Dark Hearts

by P. L. Midnight

  “I think you’re wrong. It would matter to Vince. Emma, you’re important to him.” I thought he added in a tone that was barely audible, “how could you not be?” but I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t going to embarrass myself anymore with Alex if I could help it, so I let it go. I didn’t mention his soft-spoken comment. He continued, “I want us to be friends, whether Vince cares or not. In all honesty, I find you interesting and a bit of an enigma. You are an excellent kickball player, but don’t like athletes. I’d like to get on your good side in case we have to play kickball together. I’d probably need your help.”

  “It would be nice to try to be friends, Alex.” I added a bit grudgingly, but in a nice tone, “since we’ll probably be seeing each other regularly now. Mad River Mountain is fun, but unfortunately I don’t ski or snow board.”

  “Then we can watch. I could teach you, as I said. We lived within a few hours of a ski resort. I learned to ski when I was just a kid. I know they probably have instructors that could teach you, if you’d prefer. I’d pay for the lesson, my treat.”

  “I’m surprised you’d want to go to Mad River Mountain and not ski. It’s obvious that you like skiing. I’m surprised that you’d be willing to watch just because I can’t ski. That would ruin your day. I don’t want to do that.”

  “There’s no way you could ever ruin anything, Emma. I’ve wanted to see what the place is like since I found out about it being nearby. I heard the place was decent skiing, but I don’t mind just watching as long as you’re with me. So, will you go? We can leave about noon and have lunch if you want.”

  “Okay, but I don’t want to keep you from skiing. I don’t mind watching you. It might be fun. You know, mathematics-wiz-takes-to-the-slopes kind of thing. I wouldn’t mind at all.”

  “Don’t let the academic thing fool you. I can actually hold my own on skis and on a surfboard, but I think I hear a challenge in your voice. You’d like to see how good I really am.”

  Remembering his toned physique, I had no doubt he could do about anything he wanted and probably did.

  “We don’t have many places to surf in St. Paris or Ohio so you’ll have to settle for prowess on the slopes, I guess.”

  “Since the closest ocean is pretty far away, I guess I’ll have to do my best to look good on the slopes. I am good, Emma. I’m good at a lot of things.”

  “Are you modest much, Alex?” I chuckled, ignoring the hidden meaning in his suggestive statement.

  “I’m just kidding, but I’m decent on the slopes. Since the Atlantic is not exactly a day’s drive away, maybe we can take in a wave pool this summer. I don’t think any of them allow surfing though,” he chuckled before he finished, “but it could be fun watching you in a bikini.”

  “I don’t have a bikini, for your information.”

  “That could be remedied easily enough. Seriously, would you accompany me to one of those places next summer if I’m still around?”

  “Don’t you plan to be here?” I didn’t answer his question as I wasn’t sure how we’d be getting along, and I wasn’t keen on wearing a swimming suit of any kind in front of Alex.

  “My dad moves around a lot with his company.”

  “I bet that’s hard.”

  “I seem to be the new kid at school quite a bit.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’ve gotten to see a lot of the world and have met some interesting people. It’s just my life.”

  “It must not be easy to form many close friendships.”

  “I hope I’ll become your good friend before I leave. Now, will you try skiing, Emma? I really think you’d like it. I’ll help you, too.”

  “I don’t have skis.”

  “They rent them, don’t they?”

  “Probably.”

  “I’ll check, but I’m sure they do. That sounds great, Emma. I’ll pick you up Sunday at noon. In no time, you’ll be the best skier on the slopes.”

  “I’m not sure about that, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like. Anyway, I think it’ll be interesting to watch you.”

  “It’s fun, I promise, but wear something warm and comfortable in case you fall in the snow.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  “You might be surprised. I’m pretty good at catching a pretty girl.”

  I decided to ignore that comment. I was sure he could catch any girl he wanted.

  “Well, I guess I’d better let you get back to your homework.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

  “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow and spending time with you this weekend.”

