Chapter 3
The rest of that week was harder than I had expected. I went through my classes with a lump in my stomach. I prayed ever time a class ended that I would see him standing at my locker.
I was always disappointed. Kyle tried to cheer me up every time he saw me; he would make funny faces at me during class as well. Anneliese pressed for details on why I was so depressed if we weren't even dating. I just simply told her that I wasn't feeling well and that it had nothing to do with him. She looked unconvinced, but didn't want me to go off on her. I kept the best amount of composure as I could during art, for I had a substitute.
When the bell rang on Friday I ran out the door as fast as I could. I wanted to get home as soon as possible. I had borrowed the car today so I could drive myself to school. My mother and father took the other car.
When I got home, my parents were still gone and my sister was already at her sleep over. I put my books down on the kitchen table and sat down. It was only 3:00; I had to figure out what to do tonight. I could call Anneliese, but that would mean another several hours of Blaize questions that I knew I couldn't take.
I bet Abby would be free, but she'd call Anneliese, they're practically attached at the hip. I decided I work on the little trig homework I had. I got up from the table and grabbed some cheese and crackers to snack on. Then I grabbed an ice cold coke from the fridge. I sat down to do my homework.
It unfortunately though, did not last me very long. I finished right away and had no more homework left. I looked around, nothing needed to be cleaned. I took my books and bag up to my room. I had a bright room.
The walls are aqua blue with lime green trim. My canopy bed had blue and green bedding and curtains. I jumped on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I sighed, needing something to do. I sat up and looked over at my computer. I hadn't been on in a few days; I suppose I could stand to go on facebook.
I got up and went over to my computer. It turned on quickly and I was on the internet in no time. I logged into my facebook, it said I had friend requests.
Anneliese, Kyle, Abby, Lauren, Felicia, and Malinda Adams had all requested me. Well, that gives me six more friends on facebook. Kyle signed in soon after that.
Kyle: Hey
Me: Hey
Kyle: What's up?
Me: Nothing much, just hanging around. Hbu?
Kyle: Pretty much the same. Hey, want to go to a movie tonight?
My savior, the phone, started ringing.
Me: Hang on, Kyle, the phone's ringing.
Kyle: Okay. . .
I climbed over my bed to the phone on the bed stand. I didn't recognize the number on caller I.D.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hello is this Andrea?" a familiar voice asked.
"Yes, who is this?"
"Blaize Hastings."
I felt as though the breath was knocked out of me. "Oh, hi." I answered, sounding totally winded.
"I was wondering if you needed a ride tomorrow morning to forty second street."
"Uhm, you know, I haven't even really thought about it. I need to talk to my parents first, so why don't I call you back later, they should be home in about an hour."
"Alright, I'll talk to you later." His voice was calm and cool.
"Okay and Blaize?"
"Yes?"
"I thought you guys were camping?"
"We're home now." I could hear a smile in his voice.
"Oh, well thanks for calling. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, good bye."
We hung up at the same time. I wanted to run around the house and scream, but then I realized I had Kyle waiting on I.M. I got up and walked back over to the computer, feet dragging.
Me: Hey, sorry about that. Where were we?
Kyle: That's alright, oh, do you want to come to a movie?
Me: That's really nice of you, but I actually have to pick up my sister from a party tonight so I can't. Thanks though.
Kyle: Oh, okay. What about tomorrow afternoon? We could go to a matinee'
Me: Cant, I'm painting a moral with a friend.
Kyle: who?
Me: I have to go, bye!
I logged off and pushed away from the computer. I stared out my window, waiting for something to do. I went downstairs to watch TV.
I flipped through the channels, not able to find anything decent to watch. I decided I would just go make dinner. I found some baby back ribs in the freezer. I set them out to thaw and watched a little bit of the old TV. show Roseanne. After a while, I went back into the kitchen and started to cook the ribs.
My parents came home a while later.
"Andrea?" my mother called.
"In here, mom!" I called back.
She appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "Oh, Andrea, what are you doing?"
"Making dinner."
"OH, don't you have any plans for tonight?"
My father was in the doorway now.
"No, actually, those plans are tomorrow night. Oh, speaking of tomorrow, my teacher, Mrs. Pelletier, is painting a moral and she asked that I help her."
"Where's this moral?" my father asked.
"Down on forty second street."
"That'd be fine, what time?"
"Well, she's painting from eight a.m. to eight p.m."
"Alright, we can give you a ride."
"A—actually, someone from my class offered."I stammered.
"Oh really? Who?" my mother asked.
"His name is Blaize Hastings. We have art together and he's going to help too. So he offered me a ride."
"What'd you tell him?"
"Well, I told him that I needed to talk to you guys first."
They looked at each other and shrugged. "That's fine." They said together.
"Great, thanks."
I ran upstairs to call Blaize back. I was feeling extremely jittery about tomorrow. I ran upstairs and into my room. I locked the door behind me, not wanting any sudden interruptions during this conversation.
I looked at caller I.D. and pressed redial. Part of me was wishing that he wouldn't pick up because I knew I'd be scared to talk to him. The other half, though, was overly excited to –
"Hello?" his voice came on the other end.
"Hey…uh…Blaize, it's Andrea."
"OH, hello, Andrea. Did you talk to your parents about tomorrow?"
"Yes, they said that's fine. What time will you be here?"
"Well, my mother leaves at 7:30, but she said she won't be ready for us until about eight-thirty. What time do you want to get up?"
"It doesn't matter, I'm an early riser, and I can be ready for you anytime."
"Alright, I'll be at your house around eight-fifteen."
"Sounds good."
"I'll see you then. OH and Andrea?"
"Yeah?"
"Sleep well." I could sense a smile in his voice.
"Thank you."
We both hung up and I sat down on my bed. How could talking him for a matter of minutes-if that-be so…exhilarating? I looked around and decided it was time for me to go down and eat.
I ran down the stairs with an extra spring in my step. My parents sensed it and looked at me skeptically.
"Who'd you call?"
I whipped around. "No one—I mean, Blaize. I called Blaize to tell him that I can get a ride with him."
"Is this…Blaize more than a friend?" my father asked immediately.
"Nope." I shook my head and shrugged.
I took a plate from the cupboard and dished up. I sat down to eat, feeling the eyes of my parents on me. I ate as fast as I could without making them even more suspicious.
When I was finished I walked over to the sink and put the plate and glass in there. I turned to see my parents watching me carefully.
"What?" I shrugged.
"Nothing." They said together and went back to eating.
I started toward the stairs, but my parents stopped me.
"What are you doing?" my mother asked.
"Going to go upstairs…I have to get up early tomorrow and I'm going to get to bed early tonight."
"Oh…okay, but it's only six."
"Yes, I know, I'm going to watch some movies and possibly read. By the time I'm done, it'll be late enough to go to sleep."
They nodded and I went upstairs.
Once in my room, I grabbed some pajamas and ran into the bathroom. It was nice to have my own bathroom; I didn't have to worry about sharing. I hopped into the shower and turned on the hot water. My hair was the first thing I washed. I scrubbed it in an obsessive-compulsive way. I stood in the shower, allowing my tension and jitters to fade away.
When I stepped out, I dried off and put on my shorts and tank. I walked over to my computer to see what the latest news was. Anneliese was online; her status said that she was with Abby.
Anneliese: Andrea! Hi!
Me: Hey, Anneliese, what's going on?
Anneliese: Oh, nothing, just hanging out with Abby. She says hi by the way!
Me: Oh, sounds fun. What are you guys up too?
Anneliese: We're going to watch some DVD's. I really wish you were here!
Me: Yeah, me too. Sounds like fun.
Anneliese: Now, Andrea, I don't want to be pushy or anything, but what's your plan for tomorrow?
Me: Well, I'm going to go paint a moral with my art teacher . . . and Blaize.
