It's Magic --- PART II - Chapter 16

The story inside the story. (Dance with the Roses) And the great sweetness!

Chapter 16

 

        Unexpected and unforgettable… I can’t believe that my rival for his love is the prettiest for him. I immediately feel bad, and it feels like my tears would fall if I keep on staring at him. So even though they are very noisy making sounds, I just stay silent. I look at Lawrence behind me and I notice that he’s been looking at me. He looks the other way and I do the same.

        Everything is pure fun, I think. But the dare should be done wholeheartedly and honestly.

        I see Mylene blushing there and it’s like I can read her mind as if she’s thinking happy thoughts about Kevin.

        Kevin spins the bottle again, and it points to me.

        I can’t take being questioned by him so I stand up and just say, “Excuse me…”

        Then I run outside, to the darkness of the meadow which is the “Autumn Forest,” as its name speaks for itself.

        I stay there for about an hour, crying silently, and when I return to the cottage, I silently and stealthily walk through the door and Lawrence, holding a glass of water greets me.

        “Hey, where have you been? Everybody’s already asleep anyway.” He asks.

        “Just outside. I just need some fresh air.” I say, “And to clear my thoughts as well.”

        “Oh, I see. But your thoughts, I guess those were all about Kevin and Mylene.” I’m surprised, but I don’t show my reaction. But how did he know anyway?

        “No.” I quickly deny.

        “Don’t be denial. It’s so obvious, and you proved it when you walked out.”

        “Huh?” I get his point. But I have to act as if I don’t know what he’s saying. “Kate, I know you…” he says. Okay, fine! I can’t deny anymore.

        I blow from inside my mouth, which is more like a sigh. “Okay, fine.” I say.

        “I know that Kevin’s special to you…” he says with edge in his voice. “And you like him, don’t you?”

        “I think I love him.” It’s all that comes from my mouth. And he’s silenced for a while. And I realized that I shouldn’t have said more.

        After a while of silence, he says, “Okay. You do. But please remember that in case he breaks your heart, there is someone who will be damaged beyond repair.”

        “Huh?” I ask him. I really don’t get his point. Does he mean something by that?

        “Never mind… Good night anyway.” he says and then hastily turns his back to me.

        I can do nothing as well, so I just nod, and go to my bed to have a good night’s sleep.

 

        I wake up early the next morning with a kinda broken heart, so I ignore Kevin and others as well for certain times.

        I have nothing much to do this morning since the shoot will continue at late morning, so I decide to go biking alone, for fresh air. I jog from the cottage to the biking station and rent a bike then I’m off biking on a large area.

        But remembering the view of Kevin kissing Mylene’s cheek last night sends a tear rushing from my eye, and something’s painful in my chest.

        I wipe it off with my palm and then continue biking, thinking of other things which would lighten my mood up. And that’s about Ron and me as children in the park, playing happily and innocently as if we are the only persons existing in the world.

        But he’s gone, and he’s never coming back. Yet, I still want him back in my life.

        I drive with one hand as my other hand goes and holds the pendant. I smile upon seeing that, and I return it behind my clothes again.

        It takes a while when I notice Kevin also biking beside me, and he’s with a bright smile. Well, seeing him… is painful, so I advance ahead, biking faster, leaving him behind ignored.

        “Hey, Kate!” he calls from behind me, but I just ignore him and bike faster.

        He keeps on calling and calling me, and I just ignore him again and again, not even looking back, as if I don’t hear him. But not until I hear the sound of a crash…

        I look back, stopping as well, and there he is �" on the grassy ground, trying to stand up with a gash on his arm. I go to him, and then I help him up, but he doesn’t let me. He’s already up, eyes and face red, and I know that he cries. And seeing him like that hurts me in a way.

        “K-Kevin…” I gasp. “I’m sorry.”

        But he’s silent. He rides back on his bike silently, and as he dozes off the direction from where we came, he whispers, “I shouldn’t have caught up…” and it hurts me again.

        I ride my bike again and go to the nearby tree and then there I cry.

        I just can’t understand myself!

 

        We continue the shoot at nine-thirty in the morning, and something’s unusual since Kevin’s not around. He’s not with the other animator agents observing, and I don’t do well, because I’m guilty of what happened to him.

        “What the heck is with you, Miss McGraw?!” The director yells. “It’s almost noon and we still can’t get through that scene!”

        Yes, he has a point, because we’re into the sixteenth take of the said scene, yet I can’t even satisfy the director, since as I’ve said, I don’t do well.

        I am just silent, but deep inside, madness takes over me.

        “I’m sorry, director. I’ll do better this time,” I say.

        “Don’t disappoint me, Miss McGraw. We still have two scenes to take with you today.”

        “Okay.” I say. “Take seventeen please.”

        And it continues, the scene is pretty going with my mood now that I’m mad, because this is the scene where I will slap both Mylene and Hannah on the faces.

