten a call, a letter, nothing from Oncie. It hurt to think about him at all.
"Now, what did you have in mind?" Charice asks.
"You're the professional," I laugh.
"Yes, but Cruella DeVille can go two ways: sexy or plain crazy. Which did you have in mind?"
"Whichever you wanted," I say, shrugging.
"We'll go with sexy," she says, circling around me. I've been doing tons of plays recently. Acting as someone else was a lot better than being myself, since myself was a girl still insanely in love with someone who seemed to have forgotten her. Pretty much anyone, even a crazy puppy killer, was better than her. "Short black and white polka dotted skirt, matching tank top, one black, one white high heel...sound fine?"
"Yep," I say, smiling again. I really don't care, to be honest. They could send me parading around the stage in a toga made of Saran Wrap and I wouldn't say anything.
"Great." She moves around the room to where her desk is. The room is small and bright yellow and pink. Mandy, the owner of the theater, thought since I had been with them for a while and proved to be a talented actress, I could get a professional stylist. Charice was the first volunteer, though admittedly, there had been many. I've become kind of well known in town.
Charice buzzes around me, doing my hair and chattering excitedly, but I'm not listening. My mind is, sadly, on the Once-ler, again. I swear, I heard his name on the radio the other day. I was probably imagining it, but you couldn't help but wonder. And I must be crazy, but I thought I saw a Thneed the other day, just sitting on a chair in the theater. It was probably just a scarf that I looked at weirdly.
I wish I could just see him, or hear his voice. Just some little form of recognition would be great. Anything. A phone call, a letter, just something would be great. I just miss him so much...and he has apparently forgotten I exist.
I don't realize I'm crying until Charice hands me a tissue and says, "Better stop crying before I put your makeup on, honey, otherwise it'll smear and people will be able to tell." I take it from her with a small nod and wipe my eyes. "It's a boy, right?" I look up at her, a question on my face that doesn't need to be said. "I could tell by your expression," she says. I nod slowly. "What happened?"
"Um...i-it's nothing," I say, shrugging. "I'm alright." I stand up. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom, okay?
"Okay," Charice says, nodding with sympathetic brown eyes. I leave her room and look around the hallway. I'm in a beauty school, which is about a ten minute walk away from the theater. The bathroom is right down the hall, so I go to it quickly and dash into a stall, slamming the door and sitting on the toilet, burying my face into my hands and crying. It feels great to cry. I haven't in a while.
"Are...are you alright?" someone asks from just outside the stall door. I sniffle and manage to say, "F-f-fine."
"It doesn't sound like it," she says. I wipe my eyes on my wrists and look at the door. Under it, I see a pair of sandals and the bottoms of a pair of jeans. "Do you want some company?" Her voice is sincere, so I say, "O-okay." She opens the door and I see a pale girl with shoulder length black hair and curious brown eyes.
"You okay?" she asks, looking at me. I nod. "You sure?" I nod again. "What happened?"
"N-nothing," I say, shrugging. "I'm just being a l-little emotional."
"What's wrong?" she asks again. "You know, it's easier to confide in a stranger than it is to someone you know." I blink.
"Good point..." So I tell her everything. About how we grew up together, and how I fell for him, he fell for me, everything. Then I get to the end. "...and he just didn't show up. I haven't heard from him." Her brown eyes are wide.
"Oh, you shouldn't have told me all that...I'm gonna cry." She clears her throat. "I'm...I'm sorry." I shake my head and look down.
"I-I'm f...f-f..." I can't get the rest of the word out before I bury my face into my hands and fight more tears back. She wraps her arms around me and lets me cry. Someone must have walked into the bathroom and seen at one point, because she snapped, "There's nothing wrong with needing to cuddle! Shoo!" That gets a strangled laugh out of me and I look up at her.
"Thank you," I say hoarsely.
"You're welcome," she says back. "I'm Dent."
"I'm Sally."
~!~!~!~
"You should start dating again," Dent says to me, nodding. I look across the room at her.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because you're so boring!" Yo-Yo says, flopping onto the couch beside me. Dent gives her a look.
"Because you're always so sad," she continues. It's been four months since I've met Dent, and in that time period, we bought an apartment with Yo-Yo. They get along, which I find to be somewhat of a miracle, since they're so entirely different.
