Chapter 4
Josie announced it to me on Thursday. She walked up to me and flat-out said, “Zaylie, I’m pregnant.”
I had to fucking grip the table to keep from passing out. She said it in front of Damon’s face also, but he was just wide-eyed and gawking at her. My heart was nearly below the ground already.
I had to blink a few times.
“What? It’s not like your preg-”
“No, Josie, I’m not the one pregnant.” I swallowed the bile from within my throat. “It better damn well be Aaron’s.”
“It is. I would’ve told you, wouldn’t I?” That’s true. “Look, Zee, I need your help, alright? My parents already know, and I’ve decided to keep the baby.” She turned to Damon. “I might need yours, too.”
I took a deep breath to try and regain consciousness, but it wasn’t working. This was real. All real. My brain was just taking a run. That’s all.
“I need you two to get Aaron, okay? I don’t know where he actually is, but please find him and tell him to meet me at the carnival tonight. Can you two do that for me?”
I took another deep breath, only to feel light headed. “Will do.” She smiled at Damon and me, then turned around. Oh, what the hell.
I took her arm, pulling her into a hug. “Congratulations,” I whispered.
“Awww!” She pulled away, squeezing my hand. “Thank you.”
I couldn’t hear what Damon had said, because I was still in shock. I hadn’t noticed. Best friend notice these things, don’t they? I mean…yeah…
And soon, she was off, scuttling down the aisle and out the cafeteria halls. Yes, I’m telling you she told us in the cafeteria.
I was happy for her. Not to be a dog, but I couldn’t see Jo be a mother. She’s qualified in having an excellent, money-making job…but starting a family now? When she’s only sixteen? I couldn’t see it.
As Damon and I started our search (which took us from our burnt school hot dogs), I could suddenly feel it. Feel what, I have no clue. But I felt it. It was this burning sensation in my chest, and it felt like a really bad, horrible smelly black ink was stuck to my heart and lungs. I hadn’t even breathed when anyone sucked on those cancer sticks around me!
But when I turned to complain to Damon, I met his gaze (again…geez, I really wish we’d stop with the staring at eachother. It’s not annoying, but it’s just…awkward sometimes), and the sensation only grew stronger in my chest to the point where I had to pretend to sigh, when really, all those little Zaylies that ran around in my brain were…
Shit.
*~*
When we finally found Aaron, after about five minutes, he was out shooting hoops. What else was really new? Oh, yeah. He’s a soon-to-be-dad. Aaron? A father? Impossible.
“Hey!” I yelled. Damon stole the ball away from him, and I smiled. The two had become really good friends. Thank the Lord. I looked back at Aaron. “You fucking jerk. Put your combat on next time!”
Damon laughed. Aaron stared.
“What the hell are you talking about?” the basketball freak asked.
“I said, put your combat on your soldier next time!” Yet again, I began to question his orientation when he still just stared at me. I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I tried. Go meet JoJo at the carnival thingy tonight. Now.” The way his eyes flashed made me realize something else – he was still the little seven-year-old Aaron he always had been. He’d jump at the word ‘plastic army men’ and ‘tag’ and ‘jungle gym’. Carnivals weren’t any different. You should really see him when you say, ‘amusement park’. It’s really quite hilarious how he just crawls up the wall.
Aaron stole his ball back, shooting another hoop. Score. “Okay…weren’t the four of us going to go anyway?”
“No, you little cheat.” I turned to Damon, cocking my head. “You told me you couldn’t go.”
“Surprise!” He said, dribbling the ball. It was really nice to have Josie there, but no. She was probably at CVS buying another pee stick just to make sure.
Aaron snatched the ball. “Are you two going together or what?” There’s that sensation again. Nah…that wasn’t hope that Damon saw in my eyes.
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. You wanna?”
Shit. Shit. Shit. Don’t fucking blush, Zaylie, DON’T!
“Um…okay.” I was really hoping my face wasn’t all red. If it was, I could always just quickly say sunburn.
“Alright.” Aaron tossed the ball to the hoop, then didn’t bother running after it. He wrapped his arms around our shoulders. “You fucking little lovebirds.”
I really wanted to tell him to think about that word, fucking, but I decided not to. That was Josie’s job.
*~*
The hour of the carnival rolled around quickly. Too quickly.