Anneliese: OH wow! You must be so excited! I can't believe the hottest guy in school is hanging out with you.
Me: Why is that . . . so hard to believe?
Anneliese: well. . . I didn't mean it like that, it's just well, there have been SO many girls that have wanted him and asked him on dates. He's never responded to any.
Me: oh, I see.
Anneliese: Sorry, that probably sounded…well…looked wrong.
Me: No, it's okay, I get it. I'm not exactly the prettiest girl in school
Anneliese: Join the club. Well, Abby and I are going to go watch the movies now, miss you! Love you!
She signed off. I clicked away from the page and into my e-mail. There were no new emails for me, go figure. I pushed away from my computer and hopped on my bed. I put in my favorite DVD: The Notebook.
I loved the story line of this movie for years; it's been my favorite for a long time. The opening credits came on, I prepared myself by dimming some lights. I hit play movie and began to watch.
It was just getting to the part when Noah was hanging from the Ferris wheel, when a loud Bing came from my computer. I sat up and went over to the computer. I had a new friend request. I clicked to see who it was and my heart leapt when I saw it.
Blaize Hastings was requesting friendship. I quickly accepted and stared at the screen. His username came up on the 'online friends' list. I desperately wanted to talk to him…but my cowardly fears came out.
Blaize: Hello, Andrea.
My mouth dropped to the floor as I realized that he was talking to me. I composed myself so I could talk.
Me: Hello,
Blaize: How are you this evening?
Me: I'm very well, how are you?
Blaize: Just grand. I'm looking forward to painting tomorrow.
Me: Yeah, me too.
And that's when it started. I knew that there was a feeling there for Blaize that was not explained by an acquaintance. That conversation lasted for hours. We talked about every subject possible. He asked about my mother, father, sister, grandma, grandpa, great grandma, great grandpa, artists, interests, colors, music, clothing. I asked him very little.
Me: Lol, we've been at this for five hours! I think I need to sleep or I'll never be awake tomorrow!
Blaize: Yes, ha-ha, I guess we have lost track of time.
Me: I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Blaize: Alright, goodnight Andrea. Sleep well.
Me: You too
Blaize: ha-ha
Before I could as what was so funny, he was already offline. I went back to bed and realized that the notebook had been over. I turned off the TV and crawled under the covers. I feel asleep instantly.
I woke up from the sound of my alarm clock. I'd set it to Seven-thirty, just in case my hair didn't cooperate with me. I got up and stumbled into the bathroom to see what I had to work with this morning.
I didn't even recognize myself in the mirror, but somehow, I couldn't be angry with that. I knew why I didn't recognize myself; it was because I was up all night talking to Blaize. I washed my face and that seemed to help a little. Then I went back to my window to see what the weather was like today. I opened it and stuck my head outside. It was warm and muggy, but the sun was hidden behind the clouds.
I went to my closet to see what I could wear. I knew we'd be painting so I grabbed some old jeans and an old t-shirt. I threw my hair up into a sloppy pony tail. The long curls flowed down my back. I pulled my bangs back into a bump and wore an elastic headband. I put on a little makeup, nothing much though. I went back over to the computer to see if he was online.
He wasn't, though his status said that he would be gone today. I smiled at the thought that he acknowledged our time together. I pushed away from the computer to go downstairs. No one was awake yet, and then I saw a note on the fridge.
Andrea,
We went into town today to get some groceries, we won't be back before you go to paint. Have fun and…behave.
Love mom and dad.
I tossed the note onto the table and went to grab some eggs from the fridge. I fried them up into scrambled eggs, adding two slices of American cheese. I love my eggs this way.
When I was finished I washed the dishes and glanced at the clock. It was already eight-ten. I ran upstairs and quickly brushed my teeth. When I got back downstairs I opened the door. He was sitting in his car waiting for me. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips. He got out of the car.
"Good morning." He greeted as he went around to my side and opened the door.
"Good morning, thank you."
