Dark Love

by Olivia M. Howe

  Today's my sister's 16th birthday! My mom is probably downstairs getting the cake, decorations and presents all ready. Uh oh. Speaking of presents. I forgot to buy Lynns something for her birthday!

  Love, Nina

  * * * *

  I can't believe I forgot to get my sister something for her 16th birthday! I begin running around my room like a mad woman. I'm searching through my closet for something to wear. I'm throwing clothes around everywhere. I finally find a pair of nice jeans and a plain pink shirt. I throw on some shoes and I'm ready to go.

  As I'm running through the house, my mom shouts at me as I'm starting to open the front door to leave. "Hey! Where are you going? It's your sister's birthday today and you can't just leave, missy!" Ali yells.

  "I forgot to get Lynns something for her birthday," I begin to say. I start to see the look on her face change. She looks very ashamed in me. "I'm sorry, mom. I know I shouldn't have forgotten. My mind has been going crazy with starting school and my new friends. It just slipped my mind. It won't happen again. I have to go. I love you, Mom!" I confess my apology to her before she can even give me a lecture on why I didn't get Lynns something for her birthday yet and I should apologize for my actions and what was I thinking? I just saved her some trouble of yelling at me and I saved myself some time too. At this point it's about 10 in the morning, and I probably have a couple of hours before Caroline wakes up and showers.

  It takes me about ten minutes to jump out of bed, get dressed and get into my car on my way to pick up Kali at her house. All I can think about is how I don't even know what I'm going to get for my sister. Maybe some new shoes or jewelry. I definitely need to figure this out quick. I'm running out of time. I need to go pick up Kali, go to the mall and find something to buy for Lynns and get back to the house before she wakes up and realizes that I'm not there.

  * * * *

  As I arrive at Kali's house she's already waiting outside for me. I'm astounded I didn't get too lost on the way here. I guess luck is on my side today.

  "Hey, Nini," Kali says. No one has ever called me Nini before, but I guess there is a first time for everything.

  "Hi, Kali," I say. I'm more focused on getting to the store then starting conversation with her, but knowing Kali, she is a cheerleader and loves to talk so I'm guessing she will start talking anyway.

  "OK, so I got a couple of presents for Caroline. I got the cutest cheerleading shirt from the whole squad to welcome her on to the team and I got red, gold, and black ribbon. Look." Kali pulls out a red shirt with gold lettering on it. The shirt says, "Scarlett Hills High School" and under that it says "Titans Cheerleaders." It's actually cute. She turns it around and it says "Caroline." It's written in black paint. It's even cuter now. "Isn't this so adorable?" Kali asks.

  "That's so adorable! I don't know how I'm going to top that gift!" I say with complete jealousy. Caroline is going to love that shirt. I wish I had gotten that for her.

  "Of course you will. You're her sister! What did you get her?" Kali asks.

  "The thing is, it completely slipped my mind to get her something. I need help!" I say as I glance at her with a sweet smile.

  "How much time do we have?" Kali asks in her serious voice, like she's ready to get down to business.

  "Like almost two hours."

  "I got you covered. I have the best idea!" Kali says in her bubbly voice. "Let's head to the mall in Charlotte. They have the best stores for clothes."

  Kali is like my GPS right now. She's taking me through all of the short cuts to save us time, something we need lots of. On the road we go to Charlotte.

  * * * *

  We finally arrive in Charlotte at the mall. It's four buildings next to each other. Each building is about average size, not too big, not too small. There are a couple of clothing stores, a shoe store, and a jewelry store. It's such a cute mall for all of these small towns around here.

  "Yay! We're here! Now, let's go find your sister the best present!" Kali says with her still so bubbly voice.

  I pull into a parking spot in front of one of the clothing stores. I put it in park and begin to shut my car off when I see him. His beautiful dark eyes meet mine for a moment when Kali interrupts. "Oh. My. God. There's your lover boy staring you down," Kali tries to whisper, but she makes it obvious that she's talking about him.

