Hazel Hudson sees the world in color.
She is an introvert determined to go unnoticed by the people in her new school.
She doesn't want anyone to know that she's different from everybody else, that she has a secret.
Hazel has Asperger's Syndrome...
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A picture of the dress that Hazel wants for Homecoming. The girl in the dress does not represent Hazel as a character, just the dress.
"Emerald...Lively. Radiant. Lush. A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance, and harmony." ~Pantone
I sit with the phone in my hand, her curly red hair vivid in my mind. I want to call her, ask her what she thinks of the dress, but I can't help but think that I scared her off.
DELILAH. I blow out a puff of air.
I push on call and let it ring, holding the cell to my ear. I tap my fingers, hum tunelessly under my breath. I look over to my desk at the bayside book and hop off my bed to grab it. While the phone rings I look through the pages to calm my nerves.
"Hello?" Delilah's on the other line now. I have to stay calm, use one of my conversation starters.
"Hey, Delilah. I was wondering if you'd like to come over, maybe have a sleepover?" I'm chewing on my words, regretting asking. I don't know whether I'm comfortable or not.
"Sure!" She sounds surprised, I think, and I take that as being excited.
"I just need your address." I stay silent on the line for a few minutes, then go on to Google Maps. I type in my address and save the coordinates so that I can text her.
"I'll text you." I swallow a small lump in my throat. So much to clean, so much to prepare for.
"Alrighty! See you tonight!" The line becomes dead, and as I press the end button my mind goes into hyperdrive. I basically sprint through my room, tidying things up, grabbing objects and placing them into my desk drawer so that she cannot see.
There are some things that need to stay personal in my life.
I go into Toby's room, but he isn't there. I knock on the door to the bathroom, but don't hear his voice in reply. I go into the kitchen, where my mother is doing the dishes. My father must've gone outside.
"Where's Toby?" I don't know why, but my voice sounds choked up, like there's something stuck in it.
"He didn't tell you? His date was today. He just left." I nod my head and swallow the lump in my throat. I text Delilah the coordinates and rush back up the stairs.
I lay on my bed, where I curl into a small ball. I wrap the blankets around myself, as tightly as they will go. I'm sure Toby can't be that mad at me, right? I hope he'd be proud of me, reaching out to contact a friend, inviting her for a sleepover.
I shoot up, blankets, flying onto the floor. One flops onto my head, and I push it out of my eyes. I have never hosted a sleepover before. I've never even been to one. I haven't even told my mother about this.
