by Anya Breton
Jen giggled. “Most teenagers look for the one that will piss their family off the most.”
“Then I guess I’m not most teenagers because family is important to me.”
“That’s cool,” Melissa smiled warmly. “Family is important to me too.”
“My family loves my boyfriend,” Ashley informed him as if he’d care.
I checked my watch impatiently. There was a drawing table with my name on it behind a locked door. But instead I was forced to sit there listening to her while I waited for the bell to ring.
Alex’s eyebrow lifted as his head turned to face me. “Got someplace to be?”
“I have to work on a drawing,” I admitted and wondered how he’d seen my small movement while he’d been turned in the other direction. “We’re doing critique today.”
“Is that why you weren’t in photography class yesterday?”
“No.” I didn’t offer an explanation.
His lips thinned.
Thankfully the bell rang saving me from further discussion. I wasted no time before jumping from the bench, grabbing my bag, waving to the others and then heading out the far door. Unfortunately despite the fact that I wasn’t going to the photography studio I was still going in the same direction as Alex. Strangely he left me alone. I reached the drawing room without him so much as speaking a syllable to me.
The extra hour of work on my picture was enough that it was closer to my usual efforts. Though not one of my better works, it didn’t get pulverized by my classmates during the constructive criticism portion of critique. I left feeling a little better about it and thankful that I’d put in the extra time.
Soccer was the activity of the day once again in gym. I arrived on the field prior to the choosing of teams. The captains were picked first. Tyler and Alex were forced to choose team members.
Names were called one at a time. Alex said mine fourth after he’d picked three other athletic people. But when the game began he kept his distance from me.
Discreetly I watched him for what seemed like the first time. Alex had powerful looking legs that were overly muscled in the thigh. His arms appeared similar. I compared that to what I knew of cats and decided it made sense.
I tried not to recall what was under the t-shirt as he ran by me with the ball. With a dark flush of my cheeks I lowered my eyes to keep them on anything but him for the remainder of class.
Guy and I walked quietly downtown after the last bell. My thoughts kept straying to Alex. I slowed until the cameraman was almost on top of me so I could talk to him simply so I’d have something else on my mind.
“Did you do anything fun Sunday or Monday night?”
“Two of us went over to Burlington to visit the Ben and Jerry’s factory,” Guy told me in a voice that was slightly breathless from the walk.
I didn’t really care but I didn’t want to walk in silence. “Oh yeah? Was it good?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never been.”
“You should go,” the camera paused to stammer, “uh, I mean, if you like ice cream.”
I tossed my dark hair over my shoulder with, “Who doesn’t like ice cream?”
“People who are lactose intolerant?”
I chuckled. “Touché. Do you guys have plans for this Sunday?”
“No. I wasn’t sure if you would be staying in again or not.”
My head nodded in a wide gesture he was sure to see. “I pretty much always study on Sundays. I have no life to speak of.”
“You have plenty of life,” Guy argued kindly. “Just some of it isn’t fun.”
“You can say that again,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
Guy was in a chatty mood because he continued without prompting. “One of the guys suggested a trip into Canada so we might do that.”
“Cool,” I said even though I wasn’t particularly interested in that. “I’ve never been there either.”
“This close to Canada and you’ve never been?”
“Into Quebec? Why would I go there?” I paused to add sourly, “They speak French.”
He chuckled. “Because its basically a foreign country. Experiencing new culture is neat.”
“There are many things that might be neat. Going into Quebec isn’t one of them,” I snarked.
“You can’t say that if you’ve never been,” Guy argued in one of those annoyingly sensible grown-up tones.
I shook my head. He wasn’t local. He didn’t understand. “They come down here and most of them are rude. A whole country of the rude people where I’m the outsider doesn’t appeal to me.”
Guy shrugged as we walked into Burning Idea. “Suit yourself.”
Felix stood up from a slouch when I neared the counter. “Afternoon.”
“Hi,” I greeted in distraction on my way behind the registers.
The camera guy took his spot on the side of us.
Felix leaned over and nearly whispered. “My accountant says I need more than one employee and my brother on the payroll.” He stood upright and reverted to a normal volume. “I’m thinking about putting a Help Wanted sign out. You know, for Sunday, Monday and Thursday.”
I didn’t try to argue with Felix. Instead I broached the subject of Trey’s continued absence. “Speaking of your brother, how is he?”
Felix snorted derisively. “He’s been in bed for days pretending to nurse that wound despite the fact that we got it stitched up shortly after. It’s healing well so I don’t know what his problem is. But he is running a fever so it might not be all in his head.”
I frowned but didn’t say anything.
For once my boss stuck around to help me set out the new shipment. But when he left for dinner at six I doubted I’d see him again until close.
I turned my music on once he’d left and worked on math homework until he got back at five minutes to nine. He closed up the registers and had me lock the door early. Guy and I were on our way to the apartment minutes later.
We told each other goodnight, waved and then parted at the entrance to the stairs. It was like a ritual now. Much like the daily pre-bed discussion with my mom and a similar parting at our bedroom doors.
