Superstitions

Part Two

October 28th, 2005

5:30pm

I sighed as I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. What on Earth did Karl see in me? I pick up my comb and start trying to work it through my hair. I must be nervous or something, though, because the comb somehow slips from my grasp and bounces off my dresser and onto the floor. Pretending like I meant to do that, I grab up my brush and start trying to fix the mess that is my hair.

"El, stop," Marco protested, moving up behind me and taking the brush from my hand. "You look beautiful," he assured me. I smiled despite the lie. "Okay, so, you're all dressed up, that means some place special. Come on, spill. Where's he taking you?" he asked slyly.

I glared at Marco and rolled my eyes. "I am not dressed up," I protested, but he only smiled knowingly. Fine. I am a little dressed up, but he doesn't have to look so smug about it. "And I don't know. Probably The Dot or something." Marco raised an eyebrow. "What?" I asked, turning to face him.

He shrugged and sat down on my bed, tossing his hat on the pillow. "Nothing. Just…you and Karl have been going out almost a month, right?"

I nodded, wondering what he was getting at.

"Has he ever...taken you anywhere nicer than The Dot?"

I scowled for real. As a matter of fact…no, but that didn't mean anything. "You know I don't care where we go. I don't have to have…Madison Gardens or anything. It's just stupid spending all that money on one meal."

Marco held up his hands in a gesture of appeasement. "I know. It's just…he treats you right. Right?" he asked softly, and I felt a little guilty for my scowl. He looked up at me with an odd expression that I just couldn't place.

"Sure he does," I assured Marco, wondering where this was coming from.

"And he makes you happy?" he pressed, and I recognized that part of the expression was genuine concern. There was something else to it, but I still couldn't decipher it.

"Of course," I guaranteed him, laughing a little bit to try and take the edge off his unexplained seriousness. "Why?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing. I just…I just want you to be happy." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes had a hollow far away look.

What was this about? I frowned as I sat down next to him, suddenly worried about him. My mind raced trying to figure out what was wrong. Problem was that I came up blank. I couldn't think of anything he'd told me about lately that would be bothering him. "Is something wrong?" I asked, a horrible feeling growing in my gut. The look in Marco's eyes had me ready to call Karl and tell him not to bother coming over tonight.

Marco shook his head, though. "I'm fine, El," he replied, his eyes not meeting mine. That really didn't make me feel better. I arched one eyebrow, and stared at him until he sighed, seeing that I wasn't going to accept that as an answer. "Really," he insisted.

I didn't buy it. "So um…how are things going with Frank?" I asked, fishing for an answer to Marco's sudden change of mood.

Marco shrugged noncommittally. "Okay I guess. He was over last night, but we haven't really gotten to spend much time together since he's gone back to the University," he admitted with a sigh. "He's coming over again tonight, though."

I arched one of my eyebrows. "So…you two have been dating for a little over a month?" I asked, turning the tables on him.

His smile turned a little more genuine and he nodded, already picking up on what was coming. "And no, he hasn't taken me anywhere nicer than The Dot."

"But he treats you right?" I asked in a slightly teasing voice, though I was completely serious.

"Oh shut up, Nash," he mock growled, snapping up one of the decoration pillows and batting me lightly with it. I could feel his mood immediately lightening again, and decided to go with it, quickly grabbing the pillow from him and returning the swat. I laughed as his eyes widened in surprise. Only Marco wouldn't see that coming.

"Make me, Del Rossi."

With a laugh, he grabbed for the other pillow, raising his arm in defense against my pre-emptive assault. Laughing, I changed my aim and hit him in the side. He winced and went down, curling in on himself. For a moment I thought he was kidding around, trying to get me to let down my guard so that he could retaliate. But he didn't move, and I could hear him taking shallow breaths. Something was very wrong.

"Marco?" I tossed the pillow aside quickly and reached over to him, placing my hand very lightly on his side.

"I'm okay," he replied tersely, flinching away from my hand.

Okay my ass.

"Yeah, that explains why tapping you with a pillow nearly sends you into convulsions. Now what's wrong?" I demand.

"Nothing."

"Marco, if you don't tell me what's wrong right now, I'm going to call an ambulance."

Marco rolled onto his back and looked up at me, his eyes watery. "Don't," he protested quietly. "I'm…it's nothing. I fell down some stairs yesterday. There's just a big bruise there. I don't need an ambulance."

I raised an eyebrow. Fell down some stairs? Much as I wanted to believe him, my gut told me that there was something else to the story. I frowned and kept his gaze. "Lift your shirt." He blinked and stared up at me in shock. I rolled my eyes. "Marco, I just need to make sure that you're okay. Hitting you with a pillow shouldn't cause you to collapse in pain even if it does hit a bruise."

He shook his head, and smiled faintly. "I know, it just caught me by surprise, okay?" He sat up, and moved away from me a little bit. "See? Fine."

I looked at him warningly, but before I could pursue the matter we had another more immediately pressing problem on our hands.

I screamed--more out of surprise than actual fear--as my window suddenly exploded inward. Marco grabbed my arm and pulled me to the floor leaning over me to shield me from the flying glass…and whatever it was that shattered it.

I could hear a flurry of activity and peeked out from Marco's arms, instinctively jerking back against him as something swooped toward us. A crow like the one in my dream. That's what broke through my window? I became aware that it wasn't just one, either. I could hear things being knocked over as the renegade birds ravaged my room.

