Kaleidoscopic

"Tori! Get back here!" Her mom called.

Tori slammed the door and ran. The things her parents said whirled through her head with every step.

"We want you to break up with Keith." her mom told her.

She ran through the small lots of undeveloped property that separated the houses. Her parents couldn't follow her with the car that way. It didn't matter what her parents said. She'd still date him.

"He's too old for you and we don't approve." her dad said.

Age didn't matter.

"He's eight years older than you. No doubt he only wants to use you for..." her mom couldn't finish the thought.

He had never tried to push her that far. Besides, her parents were ten years apart. Hypocrites, she thought.

"Why can't you date someone your own age?" Her dad asked.

All the boys her own age were too immature for her tastes. Besides she deeply believed she loved Keith.

Tori stopped in a thicker part of the woods and texted him. It wasn't long before he answered. He told her to meet him in front of his workplace.

When she made it there, she stared at the colorful sign. It read: Kaleidoscopic. The word was black, but it didn't make it plain. The background prevented that. It was colorful and reminded her of a the inside of kaleidoscopes she use to look through when she was little.

She saw him leaning against the brick wall of the building. Keith was in his uniform: Black pants, white shirt, red tie, and a gray vest over top the shirt and tie. She went over to him.

"What happened?" he asked. She threw her arms around him. "My parents want me to break up with you, but I don't want to. What can we do?"

"I'm not sure. But if you think about it we're like Romeo and Juliet." He said. Tori looked him in the eyes and told him, "But I won't let our relationship end in tragedy."

He sighed and opened the door of Kaleidoscopic. He whispered, "How hopeful you can be."

"Won't your boss get mad with me hanging out with you during your shift?" She asked. Keith shook his head. "Nah. He wouldn't let a pretty girl stay outside while trying to deal with her problems."

She walked through the door and waited for him to come in. Keith slammed the door and gave her a smile and a wave. He said one last thing, "Goodbye my Juliet."

Then something hard hit her in the back of the head. Tori's vision blurred and went black.