  I feel myself begin to blush. He's with two other people, a girl and a guy. That must be his sister and brother. They all look identical. His sister, Alex, is slim, but curvy. She's average height for a female. She has dark, medium length hair and dark eyes that are beautiful. William is slim as well. He's tall with short dark hair and dark eyes. I think William's attractive, but that won't ever leave my thoughts.

  "Should we get out of the car or just stare at him all day?" Kali asks. I don't think she would mind if I told her I want to sit here and stare into those marvelous dark eyes of his all day, but I can't because my sister's birthday is today. I'll have to take a rain check.

  I get out of my car and start walking into the clothing store. I can see out of the corner of my eyes that he's staring at me. I feel myself wanting to smile, but I can't because I would make an absolute fool out of myself.

  The shopping trip goes by pretty quickly. The first store I go into I find something nice for my sister. I buy her a really cute birthday dress she can wear and a pair of flats to go with it. The dress is black and consists of white and pink flower designs. It's flawless for her. I know she'll be stressing about what she's going to wear today so I solved that problem for her.

  As I exit the store, I turn to look where Andrew and his family were standing, hoping to see him again. They weren't there, but all of a sudden I feel someone tapping on my shoulder. I look behind me and there he is, the most stunning guy I have ever seen.

  "Hello," Andrew says.

  "Hi," is all I'm able to stutter out. I'm so nervous I panicked.

  "How are you doing? Are you feeling alright today? You're not going to faint are you?" He smiles big. His teeth are absolutely perfect and shining white.

  "I'm fine today," I say.

  Andrew's brother decides to intrude into our conversation, in a nice way though. "I'm William," he reaches out his hand to shake mine. "It's nice to meet you," he says as I shake his hand and can't avoid eye contact with him.

  "I'm Nina. It's nice to meet you too!"

  "I know who you are. I've heard a lot about you," William admits. What's that suppose to mean? Are people chatting about my visit to the hospital or has Andrew been talking about me?

  "All good things I hope."

  William just shakes his head and smiles. He looks at Andrew and then back at me. "Of course!"

  Kali is standing right next to me and clears her throat like she wants me to introduce her to them. "Oh, um, this is my friend Kali."

  "Nice to meet you," Andrew and William say at the same time.

  I look at the time on my phone. I need to get home now for Caroline's birthday. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to get back home for my sister's birthday party."

  "Your sister is Caroline, right?" Andrew asks.

  "Yes."

  "Wish her a Happy Birthday for me," Andrew says with a bright smile.

  I don't want to leave Andrew yet. I just want to stand here and gaze into his beautiful dark eyes all day. In that instant, staring into his eyes, I have a great idea. "Would you two like to come to her party?" I ask. "It's not going to be much. Just cake and presents," I say and before I can finish, I'm interrupted nicely.

  "We would love too!" Andrew confirms.

  "Sounds like more fun then standing here waiting for my sister to get done shopping," William says. He seems like he's relieved to leave.

  "OK, great. I'll write down my address for you."

  I go to my car and search for a piece of paper. I find a napkin on the floor, but no pen. I begin to search my purse and find eye liner. That'll work just as good as a pen. I write down my address and then walk back over to An
drew and hand it to him. "There you go," I say as I feel myself beginning to turn red. Hopefully he doesn't notice. "It starts in like an hour."

  "See you soon," Andrew says.

  William just smiles at me and nods his head. Then, they start walking toward the jewelry store.

  Once the boys are out of sight, I look at Kali and start smiling. She starts screaming, but in a hushed tone so there's no way they can hear her. She begins jumping up and down while holding my hands. I go along with her lead and start jumping too.

  Andrew will be at my house soon. I have to look beautiful!

  * * * *

  We arrive at my house and find my mom in the kitchen finishing up the last details on Lynns' cake. Lynns' cake is cute. It's her favorite color, pink and her favorite print, zebra. My mom's like a chef at baking and designing cakes. She must have gotten the hang of it from baking us so many cakes over the years and she's also an artist. She hasn't painted since my dad died. All of the things she loved to do stopped when the accident happened with my dad.

