Cursed or Blessed

by A. L. Martin

  After Math class, I headed to Health. Not once did I see Braedon in the halls. I had to remind myself that I never saw him between these two classes in the past.

  I sat in Health thinking about the black boot, and who it could belong too. I sat there looking around class with the horrible thought that it could be any one of these girls in here. The hairs on the back of my neck raised up as I glanced at each girl, realizing that maybe one of them would never step foot in this class again. I closed my eyes to try and get the horrible thought out of my mind, and concentrate on what the teacher was talking about. I opened my eyes and caught the teacher glaring at me, and I usually paid attention, unlike most of the class. After several minutes of trying to ignore Mrs. Becker’s death stares, the bell finally buzzed for class to be over. I practically ran out of the classroom and down the hall towards the cafeteria to see if Braedon was in there yet. I went around the last corner and I saw Braedon standing by the door, smiling at me. He looked hot today in his blue jeans, button-down charcoal and a white plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and grey Vans. As I got closer to him, warmth flooded my cheeks, and my heart began to race.

  “Are you waiting for someone?” I smiled.

  “As a matter of fact, I am waiting for someone. She’s pretty great, but I don’t know if she will show up. See, I was a complete jerk to her.”

  “Maybe she will show up and forgive you.”

  Braedon grabbed my hand as he led me into the cafeteria. Alexina and Sophie were smiling from the table. I went to the salad bar while Braedon went and got him something from the Ala Cart line. He was finished before I was, so he walked over and waited for me while I finished making my salad.

  Tyler followed a few feet behind us as we made our way over to the table with Alexina and Sophie. I felt bad that Alexina didn’t have a guy to come over and sit with her. She seemed a lot better now than she was right after the party the other night. Caden needed his ass kicked for blowing Alexina off. At least Sophie and Tyler were taking her to the Halloween party Friday night.

  “I almost forgot to tell you I went home and ordered my costume last night. It will be here Wednesday. What time should I pick you up for the party Friday night?” Braedon took a bite of a chicken tender.

  “What time is the party?” I asked.

  “I think the party starts at nine o’clock since there isn’t a football game,” Sophie said.

  We sat there talking about what everyone was going to wear, and who they thought would show up at the party. I knew Blair and her damn friends would be there, but I wasn’t going to let them ruin my time with Braedon. I told Sophie and Alexina I would text them later after school when I got home. Alexina headed to her next class, while Tyler walked Sophie to hers. Braedon took our trays, then came back to the table, reaching for my hand to help me up.

  On the way to my Marketing class, we discussed what time he would pick me up for the party.

  He also told me to not worry about Blair being there because he wasn’t going to let her ruin our night. I promised to text him later also before walking into the classroom.

  Once we got home from school. I hatched a plan to convince Emerson to help me get ready for the party. I purposefully left her alone for nearly two hours so she could have some time to herself before I begged her for help. She must have caught on to me because she came looking for me in the family room just as I was preparing to go start dinner.

  “I know you are dying to ask me something, Karsyn. Are you ever going to ask me?” She sat down on the loveseat next to the couch.

  “There is a big Halloween party this Friday night, and I was wondering if you could help me get ready for it.”

  “The costume party?” She took a bite of an apple slice. “Do you have a costume?”

  “Yes. I bought it almost two weeks ago. It’s Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Braedon is going as Beast.”

  “I will help you. You will never be able to put your hair up like Belle’s. It will take me a few hours to do your hair, so we will get started after we got home from school.” She got up and went into the kitchen, waving me to come over there with her.

  We started fixing dinner, so I would be close to being done by the time Mom and Dad got home from work. About 45 minutes later, they walked in the door together, commenting that something smelled really good. Mom put the big black purse that carried her laptop down beside the couch in the family room. “What is the occasion?” she smiled, looking over my shoulder into the skillet of pork chops, apples and onions.

  “Nothing. I felt like cooking for everyone tonight. Emerson even helped me.”

  Mom and Dad cleaned up the dishes for me and Emerson while we went upstairs and started on our homework. Before I got started on it, I texted everyone back that had blown up my phone while I was cooking earlier. I texted Braedon back first, then Sophie, and Alexina. We texted back and forth for about 30 minutes, then I told them I had to get my homework done. I reached for my English book but caught myself staring off into the far corner of my room toward the shelf that held my favorite books and pictures of Rylee. Still holding the book, I flopped down on my bed. I could see the meadow again, and contorted tree. The boot was still propped up against the tree, but nothing else was in sight. Before I could explore further, I heard my bedroom door open off in the distance.

  “Karsyn? Karsyn? Are you okay?” Emerson asked.

  I was able to snap out of it pretty quickly this time. I looked up at Emerson standing beside my bed, her pupils wide with fright. “Emerson, it’s okay. Mom and Dad already know they are back.”

  “Your visions are back? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Does anyone know? Are we going to have to move again?” Emerson threw her hands up.

  “No one knows that I have visions of death. Not even Braedon. So don’t freak out.”

  Emerson plopped down on the bed beside me and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to her. “Don’t worry, Karsyn. Maybe this time will be different.”

