Talisman

by S. E. Akers

  “Hurry up,” I whispered.

  As he lingered around my lips, I noticed Tia Bentley pointing us out to her boyfriend, Chris Bell, one of Mike’s teammates. The more looks we got, the more frazzled my nerves became. It seemed like it was taking an eternity. The next thing I knew, Mike started descending inch-by-inch down my neck. I stepped back right before he reached my bosom.

  “Do you smell anything?” I asked gruffly under my breath.

  Mike gazed into my eyes, almost like he was in a trance. “Yeah,” he replied in a slow, strange voice. “Um, I smell…you.”

  Oddly, Mike’s bewildered stare had shifted into a weird, aching-look. I snapped my fingers in front of his face.

  “Hey, jock. Do you smell anything else?” I asked sternly.

  Mike looked down at the floor and then shifted his gaze back to me. “Nothing. I can’t smell an ounce of alcohol on you — not anywhere,” he mumbled.

  “That’s a relief,” I replied. As we moved closer to the entrance, I began to wonder why I didn’t reek of liquor? I didn’t smell like it, and I didn’t feel the slightest bit drunk.

  Maybe it wasn’t liquor at all? But if it wasn’t whiskey, then what the heck did I drink? And why am I “seeing things” that aren’t there…or are they? I hadn’t connected those dots. I figured it was simply one more “crazy thing” to add to my list, which seemed to be growing at an alarming rate.

  Mike squeezed my hand to get my attention. We were next in line to enter and there was his mom, Elisa Riverside, looking quite the epitome of style herself. I wasn’t a fashion guru, but I did know Chanel when I saw it. Elisa Riverside was model tall and very svelte. Her ivory-colored, classic bouclé chenille suit hugged every curve of her perfect figure while all those strategically placed, swanky double “C” golden closures screamed, “Kiss my buttons!” She didn’t look her age, not by her face anyway. Her hair was another story. Elisa Riverside’s sleek black tresses were subtly kissed with several grey strands that honestly appeared rather striking. I’d heard that she originally hailed from Boston. Mike’s father had met her on a trip to Massachusetts. They married and she moved to Welch within a few months, so the story goes (and yes, Mike came along five months later). Regardless of her small-town surroundings now, Elisa Riverside exuded sophistication. Normally, I wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated by someone like that, but tonight was a different story. I was already unhinged from the imaginary “streamer snake”, and I could’ve sworn that I’d seen it snowing outside. I’d also begun to wrap my head around the idea that I may not be drunk — but I quite possibly could have been drugged. I just hoped my “condition” wouldn’t be that obvious.

  Elisa Riverside hugged Mike and then turned to me with a glowing smile. “Oh, darling. She is so lovely. What’s your name, dear? Michael didn’t tell me who he was bringing.”

  I’ve lived in this town for eighteen daggone years (as of tomorrow), and seen Mrs. Riverside at countless town and school functions, not to mention, at every company Christmas Party since I was five. But clearly, she didn’t recognize me.

  Offended, and yet slightly flattered, I replied “Shiloh Wa—”

  Mike interrupted, “Washington… Shyla Washington.” He squeezed my hand, blatantly signaling for me to comply with his fabrication.

  Now I was ticked. What’s wrong with my name? (Ironic, me asking that question). I have to admit, “Shyla” doesn’t remind me of Shiloh Ridge, but ‘Washington’? What gives?

  Elisa Riverside leaned in to whisper, “I think you have the most beautiful date here, darling. You two make a charming couple.”

  I looked at Mike, who was beaming from his mother’s praises. I could’ve thrown up in my own mouth at that moment.

  “See, everything worked out for the best,” Elisa Riverside insisted to her son in a low whisper. “Now aren’t you glad you didn’t have to take that little tramp you’ve been running around with?” she added with a haughty nod.

  And there it was — a typical case of “wealthy parents thinking no one is good enough for their son”. Mike gulped so hard I thought he’d swallowed his tongue. He didn’t know what to say, especially when I turned to stare at him, wide-eyed, waiting for his response. Granted, Chloe had always been a little brat to me — but she was still my kin.

