Angel of Mine

by Jessica Louise

  He moves his hand to my mouth and releases my lip from the hold I have on it. “You are going to kill me girl.” He scoots back a little and releases my face. “We can take this slow. I truly enjoy your company, so let’s just have fun, and finish our picnic, okay?”

  Air whooshes out of my mouth, and I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath. “Okay.” We both turn and our eyes reach the cupcakes at the same time. Yeah, maybe finishing the food at this picnic isn’t a brilliant idea.

  Walking through the door, I whistle a tune as I replay the time at our picnic together today through my head. Ally is so sweet and innocent but at the same time brave and selfless. She thoroughly fascinates me. Life is starting to look up again.

  My stomach leads me towards the kitchen. Even though I just ate at a picnic, I am always up for more food. I can smell the roast lamb and vegetables Mum is cooking as the scent wafts through the air and down the hallway to meet me.

  Mum looks up from the batch of biscuits she is making as I approach. “You’re whistling,” she says and smiles knowingly. “Good date then?”

  Cutting off my tune, I reply, “Great date.”

  She reaches up, ruffles the hair at the top of my head, and then pulls me into a hug, “I’m glad. You undoubtedly deserve to have your life back on track Theo.”

  “Would you like to meet her, Mum? She’s incredible. I was thinking of bringing her over for a barbecue this weekend.”

  Mum’s eyes glaze over, and she nods enthusiastically. “I would love to meet her.”

  Ducking under her arm, I snatch some of the cookie dough and dart away before she can catch me. “Awesome Mum, I’ll invite her for Sunday afternoon then.” After finishing the dough, I make my way to my room, whistling once again.

  My arms wrap tightly around Ally’s slim frame as I hold her up against me. Her tongue dances with mine and I can taste something sweet like watermelon and strawberries. When I tug at the hem of her shirt, I’m surprised to find she lets me lift it up. I’m getting extremely worked up, but somehow I manage to put some space between us so that I will be able to see her as I remove it. I move slowly to relish in the sight. When I get just below her breasts, I take a deep breath, readying myself for what’s about to come.

  Beep, Beep, Beep. My alarm goes off right next to my ear. Damn, it was a dream.

  Stretching my arm out to turn it off, it collides with someone standing next to my bed. My eyes snap open to see my brother standing there grinning, and literally holding my alarm right next to my ear. I mean so close that it’s almost touching me.

  “You sounded like you were in the middle of a good dream.” He doesn’t even try to hide his amusement. Great, I must have been talking in my sleep again, or moaning as the case may be.

  “Shut up Alex.” Raising my arms behind my head to grab my pillow, I get a firm grip then pull it free, aiming it right at my stupid brother.

  He jumps back and turns around. Wrapping his arms around to his back, he starts to make kissing noises mixed in with, “Ally, oh Ally, you taste so sweet.” This time when I throw a second pillow, I’m successful, and it hits him in the head. He falls over, laughing so hard that he has to hold his sides as if this is the funniest thing he has ever seen.

  “Haha Alex, very funny. Why are you in here anyway?”

  He gets up off the hideous green carpet we have yet to replace, and walks back towards me. “Sorry man, I couldn’t help myself. I just came in to let you know Mum went out to the shops to get stuff for the barbecue tomorrow, and I’m heading out to check out my new school’s football team. I heard they had a game on. You want to come?”

  I’m actually keen to see Ally after the dream I just had, but I’m not about to tell him that after all his teasing. He can be so cheeky and immature sometimes. I love that part of his personality, but I don’t want to add any fuel to his fire and chance him saying something embarrassing in front of Ally tomorrow. “I’m good, man. You have fun though.”

  “Sure thing brother, see you this afternoon sometime.” He leaves the room, and I roll back over in my king size bed and try to recapture the visions from my dream. After about ten minutes with no such luck, I decide I need the real thing. I get up to find my phone and send a text to Ally to see if she wants to hang out today.