        By the way, the film’s title is “Dance With The Roses.”

        Let me discuss this with you.

        “Dance With The Roses” revolves around the lives of two stepsisters, Marie (played by Hannah), and Diana (played by me), which is more like a rivalry story.

        Diana is the older while Marie is the younger. Diana is once a sweet, caring and understanding and she was the only child from the first family which was greatly destroyed when her mother and father had a big fight. Because of that, she committed suicide which turned Diana’s life down, as she also realized that she had a sister, Marie �" which is what her mother and father fought about. The second family adopted her, as her father remarried. This is when Diana pessimistically notices her father being unfair, but later he dies of an accident.

        Marie grows to be a pretty, young, caring and loving daughter while Diana grows to be an ideal contravida �" destructive with words, bitter to the world, and will do anything just to get what she wants. �" and the reason is because of her destroyed family and that she fell to the hands of the “wrong” persons, there is no place for her in the world that’s why she chose to antagonize everyone especially Marie and her sickly foster mother (played by a French woman I don’t know), despite the care they give her.

        Marie and Diana’s rivalry grows worse when they both meet Luke (played by Travis). Marie and Luke starts in a cat-dog way while Diana and him starts in a “Damsel in Distress” way in which Diana was almost hit by the bus when Luke saved her. Automatically, she falls in love with him and names him “My Savior.” But sensing that Marie and Luke are already starting something special, she becomes bitter and that her antagonistic ways become worse.

        Diana befriends Tyrone (Lawrence’s character) which is her complete opposite, which has very inexplicably high patience, very understanding, and romantic, which is Gertrude’s (Mylene’s character) brother. Gertrude, Marie’s bestfriend, always does catfights with Diana.

        Marie and Luke just find themselves in love with each other and both decide to confess to each other in their school’s Christmas Party. Diana, that time, is still madly in love with Luke so when she learns of Marie’s plan, she does everything to lead Marie away from Luke like secretly purposely engaging Marie with gangsters so she would be raped or done violence with.

        But Marie is saved by Gertrude and Luke, and confessions were delayed until the Prom.

        Still, Diana tries to secretly sabotage Marie with the gangsters with her previous plan yet her plan backfired as the gangsters attempted to do her violence instead because of her failure to pay them. But Tyrone is there to save her with his mates in Martial Arts, Sheryl (Elizabeth’s character) and Jake (Gabriel’s character).

        She cried in his shoulders and reveals to them everything.

        Meanwhile, Marie and Luke are already confessing with each other and Diana and Tyrone comes to the prom late. The view of Marie and Luke dancing with roses in hands happily as Luke whispers something in Marie’s ears are too painful to see for Diana so she walks out crying and Tyrone follows. Tyrone confesses to Diana and asks her to give him a chance �" she is silent.

        Meanwhile, Marie, Luke and Gertrude follow them and confront Diana after learning of Diana’s sabotage plan with Marie from Sheryl and Jake.

        Marie is very mad, and so is Diana. They have a great fight as women, and Gertrude tries to stop them, and Luke and Tyrone also fight, Tyrone blaming Luke because Luke has been so selfish, not returning Diana’s feelings even just in a way. Sheryl and Jake arrive in the scene trying to stop both sides, and Diana falls to the ground, beaten. Tyrone goes to her and keeps telling her to “give it up,” and that he loves her so much.

        They all go home wasted, and Diana and Marie are in separate rooms crying alone until they sleep into the night.

        The next morning, the last will and testament of their father arrives, stating that fifty percent will be left for the Diana, and the remaining fifty percent for Marie and her sickly mother. And Diana realizes that her father was never unfair to them from the start.

        Both sides got two million each, and Marie decides to use it for her mother’s recovery, for her college life, and to start a flower shop as business.

        But Diana’s plan is to go away in USA and then “find herself.”

        She prepares to leave and readily thanks Marie and her mother for the sixteen years of care, love, understanding and their goodness to her despite their status and then she asked for their sorry, stating that they may not forgive them yet, but she’s willing to wait.

        She then pays Luke a visit, and that she asks for forgiveness, thanks him for saving her, and then states how much she was so in love him from the start, though it was much of an infatuation.

        And she lastly visits Tyrone, asks him forgiveness for being mean and rude to him since the start, and that thanking him for loving her. Tyrone asks for “one last dance with the roses,” and she readily agrees. Then Tyrone hugs her so tight for so long, keeps on telling her how much he loves her, and that she should take care when she’s away.

        She leaves Paris teary-eyed, alone yet “fulfilled.”

        Eight years later, Marie and Luke are to be married, and Diana comes back as another person �" a new Diana, who is more like the first Diana �" though not much.

        She surprises everyone in her comeback, especially Tyrone, as it was unexpected and then she reconciles with Gertrude, stating that their catfights are not yet over, though in a playful way. And everyone forgives her.

        She learns that Tyrone never had a girlfriend, and then he still loves her.