  I laughed away any anxiety I had about Mrs. Riverside as I suppressed all traces of my native West Virginia dialect and mustered up my finest uppity accent.

  “He is Mrs. Riverside! We’ve been having the most divine time! Your son is so fortunate to have you for a mother.” I batted my eyes over to Mike, who was starting to break out into a cold sweat. “I just wish I had a mother half as wonderful as you.”

  I thought quietly, Maybe Mike and I have more in common than I thought? I bet we could sell Charlotte and Elisa as a set…

  We were being motioned forward by one of the teachers. “It was a pleasure to meet you!” I called back to her. “And I promise…as long as we’re together, I’ll make sure girls like that Chloe Wallace keep their trashy little paws off him.” I felt Mike tugging my arm, but I pulled away from him and leaned closer to Mrs. Riverside.

  “They’re always looking to land someone rich by getting knocked up. You know how hard it is to plan for a shotgun wedding,” I whispered and threw her a sly wink. I could tell I’d struck a nerve by the tense look in her eyes.

  “We’re holding up the line, Shyla. Come on,” Mike urged, desperate to shut me up.

  I smiled and patted his cheek as he yanked me towards the entrance. I discreetly slammed my heel on his foot and turned back to his mother.

  “If you ask me, whether they get married or not — they’re still bastards,” I added as I turned away from a stunned Elisa Riverside and gave Mike a quick nod.

  “Trust me. That wasn’t the whiskey talking,” I grunted as we entered the gym.

  Serves her right, I thought. I couldn’t care less if Mike was mad or not. If he felt anything, it should’ve been “shame”.

  “I’m sorry, Shiloh. That’s how she is… No one’s ever good enough, and no one meets her expectations. But I was surprised…”

  “About what?” I questioned in a snarky tone. “That she didn’t recognize me as one of those gold-digging Wallace-girls?”

  “No, Honor Roll. That she seemed to like you. She’s never acted like that before — not towards any girl I’ve ever introduced to her.”

  We soon found ourselves standing in front of a brown and gold balloon-covered archway where our principal was announcing the attending couples names. Arm in arm, we passed through the showy canopy. My senses stirred at the sight of our run-of-the-mill gymnasium that had been miraculously transformed into an impressive and festive space. Tons of balloons had been attached to the walls and columns, while miles of crepe streamers blanketed the room in perfectly placed patterns. Miniature white lights adorned anything that was standing still. The tables were elegantly draped in white linens accented with brown and gold satin trim, and they were all topped with floral arrangements that coordinated with the room’s color scheme. And for a finishing touch, various decorative accents had been strategically positioned around the gym that featured banners, pompoms, and of course, loads of footballs.

  I tilted my head towards the ceiling. A myriad of colored spotlights flashed randomly while a large mirrored disco ball hanging over the center of the dance floor flooded the room with swirling specks of light. My ears vibrated to the beat of Lady Gaga’s latest song as we walked down the small stairway. It looked like almost the entire Senior and Junior classes were in attendance. They were all dancing, sitting and chatting, or making-out in the dimly lit corners of the room.

  My eyes may have been captivated by the gym’s ambience, however I noticed instantly that everyone else’s seemed fixated on me. We reached the bottom of the steps to find a crowd of Mike’s teammates swarming around us.

  “Is that you, Shiloh?” almost every one of them asked.

  I simply nodded and kept rel
atively quiet. From out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few of them making perverted gestures and giving Mike their “looks of approval”.

  I let out a deep sigh. Jerks. Their dates kept telling me how nice I looked. Some were so shocked they couldn’t believe it was really me. It was flattering, but it made me think, How crappy do they think I look any other time?

  With her crown perfectly positioned in a poof of red hair, Kara Leighton pushed her way through the crowd, heading straight for Mike. In a blatant attempt to snag his attention, she pressed her breasts (which were falling out of her red sequined dress) onto his chest and supplied him a provocative peck.

  “Now I know you aren’t going to refuse the Homecoming Queen a dance, are you?” Kara asked Mike as she ran her fingertips all along the edges of his crisp white bowtie.

