Eden (20 page)

After a pleasant lunch of fish and chips, pleasant because of the company, not the food, Eden and I made our way back outside.

“So what do you want tonight for dinner?” Eden asked.

“I’m too stuffed to think about food right now,” I admitted.

“Well we are only another block from the supermarket,” she pointed out, “so I might as well buy whatever we need now.”

“How about something light, like sushi?” I asked, “Can you make that or did you want to just grab some from the Chinese restaurant at the mall?”

“I can make sushi rolls if you want,” she told me, “I just need to pick up some ingredients.  What type do you want?”

“Philadelphia Rolls are my favorite,” I said, “They have salmon and cream cheese in them.”

“I know what’s in them, silly,” she laughed, “I’ve had them before.”

I kept forgetting that even though Eden looked my age, she’s had close to two hundred years to sample foods from all over the world.

“What did you want to do tonight?” I asked as we made our way to the local supermarket.

“We could watch a movie, or…,” she said, drawing out the last word as if she was trying to decide what she could suggest next, “…we could watch a movie,” she finished with a giggle.

I laughed along with her; there really wasn’t much else to do in East Harbor on a Sunday night without a car.

Entering the super market, Eden and I picked up the essentials for Philadelphia Rolls; rice, sheets of seaweed, raw salmon and cream cheese.  I had no idea that they sold packaged raw fish especially for making sushi rolls.  We also picked up some bottles of soda and snacks for the movie.  After paying for our food, Eden and I stopped at the DVD rental machine to choose a movie for tonight.

“What type of movie do you feel like watching tonight?” I asked her.

“Something scary,” she said with an evil grin, “I want to have an excuse to grab onto you tonight.”

“You don’t need any excuse,” I assured her laughing, “and I thought that you were afraid of scary movies.”

“I’m feeling especially brave tonight,” she assured me.

“Any particular movie you had in mind?” I asked, shrugging my shoulders.

“What is the name of that new movie about the ghost of an aborted baby that comes back to kill its mother,” Eden asked with a thoughtful look on her face.

“Isn’t that called ‘The Undesired’?” I told her, “I heard it is really creepy.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” her eyes lighting up when she saw the DVD advertised on the computer screen, “Let’s get that one.”

I was a little hesitant about renting that movie.  I had heard that it was really scary.  Even to me, it was a sure ticket to a sleepless night; I wasn’t sure how Eden would like it, but she looked so excited at the prospect of watching ‘The Undesired’ that I didn’t have the heart to say no.  My mother had given me a pre-paid debit card for situations like this, so I had no trouble scanning the card and renting the DVD.

With the DVD and bags of groceries in hand, we made our way back to Eden’s house.  I had never crossed the highway carrying so much, but with Eden practically dragging me, we had no problem making it to the other side safely.  When we reached Eden’s home, we packed the groceries in the refrigerator to keep them fresh until we would need them later.  We still had an hour or two to kill before we would start the movie.

“Is it okay if I run home for a second?” I asked Eden, “I just want to tell my mother that I’m eating over tonight.”

“Sure,” she agreed, “I’ll start the rice.”

“See you in a few,” I assured her, leaning over to kiss her lightly on the lips.

21

Dashing out of Eden’s front door, I began to race to my house.  On my way, I noticed Sir Strolls staring at me from the street.

“Getting mighty friendly with your new neighbor, I see,” he called to me.

“So?” I answered, making a face at him.

“I’m just saying,” Strolls explained quickly, “It’s a mite peculiar that I ain’t never seen the occupants that moved in there,” he added motioning towards Eden’s house, “All I ever see is you running back and forth like a jackrabbit in heat.”

“It’s really none of your business,” I said to him.  I was tempted to tell him that if he was so interested in the new occupants of the house that maybe he should just walk up and knock on the door; but I was afraid that he would do just that and for some reason the thought of Sir Strolls coming face-to-face with the beautiful Eden turned my stomach.  Instead I just ignored him and ran into my house.

“Mom,” I called slamming the door behind me, “I just stopped in to tell you that Eden is making dinner for me!”

“I suspected as much,” my mother answered from the living room peering out the front window, “Look, that creepy old man is standing out front again.”

“I know,” I told her, “I think he wants to see Eden or something.”

“Eww,” my mother cried, stepping back from the window, “what a pervert.”

“That’s funny,” I told her sarcastically, “I’ve been complaining about him for years and you always told me he was just a harmless old man.”

“It’s different with Eden,” she explained, “she is just so innocent.  I don’t like the idea of some perverted old man spying on her.”

