by Hotcheri
“Hi, Nate.”
He must not have had anything to drink today because he only worked out when he was sober. My lucky day! God knows, I needed a break after the day I was having. Piles of homework, Robyn acting like a dress tyrant, not seeing Luke all day...
“Hey, Celsi,” Nate panted, pausing for a second, his hands behind his head, rivulets of sweat running down his face. “Make me a sandwich, will ya?”
“Sure, just let me put my bag in my room,” I said rapidly, moving away from the door. When Nate wanted something, it was best to do it immediately.
“And no mayo!” he yelled after me.
“Okay,” I said, thanking my lucky stars that he was sober. When Nate wasn’t drunk, he seemed to tolerate me more. When he was drunk... I shuddered. That was another story altogether.
So why did you tell Luke that he didn’t hit you? Shut up, mind. Anyway, Nate hadn’t hit me in a long time, not since Aunt Kelly yelled him out over the book incident. He used verbal and emotional abuse these days. Unfortunately, it worked, even though I tried not to let it show. And even if Luke knew, what could he do to stop it? At least he would know about it! Then what? I shrugged to myself, staring at myself in the mirror in my room. What Luke knew was more than enough. I had already said way too much, making a fool of myself and crying all over Luke to boot. He already looked at me like I was nuts. Now he would tag me as a cry baby. Ugh.
I popped into the kitchen, busying myself with placing a piece of bread on top of the ham sandwich. Grumbling to himself, Nate stomped into the kitchen, looking irate.
Pasting a smile on my face, I handed him the saucer. “Here’s your sandwich,” I said.
He snatched it from me without a word. You are so welcome.
He stomped to his room as I turned back to the counter to make a sandwich for Aunt Kelly. She deserved one and at least she would be more appreciative than Nate. Luckily I was full because Robyn treated me to pizza.
We were down to our last loaf of bread.
Aunt Kelly was in the living room, her feet curled under her as she rested on our battered couch. She smiled up at me as I entered the room.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said. I smiled back at her. No matter what was wrong in my life, it seemed that Aunt Kelly could make me forget about it with just one smile.
“Hi auntie. I made you a sandwich.”
I handed her the plate, noting the lines of exhaustion on her face close up. She was working too hard, but I couldn’t do anything about that. We were living hand to mouth as it was.
“Thank you, dear.” She frowned slightly as she took the saucer, patting the spot next to her. “Sit by me, dear.”
I sat next to her, resting my head on her shoulder as she put an arm around me.
“Have you already eaten?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Robyn bought me pizza,” I said.
“Bought you? Didn’t you just get paid?” Aunt Kelly asked. Whenever I got paid, I tried to give her money to contribute to everything. She always refused, saying that I was a growing girl; I needed to have some money of my own.
“Nate took my cash,” I told her softly.
She sighed, sounding annoyed. “I’ll tell him to give it back to you.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s okay.” God, if she makes Nate give me back my money, he would get so angry at me.
“I don’t want you accepting handouts,” Aunt Kelly frowned.
“Robyn always buys me food if I’m with her. She’d be offended if I refused,” I explained. Aunt Kelly was proud like that. She didn’t want anyone taking advantage of me, just because I was poor.
“Okay,” she said, still not sounding too pleased. She changed the subject. “How did your meeting with the Financial Aid Officer go?”
Hesitantly I told her and she sighed, closing her eyes. “Oh, dear,” she said slowly.
Guilt twisted my stomach. “I’ve decided I’m gonna drop out if I have to,” I told her, slipping my hand in hers. It wasn’t fair. Aunt Kelly worked herself to the bone for me. At least if I was at a public school, we’d be better off.
But Aunt Kelly shook her head, an adamant look on her face. “No. You’re almost finished with school, sweetie. I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she said fondly.
“But auntie, we can’t afford to keep me at Dalton,” I protested.
“There’s no such thing as can’t, dear.” She smiled at me. “We’ll find a way. We always have.”
I ran a hand through my hair, tears coming to my eyes as I thought about this new set of troubles I was bringing to the family. “I don’t want to be a burden, auntie,” I whispered. “I don’t need to be at Dalton.”
