“Easy. Um, Catwoman. Or, uh Poison Ivy.”
“B-u-u-u-t, P-o-o-o-ppy, those a-a-a-r-r-r-e v-i-i-i-lians!”
“Not true. They aren’t bad. Those girls are misunderstood, like me.”
“I-I-I’m m-i-i-i-sunderst-o-o-o-d.”
“I understand you. Now, tell me again, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
Smiling, I approached her. I bent down, and cupped her face in my hands.
“Th-i-i-i-s,” I said leaning in to her.
Our lips parted. I was about to fall into a kiss when a flat hand loudly banged against the door.
Denver smashed her palm again the wood. Her piercing eyes shot me a nasty look as she gritted her teeth.
“Not funny, you two! Not funny at all! Leaving me down there, alone. I’m telling Mom that you’re up here fooling around instead of cleaning, decorating, or, or, entertaining our guest.”
She listed violation after violation in hopes of coaxing us back to the family room. Out of fear of getting in trouble, I hopped back and forth, getting nervous. But, as Denver always did, she underestimated Poppy’s propensity to play the precocious feline heroine, the coquette. A Cheshire smile spread across Poppy’s lips. She stood up on the bed behind me, and twisted her arms around my neck. She batted her thick lashes at my sister, ever the vixen.
“I’m sorry. Did I leave the door open? Oops! You caught us sharing a private moment. Please excuse us. We’ll be done soon,” Poppy sang, tossing her head about haughtily.
“Y-e-a-a-a-h, l-e-e-e-ave, o-o-o-r, I-I-I’ll t-t-t-e-e-e-ll m-a-a-a-m-a-a-a th-a-a-a-t . . .”
“You’ll tell mom what?” Denver countered my empty threat.
“I-I-I’ll . . .”
“Goodbye!” Poppy interrupted the two of us, laughing.
Poppy waved away Denver who stomped off in an angry huff. Her face steamed a fiery red as she banged her way back down the stairs in a blustery fit while Poppy and I took a moment to finish what we started.
Chapter 13
Denver
Declan had to do it. He had to open his big mouth, and embarrass me. He couldn’t lay low for even a few minutes.
And what about me? I brought a boy, here, to celebrate Christmas with me, and Declan ruined it like he ruined everything. Meanwhile, his life worked out perfectly. Why?
Who knows what I was thinking? Stupid Declan! Embarrassing me like that! Showing me up with his stupid model moves, and his ridiculous Declan-ness! Showing off his girlfriend the moment I finally got a boy semi-interested in me.
Sixteen years! Sixteen long years I waited to have a date. Sixteen long years I waited to have a boy call me, invite me over to his house. Sixteen long years I waited to have an amazingful hotness of a guy arrive at my doorstep, for me, and my brother blew it, in, like, one minute. So horrifical!
I mean, there he was, Dexx, under the mistletoe. The ideal scene was set. He stood right under the branch, waiting. So super handsome! Waiting for the right moment. Waiting for me. Then, who saunters up to greet him? Declan, the fool! He blew it! And, Dexx ran off, leaving me here to languish. Dumb Declan. Dumb, dumb, Declan. Ran off too, probably to make out with his ‘girlfriend.’ Blah!
I slung my body over the couch and picked at the remaining hors d’oeurves. I kicked around some ideas in my head as I kicked around my feet. I dragged them against the floor, and slumped down even further, super bored, abandoned by, like, everyone, my parents, my puppy, my brother, my former BFF, my new guy friend.
Like always, I was deserted and alone. It was so super typical of me to end up like this. Always tragic! Thoughts did a slow simmer in my brain, the good mixed with the bad. I struggled to drudge up the good.
Acceptance. My mom emphasized the value of accepting and embracing differences. We are all born different, she explained. We can’t help or control how we are born, nor can we change who we are. Rather than despising the characteristics that can never be altered, we should embrace them with open arms. Acceptance for all, without limits. This lesson should be applied to ourselves as well as to others. My mom preached, we are all different, and that’s okay. I repeated that mantra over and over again in my head.
There were certain things about myself that I could never change, like my height, or my natural grumpy disposition. My mom insisted that I not fight it, or urge myself to wish away things that wouldn’t change. Differences make us beautiful and unique. Don’t let society measure or define us. Accept them, no matter what others say or think, she might say. Instead love them. And, love others for who they are.
