Chapter Two: The Mark Of A Lifetime

I am sitting down with the group and we laughed together and we really got along with each other. Turns out I found a group of people I can relate to, until Luna walked over.

"Look at these two losers. What were their names? Ash, the loser who no one cares about, the girl with no parents? Madi, the girl who is trying to be a homewrecker with Wilbur and my sister?" Luna asked us, and it geared everyone's attention towards us. I couldn't even think about that right now.

"Luna, there's no point--" Lina tried to say, but Luna cut her off.

"Shut up, Lina. You have no say in this." Luna said to Lina, and Lina walked away.

"Yeah, Lina, you have no say in what we do." Lana said, and Lina looked down, walking to her girlfriend, the school nerd, Alex.

I see Lina hugging Alex, asking her for comfort. Alex gives her the comfort that was asked, and I look straight into Luna's face.

"Get the hell away from us. You are not welcome here." I said, and she laughed.

"Oh, Ms. Pretty Greenie, I am invited wherever the fuck I want to be invited at." Luna said to me, and I rolled my eyes.

"I mean, if you're unwanted by all parties involved, it's polite and best if you get you and your little watchdog sister to leave us alone." I said, and Lana looks straight at me. I fold my arms and look at Lana dead in her brown, yellow speckled eyes. Like the color she's wearing based on her assignment.

"Don't make me fucking punch you." Lana said, and I raised my eyebrow.

"Oh, trust me, you wouldn't lay a finger on me. In any way, shape, or form." I said, and the bell rang for everyone to go to class.

"You're lucky, Ashley." Lana said, and I rolled my eyes.

"If you're going to bully me and talk shit about me, at least get my name right." I said, walking away with my backpack and to my locker.

---

The school day ended, finally. My god that day was just horrible. I grab my backpack and I rush out of that classroom and down the stairs as fast as I could. I see Madison on the second floor and I grab her hand, as we run down the last two steps together.

"Want to hang out after school?" Madison asked me, and I looked at her, and then at my mark. It hasn't come yet.

"I can't today. My brother is planning something." I said, and Madison nodded, letting me be.

"Hey Ashlyn, want to hang out after school today? Thank you for being so nice to me and my friends during lunch." Damara asked me, and I got a lump in my throat.

"Yeah, sure. I will get ready at home." I said, and Damara smiled, walking to her sister Dixie.

"Looks like we caught a living simp in her natural habitat." Madison said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Madison, please--" I said, and she cut me off.

"Call me Mads. Don't be so formal. 'Oh Madison this, Madison that. It's too much work for your jaw. Just say Mads." Mads said, and I nodded.

"Okay. Mads, please--" I said, and Mads nodded.

"Yes, of course. You like her, and you don't want me to ruin it. Go get your girl love." Mads replied, and I smiled, running over to Damara.

"Hey, Damara!" I said, and Damara smiled.

"Hey, Ashlyn. So, at my house today, I was wondering if you could help me study with history. You're really good at it and I am falling behind, and since we have history together, I thought I would ask." Damara asked me, and I nodded.

"Yes, of course. I would love to." I said, and she looked at me weirdly.

"Love to?" Damara asked me, and I smirked.

"Like to. Like to. I was thinking about something else. Sorry." I said, and Damara nodded, taking me to her car.

Her car is hella nice. It's a red Honda, like the one my mother had as a kid. Very nice. I liked it a lot. I sat down in the front seat next to Damara and she was in the driver's seat. Did I mention that she looks hot in pink? It was her assignment color, probably.

"So, how are you?" I asked Damara, and she smirked.

"I'm doing great. How about you?" She asked me, and I looked at her.

"A little scared. When I was a kid, I would always be in the back, so I am scared of the airbag." I said, and Damara looked at me.

"Even at 16?" Damara asked me, and I nodded.

"My brother was extra safe." I said and Damara nodded.

"Ash. Hmm, Ash sounds like you. Can I call you that?" Damara asked me, and I thought it was cute that she made up a nickname for me. It probably means nothing to her.

"Yeah, sure. I actually have never been called that." I said, and she smirked.

"Okay, so, since you are scared of the airbags, I can drive with one hand. I have been driving for about a year. Do you want me to hold your hand?" Damara asked me, and I nodded.

