What Do You Mean? A Cliche Love Story; Chapter 10
I was hushed by my brother as Zacora told him the same exact story for the third time today.
"And then when he went to swing, the ball curved right into the catchers glove." She says, her voice enriched with love. Zacora was in love with sports and unfortunately so was my college brother, Quincy. They would always chat about current news on the t.v and i, never taking a liking to it felt left out.
I huff quietly. "Are you done?" I ask tiredly.
Zacora eyes me before nodding.
"Rae, I meant to tell you that were having a play. And I'm staring as Kathryn Maple. The main character."
I blink, and immediately my face turns into something of interest.
"No way! When is the premier?" I ask, extremely happy that my little sister actually tried doing something else she was good at. Plus something I actually cared about.
"Saturday. I made sure it was in the morning so mom could see it." She utters. I stiffen and my gaze drifts to Quincy. We already knew our mother wouldn't make it. Because she was always working she never had time for us. And with our dad being away on a business trip, the odds weren't looking great.
Zacora was oblivious to our doubts. Her misty eyes held so much hope, that there was no one way I was going to ruin it. "That's great, Corry. I'll be there no matter what."
"I know, and so will mom." She argues. As if on point, our mother waltz into the kitchen. A robe was held tightly against her thin figure.
"Morning Mom." Zacora said, I'm guessing she didn't understand my mother's communication. Her walking in here without saying hello first was her problem. My mother was observent, yet sometimes rude. If she didn't see you going out your way to help her, or in this case say hello. She'd duplicate those agitating feelings or that adittude that she thought you were using in a manner she didn't like.
"Morning." Her voice was deep, from just waking up. And her body shook a little as if she was in shell shock. I'm guessing she hadn't taken medication yet.
"So i was wondering if you wanted to come to see my play." My mom continues pouring her cream into her coffee.
"You know I'm busy on Saturday's."
She replies.
"I know, but it's in the morning that way you'll have enough sleep. Mom you have to go."
She whirls towards Zacora, who realizes her mistake too late. A slap echoes through the house. A red handprint is what remains.
"I don't have to do anything, you little monkey. I'm putting food on the table, aren't i? That's all I have to do!"
Zacora's eyes brim with tears.
"Yes ma'am."
My mother nods her head, "And don't you forget that."
Zacora is a shivering mess by the time, my mother exits out of the kitchen. Zacora's tears sprout out of her eye sockets. A gush of water envelops the room.
I look at the door, that my mother had previously left out of. Quincy glances at me. "I got her."
I nod before making my to my mother's dark room. I open the door without knocking.
My mother was ensconce in her purple sheets. I look at her dark silhouette. "What?" She asks.
"What was the point of all that? Hitting Corry like that? All she wanted was you to support her."
"I do support her. I feed her don't I?"
She argues.
"Mom I'm not saying that you don't. I'm saying that being a mother requires more then just your money. It requires your presence too."
"And whatchu' know about being a mother?" She ask, nonchalantly.
"Did you forget that I was the one raising her when you were at work? Or that I was feeding your children when you weren't home?" I ask. Sometimes my mother would take forever to come back home and most of those times Zacora and i would be starving. Quincy was still in college, so he wasn't exactly around. So I had to teach myself how to cook at nine years old.
She's quiet before speaking.
"Your just a child."
"Mama, I haven't been a child since, Zacora was born. I've barely had a childhood."
"I'm not going, that's final." She states calmly, while changing the subject.
"Right." I sigh. I thought I could get her to change but now I realize she'll always be that way. Selfish and self centered.
"Don't expect us back anytime soon." I say flatly. If she wanted to play games I could too.
She scoffs not believing what she was hearing. "Yeah whatever. Lock the door on your way out."
____
"Thanks again, Gran." I reply as she hands me a cup of hot chocolate. The cup was as warm as the warmly lit house. It was nice to be with my grandmother again. After the accident we weren't allowed to see her as much. And so I missed her.
"Yeah no problem, sugar." Her milky voice warms my heart.
"We shouldn't be here for too long." I state reassuringly. I hadn't planed on staying for long. I needed to get away from my mother, but Zacora needed her. She was the only one she thought she could count on. Even though she had me, I was never enough.
"Oh, honey stay as long as you need to." She replies. I smile, I was enjoying the few days we've stayed here. Homecoming was three days away and I was excited. My grandmother and i had discussed for hours, the dress, the date and the dance. I had told her about Noah and she was happy for me. She was the only one who was.
