by S M Olivier
Noah just started dating Stacey. She’s a bit clingy if you know what I mean. They are both going to med school, so I think it is more a relationship of convenience for him.
Drake, well,” she looked over at me with uncertainty. “He lost his virginity to Rose his senior year of high school, and they have been dating since the beginning of his sophomore year in high school. I think he loves her, but I always questioned whether he was in love with her. I think he’s going to struggle the most if you want to stay exclusive.”
I laughed sarcastically. I wanted to know everything, but this only made things more complicated. I didn’t want to be considered a homewrecker. I didn’t want to destroy their relationships. I groaned into my hands. “How can I expect them to stay loyal to me if I can potentially be sleeping with all of them.”
She looked at me with sympathy. “I’m still hoping to find my connection, but you have to understand in our community it is perfectly normal and acceptable to be loyal to your nucleus. You will be channeling his gifts. You’re the one who will amplify their gifts. Unlike you, I think the guys have been preparing for this their whole lives. They have accepted the inevitability of sharing their connection with each other, and in so many ways it makes sense that they are in this rare, never heard of connection. They are closer than friends. They are closer than brothers.”
I was left to mull over this one. “Are you marked like me? Are you a…a nucleus? What can you do? Can you lay the rest on me?”
She laughed as the questions rushed out. “I am. I have what looks like a trident on my hip. It showed up shortly after I turned fifteen. I may be only connected to one; sometimes these things are hard to decipher. I’m not sure if I’m the nucleus yet or if I’m only connected to one,” she frowned slightly. “I’m always used to being the center of attention, so I’m not sure if I can play well with others if you know what I mean.” She was silent for a moment, but then smiled at me. “I will have to show you my gift,” she placed her hands over the radio, and the stations started changing. I can tell she was proud of herself. “I can manipulate electronics.”
I smiled. “Huh, that’s pretty cool.”
I was genuinely enthralled with the concepts of the gifts. Even if I hadn’t completely embraced my own yet, I was still fascinated by everyone else’s.
“I think so,” she laughed. “Well, where were we. Oh yeah. Jax, last, but not least, my first crush,” I gaped at her, and she giggled once more. I think she liked shocking people. “Don’t worry, I got over it after he started dating my ex BFF. Tamara. The evil succubus that he started seeing three years ago. He’s always admired Jace, and I think he’s forever trying to emulate him. Football, and dating the captain of the cheerleading squad, etcetera, etcetera. Kind of cliché, don’t ya think? They are constantly on-again, off-again, and obviously, they are on again.”
“Is he musically inclined?” I asked out of curiosity.
She snorted. “Oh no. He tried, but he doesn’t have the ear or the patience for it.”
Then I finally asked the question I’ve been dying to ask since I saw how flirty she was with the guys. “Have you been romantically involved with any of them?”
She giggled once more. “I wish. They're sexy as hell, well except for my brother.” Then she placed a finger under her chin. “No, I can objectively look at my brother and see how other girls think he’s a hottie. After all, we do share the same DNA,” she winked at me. “Sadly, they have always treated me like a sister, not from my lack of trying though. I gave up on them last year, but I still like making them feel uncomfortable.”
I smiled at her; it really didn’t surprise me. I was glad I met her. For the first time in a long time, I could try making friends again, and I had a feeling we were halfway there to being best friends.
I was ready to recant my earlier thoughts a few hours later when Jem (as I started to call her, much to her annoyance) drug me into yet another store. I knew I already had at least four pairs of jeans, a few skirts (that I doubted I would ever wear), a dress or two, some t-shirts, some Henley’s, and five or six sweaters. She even allowed me to grab a few hoodies, that she had to approve, of course. All these clothes would have lasted me a full school year in my previous life, but Jemmy seemed scandalized when I tried to insist that we were done.
Of course, Ella was having a blast. She didn’t balk at the price tags on the clothes or even fight Jem on her clothing choices. I was starting to think that they were cut from the same cloth; they gushed and exclaimed over the same outfits. It would be more amusing to me if I didn’t feel like a mannequin as she made Ella and me go in and out of dressing rooms to try on something new.