He went around to his side and got in. "How did you sleep?" he asked as he started the car.
"Well, considering I only got about four and a half hours of sleep," I glanced mockingly in his direction. "I slept pretty well."
"Sorry about that, I shouldn't have kept you up that late."
"It's alright, I didn't mind." I looked out the window.
It was silent for a few moments. "Can I ask you questions about your family?"
"Sure…" his voice was edgy.
"Okay, so I know what your mother does…tell me about her."
"Well, she's a crazy artist. Our house is full of paintings and portraits. Every year for Christmas she has the family gather around the fireplace and she paints us. It only takes her a matter of an hour and she's done."
"Wow,"
"Yes, she's quite amazing."
"Do you have siblings?"
"Uh, Yes. You've kind of met one of them already." He stiffened and his hands gripped the steering wheel a bit harder.
"Who?"
"Her name is Taylor…"
I looked over at him, feeling relief and annoyance at the same time. "Wait…did she sit with my friends at the lunch table?"
"Yes, that's her."
"I didn't know she's your sister?"
"She doesn't really talk about it much, she's adopted. She's very displeased with the fact she's adopted."
"Oh,"
"I guarantee your friends have no idea that she's related to me."
I nodded. "Any other siblings?"
"I have a sister named Clarice. She's graduated already, along with my brother Ivan. I also have a brother Lawrence. He's in the twelfth grade along with my sister Ellyn."
"Wow, you have a lot of siblings."
"Well, none of us are actually related. Lawrence and Ellyn are together."
"As in…"
"A relationship, Clarice and Ivan are together as well. Taylor is a little bitter because she hasn't found the love of her life yet."
I didn't speak.
"I wouldn't be offended if you wanted to jump out of the car and run away, screaming as well."
"Why would I run?" I was truly puzzled at that.
"Well…we all live together. Most people would think that's weird and illegal."
"Is it?"
"No, it's not illegal; it only is if we were blood related. None of us actually are." He smiled.
"Well, I'm not freaked out by it. It's…interesting."
"I think you and Ellyn would be good friends."
"I'd like to meet her sometime."
"That could be arranged."
I smiled at him, he smiled back. He kept driving until he got to the street. I hadn't even thought about what this moral could be, but I was completely amazed when I saw it.
The moral was of angels looking up at the sky, each one was so perfectly detailed that it looked as though it was going to fly off the wall. I gasped in awe.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
"I love it, it's so…amazing. I'm not sure she'll want me painting though…"
"Of course she will, you have amazing talent."
He pulled into a space next to the curb. It was an old abandoned building with a three story tall building. Mrs. Pelletier was painting the far left of it. She turned to see us coming. I still couldn't get over how beautiful this woman was.
He got out and opened my door for me and walked with me over to Mrs. Pelletier. She was smiling from ear to ear, showing a row of perfect, white, sparking, teeth.
"Hey there!" she shouted.
"Hey!" I called back.
She came over to us. "Okay, Andrea, you seem to be really good at doing people, why don't you paint an angel in that corner." She pointed to the right.
"Okay, but I don't know how good it will be, I've never really painted much."
"I'm sure it will be beautiful. Blaize, you want to paint one with her?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Okay, good, the paints are over there." She pointed to the right again.
We nodded and went for the paint brushes. We went over to our corner and began painting.
"Hey, kids?" Mrs. Pelletier shouted.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going into town to get some more paint; I'll be back in an hour or so!"
"Okay!" I shouted back.
We painted in silence. It was darker on this street, there were no cars around, and the street seemed quite abandoned.
"Tell me about your father." I asked.
"Well," he started, painting an outline. "He is a photographer. He works for the photography shop just down the street, he takes amazing photos."
"That's cool!"
"Yeah, he's very talented."
"It sounds like your whole family is full of talent."
"I get my talent from my mother."
"But I thought…"
"I am adopted, my real mother though, died when I was just a boy."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
We painted in silence, I looked over at his, it was absolutely stunning. "So is art a career choice of yours?"