Looking out the window I could see that Sir Strolls-a-Lot had moved on during our conversation; he was nowhere in sight.

“He’s gone now,” I told my mother, “I don’t think he means any harm, he’s just annoying.”

My mother still looked worried over the situation, but what could I tell her, that even if he had meant to cause harm to Eden, there was nothing that Strolls could do to hurt her?  I’d have fun trying to explain that without revealing Eden’s secret.

“So what is Eden making tonight?” my mother asked changing the subject.

I could also detect a trace of annoyance in her voice; my mother felt threatened.  I could feel a faint smile cross my lips as I replied, “She’s making sushi.”

“Sushi?” my mother repeated as if the thought of home made sushi had never occurred to her.

“Yeah, Eden’s making Philadelphia Rolls,” I told her.

She knew that Philly Rolls were my favorite type of sushi, but my parents had never been big fans; they liked their food burnt to a crisp.  Hopefully the knowledge that I was eating sushi with Eden tonight would please my mother; I got my sushi fix and my mom wouldn’t have to make a special stop for me.

“Just don’t forget that you have to be home by nine,” my mother reminded me.

“I know,” I replied.  Obviously my curfew was back in effect.  Looking up at the clock, I could see that it was almost six; if Eden and I were going to have dinner and watch a movie, I had better get back there.

“I’ll see you later,” I called to her as I made my way back next door.

When I got back to Eden’s, I was amazed that she had already made a huge mound of Philly rolls.

“Wow, you work fast,” I gasped in amazement as I picked up the heavy tray.

Taking the tray into the living room, I placed it on the coffee table.  Eden followed behind me with dishes of soy sauce to dip the rolls into and a bottle of soda.  I made one more trip into the kitchen to grab some glasses and snacks while Eden started the DVD.

The rolls were awesome due to the fact that Eden had bought the freshest ingredients available.  They were certainly better than anything I had gotten pre-made at the supermarket.  I made sure to mention the quality of the sushi to Eden numerous times, but she silenced me with a glare once the previews ended and the movie began.

The movie had its moments, but for the most part it wasn’t nearly as scary as it had sounded.  Maybe it was due to the fact that I was watching it with Eden, that it didn’t have the same effect on me that horror movies of the past had; or maybe Hollywood just lacked the imagination to create original movies anymore.  Whatever the reason may be, I didn’t feel like I would have any trouble sleeping tonight.

It was around 8:30 when the ending credits finally rolled up the screen and Eden turned up the lights.

“That wasn’t scary at all,” Eden admitted.  Not that much should seem scary to a super-strong immortal, but I didn’t point that fact out.

“Well, I’d better get going,” I told Eden as I cleared the dishes and glasses off the coffee table.

“I had a wonderful time with you today,” Eden told me after I placed the dishes in the kitchen sink.

“I had a great time, too,” I told her as I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her closer to me.

“See you tomorrow in school?” she asked, her lips inches from mine.

“Of course,” I almost laughed, it was amazing how someone as special and beautiful as Eden could still sound so insecure sometimes.

I kissed her gently, her lips parting at my probing tongue.  I didn’t want to leave her, I didn’t want this kiss to ever end; but of course that was impossible.  My lips felt cold when they were parted from the warmth of Eden’s.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” I answered.

“Good night,” she said after we made our way to the front door.

“Good night,” I repeated as I walked down her front steps and into the night.

As she closed the door behind me, I glanced around at the darkness surrounding me.  All of the confidence I had felt previously vanished and I half expected to see a ghostly fetus dragging its umbilical cord out from behind the bushes to strangle me.  Maybe tonight wouldn’t be as restful as I had thought.

22

The alarm jolted me awake the next morning.  I felt like I had barely gotten any sleep last night, I kept waking up in horror at the same nightmare – a devil baby strangling me with its umbilical cord that had the same consistency as a steel cable.  The dream was more horrifying than the movie we had watched last night, but the chances of it actually coming true were about the same.

Eden and I had barely gotten past the kissing stage at this point; so it would be far in the future, if at all, that I would have to worry about any attacks from devil babies.

Getting groggily out of bed, I began to get ready to begin another long week of school.

Other than the vivid nightmares, my day proceeded as normal.  That was until I approached my homeroom class.  Eden was standing outside the door surrounded by a group of popular girls; popular because they were all cheerleaders and high in the chain of command, as far as cheerleading could be concerned.  They were popular enough that even a certified nerd as myself, knew all of their names - Tiffany, Kinga and Rosa.