The whole two hours of the library went too fast. I mean, Damon and I were fine. No awkwardness, no constant blushing, no extra teasing or hitting. Just normal. Just like me, I thought he was acting too normal. I mean…we were going on an actual date, weren’t we? It was a carnival too, so if we ever got drunk, we could always just hide behind a tent and make out. Then I scolded myself for even thinking about getting drunk. Hell no. Tonight was not the night to forget about family and drink and smoke and have sex. No fucking way. Nope. Hell no. No way. Not doing it. No.
The carnival was on the other side of town – so it was no where near where I lived. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Holden was going too, so Aaron picked all four of us up. Josie was going with her sister, who was going to be one of the disgusting fit anorexic gymnastic sluts that performed in front of our eyes.
In the car, with Damon thankfully not breathing down my neck, I began to wonder something. Why was I so worried? Damon wasn’t the type to jump on people. He even told me he hated people who’d jump in bed with some random drunken stranger. I, too, hated that type. So maybe he wouldn’t even try anything. Besides – as far as I know, Damon is inexperienced. Maybe he never slept in the same bed as a girl other than his mom and his cousins. Maybe he was like that, but regretted it. Maybe he got laid every other night. Who knew?
Aaron’s words crossed my mind. You don’t know people anymore. Maybe he knew something about Damon that I didn’t?
Fuck off, Zaylie. Just fuck off.
The carnival lights seemed to be vampire catchers or somewhat similar to them. They were horribly blinding, seeming to put everyone in the spotlight. The entrance, anyway. The inside was completely different. I couldn’t even see Josie until she fell in Aaron’s arms. I watched her stomach all the while. Eek.
I wore knee-length shorts with a blue tank-top, with a white tank-top underneath so no cleavage was shown. My blue converse were there as well, but you couldn’t see them. So I could’ve been wearing green. Damon was wearing a green 3OH!3 shirt, jeans that were torn so you could see his knee and a tear on the opposite thigh, but you couldn’t see anything but the tear.
I suddenly heard Josie squeal her little high-pitch squeal, and heard Aaron’s loud, low-sounding “OH MY GOD.” They were already wrapped up in each other’s arms.
Holden and Damon both laughed beside me. My brother slapped my back. “I’m going to go catch up with Erin.” I watched him leave, his hands in his pockets, acting cool as he searched for his fiancé. Yes, my brother was engaged. Everything having to do with a life was all around me – while I was following mine to the large wheel ahead of us.
Josie and Aaron, giggling ahead of us with their hands glued to each other’s back pockets, went on ahead of us.
“They look happy,” Damon yelled over the loud boom that came from some gun squirting game.
I nodded. “Yeah…yeah, they really do.” And I was delighted for them – only I was slightly jealous of the fun they were having.
I swear, the dude was Edward Cullen. “You really want to go on the Ferris Wheel?”
“Nah.”
“Neither do I.” And so we just stood there, listing things that neither of us wanted to do. It was amazing (and heart fluttering) to hear he hated all the same things I did. We finally settled on psychics.
We walked in the tent. The place was filled with a table, a chair, a pack of cards, and a white glass ball. What a load.
“Come in, come in.” Damon forced me to go first. “Lay your money on the table.” Her voice had a thick, heavy accent that I couldn’t place. All I knew is that she said ‘money’ as ‘moony’. Damon put a five on the table. “Now. Lay out your hand, dearest.” Alright, the accent was quite obviously fake. I laid my hand out, and she took it in hers, feeling around my palm. It was actually ticklish, so I started to giggle. She opened her eyes to glare at me, then turned back. Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes flashed open. She said a bunch of things in Roman or something, then looked at me again. “You are happy, no?”
I blushed. Damon was behind me, so he couldn’t see. I nodded, biting my lip.
“Good…good…” She thumbed the ‘M’ on my palm. “Yes…yes. You have suffered a great deal over the past year?” I nodded slowly. “And only one person, you think, can make you alive?” I wanted to say no. Really, really badly. But I nodded. She let go of my hand, winking behind me. Blush. I mean, what if Damon was my brother?! That’d be quite awkward to tell her that.
She nodded for Damon to sit down. I stood up quickly, going behind. She did the same thing. Traced his ‘M’. I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, she opened them. She didn’t say anything in Roman or Greek. “I…fascinating.” She looked Damon over. “Are you hiding something?” He slowly shook his head. She shook hers, then restarted. Again. Finally, she opened and dropped his hand. “I’m not getting anything. Are you okay, sir?”
