by Dana Faletti
Despite the apparently crazy speedy spinning, I felt perfectly balanced and in control, my hand still firmly attached to The Hormone’s neck, pinching it just enough for him to feel it, or so I thought. Finally, he slammed on the brakes. His pretty boy head smashed into the steering wheel, setting off airbags that broke both his and Beefcake’s pretty boy noses. While one hand had remained fixed on the jock’s neck, my other had held Mila tightly to me with ease. Somehow, I hadn’t shifted positions, and neither had she.
Where I would have expected a lot of swearing and yelling, there was only a shocked silence when the vehicle stopped moving. There was heavy and fast breathing and three pairs of eyes looking at me as if I were an alien girl with three heads.
Mila wriggled free from my death grip on her, “Cal, what the hell?”
“Shh, Mila.” I really didn’t have the time or energy for her antics. Not to mention the fact that I had no clue what had just happened. “Take us home, dudes. NOW.” Yeah, I was being bossy. “Let’s go.”
They whimpered a little on the way back, using their shirts to wipe up the blood from their faces. Amazingly, our little incident had sobered them up pretty quickly, and even Mila was quiet for the fifteen or twenty minutes it took us to get back to the school.
Of course my parents were standing right there in front of the school when the car pulled up to the curb. I could already hear my mother’s shrill “Calliope Evans, what the hello do you think you are doing?”
“Mila,” Dad called out with authority. “We’ll be taking you home with us.”
The boys didn’t even try to protest when Principal Lawson escorted them back into the school, surely for a good lecture and some parent calling. They hung their heads and only snuck a wary peek at me. I felt like giving them a good hiss. I don’t know why, but I thought they seemed a little scared of me.
On the ride home, I learned that I was grounded from life for four weeks. I would be permitted to go to school. That was it. I would not be allowed to use the home phone to call friends (I felt it was a bad time to ask whether or not that meant I could get a cell phone to use instead.) Mila was informed that my parents would be spilling to her mother right away and warned not to try to argue her way out of this consequence. When we pulled up to Mila’s house and saw Lilli’s car outside, my parents directed us to stay in the car while they went into the house to speak with Lilli.
“What kind of superfreak are you, Cal?” Mila lit into me as soon as the car door slammed. “I mean, it’s bad enough you broke their noses and wrecked Jude’s car, but you really had to make them drive us up to the front of the school?” Mila sighed and crossed her arms then eyed me strangely. “How did you anyways, Cal?” she asked, a little more quietly.
Until that moment, I had kind of blocked out the entire sequence of events. “Mila, I don’t even remember what happened.” I lied because I truly did not know the truth.
“Callie, you gave Jude some weird Karate pinch and twisted his arm into spinning the car, and you should have seen yourself!” Mila shuddered. “Your eyes were all freaky on him, like they were staring into his brain or something.” I doubted he had one to stare into, but anyways. She leaned away from me. “Callie, you actually scared those guys. And, you scared me too. When you were holding onto me, I couldn’t move at all. It was like some weird mega strength or something.”
“Probably just centrifugal force, Mila.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It kind of means that the fast spinning holds you still.”
She shook her head and scrunched up her face. “I don’t get it.” What a surprise. We saw her front door open and my parents walk out. Lilli was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, a challenging look on her pretty face.
“Good, luck, Mi.”
“Yeah, thanks, Cal.” She got out and slammed the door and then huffed her way up to her house. That girl could talk herself out of anything. I was pretty sure she wouldn’t get it too bad. I, on the other hand, was doomed.
While my parents lectured me for an hour on the dangers of driving with boys, drinking (in my defense, I was not partaking), sneaking and lying, I racked my brain for possibilities. What had happened tonight in that car? First the headaches, then the whispering lady’s voice, then me somehow physically dominating two muscle heads, scaring the crap out of them enough to get them to take us home. Maybe my headaches were doing something to my brain – kind of like those stories of people having super strength in the face of danger or emergency. What was it called? Adrenaline.