Tiffany was the Head Cheerleader, she had shoulder length brown hair and looked as All-American as apple pie.  Kinga was a tall statuesque blonde who defiantly looked European.  She looked nice enough, but I heard that if you mess with her, she wasn’t the type that let anything slide.  I knew that Rosa was Puerto Rican, but she didn’t look Spanish at all.  I thought that she looked Italian or something, but what did I know, I had never even left the state, much less the country.

The three of them were gathered around Eden and chatting intently, as I approached the group, I could over hear some of the conversation.

“…so since Charmi left the Squad we’ve had an opening that we need to fill,” Tiffany explained to Eden, “You seem to be in good physical shape and you are certainly beautiful enough to be an East Harbor Cheerleader.  We were wondering if you wanted to try out.”

“You’re so cute, you look just like me,” Rosa broke in with her sing-song voice, “I mean, other than the fact that you are Asian, your hair is longer than mine and your skin is pale white.”

“Yeah, other than those slight differences, the two of you could be twins,” Kinga added sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“Eww,” Rosa exclaimed, making a face as she noticed me listening to their conversation, “if you’re looking for some math problems to do, the classroom is that way.”

She waved her hand in the direction of our homeroom, shooing me off as if I was some distasteful rodent.

“Actually,” Eden broke in, “he’s my boyfriend.”

“For reals?” Rosa said in disbelief, “Don’t tell me that you are going out with this…”

She stopped as if she couldn’t decide what I was.  She didn’t even have the courtesy to disguise her disgust with me, like I was some kind of disease.  “Anyway, Eden,” she continued as if I was already gone, even though I hadn’t moved an inch, “if you are going to be a cheerleader you’ll have to trade up.  I’m already dating the quarterback, Esteban Sanchez, but there are plenty of other guys on the football team that you could get with.”

“I’ll stick with Thomas, thank you,” Eden told her, to my relief.

“What’evs,” Rosa sighed.

“Try outs are after school in the gym,” Tiffany said, glaring at Rosa for a second before gracing Eden with a smile, “We hope to see you there.”

As one, all three of them turned and walked down the hall.  I could overhear them talking amongst themselves as they departed.

“Don’t look at me like that Tiff,” I could hear Rosa whine, “I was nice to Timmy, or whatever the little troll’s name was.”

Eden looked at me and giggled, “Come on my little troll, it’s time for class.”

Eden made it a point not to let me forget my new nickname and called me ‘her little troll’ at every opportunity.  If she hadn’t said it in the most intimate of tones, I might have minded it, but how could I get mad when she called me her little troll so seductively?  When our last period ended Eden headed for the gym.

“I’m going to try outs,” she told me, “Did you want to come?”

“I don’t know,” I said feeling uncomfortable, “I won’t fit in around all those jocks.”

“And I will?” she questioned, “I don’t fit in with anyone in school except you.”

“So then why try out at all?” I asked her.

“Because this will be my only chance to be a normal teenage girl,” she explained, “and doesn’t every girl dream of being a cheerleader?”

“Only in the movies,” I told her.

“Well, up until now that’s been my only exposure to real life,” she said miserably, “Please let me do this.”

She looked at me with such a pleading expression, as if I could stop her from doing whatever she wanted; it made my heart break.

“Of course you can,” I assured her, “and I’ll go with you.”

I wasn’t looking forward to going, but how could I ever say no to Eden?  When we entered the gym, I was astounded at the number of girls here for the try outs.  The bleachers were full of guys; probably either boyfriends or just perverts looking to catch a glimpse of skin.

“I have to change into my gym clothes,” Eden told me patting the duffle bag on her shoulder; “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll just grab a seat in the bleachers,” I said.

“Ok, see you,” she said excitedly, giving me a quick kiss.

As Eden dashed across the gym towards the locker room, I turned and made my way to the bleachers.  As I found a spot to sit, a sudden thought occurred to me, I had forgotten all about the school bus.  Grabbing my cell phone, I quickly hit the speed dial for Matt’s number.  He picked up on the second ring.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m not taking the bus home today,” I explained to him over the noise in the gym, “Eden is trying out for the cheerleaders.”

“Are you serious?” he asked in amazement.

I wasn’t sure what he was more shocked about – Eden trying out, or the fact that he was missing seeing her in her gym clothes.

“Yeah,” I informed him, “this morning she was approached by Tiffany and the other cheerleaders.  I think she’s already got the place, the try outs are just a formality.”

