Agendas

by J. F. Jenkins

  “Something tells me he doesn't care though.”

  “He doesn't. If he did, he probably wouldn't have dated Jewl. I mean, not that my mom doesn't like her, but she's pretty convinced he can do better.”

  Cheyenne was inclined to agree, but she held her tongue. There was something about Jewl that left him enamored, which was a pity because it ruined anyone else's chance with him, namely hers. It would have been sweet if Jewl showed any kind of redeeming qualities.

  “So I should make sure I'm on my best behavior then?” she asked with a laugh. “I’d love to join you. I don't know what's going on with my family. My parents want to get together, but—”

  “My mom would be happy if they came too.” He frowned a little, opened his mouth to say something a handful of times, and then stared back at the ground.

  “I'll tell them it's what we're doing or else, then.” Assuming, of course, she got to talk with them before then, and if they let her have a say in the matter. But if what the plants said about her parents was true, she doubted there would be a problem. The plants only spoke their praises. If they loved her, they'd let her do what made her happy, right?

  Zes gave her a small smile. “Great, that makes things so…” He trailed off. He glanced around at their surroundings. “Oh, man, okay, where are we? East Hall, duh. You must think I'm such a weirdo.”

  She shook her head, smiling. “Maybe, but you're a loveable weirdo, nonetheless.”

  “Loveable?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Why not?” she asked. “I mean, you're a great guy, Zes. Not a lot of people are as honest as you and your brother are, or as understanding. You've definitely got the selfless thing down. So how is any of that a bad thing?”

  “It's not, but I don't know how to explain it to you. My mom…see, she…when we were younger…” He fumbled over his words. “Let me put it to you like this. Have you ever wanted to change something from your past? So much so that you do whatever you can to repent for it, hoping somehow karma will end up balancing out again?”

  Cheyenne stopped walking and stared up at him. She watched his face, trying to see if he was serious or not. She couldn't imagine him doing anything so horrible he would have to repent for it in such drastic measures. He raised a curious eyebrow.

  “No, I guess I can't say I have,” she said. “Even so, I don't believe people shouldn't be loved just because they screwed up once.”

  “I agree, but not everyone does when they can't see things so clearly,” he said.

  “Maybe,” she said. “If you ever want to—”

  “Yeah, talk about it, look you up, got it. I'll keep it in mind.”

  “So the dance, I guess I'm going to look pretty pimping going with the two of you. I can see you both in bright-colored suits and fedoras. Should I put on a little black dress to match?” She nudged him in the side and got a laugh out of him.

  “I don't know. We haven't planned the attire. We haven't planned too much of anything actually.”

  “I was just joking anyway.”

  “I was kind of hoping you were.” He rested his back against the nearest wall. The two had been stationary for a while, and she wasn't sure how much time had passed. She found herself wanting to prolong the journey to the dorm as long as possible.

  “Not to say you wouldn’t look stunning in a dress like that,” he continued and then paused. “I mean, I don't think of you like that at all. The point I want to make is, I don't want to have to beat anybody up for checking you out too much.”

  “You're quite the gentleman. Either way, I'm glad you two decided to ask me. I'll admit, I was starting to feel a little left out today, because Halyn just got a date. I figured if she could get one, then I should be able to, right? Even Denver has a date.” She didn't add that his date was Halyn. She didn't want to sound too bitter about it in front of Zes. “I think it’ll be fun to go out with you.”

  “You sound surprised we ask.”

  “You're both popular. I kind of figured you'd already have a date.”

  “We usually like to fly solo. I do at least. I suppose Anj never got the chance to outside of his first year here. He's always had Jewl. Popular or not, we're not gonna go with just anyone. We don't hang out with a lot of people outside of class. Talk sure, but we don't like to get close. Can't be too careful. There's a lot of drama, and Anj has this thing about getting attached to people easily, but you didn't hear it from me, okay?”

  “I didn't hear a thing.”

  The two shared a smile. Zes then looked down at his watch and sighed. “Curfew is coming up. There's always tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah,” she said. They walked quietly through the hallways, trying their best to stay indoors as long as possible before having to go back out to cross through the courtyard in the cold.

  She risked a glance at the angel as they passed by the fountain and noticed it was in a different position from before. She almost mentioned something about it to Zes but decided against it. No doubt her mind was playing tricks on her again. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling something was different, possibly wrong.

  “We should do this more often,” Zes said, holding the door to the dorm open for her.

  “Do what exactly?” she asked.

  “Hang out, just the two of us. It's fun to talk to you about things. You don't tell me to shut up or think I'm annoying. And if you do think I'm annoying, you're good at hiding it.”

  I'm good at hiding a lot of things. “I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to. Isn't it crazy how after you've been in a new place for a few days, you start to think you've been there your whole life?”

  “And how you can get that feeling with new people too?”

  “Yeah,” she said quietly. “Good night, Zes.”

  “Good night,” he said. “Uh, Cheyenne?”

  “Yes?”

  “You, w-w-want to uh, er, well, sleep good.” He waved at her weakly and then retreated to the boys’ side of the dorm, leaving Cheyenne confused. She was obviously missing something.