"You need to forget Perv," Yo-Yo says to me.
"How can I do that when he's everywhere?" I snap at her. Everywhere is exactly where he is. On TV, the radio, newspapers, the Internet. You can hardly walk three steps without hearing something about him. That means in my hometown, about ten miles away, I can't walk three steps without a sympathetic or pitying look. I hate it.
"Forget the Once-ler you had!" Dent says.
"Easier said than done," I say, taking a drink of my tea. "It's hard to forget the guy you spent most every day of your life with."
"True," Dent says, nodding a bit. "But just meet someone better than he was!"
"I'm going to sign you up for a blind dating site," Yo-Yo says, standing.
"Good idea!" Dent says. I roll my eyes. I already know this won't go well.
~!~!~!~
"Hello," I say, smiling slightly as I sit across from a man with blond hair. "You're Ken, right?" He looks up from his menu and smiles a dazzling smile.
"Yes, Ken Barker," he says, shaking my hand. I smile slightly.
"It's great to meet y-"
"I hate the blind dating thing," he says, plowing through my sentence. "My brother signed me up against my own will."
"Oh, I know what you mean," I say. "My best fri-"
"He thought I needed to get out and meet someone," he goes on. "Thinks I need someone in my life when I'm only twenty."
"I'm nin-"
"Twenty seems too young to be worrying about this kind of stuff, but Dan disagrees. He says I need someone, but I really don't think so."
Can this dude let me say three words? "I had s-"
"He didn't listen," Ken says, "when I said I was happy being single. If I wanted to, I could get a girl without this project. I mean, look at me." He laughs, sending his blue eyes dancing and curly hair bouncing. "I'm not the worst thing you could come across."
"That's a-"
"I've had many girlfriends, but none of them were right for me. They all thought I was some prize when really I'm just some guy. A guy that wants a girl that can see me for who I am and not a pretty face."
"I'm sorry th-"
"You know what I mean? Sure you would. You're pretty. Guys probably do that to you all the time."
"Not a-"
"Have you had many boyfriends? I guess you have. You're really pretty, and have a nice figure. I bet guys are all over you all the time."
"I've had o-"
"I'm looking for a girl that's sweet, and pretty, and knows that I'm a regular dude, you know what I mean? I want someone to talk to on a Sunday afternoon. Someone who's just very nice and easy to talk to. You know what I mean?"
"Yeah, I-" Does he ever shut up? I think exasperatedly as he interrupts me again.
"I had one once, one of those girls, I mean, but I lost her to another guy. She was in love with him, so she left me. I miss her sometimes, but she wasn't the one. So I guess-"
"I gotta go," I say, standing up. "It was nice listening to you." I leave quickly, glancing over my shoulder and shaking my head as I get to my car. I knew it was a bad idea.
~!~!~!~
"You're Lyal?" I ask, tapping a man on his shoulder. He turns and looks at me. His glasses are big, and behind them, his eyes are brownish green. He nods. "I'm Sally." I hold my hand out to shake his and he looks at it for a moment before I lower it slowly. "Uh...where are we going?" He points behind him to a restaurant about two hundred feet away from the park we're in. "Oh, okay. Have you ever been there?" He shrugs and I sigh inwardly. First a guy that couldn't stop talking, now one that can't start.
We go to the restaurant and sit down at a small table for two. I'm told I talk a lot, but even I can't keep up a conversation by myself. But I'm gonna try.
"How are you?" I ask. He shrugs. "Have you been blind dating for a long time?" He shakes his head. "Me neither. My best friends signed me up." He nods, his gaze locked on me. "Um...do you like it here?" He shrugs again. I bite my lip. "Um..." The waiter comes to my rescue to get our drink orders. I order a water, and Lyal nods, seeming to want the same. He leaves and I'm left to continue my one-sided conversation.
"Um...do you live around here?" He nods. "Do you like it here?" Is he able to look at anything but me? "Uh..." I bite my bottom lip again. "So, uh...do you like...Batman?" He nods again. I smile. "Awesome! Which is your favorite?" He shrugs and I sigh. Only yes or no questions. "Do you like Doctor Who?" He nods again. "Um...do you like reading?" He shakes his head. "Uh...do you have any hobbies?" He shakes his head again and I sigh. This will be a long date.