        She states that everything has changed, which discouraged Tyrone, but comes up with “like my feelings for you…”

        She states that she realized many things when she was away, and one of those is the fact that she loves Tyrone, and her feelings for Luke were pure infatuation.

        The wedding happily ended, and when Marie throws the bouquet of flowers, Diana surprisingly catches it with Tyrone beside her, and the story ends.

 

        Have you noticed that my character seems to be the main character here? Simple, because I’ve been giving my character the emphasis… Well, what I have to do is just enact my lines and everything will be fine. It doesn’t matter for me who is the main character, as long as the story is beautiful.

 

        The shooting ends at almost one in the afternoon, and we have our lunch break late, altogether. But all were enough for a day. The shoots are all successfully done, and the director even says, “Good Job!” right after. How moody…

        While eating lunch, I can’t help myself but flash Kevin glances since he’s not so far from me in the long table. He’s so silent since after the crash this morning, and he hides the gash under his sleeve. He’s not even looking at me, which is worse. But when I look at Lawrence and Mylene, I sense him looking at me as well. But when I look back at him, he looks the other way. Bittersweet, that’s our case.

        The afternoon goes not pretty good for me, since Kevin doesn’t make any sound whenever I’m around, and I try my best to avoid him, but I just can’t �" not with other people trying to join us together around.

        Evening comes, and I can’t take ignoring and being ignored by Kevin anymore, but I can’t back down my pride. It will make me look desperate.

        Almost everybody is asleep now, and I’m alone by the door of the cottage, looking ahead into the darkness of “Autumn Forest,” thinking of Kevin kissing Mylene’s cheek; me and Kevin ignoring each other the whole day; and thinking about the times when we are like brother and sister �" which is more like being lovers. A tear falls from my cheek, but I wipe it off quickly.

        The cool evening breeze blows gently against my face, and then I notice someone’s warmth behind me. My heart beats fast like the hoofs of a horse. And I know who he is.

        His chin makes its way against my left shoulder as he leans from behind and I can feel his hair brushing on my face. His arms then wrap on my waist, as if telling me not to let go, and then he squeezes me gently as his warmth is against my coldness. I can infer that he’s been glancing delayingly to his side which is me. It’s like hugging me from behind. And I feel his heartbeat which is unusual. Is he tensed like me? Why is the beat of his heart like mine?

        “How long do you plan on ignoring me, Kate?” he asks with a soft voice.

        “You’re the one ignoring me, Kevin.” I say back. He squeezes me again. He’s persistent.

        “Okay, fine. But how long will we keep on being so close yet so far?” He asks again.

        “I don’t know. Well, to tell you, I can’t take it anymore, you know…” I say with a cracked voice. “I feel really guilty because of what happened to you this morning.”

        “Well, I’d just like to ask you what’s wrong but you keep on ignoring me as if I don’t exist. I feel bad, you know.” He says. “Is that because of last night?”

        And I’m surprised a bit, and I think of last night �" him kissing Mylene’s cheek. “Kevin…”

        “You can tell me, Kate.” He says.

        “Well, kind of…” I say.

        “Well, I told you not to be insecure of Mylene, because you’re far better than her, okay?” he says which makes my heart beat fast. And his hand reaches for one of mine, locking our fingers together though not breaking the way his arms wrap around my waist, his chin burying more above my shoulder, “and that I’m all yours.”

        I am just silent, and I lean my head sideways against his for the comfort of both of us.

        “Let me tell you this anyway, it’s true that you’re not the prettiest for me, Kate.” Hearing this merely feels like an insult, but he counters with “…because you’re the most beautiful girl for me.” And the tears rush down my eyes of happiness.

        “You are the most handsome boy for me, Kevin.” I say back, after quite a while.

        “Am I?” He asks in a childish way. “You are.” I confirm.

        I turn and the way his arms wrap around me breaks as I face him. I hug him then, for so long. And he wraps his arms around my back without hesitation as he buries his face on my shoulder and lets his hair brush my face.

        And as I open my eyes right before we let go of each other, I see Lawrence ahead, behind Kevin. His head tilts downwards as he turns his back and leaves. Just what’s wrong?

        But Kevin takes me back to my senses as we break from the warm hug by holding both my hands with both of his.

        “Good night, Kate.” He says sweetly as he smiles, his sleepy-looking eyes emphasizing his beauty. “Sweet dreams, sleep tight.”

        “Same to you, Kevin. Good night.” I response, “Sweet dreams and sleep tight.”

        His hands then squeeze mine as he lets his fingers fill the spaces between mine before he lets go and we go the opposite ways.

        “Oh, by the way, Kate?” He calls me and we’re quite a distance away from each other.

        “Yeah, Kevin?”

        “Isn’t there any good night kiss?” He asks and I laugh a little in amusement and shock.

        “I’m joking.” He quickly counters and laughs as well. “Good night again!”