One of the girls left the concession line and skated over to Zenovia. The skinny girl was wearing greasy lip gloss and a long synthetic ponytail that she’d whipped over one of her shoulders. In Zenovia’s opinion, she was the personification of hoochie.
The girl said, “You are so lucky. I heard Emil knows how to put it down.”
Zenovia’s eyes widened. Put it down was hood slang for someone who was good in bed. Zenovia had already figured out that Emil was no virgin, but she didn’t know that he had a reputation. She wondered how many girls he’d been with.
Emil carried a tray to the table and sat down. In addition to Zenovia’s fries, there was a huge order of chili cheese nachos and a large beverage. Zenovia wondered how Emil stayed so thin. With the amount of junk food he devoured, he should’ve been big as a house.
“I hope you don’t mind sharing a cherry slush,” Emil said.
Zenovia replied, “It all depends on where your mouth has been lately.”
“What are you trying to say?” Emil asked. “You think I’m some kind of freak or something?”
“Some girl just came up to me and told me I was lucky for being your girl.”
Emil grinned. “You are lucky.”
“So it’s true then. You know how to put it down?”
Emil took a long sip of the slush and smiled. “Sienna is a hoe, Zenovia. She was just trying to get you mad. She’s been trying to get with me for months and I’m not feeling her.”
“Have you ever felt her?” Zenovia asked, not entirely sure if she wanted the answer.
Emil’s nostrils flared angrily and he seemed offended. “Are you asking me if I had sex with her?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m asking.”
“Nah, she’s not my type. She’s probably got a disease or something.”
Zenovia quietly munched her ketchup-covered fries. She didn’t want to continue the heated conversation because she much preferred Emil when he was smiling. He was also quiet, but it was a brooding and uneasy silence.
Finally Emil spoke. “Do you think that just because I’m not baptized, that I’m running around like some dog in heat, humping everything in a skirt?”
“No, I really don’t.” Zenovia was completely caught off guard. Besides, his assumption couldn’t be any farther from the truth.
Emil sighed wearily. “Listen, I’m not going to be like those Heights dudes, all right? But that doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. And it doesn’t mean I’m gonna play you for somebody like Sienna.”
“I believe you, Emil,” Zenovia replied. “I just wanted to know if what she said was true.”
A slow smile replaced Emil’s haggard look. “Well, you’ll just have to see for yourself.”
“Emil…”
“Just kidding!” he said with a giggle.
The practice skating session was finally over and the adult skaters started to trickle into the skating rink. Tristan, Alyssa, Mia, and Kyle were some of the first to walk through the door. Alyssa saw Zenovia and Emil and rushed over to their table.
“Hey, Alyssa,” Zenovia said. “Have you met Emil?”
Alyssa smiled and replied, “I’ve heard of him, but never met him. What’s up?”
“Not a thing. Nice to meet you, Alyssa,” Emil answered with very little emotion in his tone. He seemed somewhat annoyed by Alyssa’s presence, but Zenovia couldn’t be sure.
“Same here!” Alyssa said as she plopped down at Emil and Zenovia’s table.
Tristan, Mia, and Kyle made their way over to the table as well. Tristan made brief eye contact with Zenovia. She looked away quickly, as if she had done something wrong. But she had not. Whatever Tristan felt for her was irrelevant because he hadn’t shouted it from the rooftops like Emil had done.
Still Zenovia felt her heart lurch when Tristan put his arm around Mia and pulled her into a friendly embrace. Mia seemed to be in heaven from the spontaneous public display, but Zenovia frowned. If he was trying to make her jealous, it was working. But why would he care to make her jealous?
“So, Zee, are you learning all the skater moves?” Kyle asked.
Zenovia was surprised that Kyle was at the skating rink. She was glad to see him in high spirits again, but she wondered how long it would last.
Mia chimed in, “I’m sure she’s going to have us all looking stupid.”
“I know, right?” Alyssa said. “Are you twirling and jumping yet?”
“No,” Zenovia answered with a laugh. “I’m barely keeping my balance.”
