W
hen I had gotten home that day, I felt as though I was still in a dream.Everything around me just seemed so lively and colorful—I could have sworn that the birds were chirping along with my humming. Claudia had not yet gotten home, so I decided to make a dinner—with all the energy that was just increasing by the second, I had to do something productive. Luckily, Claudia had her cabinets and refrigerator stocked with food; all I needed to do was decide on what to make. I decided that some lasagna would do nicely. I pulled out the pasta, pasta sauce, meat, and cheese and then hooked up some speakers to my Mp3 player and turned up the volume.
Claudia was still not home when I placed the lasagna in the oven and still my energy had not died down. My cheeks were starting to hurt from all the
smiling, but I couldn’t seem to stop stretching my lips into a wide grin. My hands would start shaking if I tried to hold them still as if they just couldn’t contain themselves in one position for too long. I had to put some sort of music on that would help me do something good with all the energy I had left in me. With my mother being Hispanic most of the music she would listen to was salsa, so I thought it’d be a good choice to dance off the way my mother had showed me.
Dancing brought back many good memories of my mother. I remembered she the way would always dance while cooking and would drag me into her arms to make me dance along. I think I slipped into a dream because it felt like I was really in my mother’s living room dancing all over the place and laughing. My mother’s eyes would squint when she smiled. Her smile would illuminate the place though, without it everything seemed dull. She was so much more graceful than me that I wondered who I got the clumsiness from. If I had to describe her in one word it’d be life. My mother was so full of life I would have never believed that it would be taken from her.
“Oh! What a great dancer you are!” Claudia’s exclamation stopped me in my dance.
She applauded me excitedly as she entered the living room setting her purse and keys down on the couch.
“Who taught you how to dance so well?” she questioned as I turned the mp3 player off. I looked up at her with painful eyes.
“My mother.” I replied walking over to the kitchen to check on the lasagna.
Claudia must have really seen how it caused me agony to talk about my mother, but she still spoke about her; I suppose to make me see the good memories.
“She was incredible, your mother. Or so I heard from your grandmother.
She was a very nature type of women, wasn’t she, very gentle and loving?” I nodded and gave her a weary smile.
She cleared her throat and decided not to dwell on the subject any longer.
“What did you make there?” I pulled the lasagna out of the oven and on to the counter top.
“Lasagna.” There were tears starting to work their way to spill from my eyes, but I didn’t let them. I had cried almost everyday since my mother’s death;
there had been no cries throughout the whole day and I didn’t want to start.
“Well, how was your first day of school? Did you make any friends?”
Claudia seemed eager to know.
“It was…pretty amazing actually. I made three new friends. All guys too, huh?” It had just dawned on me that the friends I had made were only male; I had never made too many guy friends.
“Oh, really now? Well, come on, what’s their names.” I felt the excitement pour back into me and I couldn’t contain the information any longer-I just had to tell someone.
“Well, the first boy I met is Abe Beckham—”
“Oh I know his mother! He’s grown into such a cute boy.” Claudia had as much, if not more, excitement in her eyes as I did.
“Yes, he is and he’s very sweet too. He helped me get around the school most of the day.” At the moment, I was standing by the counter still, but for the next to boys I was going to try and describe I needed to sit down so my knees wouldn’t give way. “The next two boys I’m going to tell you about, awh, there is just no exact way I can describe them to you. They were just so mesmerizing, amazing, beautiful, charming, friendly boys. Claudia, they are the reason my day went so amazingly well.” I sighed deeply just recalling the few hours of school.
“Okay, well spill their names already!” She was just like a teenage girl anxiously waiting to hear the latest gossip.
“Well, the first one I met was Aiden Lexington.”
“Aiden Lexington?” her smile turned into a frown, but I continued on as though I had seen nothing.
“Yes, Aiden Lexington. Not only did he ask me to spend the break with and was charming beyond all reason, he was the one who jumped in to save me when I tried committing suicide in San Francisco. Small world, isn’t it?” Claudia gave me a quizzical look.
“Aiden was in San Francisco?”
“Yes, he told me he had gone there to discuss business with family.” she remained puzzled as I continued. “I met Kole Callaghan later that day.”
“Kole Callaghan?”
“Yes, I had not known that he was a friend of Aiden’s until he met up with us during break. I’ve got to say, he said something enchanting comments that made me lose my breath a few times.” I stopped talking because it seemed like Claudia was not exactly listening anymore, but more like trying to figure out a puzzle. “Claudia?” she blinked and came out of her trance like state.
“Oh, sorry, dear. Did you meet Aiden’s sister, Elizabeth?” I was the one with a quizzical look now.
“Yes, I did. Why do you ask?”
“Did she speak to you?” she didn’t answer my question.
“Yes, she did, I suppose. Again, why do you ask?” she didn’t answer again, but questioned instead.
“What did she tell you?” I was starting to dread what it was that she was trying to get to.