Aunt Kelly gave me a stern look. “Celsiana, you’re not a burden. You’re my pride and joy. Your heart is too big for this ghetto. You’re gonna get out of here one day and you’ll need to have a good education,” she said, patting my cheek. My lip trembled and I wanted to cry because of the love in her voice.
“It’s too much money for one person.”
“We’ll cut some things loose. That’s it, end of discussion.”
I felt so guilty that she was so adamant about me not dropping out. She already did too much for me. When you’re older, you’d better return the favor.
Hugging her, I said “Thank you, auntie. I love you.”
She hugged me back, patting my back. “I love you too, sweetie. Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.”
We sat in the dark, wrapped in each other’s arms and all I could do was thank God that my mother had left me in Aunt Kelly’s hands.
Celsi’s Point of View
Two days later
“Remind me again why I’m sitting here in the wind, watching a bunch of oafs chase a pig’s bladder around the field?”
Shazia put into words exactly what I was thinking except-.
“They don’t make footballs out of pig’s bladders anymore,” I corrected her, my eyes squinting involuntarily as the shrill wind whipped up flecks of dust from the ground into my face. “They’re made of either leather or plastic.” Shazia gave me a hilariously exasperated look and I elaborated. “I read it in a magazine somewhere. Or maybe it was a book, I’m not sure.”
Shazia looked like she was about to fling the book she was reading at me. “I know they’re made out of- Celsi!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in a gesture of despair.
I shrugged, making myself comfortable on the bleacher benches. “What? I was just saying,” I said nonchalantly.
“You’re no match for the nonsense Celsi carries in that head of hers, Shaz,” Robyn said, affectionately tapping on my temple. “She has an encyclopedia of garbage facts in here.”
“What can I say, I try,” I said, smiling brightly at Robyn.
She smiled back at me then turned to Shazia, who was pushing her hair back from her face. “And in answer to your question, Shaz, we’re watching Todd train.” Robyn placed her chin in her cupped hands, gazing out onto the football field where the ‘oafs’ were doing drills in the chilly weather. I could just make out Todd’s blonde head bobbing amongst his teammates. “Look at him! Even the way he runs is hot.”
“How does someone run hotly?” I mused out loud, scratching my nose in thought.
“Yeah, that’s something I’d like to know too,” Shazia put in.
Rolling her eyes, Robyn gave us a haughty look. “You guys have no imagination.”
Shazia and I stared at each other, and then gaped at Robyn. This was a girl who pretty much claimed that if she couldn’t see it, it wasn’t real. Robyn is the queen of no imagination.
Shazia reached out to grip Robyn’s sweater clad shoulders. “Who are you and where’s the real Robyn?” she demanded to know, shaking Robyn by the shoulders.
“I’m in love.” Robyn closed her eyes and placed her hands demurely in her lap as I laughed behind my hand. Robyn was a serial dater. She’d never once said she was in love with any of her short lived boyfriends. This is odd...
“In love with?�
��
I had to ask.
Shooting me a look that just screamed ‘obviously’, Robyn said, “Todd, silly! I think he’s the one.”
A teasing smile on her face, Shazia asked, “The one what?”
“My Prince Charming,” Robyn explained, opening her eyes and staring down at the field.
I stared at my best friend with renewed interest as her eyes sparkled due to the admission of her new found feelings. Could it be?
“You’ve converted!” Shazia sounded delighted as she stuffed her hands in the pocket of her bomber jacket. “You’re thinking like Celsi and I do now!”
“What?” Robyn asked, looking confused.
“You never used to believe in fairytale romances but you do now, thanks to Todd,” I explained, knowing where Shazia was coming from.
Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Robyn protested, “I never said I didn’t believe in fairytales!”
Indeed. And rats dance the conga in the sewers of New York.
“You call us out whenever you see us read a romance novel!” Shazia exclaimed, a laugh in her voice.
“That’s because you two read the cheesiest books imaginable,” Robyn scoffed, pointing to the book that was on Shazia’s lap. “Just like the one you’re reading right now.”
