Violet
"Violet!"
I grin at all the children that surround me with beaming smiles that are almost falling off their faces. They wrap their small arms around me and start squealing in delight over my arrival.
"Hi, everyone!" I look down at them all, trying to break free from their tight grasp. "Hey, Max, Lisa, Katie, Timmy. Ruben, you look so much better!"
"Welcome back, Violet." Karen smiles at me as she passes, holding Lily by the hand. "We've all certainly missed you."
"I'm sorry it's been so long," I apologise. I usually don't go too far between the times I visit the Child Cancer Foundation, but lately I've just been so caught up with school that I didn't even have time. But, it's still no excuse. I promised these kids that I'd always come to see them, and I have been doing so ever since I first started at Westlake. Volunteering here wasn't really part of my plan, but I came in here once for a project for school, and I bonded so much with the kids that I had to come back. Plus, this foundation needs all the help they can get. So, frequently, I stop in and hang out with the kids. It takes their minds off of things for a while. Mine, too.
"Hi, Violet." A sudden small voice appears from below me.
I look down to see Willow, her big brown eyes shining back at me. I know you're not meant to have favourites, but Willow kind of is mine. She's the most prettiest thing I've ever seen, and at only aged 4, she's very quiet and shy. I've had many of the staff here tell me that Willow absolutely loves me, and the thought of me being this girl's idol, well, it kind of makes me all warm inside.
"Hey, Willow!" I bend down and grab her outstretched hand and feel her fingers wrap tightly around mine. I ignore the bruises all along her arm. "What do you wanna do today?"
"Paints." She smiles and I see all but one tooth.
"Paints? Let's go." I pick her up and walk her towards the 'Arts and Crafts' table and sit her down. I hand her a piece of paper and make sure she can reach the variety of different paint colours.
"Alright," I say as I sit down beside her. "What do you wanna paint?"
She hesitates for a bit. "Flower."
"Good choice. What colour?"
"Violet." She looks at me and smiles.
I can't help but smile back before handing her the purple paint and a brush. She dips the brush into the pot of paint and starts sweeping it across the page. She has such a natural talent for painting. I know she could do so well in the future.
"Hey, Violet. Where've you been?" One of the older kids, Levi, sits down beside me.
I smile at his new bandanna. It's bright green today with soccer balls dotted along it. Levi's always been so mad about soccer. I took him to watch Liam play once and he's never let me forget that that was the best day of his life. That was during the early stages of his illness, though. I can't take him out now, he's much too sick.
"Sorry, Levi. I've been a bit busy at school."
Levi grabs a piece of paper and a pencil and starts drawing. His shoulders shrug. "Nah, that's cool. How is school going?"
My smile falters a bit. Levi hasn't been to school in so long, and even though that sounds like an absolute dream, to him it isn't. I know he'd give absolutely everything to be a normal student and be able to play soccer for his school team. Of course they teach the kids here, but it's not the same. Everyone knows that.
"I'm taking Chemistry this year," I tell him. I always try and tell Levi everything I can about what I do in my life. It makes him feel like he's living it, too. "And we've just started this new project. It's a big one. You'd be good at it. It lasts for the rest of the year."
Levi looks up, his eyes full. "Yeah? That sounds so cool. I like Chemistry."
I smile. "I know."
"So are you doing it alone? Because if you are, I could help you. Yeah, I'd be really good at that. You could just come around here and we'll work on it together!"
"Thanks, Levi, but I have a partner."
His eyes fall. "Oh."
"But tell you what. Maybe we can do our own project?"
He laughs. "You're great, Violet."
"Violet?"
I shoot my head towards Willow, who's holding up her drawing of a purple flower. "It's you."
"That's cool, Willow," Levi says.
"Can I keep it?" I ask.
She nods her head and smiles, handing it to me.
"I'm going to cherish it forever," I tell her. "And when forever's over, I'll cherish it some more."
She giggles. "Okay."
