music faded in and out, then the TV started spinning.
Mom came charging in. “Viata, turn that down. We’re
trying to watch a movie.”
“Sorry.”
“You look exhausted. Are you sleeping?”
“Yes, why?”
“You have bags under your eyes. Go to bed, honey.”
She shook her head and walked out.
I disconnected the Bluetooth from my speaker and sat
on the loveseat with my phone. While I was watching
YouTube videos, I received a text from a popular boy, Clay,
who I had a few classes with.
Hey, Viata, can I call you?
⁓
⁓
I’d had a crush on him since middle school. Clay was tall
and skinny and loved to tan. Besides football, he loved to
work out too.
I looked out the window, not quite believing he even
texted me. I needed to push myself to do something different
besides sit around and dwell on a man from my dreams or
Constin, who only talked to me because he felt bad for me.
After I had taken Tums for my sudden bellyache, I
finally got the nerve to text Clay back.
Sure.
Within seconds, the phone rang. “Hi, Clay,” I said in a
low tone, trying to hide my nervousness.
“Hi, stranger,” he replied in a soft tone. “What are you
up to tonight?”
“Not much. Do you need help with something?”
“Nope, just wondering if maybe you wanted to get a bite
to eat sometime this week?”
“I haven’t heard from you all summer. Why call me
now?”
“Because I liked it when we hung out. Is that a good
enough reason?”
I giggled. “You only hung out with me because you
needed my father to represent you when you got that
speeding ticket. Or you needed my help with homework.”
“That’s not true. I miss hanging out with you.”
“Oh. When do you want to meet up?”
“How does tomorrow night at 7:30 sound? We can meet
outside the gym, and we’ll go from there.”
“Okay, that’s perfect. See you then.”
When he ended the call, I called Kaylee. She picked up
on the third ring.
⁓
⁓
“Hey.”
Kaylee yawned. “What’s up?”
“Clay just called me and asked me to go out with him
tomorrow night.”
“Are you serious?”
I moved the phone away from my ear from her loud
mouth. “Yes.”
She grunted. “I can’t believe you got a date before me.”
“You won last year. Now it’s your turn to pay up,” I
joked.
“I don’t have fifty bucks. Will you take a rain check?”
“Sure. Kaylee, I’m nervous.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s my first date. I don’t know what to do or
how to act.”
“Just act normal. It’s only Clay.”
“Okay. What’s normal?”
She giggled. “The way you act with me and Liam, silly.”
“Oh. Okay. I can do that.”
“What about the new guy?” Kaylee asked.
I told her about my encounter with him and Sara in gym
class.
“I can’t believe you didn’t kick her ass.”
“Sara’s not worth getting expelled. Three years of
counseling because of that bully was torture enough.”
“At least it’s over.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you get Constin’s number? He’s way hotter
than Clay.”
“Sara might be a bully, but she was right about me never
having a chance with him. He is way out of my league.”
⁓
⁓
“Screw her. He obviously likes you. You’re crazy.”
“No, I looked like complete crap today and he still
pursued me. It was weird. I think he did feel bad for me.”
“No, he pursued you because you’re way hotter than
Sara.”
“You would say that. I’m going to bed. I love you.”
After the call ended, I tossed my phone next to me,
grabbed the pillow, and screamed into it with excitement. I
can’t believe Clay asked me out.
I went to my closet and scattered clothes everywhere
until I found a pair of jeans and a cute top to wear. As I
draped them over the couch, the room started to spin. I
grasped my head and fell to my knees until it subsided . My
breathing became weak.
Screw my stupid dreams. I need to sleep before I end up in the
hospital.
⁓ ⁓
aturday afternoon, I woke up late with no dreams. I
was thrilled at first, then I thought about Bain,
wondering if I would ever dream of him again. I
looked at my messages. Clay texted me after midnight, asking
if I was still meeting him out. I texted him back and said yes,
hoping he would reply back.
After I took a shower, I drove to the local gym Clay
went to. While sitting there waiting for him to come out, I
felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to back out, but it was too
late. Clay came out of the gym and approached my car,
wearing his gym clothes.
I rolled down the window. “Hey.”
He smiled. “You’re looking good tonight.”
I blushed. “Thank you.”
“Come on. Let’s take my truck.”
“Okay.”
