“You look like you haven’t slept. Maybe you are getting run down.”
“I bet you I’m getting sick.”
“Just think, today’s Friday. You can sleep in as much as you want tomorrow and Sunday.”
“Not tomorrow I can’t. I have ballet at eight. But if I’m sick, I might stay home.”
“Do you feel like you’re coming down with something?” Becky asks as she turns her back, and slips out of her sleep clothes and changes into jeans and a t-shirt.
“That’s the thing, I feel okay, just tired. I don’t know, maybe I am working too hard at ballet.” I take a deep breath and scrub my hand over my face a few times to wake up. “Maybe you’re right, I bet I’m just run down.”
“What do you want for breakfast? I’ll go get it ready. By the way, Laurie said he can pick us up.”
“Whatever, I’m not really hungry. I’ll let Mom know Laurie’s taking us to school.”
Becky heads out toward the kitchen and I hear her and Mom talking. I go to the bathroom and get ready for the day.
“Hey, princess.” Elijah’s already waiting under the tree where we usually sit for lunch. “Bro.” He fist pumps Laurie. “Becky.” He gives her a small nod.
“Satan,” she acknowledges him back.
“Becky!” I warn, though I laugh at the same time.
“Satan? Really? That’s the best you can say about me?” he replies as he slings his arm over my shoulders when I sit beside him.
“I figure I can’t say anything else, so Satan sounds good. I like it. It fits,” she teases.
Elijah leans in and whispers in my ear, “I’m only the devil if someone tries to hurt you.” And then he kisses my cheek.
“Cut it out you two, or go get a room.” Becky fake pukes, Elijah and I laugh at her stupid antics.
“I’ve got it all planned out for tomorrow night,” Elijah triumphantly says as he pulls his shoulders back. He looks so pleased with himself.
“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”
“Nope.”
“What’s going on?” Becky asks as she peels an orange and throws the skins over her shoulder.
“Stop littering,” I snap at her.
“It’s orange peel, the birds will eat it.”
“I don’t care, pick it up and stick it in the trash.”
Becky rolls her eyes and huffs in frustration. “Fine.” She leans behind her to gather the peel. “Happy?” She makes a funny face at me.
“Yes.” I mimic the stupid face back at her.
“What’s going on tomorrow night? I have a gig on, I’m filling in for Jace. So, what time are we doing what?”
“You’re not invited,” I automatically respond.
Becky clutches at her chest in mock hurt. “You’re breaking my heart,” she over emphasizes fake tears falling. As soon as I laugh at her, she stops, straightens and keeps on with her orange. “Why aren’t I invited?”
“Because it’s a date between Alice and me,” Elijah explains.
“Oh.” She wiggles her head. “A date. Where are you going? What are you doing? And what time will you be bringing Alice back home?”
Becky is a full-on shit stirrer. She’s doing this to get a reaction. I look to Elijah, and I notice his jaw jump as he clenches it. “It’s okay, she’s only saying this ‘cause she’s riling you up for a reaction.”
“It’s working,” he grumbles.
“Hey, sisters before misters,” I reply. “This is Becky, so you have to live with it if you want me.”
Elijah crinkles his nose, and takes a deep breath. “I can live with her.”
“Good, because she’s going to be in my life forever. It’s the way we are.”
“I’m beginning to understand that.”
“The quicker you do, the better it’ll be for you.” I smile at him, hoping he truly understands how important Becky is to me. “Anyway, about this date tomorrow night.”
“Not telling.”
“Ugh.” I take my lunch out of my bag, but the mere sight of it has my stomach churning. I stick it back in my bag. I cringe at the thought of food.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Elijah asks.
“I think I’m run down. I woke up this morning with pins and needles in my hand and my foot.” I make a fist with my left hand, as if I’m trying to relieve the pins and needles which aren’t there.
“You barely ate last night too. What did you have for breakfast?”
What did I have? “Um, I’m not sure.” I look to Becky who’s deep in conversation with Laurie, but she turns and notices me trying to get her attention. “Hey, what did I have for breakfast? My mind’s gone blank.”