  Though her performance was amusing, I still felt bad for Ty. Why is he dating such a slut?

  “Maybe later, Kara. I just got here with Shiloh. You know, my date,” Mike announced uncomfortably as he removed her hands from his chest.

  “Shi’s not really your ‘date’,” Kara replied with a silly laugh. “She won’t mind.”

  I tried to contain my giggles as I maneuvered behind her.

  “Where is she anyway?” Kara asked. “Did she bring some books and run over to a table to study?”

  She was laughing pretty hard at her own joke, but soon noticed that no one else around her had even cracked a smile. I tapped her on the shoulder. As she turned around, I greeted her with my demurest look.

  “Hi, Kara,” I said sweetly.

  “Shi? Is that…YOU?” Kara choked out in a gasp. Clearly she was shocked, but as her eyes narrowed, I picked up on something else. As shiny as what that garish red-sequined dress was, all I could see staring back at me was the color green.

  “In the flesh,” I replied as I raised my arms and slowly twirled around in a circle. I figured a little fun was in order. Payback for all the times she had stuck me with her messes at the Drive-In.

  Kara looked over at Mike, who I could tell hadn’t taken his eyes off me (which I still found bizarre). She straightened her crown with one hand as she flashed me a catty smile.

  “It was really nice of Mike to bring you to the dance. You’ve never been to any school dances, have you?” Kara probed.

  “No,” I replied curtly, waiting to see where she was going with her question.

  “Well, it was very considerate. You never told me that you liked dances, Shi. If I’d known, I could’ve found SOMEONE all these years to take you to at least one of them. I wouldn’t know myself, but I’m sure it must be awful sitting at home every weekend — all by yourself.” She turned to Mike and added, “That was really charitable of you.”

  The expression on my face remained still while I listened to the sound of several “ooooo’s” echoing through the crowd of classmates gathered around us. I stared back at the prissy little bitch, mentally noting that she looked like a shiny-pageant-reject-turned-hooker, what with all of those blinding red sequins blazing. Not to mention, the tacky tiara sparkling around a bad, brassy dye-job.

  “Kara, now that is a beautiful, bright dress.” I circled her and looked all around the bottom of it, squinting my eyes. “Where on earth do you have it plugged in?” Several chuckles ensued around our now heated huddle.

  “Yes…I’ve been told I really light up a room,” Kara quipped as she flicked a clump of red hair off her shoulder and threw me a smug smile.

  Kara was really full of herself this evening. Her “highness” was playing her role all right — always trying to be the center of attention. I watched as she fiddled with her crown and randomly waved to classmates calling out congratulations to her, left and right.

  A festive bouquet full of various fall flowers lay in the bend of Kara’s arm. I found myself strangely fixated on it, not able to look away. While the group of couples lingered around us, my ears began to muffle out the sounds of their chitchat. Suddenly, the lively room became still, almost lifeless. Now, the only sounds I heard were the soft strikes of a piano being played somewhere off in the distance. A lavender spider mum caught my eye. I reached over and pulled the frilly flower out of what now appeared to be a large floral arrangement that sat atop a marble pedestal. The lights around me were now shining brightly, like the warm sun during the middle of the day. Even stranger, I noticed a medley of colors flickering and dancing on my hand like a kaleidoscope. I pulled the mum closer and twisted it under my chin for a moment. The flower petals felt soothing as I twirled its stem, allowing them to caress my skin. Then from out of nowhere, a growing sense of anguish began to churn inside me, unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It felt like my heart was being slowly ripped from my chest while my stomach ached with a horrid feeling of emptiness.

  Abruptly, the soft and somber sounds of the piano music stopped. The next thing I heard was Kara’s voice yelling out at me.

  “Excuse me!” Kara snapped as she snatched the spider mum out of my hand. “What are you doing to my bouquet?”

  I stared back her, utterly confused. The bright lights had faded, and the baffling dream-like image was gone. The only thing that lay before my eyes now was a very ticked-off redhead, waving a bunch of flowers in my face.

