“It’s very time consuming to babysit the twins,” I whined. “They’re so demanding!”
Yago passed a trembling hand through his balding, flaxen hair and snorted.
“Of course they’re demanding!” He waved both hands in the air, as if he were juggling. “They’re four years old. But you’re fourteen and you’ve nothing else to do , so you must take care of them. I kill myself every day at work and what do I find when I get home? A damned social worker at my door and warm beer? Is it money you need? The Olsen witch is not lending you money anymore? Here, have money!” He produced a roll of bills out of his wallet, all twenties and tens he threw on the little table. “Three hundred bucks. Is that enough for you? Just remember, your dear Mommy just ditched you so it’s my money supporting your dirty dyke butt. Stop being a good for nothing and earn your living here.” He raised a finger, like a school principal. “And don’t even think about bringing your lesbo friend over when I’m not at home. My place is not a whorehouse for you dirty dikes to make out in front of the twins.”
A wave of heat traveled my body. That had been totally unfair. He had no right to call me ‘good-for-nothing’ and no right either to despise Jenny because she’d preferred me. We were not a pair of dirty dikes, not at all. At least I couldn’t think of myself that way.
“I know. I know it’s my duty. But it’s because of the twins I forg—” The pain in the cheek came instantaneously. The snap sounded in the air half of a second later. Yago had just slapped me pretty hard.
“So it’s the twins’ fault, is it?” The man’s face was purplish. “You’re retarded because of the twins, is that what you mean?”
Now my cheek burned and throbbed and I could taste blood. Tears welled up in my eyes, yet I shut them to prevent any of them trickling down my cheeks.
“Sorry, my bad,” I said, dropping my head.
I shouldn’t have mentioned his children. If I knew he freaked out every time, why had I brought them up? Because losers enjoy screwing up all the time, and my forehead bore a capital L branding me a proud member of their club. Mom had dumped me for that very reason. Who would enjoy sharing their roof with a pathetic loser? Yago had guessed right, ‘retarded’ suited me freakin’ well. Would I ever learn?
Note to self: Google how to stop being a jackass.
“Put this darned hot beer in the freezer and bring it back in ten minutes,” Yago thrusted me when he handed me the can and I lost my balance. My right foot darted backwards, my left one darted even faster and then I missed my third step. The wall behind me prevented my falling—first time ever living inside a metal box proved useful.
“Are you gonna put that in the freezer, or dance like an idiot all around the place?”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry what, freak?”
“Sorry… Sir,” I whispered.
I pulled the little fridge’s door open, squatting beside it. This time I stuck my back to the wall. I wouldn’t allow the moron to scan my butt again, no way.
Yago snorted and, fortunately, as he turned the TV on again, he found a WWE broadcast—it would hold his attention for a while.
It should have ended there, yet it didn’t.
June 30 12:29 pm
Last day of school. Lunchtime almost over. Halls crowded with kids eager to flee once the last bell rang. Excitement filled the air with so much electricity it almost made the hair stand on its own.
I was about to enter the girls restroom on the first floor but stopped because I’d just heard voices inside. I started to breathe hard, imagining the girls inside were Clara Benson and her gang—for some strange reason, those guys lived in the restrooms. I imagined Clara exiting ahead of her gang and saying: “Oh, look who’s here, girls, Somerset’s favorite teen lesbian.”
I clenched my fists and my stomach knotted up. I wanted to leave and come back later, but I really needed to go. The door flung open and four girls came out. Thankfully, not Benson and her gang. I sighed so loud in relief that one of them turned and scowled at me. She said, “It’s nobody, only that freak lesbo with dark sunglasses.”
I bolted into the restroom and locked myself inside the first available stall. As always, I had to be fast—Benson and her friends were not the only girls who bullied me. I’d just flushed the toilet and was about to leave when I heard the restroom’s door opening and closing.
Damn, no!
I stood frozen, tapping the stall’s lock with my fingers, but I heard nothing. Maybe it was a single girl—even two girls would be noisy as hell. I listened. She was neither getting into any stall, nor washing her hands. Maybe she only wanted to check her makeup.
