"I have homework to do. We can spend a day at my house and a day at yours until whatever this is goes away." She suggested, looking dejected as she looked at me. I nodded, reaching for her hand again. We spent the night at her house, I wasn't complaining.
Chapter 26:\ Envy Has a Face
Stacy
No way. They didn’t. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the hooligans walked into school this morning, side by side and standing so close. I glared at Violet and Aaron along with the rest of the school, who were clearly looking in awe. They had both missed a couple days before the fall break and that was confusing in itself. And now, they show up a week later together. I raised an eyebrow and pursed my lips; how dare she take Aaron off the market?! What the heck was Aaron doing with this nobody anyway? For a brief moment, Violet's eyes met mine and she didn't even smile back when I smiled at her. I looked stupid with my hand raised to wave, embarrassed as I glared at her.
She proceeded to sit with Aaron at the breakfast table as they ate their breakfast bagels together. Was I losing my mind? She knows I like Aaron, what is this stupid, fake friend doing?!
I felt like I could and would just explode. I was so angry. I sat fuming at my table, my eyes couldn't leave their table as I glared. Anger was boiling inside me, festering its ugly, jealous head until I felt like I would explode. I was meant to be with Aaron, not her.
Maybe I should go up to them, maybe Violet did this for me so we could all be friends. That would give me a chance to talk to Aaron, to become Aaron’s girl; that would be the goal.
I looked away, glancing at my cereal bowl and thinking further on what I should do. I flipped my hair and stood up. I would do it. Before I could even get up, Violet was already standing in front of me, only, she didn’t look like her usual lame self. She looked sad and I wasn’t sure why.
"Hey Stace," She said with the stupid smile that she’d always had. Why was she so obsessed with me?
"Vy, I didn't know you and Aaron were a thing." I said slyly, glancing in his direction, his eyes were glued to her with concern etched all over his features. It made me fume with jealousy, he should’ve been concerned with me. He should’ve cared about me. I wasn't going to show this total snake that I was jealous though. I remained composed as I stared at him, only turning my attention to the fool in front of me when she spoke. She smiled at me, looking as though she was trying to figure something out. Then, she shook her head, her smile gone as she made eye contact with Aaron, then returned her attention to me.
"I thought we were friends, Stacy." She said, sitting beside me. I reached for her hand as she looked at me and backed up. I furrowed my brows, wondering why she was acting so strange all of a sudden. For a second, I wondered if I’d said anything aloud. Certainly not. I could control the urge to yell like any normal person.
"We are friends." I chuckled, "What do you mean?" I crossed my arms, feeling a bit better that she’d chosen to sit with me so I wouldn’t be alone.
"Aaron said… " she began, but shook her head, "Nevermind, it's not important. How are you? I feel like we haven't talked in ages." Her dark eyes looked a bit lighter than I remembered, maybe it was because the sun was facing them directly. The giant windows of our cafeteria shined so much light into the school, I was surprised the school still paid for the electric bill.
"Violet. You know, I'm not one for small talk. Spill, why are you with Aaron? Are you dating?" I had no patience in matters of the heart. My heart couldn’t take it anymore. I had to know. I was mainly upset that she had taken the man that I've told her I had feelings for.
"Aaron and I are just good friends." She beamed, her eyes saying otherwise as she looked at me with her large brown eyes. Her eyes were too big for her face and her eyelashes looked like a bulky mustache above her eyes. I wished for a slight second that my eyelashes could be that long and full, but instantly pushed the thought away. I want to be nothing like Violet. I was beautiful with my long blonde hair and my mascara was just fine in showing my lashes.
"If that’s true, then can you put in a word for me, with him, I mean. You know, I've basically been in love with the guy since the day I saw him." I tried to joke, but every word that escaped my lips was nothing short of the truth, masked in hysteria and fear. I couldn't tell what Violet was thinking, but I wasn't worried at what this pathetic girl would say. I knew she'd do what I wanted, that's the type of friendship we had. I take and she gives. She was so full of angst and drama all the time; she’d do anything I asked. I didn't really like her all too much, besides being someone to talk to during the school day. We had never hung out outside of school and I wouldn’t dream of inviting her to my house. Gross.