  “See you tomorrow, Alex.” I don’t know how I’d forgotten about Saturday night. He was right. I’d be seeing a lot of him. I wasn’t sure how that would be, but I’d already said yes to going with him on Sunday. I guess it’d be okay. I just hoped that Tori wouldn’t be too upset about Sunday. It couldn’t hurt to give the guy a chance and he plainly admitted he wasn’t interested in Tori. Anyway, I wasn’t planning to be more than friends with him.

  “We’re all looking forward to seeing you Saturday night. Goodbye, my new friend.”

  He hung up leaving me wondering if Raven, Vince, and he had been talking about me. Maybe they just discussed Saturday night. All the comments from Tori and the others about all three of them liking me had addled my brain and my imagination was working overtime.

  I got off the telephone and was stunned to say the least. He’d sounded almost contrite and interested in becoming friends. If he actually moved around as much as he’d said, he could use a few friends while he was here.

  Maybe if we became friends I’d stopped blushing around him. It would be nice not to blush every time I saw him, even if he did think it was cute. I really wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, either. I hated to admit that even to myself, but it seemed I might have misjudged him. Perhaps he was just lonely and really did want some new friends. He really was excessively handsome, which wasn’t his fault. In any case, it couldn’t hurt to be just friends.

  It should be a fun weekend as long as Tori didn’t get mad about Sunday. Maybe I could suggest he invite Tori, too. If we were just two friends going skiing, it wouldn’t hurt to invite others. That girl could ski and she was already smitten with Alex, even if he wasn’t interested at the time.

  I looked forward to talking to Tori. Maybe she could get to know Alex better, too. Could we all actually be friends? Did I really want to share Raven, Alex, or a certain white haired friend of mine? Probably not, but I couldn’t date more than one guy at a time. It wouldn’t be right. I really didn’t know much about boys, but I thought I might enjoy learning more, especially about Raven.

  I couldn’t understand why Alex wanted to hang out Sunday, even though he probably knew that Raven and Vince were interested in me, too. I was finding that men seemed to be strange and hard to understand most of the time.

  Chapter Six

  Tori ran late at the salon. Our nightly conversation was short with the focus mostly on Alex, Raven, and the new Vince.

  “I’ll be over tomorrow night after school to help you coordinate an outfit for Saturday night. I don’t want you to look better than me since Alex will be joining us, but I’ll help you for Raven’s sake. I’d hate to see you come wearing something that he wouldn’t like.”

  I didn’t know how she thought she knew Raven’s taste, but Tori seemed to think she was an expert on all guys at times.

  “That would be great. Thanks, Tori.” I could probably pick out my own outfit, but that was her thing, not mine. It was time to tell her about Sunday, but I wanted to take it easy. I didn’t want to start another big discussion about Alex. I was interested in Raven, wasn’t I?

  “You sound funny, something wrong, girl?”

  “I was just curious if you think my new pink sweater and those jeans with the rhinestone hearts on the back pockets would be okay to wear skiing.”

  “I didn’t know you could ski. Who’s going skiing wit
h you? I’m sure you’re not going with Anne or Sara and you didn’t invite your best friend.” She sniggered to take the sting out of her words. She was such a brat sometimes.

  “I don’t ski, as you well know, Tori.”

  “I know, but you didn’t answer the important question. Who are you going with? You know I’ve been trying to get you to go to Mad River Mountain with me for eons. Now you’re going without me. As a BFF, I’ve got a sincere interest in who’s finally convinced you to go.”

  “Alex is taking me.”

  “Gods, you have a date with Alex on Sunday? Why didn’t you say something? I told you he was crush…”

  “I’m not sure if you’d call it a date. It’s more like two friends hanging out.”

  “What exactly did he say, friend”? She asked, emphasizing the word friend.

  “I don’t remember his exact words, but I think he’s just looking to make some new friends. He just asked me if I would go to Mad River Mountain on Sunday with him. He apologized for us getting off to a bad start. He was so sincere, what could I say?”

  “It’s a date or he would’ve invited the rest of us. I knew it. He likes you. You have a date with the new hottie at school. I’m jealous. Admit it, you like him, too, but what are you going to do about Vince and Raven?”