Tristan and Emil conspicuously refrained from the lighthearted banter. It was as if they were each sizing up an opponent. No one seemed to notice the tension except Zenovia. Her eyes darted back and forth from Tristan to Emil, praying neither of them said anything out of pocket.
She should’ve prayed harder.
“So, Emil, did you get baptized at the last regional meeting? Did I miss you going down in the water?” Tristan asked.
Emil balled up his fist in front of his mouth and exhaled. It probably wasn’t the first time he’d been asked the question by an overzealous Brethren member. Zenovia hoped that Tristan would end his inquisition with one question.
Emil replied, “Nah, man. You didn’t miss nothing. I didn’t get baptized.”
“That’s what I thought,” Tristan said. After a long pause he continued. “You know Zenovia got baptized, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
Much to Zenovia’s displeasure, Tristan went on with his verbal barrage. “So you know you can’t do the things with her that you’re used to doing. If she fornicates, you know she’ll be cast out.”
Zenovia knew this was a conversation between two rivals, but she had to interject. “What do you mean cast out?”
“They didn’t tell you about that before you got baptized?” Emil asked with a little chuckle. “Of course they didn’t tell you about that.”
Zenovia reminded herself of everything she’d been taught. She’d been told she could live forever in a paradise. She’d been told that the churches were in error. She’d been told she was living in the end times.
She couldn’t remember being told anything about being cast out.
Tristan retorted, “Remember in the baptism sermon when they talk about the chastening rod?”
Zenovia remembered the word. Chasten. To punish by suffering.
“I vaguely remember that,” Zenovia replied.
Kyle explained, “It’s part of the vow to the Brethren that you take when you go in the water. If you are caught in a sinful and unrepentant state, then you are cast out.”
“But what does it mean to be cast out?” Zenovia asked.
Emil did the honors. “It means that none of your Brethren friends will talk to you. Actually, they’ll treat you like you don’t exist.”
Zenovia looked up at Tristan with questions in her eyes. “Is this true, Tristan? Is this how the Brethren treat people when they make mistakes?”
“It’s how the Brethren treat unrepentant sinners. It’s in the Bible, Zee. A little leaven spoils the whole loaf.”
Zenovia shook her head slowly, not wanting to believe what she’d just heard. She analyzed this new information. After she took a vow to the Brethren, they were allowed to cast her out if she sinned? They were allowed to take her friends and just make them disappear? She felt like she’d just bought a used car and found out that it didn’t have an engine.
Swindled.
Bamboozled.
One of Emil’s skating partners flew past the table. He did a little twist and called out, “E! Man, are you skating tonight or hanging with your little girlfriend?”
Emil glanced at Zenovia and asked, “Do you mind?”
“Of course not. Get your skate on!” Zenovia tried to sound chipper and upbeat as if the new Brethren revelation hadn’t chilled her to her core.
Alyssa sat down in Emil’s vacated seat and put her arm around Zenovia. She said, “Zee, you know you don’t have to worry about being cast
out. They save that only for the worst of the worst.”
Zenovia didn’t reply. Tristan had implied that she could be cast out for fornicating. She knew many, many people who had made that mistake. Too many. But none of them were Brethren.
Of course, she couldn’t help but think of the vision she’d had about herself and Emil. Was she doomed to be cast out of the Brethren? If she trusted the visions as Audrey did, she would have to say yes. Maybe it was for the best that Tristan didn’t pay her any attention. They seemed to have different destinies.
“What, are we at a funeral or something?” Mia asked. “Can we go and skate? I like that song.”
“Emil tired me out with all of that practicing. I’m just going to sit here and chill,” Zenovia said.
Tristan asked, “Do you want some company?”
Zenovia looked out at the skate floor. Emil was in his element. He was skating with his friends, doing the step they’d made up during the practice session.
“Sure,” Zenovia replied. “Sit yourself on down.”
Zenovia was irritated with herself for her conflicting feelings. No matter how much Tristan ignored her or tried to make her jealous with hair-flinging Mia, something about him still tugged at her heart.