I joined him in his black pickup, where the smell of
sweat was overpowering. His air freshener hanging from the
mirror didn’t help. I tried not to gag. I wanted to get out, but
his cute baby face and blue eyes stopped me, so I dealt with
the smell.
Clay started to drive without asking me where I wanted
to eat. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I shrugged it off and
looked out the window at a couple walking on the sidewalk
holding hands, wishing that was me.
After a few more minutes of silence, Clay pulled into a
health food restaurant a few blocks away. I wasn’t expecting
a place like that, but then again, neither had I expected his
smelly truck or his attire. Clay reached for a small duffle bag,
and we continued in. He didn’t even open the door for me,
which I thought was rude.
Inside, I ordered a chicken salad, but he didn’t order
anything or offer to pay for mine.
A woman came up to us from behind the counter. “Hey,
Clay, you’re extremely pale today. Are you sick?”
He stared blankly at her. “I was.”
“Alright, well, you better eat something,” she suggested
and went to deal with another customer.
We picked a small table and sat across from each other.
While I ate, Clay opened his bag, took out a bottle, and drank
some.
“Is that a protein shake?”
“It’s leftover dessert.” He chuckled.
I rolled my eyes.
He didn’t act like the Clay I knew. I guess being a macho
man had made him turn into a rude jerk. While I picked at
⁓
⁓
my salad, he couldn’t take his eyes off a woman i
n her mid-
twenties at a table next to us.
She licked her lips.
What a player.
He turned to me. “I heard you went to Romania. How
was it?”
“Who told you I went there?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Huh. It was beautiful.”
“What sites did you see?”
“Mount Tâmpa, Bran Castle, the Black Church, and a
few more, but I forgot the names of them.”
He tapped his fingers on the table. “Interesting. Did
anything else happen?”
“No, why?”
“Usually people have weird experiences when they go
into that castle.”
“Well, I didn’t.”
I didn’t like how he was drilling me, and I was curious
as to who told him I went there.
“That’s wonderful.”
I grimaced. Wonderful? Since when do you speak with class?
An older man walked in with Constin right behind him.
They sat at a table near the window.
I sunk in my seat, hoping Constin wouldn’t see me.
Clay looked over his shoulder. “Do you know them?”
“Not the older man, but I met the younger one. He’s a
new boy at our school. Haven’t you met him? He sits with
all your football friends.”
“No. There’s something about him I don’t like.”
⁓
⁓
“You just said you didn’t meet him, so how would you
know?”
He faced me. “I don’t like people I can’t read.”
I sat back up in my seat. “Are you psychic now?”
“Perhaps I am.” He took another sip of his drink.
“Read my mind.”
He readjusted himself and stared into my eyes without
blinking. You’re a selfish, twisted, dick, I said to myself,
knowing he was unable to read my thoughts.
He looked away from my intense stare. “If I could read
your mind, we wouldn’t be sitting here.”
I gulped from his cocky tone and looked at Constin who
was facing the window.
“I have to use the restroom.”
“I’ll be here.” He went back to watching Constin again.
I found the bathroom and texted Kaylee.
OMG. The new guy from school just walked
in, and Clay is freaking weird. Call me.
Please hurry.
When she didn’t answer my text, I called her, but it went
to voicemail.
I opened the door and Clay was standing there with his
hands on the wall waiting for me. “Are you ready?”
I gulped. “Yeah.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m just tired.”
He looked at me—I guess trying to read my expression
as he did with Constin.
Clay tapped the wall. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I glanced at Constin, debating if I should ask him to take
me back to my car, but when our eyes met, I remembered
⁓
⁓
what Sara said about him feeling bad for me. On the way
back to my car, Clay kept looking over at me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Do you want to go back to my place?”
“No, but thanks for the invite.”
We pulled up to my car and sat there in silence for a few
minutes. I didn’t want to rush out of his truck and make him
feel bad. After a few more minutes of silence, I turned to
him.
“Thanks for inviting me out.”
He reached over and yanked my arm.
“Let me go!” I tried to get away, but he was too strong.
Clay dragged me toward him, groped my breast, and
kissed me forcefully—cutting my bottom lip with his tooth.
He let me go and spit onto the floor of his truck.
“What the hell are you doing?” I touched my lip and
looked at the blood on my finger. “I’m bleeding, you jerk.”
He turned to me. “How do you still have X flowing
through your veins?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I jumped down
from the truck and ran to my car.
“Viata!” he yelled in a taunting tone.