  “Dad told me I need to tell Braedon soon before everyone finds out, and that maybe he won’t freak out as much when he does find out.” I hugged Emerson tighter.

  “Dad might be onto something. He might be more accepting of it if he hears it from you first. I know I am younger and that what I say doesn’t matter, but I would listen to Dad on this one.”

  She got up and closed the door behind her. I sat there for a few minutes, wondering if they were right about me being honest with Braedon. But then again, what if it came back to bite me in the ass? I decided to wait until after the Halloween party. All, I had to do was keep it together until after the weekend. I looked over at Rylee’s picture and wished she were here to tell me what to do. I grabbed the picture and clutched it to my chest.

  ****

  Braedon was waiting for me outside the cafeteria door when I walked around the corner. “You look great,” he said, reaching for my hand. We walked into the lunch room and over to the table first before going up to get something to eat. Sophie, Alexina, and Tyler had already got something. They never waited for us, but today I had left class later than normal. Braedon got his food first, then met me over at the salad bar. I walked around it a few times, hoping something would look better the more times I passed it.

  “Something wrong, Karsyn? You haven’t said anything since we walked in here. Are you mad at me?” Braedon asked, putting my salad bowl on his tray.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I have a lot on my mind today.”

  “Let me cheer you up.” He smiled. “I got a text earlier saying my costume will be here later today. I’m glad we are going to the party together. Maybe we can go out Saturday night too?”

  “Sure.” I smiled, moving closer to him.

  “You two are making me nauseous,” Alexina’s eyebrows furrowed together.

  Braedon and I looked at each other and busted out laughing. “Sorry, Alexina.”

  I asked Alexina and Sophie if they would want to come over
Friday after school to get ready for the party at my house. I told them to be at my house around five o’clock to give us enough time to get ready for the party. Braedon and Tyler walked us three to our class, then raced across the school to their Gym class.

  I sat in class, thinking about Braedon and when and how I was going to tell him the truth about me. He deserved to know the truth, but I didn’t know if I would be able to find the words. I definitely had to tell him once the weekend was over, no matter the consequences.

  ****

  “Mom, are you here?” I yelled throughout the house. She was home earlier than normal today, which made me think something was wrong.

  “I’m in the family room,” she yelled.

  I walked into the family room and saw my mom sitting on the couch with some guy with short blonde hair. His hair was a little darker than Braedon’s, so I knew it wasn’t him. I was getting a bottle of water out of the fridge when I heard that distinct low, husky laugh. “Kurt?” I closed the refrigerator door.

  “Hey, Cuz!” Kurt jumped up and ran around the couch into the kitchen, sweeping me up in his arms. “You look great! Aunt Jenna was filling me in on everything. Especially about Braedon. He sounds like a great guy. I hope I get to meet him.”

  “No one told me you were coming for a visit. How long are you here for? Oh, if you are here till after the weekend, you have to go with us to this great Halloween party Friday night.”

  “I am here for about a week. What kind of Halloween party?” Kurt asked, letting me down. “Are you going with this new guy? If you are, then I’m in.”

  “It’s a costume party, and yes, I am going with Braedon and my friends. We need to head to Downtown Mall to get you a costume if there are any left.” I turned to look at Mom on the couch, smiling at us. “Mom, can I borrow a credit card, so we can get Kurt a costume for the party? Please!”

  Mom walked out to the hallway and came back with her credit card. She didn’t give any kind of speech about not spending much or to just use it for the costume. She gave me a big hug and told us to go out and have fun. She trusted me enough to know I would never go out and spend huge amounts of money on her credit card. My sister, on the other hand, would buy a new wardrobe and come up with some excuse as to why she did it. Emerson liked shopping more than I did, and a credit card in her hands was dangerous.

  Kurt and I jumped in my Jeep and headed to Downtown Mall. We laughed about stories of us when we were little and the schemes we would come up with and then blame Emerson. Of course, our parents never bought us blaming Emerson since she was four years old at the time, and there was no way she could come up with that stuff. It was worth a shot, even though it earned us an extra week of being grounded.

  Kurt tried to help me run away one summer. He was nine and I was eight. He had this huge treehouse toward the back of his big yard. He had this great idea I could live out there in the treehouse, and he would sneak food out to me when his mom wasn’t paying attention. The idea worked perfectly for the first couple of hours until I had to use the bathroom.

  We forgot about that when we were coming up with this genius plan. I managed to get into the house and use the downstairs bathroom without being seen by my aunt. However, she saw me heading back to the treehouse as she showed up a few minutes later, asking us what was going on and why I was out there instead of at home. The next thing I remembered, I was being questioned by my mom. I didn’t want Kurt to get in trouble, so I blamed Emerson for me running away.

  “Downtown Mall isn’t like most malls,” I warned Kurt as I parked the Jeep. “It’s what they call a pedestrian mall.”

  “Where is this pedestrian mall?” Kurt asked.

  “This is it. What do you think?”

  “This is great! Definitely not what I expected a mall to be. Where is the costume store? You never told me what you and your boyfriend are going as.”

