by Nia Arthurs
I growled. My sister had no brain-mouth filter whatsoever and unlike Melody, she embraced the social insensitivity.
“Eryn,” I threatened.
Drew placed a hand on mine and smiled. “It’s okay.” He pulled his hand away and I tried to calm my racing heart. “I remember when I was fifteen.”
“Yeah?” Lexi nodded at him and sunk lower into the seat, “Were you always that hot?”
“Eryn!” I gasped.
Drew chuckled. “I like you, Eryn.” He glanced at her in the rearview mirror and then returned his attention to the road. “I really don’t know. I don’t think my appearance has changed much. I wasn’t very social though. I was always locked up in my room playing video games.”
Eryn scoffed, “Then you’re just like Lex. Sometimes, I’d go check that she was still breathing because we wouldn’t hear anything from her for hours. She could watch anime for days without leaving her room. I swore I saw a chimney pot underneath her bed. It was that real.”
“A chimney pot?” Drew questioned.
I stuck my tongue out at my big-mouthed sister before explaining. “It’s like a clay pot that you pee in. And that was for a class project.”
“If that’s your story.” Eryn muttered.
Drew laughed. “I never had a sibling until Archie, but I’m sure it would have been fun.”
“Not really.” I muttered. “Turn right.” I instructed before Drew took us down the gang territory.
We pulled up to Tapir’s Island in no time and got out of the car. As Eryn sauntered ahead of us, I once again wondered how three sisters could be so similar and yet so different. Eryn and I looked the most alike with our light skin tones and weird noses, yet our personalities were polar opposites. Eryn would just walk up to random people, strike up a conversation, and make instant friends. I wasn’t interested in making any friends in the first place and I certainly wouldn’t accost strangers to suit my own fancy.
I loved my little sis, though, despite her runny mouth.
“Where do you want to sit?” Drew asked as we walked up the wooden platform to the base of the Tapir Island Restaurant. The entire structure was made out of wood and a large green tin roof hovered above us. The dining hall was not too filled but there was still a good crowd of people in here. We were the only diners dressed up fancily.
“I want to sit next to the water.” Eryn led us forward, completely disregarding the hostess who stared after us clutching the menus.
We settled on the patio over the sea and found a seat in the plastic chairs sitting around wooden tables. An orange and white umbrella shaded us from the hot, Belizean sun. Drew rolled up his cuffs and unbuttoned a button in order to take away from the heat.
I found myself captivated by the movements.
That was the second hottest thing I’d ever seen.
The bouncing rays of the sun was swallowed by the black of his hair. His broad forehead and straight nose tapered down to thin lips that he pulled into a frown as he concentrated on his left cuff.
“Lex, Leex!” Eryn ran a hand up and down in front of my face.
“Huh, what?” I crashed back to earth and fell knee deep into the refreshing pools of his eyes.
“I was talking to you and you totally zoned out on me.”
She glanced from me and to Drew and folded her arms.
“Are you sure you’re not dating.”
“We’re not.” Drew assured my younger sister.
My little sister was adept at annoying me. I’m sure she could major in it.
Thankfully, our waitress arrived and took our orders. Drew, obviously, ordered potatoes and steak. Eryn ordered fish fingers and fries and I selected the rice and beans dish. I was a Creole gyal at heart.
“So,” Drew turned to Eryn, “What grade are you in?”
“I’m in high school.” My younger sister said proudly. “In fourth form.”
“Wow.” Drew glanced at me, “You look very young. I didn’t think you were already a senior.”
“I’ll be sixteen before I graduate.” Eryn informed him primly.
The waitress brought our drink orders and I sipped on my refreshingly natural watermelon juice.
I admired the play of the Caribbean Sea as it pulled upward, as if straining to reach our boarded height. Sea gulls called overhead, their happy cries mingling with the low hum of chatter and conversation. A white ship floated on the horizon, bouncing up and down as it soared on the waves. The wind tugged at my hair and I secured the mass into a high ponytail to keep it out of my face.