I waited, still tapping on the lock. I bit my lip. Who was she? Somebody who knew I was in the stall? Maybe it really was Benson’s gang this time, all silently waiting for me. A month ago, they’d waited for Mary Delaware, stripped her, stole her panties and hung them from a tree. The idea I might end up like her made me feel sick. By all means, I wanted to avoid a similar fate.
The restroom was still as silent as a graveyard. I could even hear a faucet dripping. The bell rang.
Rats!
I had run out of time. Whomever remained outside, she or they had to go to their classrooms too—at least in theory. Suddenly, I had this idea somebody might have flung the restroom’s door open without actually going inside, in which case, I was making a fool of myself. I turned the lock and exited the stall.
Jenny was leaning on the restroom’s door blocking it and nobody else was inside. My heart missed a beat. “Jenny!”
“You’ve been avoiding me for three days,” she said—not an accusation but a fact. She didn’t seem upset.
Yes, I’d been avoiding her because I’d been scared, scared of what might happen if our hands interlocked again, or if our lips approached each other once more. On the other hand, I was happy she’d found me. Mom had left three days ago and I hadn’t told anybody, not even her. My life had turned into a huge mess and I needed Jenny, however afraid I’d been of being alone with her. Her flowery aroma flooded my nostrils and my mouth watered in anticipation for the bittersweet taste of her skin.
Then I feared she’d entered the restroom for some other reason. Maybe she only wanted to use the toilet and it was a coincidence we happened to be here at once. Was my mind rushing?
Jenny moved a step forward. Her hands took mine and she embraced me, pushing my arms behind me. We staggered a coupla steps backwards until I leaned on the wall, feeling its cold tiles against my back. My body’s temperature rose fast —I could feel it bloom in my face and ears. My heartbeat skyrocketed.
“Jen… Jenny,” I stammered. “Somebody may come in…”
Her lips curved upwards into an impish smile. “I locked it, Aaleksss.”
Aaleksss. A thrill traveled my body. I couldn’t help yielding to the compelling seduction in her voice. Her face stood an inch away from mine, her arms wrapped me, and our lips brushed each other.
“This… this is not right,” I mumbled, praying she would insist on the contrary. I so very wanted it to happen, whatever it might be despite the disconnection between my heart and my brain. My heart didn’t mind whether it was right or wrong. My brain kept warning me it could be dangerous.
“Is that a problem?”
Neither of us was breathing. Jenny stood frozen, her lips on mine, waiting only for my go-ahead signal. I was frozen too. Inside me, my mind struggled to restrain myself from acting out my wish.
I breathed in and whispered, “No, it isn’t.” Then I leaned forward and pressed my lips hard against Jenny’s.
I can’t tell which of us reacted with more heated passion. We first kissed on the lips, then we bit each other, then our tongues got involved in a tempest. Jenny held my hands behind me, which felt like I was fettered to the wall, a sensation as strange as exciting. Without being able to use my hands, I had to thrust my body forward, embedding my mouth in Jenny’s. I squeezed my lips against hers.
Jenny kept shoving me bac
k toward the wall every time I thrust forward, resulting in an almost painful exchange of wild kisses. My sunglasses fell to the floor. I could hardly breathe, though it didn’t matter. What mattered was Jenny loved me, and that I’d found a good girl to take care of me. The memory of my mom ditching me and the pain it caused faded away. I had Jenny now. Even the fact we were at school and I had a class to attend, faded in the haze that had overtaken my mind.
Jenny liked me and cared about me—no, she really loved me. I was enjoying her like nothing else on Earth, the first time ever somebody was treasuring the real me. Jenny kissed my neck and then bit it—I craned it so it’d be easier for her. I closed my eyes and bit my lips, enjoying the soft tickling.
She unbuttoned my blouse with an ability and speed that made me raise an eyebrow. Down from my neck, she kissed me and bit me, moving downward toward my boobs. In my mind, I prayed she wouldn’t be disappointed once she removed my bra.
Heavy knocking on the door startled us. “Open up!”