  "Mom, this is Kali," I announce. "This is the cheerleader I was telling you about that wants Lynns to join the team."

  Ali wipes her hands on a towel and comes over with a sparkling smile on her face. She reminds me of Kali. "It's so wonderful to meet you, sweetheart!"

  "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Mckay," Kali says politely.

  "Caroline is still sleeping. She should be getting into the shower soon," Ali says and then she looks over at our bags. "What did y'all get her?" We both show Ali what we got Lynns and she's excited to see it all. "She's going to fall in love with her presents! I think I'm more excited than anyone else," Ali laughs. "Maybe you can design me a shirt that says "Cheer mom" so I can have some cheerleading spirit."

  "I definitely will, just for you!" Kali confirms.

  I start walking toward the stairs and then I remember to inform my mother of our other guests that will arrive soon. I should tell her now before she gets a surprise knock on the front door. "Mom, I forgot to tell you. My new friends are coming over for Lynns' party."

  "Fine with me. The more, the better," Ali says. "What are their names?"

  I clear my throat and hesitate. "Andrew and William," I say with a very innocent look on my face.

  "Boys?" Ali asks. She looks like she's going to burst from excitement.

  "Yes, Mom. They're boys."

  "YAAAAY! My daughter already has a little crush!" Ali yells.

  "They're just friends, Mom! Please, don't embarrass me," I whine.

  "I won't embarrass you, Nina. I'm a hip mom, dude," she says as she's shaking her hips with her hands up in the air.

  "Don't ever say that again, mom." I burst into laughter with Kali and then begin to walk up the stairs. I really hope she doesn't embarrass me. I already regret inviting them over, but there's no turning back now.

  * * * *

  I hear the door bell ring and the butterflies in my stomach are way too extreme for me to handle. It feels like they're fighting in my stomach to get out.

  I decide to just wear a pair of skinny jeans and a purple v-neck shirt. It looks simple and pretty. The shirt really compliments my slim figure.

  I walk down the stairs and there they are. The Madsen brothers are standing in my kitchen. "We brought gifts," William says as he's holding up a jewelry bag and flowers.

  "That's very sweet of you boys," Ali says. "What's in that bag?" She points to the jewelry bag.

  "They're pearls. Our sister picked them out," Andrew says. "She has a bit of a shopping problem," he laughs.

  "That's very nice. Thank you boys. Caroline will love it," Ali says and takes the bag and starts looking for a vase for the flowers.

  Caroline walks down the stairs and I see her eyes meet William's, instantly. She starts to blush. Her cheeks now match the pink flowers that are imprinted onto her dress.

  I look at Lynns and introduce everyone. "This is Kali, the girl on the cheerleading squad," I say as I point to her. "This is Andrew and William," I point to each of them while I say their names.

  "Thanks for coming everyone," Caroline announces to everyone.

  William walks over to her and takes here hand in his. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Caroline," he says and then kisses her hand. "Happy Birthday."

  Caroline is standing there with the biggest smile on her face, as her cheeks get redder and redder. "Thank you," she laughs.

  * * * *

  Caroline's birthday party is fun so far. She loves all of her presents. Ali has been snapping a lot of pictures and talking everyone's ears off. She also decides to shove cake in the birthday girl's face. Lynns isn't too impressed with that. It completely ruins her make up and she's up in the bathroom and it's been an hour now. She must be trying to fix herself.

  We all sit outside around a table. Caroline comes downstairs and sits next to William on one end of the table, starting to reminisce on stories from the past. They're laughing, flirting, and having a blast. Kali's sitting by herself talking on the phone about cheerleading stuff and then there's Andrew and me. We're sitting here in silence. It's awkward for a few moments until he starts conversation. "Thank you for inviting us."

