Aengos

2

Looking at him, I noticed his beautiful lips and caught myself wondering how it would feel to kiss them. They looked soft. I bit my lower lip. His arms were around me, steadying me, as if he was afraid that I would fall again. My breath grew heavy. “Thanks” I muttered and tried to walk away, but he was following me. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He was jogging backwards beside me. “Yes, I’m fine, I just need to be more careful next time” I didn’t look at him, I was looking down at the ground as my hand was caressing my arm, a nervous tick of mine. “Does your arm hurt?” His voice was sincere, which made me look at up from the ground at straight into those beautiful green eyes. “No, I’m fine. You can go back to your football practice.” I gestured to the field, wanting nothing more, than for him to leave me alone. He gave me a smile and a wink before he ran off, to the field. What’s with the winking? “Omg! Omg! Omg!” It was Callie, walking over to me. “He totally just helped you to get my attention!” She shrieked. I picked up the pace, trying to run away from this awkward encounter. Did he really help me just to make an impression on her? Well, I didn’t need his help, I wasn’t some damsel in distress, just waiting for him to come and save me. No sir! I could handle myself, for the most part that is. Using me to get her attention was lame, but I couldn’t help it. I felt a little hurt. Somewhere inside me, I wished that he wanted to save me. I bit my teeth together. No! I’m fine, I don’t even want to think about him that way. Callie and Maceo are meant to be together. I’ll find my true love, someday, and he will be nothing like Maceo.

The school bell rang, and we could finally stop running in circles, we stretched and then showered. After gym, we sat on the benches eating lunch. Callie was wearing a white top with floral print and a blue skirt, I was wearing a blouse that hid all the right parts, and shorts that went down to my knees. We were enjoying the sun, when Callie suddenly grabbed my arm. “Omg, omg, omg, Eve! Maceo is walking towards me!” Her grip became tighter with every step he took towards us. I looked at him and then turned back to my lunch. I knew he wanted to talk to Calle, just like always. “Hi Maceo!” Callie batted her eyes and sounded flirtatious. “Hi” He gave her a nod and then turned his attention to me. “Can I join you” He asked but didn’t wait for an answer, he squeezed between me and Callie. “Yes Maceo, of course you can” Callie leaned into him, he didn’t seem to mind. I didn’t look up, I looked down at my lunch, trying to enjoy it, but was failing because I was feeling watched. I looked up and sure enough his eyes were trailing my every move. “So, Maceo, do you have a date for the summer dance?” Callie broke the silence, and Maceo looked over at her. “I haven’t decided yet” His tone sounded cold. “Yeah, you probably have a loft of options, having the looks of a demigod” Her tone dropped an octave as she said the last part and I snorted out a laugh. “Something funny Eve?” Callie asked with a harsh tone. All eyes were on me again. “N-no, sorry” I stuttered while looking down at my lunch, picking at it. “Don’t mind Eve, she’s a weirdo” Her words hit me harder than they probably should. I packed my lunch, stood up and walked away, leaving them to get lost in their conversation. I usually knew when to leave, whenever Callie’s tone would become bitchy it was my que to leave.