Jenny backed off two steps and stared at me. For one second, neither of us talked. Her upper lip was beaded with sweat. All I could concentrate on was on her rosy face and sparkling eyes, so it took me time to realize we’d just been busted.
“Open up!” More banging on the door.
We were doomed. It was some teacher who would report us. I would end up confronted by the school’s social worker and she’d find out Mom had run away. She’d probably send me to a foster home, which scared the hell out of me. Anything would be better than a foster home; even Yago’s place would be a paradise by comparison.
“Your blouse.” Jenny cried in a whisper. “Button up on your blouse. I’m gonna unlock the door.”
Before anything else, I picked up my dark sunglasses and put them on. Then I turned towards the wall and started buttoning up. My fingers were so clumsy I couldn’t do it, not one single button. I felt my fingers numb. I was so nervous!
Jenny unlocked the door and was thrown backwards by three girls storming into the restroom: Clara Benson, Sierra McNamara and Carla Gutierrez.
“Gosh!” Clara exclaimed. “You guys were being naughty, weren’t you? I was sure you were the one locked in here, Zimmerman.” She turned to Jenny and scowled. “You disappoint me, Edwards. I thought you’d have better taste. Everybody suspects you’re into girls, but… Zimmerman? Couldn’t you find anyone better?”
Sierra had cornered me. I cringed between her and the wall, my blouse still open and my bra askew. She was holding her cell phone in one hand. “Clara, I told you we should have waited a bit more. Five more minutes and we’d catch them with their panties down. Now there’s nothing to picture except the smallest boobs on Earth.” She aimed her phone at me and grimaced. “Nobody would believe us. They’d say it’s a photo of a guy wearing a bra.”
“Then let’s find out if Zimmerman wears panties or guy briefs.” Clara seemed amused. “Rip her pants off.”
Jenny reacted immediately. “Don’t you dare.”
Clara confronted her. She was way taller than Jenny. She sneered, “Whose gonna stop us, Edwards? You? Alone? Because this pathetic lesbo you were raping here will chicken out—”
Jenny grabbed Clara by the collar like guys do when they fight and shoved her against the wall. Clara’s head crashed on the tiles with a hard thud and she was stunned for several seconds. Jenny closed her fist and hit Clara’s nose, then she backed off. Her hand was covered in blood same as Clara’s face.
Clara squealed. “Bitch!”
She took both hands to her face and collapsed, crouching on the restroom’s floor. Blood flowed, staining her T-shirt and low-rise jeans. Sierra and Carla flew by her side and pulled her up by the armpits.
“Come on,” Sierra said. “We’ll take you to the infirmary.” She turned to Jenny. “We’ll report you, bitch. You’re a criminal now, did you know?”
Jenny had pulled out her cell phone and was taking pictures of Clara’s bloody face and crocked nose. Bet Jenny had broken it.
“Do it McNamara, and these pictures will be all over Facebook and YouTube. And I mean it.”
Clara left a trace of fat, bloody drops as she exited with her two bully-boys at each side of her. Both of them turned their faces menacingly toward us until the restroom door flung closed.
Then silence. I could only hear the dripping faucet. Everything had happened so fast I thought I’d image it all. It had happened, though. I cringed against the wall, only now being able to button up my blouse.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Jenny snapped.
In three seconds, she washed her hands and made sure no bloody traces remained on the sink. She grabbed my arm and dragged me after her, bolting out of the restroom into the empty, silent hall. Our running steps echoed like thunder. We exited the hall into a patio we crossed in a rush and only stopped until we reached the baseball field gate.
Excitement filled me up. In a scene that had lasted less than two minutes, I’d witnessed Jenny tackling the school’s number one bully just to protect me. To protect me. Nobody had ever done that before. It made me feel like the most important person in the world. We had a strong bond no matter what. It took us a minute or two to catch our breath. I hugged her hard. “Jenny, you’re awesome!”
She hugged me too and we stood in each other’s arms for what seemed an eternity. When we parted, she put her hands on my shoulders.
“Listen to me.” She looked straight into my sunglasses. “Today is the last day of school. If Benson reports us, it’s better if they don’t find us here. Whatever happens, it won’t happen until September when we’re back and by then things will have cooled down.”