  "Thank you for catching me when I fainted," I say and we both start laughing.

  "Just don't do it again unless I'm there to catch you."

  "Hopefully there isn't a next time." I wink at him.

  "Are you feeling fine now? You're turning a little pale?" Andrew says with a big smirk on his face.

  "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" I ask.

  "Probably not," he says. We stare at each other for a second and then the uncontrollable laughter begins.

  Caroline decides to jump into our conversation, "I bet that was so embarrassing."

  "Tell me about it."

  * * * *

  The birthday party is over. Andrew and William are getting ready to leave. William and Lynns are exchanging phone numbers. I guess they hit it off pretty good. They would look so adorable as a couple, but it would be really weird if I start dating Andrew and Caroline starts dating his brother William.

  "I had fun," Andrew says.

  "I did too. Thank you for coming."

  "Thank you for inviting us," he says back.

  Andrew leans in and starts to hug me. I wrap my arms around his waist and can feel how gentle his arms are around me. He whispers in my ear, "You look beautiful."

  CHAPTER 5

  New to You

  Dear Diary,

  It's 2 in the morning and I'm still awake, like usual. It's raining outside. I've always loved the rain. The sound of the rain drops hitting the ground and the top of the roof, is so peaceful. I could sit here all night, staring out my window, listening to the soothing sound of the rain. The wind is flowing through my window and the smell of the beautiful fresh air outside is my favorite smell of all.

  Rain seems to make people sad or bored. Hell, it's done that to me before, but right now, the times I feel sad, the rain helps me feel better. It's weird. It's something I can't really explain. The sound just soothes me, calms me down, relaxes me. The smell and feeling of the cool air flowing through my window is a plus.

  I find myself staring out my window aimlessly, doing some thinking, but mostly watching the rain. I would say, it's definitely the best time to clear my head and do my best thinking. It's just so peaceful.

  A couple of days ago Andrew made my day. He whispered in my ear and told me I was beautiful. I'm really starting to crush on him, but I'm keeping it secret for now.

  Love, Nina

  * * * *

  I wake up today and I feel hopeful. Things are actually starting to look up for me and my family. Caroline seems happy with cheerleading and school. She already has a new friend, Kali, and she seems to really like William. Ali started painting again and received a job at an art gallery. She enjoys learning about paintings and the history behind them. She hadn't painted since my dad died. I'm just happy to see her doing what she loves again.
I think she's finally starting to enjoy life now because her daughters are starting to be happy. I have hope that things will get better.

  I'm actually eager for the day to start. I should see Andrew around school and I start my new job today at the thrift store. I wonder if any of my classmates work there.

  Caroline and I arrive at school about three minutes before the bell rings. We got a late start today because Lynns had to look extra pretty just in case she sees William. She highly amuses me.

  I catch myself searching the hallways in school for Andrew and trying to be discreet as possible. I'm not making good progress because I can't find him and I'm most likely sure that it's absolutely obvious to everyone around me with what I'm doing.

  I arrive at my first class, Biology. I sit in the back of the room with Kali. She seems kind of cheerless today. I wonder what's wrong with her. "What's with the sad face?" I ask. Curiosity always gets the best of me.

  "Is it that noticeable?" She asks me.

  "Kind of. What's wrong?"

  She takes a deep breath before she starts to speak. "I think they're going to cut the squad this year. My coach called me today and told me I have until the end of the week to fill all of the positions on the team or," she tossed a dirty look into the air, "they're going to dismiss cheerleading for the whole school year!" I should have figured her unhappiness had something to do with cheerleading not going in her favor.

  "How many more girls do you need?" I hope she doesn't think I'm going to feel sorry for her and join. I just could never see myself being a cheerleader, but I can try to help find some girls for the team.

  "That's the thing, we only need one more girl!" She affirms.

  "That's it?" I ask. "They can't cut the squad because you're short one girl."

  "I tried to tell them that. It's so ridiculous," she says and throws her hands up in the air.