Kyle, Mia, and Alyssa clumsily made their way onto the skate floor. They held on to each other for dear life, and were actually quite hilarious to behold.
“They are an accident ready to happen,” Tristan said with a chuckle.
Zenovia replied, “Why don’t you go help them? Your girlfriend is about to fall on her booty.”
“Who, Mia?”
“Yeah. Y’all been real chummy. And here I thought you were going off to the Brethren headquarters to serve the Lord. Sounds like you might end up with a little Brethren wife.”
Tristan’s smile faded and was replaced with an expression that Zenovia couldn’t read. She looked away from his intense gaze and focused her vision onto the skate floor. She watched Emil attempt an intricate jump that he’d tried during the practice session. He didn’t quite make it though, and caused a four-person pileup.
“Looks like your friend took a spill,” Tristan remarked with a sarcastic sneer.
Zenovia narrowed her eyes angrily. “Well, he takes chances. That’s how you and he differ.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, Tristan. Nothing at all.”
Zenovia felt that Tristan got the deeper meaning of her words because he’d grown silent once again. But she could never be sure what he was thinking. His body language would have Zenovia thinking one way and then his actions would be the complete opposite.
Tristan sighed and gazed deeply into Zenovia’s face. “Zenovia… I…”
“Come on, baby girl!” Emil exclaimed as he crash-landed into the table. “You’re not going to let all that practice go to waste, are you?”
Was Tristan on the verge of spilling his guts again? Zenovia wasn’t going to find out. She was standing from the table and ready to skate with Emil.
Emil continued, “Sorry, Heights boy, she’s coming with me.”
Zenovia and Emil both cracked up laughing. Emil’s comment was so unexpected, spontaneous, and silly that Zenovia couldn’t help it. Even if it left Tristan looking and perhaps feeling rather foolish.
Maybe it was a sign that each time Zenovia thought Tristan was about to reveal his inner feelings, he was interrupted. She hadn’t had any visions about him yet, which according to Audrey meant that Zenovia should just forget about him and move on with her life.
Zenovia glanced back over her shoulder as she stepped onto the skate floor and accidentally locked eyes with Tristan. A tiny smile played on his lips and he gave her a slight wave, as if he was saying goodbye.
Chapter Fifteen
Zenovia was petrified.
She stood elbow to elbow with Emil in the small sanctuary of the Northeast Devotion Center. The service had just ended, and most of the congregation milled around, holding random conversations. Emil’s mother, Gladys, was seated in the second row with her arms folded and wearing an ugly frown on her face.
According to Emil, Gladys had insisted on visiting the Northeast Devotion Center so that she could meet Zenovia in person. But to Zenovia she didn’t look too happy about it.
“Don’t worry,” Emil said cheerfully, “Gladys is cool.”
“Cool” was the last word Zenovia would’ve used to describe the woman. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun at the nape of her neck. Zenovia thought that the bun was made of fake hair, but it was pulled so tight that Gladys’s eyes were stretched into little slits.
“She doesn’t look cool, Emil. She looks like she will hurt me,” Zenovia replied.
Emil chuckled. “Don’t be afraid. She won’t get too out of pocket here at the Devotion Center.”
Zenovia wasn’t at all convinced, but she followed Emil to Gladys’s seat. Gladys looked at Zenovia and Emil and her frown deepened. This made Zenovia’s heart sink.
“Mom, I want you to meet my friend Zenovia,” Emil said as he bent over to kiss his mother on the cheek.
She assessed Zenovia with a quick glance up and down. “So you’re the girl I’ve been hearing so much about.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Zenovia replied. She stuck out her hand to shake Gladys’s but the woman ignored her.
Gladys cleared her throat. Then in a calm, quiet, and steady tone said, “You know he has hoe blood.”
“I’m sorry. Come again?” Zenovia was confused and Emil had a look of sheer embarrassment on his face.
“I said he’s got hoe blood. His daddy is a hoe, and Emil is just like him.”
Zenovia chuckled nervously, “Um, I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Just remember what I’m telling you. He’s a hoe and he does what hoes do.”