  Me – Hi! What are you up to? I would like to see you today. Do you want to hang out?

  Ally – Sure. Where should I meet you?

  Me – I’ll come to you, say in an hour?

  Ally – Ok see you soon. ☺

  Placing my phone back down on my desk, I go about getting ready.

  When I pull up to Ally’s house, she is sitting on the front steps waiting for me. She is wearing denim shorts that highlight her long golden legs that seem to go on forever. A white hoodie covers up her gorgeous chocolate locks. However, it’s so baggy on her that it makes her look adorable in an entirely different kind of way than usual.

  Stretched out, she leans back on her hands with her head slightly tilted back admiring the wind chime that hangs above. The breeze carries the musical notes, and she seems enchanted by it.

  She continues to look up as I walk towards her. “I love looking at the chimes as they sway in the wind. It’s so pretty.” The tone of her voice almost harmonizes with the sounds around us.

  “So pretty,” I agree without taking my eyes off her. Sitting up, she catches me staring and fidgets self-consciously with the bottom of her shorts, trying to pull them a little lower down her legs.

  While she adjusts, I take a minute to observe her cozy little cottage style house. The other day when I came to pick her up, I was so eager to see her that I didn’t actually take the time to appreciate how homey it is.

  The steps lead up to a small porch decorated with terracotta pots filled to the brim with lavender. Subtle traces of the scent drift in the air around me, bringing on a relaxed and content feeling.

  A large brass knocker adorns the white front door, and just off to the right of the entryway, sits a wooden bench topped with pale green cushions. Wooden shutters frame multiple windows and the paint on them is a little worse for wear. The place is a little battered but the design is incredible. This is just the type of home I’d love to renovate.

  “So what do you want to do today?” Ally brings me out of my appraisal and I go to sit down beside her. “I was thinking we could hang out here and watch a movie. Maybe one from your famous collection you were telling me about the other day at the mall?”

  Sliding my backpack off my back, I pull it open to show Ally the contents. “I hope it wasn’t too presumptuous of me, but I packed in some popcorn, a few other snacks, and some soda thinking we could make a day of it?”

  She pulls herself up on the rail lining the stairs and turns towards me. “That actually sounds perfect. However, you might regret suggesting it after you see all my DVDs. All I own are romantic comedies.”

  The site of her sexy behind as she makes her way to the door provides a treat for my eyes. “Come on in.” She motions me through to a small living area. The first thing I notice is there is only one two-seater couch in the room, placed in front of the TV. Score, I won’t have to find an excuse to sit close to her. On top of a red and cream Persian rug sits a cherry wood coffee table and I walk over to place the snacks on it.

  Spotting the DVD stack to the right of the TV, I glance over the titles; 10 Things I Hate About You, Pretty Woman, Notting Hill. Jeez, she wasn’t kidding when she said all she owned was romance.

  “What do you want to watch?” I give her the choice since I plan to concentrate on her more than the movie anyway. She pops a copy of 50 First Dates in the player and we sink down on to the couch. The floral design is so ugly it makes my eyes hurt, however it’s actually comfortable, and the mismatched pieces around the room add a lot of character.

  Ally sits close enough that I can smell hints of lavender coming off her skin, but not quite close enough to drape my arm around her. Squashing down my disappointment, I tell
myself this is probably a smart thing, at least until I find out if her mum is home. Trying to be sly about gaining this information, I question, “Would your mum like to come watch the movie with us before I press play?”

  Ally seems clueless as to the real reason I asked, and she replies, “No, she’s out at the shops, she’ll be back later.”

  We sit back, and I discover this movie isn’t as pathetic as I thought it would be. I even find myself laughing at times. We slowly inch closer together but still aren’t touching. Honestly, I don’t mind since I’m having so much fun.

  Picking up a piece of popcorn, I throw it towards her mouth. It ends up hitting her on the nose. She turns to me with a slightly shocked look on her face. “Hey, what was that for?” She sounds a little miffed. Her hands are on her hips and she is staring me down, demanding an answer. I’m not intimidated in the slightest though. On the contrary, I find it extremely cute.