"This boy reminds me of your grandfather." My ears perk up at the 'g' word.
"What about him?" I ask, slowly. It wasn't often that my grandmother would talk about my grandfather. And when she did, if you pushed her too hard she would shut you out.
"Oh, it was back in the 80's when the first dance of the summer was popular. Back in Georgia we used to have this dance on the first of June. Everyone who was anyone showed up." She smiles remembering.
"I had gone down to town, with a couple of friends. It was beautiful. The food was amazing. And the view, oh it showed the whole town in its wake. That night we had a blast and i met, Randy Francis, your grandfather." She shakes her head.
"He was amazing and exactly four years my senior. We danced for hours on end, and he made me feel like no one else ever has." She finishes, her face held an undeniable glow.
"Wow, did you know he was the one after that?" I ask, curious.
"I didn't. I never saw him again til a year later but by then I was dating Steven Ross. But whenever he was around he made me feel, good inside. It's a feeling you can't really describe." She tells me.
"I thought that Steven was the one until Randy and i shared our first kiss. Then I knew, no matter how Steven made me feel that Randy was truly the one for me." She states her tone was loving.
I smile love was something else. Yet something beautiful and strange.
"Alright well I'm going to get some rest, Gran. Don't stay up too late."
She smiles, "Goodnight Sweetie."
__
"Raevyn! Someone's here for you." Zacora yells up the stairs. I jump out the bed startled by the racked she was making. I grab my robe and wrap myself in it, before making my way downstairs.
She walks past me and back to the kitchen. She wasn't too happy that we're staying with my grandmother. But she'll learn to get over it. I open the cracked door.
He stood outside the screen door, waiting for me. His dark hair was in Justin Bieber's old 'baby' hairstyle. It laid flatly on his head.
"Are you seriously stalking me?" I question.
He faces me with a grin. "No I asked your brother where you were going."
He replies.
"Right." I say not believing him one bit.
"What do you want Levi?" I ask tiredly. I've been tired alot recently. Between my mother's adittude and studying for upcoming tests, I found sleep restless.
"I have a message for you." He hands me a piece of paper after I let him in.
"Grandparents house?" He asks.
"Yeah, what is this?" I ask.
"A note from Noah." He replies while walking, without asking, to the kitchen. I open the paper. It read,
8:00 tonight I'll pick you up.
Noah
"Why couldn't he give me this himself?" I ask.
"Cause he's a lazy d*ck. Why else?"
He replies while sitting down.
Zacora walks into the room, that's already occupied.
"Hey, Levi." She states while giving him a fist pump.
"What's shaking, Z?"
"Nothing, are you coming to my play today?" She ask while stealing a piece of bacon off the plate.
"I didn't know you had one going on. Yeah I'll be there." He replies. I hated the growing relationship that my siblings had between Levi. Even though I despise him.
"Awesome. Can't wait to see you there, right Raevyn."
I put on a fake smile. "Can't wait."
_____
"No she said turn left after this." I argue.
"No she said right." Levi argues.
"If your wrong I'm punching you." I reply. Trying to find the auditorium in this school was beyond difficult and i was ready to give up. Levi had stayed true to his word and showed up at 12 o'clock. He drove us here with Zacora's intrusions. And while she went to find her drama team, we got directions to the auditorium. And now we were lost.
"And if I'm right?" He asks.
"You'll just be right." I reply.
"So you get to punch me, and I just get to gloat?" He ask, while a smirk stayed on his pink lips.
"Yeah." I reply.
"No if i win. You have to kiss me." I stop dead in my tracks. No way I was not kissing him. Even if the show was about to start I was not going to kiss him.
"On the cheek, geez Conner you and your dirty mind." He finishes. My face heats at his comment.
"Yeah okay, Delrosario."
We take a right and are faced with the doors to the auditorium.
"I'll take that kiss at anytime." He smiles.
"We need to find seats." I say ignoring his last sentence. The auditoriums lights were already dimmed. So it was a bit more difficult to find our way to seats.
"Oh right there." I whisper to Levi. Towards the front of the theater stage, two empty seats were waiting for us. A little girl was up on the stage talking. Her freckled face and rosy cheeks made her look to be eight years old.