Love. Love myself. Love others. Provide unconditional love to the world. Unconditional love is not just for family or friends, it’s for all, for everybody, allies and enemies alike. Friend and foe. Love all. Be the better person, a lesson I struggled with on a daily basis. It was a lesson I conflicted with right this moment.
I struggled with being the better person while I waited for the others to return. I rose off the couch, and paced the floor apprehensively, failing at being a better person. Acceptance and love, I told myself. Acceptance and love.
Obviously Declan blew it for me, but I had to keep it together. Acceptance and love. Acceptance and love. I repeated my mantra, pacing up and down in front of the naked tree.
I knelt down, brushed some dust off one of the ornament boxes, and kicked Dancer’s fur balls into the corner by the vent. The tree the four of us were supposed to decorate sat bare, timeless, garland-less, light-less. Neglected like myself. I pounced back over to the food and nibbled.
“I give up!” I announced aloud to the empty room.
I tossed my hands in the air. Fed up, I went on a mission to find my missing brother, and his co-conspirator. I marched over to the den only to find the TV on, empty plates with pastry crumbs, and the cushions messed up by butt imprints and dog hair, but no people. The sound from the television garbled in my ears as stupid cartoons played out their nonsensical superhero capers. The sound of laughter drifted from upstairs. Obnoxious giggles echoed through the hall. I followed the noise up the stairs.
Declan’s door remained wide open, as the rules stated. But there they were, the two offenders, wrapping their arms around each other, fooling around while I wallowed in my misery. I wasn’t about to stand idle, while they openly displayed affection and grossiocity.
Yuck! Double yuck! And more yuck!
Fed up to the moon and beyond, I smacked my palm against the door to break up the foul love-fest. Declan turned, and gave me a sheepish grin while Poppy glared at me triumphantly.
My body shook with anger. Tears welled up in my eyes as my temper broiled white-hot. This was supposed to be my turn, my year for love and romance. Not Declan’s. He had his turn. I wanted to burst into tears, but I held in the urge.
“Not funny, you two. Not funny at all,” my voice quivered as my body shook uncontrollably. “Leaving me down there, alone. I’m telling Mom that you’re up here fooling around instead of cleaning, decorating, or, or, entertaining our guest.”
I tossed about other grievances, and wrung my hands, spitting idle threats at them to no avail. They laughed, and cozied up to each other. A stray tear drifted down my cheek. It burned a trail of lonely desperation. Why did this always happen to me? Did the underdog ever get her day or was the underdog meant to face a life of epic sadness?
“Goodbye!” Poppy shooed me away from their ‘moment.’
I felt my legs tumble down the steps, but my body moved weightless, floating toward the downstairs bathroom in search of my missing guest.
Dexx had been absent for a noticeably long period of time. I worried. Was he sick or was it something I said? Or worse yet, was he plotting to leave?
I ground my teeth, and whimpered acceptance and love, acceptance and love, under my breath. Begrudgingly, I marched over to th
e restroom.
I crept up to the door, and pressed my ear against the cold wood. I listened for a sign that Dexx remained behind the barrier, and hadn’t run off yet. I listened for sounds of flushing or running water from the sink. Nothing. Nothing but silence. I rapped against the door lightly with my fingers.
“Dexx? Are you in there? Are you okay?”
“Um, yeah. I’ll, I’ll be right out.”
I smiled. Dexx was still here. There was still time . . . for us.
Chapter 14
Dexx
“I-I-I-I-t-t-t-t-t’s-s-s-s v-e-e-e-r-r-r-y-y-y n-n-n-n-n-i-i-i-i-i-c-c-c-e-e-e t-t-t-t-o m-m-m-e-e-e-e-t ya-ya-ou.”
“Where’s your bathroom . . . Please, excuse me,” I gulped.
I ran to the bathroom. My socks caught a slippery patch on the hardwood floor. I stumbled about, and slid to a near fall before I caught myself, and skidded to a halt. I stood up, and centered my body before taking off to the nearest restroom.
I opened the door in haste, then slammed it shut. I rested my back against the door, taking a deep breath. Lifting up my arms, I held my head. I shook it wildly, still jittery and out of sorts.
My introduction to Declan caught me off guard. His unexpected mannerisms left me breathless. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” kept running through my head like a loop on a song mashed up against a reverberating beat.
