Elodie and Heloise

by Cecilee Linke

  Chapter Five

  What a night.

  Elodie smiled at the memories of the night before as she scrubbed out the sink and her sister collected the dirty cups and plates on the counter into a large trash bag. The house was almost clean now. The dirt from people’s shoes had been swept up, couch cushions were rearranged, and the fridge was cleaned up. All that was left to do was to scrub the sink and counters and then run the dishwasher.

  She thought back to earlier that day, or rather very late last night, when she and Robert danced while all their friends watched. She wasn’t even sure how long they’d been dancing for, just that it was a welcome reprieve to be in someone else’s company. He wasn’t much of a conversationalist, unlike his more outgoing brother, and when they did talk, they didn’t seem to have very much in common since Elodie wasn’t the least bit interested in sports or gaming. Instead, they spent their time together just swaying back and forth or grooving to the music when it was called for without saying much to each other.

  Sometime around three AM, she saw his eyes start to droop in fatigue. It was then that he told her he wanted to get home, leaving Elodie with a goodbye wave before turning away toward the front door. She immediately turned back to her friends and became her usual extroverted self, not really pained that her dance partner had just left. After all, she wasn’t really interested in Robert as anything more than a possible friend, though it was nice to be in the company of someone who seemed to enjoy her company as well. What she had enjoyed the most was seeing her friends and spending time with them, especially hearing more of the latest gossip in school and enjoying all the attention on her as she danced with her friends.

  “You seem pretty happy today.”

  Elodie looked over at her sister, grinned widely and threw her hair over her shoulder. “I got to see some great friends last night, so of course I am happy. So what’s with you and Kyle Cayce? I noticed you two talking last night. He’s new in town.”

  “Yes I know. He told me all about it and more. I’m surprised you even noticed me there at the party. You seemed more interested in all the attention everyone was giving you than on anything else.”

  “I notice things too, you know.”

  Heloise rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I’m quite frankly surprised he didn’t notice you. The boys usually go over to you instead, you know.” She then turned contemplative with the way her eyes sunk in again and a faraway look came over her face.

  Elodie made a dismissive sound with her lips. “No they don’t. Not all the time.”

  “Well sure they do. And why not? You’re bubbly and cute, and.... well..... I’m not. As you so lovingly remind me.” Heloise tied up the trash bag of empty soda bottles, plates, and cups, and leaned it against the wall next to the fridge. She leaned back against the counter with her arms crossed as if to emphasize her point.

  “Oh come on. You’re really pretty, Heloise! When have I ever told you otherwise?”

  “How about a few weeks ago when Quentin moved in and you said I was just jealous of you because all the boys like you instead? But of course you wouldn’t remember that, would you?”

  Elodie turned away from her sister and scoffed at the mention of that fight a few weeks ago. “Look who’s holding a grudge. Sheesh. I was only telling the truth. Let it go already.”

  “Says the person who holds grudges all the time.”

  “Wow, all right, are you looking to pick a fight or something? Because that’s what it sounds like. And quite frankly, I’m in too good of a mood to deal with your bullshit right now.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I’ll have you know..... I was telling the truth just a few minutes ago about how you’re pretty. I really wish you would see that. You’re always so down on yourself.” Elodie looked down at the sink that she’d been scrubbing and saw how clean it was, so she set her sponge down and leaned against the counter facing her sister. She looked at her sister from the black socks on her tiny feet up to her sister’s face that was so much like her own. Elodie liked her sister’s more serious look and wished that her own hair was as cooperative as her sister’s so she could put it up in the beautiful updos and hairstyles that Heloise did.

  Heloise shook her head and headed toward their bedroom. “Don’t try to flatter me. It won’t work. It might work with all the boys you like, but it won’t work on me. There’s too much history between us for it to even make a dent-”

  “OK fine, I get it. I’m not stupid.”

  “Really? Because you sure act like it most of the time.” She continued walking toward their bedroom, not even bothering to look behind her.

  “SHUT UP!”

  Her scream reverberated through the kitchen, stopping Heloise dead in her tracks and making her slowly turn around. Elodie knew that she wasn’t stupid despite the low grades she always got on her tests and papers and the notes sent home from teachers about Elodie’s inability to pay attention in class. However, she resented her sister for how much easier studies came to her. At least she didn’t have a major social standing to keep up. If any of her friends knew that Elodie was really smart, she knew she would be doomed in her social circles. There was no way for her to be both popular and smart. It just wasn’t done at their school.

  The two of them stared at each other from across the kitchen through the living room. Elodie swallowed despite the obvious throat pain from screaming so loud while Heloise looked on at her sister with an absolutely blank face. Elodie wasn’t even sure what to say next. Heloise was right. There was so much history between the two of them over the last few years that nothing good could ever make their relationship improve. They’d gone from being best friends to almost enemies in just the span of a few years.