She even purchased a few items for herself, but I was surprised at the restraint she was showing. She didn’t seem to blink as she charged item after item for Ella and me but seemed more reserved with herself.
“Seriously, how much more do I need?” I grumbled as she made me try on a few jackets. “I thought you said we wore uniforms at school.”
She rolled her eyes before grinning at me. “We do, but there’s after school and weekends. You can’t wear a uniform there.”
I knew it was a battle I couldn’t win; she was enjoying herself far too much, and there was no end in sight.
“Can we eat soon, at least?” I sighed as I watched her take two of the eight jackets I had just tried on.
“I guess,” she chuckled throatily.
We paid for our purchases and then headed to the food court. It had an extensive selection. I was excited to see that they had a sushi bar.
“I want sushi,” I showed enthusiasm for the first time that day.
“Eww gross,” she screwed up her nose. “The boys love that crap too. No thank you, I like my fish cooked.”
It was my turn to laugh at her. “Not all of it’s raw, you know.”
She shrugged. “I know, but yeah, no, still won’t try it. I’m more of a chicken fingers and French fries kind of girl.”
I laughed, knowing she probably wasn’t joking. “Well, I’m going to get sushi. We can get our food and whoever gets their food first can find us a table. Ella, what would you like?”
“Chinese,” she smiled widely.
She really was having a great day, and maybe I should stop fighting Jemmy and just go with the flow.
“Okay, we can stop there first,” I told her as I headed towards the sushi bar.
“Wait,” Jemmy called. I turned as she rushed over to me with forty dollars. “I forgot that Jace gave us lunch money.”
I knew resistance was futile, so I just took the money with a muttered, “thanks.” It was obvious that they had money, and they didn’t think anything of it when it was spent, but I still struggled with comparing my old life to my new one. Old habits die hard.
Ella chose some General Tso’s chicken, sautéed broccoli (I insisted that she ate a vegetable), and lo Mein noodles. Then we headed over to the sushi place. I ordered miso soup, a spicy tuna roll, a California roll, and a volcano roll. I didn’t think I would be able to eat it all, but I was going to try.
Jemmy waved at me from across the food court, and I zig-zagged my way through the endless tables and people. I was surprised to see it was so busy on a weekday. As I sat down, I spotted the Bubble Gum Squad. I forgot it was a half day. I groaned.
“What’s up?” Jemmy asked as she dipped her chicken tenders into some BBQ sauce.
“It’s the Bubble Gum Squad,” I mumbled. I was hoping that they didn’t see me as I ducked my head to dig into my miso soup.
Jemmy turned to look over her shoulder. “They look like they belong on the set of Mean Girls.”
I giggled. Little did Jemmy realize, she would fit perfectly in with them looks wise. “They are the epitome of Mean Girls.”
“Fu-,” Jemmy looked at Ella and caught herself, “forget them.” She smiled at herself proudly. “Okay, time for a selfie to show the boys how much fun we’re having.”
She plopped herself down bes
ide me and pulled out her phone. “Tell me when that starts,” I said jokingly and sarcastically.
“Smile, Silvermist,” she smiled widely, showing her perfect, straight white teeth. I attempted my best smile, but it looked fake.
It seemed to work for her as she typed furiously into her phone, and went back to her side of the table.
“Silvermist?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
She giggled at her phone and looked up at me with a shrug. “You have a little sister and you have never watched any of the Tinkerbell movies,” she said with fake horror. “Silvermist is one of Tinkerbell’s friends. She has dark hair like you, and, of course, she’s pretty and tiny, but your eyes are so much prettier. And….” She tapped her fingers on the table, imitating a drumroll, “You have your own Lost Boys!”
She roared with laughter at her own joke. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly and dug into my sushi rolls. I moaned, it had been too long since I treated myself to sushi. My dad and I loved getting sushi together every Friday night after school. When Heidi came along, our tradition stopped. Heidi hated sushi, so we went when she was busy, which was rare.
