Dani pov
All people fit into a category. Whether they want to or not. Some people are kind, some people are fearless, some people are overthinkers, some people are passionate, but everyone is always a tiny bit broken, each with their own story. Everyone we meet leaves a mark, the marks where your stories crossed and they left footprints along the way. Though some marks are bigger and deeper than others. For better or for worse, with me, it was always for worse. Because let's just say the people I met weren't always the nicest.
There's the Brave ones, the earthlings. Their aesthetic is gum, telling old stories, loud music, parties, flirting, strong punch, confident, straight backs, sporting events, friendly banter, gentle teasing, stands up for the little guy, wide smiles, messy notes, competitive, neon signs, leather jackets, tight dresses, sarcasm, straight forward, simple, rooftops, making friends, fearless, leaders, usually forgiving.
The smart ones, the moon dwellers. Their aesthetic is overthinking, loud laugh, rainy days, close friends, mint tea, handwritten love letters, dreamy eyes, fairy lights, oversized sweaters, lanterns, overachiever, always made beds, eerie light, always early, trying their best, nature, firelight, roses, summer nights, covered in paint, up till midnight, rosy cheeks, long-distance relationship.
The kind ones, the sunny ones. Their aesthetic is glowing skin, family, wishing wells, cameras, animal lover, road trips, bubbly personalty, inside jokes, perfume, sings in the shower, dream catchers, happy, to many smiles, silver rings, sleep-ins, radiant smiles, the mom friend, sunsets, freckles, thick eyebrows, powerful presence, is going to change the world, graceful movements, peaceful beings.
The funny ones, the starry ones. Their aesthetic is speaking eyes, pizza, busy weekends, starry skies, messy hair, bright smile, messy houses, emotional, truthful, cute smiles, goofing about, impromptu roleplay, overused smile lines, dramatic, totally crazy, slurred speech, messing with you, comfy blankets, positive, bus rides, old bookshelves, getting drunk, living in the woods/ countryside, too much texting, truth or dare, promises.
The angry ones, the thunder ones. Their aesthetic is strong opinions, yelling, art, rock music, strong, concerts, festivals, fighting to the death, culture, broken families, rivals, enemies, few friends, loves the smell of rain, deathly sparkle in their eyes, fighting, hunting, fearless, stands up for what they believe in, warriors.
And then there's me. My aesthetic is quiet places, raspberries, mint tea, rain, old books, midnight walks, staying up all night, face masks, black and white movies, fuzzy slippers, writing, nooks, secret places, fairy lights, candlelight, earbuds in, coffee, rooftops, old towns, rumpled bedsheets, messy buns, oversized tee shirts, short denim shorts, staring from afar, crushes, promises, brown sandals, photography, observant, writing, nightmares, wrapped up in blankets, crazy dancing, clumsy smiles, early mornings and late evenings, long drives, making everywhere I go home, finding perfect places, old shops, libraries, book stores, coffee shops, goofing around, the stars, ocean, forests, shy, blushes, secrets, hidden scars, broken.
I was broken out of my daze when my college roommate Rebecca Smith walked into our dorm room with a smile and two Starbucks coffees in her hands. She was definitely a brave person. I thought, analysing her outfit of black converse, a rolling stones shirt, a tight skirt, nose piercing and gold hoop earrings. "Hey, hon is it alright if my friend comes over? He's the dorm across from us actually. We are going to go out and grab some pizza then go to a mates house. You should come, if you want to?" She asked, her Australian accent laced through her words. "Okay." I nodded slowly.
Even though I didn't like going out and meeting new people, I had been cooped up in our dorm in the weeks since I arrived, waiting for classes to start. So I knew I had to get out and about. I would just keep to myself and shyly nod in response to everything like usual. I would be the hoodie girl, the quiet girl, the girl everyone thought I was. Which was true in a small part. It took me ages to trust and love, for good reasons too, you would as well if you knew all the shit I had been through.