  “Oh come on, don’t tell me you haven’t seen the classic date move where you throw popcorn in each other’s mouths? You own a billion romance movies. It has to be in one of them?” I can literally see this information processing in that sweet little head of hers as her eyes become distant.

  Without warning, she throws a piece of popcorn at my face. Laughter bubbles up my throat, impossible to contain and before long, we are both in hysterics, throwing the delicious snack back and forth at each other.

  “I don’t know about romantic, but this certainly is entertaining, even though it is a little childish,” Ally manages to relay between bursts of giggles. The laughter sounds like pure joy and my ego swells with satisfaction that I caused it.

  “Childish? I’ll show you childish.” Leaping towards her, I grab a hold of both her wrists in one hand and pin them above her head, then with the other I start to tickle her with no abandon.

  “Mercy,” she yells as she squirms beneath me. “Mercy, mercy, mercy.”

  Dropping her wrists, I ease back off her. “So the tickling is a date move you have seen then?” I smirk. She must have seen it to know the word ‘mercy.’

  “Yeah,” she answers breathlessly. She looks stunning, laying back with her hair splayed around her, even with the popcorn in it, no, especially with the popcorn in it.

  Gently brushing the pieces of food away, I pull her up and tuck her into my side. My arm drapes comfortably around her where it stays for the rest of the movie.

  After the movie, we wander outside to stretch or legs in the fresh air. The oaks that are prominent in most streets of this town are present here, but just a little bit sparser than everywhere else. Spinning in the sunshine, I bask in its warmth. It’s so nice out here I was even able to take off my hoodie. It won’t be long until winter is here and a cold chill will take over our days.

  There are two boys throwing a baseball back and forth to each other on the street. Another is sitting on the branch of a tree that is by the roadside watching them. He appears to be the younger brother of one of the boys throwing the ball.

  A rogue ball goes sailing past my head so fast I actually hear the wind as it whips by my ear. I turn to retrieve it for them, only to find Theo has already caught it. He throws it back, and I take the opportunity to admire the muscles in his arm flexing, Yum.

  We go and sit on the kerb and watch them play. When I was younger, I used to look out my window and watch the other kids playing happily on the street and in their front yards. I remember wishing I could join in, or that I had a brother or sister to be able to play with at least inside the house. My father left just after I was born though and Mum never remarried, let alone dated, so there was no chance of that happening.

  Glancing at the little boy up in the tree, I wonder if he wishes he could join in too. As I watch him, I see him lose his balance, and jump to my feet. He catches a small branch and manages to stop his fall. However, his feet still dangle in mid-air trying to find somewhere to land. “Help!” His feet start kicking wildly and he clearly panics. I start to make my way over and feel Theo’s presence right behind me.

  As if in slow motion, I see the small branch the boy is holding snap, and before I am able to make it to him, he falls to the ground with a deafening crack. Pausing, I look on in horror as his bone breaks through the skin of his arm in not one, but two places.

  His shrill screams pierce my ears and my body starts to hum with energy propelling me forward. Only two steps in, I find something is pulling me back and look down to find Theo’s firm arms wrapped around me.

  “What do you think you’re doing? Let go of me,” I shriek. All the struggling in the world doesn’t help me to get free but I still try because I need to get to this boy. It feels like there is something clawing at me from the insides trying to break free and help him.

  “No,” he says assertively. “Buddy, go get your mum okay?” I hear him ask the other boys on the street to go get help, when I am capable of helping better than anyone else is, and it makes me fuming mad. Becoming desperate to get to the boy before his mum comes out, I scratch at Theo’s arms.

  “I’m not going to let you hurt yourself again Ally. Stop fighting me.” Argh, he is like an unmovable force.