  Chapter Twelve

  Word of her being the date of two handsome twin boys spread quickly through the school. By the time lunch rolled around the next day, Cheyenne was being bombarded by question after question about what was going on with her and the Willam brothers. After all, she spent so much time with them, far more than any other new student had. The other students were beginning to wonder if perhaps there was more to the relationship than what they saw, though Cheyenne wasn't sure she wanted to know what everyone thought. She had a sneaking suspicion it would make her blush.

  She wasn't counting it all as good fortune, however. The increase of attention was naturally making her nervous, but what really made her uneasy about the entire situation was that Jewl was missing from lunch. Normally, the blonde girl would sit and be civil, ignore Cheyenne, and on bad days, shoot her glares from across the table while fighting with Anj in the flirtatious way they always did.

  Now she was gone, and no one had seen much of her all day. A few girls Jewl was friends with made sure to do the dirty work for her. They glared and whispered and sometimes would even say rude things loud enough for Cheyenne to hear. They called her a slut, a man stealer, a rebound machine, among other names. She hadn't imagined Anj's scheme going like this, and she was starting to wonder if she was the right girl to fit his job description.

  All of the extra attention was driving Zes crazy as well, and he reflected visually a lot of what she was feeling on the inside. She could have sworn he was getting jealous, as well.

  “Man, can't these people back off and let you breathe?” he asked and glared at a group of boys who were coming by to stare at her again. “I swear, if I see another guy come up and give you some lame pickup line while staring down at your chest, I'll—not to say they shouldn't, oh, never mind, I'm just going to stop talking before I dig myself into something I won't be able to get out of.” He then proceeded to resume his food-shoveling ritual. His shoulders were more slouched than usu
al as he stabbed his food with his fork.

  “Chaos,” Anj said as he listened to everyone in the dining hall. “I absolutely love it. Isn't it so much fun to watch people get so excited over one small, insignificant detail?” He, his brother, and Cheyenne had just sat down to eat at their usual table. Their spot was always guaranteed. How did these two boys get so much power over an entire student body?

  “Not really, but that's how it always works right? I'm kind of disappointed,” Zes mumbled.

  “Me too, I was hoping for ritualistic animal slaughtering to be added in, or maybe an orgy or two. But I think I can work on those after I mention to someone that Denver and Halyn are coming along with us.” Anj smirked. “At the very least, I can get people to say Zes was tied up over the weekend. That's something even I'd believe.”

  “That's not funny,” Zes said darkly. “Why does it have to be me? Why am I always the one who gets picked on and dominated and not you? I don't want people thinking I'm some kind of a—besides, I mean, I'm not even into tha—ugh, you're driving me crazy!” He threw his hands up in frustration and opened his mouth to start saying something else, and then he glanced at Cheyenne. “I'll tell you about it later,” he mumbled to his brother. Another secret she wasn't allowed to hear.

  “Oh, I already know,” Anj said and picked apart his ham and cheese sandwich. “You don't need to explain it to me. I'm working on that one too. By the end of the night, I think everything will be the way it should, finally. As for everything else, it's because you look so cute when you do your tomato impression. I'm sure everyone is aware none of it's real. Anyone with half a brain knows better, but it doesn't make it any less fun to speculate about.”

  “I don't know how I feel about your constant devious plotting.”

  “Just enjoy it and don't question it then.”

  “I don't usually. Are you feeling okay, Chey? You aren't eating much.”

  Cheyenne shrugged and picked up her apple. The truth was, she wasn't feeling well. She had felt sick the moment the questions had started and the moment it dawned on her Jewl could potentially hurt her over this. While she was confident the boys would protect her as much as they could, she doubted their ability to keep her completely free of the wrath of a scorned woman. She didn’t want to be hexed, or worse.

  “I'm not hungry. I don't know how you can handle it all,” she said. Her tray consisted mostly of fruit. Hopefully by the time dinner rolled around, she’d feel more at ease and have an appetite.

  “Handle what?” they asked her in unison. She thought it was adorable every time they spoke together.

  “Everyone looking at you all the time.”

  “Now, now, don't let it bother you,” Anj said lightly and continued to munch away on his sandwich. “They look at you because you’re nice to look at. Honestly, you should be taking it as a compliment, not a problem. Enjoy it. It means you're hot and interesting.”

  Cheyenne blushed and didn't say another word on the matter, deciding to take a page from Zes's book and focus on her food.

  “That's just precious,” Anj said with a small snort. “In all seriousness, after a while, it's easy to ignore the rest of the world and live with tunnel vision.”

  She didn't have much to say beyond “easier said than done.” She kept it to herself because she didn't think he'd understand. Instead, she remained focused on her food, and when Cheyenne glanced up again, she saw Halyn approaching the table in a rush.

  “Okay, we’re going shopping this weekend. I don't care what you say.” Halyn glanced at the twins. “Oh, hi, guys.” Then she returned her attention to Cheyenne as if they were the only two there. “Why didn't you tell me about this last night? This is huge.”

  Cheyenne could only groan. “You were busy studying. We can talk about it later.” She hoped Halyn would catch on. They couldn't mention anything serious in public, especially about the twins in front of the twins. She still had to inform her roommate about her rather interesting conversation with Mr. Thantos, as well.

