Chapter 1~ Red balloons
âHey...that should be near the entrance,â she said to a girl who was carrying flowers.
"I am sorry,â the girl said and walked away.
"Huh, So where was I? Emma! Yes, we are out of red balloons. Can we manage with blue balloons?"
"Ava, Is it even necessary? You expect blue to go well with red?" Emma said through the phone.
"Well, we don't have any more red balloons, and we have to go to some other store to buy blue balloons. We must finish the decoration by today,â Ava told in a sharp voice.
Emma took a deep breath and said, "Ava, calm down. I know the principal gave you the task of decorating the hall.â
"How can I calm down? With half of the work incomplete."
"Okay, okay. I will buy red balloons,â and Emma hanged up.
"Candice, you are finally here," Ava told a girl who had dark orange hair and wore a blue top with black jeans.
"It's terrible, Candice. I mean, look at them. All are busy mingling among themselves, not dedicating themselves."
Candice looked around and was satisfied with the work all were doing. She knew that Ava was stressed out and was imagining things. They were having their last party for Junior year of high school and was pretty excited as they were heading to senior year.
"It is?" Ava asked and Candice nodded.
"Where's Gabrielle?" Ava asked worriedly.
Meanwhile, a guy in his forties, with dark brown hair and with hazel brown eyes was busy making pancakes in the kitchen and listening to sweet music at the same time. He was Thomas Miller, Gabrielle's father.
"Gabrielle, would you be kind enough to wake from your cozy bed and get ready?â Thomas called out to Gabrielle.
"Funny Gabrielle, get ready. Ava might be pissed off," Thomas said.
"Oh right, they are decorating the auditorium, I donât want to go... itâs obviously boring," Gabrielle said.
"Okay, Dear. Now you get ready or else Ava will kill you!" He said.
Gabrielle walked to the hall and unplugged her phone from the charger and started to scroll through her messages, then she dialed Ava's number, but it went straight to voice mail.
"She might be busy, probably doing the last-minute work." She said and hurried to her room.
Her room looked very creatively decorated. There were photos of her friends and her father, and night lights and a lot of books. She took a shower and wore a white top with a denim jacket and jeans, and she went down to the hall, switched on the television, and the news reporter said, "It's a bright day in the city of Oakland, and the weather seems to be perfect for picnics."
Gabrielle was a type of person who didnât like clichĂ© behavior, she was kind at the same time and sarcastic. But there was kindness in her smile, a gentleness every time she smiled. It was the smile of one who laughed with ease and saw a person under the behavior, a soul-connector. She was the kind of person who lived how she believed people should as if she was sunshine that only radiated from the best aspects of those she met, their flaws entirely invisible to her gaze. She was a calm sea, dancing birdsong and the new buds of spring.
The bell rang and a guy in his early forties opened the door and walked inside the house, "Good morning, my meeting was terrible they told me I talk a lot," he said.
He was George Miller, Gabrielleâs uncle, Avaâs father and Thomasâs brother. He was busy for overall a week as he went for a conference in New Orleans, and heâs wife Isabella went to New York.
"Well that's not an excuse, they know you are perfect that's why they don't want you," Gabrielle said.
"Very funny. Where's Ava by the way?" George asked Gabrielle.
"Oh, after you left for the meeting last week to New Orleans the principal asked her to do the decoration of the hall. And she's just a little too stressed out, today's the last day, you see.â
"Oh yeah, your party for Junior Year of High School is this Saturday, right? You bought your outfit?"
"No I didnât, the girls are just too busy, and after they finish it we will head to the mall." Gabrielle said to her uncle.
He always supported Ava and Gabrielle for everything, not just because Ava was his daughter and Gabrielle was his niece. But because he loved them so much that sometimes others felt he was their age. Immediately Ava and Candice opened the door and got inside, and together they all walked to the kitchen.
âGuess what, we are out of red balloons, and Emma called us and told us that we have to adjust it with blue ones," Ava snapped.
"She's been telling me the same thing for the past one hour," Candice said with a sigh.
"Oh dad, you are here. I missed you. I was all alone there," Ava said with her eyes on her father.
"Well, I asked you to stay at Tommieâs house." George said.
"Well, I know you did, and I had a couple of incomplete work, so I needed time alone,â Ava said.
Someone knocked on the door, it was Emma, she entered the house and came running towards the kitchen she had Ashy Brown hair, with black eyes. She wore a yellow dress with a black jacket and had a ponytail.
"I went to three other stores none of them had blue or red ones and I ended up buying black balloons,â Emma said.
"What are you serious? Black balloons?? How is that going to match with Red ones?"
"Isn't black and red fine?" George whispered to Gabrielle's ears.
"It is, well she doesn't like it," Gabrielle whispered back to George.
"We can ask everyone to wear black and red maybe," Candice suggested.
Ava was looking down, and she hugged Candice and said "It's a brilliant idea. Leave a message in the Class group."
"Now you all better have breakfast and better get off for shopping or, you all will end up wearing old clothes," Thomas said and everyone gathered to have breakfast.