Perfectly Hopeless

by Hood, Holly

  It wasn’t often she dressed up. Both her parents worked a lot of hours—even in the summer.

  “I’m going over to the food court,” Maggie announced, taking off before anyone could say otherwise.

  Maven circled the racks of dresses, watching her mother work her way from one rack to the next. She was fussy yet uncomplicated.

  “What do you think Henri will wear?” Her mother asked her eyes glued to a simple white sundress.

  “I’m not sure.” She imagined Henri in a fancy tie.

  “He’s a handsome guy.” Her mother told her. “He doesn’t look like all these guys running around with the beaver haircut.”

  Maven laughed at her mother’s poor pop culture knowledge. “It’s not beaver.” She shook her head, unable to correct her misusage because she was laughing so hard.

  “Well, I just mean he has the hair of a refined actor from my time.” She smiled.

  Maven scrunched her nose. “He gets cuter every time he speaks.”

  Her mother’s eyes widened. “That’s not something I ever thought my teenage daughter would say. Those are the words of a woman in love.”

  Maven’s cheeks grew warm. She looked away. “There is no such thing as love, Mother.”

  Her mother smirked. “I beg to differ. Your father and I fell into it a very long time ago. And I have been falling ever since.”

  Maven loved hearing about her mother’s undying love for her father. But it wasn’t normal. Most people fell in and out of love their whole life. Her parents were a very rare thing.

  “Henri is never going to love me.” She shook her head at the thought of it. “He has much bigger things to deal with then falling in love.”

  This disappointed her mother. It was horrible that her daughter would think such a thing. Love wasn’t something you decided. It was thrust upon you at the most inopportune times in your life. You didn’t choose when or who to love, love chose you.

  Maven sighed. She hated to be so open about Henri’s health. It made it more real. It was illogical, but she thought if she ignored it that he would always be there. But other times it was hard to make it through a day knowing, she felt like she was going to burst if she didn’t talk about it. “I don’t think Henri will ever admit he cares about me because he doesn’t want to hurt me. He’s not selfish.”

  Her mother returned the white dress to the sales rack and wrapped her arm around her. “You don’t know that. I think Henri thinks a lot about you whether he says so or not. It’s written all over him every time he looks at you.” She smoothed her hair. “It’s too early to give up hope.”

  Maven stepped out of line to check her phone. Another text from Henri.

  You me and a pizza?

  Sounds nice 

  Hurry before Flynn eats it all, got your favorite kind, pineapple.

  Maven grinned, her heart fluttering. One day I will convince you to try it. It’s yummy.

  Let’s start with pineapple lip gloss. If I can stand kissing it off your lips then I’ll give pineapple pizza a shot, deal?

  Maven giggled loud enough to make the woman sampling perfumes look over at her.

  She stuffed her phone back in her pocket. The girls behind her started up conversation.

  “Tatiana is crushed.” Maven’s ears perked up at the familiar name and she froze where she was. She couldn’t help but listen in on the gossip. There weren’t many Tatiana’s in Portwood.

  “What do you think happened?”

  “I don’t know. But I heard he dumped her on Facebook.” The girls laughed at the shocking rumors that were nothing but ugly to Maven. She knew how it felt to be in Tatiana’s shoes.

  “I wonder who he is dating now. I’m sure he already had a back up.”

  Maven’s mother tapped her on the shoulder. “Are you ready?”

  Maven shot the girl’s one last look before heading out of the dress shop with her mother. Jake and Tatiana’s liaison lasted less than a year. What had been the point of ruining her life for less than a year? Jake Summit always seemed to find a new way to destroy someone’s life. And part of her was glad this time it wasn’t her who had to deal with the heartache. Her heart was healing just fine.

  Uninvited

  Maven’s father smiled at the sound of his daughter’s laughter outside on the porch. A sound he had grown to miss. But now it was back and he could see why she enjoyed Henri’s friendship so much. Henri had a way to make her all smiles and free from care

  Maven’s mother snuck up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him.

  “Are you enjoying your day off?”

  “Absolutely, but not as much as our daughter and Henri,” Her dad pointed out, he raised a finger signaling his wife to wait. Seconds later another giggle slipped through the windows.

  “He’s a nice boy.” She stroked her husband’s arm, planting a kiss on his cheek.

  “I know that. I try to tell myself that every day that I see her take off for his house.”

  “She’s happy. Happier then I have seen her in a long time,” her mom said.

  He parted the curtain, giving the lovebirds one more look before he took his sandwich and went into the den for lunch.

  “I swear I was born with two left feet,” Henri said. He watched Maven’s eye sparkle as she giggled about his poor dancing skills. Her legs draped lazily over his lap. They swayed carelessly on the porch swing.