“I had cereal, and you said you weren’t feeling hungry but you had an O.J.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Becky goes back to her conversation and I look at Elijah. “There’s your answer—O.J.”
“That’s not food, and you dance it off so you need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry. If I was, I’d eat, but I’m not.”
“Maybe you’re getting sick. Do you have a sore throat or anything?” Elijah has suddenly stepped into a nurturing role. He’s moved his body so he’s closer to me. And he automatically reaches out to feel my forehead for heat. “You’re not hot.”
“Thanks,” I burst into laughter.
“No! I mean you’re hot but you’re not hot in the head.” I laugh even harder. “I’m gonna shut up now, ‘cause I know I’m gonna say something else stupid.” He plonks back down and shakes his head.
“Tell me about our date.”
“Now who’s tenacious?” he teases.
I squint at him and push on his shoulder. “Stop teasing me,” I say, but in fact, I like it. “Please, tell me about tomorrow night.”
Elijah breathes out in frustration. Yay, I think I’m wearing him down. I edge closer to him and lay my head on his shoulder, to which he responds by hugging me. “Do you really want me to spoil the surprise?” I nod my head eagerly. He leans down and kisses my forehead. “No.”
“Oh man,” I instantly reply. “Come on.”
“You know what? Now you’ve made a huge deal of it, it’s going to end up sucking. And I don’t want it to be shit, I want it to be awesome for you. So stop asking questions otherwise it’ll end up being lame.”
“Fine,” I say and move away from him.
“Great,” he says sarcastically. “She’s adding ‘fine’ to the vocabulary. I’m not an idiot, princess. I know that when a woman says fine, it means we males either have to run for cover or protect our family jewels.”
“Not true,” I smack him in the shoulder again. “I’d never do anything to make you protect your family jewels.”
“Aha, but you’d make me run for cover.”
“Hmm, well . . .”
Elijah’s mouth falls open and he shakes his head. “I’m so screwed,” he mumbles while looking away.
“Get used to it.” I lean over and move in to kiss his cheek, but he moves his head back the moment my lips make contact with his. The kiss is sweet, and makes my heart jump with excitement. He makes my entire body buzz with a renewed fire in the pit of my stomach. There’s something about Elijah Turner, something more than just him. I can feel it, it’s like we’re meant to be together. Like he’s my fate and I’m his destiny.
“What time do you want me to drop you at Elijah’s?” Mom asks me on the way back from ballet.
“He’s coming home at about five and I think we’re walking back to his. He told me we’re not leaving his place, we’re staying there.”
Mom’s eyebrows raise as she keeps a watchful eye on the road. “Are his parents going to be there?”
“Yeah, I think so. Want me to find out?”
Mom’s jaw clenches and she takes a deep breath. She blinks a few times and then opens her mouth to say something. “I’d be more comfortable knowing his parents are home. But, in saying that, I know you’re sixteen, soon to be seventeen, so I have to learn to
let go a little sometimes.”
“It’s okay, Mom, I get it. I’ll find out.” It’s got to be hard for Mom to let me go. I’m her little girl and she’s overly protective of me.
“No, don’t. I have to learn to step back a bit.”
I grab my phone and shoot a text off to Elijah asking if his parents are going to be home tonight. He replies virtually instantly and tells me his parents have some party they’re going to, but they’ll be home by about ten. When I relay the message to Mom, I can see the worry and strain on her face. I know she wants to protect me, but at the same time, she does need to loosen up too.
We pull into the driveway after Mom picked me up from ballet, and she turns the car off but doesn’t open the door. Instead, she sits in the car staring at the side of the house. I’m already out and heading up the three steps to the front door, when I notice she’s not coming inside. I double back and knock on the drivers’ side window.
“You okay, Mom?” I ask concerned.
“I’m okay.” She gives me a weak smile and I know she’s struggling with the lack of parental supervision for tonight.
