CRIMSON DONOVAN

I open the front door and shut it, the sound booming across the floor and still air. I stiffly walk past the hallway toward the stairs.

"Crimson! You are back! Want to have dinner?" I hear my Dad calling out from the dining room.

"Yes."

"Will you eat now or after taking a shower?" he inquires.

"Yes."

"...Huh? Why do you sound so...ghostly?" I hear him ask amidst the clattering of pots and pans.

"Yes."

"Miss Crimson? Do you feel ill? I can whip up some soup if you want?" Uncle Josh, our caretaker, asks, peeping out from the kitchen.

"Yes."

Before they can interrogate me some more, I retreat to my room and shut the door. I float across the room and collapse onto my bed, burying my face in the plush pillow.

Then with my hands gripping its edges tightly, I take a deep breath before screaming out loud into the pillow.

My Dad bursts into the room, gun in hand, followed by Uncle Josh wielding his whipping stick.

"What's wrong? Who's there? Is everything alright? ARE YOU IN DANGER!?" my father demands, his gun lowering a tad bit only after ensuring there was no threat in the room.

"I'm fine, really!" I affirm, placing a hand over my drumming heart. 

"If so, why did you scream like that?" he probes, while Uncle Josh hastily closes the windows and draws the curtains shut. 

I clear my throat, trying to hide my embarrassment. 

"Uh, there was a spider," I stammer the first excuse that came to mind.

"You? Afraid of spiders? Since when?" Dad frowns, causing me to freeze in my bed. 

I force a hesitant laugh, hoping to move the conversation along. 

"It was the biggest, ugliest spider I've ever seen in my life! I was startled and shouted in reflex. But there's no need to worry, it escaped out the window. So, please, put your... weapons away," I add, plastering a grin on my face to back my lie up.

Both men narrow their eyes at me but they thankfully leave after one sweep of the room until they are assured about my safety.

I fall back onto my bed in relief, only to remember the reason for my earlier outburst.

Drexel Genesis.

Turning over in my bed, I groan and repeatedly kick my feet into the mattress.

HelikesmeHelikesmeHelikesme!

Oh, how cruel fate was. Why had I even come to America? 

Why couldn't I just say "screw it" and agree to date him? 

No, I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the heartbreak when I eventually left. 

It was ironic. I had come to America to move on from the heartbreak I experienced in Korea, and now I would have to move back to Korea to move on from the heartbreak that would happen here if I agreed to a relationship.

Drexel doesn't deserve to be led on like this.

Resisting the urge to scream again, I hurry into my bathroom and shut it close. I place my hands on the edge of the ceramic sink with my heart heavy, wanting nothing more than to pour all of its disturbing waters into the sea.

I look up at the mirror and fix my gaze on the reflection of the red-haired girl staring back at me.

 "What am I going to do? Everything has been going well since I moved here, but now I am faced with a problem... I need to make a decision... but I have no idea what to think anymore."

The girl in the mirror, her red hair fallen messily over her face, her honey-brown eyes boring into mine, seems to say;

"If you face an indecisive problem, do not fret, there will always be a sign to lead you the way."

° ° °

"You seem distracted again today," Mrs. Amy Ridge, my Boss and the owner of the shop, comments as I clumsily drop my eleventh plate into the dishwashing sink. She was a middle-aged woman with dark olive skin and a youthful face that made it hard to guess her true age. 

I had only been working at "Bakes and Cakes" for a week since the race, and plates and saucers were already slipping out of my grasp. My thoughts about Drexel always made my grip loosen, resulting in many plates being chipped and broken. It was a miracle that Mrs. Amy had not fired me. She was extremely patient with me.

This week had been torture.

'Your reason isn't strong enough for me, and I'll do my best to change your mind. '

And boy, did he 'do his best'.

After the day he properly confessed his feelings to me, Drexel had made it his mission to compliment me whenever he caught me in the school hallway.

"You look dashing, Scarlet. But then again, you look stunning every day."

"Your hair looks darker than before, maybe it is also blushing like your rosy cheeks?"

"It's worth coming to school if I get to see your smile."

"Lovely to see you today. Your hair matches your name, and today, so does your face, as always."

"How is the most beautiful girl I know doing today?"

I was sure that Flory the Flirt was Drexel's new bestie, much to Archer's annoyance.