Well…crap. My mom was going to kill me when she got back on Tuesday night.

"I'm going to try and get them out of here," Marco whispered as he reached up and grabbed the blanket from my bed, draping it over me. While I appreciated the gesture, this was my room, and my problem. When he stood, I rose with him. There were two birds in my room and three more sitting on the window sill. I watched as Marco shooed them away, then turned to figure out how to deal with the two that were left.

I cringed as one of the remaining crows crashed into my bookshelf, knocking several paperbacks to the floor.

"Grab the other end," I instructed Marco as I took hold of the blanket again. Maybe we could catch the birds in the blanket and get them back outside.

Without me having to tell him the plan, he quickly set to work doing just that. The plan turned out to be a good one and in a matter of only couple minutes of frantic attempts, we managed to get them both captured in the blanket and headed outside to set the two black birds free. Exhausted, we both flopped down into the big pile of leaves we'd raked earlier in the afternoon.

I felt totally unsettled as we watched the freed crows immediately return to my windowsill and roost next to the other three that had returned there as well.

"Great," I grumbled, looking up at them. Now I was going to have to go up and get the mess cleaned up and Karl was supposed to be here any minute. And, judging from how disheveled Marco was looking, I probably was a total mess myself. That was confirmed as Marco reached over and plucked a leaf from my hair and let it go to float off in the gentle autumn breeze.

I knew I should really get up and go start working on getting the glass cleaned up. And finding something to cover the window. And probably changing clothes and fixing my hair all over again. But it was just so…comfortable staying there with Marco. I glanced over at him and smiled as I saw the way he was gazing up into the trees, a wistful look on his face. For a couple minutes, I put off going back inside just to lie there in companionable silence with my best friend. I suddenly really wanted to call Karl and tell him not to come just so I could stay right there with Marco. We'd stay up until dawn just lying out in a pile of leaves and watching the world pass around us.

But of course that was a stupid idea. Marco mentioned that he was going out with Frank, anyway.

Still, I felt a really heavy feeling of dread as I made myself get up. I couldn't help but look back down at Marco, who'd made no attempt to move. For a moment I thought I saw the same far away look from before, but then the corners of his mouth turned up as he caught me looking at him. "Sorry, just was thinking…it'd be nice to just stay out here tonight. It's probably the last weekend before it gets too cold."

"I know…I was thinking it, too," I admitted, reaching down to help him up. "But Karl's going to be here any minute, and Frank…?" Marco nodded as he took my hand and I hauled him to his feet. "And ugh, I'm never going to get the glass picked up and everything in time," I grumbled, as we fell into step together, our hands still connected. To prove my point, Karl's car pulled into my driveway. I cringed inwardly. "Am I a total mess?" I asked Marco, hoping there was enough time to look presentable before my boyfriend spotted me.

"You look beautiful," Marco assured me, letting go of my hand to reach up and pluck another leaf from my hair. Oh yeah, beautiful, right. Marco obviously had blinders where his friends were concerned; I really needed to get inside so I could assess the damage for myself. Still, I couldn't help but feel pleased at his compliment.

"Thanks, Marco," I hugged him quickly, then grabbed the blanket from him and hurried back inside to fix myself up before Karl could catch up to me.

Beautiful was hardly the word for me, I acknowledged with a scowl, peering at my reflection in the hallway mirror. I was, as suspected, a total mess. Lying in a pile of leaves really wasn't such a great idea after all. I hurried upstairs to change out of my now-dirty outfit.

And damn it, I had to pick up the glass. I couldn't just leave it until I got home. And my blanket was a mess, too. I should really get it in the washer. I should tell Karl I need to stay home tonight and take care of this stuff.

Instead I grabbed a clean top and skirt and ducked into the bathroom to fix my hair and change, hoping that Marco would keep Karl busy for a couple minutes.

When I returned to my room several minutes later, though, I saw Marco hovering over a shoebox he'd grabbed from my closet. I peered into it and was startled to discover that inside the box was a sixth crow to match the five remaining perched on my windowsill. Probably the one that had broken my window in the first place. Marco was very carefully picking little shards of glass from its feathers. "I think it's going to be alright," he told me. "I'm pretty sure its wing is broken, but I can take him home until that heals…"

I nodded. "Or we can keep him here," I offered, figuring my mom wouldn't notice.

"We'll trade off. But you should go. Karl's waiting outside," Marco continued speaking in a very subdued voice. As if the crow needed 'hospital quiet' to heal. I nodded again, but sighed as I looked around at havoc the crows had wreaked. "Go on. I'll clean up, Frank's not meeting me for another hour."

"You don't have to--"

Marco smiled and waved me off. "It's okay, I don't mind."

I winced as I noticed that there was blood on his hand. I took the shoebox from him and placed it on my dresser, then turned and grasped his hand gently, seeking the cut.

He quickly pulled back from me. "I must have cut myself a little on the glass, don't worry about it, I'm fine. Don't keep your boyfriend waiting."

"But—"

"Ellie, really, go. I'll clean up here, and find something to cover the window." I shook my head, but Marco only laughed. "Go! And call me when you get home, okay? You shouldn't stay here alone until the window's fixed."

"I'll be fine."

"But I won't, because I'll worry about you all night," he replied with a smirk, knowing I would indulge him. I rolled my eyes to let him know I knew what he was up to, but nodded. I'd call him if it would make him happy.

Besides, I realized as I climbed into Karl's car a couple minutes later, it would give us an excuse to sleep outside after all.