“Mom, I can promise you, I won’t be having sex with Elijah because I’m not even remotely ready for it. If you’re that worried, I’ll cancel the date.”
Mom turns her head to look at me. “No you won’t. You’re going to go on this date with him. And let me tell you, I’m more worried about how old I’m getting.” I can tell, she’s only saying that so I don’t worry. I know her real fears.
“Well, you do have all those gray hairs.” I point to the few silver strands coming through.
“They’re not gray,” Mom barks at me as she opens her door. “They’re strands of glittery goodness.”
I hold my hands up in defeat and back away from the crazy woman who’s having an old age crisis. “They say admitting you have a problem is the first step. You have a problem, Mom, you’re going gray.”
“Get your butt inside the house before I put bars on your windows and chain you to your bed.”
I laugh as I unlock the door and head inside. “Going for a bath,” I call as I make my way down the hallway.
“Get undressed, I’ll get it ready for you.”
“It’s okay, I’ll run it.” I stop in the bathroom and start the bath.
“How was dancing today?” Mom asks as I sit on the side of the bath starting the water. I groan. “That bad?”
“Miss Lauren is even harder on me now than before. I swear she takes pleasure in ripping apart my technique and making me do it over and over again until it’s perfect. Then she always says, ‘You’re wasting my time,’ and pushes me even harder. It’s a miracle I’m still alive. But on the plus side, at least I cut my toenails so my toes didn’t bleed. And it was just a two-hour lesson today.”
“What do you want for lunch? Do you want a chicken salad?” Mom asks as I run my hand through the filling tub.
“I’m not really hungry.”
“You’ve been skipping meals a lot lately, Alice. Are you alright?”
“I feel fine. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve been off my food this last week or so.”
“Do you feel okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been tired, but that’s it. I’ve been working my butt off at dancing though. Maybe that and the fact I’ve not been hungry has me feeling tired.” I shrug my shoulders.
“You have to have something. How about I make you a sandwich for after your bath?”
Ugh, I don’t want to eat. But if I don’t, I know Mom will worry. And I don’t want her worrying about me. “Sure thing, maybe chicken and lettuce?”
“Coming right up. And some O.J?”
“Sure thing, Mom. Thank you.” Mom leaves and I close the door then get undressed and ready for my bath.
Within a few seconds of sinking into the warm water, I’m lulled to a relaxed state. “This feels so good,” I groan to myself. As I lay in the bath, my mind drifts to my date tonight with Elijah. I can’t wait to see what he’s done for me, and what we’re going to do. I hope it’s not something that’ll tire me out any more than I already am. Hell, I hope I can stay awake and not fall asleep. Oh man, how embarrassing will it be if I fall asleep and drool? Or worse still, what if I fall asleep and I fart? Oh my God, I’d die of shame. But the thought does make me laugh. I’ll have to make sure I don’t close my eyes long enough to fall asleep. Or fart.
By the time the water turns tepid, I’ve already imagined a hundred ways I can humiliate myself tonight, and I’m making sure none of those are going to happen.
I get out of the bath, dry myself off and dress in shorts and a t-shirt. The weather has certainly turned up the heat, and I dare say vacation will bring incredibly hot days. That means I’ll be spending a lot of time down at the public pools.
Upon opening the door I’m assaulted with a smell that makes me retch. What on earth is that disgusting odor? When I get into the kitchen, Mom’s got lunch ready for me. “It’s turkey and lettuce on rye, is that okay?”
“Yeah, perfect. Thank you.” Sliding into the seat, I look at my lunch and try to hold in the vomit sitting at the base of my throat. “What’s that smell, Mom?” I ask.
It’s vile and my stomach is agreeing with me. “I made some eggs.”
“Are they off?”
“No, why do you say that?” She lifts her eggs and sniffs them. “No,” she confirms. “They’re fine.”
“They smell like they’re off. Seriously, the moment I opened the door to the bathroom I almost heaved.”