I was so tired and drained from the drama of the night and the ongoing rant of my parents, I just couldn’t think about it all anymore. I had tried to explain to them that I only went along with Mila to protect her, that I could tell she had been drinking, and I didn’t want her with those boys alone. They just came back with the whole bridge jumping dilemma. What a dumb analogy – how many friends want you to jump off a bridge with them? I’m pretty sure when somebody’s considering jumping off a bridge, it’s a solitary decision.
Anyways… they didn’t buy my story – truthful as it was. My mother was also very suspicious about what had gone on in the privacy of “that car with those boys.” She kept eyeing me sideways like she was gonna sniff out some sultry detail. Honestly… if she only knew. I wasn’t about to go into any of the weird stuff though. First off, I didn’t even know how to explain it all. Secondly, I wasn’t in the mood for a psych evaluation, which I was pretty sure I wouldn’t pass at this point.
So, I was stuck here, Chez Evans, for a little while. Unfair, unjust… I wanted to rage, but truthfully, I was a little relieved. At least if my head started to pound here, I could head for my room and lock myself in. Definitely couldn’t let the dynamic duo catch me acting all crazy. My mom would probably just write it off as hormonal, so I didn’t have to worry there. Hopefully, I wouldn’t hear any more voices… Dear God – this is what it has come to… and just when things were supposed to start getting good.
I mean, sixteen was around the corner, and instead of hearing my cell phone ringtone from my back pocket, I was plagued by whispering phantoms from nowhere. Instead of a driver’s permit, I was going to be signing admittance papers to the county psych ward if I wasn’t careful. Yeah, I should probably keep this whole voices and brute strength thing to myself.
When my head hit the pillow, I zoned. Soon, my eyes closed, and my brain stopped thinking. I dreamed of sunshine bright imaginary colors and Mila, with bloody vampire teeth and claws for fingernails. She hissed my name, Calliope, again and again, and at one point I woke up, confused. Was somebody calling for me? My room was dark and empty, and the covers felt warm and soft. Closing my fuzzy eyes again, I turned off the crazy and slid into sleep.
4
Days blurred into weeks of consistent blah. My parents kept their promise and limited my activity to home, church and school. No fun. No friends, no phone, no shopping, no nothing. Jack and Sam had become a relevant source of entertainment for me, and that was just sad.
Mila stayed mad at me for about two minutes, as long as her attention span would allow, actually. The Monday after the dance, she plopped down next to me on the bus and began to moan over her missing IPod which her mother had taken away from her for a week as punishment. Really? Sometimes, life’s just not fair.
Luckily, my head was behaving itself. I hadn’t even had a hint of a headache since the night of the dance. Maybe they would just go away, and I could forget the strange events of the past few weeks. My sixteenth birthday was just days away, and it would be great if my parents would lift my grounding and take me for my driver’s permit exam. I’d totally prefer that kind of celebration to cake and candles.
When the big day arrived, it was not a let down. When I headed into the kitchen for breakfast, Mom was drinking coffee and stuffing my brothers’ lunch bags.
“Callie, since it’s your birthday,” She took a sip of her coffee and eyed me seriously. “we are lifting your punishment.
”
My face was going to crack if my smile got any wider. Was I going to weep? Quite possibly yes. Gosh, Mom was beautiful, wasn’t she? I think there were tears in my eyes. Oh, happy day! “Thanks Mom.”
“Your grades and behavior have been really stellar, honey.” She smiled and put her arm around my shoulder. “I think you’ve learned a lesson.”
“Totally, Mom.” I will never jump off any bridges with friends… EVER. Pinky Swear.
“Okay, so now that’s settled.” She smiled at me that excited smile that showed the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. “How about we go get you your permit today?”
I actually jumped up and down a few times. How awesome is my mom? “Yay!”
“Alrighty then. I will pick you up from school, and we’ll go straight to the test center.”
“Awesome.” Hallelujah. So glad my birthday landed in the midst of this grounding. I totally needed a way out.
