The House on The Hill.

The House on The Hill

The atmosphere in class was like being in space. You could hear nothing because everything was happening at once. The students were wild with the absence of our PE teacher.

“No way!” I said in horrible realization.

“Yes way!” a determined Joseph said.

I can’t help but let out a chuckle. The news tickled my ear. A party at Chloe’s house, Jenna’s invited and I get to go because she’s Joseph’s girl and I’m his best friend! That was so unpredictable. I mean, only the popular kids get to hang out at parties hosted by Chloe. I can’t believe it!

Okay, the party is a masquerade ball. I guess it’s time for a new dress, and a mask. I’m not going to show up in my 5 year old red summer dress! How informal! Lori, my best pal in the world and also one of the popular girls in school accompanied me on this frenzy trip to the mall. When I say frenzy, I mean we literally ransacked every boutique in the building! Sure I’m shy with shopping and all but with Lori, we’re unstoppable.

The choice between a dazzling blue dress with minimum lacing at the neckline, flower embroidery at its curved body with a ruffled skirt and a striking sleeveless scarlet ball gown with a revealing back to the waist was a difficult one. I eventually chose the aqua blue dress. It was just so mesmerizing! Lori got herself a green satin silhouette which kissed the floor. Gorgeous as always! We got ourselves masks which matched our dresses. Mine was a little off the blue side though. Instead of being aqua blue or anywhere near it, it was teal green with a tinge of baby blue that came from the glitter on it.

The night came sooner than I expected. I can see the lights in Chloe’s mansion outside here, on this cold September night. Joseph, Jenna, Lori and I stood at the front steps of the mansion’s majestic doors. A man in a coat opened the doors and let us in. We followed the hallway till we reached a door that was labeled ‘Ball Room’. Joseph opened the door and the sight that caught my eyes nearly choked me. It was beautiful! A few sparkling chandeliers hovered above the shimmering floor. I can see the people in ball gowns and tuxedos. They were all so charming! And the furniture and decorations were all so indescribable! Classical musicians were performing a Mozart piece on stage. Fancy.

The people here were surprisingly friendly even though they always seemed snobby down the school hall. Half an hour after our arrival, enough time for everyone to have grabbed a bite, the lights dimmed quietly. An announcement was made.

‘Everyone, you may now grab a partner.’

Then the music started. Joe Brooks’ ‘Superman’ played. Not the usual masquerade song I suppose but one of my favourite. I smiled to the start of the song and felt a tap on my shoulder.

‘May I?’

‘Sure’ I said. I couldn’t see pass his mask in the dark anyway.

We started dancing to the beat. To be honest, I’m a terrible dancer. When the song ended, everyone seemed to stop and automatically searched for another partner. Only a handful of couples stayed with their pair. I stood there silently in the midst of Louis Armstrong’s ‘Unforgettable’. Bad DJ with a good taste of music I thought. After the first dance, I felt a little embarrassed about my duck feet so I walked out to the back garden where there was a small cream coloured gazebo. I walked into its shelter and let the night’s air drown my lungs. It was so refreshing. The moon was pale and solemn. Pale but beautiful. It was only days away to the full moon.

‘Only the second dance and already trying to escape eh?’

A voice shook me. I turned to my right and resisted my elbows to continue leaning on the gazebo’s railing. I nod in agreement to the green masked boy. I didn’t know what to reply.

‘The atmosphere here feels clean, right? I mean, not like it’s dirty in there. Just, a little awkward for my liking. I’m not too outgoing I guess?’

Not outgoing? Haha. You’re talking to a stranger!

‘Same. I hardly know anyone in there. Only about 3 out of the dozens’ I had to agree.

‘Nice mask by the way.’

‘Thanks.’

The next song was played louder than the previous two. Paramore’s ‘The Only Exception’ ringed through our ears.

‘Care for a dance?’ the masked stranger asked.

I chuckled.

‘Why not?’

The dance was slow but playful. I had to apologise too many a time for stepping on his toes. After that, we started talking about school and so on. We had a lot in common; same school, same age, same sports, same artiste and same favourite subjects. His phone started ringing mid conversation. He picked it up and I saw his eyes widen a little when he heard from the other end. He grabbed his half-opened cinnamon brown messenger bag on the bench and took off, merely waving goodbye over his shoulder. I just watch him walk away. I lingered in the gazebo for a while before deciding to head for the hall again. I guess balls and parties just don’t suit me.