We both had had enough. Damon stood up. “Thank you for your time,” He said quickly, took my arm, and lead us out.
I stopped. “Are you alright?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. The woman was obviously a fake.”
I laughed. “Really.”
“ZAYLIE! DAMON!” We were almost ran over by two ballistic lunatics. Josie clung to Aaron. “We’re…” She gasped for breath. “We’re getting married!”
I would say there went my dinner, but I hadn’t eaten in all day. It was then I could suddenly smell the hot dogs and peanuts. God, but did they ever smell good!
I hugged Josie, wishing her good luck for the second time that day. Children first, then marriage. Who knew?
I was very tired by the third hour. Aaron’s watch read 12:34. My head was resting on Damon’s shoulder, my feet propped up to the seat beside me. I didn’t know why we were still in the parking lot, but we were, and I was tired of it. So were the rest of them.
As we waited for I think it was Holden, I was so tired I wasn’t functioning right. I grabbed Damon’s arm, pulled it toward me, and hugged it. I then pulled my feet from the seat and squeezed them in, so I was basically laying down. I was at least smart enough not to hold his hand, but to replace that, I stopped hugging his arm and instead rested my head on his lap.
I was out faster than lightning.
*~*
When I woke up, I knew where I was. I was in my bedroom, still fully clothed, my alarm starting to die by how long it was waiting on me to wake up and abuse it. I stretched, slapped it, and read the time. 6:07. My alarm was set at 5:55.
I scratched my head as a head peeked in. “You awake now?” Holden whispered. I nodded. Well, kind of nodded. He shut the door.
And as he did so, last night was coming back to me.
Damon Damon Damon Damon Damon Damon and more Damon. Shit.
I crawled out of bed, walking wide-awaken to the mirror. I was still in my tank-tops, my shorts. My shoes were off, showing my socks.
I remembered everything up until I fell asleep. I doubt I woke up. It takes forever to wake me up. I was either sleep-walking up to my room or someone carried me.
And I really hoped it wasn’t Holden who lugged me, but I knew it was.
In the shower, I was thinking to myself.
That was the most fun I’ve had in a year.
To Be Continued
Josie announced it to me on Thursday. She walked up to me and flat-out said, “Zaylie, I’m pregnant.”
I had to fucking grip the table to keep from passing out. She said it in front of Damon’s face also, but he was just wide-eyed and gawking at her. My heart was nearly below the ground already.
I had to blink a few times.
“What? It’s not like your preg-”
“No, Josie, I’m not the one pregnant.” I swallowed the bile from within my throat. “It better damn well be Aaron’s.”
“It is. I would’ve told you, wouldn’t I?” That’s true. “Look, Zee, I need your help, alright? My parents already know, and I’ve decided to keep the baby.” She turned to Damon. “I might need yours, too.”
I took a deep breath to try and regain consciousness, but it wasn’t working. This was real. All real. My brain was just taking a run. That’s all.
“I need you two to get Aaron, okay? I don’t know where he actually is, but please find him and tell him to meet me at the carnival tonight. Can you two do that for me?”
I took another deep breath, only to feel light headed. “Will do.” She smiled at Damon and me, then turned around. Oh, what the hell.
I took her arm, pulling her into a hug. “Congratulations,” I whispered.
“Awww!” She pulled away, squeezing my hand. “Thank you.”
I couldn’t hear what Damon had said, because I was still in shock. I hadn’t noticed. Best friend notice these things, don’t they? I mean…yeah…
And soon, she was off, scuttling down the aisle and out the cafeteria halls. Yes, I’m telling you she told us in the cafeteria.
I was happy for her. Not to be a dog, but I couldn’t see Jo be a mother. She’s qualified in having an excellent, money-making job…but starting a family now? When she’s only sixteen? I couldn’t see it.
As Damon and I started our search (which took us from our burnt school hot dogs), I could suddenly feel it. Feel what, I have no clue. But I felt it. It was this burning sensation in my chest, and it felt like a really bad, horrible smelly black ink was stuck to my heart and lungs. I hadn’t even breathed when anyone sucked on those cancer sticks around me!
But when I turned to complain to Damon, I met his gaze (again…geez, I really wish we’d stop with the staring at eachother. It’s not annoying, but it’s just…awkward sometimes), and the sensation only grew stronger in my chest to the point where I had to pretend to sigh, when really, all those little Zaylies that ran around in my brain were…
Shit.