  Boyfriend. I liked the sound of that.

  “We are going at Belle and Beast from Beauty and the Beast,” I smiled.

  “You should go as Gaston since you are going to be with us most of the time at the party.”

  “I don’t know if that would be a great idea or not, Karsyn. That might be kind of weird, honestly.”

  “Who cares what people think for one night? I am tired of worrying about what people think of me. No matter what I do, they see me how they want to see me. It gets old after a while.

  I might as well have fun because no matter what I do, they will still pass judgment on me.”

  I managed to coax Kurt over to the costumes and found a Gaston one, but he was insistent on going at something else. I had to beg him to try it on and knew he would eventually give in to my non-stop pleading. After about another thirty minutes of watching him wander around the picked-over store, he grabbed the costume back off the rack and walked over to the counter. I couldn’t help but giggle. He put up a good fight, but as always, I won the battle.

  “Do you want to head home and eat with them, or do you want to grab something at one of the restaurants?” I asked, handing Kurt the bag. “If you want to grab something here to eat, I will call Mom and let her know so she doesn’t cook a bunch of food.”

  “Yeah, let’s get something here, so we can have more time to talk.” Kurt nudged my arm with his elbow. “I want to hear more about this guy of yours. We can’t talk with Aunt Jenna and Uncle Stephen around.” He laughed.

  Chapter 6

  If it weren’t for the simple fact I wanted to see Braedon, I would have tried my hardest to talk Mom into letting me stay home and visit with Kurt. Kurt and I had always hung out together when I wasn’t with my friends or boyfriend. We didn’t get much chance to talk last night because of the people within hearing distance of us. I didn’t want to take the chance of someone overhearing me talk about my visions. I wanted to be able to talk to Kurt about what I should do before people found out about me. I had to talk Mom into letting me stay home tomorrow, so I could visit with Kurt while everyone was out of the house. I had already fixed dinner once this week, so I knew if I fixed it again, Mom would know I wanted something.

  ****

  “Hey, Karsyn!” Sophie yelled from across the cafeteria. I love Sophie, but sometimes she exuded too much enthusiasm. It was a little annoying, but at the same time, it made her funny. “Hurry up, get your salad, and come sit down with us so we can talk about the plans for Friday.”

  I grabbed Braedon’s hand before we could get too far. “I need to talk to you about the party after you get your food.”

  Braedon froze, looking at me as if I had broken his heart. “You don’t want to go to the party with me?”

  “Oh God! I didn’t mean for you to think that. I am still going with you. Go get your food and I will explain it more over at the table.” I smiled. I felt bad for making him think for a brief second that I wasn’t going to the party with him. Now, I just hoped he would be okay with Kurt tagging along with us. I wasn’t going to leave my cousin at home all night with my parents. We walked over to the table in awkward silence, but the minute we sat down, he started questioning me about what I wanted to tell him.

  I sat there, tossing my salad around in my bowl with my fork. Not taking my eyes off my salad, I nudged Braedon with my elbow. “I was wanting to talk to you about the party, and that we will have someone with us.” I glanced over at him, barely moving my head.

  “Who is going to be with us? Is your sister going?”

  “No. My cousin Kurt Alexander is in town visiting, and I invited him to come along with us. I didn’t want him sitting at home all night long with my parents on a Friday night while we were out having fun at a party.”

  “How old is he and what will he dress up as?” Braedon asked, popping a chip in his mouth.

  “Kurt is 19, and we already bought him a costume. I know I should have asked you first, but I haven’t seen my cousin for a while now. Are you mad at me?” I lowered my head back down.

  “No, I’m not mad. It’s cool, Karsyn. You
still didn’t answer my question about his costume.”

  “Well, I told him you and I are going as Belle and Beast, so I managed to talk him into going as Gaston.”

  Braedon pressed his lips together and sat there staring at me for a few minutes. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I think it’s a great idea. You three would be the talk of the party. Belle, Beast, and Gaston. Killer idea.” Sophie grinned.

  “I have to agree with Sophie,” Alexina smiled, as she took a bite of her salad.

  I got up and walked over behind them, wrapping my arms around them. “See, it’s a great idea.”

  Braedon sat there, popping chips in his mouth as he stared at us from across the table before finally giving in to the idea. “All right. We will go to the party as Belle, Beast, and Gaston. Even though I’m sure your cousin would agree with me that this is a crazy idea.”

  “He didn’t want to go as Gaston either, but he caved because he loves me.” I winked. I walked over got my salad bowl and took it over to the window for the dirty dishes. I turned around to walk back and I saw Braedon talking to Tyler. I walked over to the table to grab my books, and I could hear Braedon complaining about taking my cousin with us. He had his back turned to me, so he didn’t know I was within hearing range.

  “Since you are not liking the idea of my cousin going along with us, why don’t I just go with him, and you can alone!” I yelled.

  Before Braedon had the chance to say anything, I was already on my way toward the door. Now, I didn’t have to worry about telling Braedon about my visions. He took himself out of the picture by being an asshole.

  “Karsyn!” Sophie yelled. “Wait up!”