VeronaHills, Round Nine: Land (Uni)
Dixie flicked on her fairy lights and flopped onto her double bed, laden with blankets and cushions.
Thankfully, the lofty designation of sophomore had been achieved with ease. It was amazing what one could get done without a thousand distractions in the form of siblings and parents and people in general. However, Dixie now desired at least some human interaction - as a reward - so she resolved to visit the quad the next day and spend time with new faces.
One face in particular stood out, belonging to a man with a shock of orange hair. Dixie moved in, but as she drew closer, her mouth simply sat open, slack and useless. Words scurried away from her brain; frightened little mice.
"Uh, can you not?" the man said. "I'm here for Candy Hart's book signing and need to get a spot in line."
The author herself swooped in and whisked away her fan, leaving a cloud of perfume as sweet as the treat she was named for. Dixie ran home with a stomach that lurched all the way. She'd been shown a mercy that came with a side of embarrassment and a dash of dramatic self-talk: nobody's lining up for you.
A hug from dad made everything seem better. He'd arrived on a mission to install a security alarm in the studio, but served double duty as a handy and loving man when Dixie spilled her woes on his shoulder. He wiped her face with a lavender scented hanky and she felt like a little girl again.
The tears of adulthood tasted more bitter than they did back then.