The repetition throbbed in my temple. It caused a slight ache. I dashed to the sink. Letting the cold water run, I splashed my face with generous handfuls. I snatched a towel off the rack, and dried off the droplets which poured down my face like nervous sweat. My heart beat rapidly in my chest. My legs sunk down to the carpeted floor. I pulled my legs to my chest, and hugged them tight with my arms, unsure how long I wanted to stay holed up in a bathroom.
I knew someone would eventually come find me, but I needed time to calm down, and think of how to replay my poor reaction, so that I could cover for my shocking behavior. The last thing I wanted to do was make Poppy think I was rude or insensitive, because I wasn’t that kind of person.
I stood up, and paced, plotting my next move. Light footsteps approached the outside. Someone tapped gingerly on the door.
“Dexx? Are you in there? Are you okay?”
Denver’s sweet, nurturing tone came from the heart with authentic concern.
My face flushed. I bit my lip. I totally had no idea how long I had spent hiding in her bathroom. Time seemed to pass abnormally fast in the Davies’ household. I hadn’t even taken the chance to remark how gorgeously ornate the décor was in the bathroom, or how the bathroom resembled an intricate, high-end antique shop.
“Um, yeah. I’ll, I’ll be right out,” I choked out the words while still calming my nerves. Maybe coming here was a mistake.
I straightened out my clothes and brushed my hair back with my fingers. I cleared my throat.
No, this was not a mistake. My mystical gamine waited for me out there, somewhere, and I refused to give up. So, her boyfriend had, um . . . a . . . a few . . . um . . . unexpected flaws. We all did. I still concluded, he’d be better off without her while I’d be better with her.
Fifty thousand plus fans, his phone wouldn’t quit buzzing, blowing up like a volcano, once Poppy and I were together. He’d be free. Those tweens were lining up like crazy to get a crack at him. He’d find a new girlfriend faster than a speeding bullet.
I refocused, and gathered my energy to go out there and grab that golden ring. I firmly gripped the door, and pulled it open.
“Hey,” Denver said in a husky voice.
“Hey,” I responded softly.
Our eyes met before we both looked away.
“Who were you talking to out here?” I asked.
“Who? Me? Talking? I wasn’t talking.” She looked around the empty corridor. “Oh, maybe I was, because I thought I heard you saying something.”
“No. Nope. Not me.”
“Uh, what about you? How are you feeling? Are you feeling all right? You were in there quite a while.”
“Um, well . . .”
“It was me, wasn’t it?”
“Huh?”
“Then, it was my brother, right?”
“What? Are you kidding me? No! Not at all . . . I-”
“You knew about my brother, right?”
“Knew about your brother?” I asked timidly.
“Come on, Dexx! Really? I know you knew . . . right?”
I looked Denver square in the eye, utterly clueless.
“Oh. Huh. You didn’t know, I guess. Didn’t you?”
“I . . . er . . . your brother?” I didn’t know what to say.
We stared at each other in silence for a very long time. Uncomfortable silence, for a really, really long time.
“W-What’s wrong with your brother?” I finally said, giving in, feeling badly that I had to ask her that way, like it was awkward and wrong of me.
Denver sighed. “He has issues, a lot of issues. It’s really a long story. I can’t believe you didn’t know! Everybody at school knows!”
“You can tell me,” I smiled and placed my hand on hers. “I’m here for you. I’ll listen. You talk.”
Denver grinned and let out another sigh. This time, one filled with relief. “Well . . . he . . .”
“H-H-H-e-e-e-y, w-w-w-e-e-e a-a-a-r-e b-b-b-a-a-a-ck. L-e-e-e-t’s d-d-d-e-e-e-corate!”
Declan interrupted Denver’s explanation. He pulled Poppy behind him. She skipped happily across the floor.
“Okay, guys, sounds fun.”
I exaggerated my tone. Immediately, I regretted sounding too overenthusiastic or demeaning. I suddenly found myself unsure of how to act around them. I dreaded Poppy feeling that I was overcompensating with my tone, being condescending, or talking down to her boyfriend. I didn’t want her to think I was suddenly treating him differently.
But, she didn’t seem to notice. Sugary sweet seemed to work well on her while sarcasm seemed to repel her. She clapped her hands, and rushed back into the family room. Declan and Denver trotted close behind her.