---
Morning had set the tone of the day for me, and I was on top of the world. During first period, I answered the winning question in history Jeopardy and won our team five extra points on the next quiz. I aced my pre calc test and then went to lunch only to find out it was baked potato bar day. Woo hoo! The planets were aligned in my favor. I knew I was gonna pass that permit test too.
The day was nearly over, and I was about to float into ninth period English class when something stopped me mid flight. It wasn’t a headache. It wasn’t a whisper, thank God. It was a pair of dark (kind of dreamy) eyes that were staring at me as if they could see all of my secrets. The boy that the eyes belonged to was sitting at the desk diagonally behind my own assigned seat. Was this some weird creepy birthday present or what? Where did this guy come from? He was textbook bad boy gorgeous. Black hair, long and wavy, big deep eyes, almost black, thick pink lips that he was just now parting into a sly grin… at me.
“Hey, I’m Joshua.” His voice was deep. He sounded a little old. This was Freshman Honors English, Mr. college dropout. Move over and stop polluting my brain with hormones. Yikes! “Joshua Pride.” He pushed his long hair out of his eyes and held his hand out for me to shake it; still grinning like the joke was on me. Seriously? Who shakes hands in high school?
Wait, was he totally checking me out? In that split second his eyes traveled the length of me. Ew - pervy jerk! And woah –I wasn’t sure I could breathe let alone shake hands or talk to this demi god. I could feel myself beginning to sweat. Shake it off, Cal.
“Callie Evans.” I introduced myself, looking straight ahead as if the journal assignment written on the blackboard was so much more interesting than his smoky black eyes. I sat down nonchalantly as the bell started to ring, ignoring his outstretched hand. Mila was gonna totally freak when she laid her eyes on this guy.
I started to answer the journal question. If you had to spend an entire year in an arctic shelter with only one other person, who would you choose?
Joshua Pride. Crap! Did I write that? No, phew. Thank God, it was only a weak thought that never reached paper. Again, shake it off, Callie. But, I could feel his eyes on me, on the back of my neck. Slipping my shrug over my shoulders, I shot him the stink eye. In other words, get out of my head and get your eyes on your paper, Newbie.
Was he laughing at me? His shoulders were shaking, and his lips were turned up in a pucker. Oh, man. This guy was a real piece of work. What nerve to show up on my birthday, to crawl right under my skin in the middle of a perfect day. Alright, so he was definitely eye candy, but he had major attitude.
“Go ahead and wrap up the journal questions kiddos.” Mr. Edgars was passing back our papers on Heart of Darkness. “Nice work, Calliope.”
A ninety seven. Not too shabby. Was that guy snickering again? I snuck a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. Why did he have to look so good?
“Calliope, huh?”
Now, he was kicking my chair.
“Yeah? So?”
“That’s an interesting name.”
My nostrils were flaring. I could feel them. “Please stop kicking my chair.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize I was.”
Whatever. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to my journal. I would choose to spend a month in an arctic shelter with my father, Jonathan Evans, because he can hang out, totally chilled, in silence or in conversation. He is awesome at Rock Band and cards, and he never kicks my chair.
“She was a muse, you know.”
Okay, so Mr. All Beauty and No Brains behind me definitely couldn’t read my body language. I was clearly not encouraging conversation here, and yet...
“She was a Greek muse of poetry and music.” He looked at me like he was actually speaking my language. “Calliope, I mean.”
Intrigued. Seriously. My name has been Calliope Evans for sixteen years now. Did he really believe I hadn’t heard all about the Greek mythological Callie? “Yeah, people always talk about her when they hear my name.”
“Oh, yeah I guess they would.” He smiled at me then, in a kind of humble way, and I just couldn’t help it. I smiled back.
And that was the beginning of the end. Joshua Pride stole my heart right then and there with his sneaky grin and his wandering eyes that hid beneath his hair. With his blood red lined lips and his deep throaty voice that later that afternoon wished me a happy birthday.
Sweet Sixteen. First Love… or something like that. I bit my lip and sighed. Now who was the bad cliché?
---
“No big deal, sweetie. We’ll come back next week.” Mom patted my leg like she was comforting a sad dog.