*~*
When we finally found Aaron, after about five minutes, he was out shooting hoops. What else was really new? Oh, yeah. He’s a soon-to-be-dad. Aaron? A father? Impossible.
“Hey!” I yelled. Damon stole the ball away from him, and I smiled. The two had become really good friends. Thank the Lord. I looked back at Aaron. “You fucking jerk. Put your combat on next time!”
Damon laughed. Aaron stared.
“What the hell are you talking about?” the basketball freak asked.
“I said, put your combat on your soldier next time!” Yet again, I began to question his orientation when he still just stared at me. I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I tried. Go meet JoJo at the carnival thingy tonight. Now.” The way his eyes flashed made me realize something else – he was still the little seven-year-old Aaron he always had been. He’d jump at the word ‘plastic army men’ and ‘tag’ and ‘jungle gym’. Carnivals weren’t any different. You should really see him when you say, ‘amusement park’. It’s really quite hilarious how he just crawls up the wall.
Aaron stole his ball back, shooting another hoop. Score. “Okay…weren’t the four of us going to go anyway?”
“No, you little cheat.” I turned to Damon, cocking my head. “You told me you couldn’t go.”
“Surprise!” He said, dribbling the ball. It was really nice to have Josie there, but no. She was probably at CVS buying another pee stick just to make sure.
Aaron snatched the ball. “Are you two going together or what?” There’s that sensation again. Nah…that wasn’t hope that Damon saw in my eyes.
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. You wanna?”
Shit. Shit. Shit. Don’t fucking blush, Zaylie, DON’T!
“Um…okay.” I was really hoping my face wasn’t all red. If it was, I could always just quickly say sunburn.
“Alright.” Aaron tossed the ball to the hoop, then didn’t bother running after it. He wrapped his arms around our shoulders. “You fucking little lovebirds.”
I really wanted to tell him to think about that word, fucking, but I decided not to. That was Josie’s job.
*~*
The hour of the carnival rolled around quickly. Too quickly.
The whole two hours of the library went too fast. I mean, Damon and I were fine. No awkwardness, no constant blushing, no extra teasing or hitting. Just normal. Just like me, I thought he was acting too normal. I mean…we were going on an actual date, weren’t we? It was a carnival too, so if we ever got drunk, we could always just hide behind a tent and make out. Then I scolded myself for even thinking about getting drunk. Hell no. Tonight was not the night to forget about family and drink and smoke and have sex. No fucking way. Nope. Hell no. No way. Not doing it. No.
The carnival was on the other side of town – so it was no where near where I lived. I couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Holden was going too, so Aaron picked all four of us up. Josie was going with her sister, who was going to be one of the disgusting fit anorexic gymnastic sluts that performed in front of our eyes.
In the car, with Damon thankfully not breathing down my neck, I began to wonder something. Why was I so worried? Damon wasn’t the type to jump on people. He even told me he hated people who’d jump in bed with some random drunken stranger. I, too, hated that type. So maybe he wouldn’t even try anything. Besides – as far as I know, Damon is inexperienced. Maybe he never slept in the same bed as a girl other than his mom and his cousins. Maybe he was like that, but regretted it. Maybe he got laid every other night. Who knew?
Aaron’s words crossed my mind. You don’t know people anymore. Maybe he knew something about Damon that I didn’t?
Fuck off, Zaylie. Just fuck off.
The carnival lights seemed to be vampire catchers or somewhat similar to them. They were horribly blinding, seeming to put everyone in the spotlight. The entrance, anyway. The inside was completely different. I couldn’t even see Josie until she fell in Aaron’s arms. I watched her stomach all the while. Eek.
I wore knee-length shorts with a blue tank-top, with a white tank-top underneath so no cleavage was shown. My blue converse were there as well, but you couldn’t see them. So I could’ve been wearing green. Damon was wearing a green 3OH!3 shirt, jeans that were torn so you could see his knee and a tear on the opposite thigh, but you couldn’t see anything but the tear.
I suddenly heard Josie squeal her little high-pitch squeal, and heard Aaron’s loud, low-sounding “OH MY GOD.” They were already wrapped up in each other’s arms.