"Yes, I want to design movie sets and design Broadway sets as well. I also would like to open up a photography shop."
I looked over at him, he was absolutely perfect. "Are your parents supportive of that…can I call them your parents?"
"Yes," he laughed. "You can call them my parents. And yes, they are very supportive. They want to go to art colleges across the country this summer."
"Wow, I wish my parents were like that." I whispered.
"Have you told them about your dream?"
"No,"
"Why?"
"Cause every time I try, they always change the subject. If I get a letter or an email from an art college, well, they just ignore it. I come home and I see brochures from the fanciest colleges in the world….all being medical, of course."
"Maybe you need to sit down with them and seriously talk to them. Tell them that you don't want to be anything else."
"They won't believe me."
"They will, want to know how?"
"How?"
"There's an art show in a few months, bring them to it. Show them your talent."
"They won't care."
"They will, because it's your life."
"They don't understand that."
"Then show them. Show them that you have talent and show them that art is who you are."
I looked over at him; I wanted desperately to kiss him. No one had ever spoken to me in that way before. "You know what?"
"Hm?"
"I've never been able to talk to anyone like this."
"Like what?"
"About art."
He smiled at me. "Now you do."
We kept painting, chatting back and forth about artists and photographers. I reached over to dip my brush in some more paint when something wet hit my nose.
I widened my eyes, bewildered by what just happened. I looked over at him and he bellowed with laughter.
"What's so funny?" I shouted.
"Your," he paused to laugh. "Face, it's covered in," he laughed again. "Paint!"
I looked down at my nose, Sure enough, there was bright blue paint splattered on it and on my cheeks. I reached over to dip my other brush in bright yellow paint.
"Oh no, no, no, no!" he shouted, backing away from me.
"Oh yes!" I shouted back. I started walking toward him.
My foot caught on a paint can and I fell face first into tray of purple paint. I looked up and gasped. I took the white rag next to me and whipped paint away from my eyes.
When I looked at him his lips were pressed into a tight line, holding back laughter. I picked up the yellow can of paint and lunged at him, throwing it on his head. He stood there, not doing anything. He whipped away the paint from his eyes and looked at me. I was beginning to worry he was mad at me.
He stared at me for the longest time, not expression on his face. He suddenly burst out with laughter and I did too. We laughed for what seemed like hours and suddenly it began to downpour on us. I looked up at the sky and we started laughing even harder.
When the laughter died down, we were left there, staring at each other, our eyes locked on each other. I hadn't even noticed how the space between us had closed and we were now just inches away from each other.
I stared up into his eyes, feeling completely at ease. He leaned down slowly, his face closing the distance between us. And then our lips met. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. It ended to soon though, he pulled away.
"I should get you home." He whispered into my ear.
I frowned at the thought.
"Come on." He murmured. He pulled my arm and led me to the car. He helped me in and then went back to get the paint. He returned quickly and got in.
"I'm sorry that your car is getting…really messy." I apologized.
He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."
He drove through the town and then stopped at a coffee shop. "Would you like some hot chocolate to warm you up?"
I looked over at him. "Uh, sure."
He leaned over to the window.
"Hello, what can I get cha?" the girl at the window asked.
"Can I get one hot chocolate?" he asked, his voice was velvety-smooth.
"Sure, coming right up." She backed away from the window and went to make the drink.
I shivered a little bit. He shot me a worried look. "Here, I'll turn the heat on." He leaned over and turned up the heat, I could feel the warm, toasty, air as soon as he did.
"H—how are you not c—cold?" I stammered.
"I just don't get cold easily." He shrugged.
The girl came back with the hot chocolate. He paid and thanked her. He handed me the cup and drove away. I sipped carefully, trying not to burn my tongue. He watched me for a few moments and then looked at the road ahead.
"So what are your plans for this evening?" he asked.
"Oh, um, well, a friend of a friend is having a bonfire tonight."