“Basically, to stay away from Aiden and I think she threatened me, too.” I began to remember the short unpleasant conversation I had had with Elizabeth.
“Yet again, why do you ask?” this time she didn’t question again, but she didn’t exactly answer my question either.
“You should take her advice. Stay away from Kole too.” Claudia stood from the table. “I’m sorry, I-I just remembered that I wanted to check the post office mail. I’ll be back shortly. Save some of the lasagna for me, if you don’t mind.” She hurriedly grabbed her purse and keys and walked to the door.
“Yes, alright, bye.” I replied confused.
“Bye, don’t stay up too late, sweetie.” And with that she left the house.
I didn’t understand what it was that had gotten her so puzzled when I began to mention Aiden or why she agreed with Elizabeth about me staying away from him. What was so perilous about these boys that everyone kept telling me to stay away? I didn’t see any evil in them, but then again I was too busy being dazzled to try and find a fault in them. But then again, there must be something a little wrong with them if they were both dazzling a girl like me. I knew there were far prettier girls than me at the school, so why did they pick me to be the only girl—besides Elizabeth—to talk to? I didn’t know any answers to my questions, but I knew one thing for sure: I was hungry. My hunger always overrides my mind and with the smell of warm, delicious lasagna in the air, I just had to have a piece. I cut myself a slice and then sat down in front of the TV and forgot all about my inquiries.
I was extremely anxious to get the school next day that I woke up earlier than usual. By the time that I had finished getting ready I still needed to wait another hour until I could leave the house and then get to school at an early time.
My stomach made a growl and it gave me the idea of making Claudia and myself some breakfast.
The night before I had not heard Claudia come back to the house, so, in actuality, I did not know if she was, in fact, home. Thinking about the night before made my head spin with confusing questions. What was it about Aiden and Kole that made Claudia so nervous? No, I can’t say that she was nervous, but she certainly didn’t like that fact that I was with them. What made me the most frustrated was that I could not figure out why she didn’t like it.
“Good morning!” Claudia stepped into the kitchen in red boxer shorts, a black tank top, and black fuzzy slipper-so she had returned that night prior.
“Morning. Would you like some coffee?” I offered her as I poured myself a glass. It wasn’t such a good idea to add caffeine to my system when I was already maxed out on energy, but I couldn’t help it—I loved coffee.
“That sounds lovely, why don’t you pour me a glass, yeah?” she stretched her arms out sighing deeply and then grabbed the cup of coffee I handed to her.
It was amazing how she was so less serious today; it was such a contrast from last night. I found myself raising my eyebrow and looking at her tentatively. I still couldn’t figure out the reason for her reaction last night, and I was too timid to ask her about it.
I handed her a plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes and then set my own plate down in front of me. She gave me a puzzling look. “I thought you—” she began.
“I quit. Time for some real food.” I smiled and chuckled, as did she. After a few moments, we were both done with our food.
“Well, I’m off to get ready for work.” Claudia announced after a quiet session of us drinking our coffee at the table. She then place the cup in the sink and left up stairs. I wondered if she could feel my eyes as I was scrutinizing while we drank in silence. Once again, my eyebrows creased as I began to think about her.
Only a few seconds later, I could feel the caffeine hiking up my energy to a new level. My eyes darted to the clock just above a calendar in the kitchen. I had about forty-five minutes left until it would be an appropriate time to leave for school. I decided that running around the huge yard surrounding the house would take up time and bring my energy level down to a healthy level.
The air was incredibly fresh outside; far better than the air in San Francisco and reminded me so much of my mother’s house out in the country. It was like every breath of air gave me more and more clarity and made me forget,
temporarily, about the perplexing situation that had started last night. All I could think about at the moment was the way nature seemed to make me melt into it and I was a part of everything. I was the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees to make them rustle. I was the scent coming off the beautiful, vibrant flowers. I was the waves crashing along the shore soaking the rocks. I was the ground
beneath me with many years of history in many layers. For that half hour, I finally realized how peaceful it was to be one with nature as my mother had tried to describe to me once. There’s nothing truly like the experience to try and compare it.
“Catalina, you should get to school, shouldn’t you?” Claudia snapped me out of my nature state and back to the real time. She was wearing a black, tight, knee length skirt, a hot pink button up shirt and a black jacket. She held a black brief case in her left hand and my backpack in her right. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun neatly. She looked very professional and it made me wonder what it was that she did for a living.
“Yeah, I suppose I should.” I replied walking over to her to get my things.
“I put your wallet, keys, and phone in there.”
“Thank you.” I grinned grabbing the backpack and pulled out the car keys from the front pocket.
She and I walked over to our cars in a synchronized manor even when we got inside the car. She pulled out of the drive way first and then I pulled out driving up next to her on her left. “Have a good day at work Claudia.” I smiled.
