As I hit the ground, my numerous books, binders, and papers skittered across the cold tile floor. A trio of girls giggled at the mess I--they--made. The one in the middle, undoubtedly the one who'd tripped me, lead her two followers down to the end of the hallway like they were trained puppies.
You will not cry, I urged myself. Not here. Not now.
And somehow, in the midst of all this mess, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Need some help?"
A voice. A boy's voice.
I looked up slowly. There he was. A tall boy with dark hair was looking down at me expectantly, his outstretched hand reaching toward me.
I placed my palm in his and
the
entire
world
was
different.
As I rose to my feet, all the grays I had grown up with, all of the world I knew, was gone. And I never wanted to go back. This was all just too beautiful.
But the first color I noticed was his eyes. A strange bright shade I had never seen before. A brilliant combination of dark and light.
My eyes widened as I scanned my surroundings, trying to take it all in.
I caught my reflection in a nearby mirror. My hair was a warm, light color. My eyes a cool, pale color. This must be what blue looks like.
Suddenly, I realized that more than a few seconds had passed, and the boy was still looking at me worriedly.
"Don't you see it?" I asked him, my voice filled with wonder.
"Uh..." the boy's eyebrows pushed together as he adorably tilted his head slightly to the side. "See what?"
My heart fell.
I quickly pulled my hand back, and all the beauty in the world melted away. I bent down to pick up the clutter of my books from the floor.
I awkwardly turned back to face him. "Well, thanks for your help, uh...?"
"Oliver," he supplied.
"Right. Oliver." I started to walk away.
"This is the part where you tell me your name."
"Oh, um," I was sure I was blushing furiously. "It's Rhea. Rhea Lancaster."
Before he could say another word, I was off. My head was spinning like a carousel.
What was that, and why did it happen?
And how long until I can see it again?
When I dropped my books off at class, I excused myself to the bathroom.
Where I could cry soft gray tears from my gray eyes down my gray face, splashing down onto the gray tile floor of the gray bathroom in the gray school in the gray world.
Oh, he had the most beautiful eyes.