I caught the look of irritation one of the nearby guys threw me; I wasn’t sure if it was because I was talking on my cell, or that I just said that Eden already got the place.  I gave him an apologetic shrug and finished my call.

“I just wanted to let you guys know not to wait for me,” I told Matt, “I’ll call you tonight and let you know how Eden does.”

“Alright,” Matt said before hanging up, “good luck.”

After a few minutes, Eden came out onto the gym floor, my jaw hit the ground when I saw her and I could hear a few gasps of surprise and admiration come from the crowd on the bleachers; even in simple shorts and a t-shirt, she looked beyond hot.

Scanning the other candidates I could pick out a few familiar faces in the crowd.  Some of the girls were nice and some were known skanks; who seemed to think that wearing revealing clothes would increase their chances of landing the open spot on the squad.  Unfortunately for them, all eyes were on Eden as she approached the line.

“Next up is Eden Sinclair,” Tiffany announced and the crowd clapped, it might just have been my imagination, but they seemed to be clapping with much more enthusiasm than they had for previous candidates.

When the music started, Eden broke into a routine what was heart stopping.  I had never seen anything like it, even in professional cheerleading; she was flawless.  The crowd was completely silent, no one said a word, and even Rosa’s jaw hit the floor.  No one could deny that Eden was guaranteed the open spot.  Even though there were a few girls left, their pom-poms drooped in defeat.  Tiffany had no choice but to close the try outs and declare Eden’s place on the squad.

“That was amazing,” I said in awe when Eden came over to the bleachers.

I could see all the envious glances I was getting from just about every guy in the gym as she rushed into my arms.

“Thanks,” she whispered shyly, “to be honest, I had to tone it down a little.”

“Are you serious?” I laughed quietly.

“I’ll be right back,” she said as she withdrew from my arms, “I have to go and change.”

“I’ll be waiting right here,” I assured her.

I couldn’t believe my luck, not only was I dating the most beautiful girl in school, but now she was a cheerleader!  I waited anxiously for Eden to return, I didn’t like the way that all the football players were staring at me.  Just as one of them decided to break rank and walk towards me, Eden came out of the locker room.  She jogged up to me and grabbing my hand, pulled me out into the hallway.

“I was so nervous,” Eden confessed as we made our way outside.

“Really?  You didn’t look nervous at all,” I assured her, holding her hand as we made our way to the street.

“Sorry, I made you miss the bus,” she apologized, “I guess this time I really should call for a taxi.  Unless you don’t mind if I run home carrying you piggy back.”

“As appealing as that sounds, I’ll have to decline,” I answered seriously.

Giggling, Eden withdrew her cell phone from her purse and called for a taxi.

We didn’t get home until after five.  I had forgotten to call home and tell my mother that I would be home late.  Normally, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but I was under curfew and I knew that I was going to be in trouble again.  Ready to face the music, I opened the front door.

“There you are,” my mother called immediately, “Why are you so late?”

“Eden had cheerleader try outs and she wanted me to go with her,” I blurted out.

“Cheerleader try outs?” my mother exclaimed, a gleam in her eyes, “How did she do?”

“She’s on the squad,” I announced, happy that my mother seemed to totally forget that I neglected to call.

“That’s great,” she cheered, “I bet she’s happy.”

“Yeah, she sure is,” I assured her.

“She might be too busy to cook you dinner every night now,” she contemplated.

I hadn’t thought of that.  I wasn’t sure how often the cheerleaders had practice, but it was sure to cut in on our alone time.

“You’d better invite Eden here for dinner on practice nights,” my mother ordered, “Since her parents are never home, I wouldn’t want the poor girl to spend all night cooking.”

“Plus, it would be nice to have you home for dinner for a change,” she added narrowing her eyes at me.

“I’ll make sure to mention it to her tonight,” I promised.

“You’re not going to make that girl cook tonight, are you?” my mother demanded.

“No, I was thinking of taking her to Benny’s,” I confessed.

“That’s good, when is her first practice?” my mother asked.

“Tomorrow night, I think,” I told her, “she has practice until six.”

“Then tell her dinner will be on the table tomorrow at 6:30,” she commanded.

“Ok,” I conceded.

“My son is dating a high school cheerleader,” my mother sighed to herself, smiling.  “I’m so proud.”

Smiling to myself I headed back out the door and over to Eden’s.  I was determined to take her someplace to celebrate her spot on the squad.  It just hit me; I really was dating a cheerleader!  Not only that, but I was dating the best cheerleader on the squad, and she told me that she had been holding back during try outs.