As I got up, I noticed 3 pieces of paper stapled together on the floor. ‘Stephen Lee, 5 D’ lined the top of the first paper. It was an essay. A ‘5 page’ long essay! Stephen gave it the title ‘The House on The Hill’. I read the first paragraph and it amused me to read about someone else’s dream house. It read

‘I walked up the hill and the path was paved with buttercups. Once I walk in the gates, I could see all the little pots of flowers which I planted. There’ll be forget-me-nots, daffodils, daisies, sunflowers and too many to name. In the house, there’ll be a living room, a dining room, a rectangular kitchen and a washroom. There’ll be an open floor upstairs where only wooden railings and a flight of stairs would separate the levels. The bedroom would be up there, enough for a family. The kitchen will have a white tiled workbench in the centre. The living room with books and an ancient television set. The inside of the house will look like it was built from wood. It will have the cabin feel that a lumberjack would like.’

And the description went on and on. I was feeling pretty cozy by the time I reached the 3^rd page. Was this the green masked guy’s work? Well, there was no one else at the gazebo that night. I concluded that it was his and to my knowledge, he was now known as Stephen.

I walk up to the front door of 5 D. No teacher present. So, I asked my friend in that class, Eugenia, to show me who Stephen was. Apparently, he wasn’t in class. I left the essay with her and walked back to my class, feeling a little disappointed.

I had a dilemma at the counter in the canteen. What should I have? Twiggies or Oreo? A sudden tap on my shoulder broke my train of thoughts.

‘Seventeen, running, Taylor Swift, English, Maths and Arts?’ the boy said in a questioning tone.

‘Stephen?’ my voice surprised even myself.

‘Yeah, nice to officially meet you, Rynn’ he said, smiling and offering a handshake.

‘Yeah, you too’ I returned the smile.

‘Wait, how did you know my name?’

‘Eugenia told me. Besides, it’s on your name tag’ he kept smiling.

I’m glad that his essay led me to him. After that day, we started hanging out more. He told me about his life, his dreams and many things. I told him about mine too. He was really comfortable to be with. On Valentine’s Day, he even brought me to the park to show give me a surprise. He layered the grass with red roses, forming the shape of a circle with a cloth in the centre which we sat on later. He brought something to eat and gave me an orchid plant in a pot. I adore orchids! This may be cliché but we actually carved our names on the bark of a tree. We held on to each other and were still together by December. On Christmas day, we walked around the city with its colourful lights blinking at us.

Not long after that, he suddenly proposed that we should no longer see each other. He said he was going to college and I was a distraction. Did that make any sense? It didn’t to me. He insisted anyway and we went our separate paths. My heart broke and for nine months I missed him. He went on to study interior designing and me, I studied fashion designing.

In the mid of September in my eighteenth year of life, I strolled down the park we had our first and only valentine together. It may have only been one year but it was the best one year of my life. The scene made me reminisce about the little things he’d do for me. While we were still in our senior year, he’d hold my books, open the door for me, and walk me out of school, all the sweet little things. My mind was just so confused when he suddenly cut me off from his life. I sat on the swing trying to calm down and convince myself that it was his loss.

A hand offered a handkerchief. I look up.

‘I’m sorry. Hear me out’ his eyes beg.

I silent myself, a little too shocked to react.

‘My… dad. He sort of wanted me to stay focus on my studies. He knew about you and didn’t like the idea of us being together. He was really sick so I promised him that I would do my best in college. He’s… sort of… gone now. So, I guess I should fulfill his last wish. He wanted me to be happy. And I’ve never felt happier than when I was with you.’

He stuttered through his words, constantly looking away and making eye contact then away again while swaying in his swing. I didn’t know how to respond. I’m happy that he suggested that he missed me. Somehow, this was still strange but as naïve as I was, I forgave him. I wanted us to have a happy ending despite the confusion in between. We didn’t just return to normal immediately. It took us time to feel comfortable around each other again. I’m happy again now. We’re happy again now.

We walk up a pathway that was lined with yellow diamonds; buttercups. Once we walk pass the gates, little pots of flowers greet us. There are forget-me-nots, daffodils, daisies, sunflowers and too many to name. We stood under the green and orchid complemented wedding arch in front of the front door. We exchanged our vows. And lived together in the house on the hill.