  “Okay, get this. Denver is telling me I can't wear heels because he doesn't want me to be taller than him. Me, not wear heels. Isn't that ridiculous? I'm just barely five-foot-two. There is no way I could be taller than him.” She paused. “Not naturally at least.”

  “Don't tempt me to find a spell to make you grow,” Anj joked. “I wouldn't mind watching you walk in with him and be a few feet taller.”

  “Funny, but no,” Halyn said with a giggle. “I don't have that kind of magic skill. Instead I'm going to get the highest pair of heels I can find.”

  “Does he have to come with for everything?” Zes asked.

  “Yes, because I'm not letting you guys leave me alone with him all night.”

  “It'll be fine, and if I remember how it went every year before, he tends to show up and then disappear halfway through the night anyway. I don't think you'll have to do much with him,” Anj said.

  “Good, he's gross.”

  Cheyenne continued to eat quietly. Denver wasn't gross, but definitely creepy. He was still quite possibly the most attractive boy she'd ever met though.

  She was pretty sure Denver knew she lusted after him. She spent most of the lunch hour zoned out of the conversation and imagining him in a suit. He probably cleaned up nice, too. Hopefully he'd wear something that would bring out his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes. She didn't snap out of her daydream until Halyn tapped her shoulder gently.

  “Come on, let's walk together to class just in case we run into him.”

  She nodded, glancing up at Halyn. They said their farewells and walked to class. Halyn rambled on and on about how frustrated she was because she couldn't go with some other boy who asked her, a boy she actually liked. She talked about it all day, even in front of Denver, making it a point to fight with him about it in public so the whole school knew she didn't want anything to do with him. If it bothered him, he didn't show it. Instead, he spent his time making Cheyenne miserable, as usual.

  “Maybe if you're good, I'll let you and your roommate play date swap. I'm pretty sure Chey wouldn't mind, would you?” Denver said with a smirk to Halyn.

  Cheyenne rolled her eyes and continued to doodle on her paper absently. She realized then she was drawing hearts and was on the verge of drawing a bat. She quickly changed it into another animal. He'd know she was fixating on him, otherwise. A bat represented a vampire. He'd certainly sucked on her neck as though he was one. Thankfully, she wasn’t a good artist anyway.

  “You mean you'd actually dance with the Ebola virus?” Cheyenne asked sarcastically under her breath.

  “If that's what you kids call it these days, sure.”

  “You're sick.” Halyn smacked him with her pen.

  Denver rubbed the spot. He then leaned in close to Cheyenne's ear and whispered, “Your blush makes you all the more appetizing.”

  Was she blushing? She couldn't even tell anymore, because she felt a constant heat in her face from either anger or fluster. Hopefully no one else noticed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “This is why I never wanted to be popular,” Cheyenne groaned into the couch cushions once they got back to their dorm. “I don't like drama. It'd be so much easier if I didn't have to deal with people, and then I wouldn’t have to go to this stupid thing period.”

  Halyn frowned as she took a seat nearby. “What do you mean? You were so excited earlier.”

  “I don't think I have to explain it.”

  No, she thought, you're the only one who's been excited about all of this. She grabbed a pillow and moved it over her face to block out the light of the room, to block out everything around her. She wanted to be invisible and not to be liked by popular boys, or lusted after by vampire wannabes, or betrothed to demons. She missed being normal.

  “I think I'm going to bed,” she said.

  “It's so early though,” Halyn protested. “Come on, Chey. Talk to me. Tell me what's bugging you.” She sighed as Cheyenne stood up from the couch and avoided
looking at her. “We'll talk and shop tomorrow.”

  “Fine, after lunch or something should work if I can get it cleared with the teachers.”

  “You go to sleep and I'll take care of it.”

  Cheyenne nodded and walked into her bedroom in a daze. She took care of her things, being mindful enough to at least put them away. Just as she was about to climb into bed, she was startled by the flowers on her windowsill as they started to shout.

  “Be careful. Look where you step.”

  She jumped and frowned, wondering what on earth they were talking about. She watched the ground where she walked, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, at least not at first. Then she spied the long creeping legs of an extremely large and furry spider crawling across the floor toward her. She could have sworn it was the size of a dinner plate. She'd never seen anything like it, and she was frozen in place as it inched its way closer.

  “Don't let it bite you.”

  She shrieked as she ran across the floor, leaped over the spider, and jumped onto her bed. “Halyn! Help!”

  Halyn burst through the door, took one look at the ground, and screamed also.

  The two watched in horror as it redirected itself to the bed. It had no interest in Halyn. It ignored her and followed after Cheyenne. The spider lifted its legs to the comforter of Cheyenne’s bed and tried to find its footing so it could crawl up the side.

  Cheyenne continued to squeal and began jumping up and down on the bed in hopes of shaking it off, but it was all in vain. Halyn ran out of the room and returned with a broom, using it to bat at the monstrous arachnid. It fell to the ground with a fight and a hiss. Halyn proceeded to pummel it viciously until it ceased to move.