Students who had seen his public attempts now openly supported him and hooted whenever we were seen nearby, urging Drexel to do his best at 'catching his girl'.

His words and derived pickup lines had me blush so red that it put my hair colour into shame. My heart would flutter and my eyes would follow him when he wasn't looking. Even though I had made a firm decision not to date anyone during my two-year stay in America, Drexel was starting to make me second-guess myself. He was living up to his promise of trying to win me over. 

Ayla had told me that she had never seen him so confident and courageous with his feelings towards a girl before and that was because he believed our feelings were mutual. I had nonchalantly turned away at her side eye then.

Nevertheless, it was NOT safe to say that I have created a good impression on my Boss. 

"I'll handle it," Melody who was also working at the bakery tells Mrs. Amy, coming to my aid just like the past week since the race. 

I had been pleasantly surprised to see her waitressing here and she has been helping me blend into this new kind of job.

"Is everything alright with you lately? You seem a bit absent-minded," she observes, prompting me to want to change her perception of me. 

"I'm just feeling a little under the weather," I fib, drying a plate that I washed before.

"I bet it had something to do with the race that went down between Kash and Drexel, huh?" Melody whispers into my ear.

I look around in panic to see if anyone heard her before slowly nodding my head.

Melody had also been there on the day of the race with Kash's friends, watching Drexel and Kash race.

Mrs. Fallon Ridge, who was also the bakery's manager and the wife of Amy Ridge,  looks concerned and asks, "Are you sure it's alright for you to be washing dishes in your condition? I'll let you go early today, but please make sure you're feeling better next time you come in." 

Mrs.Amy readies a brown bag containing a box of cakes and hands it over to me enthusiastically, "Here, take these cakes; I can guarantee you that you will bounce back into shape in no time!"

I hesitate but they urge me to take an early leave, and I timidly slip off my apron. But I knew if I stayed here any longer, I would not get any work done.

"Thank you," I bow to her and unsurely take the cakes. 

"Yeah, you go ahead. I'll look after the rest," Melody says and I give her a grateful nod.

"Make sure you rest well. We don't need no broken plates again!" My Boss says and her wife pokes her side. "Don't be mean, she has something on her mind. She'll be fine in no time!"

After the door closes, I guiltily lower my head and mentally apologize to the shop and its workers for ditching my work; but I think it's for the best since I seemed to heap up the work rather than lessen it.

I should get it together.

Drexel had affected my mind so much, that I had even driven in my Dad's car instead of mine. It took me to realize this fact only when my deranged Dad called me to ask why his car was missing.

As I place the cake bag on the front seat of the car, shouts coming from the main road behind me catch my attention, making me startled. 

I whirl around just in time to see a small girl chasing a bouncing ball into the middle of the road, oblivious to the passing vehicles. Pedestrians shout for her to get back from afar, but no one is close enough to reach her in time.

Except for me.

Without thinking, I dart across the road towards the girl, almost tripping in the process while my heart stills like a rock. She freezes in fear, clutching the ball tightly, as a car honks aggressively. I reach out and pull her into my arms, leaping onto the nearby pavement as my back painfully hits the concrete. 

The car speeds away without stopping, making the bystanders curse and yell at them scornfully.

The little girl clings to my scratched arms, tears streaming down her face as she hiccups in fear.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," I assure the others who had rushed over to help. I look at the scared little girl, her cheeks pink with tears. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" 

She shakes her head, her lips trembling and her hands clutching the ball in a death grip.

Kids with tears scare me.

"Madeline!" 

I hear someone cry from behind me and a dash of wind passes by me as a tall boy envelops the little girl protectively in his arms. 

"Madeline! I told you not to wander off like that! Where were you? Why are you crying?" 

The boy's head swivels towards my dazzled self that was strewn across the pavement. 

"Did you hurt my little sister?"

What did he just say?

Before I could outrageously defend myself, the girl- Madeline, yells out, "No!"  Oh my, what a cute, precious voice- "She saved me! From the big vehicles!"

I see the boy's eyes widen comically and I notice that he is wearing a black cap with the word 'Champ' on it, the first two letters cut off with a red cross and replaced with a red V to spell 'Vamp' instead. 

The boy's features morphed into fear as he panicked.

"Big vehicles?! You were on the ROAD?" the brother yells, the blood draining from his face as he inspects his sister once more.