“Oh, really?” Mom looks down at her plate, then back to me. “I’ll throw them out. Better to be safe than sorry. No one needs food poisoning the last week of school.”
Mom walks over to the kitchen trash, and throws the eggs out. “I’ll make a turkey on rye for me too.”
“Have half of mine, there’s no way I can eat all of it. Not with that smell lingering in my nose. Here,” I say as I stand and go grab a knife from the cutlery drawer and cut my lunch in half.
“You need to eat,” Mom scolds me.
“Not this much and not with that smell,” I say again.
When I sit back down, I begin to nibble on lunch. The more I eat, the sicker I feel, especially with that disgusting odor persistently hanging around.
It takes me a good half hour to finally get my lunch down, and when I do I tell Mom I’m going to go lay down for an hour or so until Elijah comes over.
Going to bed, I pull the thin blanket over me and sleep instantly grabs me.
“Hi, Mr. Brackman. I’m here to walk Alice over to my house,” I hear Elijah say to Dad from the front door.
“Alice, Elijah’s here,” Dad yells. I slip on some flats and grab a thin sweater just before I head out of my bedroom. The moment I’m in the family room, Elijah’s cologne is familiar to me, and I smile before I even see him.
“Hi,” I say the moment he’s in view.
“Hi,” he responds and walks toward me. “You look beautiful.” He leans down and gives me a kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you.” My face flushes and my entire body trembles with excitement. “We ready to go?” Elijah nods his head. “Bye, Mom.” I walk over and give her a kiss and a hug.
“Curfew is midnight,” she says. “Text me when you’re ready and I’ll come pick you up.”
“I can walk her home if you like,” Elijah offers.
“No way will you be walking my daughter home at midnight,” Dad sternly states.
“I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t mean any disrespect.” Elijah’s going into a panic, I can tell by the way his teeth are clenching tightly together. “I wouldn’t jeopardize her safety for anything.”
“Mike,” Mom says as she hooks her arm through Dad’s. “He means well.”
Dad breathes out, and lets his shoulders fall forward. “Of course,” he says after a few seconds. “Thank you for the offer, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to either of you. Her mother or I w
ill pick her up at midnight.”
Elijah nods his head and looks down at his feet. “Yes, Sir.”
“Bye, Dad.” I give him a kiss and a hug. He holds me for a heartbeat too long before he lets me go and smiles.
“Have fun,” he calls as we head toward the front door. “But not too much,” he adds, loudly. Very loudly.
Elijah’s house is only a few blocks over from mine, and it’ll only take us a few minutes to get there. “I thought your dad was going to rip my head off,” he says as we walk down the street.
“My parents are protective.”
“Does it get irritating?”
“Truthfully? No. I’d rather they care too much than not care at all.”
Elijah grabs for my hand and entwines our fingers together. “You have a point.”
“Will you now tell me what we’re doing tonight?”
“My house is like five minutes away. You can’t wait?”
He’s so damn stubborn. “Fine.”
“Here we go again, with the whole ‘fine’ business.” I chuckle and roll my eyes. “Where’s Becky tonight?”
“She said she’s got a gig, remember? She’s filling in for the other guitarist because he’s got something going on.”
“I think she’s going to end up in a famous band one day. I’ll deny it if you ever tell her, but I think she’s much better than the guitarist in Triple Threats.”
“Seriously?” I ask.
“Hell yeah. She’s got this natural flair about the way she plays. It’s like she absorbs the whole thing and just plays from her soul. The night we all snuck into the bar and they were playing, the moment I saw her up on stage I knew the stage is her home. She’s so good.”
Wow, how amazing to hear him talking about my best friend this way. “I’m impressed.”
“Why?”
“Sometimes I feel like you two are going to kill each other.”
“It’s all in fun. She’s a cool chick, but nothing like you.” He leads me down the street and up the garden path toward his house. I’ve known where Elijah lives for many years, because like me, he’s lived in our tiny town for as long as I can remember.
“I’m kinda nervous,” I admit as I lean on his arm.
Dying Wish Page 14