Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

RED: 71. Starlight

71. Starlight (1/13/21)

"I'll be right back," my father told me. He held a cigarette in one hand and was pointing at a shop on the boardwalk with another. "I have to talk to the owner there. Your mother ordered something, and it still hasn't arrived."

I nodded, watching my father walk down the boardwalk to meet with the owner of the flag and trinkets shop. My mother loved buying and ordering items from there; she would return each month to find a new flag for the garden. She hadn't had a problem with ordering items until now.

Once my father was gone, I walked down the boardwalk by myself, my skirt swishing against my legs. I wasn't looking for any shops in particular, but I was looking for someone. He had promised to meet me here, but I had warned him that I would be here with my father. My father didn't like him.

"Rose!" A voice whispered, and I turned and saw Donny hiding in the alleyway. In any other situation, I would've ran off looking for my father, but Donny was holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand and wore a bright smile on his face.

"These are for you," he said, handing the bouquet to me. "They reminded me of you."

The bouquet was a mixture of roses, daisies, and daffodils. I held the bouquet close to my chest, admiring the bright colors and delicate smells radiating off of the flowers.

"I love them," I replied, interlacing my fingers with his. He led me down the boardwalk, whispering about a plan he had devised for the afternoon. I figured my father would be in the shop for a while, so I went along with Donny's plan.

"They just opened up a new dance hall down here," he said, pointing to a large building that was sandwiched between two restaurants. "Wanna go inside?"

I looked over my shoulder to see where my father was. He wasn't walking on the boardwalk, so I assumed he was still inside the flag shop, arguing with the owner. I turned back to look at Donny and nodded.

Inside, the band was playing loud dancing music, and kids our age were swinging and humming along. I set the flowers down with my purse, and Donny led me onto the dance floor. Our bodies were close as we danced and swung to the music. He twirled me in circles, and we danced so much I thought my feet would fall off. After five consecutive songs, I asked if we could sit down and take a break.

Donny tapped his feet to the music, and I kept my flowers and purse close by. A few newcomers were now dancing, but most people were seated at tables nearby. An older couple sat at the table next to us and were talking in loud voices.

"No, the party starts in a half-hour," the man told the woman in a stern voice. "How many times must I tell you?"

"Well, I'm not ready." The woman sounded like she was in distress. "You told me it was at three."

The man sighed. "Fine, we'll go at three. It's always better to be fashionable late anyway."

I hadn't noticed that I was staring at the man and woman. When they finally got up and left the dance hall, I turned back to Donny and asked, "What were they talking about?"

A sly grin formed on his face. "There's this yacht party down at the pier. All these fancy rich people are gonna be there." He paused and shot me a glance. "Do you wanna go?"

My mouth dropped open. "Donny, we're not rich. And we weren't even invited." I didn't mention this to him, but my father was going to start looking for me soon. I could just picture the look on his face when he saw me at a yacht party.

"We'll pretend," he said. "You'll be a duchess, and I'll be a prince. Now come on!"

I didn't have the energy to argue with him; when Donny had an idea, he would go to great lengths to make sure he followed through with his idea or plan. I had no idea how we would pull off being a duchess and a prince. My clothes weren't exactly duchess caliber. I was wearing my sister's white button-up and a long black skirt that cinched at the waist. Donny looked nothing like a prince, in his red and white striped shirt, white undershirt, and blue jeans.

Despite our varying states of dress, the two of us raced down the boardwalk to the pier. It wasn't difficult to identify which boat was the yacht party; it was the loudest and largest boat docked in the pier. To my surprise, there was no one standing in front of the boat, so Donny and I climbed aboard without anyone else noticing.

"This is wild!" I whispered to Donny as the two of us walked inside. The main room on the boat had a dance floor, a large band, and a talented singer performing songs. Rich guests and members of royalty were chatting and drinking alcoholic beverages. My eyes grew wide when I realized I recognized some of the guests. The president's brother was surrounded by a large group of men in suits, and his wife was discussing fashion with a few of the ladies.

"We don't belong here," I told Donny, but he insisted we did. He led me out to the dance floor, where only a few couples were swinging. Donny took me in his arms, and we danced to the music, impressing the other guests.

"Please, tell me who you are," one of the men on the dance floor asked.

Donny looked at me out of the corner of his eye before saying, "I'm Prince Fredrick of Austria, and this is Duchess Rose of France."

"So I get to keep my own name?" I hissed in his ear, wondering how he came up with the ridiculous name "Fredrick."

The man and his wife, who had to be intoxicated, nodded, pretending to recognize our names and statuses. For the rest of the night, the rich guests ignored us as we danced, enjoying the live music and each other's company. As the night drew to a close, everyone walked out to the boat's front deck and watched the fireworks. Donny held me in his arms and leaned down to kiss me as the last firework went off.