“And you at school, sweetie.” She smiled back and then took off. There was a short period of time when I was behind her on the road until we spilt and went to our different destinations.
There were still some stares when I got out of my car, and I thought it was because the word had gotten around about my attempted suicide. I was
immediately regretting saying that just so I could sit down in first period yesterday.
I decided to ignore the stares for a few seconds and reach over to the passenger’s side of my car and retrieve my backpack. A vast muscular chest greeted me as I straightened out—not to mention it made me jump and widen my eyes.
“Catalina, how are you today?” Kole showed his pearly whites in a crooked smile that was just dazzling.
“I’m great.” I choked out and smiled. I tried taking in a deep breath to cool my nerves, but I only took a big whiff of his scent—he was just so close!—and my mind went spinning.
“And you were amazed that I drove a Mercedes and, yet, here you are with a Corvette, Catalina.” Aiden appeared around the rear end of my car examining the red color, I presumed.
“Uhm, it’s my aunt’s. Well, she gave it to me sort of.” My words tumble over one another and made me sound slow.
“It’s a very nice car.” Kole complimented. I was about to tell him thank you, but he spoke before I could even open my mouth. “It’s just like you.” Kole inched closer to me to the point where no breeze could pass between us. “You look stunning in red, very sexy.” My breaths became hard and short making my chest go up and down at a quick speed underneath the long, tight, decorated red shirt I wore.
“Red’s my favorite color.” My words were barely whispers.
“It suits you deeply.” Kole mesmerized me with his eyes freezing me against the side of my car.
“Kole, will you stop. Just watching you flirt like that makes me nauseous.”
Elizabeth’s voice came from my left side. She dressed amazingly in a lacey shirt and a knee length ruffled skirt.
“Then don’t watch, Lizzie.” Kole remarked only turning his head to Elizabeth for just a second and then turned back to me. I wondered why Kole didn’t compliment Elizabeth, too. She looked far more stunning than me and, yet, he treated her with humor.
Aiden had not spoken since commenting about my car, and I had nearly forgotten about him with Kole so near me and his scent dizzying my mind every time I took a breath.
Kole and Elizabeth began to argue—she had said something about hating that he called her Lizzie. With the argument escalating, Kole stepped away letting me take breaths that didn’t make my head spin. It also gave a chance to speak with Aiden.
“Hey, how are you?” it was the best conversation starter that I could think of at the moment.
“Oh, hey, Catalina, I’m okay. You?” He leaned up against the side of my car and crossed his arms. His eyes had looked at me briefly when I first spoke to him, but now they were staring off just like the day before.
“I’m…fine.” I wanted to say something more. I wanted to ask what was bothering him and why he seemed to be so distant ever since Aiden had begun to speak to me yesterday, but I figured we weren’t exactly friends enough to ask him such personal questions.
“Catalina,” this was Elizabeth calling me. It caught me by surprise since I was so engulfed in Aiden’s pondering expression. “Don’t get caught up in Kole’s charming words. He’s nothing but a deceitful boy only out to suck the life from you.” She had a small smile but her eyes were serious as they stared at me.
“I’ll be sure to remember that.” I laughed. I had only known Kole for not even a day and he had been charming from the first time I spoke to him, but I obviously didn’t exactly know him.
“We should start going.” Aiden announced. We all nodded and started walking.
Kole fell behind with me as Elizabeth and Aiden walked ahead. His bright red hair was like fire as the wind blew threw it. I imagined that was how the sun looked like when it started falling away at dusk: bright orange, red, and yellow all mixed into one. His eyes and hair contrasted greatly against his skin; just like Aiden’s and Elizabeth’s. I still wondered if Kole was related to Aiden and Elizabeth—they must be.
I didn’t realize that I was staring at Kole until his eyes fell down and gazed right into mine.
“Do I interest you that much?” he asked with a devilish smile. I blinked my eyes away from his.
“I was just wondering something.” I answered looking at the ground knowingly avoiding looking around me since I could feel the stares I was getting.
“Wondering what?” The curiosity in his voice undisguised.
“Are you related to them?” I cocked my head toward Aiden and Elizabeth.
Kole raised his eyebrow.
“Why do you ask? Don’t we look like just friends?” I wasn’t sure how to take in his answer. Was he insulted?
“Well, uhm…you three seem to have similar…uh…features.” There was no way I was going to say that the three of them looked like gods: Beautiful and flawless. There was no way in hell I was going to embarrass myself like that.
“Oh, I see. Well, no we’re not related…by blood. His parents took me in, though, so we’re all kind of like siblings.” Aiden and Elizabeth stopped
underneath a tree; Kole and I stood in front of them.
The three of them sat down on the grass, but stayed standing too nervous to take a seat. I felt as though I was the odd one out. They were so majestic and I was
The three of them sat down on the grass, but stayed standing too nervous to take a seat. I felt as though I was the odd one out. They were so majestic and I was