Shazia held up her novel. “This is my favorite book!”
Robyn rolled her eyes. “And it’s a cliché.” She snorted derisively. “I hate cliché’s.”
I giggled. “You just hate reading.”
Robyn nodded, not trying to deny it. “That too. But c’mon, ladies. Cliché’s only happen in those dumb books you guys read.”
Oh no she didn’t!
Shazia shook her head. “No, they don’t! They actually happen,” she exclaimed while Robyn smiled complacently at her. “And you can’t hate clichés coz you’re living one.”
“What?”
“You’re dating a popular, hot football player.” Shazia smirked at Robyn. “That’s the cliché.”
Robyn pouted. “Humph.” She tossed her head. “I still don’t believe in clichés. They’re an overused ploy created by Disney to lure people to watch their movies.”
If I had a dime for every time I heard that line.
“But clichés are there for a reason,” I told Robyn. “They actually happen in real life.”
“Name one time you’ve actually spotted a cliché and I might be inclined to believe you,” Robyn said airily.
I had one for her. Grinning, I said, “Sara, the band girl and John, the lacrosse player.”
Shazia made a face. “Those two are still dating?” she asked incredulously.
I nodded. “Yup.”
“I’ve never seen them together,” Robyn said.
Sighing, I said, “That’s because John’s embarrassed to tell his friends he’s dating her.”
Looking disgusted, Shazia said, “I wouldn’t want that cliché, not for all the money in the world.”
Curiously I turned to her. “What cliché would you like, Shaz?”
“That’s easy,” Shazia smiled, looking wistful. “Love at first sight.”
Ever the dream killer, Robyn was quick to say, “That’s gotta be the one cliché that doesn’t exist.”
Shazia brandished her book like a weapon. “Be quiet, wench,” she joked. “Don’t knock my favorite cliché! I know it won’t happen to me, but I’m living it through Michelle.”
She waved her book in the air and I swiped it from her hand. Turning it over, I quickly read the back, my eyes scanning the words. “Ooh, Michelle has a boyfriend!”
“Yeah, I want to be Michelle, minus the boyfriend so that I can just get together with Carl,” Shazia said, ignoring the unbelieving look on Robyn’s face as she spoke directly to me.
“Carl has blonde hair and grey eyes and is delicious looking,” I said, reading out loud from a random page in the book. “Carl sounds pretty hot.”
“You guys- it’s a book!” Robyn looked set to pull out her hair with frustration. “No Carl! He’s not real!”
Now who’s lacking in imagination?
“Wanna know my favorite cliché?” I said, a teasing smile on my lips.
“What?” Robyn and Shazia said in unison.
“Best friends brother.” I winked playfully at Shazia, who groaned. It was our own personal joke, my tiny crush on Ahmed. Shazia couldn’t understand why I thought he was hot.
“Ugh, why would you go for such a jerk?” she asked me.
I grinned. “Because he’s hot!”
“So you wanna be Ahmed’s mistress? Because he’s still dating Wendy, so that’ll be kinda hard,” Robyn said reflectively.
I squealed as a pair of hands lightly came to rest on my shoulders and a husky voice close to my ear said, “You want to be Ahmed’s mistress? Really?”
Looking bored, Shazia said, “Control yourself, Celsi.”
“He came out of nowhere,” I said defensively, twisting on the bench to stare as Luke jumped over a bench to sit next to me. “You came out of nowhere!”
“I swear, I thought you heard me come up behind you,” Luke laughed, shifting slightly closer to me, his leg pressing against mine. He grinned at a bemused looking Shazia and a nosy looking Robyn. “Hey, ladies.”
“Hey, Luke,’ Shazia said.
“Luke, let me tell you something about Celsi,” Robyn started, spreading her hands out in front of her. “If you value your life, don’t come up behind her and talk or I swear she’ll do more than try to break your nose.” She finished her little lecture by giving Luke a knowing wink. “You’re lucky she was sitting down.”
I flushed as Luke shot me a sideways look.
