Chapter Thirteen: Enemy Infiltration
Nirvana Evans
As soon as I laid eyes on the scene that played out before me like a bad movie I abruptly stopped in my tracks which caused River to bump into my back. What on earth was Tara, my worst enemy, doing in my house and sitting at my dinner table chatting it up with dad as if she were an old family friend? Feelings of betrayal washed over me as I gazed around the table. First she stole my best friend and now my family’s attention too? Geez, she really had no limits. And how did she even know Nate anyway?
“Honey could you go get another chair for Ana’s new friend? He’s joining us for dinner” mom announced to dad who was in the middle of telling Tara one of his only-old-people-find-it-funny kind of lame joke.
“Nate, go get another chair for the boy” Dad passed it along to Nate who simply chuckled and did as he was told.
“I’m going to wash my hands” I said to no one in particular. River followed me to the kitchen. I took extra care as I washed my hands from elbows down with a palm full of soap. When I was in uncomfortable or nerve wracking (in this case both) situations I tended to depend on the habit of getting rid of a couple of germs. It was sort of like a stress reliever for me in a way. I usually resorted to taking showers when I was under stress but I’d have to settle for this.
“Hey, hey I think they’re as clean as they’re gonna get” River commented as he placed his big hands over my soapy ones. I hadn’t realized I was still scrubbing away at them like a crazy person.
“Right” I said rinsing them off and stepping aside so he could proceed to wash his own hands. I tried my best not to comment on the poor way he washed his hands and headed back to the dining room. Nate had placed the extra chair next to my empty seat across from the Evil Queen. We sat down quietly and passed the food around to fill our plates.
“So where did you and your mom move from?” mom asked River when awkward silence descended on the table.
“Canada” River replied politely before shoving a spoonful of pasta into his mouth.
“Oh how nice. We took a family vacation to Niagara Falls last summer it was truly a breath taking site to see. So where does your mom work?” oh great, my mom was going to start her whole 20 questions routine.
“She’s a journalist for ‘Today’ magazine”
“I read that magazine like every day! That’s so cool” Tara added. River half smiled at her enthusiasm.
“Wait a second, aren’t you the boy who brought Ana home the night of the party? I knew I’d seen you before!” mom exclaimed suddenly causing my dad to choke on his food.
“Yep that was me” River said as he played with his fork nervously.
“What party? And why did a boy I’ve never even met bring my little girl home?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Michael relax and chew your food” mom advised.
“You women never tell me anything in this house” dad complained.
“I’m pretty sure you were there when I asked mom for permission, dad”
“Hmm” dad grumbled out and focused his attention back on his food.
“So are you two dating?” Nate asked out of nowhere. I shot him a glare as embarrassment colored my cheeks.
“No” River and I said simultaneously.
“Aw look at them, they’re as red as tomatoes! Isn’t that cute. You know Ana has never brought a boy home besides Will of course, but they’re practically siblings. We’ve known the kid since he was in diapers” mom rambled on adding to the pile of humiliation.
“Mom stop it” I muttered.
“The pasta is delicious Ms. Evans what sauce did u use?” River asked diverting the attention. I gave him an appreciative smile and sighed in relief. That would certainly distract my mother from any other embarrassing comments.
“Oh it’s pesto sauce. I made it myself and please call me Charlotte” she beamed at him. The conversation continued until Tara couldn’t handle not being the center of attention and butted in.
“So River I heard you’re starting at our school this year. Hopefully we’ll have some classes together and we have an excellent football team, you should consider joining” Tara sent River her best flirty smile. Gag.
“Thanks but football isn’t really my thing” River replied. She pouted at him but dropped the subject. I was happy to hear River wasn’t a jock, our school had enough of those already, but I could see why Tara would say that seeing as his well sculpted body hinted otherwise.
“So what is your thing?” Nate asked River with an arched eyebrow.
“I’m into photography” he said.