"Levi! Your mum's here!"
Levi stands up. "See you later, Violet."
I wave as he runs out of the room. I turn back to Willow, who's back to drawing something else. There's a large bandage on her hand and it keeps getting in the way of what she's doing.
"How about you draw a giraffe?" I tell her. "I know those are your favourite." I smile as I remember all her giraffe toys in her room. She's crazy about them.
"Like Spotty?" She asks, referring to her most loved giraffe toy.
"Yeah, like him."
"Okay."
"I'm gonna leave you here, okay? Go play with the other kids."
"Okay."
I stand up and walk towards the group of kids playing with building blocks on the floor. Some, I notice, I haven't seen before. "Hey, guys!"
"Hi, Violet," a few kids chorus. The newer ones just look at me.
"I'm Violet," I tell them.
They just nod and carry on with what they were doing.
"It's my birthday soon," Ruben grins. "Mummy said she's gonna get me a fire truck. A real one."
"A real one?" I gasp.
"Yeah! And it's gonna have a hose and a ladder and everything. And then I'm gonna save the world!" He throws his hands up in the air and roars dramatically.
I laugh at the over excited eight year old. It's good to have Ruben back in his usual shape. For a few weeks previously he had been going through treatments, and couldn't leave his bed. But he's lucky; he's getting better.
"You'll be a great fire fighter," I tell him.
"Yeah!" He cries, before running around the room manically.
"Violet, I finished Spotty." I look up to see Willow by my side again. She looks around at the other kids shyly. She's never been good around them. They're too loud.
I slide her onto my lap and study the drawing. "Wow, that is cool. Are you gonna put it in your room?"
"I dunno."
"Yeah, go on. I'll buy you a frame and you can sign it. Just like artist's do." I run my hand through her limp hair, feeling the patches where there's none at all.
She leans back onto me. I can tell she's tired. I look up at the clock and realise I should probably get going. "Are your tired, Willow?"
She nods.
I stand up, holding her delicately in my arms. "Okay. Let's put you to bed." I walk to her hospital room and slip her under her pink duvet cover. I spy Spotty on her bedside table and place it in her arms. "I'll see you next time, okay?"
She nods. "Okay."
"Bye, Willow."
"Bye, Violet. I love you."
"I love you, too. Now get some sleep."
"Have you got your picture?"
I pat my pocket. "Right here. Thanks for that."
"Okay."
"Okay, bye."
She yawns and gives a small wave before falling asleep, Spotty nestled safely in her arms.
As I exit the hall, I run into Karen. "Hey, uh, I'm leaving. I gotta get back."
"Oh, thank you so much for coming. The kids really enjoy your company. Especially Willow." She smiles.
"They're good kids," I tell her. "I'll be back soon. Make sure they all know that!" I cry as I walk to the door. "Bye!"
I exit the hospital and walk to the bus stop, heading back to school.
------
As I'm walking back to school, I take the back way. It's much quicker. But as I'm walking through the trees, towards the shed, I realise someone's there. Which is very odd, because no one hangs out behind the shed. I don't even think anyone knows this is apart of the school. I stumble through the trees and come out into the clearing and see no other than Zayn.
I halt as I see what's dangling out of his mouth. He smokes? How filthy! And what the hell is he doing here anyway? His expression most surely matches my own.
He looks me up and down. "Well, whaddya know? Violet Smith is sneaking out." He smirks as he blows out smoke from the side of his mouth.
I fold my arms across my chest. "I was not sneaking out. It's a Saturday, and we're allowed to go out on Saturdays."
"So where'd you go?"
"I'm not telling you."
He smirks again.
"Why are you even here? Aren't you supposed to be suspended?"
He just shrugs.
"I can't believe you smoke," I say. "Don't you know the effects?"
"Sure do." He takes another drag.
"You're going to get lung cancer."
"So they keep telling me." Another drag.
"You're going to kill yourself!"
Another drag and a look in my direction.