  “You’ll do just fine.” Her hair fluttered in the breeze. “We are going to have a lot of fun. And we are going to take a lot of pictures.”

  Henri idly ran a thumb against her thigh, listening attentively

  “And they will be the best pictures ever.” She smiled, sitting up and resting her head against Henri’s shoulder, the mood dying down.

  Maven touched his face, staring off, stroking the side of it lost in an awful contemplation. The thought that one day all she would have of him were pictures. She pulled her phone from her pocket.

  “What are you doing, Maven?” Henri asked, tugging the beanie from his head and covering his face with it. Maven pulled his arm away from his face.

  “I’m making a video of you.” She dropped her feet to the porch standing up. “Say something, Henri.”

  Henri sighed. His brown eyes lighting up with amusement, he grinned. “You should be the one on camera.”

  “Why’s that, Henri?”

  He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes looking away from the camera. “Because you’re so beautiful it hurts.”

  Maven smiled from behind her phone. “Say something else.”

  He stared into the camera lens, a solemn expression creeping across his face. “I’m Henri Levitt. And I have no idea what I am going to do when I have to dance with Maven.” He laughed, springing up from the swing and took off after her, she squealed, bounding across the porch, her bare feet echoing the wood as she tried to get away from him.

  She almost made it to the other end of the porch before Henri grabbed her by the waist, twirling her around in his grasp, her feet no longer on the floor. He set her back down, backing her against the white railing. His hands on both sides not allowing her to escape, he took the phone and turned the camera on her now, positioning the two of them in front of the viewfinder. He kissed her cheek.

  “You see that?” he said, talking to the camera. “We just made a memory.” He kissed her again.

  Maven’s heart pittered and pattered, he held tight to her chin, kissing her again. He shot a look at the camera the only witness to the undeniable connection between the two of them. “An everlasting reminder of my amazing kissing skills,” He laughed. Maven snatched the camera away from him hiding her sadness. She knew he was joking, but it still dug at her emotions making her ready to burst into tears.

  Henri watched her take a few steps away from him. Her attention pinned on the video they just made. He leaned against the railing knowing he had ruined the moment between them. But what could he say? Sorry. You couldn’t apologize for something you had no co
ntrol over—like inevitable death.

  When the silence was starting to become too much that’s when Jake Summit ended it. His voice pulled them both back into reality.

  “What are you doing here?” Maven said without delay. She shoved her phone into her pocket.

  Jake gave Henri a quick glance before he bothered explaining himself. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  Henri was beginning to feel awkward caught between the two of them. He moved out of the way.

  “I don’t have anything to say to you, Jake.” Maven couldn’t believe Jake had the nerve to show himself at her house. It had been made clear he was to stay away from her. It was one thing to try and be malicious out in public, but at her home it was uncalled for and she was close to screaming for her father.

  Henri pushed off the railing. “She said she has nothing to say to you. So why don’t you just leave?” He wasn’t going to let Maven deal with Jake alone. But he wasn’t quite prepared for what came next.

  Jake shoved him into the railing. Maven jumped between them. “You keep your hands off of him.”

  “Talk to me and I won’t lay a finger on him again.” Jake was angry, it was obvious by the heated scowl pinned to his lips. Maven had seen it time and time again. He was a bully their entire life.

  Maven spun around and looked Henri over. Her heart beating out of her chest, she was so upset. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

  Henri shook his head. “Of course. It was just a shove, a rather pathetic one.” He squeezed her arm. “Whatever you want me to do.”

  Maven searched Henri’s eyes confused. She didn’t want Henri hurt. “I don’t want you to do anything.”

  Jake groaned. “Just let me talk to her and it will be like nothing ever happened. That’s not too hard to do is it?” He raised an eyebrow. “Go home, Henri.”

  Maven looked at Jake. “Don’t tell him what to do. You have no say so in any of this.”

  “I can go. As long as you think you’re okay being alone with him.” Henri lifted his hat from the porch swing. “I’m calling in fifteen minutes.”

  Jake scoffed, watching Henri walk down the stairs. Henri shot him a look. “Don’t be stupid.”

  Jake grinned, amused Henri had the nerve to threaten him. “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll make you wish you never showed up uninvited,” Henri said, he looked at Maven for confirmation it was okay to leave. She nodded.

  Once Henri was out of view Jake took a seat on the porch swing. “How quaint, you and Henri Levitt sharing precious moments on the old porch swing.”

  Maven refused to look at him. Jake grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her down beside him. She slapped his arm away. “Don’t touch me, Jake. I agreed to talk to you not have you manhandle me. My father is right inside, and he would love to get his hands on you.”