  “It’s really not like that. I think he just wants us to all be friends. It seems that he likes Vince a lot and plans to spend a lot of time with the rest of us, I guess. He wants to get to know us better. He’ll probably invite the rest of the group, too.”

  “He hasn’t asked me to go skiing. I doubt if he’s asked Anne or Sara either. He’s interested in you. I knew it.”

  “Please don’t start. I only agreed to go because if he’s going to be hanging out with us, I might as well try to get along with him. He offered the olive branch, so to speak, and I took it. You’re going to have to get used to Raven, too. I understand that Vince is now friends with both Raven and Alex.”

  “Alex skis, doesn’t he?”

  “Yeah, you know he said he did.”

  “Does he know you don’t know how to ski? I’m a great skier, but he didn’t ask me, did he?”

  “I don’t know why he didn’t ask you. I might have mentioned that you were interested in him. He offered to teach me, or he said we could just sit in the lodge and watch the skiers with me.”

  “You told him I liked him?! I’m not a charity case. If he wants to pass me by, so be it. It’s his loss. Anyway, it all sounds cozy for you two. Why would a guy invite a girl who couldn’t ski to a ski lodge? I’m sure he wants to ski or he wouldn’t be going. He’s willing to sit with you and watch everyone having fun on the slopes. Shit, Emma, do you know what that means? He really likes you already. You know he’d rather ski.”

  “Don’t get mad. I’m not interested in him. I can ask him to invite you, Tori. Then he could have someone to ski with him. It’s just two friends going out for lunch and to a ski resort. Why couldn’t you join us?”

  “Woah, you are going to lunch with him too? That’s definitely a date. Don’t even think about asking him to invite me. I’d rather not be anyone’s second choice or a third wheel. I’m still going to try to get his attention Saturday. If you’re just friends, maybe he’ll notice me. Maybe he’ll ask me to come when I drop the hint that I’m a great skier. That way, he would have someone to ski with while you watch. Are you sure you don’t mind if I flirt with him and try to get invited Sunday?”

  “Whatever, it doesn’t matter to me. I hope he does ask you to go. I hope he asks the whole group to come with us. I’m just trying to be his friend, Tori. I’m really not interested in him. I know you like him, so have at it. Listen, I have to go. Mom’s calling on my cell. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. We can talk about clothes then.”

  “Tell your Mom hello for me when she gets home. We can discuss the appropriate clothes for your weekend outings with three different guys. Although, be warned, I intend to steal Alex from you.” She said a quick goodnight and before I could say anything, she added, “I think I’ll wear a mini skirt Saturday night. That should get his attention.”

  I loved that girl. We’d been friends forever, but sometimes she was too competitive and jealous about stupid stuff. Did she really think I’d go after Alex knowing that she liked him? Maybe I should explain that the guy moved around a lot and needed some real friends for a change.

  It hadn’t been Mom calling on the cell. It was a hang-up number that I didn’t recognize.

  It was time for me to turn out the lights and get some sleep. I laid down, pulled the covers over my comfortable jammies and thought about how much my life had changed. Little did I know that sometimes change isn’t always a good thing.

  As soon as I closed my eyes, thoughts of all three boys filled my mind. I tried to focus on just my lavender-eyed hunk, but the other two just kept appearing in my thoughts. This would never do. I opened my eyes, listening for Mom to come home. She’d always pop her head in my room before going to her bedroom, just to say good night. She’d make sure I was covered up, too. It was comforting. My Mom was pretty amazing.

  As usual, Mom wasn’t home yet. She was working overtime again this week. Things had changed a lot since Dad was gone. I missed him, even though he hadn’t been home much the last year before he disappeared. He’d worked all kinds of long and crazy hours, too. Neither of my parents discussed his work. I knew he worked somewhere out of town. Whenever I asked about his work, the subject was changed and the question disregarded.