  “Let go,” I screech before biting down hard on his arm. The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth, but I don’t have the time to feel guilty when it achieves the result I want and his arms loosen. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse, I break free and sprint over to where the little boy is who needs me.

  “Ally no!” Paying no attention to Theo’s plea, I sit down next to the boy. He is so young and can’t handle the pain. I, on the other hand, know I will be fine once the ambulance arrives and gives me painkillers.

  Raising my hands, I find the effect taking hold immediately. There is a split second of ecstasy while my powers burst free, and then the explosive pain hits. Digging deep, I hold on. I know I have to go for longer as his arm is broken in two places. The first snap feels like someone smashed a hammer against my arm, and as my bone breaks through my skin, blood spurts up and hits me in the eye. My right arm flops down midway between my elbow and wrist where the break is. I prop it on my knee to hold it up while I continue to heal him. Gritting my teeth so hard I’m sure they will chip, I am just able to hold on until the second snap. As my stomach turns violently at the sight, I shift to the side and vomit all over the footpath. Voices around me barely register as everything goes black.

  “Damn it,” I scream as I punch the large tree trunk in frustration. I’m livid. The rough bark tears up my knuckles making them bleed. A bitter laugh twists its way out of my throat as I think of how Ally would try and fix that too if she were still conscious.

  I’m furious at myself for not restraining her properly and keeping her out of harm’s way. I reach for my phone and dial emergency services for the second time in just two weeks.

  There is pandemonium around us as people look and point, retelling the event. The boy’s mother came out just in time to witness the whole scene and I have no idea how we are going to talk our way out of this one, but I can’t worry about that right now, my main concern is Ally’s wellbeing.

  Carol’s station wagon barely pulls up in the driveway before she comes flying over to meet me, a look of utter despair on her face. She starts to pace nervously in front of Ally like a mother bear guarding her cub and glares with disdain at all the unwanted spectators.

  After giving the ambulance an address, I drop down by Ally’s side and wipe the traces of puke off the side of her face. The rise and fall of her chest assures me she is still breathing, and it eases the tortured thoughts running through my mind that she is not awake to feel the pain.

  The ambulance pulls up beside us and as the officers rush out, I step up to Carol’s side to give them room to work. “I’m so sorry. I tried to stop her. I really tried. She bit my arm and managed to get away. I’m so sorry I failed her.” I address Carol without being able to look at her, and hang my head in shame.

  She places her hand on my now trembling arm as the ad
renalin wears off. “It’s not your fault Theo, I know how determined she can be. That is why I got her to stay inside for most of her life. She needs protection from herself, and she just can’t seem to help herself from running off to someone’s rescue.” The gesture that should be comforting seems to make me worry more. How can I stop her from doing this to herself all the time?

  As they wheel Ally into the back of the ambulance, I encourage Carol to go with her. I will meet them there after I have tried to sort out the gossiping neighbours. They drive away, and I stop to listen to what everyone is saying before going to the boy’s mother.

  From what I can hear, everyone else except the lady I’m approaching thinks that Ally fell from the tree while climbing it to help the young boy. As I get closer to her, she appears more and more apprehensive.

  “Please don’t tell anyone what you saw,” I plead with her. “She helped your son at her own expense. Please show her the courtesy of keeping quiet about her ability. She doesn’t need the publicity. All she wants is a normal life.”

  The woman looks shell shocked as she replies, “So I didn’t imagine that?” Shaking my head, I affirm what happened, “No, but please let’s keep that between us?”

  “Of course you have my word. Please let her know how grateful I am that she helped my son.” Nodding my head, I turn away and head over to my car so I can go to the hospital. I really hope that woman keeps her promises.

  My eyes open yet again to that familiar white wash and beeping of machines. My head feels heavy, and my brain is fuzzy. I’m aware I must be on some type of pain medication because nothing aches. I vaguely remember fixing that little boys arm. No matter how foggy I am, it’s impossible to forget the image of bones tearing through skin. My mind isn’t clear enough to worry about the consequences too deeply yet though.