contest entries

happy birthday

A wonderful contest held by freethewaves. I reallly had fun writing this ^_^.

~

"You deserve this", is all I hear before I feel an icy sensation over my entire body. First, I feel the frigidity, then the moisture. Someone drenched me in my sleep. Instantly awake, my eyes adjust to the sunlight coming in through the windows. My eyes widen, and a smile slowly creeps in as I remember. Today's my 18th birthday. Finally, I've made another milestone in my life. Now, I can vote, get a tattoo, drink without being reprimanded, and perform all other exciting activities. My friends Aurora and Benjamin had decided to travel with me all the way from Boston to Hawaii. They'd said "You're going to be 18 now. You need to do all the things 18-year olds do. It's time you grew up for real". I had never been so anxious in my life.

"You're finally awake", a voice rings out, interrupting my reverie. I look around, appreciating how warm and soporific the hotel room looked. My eyes finally settle on Aurora, with her hands on her hips, an impish smile on her face. "For a teen, you're already being rebellious, you trying to sleep your birthday away?", she halfheartedly admonishes. Slowly, I sit up, beckoning her over. She wraps an arm around my shoulders, leaning into me. "Happy birthday, Rachel". I'm about to respond when the door abruptly opens. Benjamin struts in, already set on being rambunctious. "Where's the birthday girl? Ahh, there she is"

He jumps on the bed, pulling Aurora and me apart. I pull Aurora onto the bed, setting her by my side. The two lean into me, sandwiching me between them. I smile, relishing the serenity. It isn't long before Aurora returns to her authoritative self, setting out the agenda for the day. "You're a legal adult now, that means you'll have to cross out some activities on your bucket list." I turn to Benjamin. He has a smirk on his face. "Get ready, pumpkin. You're in for a long day". Shooing them away, I go off to shower. The warm water hits my skin, relaxing me and shaking off my distress and worry.

Going back to the bedroom, my eyes land on an outfit, neatly laid out on the bed. It's a pair of shorts matched with a grey crop top. Automatically rolling my eyes, I put on the outfit, scoffing at how horrified my friends are when it comes to my choice of clothing. They'd rather I wear clothes that make me look more "inviting". Weirdly enough, looking in the mirror, I observe how accentuated my curves look. Maybe it's not that bad, I think to myself. Grabbing my necessary belongings, I set out to find Aurora and Benjamin.

~~~~~~~~~~~

After grabbing breakfast at the hotel, we get into a car we rented. As we speed off, the wind blows in my hair, making me feel a sense of wanderlust and saudade. Intent on relaxing, I rest my neck and admired the scenery. Aurora looked back at me and smiled. Her next string of words quickly got my attention. "We're going cliff diving, girl. It's gonna be fun". Suddenly, I feel an ache in my stomach. My face distorts into a shocked expression, as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I don't have a good history with cliffs. Or edges. I'm not scared of heights, in fact being up high exhilarates me. It's being close to an edge, that well, sets me on edge. Unable to respond, I go back to my comfortable position, trying to calm my nerves.

As we near our destination, I could feel the ache intensifying. I try to ignore it, but it's difficult, mainly because we were now getting out of the car and going up a path, where the cliff was waiting for us. As we get closer to the cliff, I hear the thundering of waves nearby. We move on until we're on the cliff. My friends smile and look at me. They pull me forward, forcing me to look over the edge and at the raging body of water below. Immediately, I feel a surge of discomfort shoot through me. Looking over the cliff made me want to jump off. It felt as if my body were being commanded to jump off. It terrified me.

My friends don't see me freaking out. They strip, ready to jump into the water. Aurora goes first, jumping off with a shout of excitement. Extremely perplexed at what I just saw, I look to my right, to see Benjamin getting ready to jump. He gives me a light smile, before choosing the same fate as Aurora. I hear him hit the water, his and Aurora's giggles cut through the air. I slowly strip, not wanting my friends to get the wrong idea.

I stand at the edge, feeling goosebumps all over my exposed skin. My face turns a light shade of vermillion. "Are you going to jump or what? Are you scared or something?" I can't reply as I couldn't trust my words. I needed to let go of my fear. Experience something new. Slowly, I move back, getting a small head start. And surprising myself, I run. And jump.

~

MaybLater dang, you're gonna get lots of dedications.