~!~!~!~
"That was fun," I lie at the end of my date with Lyal. He nods. "So I'll talk to you some other time." He nods slowly, his gaze trapped on me still. I turn to walk away and I hear him say, "Will you marry me? Please?"
"Goodbye," I say, walking faster.
~!~Oncie's POV~!~
I pull off my gloves and lazily toss them onto the dresser as I walk into my bedroom. The lights instantly turn on as I clap my hands, and I grin. Growing up in a simple house with simple everything, and now living here...it's a dream come true.
"Play messages," I say aloud to the phone on my bedside table, setting my hat down. The computerized female voice says, "Two new messages. First message."
Another, obviously computerized voice, says, "Are you tired of the same old boring setting? Do you wish you could just get away?"
"Nope," I say, hitting the delete button. The female voice says, "Message deleted. Second message."
"Uh, hey, Oncie..."
The voice makes me freeze. Is it...?
"I'm not...not sure why I'm calling, really...I just...I haven't talked to you in...in months...almost a year now, I guess...uh...I just wanted to congratulate you on everything...and uh...just...great job. I'm glad you're where you wanted to be..."
My heart's on the floor right now.
"And...I miss you."
I'm not gonna cry...
"I doubt you'll even get this...but...uh...oh, crap, Yo-Yo's home. Bye!" It clicks and silence. My mind is fuzzy. I hear the lady's voice say, "End of messages." I ignore it and bring my hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose.
"Crap," I mumble. "Just crap..." Sally. How...I don't know how. She escaped my mind. For months..."And I missed her birthday!" I say aloud, realizing I too am nineteen. "Crap..." I pinch harder and groan slightly.
~!~!~!~
"...crap, Yo-Yo's home. Bye!"
What was that, sixth time I've listened to that message? I pretty much have it memorized by now. I know I should call back, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't know what to say, and I know she'll be furious at me.
"Mr. Once-ler, sir," some random lady who I know must work for me says, knocking on my door, "you have a meeting."
"Can I postpone it?" I ask, not moving from my bed.
"If you wish to, yes."
That one sentence makes me realize just how much power I really do have. "Postpone it until further notice," I command. She says, "Yes, sir," and leaves. I sigh and sit up in my bed, pinching the bridge of my nose. I should call, I think. I'm going to call.
I reach over and grab the phone, dialing the number that was left with her message. A ring. Another ring. Another r-
"Dent, Yo-Yo, and Sally residence, how may I be of service?" an unfamiliar voice asks.
"Uh," I begin, and I clear my throat. "Hello. Is Sally there?"
"No, she's on a date, but I can take a message."
A date. "Oh...uh...tell her the Once-ler called?"
"The Once-ler?" she repeats. Someone in the background yells, "PERV!" I roll my eyes. Yo-Yo will never drop that nickname. There's a small scuffle, then Yo-Yo says, "Why the hell are you calling?"
"Hello, Yo-Yo," I say. "It's nice to talk to you, too. What's it been, a year? Yeah, great to hear from you."
"Why the hell are you calling?" she repeats.
"Sally left me a message, and I'm returning her call," I reply. She cusses and says, "Pinwheel!" Then returning to the phone, she says, "Look, Pinwheel is just getting over this. Dent and I signed her up for a dating site, and she's out meeting people. She's happy. She was before you screwed all that up. I swear, if you call one more time, I'll find you and kick you so hard up your ass shit's gonna be coming out of your mouth! So just leave Pinwheel alone!" The line goes dead and I'm left in an echoing silence, the phone still against my ear.
~!~Sally's POV~!~
"I got a normal one," I announce, walking into the apartment, "but apparently his wife found him pretty normal too." Dent and Yo-Yo are standing by the phone, Yo-Yo clutching it tightly. I frown. "What's up?"
"What?" Dent looks at me and smiles. "Nothing. Um..."
"Sexy was being stupid," Yo-Yo says, setting the phone back down on the receiver. "Nothing new." I nod.