  Finally, Heloise turned away and sauntered toward their bedroom, slamming the door behind her so hard that a framed photograph on the living room wall next to the bedroom door fell down onto the floor, the frame cracking from the force of the fall. Elodie walked over to pick it up and saw that the picture that had fallen was a photograph of them from when they were about six years old, all dressed up in matching frilly pink jumpers and white pantyhose. Both of them were sitting, Elodie sitting behind her sister with her arms on her shoulders, and with truly radiant smiles on their young cheeks.

  A loud car horn sounded from outside, breaking through the silence of the afternoon. It could only be their parents. Elodie switched off the TV and walked toward the front door as her sister slinked out of their bedroom behind her. Elodie opened the front door and propped it open with one of her large boots, then stood out on the porch and watched as her parents unloaded their weekend luggage from the trunk of their car, while Heloise stood back with her arms crossed. Elodie could have sworn that she saw light red circles around her sister’s eyes, but she couldn’t be too sure. They were both standing as far away as possible from one another without giving away any indication to their parents that something was amiss.

  Their father Francis was the first to get to the front porch with his rolling suitcase in her left hand and large duffel bag on his right shoulder. Elodie stepped down the porch to offer her help to father, but Heloise beat her to it, leaving Elodie standing awkwardly off to the side.

  “Here, let me help you, Papa.”

  “Merci bien, ma fille.”

  Francis handed off his suitcase to his daughter, looking more than happy to have someone to lighten his load. His black hair was neatly combed back from his very Gallic face with his sunken brown eyes and high cheekbones, his lips seemingly stuck in a perpetual pout even when he was in a good mood. Despite that, even in his late forties, he was still quite handsome.

  As Francis handed Heloise her rolling suitcase, Heloise gave a pointed look to her sister before turning away to wheel it onto the porch and into the open front door. It didn’t surprise Elodie much that her sister wanted to make sure she offered her help to their father. She always made sure she was first when it came to helping their father, leaving Elodie behind in
the dust.

  Not one to be defeated by such petty behavior, Elodie marched over to where her mother was lugging her suitcase out of the car trunk.

  “Vous voulez un peu d’aide, Maman?”

  “Merci, but I got it, Elodie.” Shannon took off her large sunglasses and set them on her head, rolling back her frizzy strawberry blond hair so that her lovely face could be seen by all. The lower half of her face was almost a mirror to Elodie’s own with her mom’s lush lips and small nose, except of course for the usual wrinkles that had started setting in on her mom’s face when she was in her early forties.

  “Actually, here, you can carry this other bag. It might be a bit heavy, but you can help me with that.” Shannon reached down to pick up a smaller bag on the ground and she handed it to Elodie, who was glad to be of help to her mother.

  “So how was your trip?” Elodie and her mother began walking toward the front steps, the open front door waiting for them at the top. Shannon carried her wheeling suitcase across the grass by its top handle, while Elodie had the small bag in her left hand.

  “Great! We got to see the baby and she is so sweet and precious! I took some pictures on my phone that I will have to show you girls. She’s got the same eyes that you all do too, but then again, so do her older sisters!”

  “Oh babies.....” Elodie’s voice drifted off as she said that word. She was too young to really think about such things, but she knew one day she’d like to be a mother and have her own little bundle of joy. But not for a good while though! “I’m so glad they seem to be doing well! It sounded like it from Marie’s e-mails.” Marie was the only aunt the girls were really close to, since Francis only had his younger sister and Shannon’s sisters were almost nonexistent to them during their childhood.

  “So did your plans with your friends go well then?”

  “Oh yes, very much.” Wink wink.

  They had reached the front door and they walked inside the house, joining Heloise and Francis in the front hallway where they were talking about something, the luggage scattered around them as Shannon and Elodie entered the house. Elodie didn’t catch any words to be able to tell what their topic of conversation was. Elodie set her bag down on the floor while Shannon wheeled her suitcase and placed it next to the other one that Heloise had brought into the house.

  “By the way, that bag that Elodie was carrying was so heavy! What did you pack in there anyway?” Shannon asked Francis.

  “Just the usual. Besides, most of that in there was your beauty stuff. Your shampoo, your conditioner, blah blah blah, the usual tralala. You women don’t travel light,” Francis said.

  Shannon rolled her eyes in a playful way. With all of their hands now empty of baggage, the two daughters came over to their parents for their usual greeting: a French bise, a simple and light kiss on each cheek, a custom taught by their parents from Francis’ upbringing in France.

  “So how was the trip?” Heloise asked as she pulled away from her parents.

  “Good, very good,” Francis replied in a slight French accent. This had been a social visit. His sister Marie, ten years his junior, came to the United States after marrying an American, so Francis got to visit with her regularly, usually once every couple of months. Most of the time, the girls came with them to visit, the only other time they’d ever gone outside of their little town, and they enjoyed the company of their Aunt Marie and her two daughters Jeanne and Sophie, who were seven and ten years younger than Elodie and Heloise, respectively. After all, she was the only aunt they’d really gotten to know. However this time, the girls asked to stay home, Heloise because she wanted to work on her schoolwork and Elodie because she had some plans with friends. Only their parents didn’t know that what Elodie really meant by “plans with friends” was “having a party.”