“CiCi! You talk about me to your friends?” he asked cheerfully, as an embarrassed feeling swept through me. “I’m flattered!”
He squeezed my shoulder as I glowered at a giggling Robyn, and then his eyes alighted on Shazia’s book, which was still on my lap. Before I could hide it, or something, he snatched it up from my lap and turned it around to read the back.
“Instant Connection,” he read aloud, and then snorted with laughter. Looking up at me, he said, “You read cliché romance novels? Bodice rippers, tear jerkers?”
“It’s Shaz’s book,” I said quickly, passing it to Shazia as soon as Luke put it back on my lap.
“Which is not to say that Celsi doesn’t read her fair share of cliché romance novels,” Shazia mumbled loudly, shooting me a black look.
I mouthed ‘sorry’ to her as Luke chuckled.
“You guys are fun,” he announced. “And for the record, I love cliché romance novels.”
There was a short silence as all three of us stared at him.
Robyn spoke first, smiling derisively as she twisted a lock of hair around her finger. “Luke, you don’t even read.”
Shrugging agreeably, Luke said, “Okay, true. But I like the covers.”
I tried not to laugh as Shazia shot me a ‘what the-?’ look.
“So, Luke, who’s your date for the gala?” nosy Robyn asked, changing the subject so that they could talk about something that interested her.
Luke hid his face in his hands, his hair curling over his tanned fingers. “Please don’t remind me about the damn gala,” he groaned, his voice muffled.
“I’m guessing you haven’t found a date yet?” Robyn sounded smug. She didn’t have to worry about her date. Yesterday, she dragged Todd to a tux store to pick out a suit that went with her shoes. Really.
“Nope,” Luke sighed, lifting his head. “I don’t even wanna go, but I have to.”
He sounded disgruntled as he stared bleakly at the field. I resisted the urge to put my arm around his shoulders and tell him everything would be alright. Then Shaz would really stare at me.
“You should take Meg,” Robyn said. Luke gave her a blank look.
“Meg? Who’s that?” he asked, sounding confused.
“The girl from Jersey. You know her; you’re always flirting at her at these gala thingies.
Brown hair, blue eyes-,” Robyn reminded him, getting into her explanation. Luke’s eyes lit up as he (apparently) remembered who Robyn was talking about.
“Oh yeah. Meg.” He didn’t look excited at all as he kicked the bench in front of us with his sneakered foot. “I think she has a boyfriend.”
Robyn shook her head. “No, he dumped her. Last week. They had a fight about bacon.”
I couldn’t help the admiring look that crept onto my face. How does she know everything about everyone’s private lives?
“Bacon?” Shazia asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Don’t ask,” Robyn said giggling. She refocused her attention on Luke. “You should take her, Luke. You’d look good together.”
Luke shrugged and nodded, still managing to look very unenthused about the whole situation. “Yeah, I might as well,” he said and a bolt of jealousy went through me as he continued. “Do you have her number?”
Always ready to oblige, Robyn fished her cellphone out of her pocket and recited mystery Meg’s number. Luke got a pen from Shazia and wrote the number on his hand while I sat there, feeling secretly envious of this Meg person. Lucky sucker.
“Thanks. I guess I’ll call her tonight. Or something.”
Astutely, Shazia pointed out, “You don’t exactly seem overly enthusiastic about this gala.”
Luke looked up at her and shot her a crooked smile. “I’m not,” he admitted, stretching his arms over his head. “I hate tuxes, I hate the food and I hate the music. I’d rather stay at home and watch The Care Bears.”
“Join the club,” Shazia said fervently.
“Yeah, I heard about the fashion show,” Luke said to her as he zipped up his hoodie.
“Did you hear about the wings?” Shazia asked him, running a hand through her long hair.
Luke’s grin grew wider. “No, but I heard about the eye patch.”
Shazia sighed as she contemplated the indignities that Aisha was piling on her. “At least the most you have to deal with is a tux. Meanwhile, at some point during that night, I’ll be dressed like a fairy,” she said, fixing Luke with an expression that clearly said ‘you don’t know how good you’ve got it.’