"Mm… sure?" She said, her smile slowly fading as she appeared to be forcing it now. It infuriated me that Aaron was still looking at her. Aaron was too hot to be wasting his time with this nobody. She nodded in his direction and it was as though the two could telepathically communicate because he left his large table of friends to walk over to her. I wondered if they had a secret code— maybe I could create a meaningful head nod with Aaron too, someday. Within an instant, Aaron was standing beside her, keeping his hands to himself, but his body was certainly too close. I immediately reached for my hair, to fix any fly-away hairs.
“I have to use the restroom.” Violet said, looking very sad as she stared at her feet. I wondered what had made her so upset, it didn’t matter to me— I could be alone with Aaron for once. Aaron glared at her, but she didn’t look at him, she simply walked away and turned a corner, disappearing from my sight.
"Stacy. Hi." Aaron said to me and I was so flustered. I felt my cheeks burn under his gray gaze. His eyes were so clear, like a reflection of a mirror. He was absolutely stunning in his slim-fitted long-sleeve shirt. His jeans fit so well too; my mind began to wander as desire engulfed me. I grinned stupidly at him, wishing violet would just disappear off the face of the planet, so I could be alone with my man.
"Hi Aaron," I blushed, my heart racing as he smiled at me.
"I'd just like to say a few things to you." Aaron looked at me, his eyes boring into my heart. He took a step forward. Yes, my love, tell me anything you want. I can listen to you and your velvety, deep voice talk all day. I wondered if he could sing too. The cafeteria was loud around us as everyone was having their own conversations. It was just Aaron and I at my table. I was in awe; the bell would ring at any moment now and I wanted to hear what my future husband had to say.
"Can I sit?" He asked, no expression on his face as he invited himself to a spot at my table, sitting before I could respond and scooting close to me. The butterflies were soaring at this point.
"Yes," I said, absolutely breathless and wanting him to profess his love to me. Before my mind could wander any further, Aaron was speaking, and he definitely wasn't saying what I expected.
"You're delusional." He began and I sat frozen and confused, "Who do you think you are? Your attempt to kiss me, yeah, that's called sexual harassment, maybe even assault.” I wanted to shrink in my seat as my eyes widened. I wanted to slap him; he was making me angry. “You’re a terrible friend and you don't deserve someone like Violet! She's kind and caring and willing to be your friend, but you're selfish. You don’t realize the kind of friend you had." I was dumbfounded. I felt like I'd just been slapped in the face and pulled harshly out of my fantasy. I wondered why or when I had ever said a mean thing to him about Violet. I never said anything out loud.
"Did she put you up to this? I’ve never said a bad thing about her." Did my snake of a friend make him say that so she can have him all to herself?
"Because Violet is obviously that kind of person." He said sarcastically, making a move to stand up, "the world doesn't revolve around you Stacy, so stop acting like it does." He said, giving me one last look and walking away. I was utterly speechless. I wondered what I had done. I mean, I occasionally gave her dirty looks and ignored her, but that didn’t make me a bad person. I never said anything to her. And here she was,
snitching to her new, stupid boyfriend.
"Scoundrel." I said, my voice low and angry, capturing the attention of half the people in the cafeteria. The sunlight that was showering the cafeteria seemed to dim as storm clouds filled the sky outside. How dare he say those things to me when I hadn’t done anything. How could I have ever let myself like a guy like that?!
I was fuming. I couldn't handle this. Did Violet put him up to this? I glared as he stood up, his muscular back flexing as he began walking away. I had to do something, or I would positively explode.
"Aaron, you're an absolute joke!" I called from across the cafeteria as the noisy students of Rosemond High silenced themselves in order to listen. Good, let them hear what I had to say to this bully. "Turn around and face me, you coward!" I walked up to him, my hand itching to slap him.
"I've said what needed to be said. Stop acting like you're a saint."