  “But of course we are happy now to be back home.” He winked at Shannon, who couldn’t help but smile at Francis’ gesture.

  The four of them stood together in the living room exchanging stories about the weekend. Both girls were the spitting image of their father, from the dark black hair (and Elodie’s being particularly unruly, like Francis’s) to their slightly droopy eyes and sunken cheeks that made them look like they did not have a care in the world in the typical Gallic fashion, to their thin frames. Neither of them had inherited their father’s height though. Francis stood over six feet tall and was just as skinny as he had been when he and Shannon met all those years ago.

  Only in the lips, nose and height did Heloise and Elodie even look like their mother. Shannon DeGarmo stood five foot five, but often with a few extra inches from all the heels and platform shoes that she wore all the time. However, these days, she was more inclined to go down to her regular height by wearing flats. Her strawberry hair usually hung in light waves around her shoulders with little freckles dotting her cheeks around her emerald eyes. The little freckles had eventually given way to light wrinkles, but Shannon had such a simple beauty about her that even in her late forties, she was still attractive.

  After the usual hugs and bises, the family went about their usual routines. Francis and Heloise went over to the chess table and began a game that would last until the evening time, while Elodie called her friends to rehash the events of the night before and Shannon started writing up a draft for a new novel. Everything was back to normal.

  Chapter Six

  Another day done and gone. Heloise let out a sigh of relief as the last bell rang and all of her peers emptied into the hallways of her high school. She had been looking forward all day to seeing Noah at his locker so they could begin their usual after-school walk home. Her eyes drooped in fatigue and her heart raced inside her chest. More than ever, she was ready to decompress. All day long, she’d done her best to concentrate on her teachers’ lessons, taking notes and raising her hand at the appropriate time. However, the memories of Elodie’s party were still in her mind and it seemed that every time she joined the usual crowd in the hallway between classes, she saw Kyle’s face everywhere she looked. Any little thing that was said during class would remind her of a joke he’d made and her mind would be thrown off track. It was exhausting for Heloise and she felt like she would burst if she didn’t tell her best friend about her feelings.

  She joined the throngs of students in the hallway, clutching her books to her chest as she scanned the crowd for Noah. Sure enough, there stood Noah in their usual place at the vending machines just outside the main gymnasium. The two of them waved at each other from across the hallway and Heloise eagerly approached her cousin, grateful for a familiar face.

  “Ready to go?” Noah asked with a grin.

  She nodded. “Let’s go. I’m tired of school and don’t want to think about it anymore today.” She couldn’t hide her fatigue anymore.

  “Wow I never thought I’d hear you say that,” Noah commented, a look of confusion coming across his face. “Here, let me hold your books while you tell me all about it.”

  “No thanks, I got it.” She opened her backpack and placed her textbooks inside, her chemistry and math books thumping against one another as they fell to the bottom of her bag. She hadn’t had time to put her books away in the bag before the bell rang, since she’d wanted to get out of the classroom as quickly as possible. She zipped up her bag with a huff. “Well then, let it be noted that today is the first time I have ever admitted that I’m tired of school and learning. If only you knew.”

  Noah tilted his head to the left and raised his eyebrows. “Well now you have me intrigued. You can’t get out of this one, Heloise. What’s wrong?”

  Heloise heaved a sigh and opened her mouth to tell Noah all about it when she suddenly felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She wasn’t expecting to see Kyle’s face when she turned around and seeing his face brought about a mixture of emotions for her. Panic. Happiness. Worry. Yet there he was, standing just behind her with his hands in the front pockets of his heavy brown coat and an unsure look on his face, his backpack hanging on his left shoulder.
r />   “Hey Heloise. It’s Kyle, from the party,” he began, almost stumbling over every word he said.

  “Yes yes, of course, I remember you,” Heloise stammered. “It’s.... it’s great to see you again.” You have no idea. All the memories of their time spent together at the party that weekend came back to her. Just hold it together. Smile or something. Do anything.

  And smile she did. She was sure that she looked like a complete fool, but with Kyle’s face in front of her, she didn’t care. He then jammed his hands inside the front pockets of his jeans, glancing around like he didn’t quite know what he wanted to say. It helped that he looked just as anxious as she felt.

  “Yeah it is!” he replied enthusiastically. He then looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at Heloise’s face, his soft green eyes looking right through into hers. “Anyway, I have something to ask you. I’m having a little bit of trouble in French and, see, I took Spanish for three years before coming here and I would’ve kept going but I decided to try French instead. They only offered Spanish at my school, so I didn’t have much of a choice. And I was wondering if you could help me..... Maybe after school. I mean, since you’re fluent in French and everything,” he added with a quiver in his voice. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all,” Heloise replied. “I’d be glad to help.” Why not spread the knowledge? After all, Heloise and her sister had grown up immersed in French and English from both of their parents for as long as she could remember. By the time she and her sister went to school, they could carry on fluent conversations in both languages.

  “Great! That’ll be great. How about tomorrow?” he suggested, the quiver in his voice replaced with a giddiness that he couldn’t hide. “I know it’s soon, but we have a test coming up and I want to do well.”