“I’m not afraid. I’m with you.”
Jenny frowned a bit. “Listen to me. Get the hell out of here, and I mean it—now. Go back to your home and stay there until I come for you. Benson may actually look for you during the next days, even near your home.”
“I’m guessing she doesn’t know where I live. She’s way too posh to wander near my trailer park. Don’t think I’m afraid. I’m with you.”
“You’re not listening, Alex.” Jenny was far more excited than I, still gasping a bit, and her face was red. “We won’t be meeting during the next week. This evening, I’ll be leaving for my aunt’s place in Louisiana.”
Disappointment stabbed me. Our life as girlfriends had just kicked off in the most exciting possible way and now its next chapter had to be postponed. It was not fair. Yago wouldn’t arrive from work until early in the evening. We could well lock ourselves in his trailer while the twins play outside. Was that an option?
“Stop making faces, Alex.” Jenny’s tone sounded like a teacher’s. “It’s not that I want to go. My parents are practically kidnapping me, but we’ll be back on July 5. So, listen to me: go straight to your home now and stay there until I’m back. Don’t call me on the cell phone, you couldn’t. My aunt lives in the middle of a swampy place called the Bayou and the signal is forever weak there. I’ll try to call you if I find a good signal. Check my Facebook posts every day… well, if I can find a decent Wi-Fi signal in that crap of a town.” She caressed my cheek and then passed her thumb over my lips. I tasted again her bittersweet flavor that made me long for the rest of her skin in far more intimate spots. She put her hand back on my shoulder. “Don’t, and I mean it, don’t leave your home until I’m back. I don’t want to find out they waited for you outside your trailer and beat you up. Understood?”
I nodded. Inside, I felt glad. She worried so much about me, she’d just turned into my hero. Her blonde hair shone under the sun, and her loop earrings cast bright reflections like she was some kind of fairy. I couldn’t resist her lips, still somehow crimson and puffy, so I leaned forward and kissed her, softly biting them. Then I pulled back. Jenny blushed.
“We don’t have to rush, Aaleksss. There’s plenty of time. Meanwhile, do this for me: stay alive and well.”
July 1
Early on the next day, despite Jenny’s warn
ings, I rushed with the twins to the nearest K-Mart—without Mom at home, our fridge remained permanently empty. Twice, I checked whether the coast was clear because Jenny could have been right. Luckily, Clara and her gang were nowhere to be seen, so the twins and I climbed into this overcrowded bus. This old woman was sitting in front of us and she must have thought her ticket was for half of the bus, because she’d taken the two seats on either side of her, putting thousands of supermarket bags on them. She scattered even more bags on the floor, making it impossible for the people to stand in the aisle. By people, I mean yours truly, the twins and one zillion riders pushing like hell from behind. To cap it all, I had to grip the pole with both hands because the maniac driver sped like crazy, seeming to hit every pothole and speed bump. Any rider, who didn’t have a good grip on the poles, risked bouncing inside the bus like in a spacecraft in free-fall.
With the twins clasping each of my legs as if their lives depended on it, I doubled the strength of my grip on the pole and stared out the window. Out of the blue, this red convertible flew past our bus, honking like crazy. I bet the guy was practicing to be a NASCAR driver. The bus swerved, I was thrown towards the window, and my sunglasses fell off my face. Another swerve. I was thrown again and the old woman’s nose popped in front of mine.
“Watch out, boy!” she yelled, raising her hands between us.
I hauled myself back into an upright position, squeezing the pole while the twins crushed each of my legs.
“You’re not driving cattle!” somebody shouted at the driver. “It’s people you’ve gotten back here!”
The old woman picked-up my sunglasses and handed them to me.
“Wow! Pretty amber eyes you’ve got, boy,” she exclaimed. A huge grin appeared on her face. She ogled me, not blinking at all and opened her mouth wide.
Oh no! It was happening again. “You shouldn’t hide such pretty eyes behind sunglasses. Are these lovely twins your brothers? Hey kids, tell your older brother what lovely eyes he’s gotten.”
Amber Eyes Page 3