“If you ever need something to photograph let me know” Tara smiled ‘seductively’ at him behind Nate’s back. I swear I saw red flash before my eyes. Here she was with Nate and yet she was flirting with River too? It took everything I had not to get up and strangle her right here. And I was surprised at myself since I wasn’t usually a violent person. Once we had finished eating, I helped mom clear off the table with Tara who had volunteered. I was shocked at how nice Tara was acting in front of my family but I wasn’t stupid enough to let my guard down at any moment. Her little good girl act might fool everyone else but I knew the real Tara and it wasn’t pleasant.
“Guess what we’re having for dessert? Blueberry pie!” mother announced excitedly. Nate hooted and Tara offered to help her serve it. I was bringing in the last of the dirty plates into the kitchen, when Tara’s shoulder collided with mine roughly.
“Ohmygosh! I’m so sorry” she exclaimed displaying her best fake worried face she could manage but I thought I spotted a hint of a satisfied smirk. I took a deep breath and suppressed an eye roll. I dumped the rest of the dishes in the sink and returned to the table where the pie was being cut by my mother. She dished out a hearty slice for each person until Tara insisted that she and Nate would share only one slice because she was on a new diet. Any normal person would have laughed at how vain she sounded, but as you already knew I was far from normal. The mere thought of Nate and the Tara off of the same plate really disgusted me to no end. Did they know how many bacteria lived inside the human mouth? Why anyone would want to share food was beyond me.
“Hey, dragonfly you alright?” River asked in a worried tone causing me to snap out of my germ thoughts.
“Yeah I’m fine” I tried my best to smile at him to reassure him since he seemed genuinely concerned for my well being. Mom handed Tara two forks and they began eating their share of pie. I turned away from them and focused on my own piece. As soon as I tasted the first bite of pie I almost moaned out at how delicious it was. River laughed when he saw my face in pure bliss. Pies were my definitely my guilty pleasure. But a sickening sound interrupted my enjoyment. I looked up from my plate to find the source of the horrible sound. Tara was sucking her fork dry! Ugh. Gross.
“Wow Mrs. Evan’s this is like the best pie I’ve ever had. So good” she complimented my mother yet looked directly at me as she took another chunk out of Nate’s plate and licked her fork clean. Someone kill me now before I throw up all over the table.
Stop overreacting! She’s just eating, my inner voice tried to sooth me.
I took a deep breath and tried to think about anything besides her saliva that was currently all over the fork. I also tried to ignore the fact that she was totally doing this to annoy me. Sighing, I looked back down at my plate and resumed eating. I felt a warm hand rub my knee and looked up in surprise at River. What was he doing?
He shot me a reassuring smile and continued wolfing down the pie. I was about to remove his hand when I realized it actually did calm me down a bit and distract me from Tara’s presence. But my peace ended quickly. When I was finished eating, I placed the silver fork down on the plate and realized something was missing. The fork that I had been using this whole time didn’t have my name over the handle. My fork had Nirvana engraved on it in bold black letters. My mom had gifted it to me on my fifteenth birthday and it had been the best present I could have ever gotten, being the germ freak that I was. No longer had I had to worry about using silverware that had passed through another’s germy mouth. I had my own fork that only I used.
But that wasn’t what really caused me to have a nervous breakdown.
All my coherent thoughts immediately slipped out of my mind when I noticed who exactly had been making good use of my personal fork and it was none other than Tara Hendricks. To anyone else this wouldn’t have proved to be a big deal but to a germ freak like me this was practically like finding out the apocalypse was upon us. I was probably going to have nightmares about this tonight. Out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw Tara grinning like a Cheshire cat once she noticed my look of misery. The bitch had probably done this on purpose. I wouldn’t put it past her to try to ruin my night by causing me to have a nervous breakdown like this.
“Honey are you okay? You’re looking a bit green…”I faintly heard my mom say but before I could open my mouth to reply I felt my stomach twist and turn. I bolted out of my chair faster than lightning and rushed up to the bathroom taking the stairs two at a time. As soon as I reached my destination I pushed the bathroom door open and bent over the toilet. I watched as everything I had for diner come rushing out of my mouth as the contents of my stomach spilled into the toilet. I heard a light knock on the semi open door and cursed myself for not locking it. But then again I really hadn’t had time for that, I had barely made it to the bathroom after all.