I put my hand on the little cup holder intersection thing, and she held my hand, to make sure I wasn't scared and to make sure that I would be okay, and not get anxiety. When she touched my hand, the butterflies were real. Like, I was so nervous I couldn't control myself in my brain. I just couldn't. My brain went out of control. I was so happy but so nervous at the same time.

"We're here." Damara said, and he let go of my hand, and unbuckled her seatbelt.

I unbuckled mine and headed inside her house with her opening the door for me. I walked in and it's filled with pink objects. There's a pink curtain, a pink couch, just, all pink. It's shocking.

"Yeah, how do you like the place?" She asked me.

Honestly, I thought it was too pink, but I like Damara, in that more than a friend way, and so I decided to say what she would like to hear from me.

"I really like it. Pink is your color." I replied to her and she smiled, grabbing my hand and bringing me up to her bedroom.

Her bedroom was so pink, and it was actually really pretty. It was A LOT of pink, but I didn't care. She grabbed her notebook and her textbook.

"So, do you want to get started?" Damara asked me, and I nodded.

---

We spent hours studying together and the butterflies were so intense, I could not explain it. Like, the most intense butterflies I have ever felt. I checked to see if my color came up, and it did, but it was not what I was expecting. I got so scared, and I decided to look it up in the internet. It's the best thing I can really do.

"FUCK!!" I shouted, and I put my head in a pillow. My brother walks in and he sees me screaming my head into a pillow.

"Are you okay, Ashlyn?" My brother asked me, and I lifted the pillow, looking in his eyes.

"I fucking hate this color thing right now." I said, and my brother looked confused.

"What color did you get?" My brother asked me, and I looked at the mark, seeing it's orange. The first time I ever saw that color on someone's arm.

I thought that the orange mark was just a legend. I thought it never existed. I have to hide this for as long as I can.

"I got pink. You know, I hate the color. It sucks." I said, and he nodded.

"Yeah. I see why you're upset about that. I would be, too." My brother said, and I looked around my entire room.

He left, and I looked down at myself. I smirked and since I have the color in legends, I grabbed a red pair of converse and put them on. They did not burn my feet at all, which is weird. When you put on the incorrect color, you start burning until you take it off, like vampires in sunlight. It's odd, but I guess it'll do. I grabbed green lipstick and put it on. It wasn't that weird surprisingly. It didn't burn. Holy shit. I can wear whatever color I want whenever I want. It's like a super power. I am actually so hyped now, but I have to paint over the orange mark with a pink mark, so no one gets suspicious of me.

I grab pink acrylic paint, the bubblegum light pink color, and I paint over my orange mark on my arm. I smiled and I looked in my mirror, realizing the power I have. I could wear whatever color I want without burning, unlike anyone else ever.

I smirk and I put on some pink clothing before I 'burn'. I look at my brother and he smiles, seeing me in the pink.

"Who ever knew that pink fit you so well?" He said, and I smiled on the outside, but on the inside, I am overwhelmed like hell. I have to play it off like I am an actual pink citizen.

I walk down the stairs and I see my little sister. She looks confused, but at the same time, she's adorable.

"Why did you change your clothes, sis?" She asked me, and I kneeled down to her eye level.

"You see, my darling sister, sis had to get into pajamas so she could sleep, and she had to get in pink because if she didn't wear pink, she would burn, since this is her color assignment, and you will get yours in five years." I said, and she nodded.

"I hope I get yellow." She said, and I smiled.

"I hope so too, sweetheart." I said, and she smiled, walking to the TV to watch it.

"Anyway, I think I'm going to crash. School tomorrow is going to be a big day when I reveal to everyone that I got my color assignment, you know?" I said, holding my arm up to show that my mark is pink.

I go up and I lay down in bed, paranoid about how I am going to keep my color from everyone, including Mads. I don't want anyone to know until I am ready, and it overwhelms me. How am I going to keep this from my best friend? How am I going to tell Damara? I really like her and I just became friends with her. I don't want to screw this up.

I decide to eventually fall asleep, and I dream about that scene earlier. Damara holding my hand, studying with her, I had a good day today. And I mean, a great one. I am hyped for tomorrow to be honest. Can't wait for the fun coming to me.

---

I walked onto the school in all pink, and the first people I see walking towards Mads and I are Damara and Dixie.

"So, you got pink too, huh." Damara said, and I nodded.