 "She saved me," the little girl repeats, her tears drying and her hands pushing away the worried and anxious hands of her brother.

"Did you really?" he asks me while dusting off his sister's frizzy frock.

I stand up with a scowl, unable to resist a bit of sarcasm as I gestured to the little bleeding scratches on my arms and palms. 

"Well, what do you think?" 

"She's hurt! Not me!" Madeline hits her brother's arm, looking angry that he had falsely accused me. 

The boy looks remorseful as he tries to apologize. "I-I am sorry. She was missing and I was panicking...thank you so much for saving her. Thank you so much." He thanks me profusely as he pulls his sister into a tight hug as if he never wanted to let her go.

As I watch the two siblings, I see the concern and agitation in the boy's eyes as he checks his little sister once more. My heart tightens painfully as I take in the scene with unblinking eyes.

"...Hello? Are you there?" I blink back as Vamp-boy waves his hands in front of me, trying to snap me out of my daze. "You were zoning out for a while there, did you hit your head?"

"No...I-I was just thinking," I quickly reply but the boy just shakes his head, "Come on, as gratitude, let me tend to your wounds. We can head over to the park and let Madeline play while I tend to you," he suggests.

Before I could protest, the boy takes Madeline's hand while she happily takes mine, and trudges me into the direction of the park without letting me get a word in. 

"You go ahead and play, Maddy, but stay close, okay?" he instructs his sister sternly before turning his attention to me.

"I swear I get grey hairs when I deal with her," he comments as he gestures for me to sit on the bench under the shade of the trees. 

I cautiously sit beside him. Despite my initial wariness,  I decide not to question it, especially with the way he dotes on his little sister,

While he patches me up, I take the opportunity to study him. His face is angular, and his hair is the same blue-black shade as his sister's, poking out from beneath his cap that was placed on top of his hoodied head, making me hard to distinguish his facial features. 

When he catches me staring, he chuckles and asks, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not going to kidnap and kill you. You can relax, my little sister is right here, and the park is crowded."

I slowly nod as he finishes up the last of the plasters on my elbow.

"But seriously, I can't thank you enough for saving her," Vamp-boy says earnestly, looking at the playing girl ahead of us.

"You seem to love her very much," I examine and he agrees with a smile, "Of course. She is the most important person in my life. It's just the two of us against the world. I couldn't bear it if anything ever happened to her."

My heart clenches at the obvious bond between them. 

It also suddenly reminds me of Drexel and Rowan. Then remembering Drexel puts a heavy weight on my sinking heart.

"Hmm? What's that look on your face?"

"Why? What does my face look like?"

"You suddenly pulled a depressed expression on your face. What's the matter? Anything I could help you out with?"

"But I just met you. Why should I confess my problems to a stranger?"

"Ah, it's not every day you get to converse with a redhead. As an appreciation for saving my sister, let me lend you an ear to listen to your troubles. You might have heard the saying; 'it is easier to talk about your problems with a stranger.'"

I access this boy; the boy who had his Vamp cap covering his blue-black hair, his attentive posture already prepared to listen to me. He didn't seem to be threatening- for the time being- and he exuded an aura of easiness that had my defences weakening. 

I did not trust him fully, but maybe I could get an unbiased opinion about my dilemma. Talking to my other friends did not help me the slightest since they knew both me and Drexel, and were often torn between supporting the both of us.  

 Well, maybe I should let it out to somebody after all.

So I begin to tell him about my situation. "Someone I like confessed to me, but I rejected him because I'll be leaving the States after graduating." 

Vamp-boy nods, understanding. 

"Ah, love problems," he says. He leans back against the bench and steals a glance at his sister before turning back to me. "So now everything's awkward?"

"Not completely," I admit and my shoulders rise in embarrassment as I wiggle my foot against the ground. "He's still pursuing me, saying he won't give up. But I don't want to make things harder for us when I know it's going to end anyway."

"Hmm...so you are torn between agreeing to date him and not?"

"...Yeah."

"Well, the solution is easy. You just have to think heuristically," Vamp-boy says, looking at me expectantly.

"Heu...what?" I ask, confused.

Vamp-boy chuckles, "It doesn't completely relate to your problem. It means if you are torn between two choices, your intuition will likely be drawn toward the path that you envision as most satisfying, practical, and fascinating. It refers to quick solutions, mental shortcuts that can speed up decision-making."