"Ladies and gentleman. Today we shall tell you a tale. Of two lovers named Alan and Kathryn. The lovers were deeply in love. And Alan was going to propose to Kathryn Maple but the government drafted him into the army, in 1940. The war also known as World War II. There love for one another never ceased.This is the story of love."
She exits the stage and Zacora and a boy walk out hand in hand.
"Oh Alan, do you have to go?" Zacora asks in a southern accent.
The boy turns to her. "You know that I do. The army needs me."
"I need you." She retorts, sadly.
A small group of children walk on the stage. The girls were dressed in sun dresses and the boys in suits.
Zacora turns to the group. "Thank you for coming to Alan's farewell party!" She announces to the group.
The scene soon shifts to, them being alone. The lights grew dim as the spoke in hushed tones. "I love you." He kisses Zacora on the cheek.
"I love you too."
Alan gets into a cardboard made car and waves as it moves away from her. Zacora is left on the stage, and she looks at the crowd.
"You never realize how much someone means to you, until you loose them." She says.
Her attention is caught by the uncle Sam poster. His finger is outstretched and pointing at her. The words 'I want you.' Were traced by her finger.
She sighs and says loud enough for everyone to hear. "I want him too."
The rest of the play, feels you in with both of their lives during the war. Alan was constantly writing to her and her to him. Kathryn eventually got a job and stared growing crops. While Alan saw disturbing pictures that will forever be engraved in his mind. The play ended with him coming home five years later.
The girl with the rosy cheeks returns to the stage. "This play based upon the book by Larry King demonstrates the unbound love between two people. And illustrates how powerful it really is." She finishes.
All the actors and actress walk out on the stage a bow while their fingers are intertwined.
I stand and give them a standing ovation.
__
"That was beautiful wasn't it?" I ask Levi.
"Too mushy but it was okay." He replies. Outside looked darker then when we entered as we waited outside for Zacora. She runs to me embracing me in a hug.
"Corry you were great out there." I say complimenting her.
"Yeah you rocked, Z." Levi comments.
"You wanna go out, to eat?" He asks her. She nods.
"Great I know this great pizza spot." We get into the vehicle and drive towards the restaurant.
When we enter were seated and served. "Are they putting this on your college application?" I ask.
She nods. "I think so."
"Already making your mark, huh?" Levi asks, thoughtfully and spend she smiles.
"I'll be back." She states.
"That was sweet." I say while wiping my mouth.
"I know, Can i get my kiss now?" He asks, impatiently.
I sigh. And raise myself up, stepping closer to him. I lean down to kiss his cheek when he turns and i kiss his lips instead. He pulls me closer to him and hugs my short body next his large one. He kisses me for a few seconds and i kiss him back. His soft lips felt like a pillow. And i swear I was falling into them. I pull back and breathe. Inhaling and exhaling was doing nothing to satisfy the urge to kiss him again.
My head was spinning, as I drowned my burning throat with my cup of water. Zacora returns to the table as I ask the waitress for the receipt. I ignore Levi's gaze as we leave the restaurant.
I was quiet during the car ride back to my grandmother's house. Zacora and i exited his car. I could see my house from my grandmother's since we were four houses away. It was convenient, if need be I could check on my mother as well. Levi walked around the car to me, while Zacora went in the house.
"Thanks for dinner." I say, quietly.
"No problem." I began walking to the door when he called me, I turn.
"You might need this." He tossed me a square object and as I look at it i see that it's my phone. I immediately feel my pocket, and sure enough it wasn't there. How did he even take it? He had some mad skills.
I grin a small grin. "Thanks."
I stride into the delicate house. I look at my phone to see two missed calls and twenty text messages. But without looking at the notifications. I glance at the time. It was 9:00. The time that Levi already knew. He had kept my phone so that I wouldn't remember my date with Noah. I was still confused as to why, he would do this to his own friend.
The possibilities were endless. Possibly a grudge or reccent argument. But the oddest one seemed likely. He liked me.
I smiled while getting into bed. In the morning my thoughts would probably change, but for now there was only one that consumed me. I liked him too.
And just like Uncle Sam wanted Alan in the play to join the army. I most definitely wanted Levi Delrosario and not as 'just friends'.
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2768 words
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Hola!
I'm sorry that I haven't updated. With school starting it's hard to get my creative juices flowing.
But I'll be updating on Friday next week. I hope you enjoyed the double update!!
Love you guys
God bless
Lee