“Nirvana it’s me, can I come in?” I heard River’s voice outside. The last thing I wanted was for him to see me like this. I opened my mouth to tell him to go away but the words never made it out. Instead I threw up some more. And before I could muster up any warning, he barged in. he didn’t say anything when he laid his worried looking grey eyes the disaster that was currently me. He simply walked over towards me and held back my hair to keep it out of my way. I tried my best to dismiss him since I didn’t want him to witness this mess but he ignored my feeble attempts. When I was finally done emptying out my stomach I closed the lid and flushed the toilet. River never let go of my hair as I washed my mouth and face off. He handed me a towel and I dried my face off as he rubbed soothing circles on my back. It did make me feel a bit better but no gesture could make me forget the events of the night and I couldn’t help but think how this night couldn’t get any more humiliating.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked me.
“Yes thanks, and um sorry you had watch that” I said shyly avoiding his intense stare.
“Hey don’t you dare apologize for getting sick. These things happen, I’m just glad you’re ok” he told me as he lead me out of the bathroom. “Do you think it was the pie? Or something else…” he mused. I considered telling him the real reason that had caused me to puck my guts out but thought better of it. Everyone at school knew me as the germ freak and River was the only person who didn’t know about my problems. I was afraid that if he found out about my condition he’d start treating me differently or worse- he’d stop talking to me like most of my classmates. And I couldn’t handle that from him, not after he’d been so nice to me.
“I don’t know” I lied still not being able to meet his gaze. What would he think of me if he knew the ugly truth? I wondered. But I wasn’t about to find out now. I noticed my nervous looking parents waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Honey, how are you feeling?” mom asked me when we reached the last step.
“I’m alright now” I informed her praying that she wouldn’t mention the fork.
“Do you think it was the food? Or maybe-“ I cut her off before she could finish that sentence.
“I probably just ate too much or something. But don’t worry about it, I’m fine now” I gave her my best smile and we headed to the living room. Nate and Tara were sitting on the love seat and as soon as they heard us approach Tara jumped up from the seat and came over to me.
“Are you okay, Ana?” she asked with a convincing concerned look that could have fooled anyone but me.
“Fine” I said coldly.
“So are we watching the game or what?” dad asked, excitement coursing through his voice.
“You and the kids can go, I have dishes to finish” mom told him with a sigh. It was funny how she still referred to us as kids even though we were all around seventeen and twenty.
“No I’ll finish the dishes, you go watch the game. I don’t really like football anyway” I offered.
“You sure?” she inquired with an arched eyebrow. As long as I had gloves I had no problem dealing with dirty dishes, besides I’d do anything to get away from the evilness that was Tara.
“Of course! Now go,” I pushed her towards the living room and away from the kitchen. She had already done all the cooking therefore the least I could do was lend a hand with the clean up.
“I’ll help too” River offered and followed me to the sink where a stack of dirty dishes awaited us. Oh joy.
“You know you could’ve gone to watch the game, its way more fun than this” I told him honestly. After all he was a guest here.
“Nah, I don’t like football plus I’d rather spend my time with you” he confessed with a wink and I tried my hardest not to blush. I reached for the pair of gloves in the bottom drawer and pulled out a new sponge from its package.
“Alright I’ll wash you rinse, yeah?” I said as I pulled the gloves over my hands.
“Sure” he eyed the gloves weirdly but didn’t comment on them.
“You want a pair?” I asked him mistaking his attention on my gloves.
“Ah no I’m good, I think I’ll survive without them” we laughed and began to wash the dishes. When I finished scrubbing one dish, he then proceeded to rinse it and dry it out. We piled the clean ones on the rack that was on the side. I was at hard work scrubbing on a stubborn stain on a plate when I felt a sprinkle of cold water splash all over my shirt and face. I yelped in surprise and looked up to find River laughing his butt off. Oh so that’s how he wanted to play huh? Without thinking of consequences I quickly grabbed the soapy sponge, added some more water and squeezed it down his shirt.
“Shit that’s cold!” he shouted in shock. It was now my turn to laugh and let me tell you I must have laughed for quite a bit, his face was just too funny!
“You have a really beautiful laugh” he said suddenly in a serious tone.
