Forever Yours, Sunshine.

Chapter Ten.

*** Hey guys! Just a little author's note before I start the next chapter. How crazy can Sunshine get, right? Poor Calvin :( I know you guys hate me right now, but don't worry, this is not the end! This chapter will probably make you a little happier with me, but maybe not completely. Oh! I also edited the cover. You like? :D Well, here goes! Enjoy :) :) :)

I'm lying in my dark room, still, three days later. The festival started yesterday, but I refused to go with Sammy when she begged me. But while I'm still lying down, Sammy barges in my room, completely unannounced.

"What the-" Before I can even finish, she throws back my curtains, and the bright sunlight pierces straight into my cornea. "Holy crap, Sammy! Warn me next time!"

"Get out of bed," she says through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I don't stutter! Get out of bed! You are going down to the festival, right now! This pity party is done, I say so. You are going to get up, get dressed, and go down to the festival. Then, once you have your head cleared, you are going to march over to Calvin, declare your undying love for him, and then you are going to beg him to take you back!"

I lay here, appalled. Sammy has never, ever demanded anything from me before, and now she is standing in front of me, nostrils flaring, looking like the clear picture of murder.

"W-Why?" I say softly.

"Because. This is stupid, Sunshine. You should see him. He's a complete wreck, and he's got more used up tissues on the floor of his room than you could even imagine. He's begging for you, and he needs you. Get up, get dressed, and go down to the festival."

I don't know why I'm listening to her, but I am. I'm getting dressed, brushing my still damp hair(I took a shower about ten minutes before she barged in). "I'll go, but I won't see him. I made my choice, and now I have to live with it."

She growls, and I hear her mumble, "Take what you can get, Sammy. She'll see. Oh, she'll see her stupidity."

It takes her twenty minutes to get me out of the door. By the time we make it down to the festival, its about seven o'clock. The festival ends at eleven, so I'm going to be here for another four hours, looking into everyone's face. Joy.

Sammy forces me to eat some fried cheese, which is ridiculous, because usually that's the first thing I tackle. I splurge on fried cheese, then spend the next weeks after the festival running an hour longer each morning. I have to admit though, fried cheese is pretty worth it to me. Just not this year.

"Let's go play some games," Sammy says, leading me by the hand. All I want to do is go back home, but that is so not going to happen with Sergeant Sammy ordering me to have a good time.

We play a few games, and I have to admit, they're kind of fun. I even won a stuffed pikachu, something that usually never happens. Sammy is starting to relax now, and instead of forcing the fun into me, it's now starting to flow naturally. We've only been here an hour or so, and though Calvin never leaves my thoughts, I'm starting to feel a little better.

I haven't seen Calvin yet, and I don't know if I'm relieved, or disappointed. Sammy must have made sure to steer clear of him.

It's getting to be around nine thirty, and the festival is thriving and alive. Sammy is pulling me this way and that, shoving her face with cotton candy, and looking at the purses and tee-shirts. I finally say what's been at the back of my mind for the past twenty minutes. "Hey, let's go see who won the photography contest."

She grins, agreeing. We head off towards the tiny building that holds all of the contest entries, and all of the winners. My heart is beginning to speed up, and I'm very nervous. I wonder if my picture won? Does it matter? Am I going to run into Calvin? What will he do if we run into each other? What will I do?

I hate all of these stupid questions spinning in my head. I'm trying to shove them all away, but its hard. We've reached the building, and now I'm not so sure I want to go in.

Sammy notices my expression. "We don't have to, you know. They always send the prize via mail anyway."

"No, no. I want to do this."

We both take a deep breath, and push open the doors. Our eyes need to adjust to the brightly lit room, and take in the sudden explosion of color. Knitted blankets, pies, cakes, scrapbooks, and photos are all sectioned off into their designated areas. We don't mess with anything else. We just go straight to the photography section.

Deciding to start at the end, we begin to admire all of the artwork. Some pictures are sweet, like a puppy running in the grass, or kind of cooky, like an awkward picture of someone. The photos go on and on, some amusing, some sad, and some just happy. My favorite so far has to be the little girl kissing the top of her daddy's head. That would have been me as a munchkin. I might not really show it, but I'm definitely a daddy's girl.

Sammy seems to have favored a picture a little closer to the front. I stand beside her, and look at the picture she is staring so intently at.

It's mine. The sky is painted in pink, blue, and streaks of orange. The waves are dark, and the sunlight glimmering on the waves is just perfect. The ribbon on it says second place, and I'm shocked. I thought that this would surely win. Who sent in a picture more beautiful than a picture of the majestic waters we live by?

"Uh, Sunshine?" Sammy says, nervously. "You might want to look at this."

I turn my head, and gasp. The winner, the picture with a blue ribbon that was first place, is a picture of me. I'm looking out into the ocean, and my eyes looking dreamy. My hair is softly framing my face, and I look as if there's nothing at all wrong in the world. I look... Peaceful. But what really strikes me, is the color. My eyes are brilliant, the sunlight revealing tiny pieces of green in the sea of blue color. My skin is sunkissed, but not too tan, and my hair is a soft blonde color. I've never seen myself look so beautiful before, and yet, that's how I am, every single day. I'm not wearing anything magnificently gorgeous, and I only have mascara on. My feet are buried in the sand, and only the toes are sticking out.

Its so perfect, and so raw at the same time.

"Who... Who took this?" I ask, looking at her.

Sammy shakes her head. "Look at the label."

I look at the white label underneath the picture, and almost burst into tears. Its titled, "Ocean Eyes", by Calvin Daniels.

:)                                                      :)

"Cal-Calvin?" I whisper. I touch the photo gently, and a woman standing nereby eyes me. She has a festival badge, and looks as if she might come scold me for touching the contest entries.

Sammy is in shock, and she says nothing. She keeps rereading the title, "Ocean Eyes", over and over again.

"He once told me I had the prettiest sea colored eyes he'd ever seen," I say softly. "Oh, Sammy, what am I going to do?"

She snaps her head to look at me, determination in her eyes. "I don't even know why you're still standing here. This boy... Adores you, and you are going to let him get away. Shame." She stops, and turns back to the picture. "He loves you, Ocean Eyes," she whispers. "Don't let him go."