Denver grabbed my hand. “We’ll talk more later. Thanks for being such a good friend to me, Dexx.” She gave my fingers a tender squeeze.
My stomach eased up as my tension melted. While I was still slightly weirded out by my first encounter with Declan, the giddy playfulness erased my awkwardness. I walked back into the family room. The three of them had gathered around an unadorned spruce.
“Each year we save one tree for Poppy to decorate since she doesn’t celebrate Christmas at her home. It’s been kind of a tradition around here since we were, like, five years old,” Denver explained.
“I love tree trimming,” Poppy shouted, “It’s like my first Christmas every time.”
She tossed tinsel in the air. It rained down on our heads like steamers as she twirled around in a circle, giggling. Several strands landed expertly on the tree. We all laughed at her slapstick performance.
Poppy took a bow. “Thank you, thank you.”
We took turns unwrapping ornaments, and adding our own special touch to the tree. Denver and I twined colorful lights around the branches while Declan and Poppy wound the garland around the thin needles.
“I’m impressed that your family uses real trees,” I commented, making small talk.
“Poppy and I picked this one out together,” Denver chirped.
“Yes, we got it from outside the Henry Ford museum,” Poppy bragged.
“You- you two got this tree- together?” I asked.
I was taken aback. I thought Denver and Poppy didn’t like each other. I thought Denver made it clear they didn’t hang out.
“Yes. Why?” Poppy questioned me.
Before I could answer, Declan marched around the
tree, and cornered me. “M-m-m-m-m, h-h-h-e-e-e-y, D-D-D-e-e-e-x-x, I h-h-h-e-e-e-ar ya-ya-ou a-a-a-re a-a-a-a DJ!”
“Why, yes, I am,” I smiled, listening intently to my host, doing my best to understand his words.
“W-W-W-h-a-a-a-t k-k-k-ind o-o-o-f m-m-m-u-u-usic d-d-d-o ya-ya-ou p-p-p-l-a-a-a-y?”
“All types, really. I dabble in dance, techno, electronica, dub step. I throw in some pop, hip-hop, rap, popular stuff, to balance out the sound, and keep the crowd moving. Do you like that type of sound?”
“N-N-N-o-o-o,” Declan shook his head. His hands moved up to his chest. His fingers wiggle. His hands flailed back and forth. “I-I-I like j-j-j-a-a-a-zz m-m-m-o-o-o-re, e-e-e-asy l-l-l-i-i-istening, b-b-b-l-u-u-u-es.”
Declan lifted his body on tippy toes, and teetered back and forth. He leaned forward, and widened his eyes before falling back flat on his feet. He smiled.
“Hmm,” I scratched my head. “I figured you went clubbing all of the time. Hung out in Europe, and stuff.”
“N-N-N-N-o-o-o, n-n-n-o-o-o-t m-m-m-e-e-e.”
“But what about those pictures of you and Poppy, at some Detroit techno fest?” I let my cyber stalking accidentally slip out, too curious to hide it.
“Y-Y-Y-e-e-a-h, m-m-ma-a-a-ybe P-o-o-oppy d-d-d-o-o-o-es. Sh-h-h-e-e-e l-i-i-i-stens t-t-t-o th-a-a-a-t s-s-s-t-u-u-u-ff, I-I-I g-g-g-euss sh-h-h-e- l-l-l-i-i-i-kes t-t-t-echno. I-I-I th-h-h-i-i-i-nk sh-h-h-e-e-e g-g-g-oes clu-u-u-ubbing, I-I-I g-g-g-euss.”
“Why don’t you go with her?”
“O-o-o-h, n-n-n-o-o-o, I-I-I w-w-w-ould j-j-j-ust em-m-m-m-barrass her. I-I-I couldn’t d-d-d-o-o-o th-a-a-a-t to her.”
“I don’t think you would embarrass her at all.”
“Sh-h-h-e-e-e w-w-w-ould a-a-a-g-g-g-r-e-e, b-u-u-u-t, I-I-I don’t w-w-w-a-a-a-nt t-t-to p-p-p-u-u-u-t her in th-a-a-a-t p-p-p-osition. W-W-W-e-e-e can g-g-g-o-o-o t-t-t-o a-a-a-a j-j-j-azz club in-n-n-stead.” Declan lifted his body. Teetering, he clapped his hands together several times until he landed back on his feet, and smiled.
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