I listen thoughtfully, my mind still a bit jumbled. "You sound like a therapist," I comment.

"Well, my grandma is one," he replies with a grin.

"Well, how do I think h-heristically about-"

"-heuristically."

"-about my situation? I don't understand."

"You tend to focus on the downsides too much. It doesn't have to be rational. You don't have to overthink things that much. If you enter a relationship with this boy, wouldn't all the positives outweigh the negatives, as long as you're happy with him?" Vamp-boy says with a gentle smile, reminding me that there was a simple solution lurking after all.

I don't reply right away, so he stands up and gazes out into the lush park. His eyes were unfocused as if he was lost in thought. 

"If it were me, I would agree to be with that person, whether for two years, one year, two months, or even just one day or one hour. I would take whatever time I could get," he says with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

My eyebrows furrow at the change in his tone. 

"It's rare to find someone you genuinely like who reciprocates your feelings. If that happens, I would cherish every moment I have with them, even if the world were about to end in a couple of seconds."

I realize that I've stood up and was standing next to him as he lets out a deep sigh. "I regret not making more memories and cherishing those moments with that person. But I was happy, and I held onto that feeling for as long as I could. Because I knew I would never feel that way again," he looks at me, his voice full of emotion.

"Whatever decision you make, make sure you won't regret it afterwards. Choose the path that will bring you the most happiness, no matter what. Because I'll take that happiness over millions of heartbreaks," he says, his voice holding a genuine sincerity.

I never waver my unblinking eyes from his until he waves his hand in front of my face, "Hey, why are you crying?"

I hadn't even realized that tears were streaming down my face until he pointed it out. I quickly wipe them away with my sleeve and sniffle, "Whoever made you that sad, I hope they come back to you, or you find someone else who makes you even happier."

Vamp-boy's eyes widen at my words before he pulls down his cap to shield his face, "I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbles before calling out to his sister, effectively changing the subject. 

The little girl rushes over to him and holds onto his finger, casting shy glances at me.

"Aren't you going to thank this big sister for saving you, Maddy?" he bends down to ask her.

"Thank you," she whispers after making brief eye contact, and I coo at her cuteness. 

"Aww, how adorable. Let me give you something." 

I hold up a finger and run back to my car and grab the brown paper bag my Boss had given me. I return and hold out a delicious-smelling piece of cake in front of her. Her eyes light up at the treat, and after getting a nod of approval from her brother, she takes it and devours it hungrily.

I watch in surprise before turning to Vamp-boy, who chuckles and affectionately ruffles his sister's hair. Shaking my head, I hand over another wrapped piece of cake to him, and he looks at me in confusion. 

"It's for you," I clarify. "Thank you for listening to me and helping me out. I really needed it."

The boy's confused expression turns into a genuine smile as he takes the cake from me. "You're welcome. I hope you found your answers. I'm glad to be of help. And once again, thank you for saving my sister."

'If you face an indecisive problem, do not fret, there will always be a sign to lead you the way.'

"My sign," I whisper breathlessly and Vamp-boy squints his eyes at me, "Sorry, did you say something?"

"No, it's nothing," I smile to myself, "I'll be taking my leave. Bye, little princess. Be more careful from now on, okay?" I tell the little girl. She nods bashfully and gives me a little wave while her brother chuckles and waves farewell well.

The sight of the two siblings, holding their hands together while watching me go back had me feeling a tug at my heartstrings.

I wave back at the two siblings but before I leave the park, Vamp-boy calls out to me.

"Crimson! I hope everything works out with you and Drexel!"

I give him a small smile and nod, feeling grateful for his help.

I had found my answer.

With my heart pounding hard against my chest, I immediately phone Archer while I bring the car to life.

With my thoughts all over the place, it wasn't until I started Dad's car and hastily made my way out to the main road that my mind registered something.

I had never revealed my name or Drexel's to Vamp-boy.

Hello everyone! 

We are nearing the end of Part 1...!

Crimson has made a decision, perhaps? What do you think about her 'sign'? What is up with Vamp-boy? Where did he land from?😂☠️

Don't forget to vote and comment, please!

❤️❤️Thank you so much for 2K guys! I am so thankful, I don't know how it happened. I wonder if there are silent readers who actually read until the end lol but thank you anyway! Love you a ton! Hope you stay with my story until the end! 25.12.23 ❤️❤️