AINSLEYS VIEW
"Ah, Lord, my back hurts. What a strange dream. Who in the world would believe a director could be a person that looks like such a little kid? He had to be at most 12 years old. Not to mention some magic abyss! Hahaha, who could even imagine such a thing? Well, either way, I've got to get ready and stop talking to myself. I've got to go meet my family today; we haven't seen each other in over a year. I wonder if anyone has grown since I last saw them. I know I never seem to stop growing; it's really annoying. At least it's summer, so I don't have to deal with all my classmates telling me to play some stupid sport like they always do. Well, anyway, it's time to get ready. At least Violette doesn't nag me about it. If she did, I could never rest," he stands up and begins getting dressed. He looks in his closet and picks out a pair of grey slacks, the kind he would usually wear to school, along with a plain white button-up and a grey vest to go on top. "Haha, I can finally wear my vest instead of that blazer I always have to wear to school, and I'm definitely not wearing a tie today. It always feels like I'm choking when I wear one." He grabs a brush and runs it through his hair.
"Violette, are you ready? I better not have to come up those stairs. I told you we needed to be leaving early this morning so that we could have time to set up!" he hears Violette's mom yell up the stairs.
"Don't worry, mom, I'm up and am almost ready," Violette hollers back.
"Hmm, I wonder if she really is. She sounded kind of different than normal, like she was half asleep or deep in thought or something. Well, since I'm already done getting dressed, I'll just check on her first instead of Richard. I don't want her to get in trouble or anything since she is always making sure I'm up on time during the school year. I can at least do the same when I get the chance." He opens his door and walks across the hall to Violette's room. "Hmm, should I knock or just open the door? She always tells me to just let myself in, especially in situations where I'm making sure she is awake, but I don't want to bother her. Well, I guess I'll knock; if she is up, she might be changing, and I don't want to chance anything." He takes a step forward. THUD...
"Gosh darn, why are you hitting me with the door? I was just going to check on you to make sure you were actually up! There is absolutely no reason to be so violent," he begins to think to himself, "Ow, that hurts. I can already feel a knot starting to form where that door hit me. But it is my fault; I shouldn't have been standing on the backside of that door anyway."
"Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry. I didn't know you were there; I was just hurrying, so I wasn't paying any attention!" he opens his eyes and looks down. "Oh gosh, now look at her. She is clearly concerned about hurting me. I should definitely stop rubbing my head and tell her it is alright. Wait a second, she looks really red for some reason. Is she sick? Well, that's no good. I should ask, but if it's not a high fever, she might not even have noticed yet. Well, that's perfect. I can check and hopefully get her mind off the door as well."
"Oh gosh, Violette, are you alright? You look a little red; do you have a fever?" he moves his hand to her forehead to check her temperature. "Hmm, she really does have a little bit of a temperature, but it's not too bad. She should be fine. But I've got to be sure she doesn't focus on the door; it's not a big deal, and she always beats herself up over the smallest of things."
"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me!" Well, at least that confirms she isn't feeling terrible, but why is she turning her head away from me? Is she embarrassed? About what? Well, her clothes are a little different than normal; I guess there's supposed to be a guy she likes at the party today. No wonder she sounded different earlier; she was thinking about this mystery guy. Well, that's fine. She takes an extra step back as she speaks, "Well, breakfast is sure to be ready soon. Do you know if Richard is up yet?" I give her another look; she really does look extra pretty today, but she probably doesn't need to. I mean, she is like the school idol; she can practically get any guy she wants, but of course, she doesn't see that. I nod as I think that; of course she doesn't; that's what makes her, well, her.
"Well, fine. If you're sure, I won't ask any further, but if I start to notice any other signs that you're sick, I'll tell your mom, got it? You're already a little warm, so just be careful today, okay? And also, no, I'm not sure if Richard is up or not; this is the first time I've left my room today as well." I stare down at her and notice her nod as if she is actually going to listen to me, even though we both know she isn't actually going to.
"Well, that makes sense. Let's go ahead and go grab some breakfast." We start to walk together towards the stairs, and I notice her face starts to get even more red. Hmm, I wonder if she really will be alright? If simply walking around is causing her more work, it could be worse than I thought. Well, it's her choice; she clearly wants to see this mystery guy really badly, so I can get trying to make sure she goes.
As they made their way downstairs, Ainsley couldn't shake off the worry that lingered like a ghost in his mind. Violette's flushed face and distracted demeanor kept tugging at his thoughts. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for accidentally bumping into her. But as he watched her fumble with her words and avoid his gaze, he realized there might be more to her discomfort than just a minor collision. It seemed like she was wrestling with something deeper, something she wasn't ready to share. And despite his attempts to reassure her, he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more going on beneath the surface.