As if on cue, Audrey walked up to join the conversation. Her red curls bounced as she walked and she looked years younger than Gladys, even though Zenovia was sure they were close to the same age.
Audrey had been relatively stable for the past week. She’d only bleached the house once, and she’d allowed Phillip to share a bed with her. But still Zenovia was concerned that she would soon be looking as embarrassed as Emil.
“Hey there, Emil. Is this your mama?” Audrey asked.
Gladys responded for him with an irritated edge to her voice. “Yes, I am Emil’s mother. Who are you?”
“Who peed in her Cheerios?” Audrey asked Zenovia.
“Mom!”
Audrey looked around and realized she was in the sanctuary. She hunched her shoulders, covered her mouth with her hand, and laughed. “Oops. Excuse me y’all. Who urinated in her Cheerios?”
Zenovia closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t believe this was happening. “This is my mother, Audrey.”
“Well, Audrey, are you aware that our children are dating?” Gladys asked, conveniently ignoring Audrey’s shoulders that were still trembling with laughter.
Audrey mimicked Gladys’s stern, robotic monotone. “Yes, I am aware that they are dating.”
“Well, don’t you think it’s a bit much? They’re too young to date, don’t you agree?” Gladys continued her questions as if she was dealing with someone reasonable.
Unfortunately, she was in a conversation with Audrey.
Audrey threw her head back and let out a hearty laugh. “Woman, you need to chill out! They’re just kids. You act like they fixing to get married or have some babies or something. Just chill!”
Audrey walked away, still laughing. Gladys wore an indignant expression on her face. Meeting Emil’s mother had not gone well.
Emil whispered to Zenovia, “Okay, sorry, Zee. This was a bad idea.”
“You think?”
Chapter Sixteen
All of the young people from the Northeast Devotion Center were huddled in the Batistes’ driveway to see Justin off to the Brethren headquarters. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, and although the temperatu
re was a frigid thirty degrees, everyone was wearing a smile.
Everyone except Zenovia.
Standing there watching Justin pack his bags into the van just reminded Zenovia that at the end of the school year, Tristan would be following his brother. In the face of losing the first real friend she’d found, the only things that gave her comfort were Emil’s arms wrapped around her. He stood behind her wearing a thick down coat. Casually he rested his head on her shoulder. He was so close that his breath warmed the back of Zenovia’s neck.
“When are we going to get out of here?” Emil whispered.
Zenovia replied, “In a little bit. We don’t have to stay long.”
Alyssa walked up to the couple and said, “Dag, you guys are all hugged up! Can I get some warmth?”
“Get yourself a boyfriend,” Zenovia replied with a grin.
“I didn’t know I had achieved boyfriend status,” Emil stated.
Zenovia grinned harder. “You’re almost there. If you conduct yourself appropriately, you might make it in a year or so.”
Alyssa and Zenovia burst into laughter, and after a moment Emil joined them too. While they were laughing, Kyle walked up to the trio who were situated at the rear of the crowd of teenagers. He looked to be on a mission and was clearly not amused.
“Kyle, why are you looking so sour?” Alyssa asked, beating Zenovia to the punch.
“If I’m looking sour, it’s because sin leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
Zenovia raised a warning eyebrow at Kyle. She knew he wasn’t about to stand up here and try to front on her and Emil when she had plenty of reasons to have a bad taste in her mouth about him. It never ceased to amaze Zenovia how the people who needed the most help seemed to always be the ones looking to judge someone else.
“Just chill, Kyle,” Alyssa said.
But Kyle chose to continue. “I mean, come on, Emil. This is a Brethren gathering and you’re practically groping Zenovia.”
Zenovia turned to Emil to see his reaction. His head was tilted back and he bit his bottom lip. She watched his chest ease up and down slowly in his down coat. She hoped that he was trying to hold his temper.
Zenovia had learned from his skating buddies that Emil was not only known for his prowess with the ladies, but he was known for his fighting ability. Kyle’s sheltered life in the Brethren would leave him completely unprepared for a thug like Emil.
In the Midst of It All Page 10