Rebecca collapsed on her bed with a sigh while I went to get changed into something more comfortable than what I currently had on (jeans and a tight crop top). Which happened to be an oversized grey hoodie, some whitewashed short denim shorts and a very messy bun. Strands of hair fell from its tie and framed my face. I owned way too many hoodies but they made me feel safe, hidden and they were the most comfortable thing in the world. I would change into something a little better looking later. "Hey I'm just gonna put on a face mask," I called out softly. "Mh k," Rebecca replied, sounding slightly grumpy. Such a ball of sunshine she was. Even though she had told me to call her Becca I preferred Rebecca. She, of course, called me Dani like everyone else.
I stuck the slimy green thing to my face before getting out my phone and scrolling through random sites, sitting on my unmade bed. There was a knock on the door and Rebecca yelled that it was open, never lifting her eyeline from her phone, must have taken some kind of talent.
The door opened a crack before the most gorgeous boy I had ever seen walked in, my roommates best friend. He was gorgeous in that kind of frat boy, dishevelled hair, I don't care kind of way. He had brown hair that im not quite sure how to describe and fell over his face, his eyes were ocean blue woven with melted gold. They looked just like a spiderweb. His skin was tan, as was everyone elses who lived in LA and his teeth were pearly white. I watched as his hair curled into a smile. He wore a tight-fitting black shirt that showed off his muscles and blue ripped jeans.
River pov
I looked down at the small girl sitting on the bed across the room, staring at me with wide eyes. Her eyes travelled down my body then back up to meet my eyes. I flashed a clumsy grin, radiating confidence. I swear she almost fell out of the bed. She shook her head slightly before looking away. Her petite figure was covered in a huge hoodie. A green face mask was plastered to her face. She spotted that I was looking at it and quickly peeled it off before chucking it on the floor, revelling full lips and pale skin that looked like it had never seen the sun. Which was strange because of course LA was always sunny.
A few freckles spotted her nose and my eyes travelled up to her hair. Which was tossed in a messy bun with hundreds of pieces hanging down, framing her face. One fell over her eyes, which she shyly pushed away before looking back up at me with a coy smile.
We stared at each other and something strange happened to her eyes. They changed. They looked too dull, to sad. They looked full of pain for a second before they changed again. Like she had let her armour down for a bit before bringing it back up. Now her eyes looked almost turquoise, they were lighter, greener. But I couldn't get the eyes that looked so sad, like they were tired of living, they looked too dull when they should have been bright, out of my mind. She was hiding something, a secret, I could sense it.
Then who I assumed was Dani, the girl Rebecca had told me about over the phone, let out the cutest hick-up I had ever heard. Before blushing and she looked so damn cute. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
She removed them and knotted them together in her lap, before starring down at them. Her cheeks looked shallow giving away the fact she was biting them. She looked nervous so I spoke up. "Don't worry I don't bite," I said wiggling my eyebrows at her and smirking. "I'm River." "I I'm I'm D-Dani." She squeaked quickly before darting into the bathroom that connected to the closet with a shy smile.
I looked at where she had just sprung up from. The bedsheets were rumpled like they hadn't been slept in for weeks, she had more coffee cups surrounding her bed than I ever thought possible and her wall was covered with vintage movie posters, record covers, pictures of her and this girl who had the same pale skin, but had dark almost black hair in a low ponytail with two baby hairs pilled out. The wall and floor was covered in sticky notes scribbled with late-night ideas and there were stacks of poetry books, with highlighted lines everywhere.
I pictured Danis hick up again before chuckling. She was so damn sweet. I looked over to my best friend Rebecca who was starring at me with narrowed eyes before asking "What the hell was that underwood?" I was about to reply when Dani came out to join us again.
She had gone to change and now her hair was out and it fell down her shoulders in a sea of caramel. She walked under the light making it glow golden. Her hair was wavy and went down most of her back. And now she was wearing a dark grey cropped top with a handprint in the middle of it and the same denim shorts she had worn before.
"Right, ready to go?" Rebecca asked, making Dani and I break eye contact and look over to her. God, I had totally forgotten about the pizza place we were going to before hanging out at my mate's house.