“And that’s why Lexi doesn’t talk to Jermaine.”
My ears picked up on that thread and I shot an accusing glance at Eryn.
“What are you guys talking about?”
“You’re love life.” Eryn answered easily.
Drew looked sheepish.
I glared at her and choked on an ice cube.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The good news was that ice cubes melt so I managed to withhold the hacking and coughing before making a big fool of myself in front of the entire restaurant. The bad news was, ice cubes don’t melt that fast, so I made a fool of myself in front of Drew.
I really had to get my windpipes checked. I was choking on everything nowadays!
He glanced at me with concern.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I sputtered, feeling the ice slip down my esophagus. “Why were you guys talking about my love life?”
“Oh,” Eryn said innocently, “I don’t know how it came up. I just started telling Drew all about how Jermaine texted you to go to prom and how desperately he’s loved you since you were my age.”
“Eryn,” I scolded my sister through gritted teeth, “That’s my private business.”
“It’s not her fault,” Drew tried to bail my sister out of the dog house, “I was very interested in-”
“Don’t take up for her.” I frowned, “I should call Mom and Dad so they can take you home right now.”
Eryn folded her arms, “Mein, I’m sorry. I had no idea you were that weird about Jermaine.”
“It’s not just about Jermaine.” I informed my sister, “How am I supposed to trust you with things if you’re talking my business?”
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.” Eryn defended, “Drew is good people.”
I glanced at him and his sheepish expression melted my anger.
“Fine. But the next time you want to tell someone a story about my life, check with me first please.”
“You got it.” Eryn smiled.
At that moment the food arrived and Drew was very happy with his mashed potatoes. We put the awkward love life discussion behind us. Drew and Eryn got along famously and I loosened up and enjoyed my sister’s and new friend’s company. When Drew dropped me home later than afternoon, I was full, content, and happy.
After taking a nap, I woke up just before sunset to start on the animation for the show. We were still deliberating names. Thankfully, we didn’t need an overall name for me to start the animation process. I booted up my laptop and sat in my black swivel chair. Clicking on the icon for my program, I fed the sketches the street artist had rendered into the computer and fixed the arcs and lines of the character until the movement was sure and true. This process required both imagination and technical skill. The main character was a gorgeous little girl named Mali. I sculpted Mali’s facial features in the computer and assigned her specific muscle tension so that she was capable of multiple expressions.
I had fun working and when I checked the time it was almost after eleven o’clock. Wincing, I realized that I’d have to awaken early the next morning to work on my programming assignments and get my networking jobs done in time for their individual deadlines.
After brushing my teeth and slipping into more comfortable pants, I climbed into my bed and pulled the comforter over my chin. Belize is an extremely hot country and though I had an overhead fan and a standing fan aimed at my bed, it was warmer than usual. Still, I ha
d to sleep with a comforter. It was a habit that I stood by.
In the darkness, my mind traced all the stupid and embarrassing things I’d said today and I winced. I sketched Drew’s smile in my thoughts. He was really handsome. I doubted that anyone would look at his face and call him anything else.
Unfortunately, a lot of mean, unfaithful, and abusive men were good looking. After the millions of lectures Daddy had laid on us girls, I knew better than to be swayed by a pretty face.
Mein, but Drew’s was such a sexy face.
I groaned.
I had to stop thinking about him like that. Until I saw more of his character, values, and morals, I had to keep him at arm’s length. But this was easier said than done, especially when I met up with him the next day to go over the animation and meet the writer of the show.
The three of us sat in the little café with my tablet before us on the table. The writer that Sharon and Drew had chosen was young twenty-four year old University of Belize student with a healthy blog following and an impressive resume. I liked her sweet, shy spirit immediately. My intuition was further proven right when she bought a huge brownie from the counter instead of the banana muffin that Drew ordered.