I walked over to my next class, which was math. I wasn’t any good at math, I was struggling. When the teacher would talk about Pythagoras and algebra, I would doodle in my notebook, pretending that I was taking notes. Today I was drawing a person in white, with a black shadow, that was ugly and horrible. “Miss Jones?” My head jerked up “What?” I answered annoyingly. “What is the formal that is used when we use Pythagoras?” I wasn’t surprised, Mrs. Smith wanted to show everyone just how stupid I was, but this time I was prepared. “It’s 2a + 2b = c2” I looked innocently at her, making her face turn into a grimace. Someone laughed in the back. I wasn’t sure about whom they were laughing at, me or Mrs. Smith. “Good to see that you are finally paying attention in class, Miss Jones”. She turned around and wrote on the whiteboard. I didn’t realize that the class was over, I was too busy doodling, suddenly somebody walked up beside me. “I know it isn’t my best work” I said, thinking it was Callie. I looked at my drawing, trying to find something positive to say about it. “It’s beautiful”. A deep voice answered, I looked up in surprise, quickly hiding the drawing. Maceo laughed, a beautiful laugh, almost making me smile myself. I looked back down and packed my stuff. “Hey, I didn’t mean to disrespect your artwork”. I didn’t look at him. “It’s hardly art” I said while heading towards the door. He grabbed my hand and span me around to face him. His face was inches away from mine. “You’re talented!” He said, looking straight into my eyes, I felt as if he was looking deep into my soul. I bit my lower lip and tried to look away from him. He let go of my hand, I hurried towards the door. I met up with Calle, I didn’t tell her about what happened with Maceo, it would only anger her, and I wanted her to be happy, always happy. “You want a ride after school?” Callie asked me, and I quietly nodded as my mind was elsewhere. “Hellooo, earth to Eve!” I turned my head to meet her eyes. “I said yes” I looked confused at her. “Yeah, but you haven’t asked me what this is on my neck” She pointed at her neck, but I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Omg Eve, it’s a hickey from Maceo” she said, looking proud, walking towards her locker. “When did this happen?” I smiled while my stomach turned into a knot. “After math” she said while applying her lip gloss at rearranging her top, so the hickey was more visible. “That’s great Callie! I hope you two get together soon” I said, nodding in acceptance to the news that was making me want to throw up. I tried so hard to sound happy for her, but jealousy was the only feeling I was feeling inside of me, my body burning up with rage. This was a new emotion for me, well at least towards Maceo, because I didn’t like him, I hated him... right? Were they really fooling around?

After school, Callie gave me a ride home, as she had promised earlier. All she talked about was the hickey Maceo had given her. I tried my best to put on a fake smile and nod when she talked about how it felt. Not that my smile really mattered because Callie wasn’t looking at me, she was looking at the road. She stopped the car by my house, and we said our goodbyes.

Walking into my home, smelling tobacco and a hint of dinner being cooked. Just like always. I was the youngest, and only girl of six. My mother didn’t practice safe s*x and her beliefs were that every child was a gift, as long as they obeyed. My oldest brother, Lucas, moved out a long time ago, I didn’t really know him and for some reason he didn’t want to know anything about me. Jacob, the second one in the row, mostly kept to himself, didn’t want to be seen or heard by anyone. After Jacob came Judas. Yes, my parents named him after the one from the bible, you know the one, who betrayed Jesus, they didn’t give him a chance, everyone would judge him after they heard his name. Judas was a real creeper and a total psychopath, but he was also very kind hearted. Abraham was fourth, he was a firecracker, always doing things he wasn’t supposed to. As my parents said, he was always asking for trouble. The fifth and youngest brother was Cain. As in the world’s first murderer. Although Cain, according to the bible was the world’s first murderer, my brother was nothing like a murderer, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He was kind, putting everyone’s need’s in front of his own, and always seeing the positive in everything.

And then there was me. Eve. My mother, Teresa had high hopes naming me after the allegedly first woman on earth. Only to be disappointed with me. She wanted nothing but good things for me, she wanted me to eat less so I could get skinny so I could find a good man to marry and have billon of children with. But I felt more and more like the first woman on earth when she took a bite of the apple and betrayed God. Because I had s*x out of marriage. My mother Teresa was named after the famous Mother Teresa and my father was named after Moses, the man who parted the sea.

We were sitting at the dinner table, my mother served fish and bread. How ironic. “Lucas called; he wanted me to send his love to everyone” Her smile was stiff. I never understood why he left, it felt somehow forced and out of the blue. My parents and Lucas had been arguing the night before, keeping everyone awake, and the next day he left, I was very little and don’t remember it, but Judas told me about it, his name kind of served him right, that snitch. “We should go visit him” Jacob said, I had been told that him and Lucas were close. My mother looked at my father and they shared a silent conversation, nodded, as if they agreed on something, but never did they answer Jacob. After that, we sat in silence and ate. You could cut the tension, but I didn’t know why.