Holden and Damon both laughed beside me. My brother slapped my back. “I’m going to go catch up with Erin.” I watched him leave, his hands in his pockets, acting cool as he searched for his fiancé. Yes, my brother was engaged. Everything having to do with a life was all around me – while I was following mine to the large wheel ahead of us.
Josie and Aaron, giggling ahead of us with their hands glued to each other’s back pockets, went on ahead of us.
“They look happy,” Damon yelled over the loud boom that came from some gun squirting game.
I nodded. “Yeah…yeah, they really do.” And I was delighted for them – only I was slightly jealous of the fun they were having.
I swear, the dude was Edward Cullen. “You really want to go on the Ferris Wheel?”
“Nah.”
“Neither do I.” And so we just stood there, listing things that neither of us wanted to do. It was amazing (and heart fluttering) to hear he hated all the same things I did. We finally settled on psychics.
We walked in the tent. The place was filled with a table, a chair, a pack of cards, and a white glass ball. What a load.
“Come in, come in.” Damon forced me to go first. “Lay your money on the table.” Her voice had a thick, heavy accent that I couldn’t place. All I knew is that she said ‘money’ as ‘moony’. Damon put a five on the table. “Now. Lay out your hand, dearest.” Alright, the accent was quite obviously fake. I laid my hand out, and she took it in hers, feeling around my palm. It was actually ticklish, so I started to giggle. She opened her eyes to glare at me, then turned back. Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes flashed open. She said a bunch of things in Roman or something, then looked at me again. “You are happy, no?”
I blushed. Damon was behind me, so he couldn’t see. I nodded, biting my lip.
“Good…good…” She thumbed the ‘M’ on my palm. “Yes…yes. You have suffered a great deal over the past year?” I nodded slowly. “And only one person, you think, can make you alive?” I wanted to say no. Really, really badly. But I nodded. She let go of my hand, winking behind me. Blush. I mean, what if Damon was my brother?! That’d be quite awkward to tell her that.
She nodded for Damon to sit down. I stood up quickly, going behind. She did the same thing. Traced his ‘M’. I rolled my eyes. Suddenly, she opened them. She didn’t say anything in Roman or Greek. “I…fascinating.” She looked Damon over. “Are you hiding something?” He slowly shook his head. She shook hers, then restarted. Again. Finally, she opened and dropped his hand. “I’m not getting anything. Are you okay, sir?”
We both had had enough. Damon stood up. “Thank you for your time,” He said quickly, took my arm, and lead us out.
I stopped. “Are you alright?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. The woman was obviously a fake.”
I laughed. “Really.”
“ZAYLIE! DAMON!” We were almost ran over by two ballistic lunatics. Josie clung to Aaron. “We’re…” She gasped for breath. “We’re getting married!”
I would say there went my dinner, but I hadn’t eaten in all day. It was then I could suddenly smell the hot dogs and peanuts. God, but did they ever smell good!
I hugged Josie, wishing her good luck for the second time that day. Children first, then marriage. Who knew?
I was very tired by the third hour. Aaron’s watch read 12:34. My head was resting on Damon’s shoulder, my feet propped up to the seat beside me. I didn’t know why we were still in the parking lot, but we were, and I was tired of it. So were the rest of them.
As we waited for I think it was Holden, I was so tired I wasn’t functioning right. I grabbed Damon’s arm, pulled it toward me, and hugged it. I then pulled my feet from the seat and squeezed them in, so I was basically laying down. I was at least smart enough not to hold his hand, but to replace that, I stopped hugging his arm and instead rested my head on his lap.
I was out faster than lightning.
*~*
When I woke up, I knew where I was. I was in my bedroom, still fully clothed, my alarm starting to die by how long it was waiting on me to wake up and abuse it. I stretched, slapped it, and read the time. 6:07. My alarm was set at 5:55.
I scratched my head as a head peeked in. “You awake now?” Holden whispered. I nodded. Well, kind of nodded. He shut the door.
And as he did so, last night was coming back to me.
Damon Damon Damon Damon Damon Damon and more Damon. Shit.
I crawled out of bed, walking wide-awaken to the mirror. I was still in my tank-tops, my shorts. My shoes were off, showing my socks.
I remembered everything up until I fell asleep. I doubt I woke up. It takes forever to wake me up. I was either sleep-walking up to my room or someone carried me.
And I really hoped it wasn’t Holden who lugged me, but I knew it was.
In the shower, I was thinking to myself.
That was the most fun I’ve had in a year.
To Be Continued