I settled into bed contemplating all of the little rituals in my life.
CHAPTER TWELVE
He was at our table with Ashley and Melissa. Had they invited him again or had he imposed himself? I didn’t wait to find out. Out to my tree I fled to finish up my math homework.
“Can you help me with this print?” One of the twins asked with a wide-eyed plea when I passed through the photography studio door twenty minutes early.
I’d come to see if I could get out of class again but Mrs. Lozano hadn’t gotten back from lunch yet.
“I guess,” I grumbled.
“Thanks, Aeon. You’re the best.”
We took her strip of negatives into the darkroom, made a proof sheet to calibrate the exposure time needed and then started on her print. By the time it was in the rinse both bells had rung. Class was about to begin.
“I’ll be right back,” she said hurriedly before disappearing out the door.
I stood helplessly waiting for her and realized minutes later that I’d done what she asked. Her print was finished. Even if she came back, and I doubted it would be as soon as she said, I wasn’t obligated to help any longer.
The round door turned. A figure emerged. I already knew by the shape who it was. Alex made the sound that I now knew meant he was locking the door behind him. Then he stepped forward to stand a few feet in front of me.
“You’re avoiding me now,” he accused and somehow managed to sound upset about it. His voice dropped in volume. “I did freak you out.” He sighed then turned away. In the red light I could tell his expression was as troubled as his voice.
I felt slightly guilty until I recalled that he was far more popular than me despite the fact that he was different. If anyone was the freak, it was me.
“I wish I were normal,” he pressed his forehead against the divider wall
between the enlargers. “Especially if it freaks you out that I’m not.”
Now I felt really guilty. Wasn’t I being a little hypocritical? A girl who could freeze time and was supposedly the daughter of a god shouldn’t shun a guy who could turn into a big black cat.
“You did freak me out,” I admitted quietly. “And your family scares me. And yes, I was avoiding you.”
His profile turned toward me. “Was?”
“I think I just realized that I was being a little hypocritical.” I got defensive even though he hadn’t accused me of anything. “But it wasn’t just that you freaked me out. It was that you guys represent this whole other world I didn’t know existed. Now everything is different.”
Holding my eyes with his he said, “I don’t understand what that is like. I’ve always known it existed.”
I shook my head in slow disbelief. “That’s just unreal.”
He lifted his head from the wall and took a step closer. In the red light I could somehow see his steel blue eyes clearly. I saw that his mouth was parted slightly as if he wanted to say something. It closed again like he’d decided against it.
Then suddenly Alex spoke. “I like you, Aeon.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“And not because you’re different. I liked you before I knew about that.” He paused. “But now that I can be myself around you, I like you even more.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. So I said what was actually on my mind. “I think you’re out of my league.”
Alex barked in laughter. “What?”
“You could be popular if you wanted to.”
“So could you.”
“No,” I shook my head firmly. “I’ve been here long enough and made a big enough fool of myself that people know I’m too weird to be popular.”
“Do you want to be?”
My first response was a snicker. “Not really. Those people are worse backstabbers than even my friends.”
“I like weird,” he told me with what sounded like a smile. “But I really doubt you’re that weird.”
“That weird?”
His shoulders lifted in a negligent shrug rather than answer.
My gaze narrowed at him. “You’re trying reverse psychology on me.”
“I wouldn’t try to manipulate you like that. But I doubt you’re all that weird. Remember, I live in that other world. I’ve seen a lot of stuff.”
“Touché.”
He learned forward a little closer, crowding my personal space, “I like you, Aeon, and I don’t think I’m going to leave you alone until you like me too.” He didn’t wait for a response before whirling around so he could unlock the door and disappear into it.
* * * *
I was still staring at nothing in particular when the twin I’d been helping returned with her sister. Due to my inability to speak, I was conned into helping the other because she claimed Mrs. Lozano had sent her to me. That, of course, meant that the twins gossiped while I did most of the work. Sabrina was at least attempting a print on her own since I’d already done one with her but it didn’t make listening to them any easier.
“I heard Chelsea Kinkaid asked that new kid Alex if he wanted to join her study group for Latin and he told her no,” Sasha spoke in a conspiratorial tone.
Sabrina shook her head. “Does he want to be outcast?”
“I think so because the rumor was that he told her he didn’t need any help and she got annoyed because he was basically saying they did. I guess she accused him of being rude and he turned it back on her.”
“She must have thrown a fit.”
“I heard she tried to start a rumor about him but Tyler stopped her because they’re friends.”
“What rumor did she try to start?”
Sasha giggled for several seconds before answering. “That he’s gay.”
“Ashley Dyall thinks he is. She says he’s never had a girlfriend.”
“Okay,” I said in annoyance and pointed to the wall. “Just follow that chart over there and you’ll be fine.” My fingers gestured to the trays in front of us. “Right to left. I gotta go.” I jumped into the door, turned it quickly and emerged squinting into the light.