“It sucks, Mom.” How was it I could ace Honors Bio but couldn’t pass my permit test? This was just ridiculous.
“Everyone fails the first time, Callie.”
“Oh, come on Mom.” I rolled my eyes at her. “Can we go grab dinner somewhere?” I was so in the mood for a greasy burger and French fries.
“Uh, sure.” Mom looked out the window. “How about we go pick up the troops first and we can all go out and celebrate.”
“Celebrate?”
“It’s still your birthday, right?”
“Oh. Yeah.”
But, we never had greasy burgers and fries. When we got home, Mom sent me into the house to get dad and the twins. As I innocently turned the doorknob and began to kick off my shoes, I smelled something sweet. Turned out, it was Mila’s perfume.
“Surprise!” The voices shrieked. “Happy Birthday, Callie!” Friends and cousins popped out from behind the couch and under the table. Mom burst through the door, her cheeks flushed red. She was carrying a bakery box. Music began playing.
Now, I’m usually keenly aware of subtle changes in my mother’s behavior. In other words, I can always tell when she’s planning something. Not this time. I was totally surprised. “I had no idea.” I told her, shaking my head. “Thanks, Mom.”
“What’s up birthday girlie?” Mila sidled up next to me. “What do you know?”
Suddenly I remembered the news I’d wanted to share with Mila since English class. What did I know? Not a what but a who, and she’d definitely want to know him. I’d save the info for later when I had a little more time and a little more privacy. “I failed my permit test,” I told her.
“Bummer.” She crunched a chip and popped a piece of gum in her mouth. “Wow, girl, check out that cake. Did your Mom hire Cake Boss or something?”
“There might be too many candles on that cake, Jon. What do you think?” My mother – ever daring – had lit sixteen candles on that gorgeous cake that had signified one thing – I was finally of age to drive! Too bad I couldn’t pass that stupid permit test. “I don’t want them to light up anyone’s hair or anything; you know… all the hairspray on these girls? What do you think, Jon?”
“Happy Birthday, Cal, make a wish.” Dad smiled serenely and punched me gently in the arm then pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was hot pink! Oh sweet sweet relief – I’m in the network!
I can hear you now! That’s what it felt like, really.
“Thanks, Dad.” I hugged him sideways.
The only thing that could have made this birthday better would have been if Joshua Pride just happened to show up in a pair of faded jeans and a tight white tee shirt. I could feel my face burn red as these thoughts worked wonders on me; especially knowing my Dad was around. Just thinking about this guy made me feel nervous and excited at the same time. I let my thoughts rest on his image for a few seconds then tracked back to the present. This was a rad party. My mom had really pulled off a winner.
Permasmile. Ten or so pals playing rock band, two of them really cute guys in their Abercrombie jeans and sweater vests. Yummy snacks scattered about – thanks Mom. Speaking of Mom, she wasn’t even up my arsenal – could it be? I was texting with Mila – happy and joy! Sure, Mila was sitting next to me on the couch, but still – I was texting on my own phone! Hallelujah, do you hear the chorus? This was my day. I wasn’t even bothered by the immaturity of Jack and Sam, who were at that moment setting up the fart machine in the hallway to play jokes on my friends. After, all they just wanted some attention, right? I was feeling so generous. And, then…
Crash and Burn. What the freak? Who hired the fairies? I mean, I’m sixteen, right? I don’t even like Tinkerbell. What the heck kind of entertainment is this anyways – Ow! My head is splitting into two. The light is blinding! Turn it off! Was it the candles? Is the house on fire? Who’s the gorgeous guy at the window? Hey wait – isn’t that… Wow –wishes do come true.
My parents leaned over me, dad cradling my head in his arms, mom waving a paper plate spastically over my face. I didn’t pass out or anything, but something really did stink around here. Where’d the fairies go?
I closed my eyes, but the light was still behind them, glaring painfully over everything. It was so powerful; I couldn’t even see my parents’ faces. Little did I know that soon that light would illuminate my world, pull me out from the dark and force me to see who I truly was, what I was created for.