"Oh, I see what time is that?"
"It starts at midnight, but at ten-thirty, my friends and I are going to a movie."
"I see, so you're free until then?"
"Yes." I nodded.
He contemplated something for a few moments. "I know you're going tonight, but would you like to go see a movie with me?"
I looked at him again, shocked by his offer. "Actually, would you mind if we watched a movie at my house?"
"Will that be alright with your parents?" he asked.
"It will be fine, as long as you're out of my house before they get home." I laughed.
"When are they going to be home?"
"Hang on." I pulled out my phone and dialed my dad's number.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Hey, dad, it's Andrea."
"Oh! Hey there sweetie, what's up?"
"When are you and mom going to get home?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible.
"I'm afraid we won't be home until late. We won't be back until you get home from your bonfire."
"Okay, what's wrong?"
"We ran into a friend of your mother's and she's invited us to dinner. We've gone home already and we're on our way to her house."
I looked over at the clock to see what time it is. To my surprise, it was already going on six. Time had flown so fast with Blaize.
"That's okay. I'll see you tonight, but I might spend the night at Anneliese's, if I am though, I'll call you."
"Okay, honey, I love you."
"Love you too dad."
I hung up the phone and smiled at Blaize. "They won't be home until after the bonfire, so it's okay."
"Alright." He answered.
As he drove, I stared out the window. The rain was falling harder now, slamming into the windshield. It seemed as though the windshield would crack under the pounding rain bullets.
"Are you sure you want me to come over right now?"
"Yeah, no, it's alright. Why wouldn't I want you to come over?" I was worried he wouldn't come.
"Well, I just assumed you'd like to take a shower and warm up first."
"Oh, yeah I suppose you're right."
"I don't mind waiting while you do that, if you want."
"I don't want to make you wait for me."
"It's alright; I'll pick out a movie."
"You're sure?"
"It's not a problem." He smiled.
He pulled into my driveway, all of the cars were gone and no lights were on. Good, Helen wasn't home from her party yet. He got out of the car and came to my side to open my door. We ran through the rain and under the small roof of the porch. I took out my key and opened the door. He let me go first, closing the door behind him.
I went over to the TV and handed him the remote. "I'll be out as fast as I can."
"Take your time." He smiled, taking the remote.
I ran up the stairs, feeling breathless. When I got up to my room, I did something that I suppose looked utterly ridiculous, but I was excited. I bounced up and down, trying to make the least amount of noise as possible. I grabbed a tank and some sweats from my bottom drawer and ran into the bathroom.
I got in the shower quickly, making it as fast as possible. I washed my hair and rinsed. I was out of the shower quickly, thankfully. I dried off and dressed faster than usual.
When I got out, I brushed my hair and threw it up in a ponytail. I walked out of my room, and down the stairs. He sat on the couch, watching the TV. He turned to me when I came into the room.
"Feel better?" he asked.
"Much, what are you watching?"
"Oh, just the news."
"Did you find a movie you want to watch?"
"Nah, you can decide."
I walked over to the stack of movies and picked out a comedy. I sat on the couch; there were a few feet between us. His phone started to buzz and he looked over at me.
"Do you mind?" he asked.
"No, it's alright. Go ahead."
He got up and walked into the kitchen and answered the call. I couldn't hear much, just small murmuring. He closed the phone and walked back to the living room.
"I'm sorry; I need to be home, parents' orders." He rolled his eyes.
"Oh, it's fine. I guess I'll…see you in school." I answered, standing up.
"Yes, have fun at your bonfire, and enjoy the movie." He smiled.
"Thanks,"
He walked out the door. I sighed and felt like my legs were going to give out on me. I walked over to the TV and shut it off. I decided to go upstairs and watch The Notebook again.
I ran up the stairs and into my room. I set my alarm clock because I knew that I was going to fall asleep soon. I started the movie and sat down on my bed and curled up under a blanket.
I was right; it wasn't long until I was drifting into unconsciousness.