  I used to imagine him being some kind of important scientist or doing some kind of secret work for the government, which was highly unlikely. He probably worked at a job that he’d rather not discuss or maybe he was ashamed of his occupation. If Mom knew, she wasn’t telling either. It was just a taboo subject at our house and I eventually stopped asking. He made a good living. We were comfortable. In the end, that’s all that matters, right?

  Wherever he’d worked, we’d lacked for nothing from a new car to top brand appliances. Whatever the family needed or wanted was provided for by Dad’s generous salary.

  He’d been a good father when he was home. I remember that he used to make things as pleasant as he could for Mom and me. Frequently, he’d bring home flowers and little gifts for us both. I guess he felt bad about being gone so much. He used to give me piggyback rides when I was younger. As I got older, we’d watch old black-and-white horror movies together, which was our special thing.

  Mom normally avoided those movies like the plague, stating that she’d rather watch the car rust than watch that nonsense. Therefore, it was just our thing. Dad and I watched that silly Svengoolie chiller theater as often as we could. I still can’t watch an old horror film without thinking about the fun we used to have, laughing at the fake scenes and silly antics of the host.

  We’d get into a real intense part of the film and exactly at that pivotal moment, Dad would grab me around the back of the neck or sneak his arm behind me to scare the daylights out of me. If he did it well, I’d even let out a scream or two. Then we’d both laugh and point out the actual corniness of the scene. Dad made sure I knew that this kind of stuff didn’t happen in real life. He made sure that I didn’t take the films too seriously, even when I was a youngster.

  I grew up knowing that there was no such thing as gargoyles, vampires (well the jury is still out on that one, at least in St. Paris), werewolves, and other such make-believe monsters. Maybe he wanted to ensure that I didn’t get scared when Mom and I were alone. Maybe that was why Mom didn’t watch horror movies. She was alone a lot or maybe she really didn’t like them. Whatever the reason, it was a special time for Dad and me that I’ll always remember.

  Mom had to work harder now. I spent most of my time at home by myself, but I was old enough. I wasn’t afraid to be by myself. Besides, I hadn’t seen any monsters or ghouls around the place. I did miss Mom, but like Dad, she did the best she could to keep a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.

&nb
sp; Because Mom worked a lot, I tried to help by making sure that dinner was ready each night when she got home. I did my best to keep the house clean, too. I helped her as much as I could. We both pitched in and made short order of the additional work since Mom had gone back to work.

  Sometimes, I wondered what had really happened to Dad, but we never discussed it. One day, he went to work and never came home. There was a missing persons’ report filed, but he’d disappeared without a trace and was never located. It was hard for me to believe he could intentionally leave us without as much as a goodbye. I still wondered at his sudden disappearance and hoped somehow he’d come back someday. However, as the years went on, I knew he wasn’t coming back.

  Thoughts of my father faded, replaced by daydreams of the boys. I had two places to go this weekend that involved seeing them. I even had cool new clothes to wear. I hadn’t had this many new clothes since Dad left.

  All thoughts vanished as I dozed off, having visions of exotic lavender eyes and midnight locks. Other eyes appeared in my fantasies, including a pair of “fiery” amber ones that lit up with dancing flames and a set of icy blue ones emerging in a pale handsome face. They remained in my thoughts as I fell asleep. My dreams were filled with thoughts of Raven, Alex, and Vincent, three handsome guys that were each different and exciting in their own way.

  Chapter Seven

  The second day of my senior year proved to be just as interesting as the first day. I saw Raven first thing in the morning. He’d been waiting outside the school to walk me to my first class. Alex and Vince also managed to catch me alone during the day and escort me to a class or two. I never seemed to be alone too long before one of them showed up.

  I had lunch with my circle of friends plus the two additional guys. Raven and Alex had joined our unofficial group. The guys sat on one side of the table and us girls on the other. It was unnerving to be sitting with all three of them at once, feeling three pairs of eyes observing me throughout lunch. The strangest part was that they didn’t seem to be overly jealous of each other. Well, Vince did have a strange look on his face a time or two when Raven leaned towards me to whisper something across the table, but that was it.