White Roses

Chapter One: Normalcy

“If you’re not busy tonight, Matty, how about you take some sexy photos of me?” He laughed as he ran a hand through his thick red hair before heading off to the shop room. 

“No amount of photoshop would ever make him look sexy.” I said, exasperated. I then remembered something as I grabbed the hammer from where Eric put it to get started on platform. “So, is there any way for you to get me a tattoo without my dad knowing?” 

“Nope,” Eric shook his head, “why do you want a tattoo anyway?” 

“To give people a real reason to look,” I explained. I could see a big green or red dragon on my right arm. It’d looked so tough and maybe scare away a few problems.  

“I don’t get why your dad would be so uptight about you getting tattoos on your right arm.” 

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s just a Korean thing.” 

“Or a parent thing,” Eric said. “I still don’t see why he likes setting you up on dates.”  

“Umm…well, he’s just worried.” 

“But technically, you’re not even his kid, right?” 

I nodded. “He’s only my stepdad, but it’s not like my real dad cares.” We flipped the platform over to attach the wheels to it. “I think we’re going to need screw guns. I’ll get’em.” I got up and pushed away the red curtain to find the screw guns in a box by one of the actors. I went to go get them when I stopped to stare at Cooper. 

“What are you talking about inspector? This theory of yours makes no sense!” He read the thick script, saying each line as smooth as silk. Dark chestnut brown hair in messy random spikes and honey colored eyes. Broad shoulders that I have imagined resting my head on more than once and tall muscular legs that came from all the basketball he played in the winter. Today, with his glasses, he looked almost scholarly. He did swift hand motions as he talked.  

I heard someone walk behind me. “What happened to the ‘no gawking at the actors’?” Eric asked with his arms folded over his chest and a smile on his lips. 

I blushed. “Don’t do that! You scared me.” I scolded him as I followed him behind the red curtain. I quickly changed the subject, “Taylor was complaining about some girl texting you a lot.” 

“There’s nothing to worry about.” He said before screwing in a wheel to a corner of the platform. “She really needs to get over her jealously.” 

You’re the first guy she slept with. Can’t say I blame her. I thought irritated, but I didn’t say that. “Well, you’re not supposed to be a total flirt when you’re dating.” 

He smiled. “You think I’m a flirt?” 

“That’s not a compliment.” 

“Now don’t give me your miss terminator look.” 

I glared at him. “I was not.” I narrowed my eyes and made a deeper frown. “Now I’m giving you that look.” 

“Taylor and I are going on a date tonight so will you trust me?”

I thought about telling him no.  “Sure, but you better treat her like a princess.”

“Would you be happy if I sang her favorite song to her when I picked her up?” He asked me. 

I looked at Eric as I sat down to analyze the wheels. It’s not something you want to screw up when working on set with Mr. Whiteman as a director. “You may be black, but I’ve heard you rap and I know that you wouldn’t want Taylor to dump you.”

“I can so get your ass in the principle’s office for that joke, you know right?” he said. 

Zack came bouncing up to us. “Well we all know Ms. Davidson has it out for Matty here. All because you had to spill your coffee on her fancy blouse on the first day,” he tsk-ed at me. 

Eric ignored him. “I’m talking about that “Breathe” song by Carissa and Eloy, so I wouldn’t have to rap.” 

Zack and I both laughed. 

“Dude,” he began. 

“-are so screwed!” I laughed. “Eloy is hot. That is the only reason she’s even listening to them.”

“You listen to them,” Eric pointed out.  

 I grinned. “The songs are sexy,” I explained before I sang, “Breathe me, kiss me, and never let me go. Hold me so I won’t drown anymore, but the moment you let go I’ll keep fallin’…fallin’…fallin’…” 

Zack clamped his hands over his ears. “Stop! My ears!” 

“I want to see you do it better.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll get the paint from the storage room.” I told them before walking behind the second black curtain. I pulled it back to find a black heavy door. I pushed it open to reveal a pale large room where furniture stacked high along the walls with wood, tools, and paint brushes everywhere. A large window let in a cold grey light. The paint cans sat on the wooden table in the middle of the room. I grabbed the white one.    

“What a wee girl you are,” a voice echoed. 

I stopped walking for a moment. I didn’t waste the energy to turn my head to glare at the owner of the voice. “What are you? A goblin? Fey? Seelie or Unseelie Court?”

“Just here to fix me boredom,” he said or at least I thought it was a he. Gender wasn’t exactly easy to see when it came to faeries. I was tempted to laugh at how cheesy his accent sounded, but I had to be strong and scary.  

“Just don’t bother me or hurt anyone.” I pulled out an iron knife from my pocket and carefully played with it. 

I saw him reveal himself, a green pixie. He sat on a sofa that had been piled on another sofa. It looked young and harmless, but I still didn’t talk to him. He looked like a solitary faerie.

“Get lost then,” I warned before walking out of the storage room.