Jemmy stopped and looked at me. “You really need to stop doing that, especially around the guys. It sounds incredibly sexual. No, wait,” she grinned impishly, “you do you, sister. Keep it up.”
I smiled ruefully. “I can’t help it. I’m such a foodie. I love food!”
“You and Drake have that in common, why do you think he taught himself how to cook? My mother sucked at cooking. He got tired of living off ramen noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” She stuffed more French fries into her mouth.
The way she ate was fascinating. She ate like an adolescent boy, stuffing food in her mouth with zero food etiquette. “What happened to your mom?” I asked curiously.
She paused for a second before swallowing her food. “Umm…she got really freaked out when Drake started to produce his gift. She admitted him to a hospital and that’s where Pops found us. Pops realized Drake was gifted, and I was already exhibiting signs of my gift early because of the stress I was going through. I didn’t want to lose my brother. I razz him constantly, and I love picking on him and making him feel uncomfortable, but he’s the greatest big brother in the world.” She pointed a fry at me, “If you ever tell him I said that I will kill you. Anyways, Mom seemed really freaked out and with Pops’ reassurance, she signed over her rights to us. To this day, she thinks we have some incurable phycological/physical/paranormal disorders.”
I instantly felt bad for her. “I’m sorry to hear that. What about your dad?”
She shrugged nonchalantly, although I saw the flash of pain in her eyes. “He died right after I was born. It’s my mom’s loss. I could care less. I was nine, and we already started having a rocky relationship. She worked all the time and didn’t have time for us. Drake took care of me. I think it bothers him the most; he still calls her on occasion. Anyways, give me your phone, you need a Snapchat.” She held out her hand as I handed her my phone.
I didn’t live in the dark ages; I know about all the social media sites, but my previous phone didn’t have those capabilities, and I truly felt like I wasn’t missing much. Once again, I didn’t think I had a choice.
Reluctantly, I handed her my phone and she began furiously tapping away on it. She handed me back my phone after a few moments.
“There, you now have me, Troy, Drake, Noah, and Jax on your Snapchat.” Before I could ask about the other two guys, she smiled. “Jace and Remy are too cool for school, they don’t have a Snapchat account. They don’t even have Facebook or Instagram. Now hurry up and eat, we have so much to do and so little time.”
I groaned, but Ella was excited about the prospect of getting more new clothes.
Chapter 10
My feet were hurting, and we had already dropped off one load of bags to the car, but Jemmy wasn’t done. She insisted that we needed more than two pairs of shoes, and I needed a hair straightener, hair products, make-up, and more ‘fun’ accessories.
No matter how hard I tried to tell her otherwise, she was determined to buy me everything and anything she thought I needed.
“Aren’t we headed to New York soon?” I asked, hoping to end this endless torture.
She gave me an exasperated look. “No, Pops texted me and said he’s still working on getting medical files, school transcripts, and everything else he needs for you and Ella. He said plan to meet him at Jace’s for dinner, and we will fly out after that.”
She led me into a Sephora store, and, despite my objections, set me up for a makeover. Ella was excited to be included in this little ‘adventure.’ She prattled on excitedly as her make-up artist put light, natural looking make-up on her. I would normally object to putting makeup on a seven-year-old, but I wanted her to feel girly too. Although I did warn her she shouldn’t get used to it.
“I know,” she said with exasperation.
I laughed at her and turned to admire the work that my make-up artist was doing. I had to admit, I was really impressed. It looked so natural; I may very well continue wearing makeup if I could imitate this look. I was told on numerous occasions that my green eyes were stunning, and the shades of purple that she used made them pop. My eyelashes looked darker and longer. My skin was perfectly blended and looked flawless. The pink lip stain she put on my mouth made my lips look fuller and naturally pouty; she smeared a gloss over them and stood back.
“You were a looker before, now you’re positively gorgeous,” she gushed genuinely. I could tell she wasn’t just saying it for a bigger sale, and I ducked my head to hide my blush.