"I've never said a nasty thing about Violet. She's my best friend and it's none of your business how we are with each other. Stay in your own lane."
"Her business is my business.” He said, abnormally calm. I didn’t understand what that even meant, but I had nothing to say after that. He seemed controlling; I wouldn’t want him anyway. Did this mean they were dating?!
My heart sank, it fell to my feet as everything around me was blurred. Everything he'd said to me hadn't affected me as much as those five words. Why did he care so much about her all of the sudden? It infuriated me.
She knew I liked this guy, yet here she was spreading lies about me behind my back to a man that I had deep feelings for; and now she was dating him without ever letting me know. I glared at him as he turned the corner and disappeared.
Violet was going to pay for this. I'm so embarrassed.
Chapter 27:\ Mother
Amelia
I stared at Ethan with warm eyes. I'd missed his company too much. He hugged me and nuzzled his face in the crook of my neck, happy to be surrounded by the warmth. I was divorcing Dr. Dooley for this man and I really wasn't about to commit again. Especially when I hadn't even introduced him to my daughter, Violet.
Dr. Dooley was at the lab again as he always was, working up a crazy failed concoction that he would be frustrated about each night when he came home. And he'd always, always take out his anger on us. Except after he found out about Ethan, he wasn't coming home anymore. I was grateful to have the house to myself. I'd always been careful about who I brought into my home. I lacked female friends because I was afraid that my husband would cheat on me. But I was merely frying my fears and tossing them onto him. My insecurities of him cheating on me were fueled by me cheating on him.
I didn't care though. Our love was far gone years before Violet was born, and we'd decided to stay together until our daughter turned eighteen. But we couldn't handle it, it couldn't even last that long no matter how hard we tried. He was an absolute nightmare to live with; he had anger issues and would turn into an absolute nutjob. He had no emotions and seemingly hated our daughter. We now lived separately, and I had Ethan sneaking in and out each weekend.
Ethan was a single father to one son; I had met Jared once, he seemed like a nice enough kid. Jared said he went to the same school as Violet and it made me wonder why they weren’t friends or why she never talked about anyone from school. Ethan was a wealthy entrepreneur with a kind heart. I wanted to introduce him to Violet at some point and maybe have her meet Jared, but it was too soon to tell.
I heard the front door slam shut and I rushed down the stairs. I gave him an apologetic look on my way out of my bedroom.
"Violet?" I asked, my eyes widening. She had a boy standing beside her, too close for comfort, "Who is this?" I questioned. I hadn’t seen him around before; I’d come home from work and she’d always be in her room talking to someone. I had assumed that the boy was her boyfriend, who she would occasionally bring around. I’d never gotten close enough to see his face and she’d never introduced me to him, but looking closer, this boy was certainly not her boyfriend. This man was built differently, he was exceptionally handsome. I wondered what happened or where the other boy had gone.
"Aaron." She replied, grabbing his arm and walking right past me. He was tall and had kind silver eyes.
"Wait right there, young lady, we do not bring random men into our home. Be a lady." I turned to face them as Violet stopped walking. She released Aaron’s arm and crossed her arms, glaring at me.
"Then explain the dude in your bed upstairs, lady." Violet said angrily; her gaze was fiery as I stood there speechless. She’d never been one to talk back.
"Violet," I reached for her arm as she quickly moved past me and rushed upstairs. "Violet, wait, I was going to tell you, I just wasn’t sure if we would be a regular thing." My words fell on deaf ears as Violet dragged Aaron to her room and slammed the door. It was infuriating how my dear, innocent Violet had just brought a boy, who I had never met, into her room. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. My innocent baby girl was grown up now I suppose. I creeped up the stairs and sat beside her door, and within moments, Ethan was beside me.
"What are you doing?" He chuckled, sitting next to me on the carpet outside Violet’s room.
"Violet brought a boy into her room and shut the door." I whispered as Ethan chuckled.
"Maybe you can bring a man back into your room." Ethan smirked suggestively as I looked up at him. Listening in on my daughter and her boyfriend was probably not the most mature thing to do anyway. I stood up and walked back to my room, Ethan trailing behind me.