“Uh, thanks” I replied awkwardly. Since I wasn’t used to compliments it felt weird when I did get them. And for some reason hearing one from River sent a frenzy of butterflies to erupt inside me.
“Look at that we’re almost done. We make a pretty good team, dragonfly” he acknowledged using that nickname again.
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Tara Hendricks
If they gave out an award for Best Pretender in the world I would certainly win it. Two straight hours of acting as if I liked a person that I could barely stand to be in the same room with was worthy of some credit. I just hopped that after all the trouble I’d gone through to make this diner possible and endure sitting across Ana that it ended up paying off. But if Hazel was right about the information she’d given me then it would certainly all be worth it. All the trouble of befriending Nate just to get into this house wouldn’t be for noting. But then again he was pretty sexy so it wasn’t a total sacrifice.
Nate and Ana’s parent’s were entertained watching the boring football game that was playing on T.V and Ana and her little guy friend, who followed her around like a puppy dog, were occupied in the kitchen. This was the perfect moment to put the plan in action. It was now or never.
“Excuse me I need to use the restroom” I announced politely getting up from the couch.
“Sure honey. Upstairs, first door on the left” Mrs. Evans directed me. I smiled and went to take care of my business. Little did they know that it had nothing to do with using a bathroom. I rolled my eyes when I passed the kitchen and heard Ana and the idiot laughing as they splashed water on each other like little kids. How immature. I trotted up the stairs and walked right past the door that led to the bathroom. I hadn’t been inside this house in years but it still wasn’t hard to remember which bedroom belonged to Ana. Once I reached the door at the end of the hall, I cautiously opened it and stepped inside. I gazed around the room with a triumphant smile. All the way from the aqua colored walls, to the open closet gave away that this was definitely the bitch’s room.
I checked the hallway once more to make sure I was alone and gently closed the door. I walked over to her bed and bent down to look under it but found nothing but dust. I checked her nightstand as well. I headed over to her dresser and searched each drawer individually. I almost laughed when I reached her under ware drawer. All she had were granny panties! Ugh how embarrassing. But that wasn’t what I was looking for. I glanced through her closet quickly but there was nothing interesting there.
Damn it where was it?! This was taking longer than I had planned.
There were only two places left to check; the dirty laundry basket and the bathroom-whoa the lucky bitch had her own bathroom right in her room! Life really wasn’t fair. I decided I had nothing to lose and headed for the bathroom. It wasn’t surprising how clean and neat everything was. I swear the toilet was practically sparkling. What a germ freak.
I opened a couple of cabinets and found nothing but lots of antibacterial soap bars, a pack of twenty toothbrushes, two liters of blue mouthwash and floss. Jesus why would anyone own so many toothbrushes? Ana seriously had problems there was no doubt about that. I was getting pretty frustrated with how unsuccessful the search was turning out to be. I sent a quick text to Hazel since she knew Ana better than anyone else.
Where is it?! I cnt find it.
She replied back almost instantly:
Did u check the drawers?
No shit Sherlock.
Duh! I’ve looked everywhere! Im Running out of time
It took her about thirty seconds to reply this time.
Check the bed under her pillow
Finally a good idea! I slipped my phone back in my pocket and rushed over to the bed. I flipped the pillow over and BINGO! There it was; Ana’s diary. It was a small black notebook that contained all of her dirty little germphobe secrets. Hazel had told me about the journal Ana began keeping when she started seeing her psychologist. It was the book that held all of her worst thoughts and moments when she’s had germ induced panic attacks, as Hazel called them. Her shrink had advised her to write about it to help her with her problems. And it would soon be made public for everyone to see.
Plan destroy Ana was in full play.
A/N: First off I’d like to apologize for how long it took me to update! I’ll try not to let it happen again! Really sorry about that but I honestly didn’t think anyone was really reading this story anymore until I got a nice message from Beachdreamer15 that encouraged me to update so that’s why the dedication goes to her.
In other news I just turned 17 this Wednesday! So comment, vote, fan or add this story to your library if you haven’t already, it would be an awesome bday present for me! Thanks for reading guys! OH and listen to the song on the side its EPIC!
P.S: Nirvana sees Tara as the shark in the video lol. She's everywhere!