"Miracle, right? I think it really fits me." I said, and she nodded.

"Yeah. It looks good on you. And Mads, green looks good on you too." Damara said, and Mads smiled.

"Thanks." Mads replied and she walked over to Wilbur, again. Lana is sick today, I think.

"Here we go again. Let's watch this. She's always trying to hit on Wilbur, even though he has a girlfriend." I said, and Damara rolled her eyes, gearing them towards Mads and Wilbur.

"Like my color assignment?" She asked him, and he nodded.

"Hey, you're green. You know, it's better than Lana's boring blue color. It doesn't even look good on her. Blue is completely not her color." Wilbur said to Mads, and Mads was pretty surprised, but she kept it in her head.

"Yeah. I think that Lana is more of a red. She's very stubborn. And I mean, VERY stubborn." Mads said, and I laughed a little bit.

Thomas walked over to her and Wilbur talking, and intervened.

"Hey, Mads." Thomas said, and waved at her.

Mads went quiet and didn't acknowledge that he was right there.

"Mads?" Thomas asked her, and Mads rolled her eyes.

"MADS!" Thomas said, and Mads finally snapped.

"What, Thomas? What do you want now?" More reasons to bully me? For being 'envy'?" Mads said, and Thomas looked down at her.

"I personally think that green goes well with your blonde hair." Thomas said, and Mads looked at Thomas.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Mads said, and Thomas smiled.

"I am going to leave you two be." Wilbur said, and he left.

"Oh, hi, Thomas." Mads said, and Thomas started to flirt with her. If you ask Damara and I, it was horrible.

"So, how's it being a beautiful green goddess?" Thomas asked, putting his hand in her hair.

"It's fine, I guess. How about you?" Mads asked him, and Thomas smiled.

"I think that you being a green goddess is gorgeous." Thomas replied to her, and Mads looked at us like she needed help or something.

"Thank you." Mads said, and looked at Thomas in the eyes, and it looked realer than the way she would look in Wilbur's eyes. It was a long constant stare, until Mads broke it off.

"Sorry, I froze. I have to go to class though. I don't want to be late." Mads said, and walked towards us. The three of us then walked to class together.

"Are you okay, Mads? You stared at him for a very long time." Damara asked Mads, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, I think so. I had a feeling when I looked at them. Like nothing else was there. It was just him and I. I never felt that way when I looked at Wilbur." Mads said, and I am starting to think that she likes him.

"So, you like Thomas?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

"It's too early to call." Mads replied, and we headed to class.

I walk into English, and we read To Kill A Mockingbird.. Again. We seriously never get a break from this terrible book with absolutely no meaning to TEACHING US ENGLISH.

---

I raise my hand in my math class, and the teacher calls on me.

"Yes, Ashlyn?" The teacher says, and I smile.

"May I go to the restroom?" I asked, and she nodded, pointing at the door. Little does she know, I wasn't going to the restroom. I was going to skip class for a little bit.

I walked outside of the classroom and onto the baseball field. I sit in the stans, looking around the scenery of the field. It's actually pretty, I can't lie. This is the sport that Damara plays. She's got good taste. I hear footsteps from behind me, and I grabbed my bags, scared it was going to be a teacher, until it comes closer and it sounds like the heels that Damara wears to school everyday.

"Hey Ashlyn. What are you doing here?" Damara asked me, and I got those butterflies… again.

"Nothing really. Just, thinking. About things." I said, and Damara sat next to me.

"I came here to think during my fourth period too. During my science period. That class gives me so damn much anxiety, you have no idea." Damara said to me, and I held her hand.

She didn't resist, or pull away and it made me feel great. There's no possible way that she likes me though. I am not that interesting. I just sigh, as I look around.

"I have a question, Ash." Damara said, and I looked at her.

"What idea?" I asked. I hope it's a kiss.

"What about, we open the gate, and we grab two baseball bats and two gloves? Maybe we could play a little bit together? Or maybe I could teach you to swing a bat?" Damara asked me, and I smiled at her.

"You're on. TAG YOU'RE IT!" I said, tagging her shoulder and running to the door.

"You're so dead." Damara replied, and decided to chase after me. She got to the door before me.

She tagged me when I got there, and she smirked at me.

"Let's play some baseball." Damara said, and I nodded, as we opened the door.