I spun around and flipped him the bird. “You’re sick in
the head . ”
He smirked. “See you at school.”
A roar came from above the gym. I looked, but nothing
was there. Clay laughed and spun out, squealing his tires.
After he left, I got into my car, punched the dash, and
screamed from the pain. I took off out of the parking lot,
wondering what X was.
⁓
⁓
At home, I parked my car next to Dad’s F-150, got out,
and slammed the car door. I rushed inside and hurried down
the hall until I saw Mom sitting on the couch in the living
room. I slowed to a walk.
“Hey, hon.”
“Hi, Mom,” I mumbled and quickly walked past her
with my head down, trying to hide the cut on my lip.
“Hey, come back here.”
I sighed and walked backward a few steps.
She got up and walked over to me. “Is something
wrong, honey?”
“No, why?”
“Because your hands are shaking. What happened?”
“I had a bad date.”
“Define a bad date?”
I kept it short. If I had told Mom what went down, her
mother and lawyer instincts would have kicked in, and she
would have called the cops.
“He was rude, Mom. I didn’t like him.”
“Okay, honey. I was just making sure he didn’t hurt
you.”
I started biting my fingernails. I wanted to tell her the
truth, but I was too scared. “He didn’t.”
“Why is your lip cut then? Did he hit you?” Her loud
voice traveled through the house.
“No, he didn’t touch me. I smacked it on the door as I
got out of the car.”
She grabbed her chest. “You’re not lying to me, are
you?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
⁓
⁓
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”
She hugged me. “Don’t forget the appointment we have
at Flagler College tomorrow morning.”
“But tomorrow’s Sunday.”
“We couldn’t go over the summer because we went to
Romania, remember?”
“Oh, I forgot.”
“It’s okay. Night, honey.”
“Goodnight.” I forced a smile.
I felt my mom’s eyes on me as I headed to my room. As
soon as I shut the door, I ran to my bed, threw myself face
down onto the pillow, and let out a scream. I wasn’t focused
on college at all. I wasn’t even excited like I was before
Romania.
After I calmed down, I went into the bathroom and
took a long hot shower. I still felt Clay’s nasty kiss, so I
scrubbed my lips with soap until they were raw.
In bed, I thought about Bain, hoping it would take my
mind off how Clay acted. It worked, except Bain wasn’t real.
I started thinking about Constin but soon remembered what
Sara said about him feeling bad for me. I erased Constin
from my thoughts, grabbed my phone, and googled X in
veins, X blood in veins,
X blood, X in humans, but there
wasn’t any information. I curled up into a ball, thinking he
was insane and wondered if I would be dateless for the rest
of my senior year.
⁓
⁓
s soon as we ate breakfast that Dad cooked, Mom
and I got in her Escalade and drove to the college.
After three minutes of thinking about how Clay
treated me, Mom pulled in front of the beautiful castle-like
building, and images of him were gone. The building was
lined with arched windows and surrounded by tall oak trees.
The breathtaking landscape with flowers of all kinds put a
smile on my face.
Inside, we met a woman named Joann. She was a
pleasant older woman with short gray hair.
“Hi, Viata,” she said.
“Hello,” I replied and shook her hand.
“I hear you want to become a lawyer like your parents.”
“Yes.”
“Well, Flagler College is the perfect place to start.”
Mom and I followed her around the enormous campus.
In the dining hall, I looked up at the colorful stained-glass
windows and hand-painted murals of angels. I could stare at
its beauty all day, especially the high cathedral ceiling.
“Wow! This is gorgeous,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” Mom replied.
We continued down a long hall and entered an open
room. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the mosaic floor. I
looked up at the eighty-foot domed, gold ceiling, admiring
the ornate paintings. I loved how it was supported by eight
rich sculptures made of hand-carved oak in the shape of
robed women, each one unique and strong.
I looked at Joann. “Are those the same goddesses from
the Temple of Diana in Greece?”
“Yes, they are,” Joann replied. “I see you did your
homework.” She headed into the office.
Mom touched my shoulder. “I’m so happy that you
looked up the history of this place.”
“No, that’s the weird part. I never did.”
“Then how do you know they’re goddesses?”
I shrugged, wondering the same thing.
“Well, do you like it here?”
“No.” I faced Mom to see her reaction.
She squinted. “What?”
I smiled. “Just kidding. I love it.” I hugged her.