The Color Red

The boy is wearing a red shirt. He comes up to me and asks, "What is your name?" I answer, "Melinda." He takes my hand, and pulls me toward the school. Colors rush passed, I hear the bell ringing. "Come on, Melinda, you don't want to be late!" The boy says to me. I see other kids running past me, and me and the boy go around them. "Umm...shouldn't we be following them?" I ask. He stops and grins at me. Then he continues to pull me along.1

We are now outside again, heading into the nearby tree's. I'm starting to get scared. "Where are we going?" I start to resist, but it's too late. We're hidden by the big green leaves and before I could start screaming the darkness comes.2

****3

"Wake up, Melinda! Melinda! Melinda, wake up!" I swat my mother away to let her know I'm awake, and roll over onto my side. I must have been screaming. "Are you okay, sweetheart?" she asks. "Yea, yea, mom. I'm fine." I reply. "Well, then. Get up. It's your first day back at public school. Unless-" "No! I do want to go." And I do. Going back to public school will help me get over my fear of people. I can't be afraid of people forever, you know. "Then get up, lazy bones." I open my eyes and sigh. Why can't I be afraid of people forever, though? They ARE the ones who made me blind...4

****5

"Damn it!" I shriek. I have been in school for about a month and haven't gotten anything down yet. I always bump into things-like doors and walls, which I just did. "Here, you dropped this." I hear a guy say. That makes me shriek again, and I lose my balance. He catches me. "Don't kill yourself now!" Oh my god, does he smell good! "Oh. Thanks." I say in a tiny voice.6

****7

Five month after meeting Anthony and learning that he was in most of my classes, the doctors say I have a pretty good chance at recovering my eye site. I called Tony to tell him the great news, and he said he would be over in five minutes to celebrate. I have already seen glances of color in the past couple of days; I am so excited. I answer to door, and to my surprise see a flash of red. Red? Wait. RED? "Get. Get the hell out of here. I hate you, I hate you!" Then I black out.8

****9

I can hear voices. Tony and my mom. "What did I do?" Tony asks. "Nothing. It was just something...you know how she's blind? Well, yea." she replies. "How can she hate me...oh, god. I love her." I hear him murmur. That's when I speak up. "You love me?" "Oh, god, yes I do, Melinda, yes." Then I feel his lips crushing over mine. And that's when I knew.10

Even if I saw red again on him, or saw him, even, it would be nothing compared to just kissing him. Other people close their eyes to kiss their lovers, and I now understand why. The color red can never hurt me again with his powerful lips on mine...