Chapter 28:\ Into the Abscess
Violet
"I don't know what this is." I said, staring at the weird painful bump on my rib cage. Aaron had asked to examine it too many times, but I wouldn't let him near me.
"Let me just see it. I want to help you." He hopped off my bed and walked over to me. I could hear my mom and the man she was cheating on dad with outside my room and it was weird thinking that they could walk into my unlocked room at any time potentially see Aaron looking at my bare belly. Today had been a rough day. I didn't feel like rehashing since the past couldn’t be changed.
"Okay wait, they're leaving." I said as Aaron stood over me impatiently. I looked at him and then nodded. He instructed me to stand up, I could barely see the thing anyway, it was right below the wire of my bra and I could only see it with a mirror.
"You're going to have to lay down for this one."
"Don't try anything. I bite." I said, semi-jokingly with a smile on my face.
Aaron laughed, "after all that's happened, you still don't trust me."
"In all honesty, Aaron, I just want to either transfer this stupid power back to you or get rid of it forever. It's messing with my life." And by that, I meant, his presence around me all the time made it hard to focus.
"I would say I want it back, but now I have to be more honest and understanding of people, it's a win for everyone, but me." He said, "and I'm sorry about today. I know it must’ve been hard to hear what Stacy thinks about you."
I was on my back with my bare midriff for him to look at. "I don't want to talk about it." I muttered as he examined the bump.
"But I am truly sorry, I know Stacy was your friend, but someone had to put her in check. She was tormenting you and me."
"She did nothing to you Aaron and you know that." I said, recalling all the nasty things she’d thought about me. I mean, I knew Stacy was mean, but I didn’t think she hated me for simply existing.
"She’s tried to kiss me before.” He said as I rolled my eyes.
"Aaron, I can fight my own battles. Can we drop this conversation please?" I groaned as his fingers pushed on the bump on my rib. I squealed and moved away from him.
"Did it hurt?"
"Yes, doofus." I sat up, moving my hair out of my face.
"It's an abscess. Can I pop it?" He laughed, hovering over me excitedly.
"Okay, but please don't hurt me." I shut my eyes, waiting for the pain of bursting the giant p
us-filled zit. When I felt nothing, I opened my eyes to find Aaron staring at me, his eyes a pool of swirling gray and an odd intensity in his eye.
"I could never hurt you." He finally said, leaning closer to me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, knowing he wanted to kiss me, so I moved aside quickly. Flashbacks started and I shut my eyes, trying not to think about it. I was traumatized.
"Aaron, I don't even know you well enough to kiss you."
"You kissed me on my hospital bed, what's so different about now?" He furrowed his eyebrows. I stared at him, acknowledging his confusion.
"That was a one-time thing… I thought it would make whatever this is go away, like in those fairy tales, but unfortunately, all it did was wake you up.” I said, lightening the mood as he scoffed, “I mean, it obviously didn't work, my experiment failed. You forget, research runs in my family." I knew it was pretty sadistic to say, but I wanted to make it clear that the only reason we’d spent so much time together was because we had no other legitimate choice. Not because I wanted to.
"Violet, I…” he began, lust filling his eyes as he watched me. I sighed, standing up and covering my stomach. I stood up and turned to face him.
"Aaron, don’t get it twisted, this isn't about your love life. It's about how to get rid of this weird mutation that somehow spread to me. We need to stay focused, so we’re not stuck with each other forever." I felt the need to say, he needed to keep himself grounded if we were going to figure this thing out, not pretend to have feelings for me because I was convenient.
"Okay, but what if it never goes away? What then, Violet? You’ll just be stuck with me, is that so awful?" He asked, looking despondent as he spoke.
“Aaron,” I walked over to him, placing my hands on his shoulders, “we need to stay focused.” I finally said, deciding that I didn’t want to have this argument with him. When he didn’t respond, I wondered if I’d hurt his feelings. I walked out of my room. I'd pop this abscess alone. "And I definitely didn't appreciate you lying to the whole school and having everyone think that we're dating."
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