"Oh, okay." I set my purse down on the kitchen table and rub my eyes with the heels of my hands. "Gosh, I'm tired. Getting screamed at by an angry, pregnant woman takes all the happy outta ya." I move my hands from my eyes and look at my two best friends. "What's up?" I repeat, the frown back on my face.
"Nothing," Dent says quickly. "Nothing at all." She glances at the clock. "Oh, hey, we're all supposed to go meet Allulah and Lolly for dinner!"
"I still can't believe they're together," Yo-Yo says, shaking her head. "It would be so weird to date your ex-teacher."
"Or ex-student," Dent throws in. "Who do you think it's weirder for?"
"Lolly," Yo-Yo says instantly. "He has to deal with Allulah!" She laughs and hits Dent. I'm staring weakly at the phone. "You okay, Pinwheel?"
"Yeah," I sigh. "Uh...do I have any messages?" They stare at me. "Like...calls?" Dent looks at Yo-Yo and Yo-Yo shakes her head back at Dent before looking at me and saying, "Nope."
"Really?" I ask, my eyes widening. They both nod. "Oh...well, uh...okay..." I grab my purse and walk towards the door with them. I guess he didn't get the message. Or maybe he just chose to ignore it.
~!~!~!~
"Hi," I say, smiling and sitting down across from Mason. "I'm Sally." I hold my hand out and he shakes it.
"Mason," he replies. He smiles and releases my hand. I look around.
"Have you been here before?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"Nope."
"I don't blame you," I say, looking around in mock horror. He laughs.
"Oh I know! So terrible!" he agrees in the same sarcastic tone I put on. We both laugh and smile at each other. Have I finally got a good one? I think hopefully, smiling at the brunette man. He's not stunningly handsome, but I don't want someone like that anyway. He's just cute.
"So what do you want?" he asks, looking at his menu.
"Well..." I pretend to think. "A Ferrari, a unicorn, a personal robot..."
"Don't forget a monkey," he says. "Monkeys are very essential."
"Extremely!" I agree. We grin at each other. "But if I can't have the car, unicorn, robot, or monkey, I'll settle for a hamburger."
"I might have to do the same," he says, nodding and setting down his menu. I smile and lean on the palm of my hand. He suddenly frowns.
"What's that?" he asks.
"My hand?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. "Never seen one before?" He continues to frown.
"No, on your hand..." He points and I move my hand to look at it.
"Oh!" I say, my eyes widening. My promise ring. "That's a ring."
"Duh," he says, rolling his eyes. "I mean, what kind of ring?"
"A p...purity ring," I lie. I put my hand on it. "I got it when I was twelve."
"Oh," he says, relaxing. "I was worried you were married or something."
"No!" I say, laughing. "Of course not! I'm engaged!" We both laugh.
"Then that's just fine!" he says, laughing.
"Think so?" I ask, grinning. "My other boyfriends don't!" We laugh again, but I'm still thinking of my ring.
~!~!~!~
"That was fun!" I say, bouncing on the balls of my feet as Mason and I stand outside the apartment door. He grins.
"I had a great time, too," he says. "Can we do this again sometime?" I smile.
"Yes. Definitely." I nod. "Out of all the blind dates I've had, this is by far the best one."
"Same here," he agrees. "So...I'll call you."
"You better." We smile at each other and he leans down and kisses me. I kiss back, somewhat halfheartedly. Then he smiles again.
"Bye." He leaves and I go into the apartment, sighing and leaning on the door, my eyes on my ring. Maybe I should take it off. I haven't talked to him in nearly a year. Maybe he's forgot about me, his small girlfriend from a small town.
But I haven't forgotten him. As soon as I do, I'll take the ring off. When I'm moved on, I'll take it off.
So here's the A/N I wanted you to read! Okay, so, I want a cover photo for this story badly. And I can't draw worth a crap, my younger sister apparently forgot she promised to draw me one, and my twin, while very talented, is best at chibis, and can you imagine chibi Once-ler? I don't want to try. So, contest? Draw me a cover photo of whatever you imagine it to be, and whichever I like best wins. You get a character in the story if you win! And more thanks than you can possibly imagine! So...please?
PS: Hey, Emma, look! The number of words in this one isn't prefect!