"Alright, fine. If you want to die young, then be my guest. But I'm certainly not joining you." I cover my nose as I walk past him.
"Don't forget we're studying tomorrow!" He yells after me.
"Don't remind me!" I yell back.
"Bring your glitter pens and smelly felts!"
I turn around and flip him off, glaring as he throws his head back in laughter. I run to my dorm.
--------
"You're late," I say as Zayn sits down across from me at the table in the library. It took a lot of courage to suggest Zayn and I study in the library, mostly because this is my special spot, and call me selfish, but I didn't really want to share it.
Zayn rests his feet up on the table. "Yeah. It took me, like, two hours to even find the place. Where even are we?"
I sigh as I open up a book. "The library?"
"The who?"
"You know the place that holds hundreds of books?"
"I'm just shitting you. Of course I know what the library is. What I wanna know is why this place is so deserted. You scare them off, Princess?"
I ignore his last comment. "No one ever comes here. They stopped coming when the school added in study rooms."
"So why's it still here?"
"For people like me who still use it." I stand up to select another book.
Zayn snorts. "No way. You actually come here?"
"All the time."
"You are such a dork."
"At least my hang out isn't a concrete pad behind an old shed," I fight back.
Zayn digs into his pockets. "You want me to smoke in here? 'Cause I will."
"Don't you dare."
He just shakes his head and laughs. I sit back down at the table.
"Alright, so what are we doing?" He taps his fingers on the table.
I look up at him. "Studying?"
"Studying for what?"
"Oh, my god. It's like talking to a brick wall. For our project, you idiot!"
He holds up his hands in defence. "Hey. Uncalled for." He looks around. "How are we meant to study Alfred Whatshisface here? There's no computers."
"This may shock you, but there was actually a time before computers. And during that time, people read books."
Zayn pulls a disgusted look. "That doesn't sound like a time I wanna be in." He pulls out his headphones and slips them on. "Tell you what. You read, and study or whatever, and I'll just listen to my music. Deal?"
"What? No deal. You said you were going to work on this project and-"
I'm cut off by his blaring loud music that's heard through his headphones. He ignores me.
"Zayn."
He still ignores me.
"Zayn."
The music goes louder.
"Zayn. Oh, freakin' hell. I'll do this by myself then." I go back to reading, but I only last a few minutes. "Can you please turn that down? It's very distracting."
Zayn looks at me. "No."
I put down my pen and sigh. "Zayn, please. I don't know what you're listening to but-"
Zayn holds out one of his headphones towards me, and I study it with a puzzled look. "Come listen," he says.
"I ... what?"
"You said you didn't know what I was listening to, so I'll show you. Come listen."
"You're ridiculous."
He just looks at me, completely serious.
I chew on my lip, thinking it over, before putting my hands on the desk and standing myself up. "You know what? I will. But just because I want to know what god awful music you listen to."
"Trust me, it's much better than country," he says.
I sit down next to him and take the headphone before holding it towards my ear. Nothing's playing. I frown. "Oh, you're a dick." I'm about to rip myself away when Zayn stops me.
"Hey, calm down. I just had it paused, alright?" He laughs and shakes his head. "Okay. This is Nirvana," he tells me.
I squint. "Who?"
"Just listen."
A song starts playing and I hear a low guitar beat before some steady drums. I focus entirely as the lyrics start. It's different to what I thought it'd be, and I actually kind of ... like it.
"What's this called?" I ask Zayn.
"Come As You Are," he replies. "It's my favourite."
I listen more, nodding my head along to the beat. I feel like dancing to it, and singing. It's incredible. It's then that I realise just how close to Zayn I am. The headphones can only stretch so far, and I'm about as pressed up to Zayn as I can be. I look up slowly at him and find that he's already looking down at me. My hand's still over the headphone, the music still playing, but it's simply just background noise now. Zayn's eyes bore into mine and for a minute there, I'm lost. And all I care about is Zayn, and the music in the background. But then I snap back into reality and pull away so fast that I drop the headphone, and Zayn's too. I scramble up out of my chair and rush to collect my things.