I couldn’t find him at first. He was in the unlikely spot of the matte cutter. Guy stood and started for me as I walked toward Alex.
Quietly I asked a question and hoped the new kid remembered the conversation from last week. “Do you still need to find rundown places downtown?”
Alex turned in surprise as if I’d snuck up on him. “I could use a better roll, yeah,” he answered tentatively, eyes still wide.
Without looking at him I said, “I’m not working tonight so today is as good as any for a photo shoot.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw his lips lift. “All right, mute girl. You’re on.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the use of his nickname for me. It was cute.
“After P.E. then,” I suggested and returned to my usual seat to work on homework until the bell rang.
* * * *
Two different students were picked as captains in gym class. Tyler and Alex were split up and I was picked last on Tyler’s team. Alex smiled at me a bit but didn’t try to talk to me in between scoring several goals against our team.
Somehow I managed to beat him out of the locker room. Or so I thought. I was waiting in the gym between the two exits and had seen everyone but him come out. It was possible that he’d hurried and gotten out far earlier.
He emerged clad in his usual black clothing but smelled as if he’d put on a little cologne. I hid a smile behind my hand while starting for the door.
Alex fell into step beside me. “Do you need to go to your locker?”
“Nope.”
“I need to go to mine. Do you want to meet me at my car? It’s in the lot…”
I interrupted him his nearly nervous speech. “I’ll just follow you.”
“Okay,” he said hesitantly.
We had walked across almost the entire school and to the second floor before we got to his locker. I was beginning to see why he’d wanted me to meet him at his car.
He put his bag down beside it and shifted so he was in the way of the door. It seemed like an odd movement but I didn’t question him. It took him two tries to get the lock undone but once he had he stepped closer and rummaged inside. I leaned against the ones beside him to wait while gazing across the hallway.
Something fell out and rolled behind him. Alex cursed and turned to get it. It was then that I saw what he’d obviously been trying to hide.
My face was taped on the door of his locker. The black and white print I’d seen in the trays in the darkroom was taped between the narrow metal door’s frame! It had in fact been my face I’d seen. And Alex had been the one to make it.
I stood and pinned him with a glare. “That is seriously weird. You didn’t even know me then.”
He turned back from where he’d bent to pick up the pencil sharpener he’d dropped. “I don’t know you now.”
“You know me better,” I argued.
Alex returned to his locker to set the sharpener back on the shelf. “Should I take a new photo then? Print another one?”
“No,” I grumbled. “You should burn all likenesses of me.”
“Why?”
“Because,” was all I that said stubbornly.
That wasn’t enough for him. He turned and fixed me with his steel blue eyes. “Because why?”
I folded my arms in front of my chest, dropping my gaze to the floor as a frown made its way onto my face. “Because I’m not locker door worthy.”
His answer sounded surprisingly genuine. “I think you’re lovely. You’re billboard worthy.”
A snort was the only response I was capable of giving. I didn’t understand why he was saying things like that. He couldn’t honestly mean them, could he?
No one thought I was lovely. Maybe cats had poor vision.
“Maybe if the billboard were about
freaks,” I laughed nervously as I started down the hall.
“That we are,” he said while hurrying to catch up to me. He had a camera in hand and was struggling with his other to get his backpack on. “So where to first?”
“Dewey elementary. It’s four blocks away.” I pointed in the direction of the run down school. “They say its haunted.”
“Excellent.” He sounded like he meant it. Actually, he sounded like he meant everything he said. I liked that about him.
I had to consider that if vampires and witches were real, ghosts might be too. Turning slightly toward him I asked, “Have you ever seen a ghost?”
He shook his short head of hair once. “No, but my grandfather has.”
It would figure their clan’s wisest member would be the one who had seen a ghost. The mention of a specific family member had me contemplating his relatives again. If I had the well wishes of the leader and his wise old father, then it couldn’t be all bad could it? Except that there were three of them who despised me not to mention Alex’s mother hadn’t seemed overly pleased with me either.
“Have you?” Alex queried to break the silence.
“Nope. It would probably scare the heck out of me,” I laughed a little nervously.
“I’m sure you’d be fine.”
Was he saying that because I hadn’t run screaming away from him when he’d turned into a giant cat? I’d tried to back away at least. Maybe I would have run screaming if his dad hadn’t stopped me.
“The parking lot is this way,” he reminded me as I stepped onto the sidewalk in the opposite direction.
“And Dewey is only four blocks this way,” I pointed in a diagonal. “Save your gas for later.”
“Do you walk everywhere?”
I glanced over at him to see his face. He watched me through eyes that were feigning ignorance. Alex knew I walked everywhere and I knew that he knew. But the cameras didn’t.
So I played along. “Unless Mom and I go grocery shopping or I go to the mall with Melissa, yeah, I walk everywhere.”
“Do you have your license?”
My face returned forward, cheeks going pink. It was something I was embarrassed about. Everyone I knew had gone through driver’s education but we hadn’t been able to afford it.