  Jake refused to take her seriously. He cut to the chase. “Did you hear Tatiana and I broke up?”

  Maven stood up, putting a big gap between the two of them. She leaned against the railing, the front door in view and this made her feel better. “I heard. Is that why you’re here?”

  “Don’t you want to know why I broke up with her?”

  Maven shook her head a disgusted look on her face. “Of course I don’t. I’ve said it many times now. I don’t care. Maybe you should get that through your head.”

  Jake stood up. He studied Maven. She still was just a beautiful. Just as girly and anxious as he remembered. “I broke up with Tatiana because of you.”

  Maven started for the door. She didn’t want to hear anything else. But before she could slip inside and slam the door in his smug face he grabbed her by the arm. This time she wasn’t waiting around to see what would happen next. She screamed.

  “Why are you screaming?” Jake stared down at her, his breath fast, his emotions overriding his rational judgment. “I came here to say that I was sorry.”

  Maven twisted free. “Get away from my house now. You’re not sorry about anything. You’re crazy and I never want to see you again.”

  The door flew open, thudding loudly against the house. “What did I tell you?” Mr. Wilder said, grabbing Jake by the collar of his shirt. He jerked him away from his daughter. It was the worst thing Jake could do was show up at his home.

  “I came to apologize to her. I swear that’s all I was doing.” He didn’t have time to say anything else. Maven’s dad gave him no time to gain his balance. He shoved him down the porch steps. Jake fell to the ground like a bag of bones.

  Maven tried to stop her dad. “Pleas, Dad, stop. He’s not worth it.”

  But he wasn’t listening. He stood at the top of their steps watching Jake pick himself up from the ground and dust himself off. “I don’t want to see you around here again. And the next time you want to threaten someone, threaten me, tough guy.”

  Jake was angry. Maven could see it. He was also scraped up and picking gravel from his elbow. He lifted his head, trying to pretend he still had some dignity left. “My parents are going to sue you.”

  Maven’s dad laughed, crossing his arms and shaking his head in amusement. “Oh I doubt that. But feel free to try.”

  Maven Watched from behind her dad as Jake once again walked away with his tail between his legs.

  “Next time you come get me if he shows up here.”

  Maven nodded. “I thought I could handle him.”

  Her dad pulled her close, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “That’s what I’m here for. Don’t tell your mother I threw Jake Summit down the stairs, okay, kid?”

  Maven sighed. Smiling a little at her dad’s pleased expression. He wanted to let Jake have it for a long time now.

  They headed inside.

  Useless issues

  Henri tossed the rag into the sink at the yogurt hut. Business had died down. And he had time for a break. It wasn’t that he enjoyed serving frozen yogurt, it was just most of the time April and Sandra were too selfish to help his aunt and uncle and he felt bad. Weeks before he wouldn’t have minded, now it seemed he wanted to be in another place. That place was around Maven.

  He shook his head. He wasn’t sure how this growing attraction happened, or the significance. But now he hardly spent a waking hour without Maven’s smile or giggle coming to the surface, blotting out the days and making his life harder. It wasn’t a bad thing. It just wasn’t what someone close to their demise needed to dive into—for the sake of the living.

  Flynn shoved Henri in the arm. “Earth to Henri, Dad told me to tell you to leave.”

  Henri looked up from the Styrofoam cups. “Ok.”

  Flynn ran a hand across his chin, studying Henri’s detached behavior. “Everything okay? Don’t you have an appointment today?”

  Henri shook his head. “No.”

  Flynn’s eyebrows lifted in unease. He wasn’t an idiot, his mother made sure to mark them on the wall calendar that hung in their kitchen—a constant reminder to Henri when he needed to get his behind to the doctors. “Is that so?”

  Henri sighed, untying his apron, he wanted to ignore Flynn all together, but he was known for administering a mean headlock. “It’s simple blood work or something. Just give me a break for one week.”

  Flynn studied Henri. He wasn’t an expert on heart conditions, but his cousin seemed fine on most days. He didn’t like to know the details about Henri. He just knew it wasn’t good.

  The night his mother told them all that Henri was sick he put his fist through his closet door. He didn’t like to see his mother crying—or even his aunt.

  Henri and Flynn had always been close. His family regularly visited Henri’s in Tennessee. His mother and his aunt Charlotte were twins, the bond between them remained strong their entire life. He was sure it was the only reason Henri was allowed to take off like he did and come stay with his family.

  Flynn remembered his entire life with Henri. He was older, but that never changed the bond the two of them had. Henri had a way to get inside anyone’s heart. Flynn always wanted a
brother and Henri was the closest thing he ever would have to one. So it was understandable he had a lot of pent up emotions about Henri’s health.