Andrea was a woman who understood the power of chocolate and I respected that.
Now, we nibbled at our unhealthy snacks and viewed a rough draft of the animation movements that I’d framed last night. The mock-ups were basically shaded in pictures that revealed the three-sixty figure of the characters and their various facial expressions.
“It’s good.” Drew nodded, “I have a few suggestions for the boys in terms of their appearances, but I like it. Nice job.”
“Thank you.” I dipped my head and tried not to seem as wildly enthusiastic about his approval as I felt.
“I’m almost done with the first few episodes.” Andrea admitted. “Mrs. Freemont wants the people doing the voices to be in the studios by Wednesday, so I’m hustling as fast as I can.”
“Wednesday’s fine.” I assured her, “I still have to form the backgrounds and add in the shades to give the scenes a more realistic feel. That might take me a few more days, especially with all that I have going on.”
“Cool.” She checked her watch, “Hey, I’ve got to go. I have a class now. I’ll talk to you guys later.” Andrea shook my hand, waved at Drew, and then grabbed her backpack and skipped out of the shop.
“I like her.” I said holding my last corner of the brownie and contemplating buying another one.
“You like her because she’s talented or because she’s an unhealthy eater like you?”
I arched an eyebrow in his direction, “Why do I hear prejudice in your tone?”
Drew shrugged and picked at his banana muffin. He seemed unenthusiastic about eating the rest of that. I understood his hesitancy. The muffin had banana chunks in it.
Blegh.
“I’m just making an observation.”
“No,” I pointed out, “you’re making an assumption. And you know what they say about people who make those.”
“ Ha ha,” Drew replied drily.
“By the way, I talked to Sharon about the radio show thing.”
This morning, the director had called my cell to inform me that the cheque to purchase my new software was available at the station. I’d taken the time to inform Sharon that I was really not into the whole radio show thing. She’d only laughed and informed me that I would be fine. I was promptly ordered to get ready for an early morning appearance tomorrow on the Wake Up Belize morning show.
“How did that go?” Drew asked, pushing away his disgusting muffin. I savored my last crumb of brownie and shrugged.
“She basically told me I was doing it. We have an interview tomorrow.”
“I know.” Drew nodded.
I peered at him and then at his muffin. “You should have bought a brownie. It was good.”
He stretched and then rested his hands on his flat tummy. “Yeah, I should have. But I’m trying to eat healthier. Since I’ve been here, I really haven’t paid attention to working out and eating right like I usually do.”
“I get you.” I pursed my lips, “But the brownie was really, really nice. Don’t you want to taste it?”
Drew flicked his head to the side, “Yeah, well, I guess I can…” he paused and narrowed his eyes at me. “Wait a second. I know what you’re doing.”
“Me?” I echoed innocently.
“You’re trying to convince me to buy a brownie so that you can eat it.”
“I was going to eat half of it.” I corrected.
Drew shook his head and chuckled, “You are something else.”
“Probably,” I accepted. “So are you going to get it or what?”
Drew stood. “Yes. But only because I actually want a brownie now.”
Drew left and returned shortly with two huge chunks of brownies.
“Hey, how come she gave you the good sizes?”
The handsome man sent me a charming grin. “I may have talked her into it.”
“You bad, bad boy, using your superpower for evil.” I accepted the plate from him.
My eyes widened as I appraised the huge hunk of chocolate goodness.
“I prefer to think of my powers of persuasion as gifts.”
I bit into the brownie and moaned as chocolate and caramel combined in my mouth and sang songs of love in harmony.
“Oh,” I leaned my head back as my eyelids fluttered clothes, “Oh that’s so good.”
“You are really weird.” Drew chuckled.
“I am.” I confessed as I enjoyed my second helping.
There were many downsides to adulting. That was a new word that I invented.
Adulting is the act of being an adult and doing responsible things like paying bills, repaying loans, and keeping an apartment.