  Quickly, Mike pulled me off to the side. “So, do you still feel like singing your, ‘I’m not drunk’ tune?” he posed.

  I snapped out of my daze and jerked my arm from his grasp. “I told you…I’m not drunk,” I mumbled under my breath, even though I wasn’t quite sure what had just happened. It appeared that I’d experienced some sort of strange vision. But oddly, the horrible feeling that lingered in the pit of my stomach was still there. It wasn’t a physical pain, but an emotional one, like my body was being engulfed by waves of sorrow and despair.

  “Who’s DRUNK?” Kara belted out in a loud, nosey voice as she pushed her way over to us. Mike glared at Kara and “shushed” her immediately. That only fueled the Homecoming queen’s curiosity. She pointed to me. “Shi? Shi’s drunk? You’re kidding?” Kara chortled.

  “Not so freakin’ loud, Kara!” Mike scolded.

  “I’m sorry,” Kara insisted as she tried to muzzle her laughter. “I’m just shocked that the biggest goody-goody in our class is…lit!” With that said, the little witch started cracking up again.

  I ignored her, mainly because I was too busy trying to catch my breath from the suffocating feeling of sadness rising from my gut. I pressed on my belly and took a few deep breaths. Kara and Mike eyed me nervously.

  “You’re gonna be sick, aren’t you?” they both asked, almost like they already knew the answer. Mike seemed genuinely concerned. Kara put her hand up to her mouth. She just looked queasy.

  “NO!” I snapped as I straightened myself up.

  The pain was intensifying. My eyes scanned around the gym, desperately searching for the closest exit.

  “Excuse me,” I blurted as I pushed past them and hurried to the ladies room.

  To my disappointment, Coach Hayes was standing in front of the door I needed to pass through. He was one of the chaperones working the exits, looking for any kind of suspicious activities. He didn’t seem too interested in the comings and goings of any students at the moment. He was too busy admiring his diamond-studded trinket, obviously reminiscing about the “good ‘ole days” (before the steroid-bust).

  “Excuse me,” I announced flatly as I attempted to rush around him, lowering my head to avoid any eye contact with the jerk. Coach Hayes snapped out of his daydream and threw his hand in front of the door.

  “Not so fast, young lady. I have to stop all the students coming in and out of the halls to check for drugs and alcohol.”

  “I’m just going to the ladies room,” I replied with my head still down.

  “Oh, you came here with Mike. You’re his date,” Coach Hayes confirmed. “Boy, you two make a good lookin’ couple. What’s your name, honey?”

  You’ve got to be kiddin’, I thought as I raised my
head. Once his eyes focused in on my face, I knew the exact second he recognized me.

  “Wallace? Shiloh Wallace? Is that YOU?”

  “Can I go now?” I snapped as I glared back at him. Immediately, he stepped out of my way.

  “Oh, um…Did you remember to thank your mother for me?” he called out abruptly as I pushed open one of the doors.

  I stopped and gave the metal push bar a tight squeeze. In my mind, it was his neck. I whipped around.

  “No. I didn’t get a chance. She’s been in and out of the house so much lately. If she’s not over at Mr. Anderson’s feeling which of his vegetables are the firmest, then she’s having Mr. Mayfield snake her pipes. But I promise, if I don’t catch up with her, I’ll have MY FATHER relay the message. Okay?”

  To my delight, the loudmouth coach seemed to be at a loss for words as he wrestled with an unnerving case of the jitters.

  That should give him something to really worry about!

  There weren’t too many people on this side of the building, just a few students returning to the gym. When I passed by a janitorial closet, I heard a few sounds coming from behind the closed door. It sounded like things crashing to the floor, followed by a few intense muffled grunts. I rolled my eyes as I headed for the ladies room, which was up ahead on the right.

  Several girls were strolling out as I entered. All of them asked, “Shiloh, is that you?” I ignored their questions as I rudely pushed by them and bolted into an empty stall.

  I locked myself inside and tried to catch my breath. The wretched feeling in my gut had started to subside, but I found myself still nervous and starting to get a little light-headed.