00:00Caleb Bennett and I grew up together
00:0218 years, never apart
00:04He said he had a surprise waiting for me
00:07The freshman welcome party
00:08And that I had to come up on stage
00:11I went up smiling
00:12The spotlight came on
00:14Bailey set the freshman sweetheart crown on my head
00:17He held my shoulders down from behind
00:19A full bucket of scarlet paint even down over my head
00:22The white dress turned the color of blood
00:27The whole room howled
00:29He laughed the loudest
00:32The next day he found out I'd filed my withdrawal papers
00:35His face changed on the spot
00:37You're dropping out over a prank?
00:40I turned around, calm
00:42Yeah
00:44Rewind to that night
00:46Caleb waved at me from the floor,eyes bright
00:50Avery, get up here!I promised you a surprise!
00:55I was one of the hosts that night
00:57So I'd worn the white lace dress
00:59My mom's gift for my 18th birthday
01:02What surprise?
01:03Come up and find out
01:04He pushed me to the center of the stage
01:06Before I could argue
01:07The spotlight hit my face
01:09Everything past it went dark
01:11Caleb stepped in behind me
01:12And rested both hands on my shoulders
01:14He'd done that my whole life
01:16Every time I got nervous
01:17Bailey came up from the other side
01:19The queen bee of the sorority we were rushing
01:21She carried a velvet tray with a rhinestone crown in the middle of it
01:25The big screen lit up with huge script letters
01:28Freshman sweetheart?
01:33Me?
01:36The happiness barely got started before his hands clamped down
01:39Tinning my shoulders
01:40My smile froze
01:42Bailey set the crown straight on my head
01:44And smoothed my skirt for me
01:46Caleb?Is this the surprise you meant?
01:51Her voice carried through the whole auditorium
01:53You said you'd give me a gift
01:54To prove you meant it?
01:56A gift for her?
01:57But the crown was on my head
01:58The blood went cold in my whole body
02:00Bailey stepped back twice
02:02And looked up at the light rig above me
02:04I wanted to look up too
02:05Caleb wouldn't let me
02:06His fingers were pliers sunk into my skin
02:08Caleb what are you doing?What the hell?
02:10My voice shook
02:11He didn't answer
02:12He just laughed
02:13Low right against my ear
02:14Quiet
02:15It went in like a needle
02:16Someone in the crowd recognized the bucket hanging off the rig and yelled
02:20Dump it!Dump it!
02:21The chant got louder
02:22Bailey winked at me and pulled the thin cord in her hand
02:25A full bucket of scarlet paint
02:27Straight down over my head
02:29For a second the world went south
02:31Cold thick red covered my eyes
02:34It ran off the crown
02:35Off the ends of my hair
02:37Off my chin
02:37One drop
02:38Then another
02:39On the white lace
02:40The red bled out like blood
02:42Inch by inch
02:43Eating all the white
02:44Under the spotlight
02:45I was red from head to foot
02:47It hurt to look at
02:48The room exploded with laughter
02:49Hundreds of phones went up at once
02:51Flashes running together
02:53Behind me
02:54Caleb was laughing too
02:55Louder and sharper than anyone
02:5718 years
02:58I'd known him 18 years
03:00I stopped struggling
03:02I let the paint run down my spine into my shoes
03:05And I stood there watching all those faces at the time of their lives
03:08The laughter dropped off
03:09Bailey leaned in
03:10Took a selfie
03:11And tossed the cord aside
03:13Okay Caleb
03:14Message received
03:15She gathered up her skirt
03:16And ran off the stage like a princess taking a bow
03:22Caleb let go of me
03:23He patted the top of my head
03:25Then wiped the paint off his hand onto his jeans like it disgusted him
03:28So? Surprise, right?
03:30Don't be mad, it's just paint, it'll wash out
03:32I didn't look at him
03:33I lifted the crown off my head, still dripping
03:36And opened my fingers
03:38It hit the floor and threw up a small spray of red
03:43I turned and walked off the stage
03:45One step at a time
03:47Every step left another red footprint
03:50A line of red footprints ran from center stage to the auditorium doors
03:54Through all that laughter and all those eyes watching me like a clown
03:58I didn't cry, not one tear
04:01I just knew those 18 years were a joke
04:04And I was the punchline
04:06Back in the empty dorm
04:07I went straight to the bathroom and turned on the shower
04:10Red water ran off my hair and my arms and into the drain
04:12Circling, circling, like bleeding out with the sound of
04:15I stood under it a long time, until the water ran clear
04:18But there was still dark red under my nails
04:20And down at the roots of my hair that wouldn't come out
04:24I balled up the white dress and pushed it into the trash
04:27My 18th birthday present from my mom
04:30It was never washing clean
04:31The girl in the mirror had wet hair with streaks of dark red through it
04:35Like dried blood
04:36Ridiculous
04:37Funny even
04:39I looked for a while
04:40Then I opened the closet and pulled out my biggest suitcase
04:43Clothes
04:44Folded
04:46Textbooks
04:46Stacked
04:47Toiletries
04:48Bagged
04:50Not fast
04:51Not slow
04:52Organized
04:53Same as the hundred times I'd packed Caleb's room and his backpack over the last 18 years
04:58My phone was buzzing itself off the desk
05:00Caleb
05:02I didn't pick up
05:03Avery, where'd you go?Are you actually mad?
05:05Just a prank
05:05You're not that sensitive, right?
05:06Me and Bailey are just messing around
05:08Don't read into it
05:09Hey, answer me
05:10Hey, answer me
05:10Hey, answer me
05:11You beautiful
05:18字幕志愿者 杨茜茜
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