The best thing about adulting was getting to eat whatever you wanted whenever you wanted. Vegetables could suck it.
In fact, Archie’s shared hatred for the green stuff was what had first drawn me to him.
Humans don’t have to eat grass. Giraffes and grasshoppers eat grass… I think.
Drew shook me from my animal cycle thoughts.
“So, Melody invited me to the zip lining trip on Saturday.”
“Cool.” I nodded. “Are you coming? It should be fun.”
“I want to.” He glanced at me strangely, “I kind of already agreed to a date.”
At his words, my heart dropped to the bottom of my toes. I rushed to regain my sanity as I struggled to speak.
“A- a date.”
“Yeah.” He tilted his head. “I met this girl at the park near Archie’s house. She was really nice and I asked her out. We were planning something for Saturday.”
I struggled to breathe.
As much as I’d told myself that I wasn’t into Drew that much and that my connection was on a physical level, it still felt like a punch to the gut to hear of his attraction to someone else.
“Why are you telling me?” I wheezed.
I felt tears gather behind my eyes and blinked them away.
No, no tears.
I would not be that pathetic. At least not in front of Drew.
Drew broke a piece of his brownie and stuffed it into his mouth. “I was wondering what the procedure would be if I wanted to bring someone on the trip. Do you think everyone would be upset if I invited someone else?”
“No.” I shook my head and tried to look nonchalant as I took a big bite of my brownie. The pastry tasted like dust in my mouth. “No,” I said with more gusto, “that’s a great idea. You should bring her along. Those guys love a good romance.”
“Cool.” Drew nodded and sat back in his chair.
I glanced at my phone and managed to crack my face open and emit something resembling a smile.
“Oh, look at the time. I have to head out.”
“Sure.” Drew stood, “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“No, no need.” I put a hand up to
halt his progress. “I can make it.”
I walked woodenly around the table. “Thanks for the brownie. See yah.”
I pushed through the glass doors and the bells tinkled in my wake.
Shut up, bells.
I was so stupid. So so stupid.
Of course Drew didn’t look at me as more than a friend. From day one, he’d made it pretty clear that our relationship in its basest form was a professionally friendly one. I’d fooled myself into thinking that I had control over my emotions but I was so wrong.
I cared way more for Drew Darcy than I’d wanted to admit. I bit on my bottom lip as I slid into Herbie.
There was always the declare-my-feelings option. But:
I wasn’t that kind of girl. I kept my emotions close to the chest as much as possible
Drew was obviously not into me like that so why would I push the issue and embarrass myself and him?
I had to admit that hearing him talk about dating another girl hurt me a lot. It was such a strange reaction. Drew had never done anything to trick me into caring about him. He hadn’t led me on. He was always respectful, kind and friendly. It was my own dumb hormones messing me up.
I turned the key in the ignition and Herbie rumbled to life, only coughing twice this time. Whatever Drew had done to Herbie had given him a new will to live. I puttered down the road leading to my apartment and stopped at the grocery store along the highway.
Since brownies now bore impressions of that terrible revelation back in the café, I needed a new kind of sugary sustenance. I treaded into Sea Shore Grocery and stumbled toward the chocolate aisle. I selected three bars of Moho chocolate, our local Belizean made cocoa bars, two packs of M&M’s and three bars of Snickers.
This was proper adulting.
“That’s it?” The cute Asian grocer gestured to my bars.
Jackie had been a heartthrob since I started regularly buying my groceries at Sea Shore. Unfortunately, he was also married so I didn’t stare too long when I came here.
“Yeah.” I tried to smile at him, but I was so messed up inside that it resembled an awkward baring of the teeth than anything.
I handed Jackie my money, grabbed my chocolate drugs and ran back to my car. I tore into the M&M’s before I even arrived home. That night, as I settled into my couch, watched anime on my laptop, and ate from my stash, I tried to mend my heart and remember that there were still a lot of fish in the sea.