"Er, okay. Good study sesh. I should get going."
"Violet, wait up-"
"Nice song. Not really my style. Keep it down next time." I hold all my books in my arms and walk towards the door. "Uh, see you later. Or not. Bye."
I shut the door behind me and make it halfway down the hall before I lean against the wall and try and regain my breath. What the hell just happened in there? It almost seems like I was attracted to Zayn, but that's ridiculous. He's totally not my type. But I can't get the way he looked at me, with his body so close, out of my mind. And that song keeps replaying in my head. I close my eyes to try and block it all out, when I hear the soft noise of a piano enter. At first I'm confused, but when I open my eyes I realise the piano is actually playing. Not just in my head.
I walk towards the noise and enter the music room. Chucking all my stuff down, I walk around the corner and see someone sitting at the grand piano, playing it swiftly with their fingers. And upon closer look, I realise it's Liam.
"Liam?" I gasp.
He jumps about a metre into the air and spins around immediately, his wide eyes closing with relief as he realises it's me. "Shit, Vi. You scared me."
I walk towards him, still in shock. "Why didn't you tell me you played piano?" I've always known Liam's secrets and talents. Why did he keep this one?
He shakes his head sheepishly. "I don't. Not really. I kind of just started, as a hobby."
"Liam, you're incredible," I say. "More than that!"
He laughs humbly. "No way. But thanks."
"How long have you been playing?" I lean against the top of the piano.
"Not long," he replies. "I signed up for lessons only last semester."
I hit him across the arm. "Why didn't you tell me?" I'm mad, but my lips still curl up in a smile.
He smiles back, rubbing his arm like a child. "It wasn't important!" He cries. "I haven't told anyone. Not even Brittany."
I smile a little as I now know something about Liam Brittany doesn't. It's the way it should be. "Play something for me," I tell him.
"What?"
"What you were playing before. It was nice."
He looks at the music sheet in front of him and smiles. "Okay, sure." He starts playing again and I'm so glad that his music clears away Zayn's.
"What's this called?"
"Uh," Liam clears his throat. "It's called Violet."
My ears perk up. Surely I just misheard that. "It's what?"
Liam laughs awkwardly. "I was just, uh, flicking through the music sheets and came across this one. It's, uh, really nice. Don't you think?"
I have to hold back my huge, beaming smile. He chose the song with my name! Mine! And he thinks it's nice! The song with my name! "Well, duh. It's named after me." I laugh.
Liam laughs again, then he looks down. "I'm allowed in here every Sunday afternoon. You should come sometimes."
"Yeah, sure. That sounds great. I'll be there."
He smiles, and I think I see him blush a bit. "Cool."
"You know, Liam. You're going to have to stop being so good at everything," I say with a smile.
He laughs. "You know, I think you're right."
I let out a loud laugh. "You're so cocky!"
"I am not!"
"Hey, is that the shirt I got you last Christmas?" I eye the blue tee he's wearing that perfectly outlines his muscles. There was a reason I bought that shirt.
He looks down. "Yeah. I love it, thanks."
"You're most welcome."
He stands up. "I'm hungry. Wanna get something to eat?"
"Sure." We both walk to the door and he helps me carry all my books.
We walk in silence for a bit, until I speak up. "Hey, Liam?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you heard of Nirvana?" I ask.
"What, that rock band where the singer killed himself? Sure."
"Do you like them?"
He snorts in disgust. "God, no! They're horrible. You know I hate that kind of music. There's that one song, what's it called? Come ... as a friend ... enemy-"
"Come As You Are," I say.
"Yeah, that's the one. God awful. My old roommate used to play it all the time. It drove me mad."
I look down at the ground. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Why do you ask?"
We enter the cafeteria and I help myself to a piece of cake. I give him a forced smile as I bit the inside of my lip. "Never mind."