Theresa smiled at him and that was all he needed. Their eyes met and melted into eachothers despite being distanced by a sea of people. The people were nothing, they thought, for they had been separated by oceans. As they stumbled around the crowd and clumsily attempted to hold the other in their arms, when their hands finally touched they had never felt so connected. Theresa smiled again, a smile so gleeful and inspiring, and all of his doubts were put at ease.

‘Are you my true love?’

The cashier at Hope’s local takeaway scratched the back of his head as he tried to muster up a response. Was he Hope’s true love? Probably not, he knew this, knowing that fact hadn’t stopped him from pining over her for the past 5 years however.

Eli shrugged his shoulders and handed Hope her chips, giving her a weak smile and courteously telling her to have a good day. Hope rolled her eyes at his politeness and walked off, her combat boots leaving muddy footprints across the shop. Eli groaned internally and made a mental note to grab a mop.

Hope didn’t understand. Her horoscope informed her that she’d be meeting her true love today, her eyes scanned the busy street and sighed in despair. She considered her options.

1. Go up to all eligible bachelors.

She shook her head at this idea, how would she know who is an eligible bachelor?

2. Let her true love come to her

Hope bit her lip at this suggestion. If he was her true love surely she wouldn’t have to look for it, she thought. She nodded her head decisively and finalised her agenda for today. She’d let the universe work its’ magic and she’d sit back and enjoy the ride.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and spinned on her heel to see Eli standing before her holding a box. ‘You forgot your burger.’

Hope narrowed her eyes at the rugged boy before her, observing his faint dimple in the corner of his cheek and the wavy locks of his ebony hair that were now becoming dampened by the rain.

‘Are you my true love?’ Hope quizzed.

Eli smiled at the repeated question, he knew he could use this opportunity to ask Hope out, after all, he’d been writing those horoscopes for years.

‘Yes, I am.’

I think I just met the happiest person in the world.

After all, she smiles. She laughs. She jokes. She does everything a happy person is supposed to do.

But why as she smiles, do her eyes become glassy? Why, as she laughs does her forehead start to sweat? Why, when she jokes, does she have to take a deep breath after?

She’s the happiest person in the world, she has to be. She has the perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect friends, the perfect face.

If she isn’t the happiest person in the world, who is? If she isn’t the happiest person in the world, what is she?

The hands ticked The nights were hard The days were long The papers would bombard

Sweat dripped Sleep went amiss Food would dip As documents ripped

Finally The day came Lack of effort not to blame but worries were in vain As all there was to proclaim Were straight A’s to her name

The dress was blue.

She knew it, Jade knew it, practically everyone in the store knew it. Despite the undisputed evidence Callie just couldn’t surrender her throne.

‘It’s green.’ She swallowed, her voice wavering despite her desperate attempts to sound believable. Her tone was met with several of disapproval with heaves, sighs and tuts across the board.

Jade rolled her eyes, knowing that Callie admitting anything was as likely as sprouting wings overnight.

‘The dress code for tonight is blue.’ Jade reminded, cocking an eyebrow in Callie’s direction.

Callie was unable to meet her eyes, after all, she knew this. She wanted the dress, no other dress in the store complimented her figure like this one did, but to have the dress meant she’d have to admit she was wrong. She scanned the dress once more and audibly gulped.

‘It’s blue.’ Callie whispered. Several heads snapped in her direction.

Jade’s back suddenly felt itchy and heavier, and she gazed in wonder as her legs were now hovering one inch above the floor.

‘If I pay you, will you please pretend to be my friend, just this week?’

Alex was distraught. He gazed into Willow’s eyes as she pleaded, his eyebrows furrowing as he observed the growing frown lines on her pale forehead that was now gathering beads of sweat. At first he thought it might be raining, but one quick look to the sky dampened hope and he soon realised it was Willow’s anxious state that was causing her hair to become wet and greasy.

He tapped his sneakers against the cement, noticing how worn out they’d gotten. He made a mental note to buy a new pair with the money he’d saved up all year. ‘Alex?’ He looked up again, reminded of the question he so desperately wanted to forget. He needed the money, he knew this, but he couldn’t take from Willow. Especially not to be her friend.

His fingers twitched, eager to brush Willow’s hair from her face and reassure her that she didn’t need to ask for such a thing, he’d do anything to make her smile. Alex felt his twitching hand jolt as it was engulfed by a soft yet clammy presence, he looked up to see Willow’s wide eyes now watering, he couldn’t see her like this.

He pulled his hand away from Willow’s and just shook his head, spinning on his rugged heel as he walked away, unable to look in her eyes. He ignored her final cries and consumed himself into an entirely different world as he pulled out his earbuds.

‘She’d be better off without me.’ Alex thought. ‘I’m doing her a favour.’

My world is the one whom I would not be in this world without A world without me is surely one to lose For such wit, spunk and radiance would be in microscopic amounts Yet these amounts didn’t grow from nothing For something was planted, and watered and encouraged Love was shared and wisdom collected Influence seeps through the plant as it did when the roots were grown Those roots are from my world, my mother My own