I’ve spent so many years trying to blend in and not stand out. I wasn’t used to the compliments.
Jemmy had stepped out of the store during our makeovers, and she whistled loudly when she walked back in. “You look hot, Mama! Now, let’s go get your hair did. And,” she turned to look at the make-up artist, “we’ll take everything you applied to her today.”
“Jemmy, we’re not doing anything to my hair. I like it just the way it is.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
Jemmy sighed. “Don’t worry, I don’t want to do anything drastic. I just think you need a little trim, so does Ella. Maybe they can wash and style it too. Come on,” she pleaded. “You start a new school on Monday, it’s time to reinvent yourself.”
“You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” a snide, feminine voice said coolly from behind us.
I turned and inwardly groaned as I saw Bridgette and the Bubble Gum Squad behind me. “Go away, Bridgette,” I said coldly.
“Aww,” she turned to her friends and gave an artificial laugh. “The town whore is so brave all of a sudden.”
Her friends laughed. It really was so sad what sheep they were; the lengths they went to, to stay in the ‘squad.’
I suddenly felt bold. In the past, I would have avoided conflict because I would have to face her again, but I was emboldened by the fact that I was leaving the state. I would never have to see her again.
I let out my own mocking laugh. “That’s rich, coming from the girl that’s slept with almost the whole football team, and gets drunk almost every weekend and doesn’t even know who or how many guys she’s slept with,” I paused seeing her shocked expression. Her friends had even taken a step back and were looking anywhere but us. They were aware of her hypocritical behavior. She was quick to get on them or judge them if they didn’t have high standards, but she broke all her own ‘rules.’ “Let’s be real, the only reason you hate me is because your ex-boyfriend had a crush on me, and you were intimidated.”
She wasn’t shocked for long as she realized she was losing face. “Says the crack whore that has a crack whore mother. My daddy heard how her boyfriend tried to rape you, but it’s not rape if you want it.”
I felt like she had physically hit me. I took a menacing step towards her as I heard Ella’s shocked gasp behind me. She had been shielded from this drama, thus far,
and Bridgette hadn’t just hurt me with her words, but Ella as well. I had my fist ready to connect with her face when her phone, along with all her friend’s phones, started going off. As they went to reach for them their purses, jeans, and their phones erupted on fire.
I looked over, shocked at Jemmy, knowing she had a hand in this. She was signing a receipt as she quickly gathered our new purchases. “Let’s go.” She threaded her arm through mine. “Good luck with that ladies, hope you have insurance.”
We left the Bubble Gum Squad, crying, screaming, and cursing.
I was still slightly shaken when we left the mall an hour later. My hair had been washed, deeply conditioned, trimmed, and straightened. I never took the time to straighten my hair, nor did I care to, but Jemmy made me a believer. My hair wasn’t nearly as annoying when it was straightened. The curls normally fell to below my shoulder blades but straightened my hair fell to my hips. The conditioning treatment even made my hair look shinier than it ever had.
We had stopped at the shoe store and got seven new pairs of shoes for me and four for Ella. Jemmy even insisted that I put on one of my new outfits for dinner tonight. We were told to meet Jace and Will at a nice little Italian restaurant on the outskirts of town. Jemmy even purchased an outfit for the occasion.
I truly felt like a new person as I looked at myself in the department store mirror. Jemmy had shoved a pair of dark washed skinny jeans in my hands, a white tank top, and a camel-colored chunky sweater. The sweater fell off one of my shoulders and you could see the tight tank top underneath. I did a little twirl in the mirror and gave myself a small smile. It was dressy but casual; modest, yet provocative, and I loved it.
“You know Jem,” I said as I stepped out of my dressing room waiting for her. “I have to admit I was a little bit scared that you would dress me like…well like you, but I’m impressed.” I admitted, knowing I was baiting her.
Jemmy came out with a scowl on her face. “Not everyone can pull off my amazing look,” she stopped short as she looked at me. She pretended to wipe away tears from her face. “My little girl is growing up.”