Emerge (10 page)

             
“Yeah
,
” h
e said. 

             
I could hear a sound like he stood up and his chair legs pushed back against the floor. My rabbit heart fluttered in building the courage.

             
“I love you more.” 

             
I hung up the phone quickly and pressed the
“erase” button on the caller ID
.  I then ran on my tip toes to my room and flounced into my bed.  I forced my breathing to mimic sleep as my insides still shook from his revelation.
I listened to the normal sounds of “them” as they tromped through the house noisily and then went to bed.
 
He loved me.  This guy who
is sweet and kind and gorgeous, h
e loves…me.
 
No, no matter what… I’m not giving him up.

Chapter 10

             
The next morning I tried to cover what was left of the already yellowing bruise on my ch
eek with
concealer
.  I also wore
my hair braided to the side of my face so that some of my not curly
,
but not straight wisps fall on that side of my face. I walked through school and remained unnoticed by most. T
he
famous
last period came around and when I entered the classroom
the chairs were back in a circle formation.  “Crap” I muttered under
my breath.  We only had about
six
weeks left of school.  Was he seriously going to make us do another play? 

             
Mr. Escobar came in and laughed so loud that I ducked my head in response.  He pointed his trigger finger at everyone and imaginary shot them one by one and said “Gotcha” I rolled my eyes.  He told us that for the rest of the semester we could use the period as a study hall. 

             
I made my way to the corner acting like I didn’t know who was already there waiting for me.  I looked up in false horror. 

             
“Hey, you’re in my seat
,
” I said. 
When did I get so cheeky and brave?

             
He laughed that soul soothing laugh and moved to the next seat. 

             
“I was warming it up for you.”  I smiled at him and laughed back. 

             
He turned his chair so that it was face to face with my desk and touching each other. He raised his hand in the air slowly, pulled back and started again.  He touched my face with the backs of his fingers so gently I barely even felt it. Then he turned his hand to touch my bruise with the pads of his fingers.  They were rough and calloused but felt like heaven, warm heaven. 

             
“Is this why you couldn’t come to school?” 

             
I nodded and he put his hands on the desk and clenched and unclenched them repeatedly. His knee was jerking furiously again. 

             
I let out a breathy
,
“Stop;
it’s
ok.” 

             
He shook his head “no” and started up again.  I tentatively reached out and covered his hands with as much of my tiny hands as I could. 

             
He instantly let up and said
,
“I wanna talk about this later.”

             
I nodded and we sat silently for a few minutes.  He pulled out a notebook and pencil and began to draw.  He had it tilted towards him so I couldn’t see and I
squinted
my eyes at him in aggravation. 
He was drawing something.
He just smiled and kept working.  My angry face wasn’t very intimidating apparently. 

             
Minutes ticked by and then he handed me a note on a piece of paper that read:

Are we going out tonight or not?

I scribbled back:

Yes.

He stared at it a minute and then wrote:

What about your parents?

             
I groaned out loud and he chuckled and I took the pencil back from him and wrote:

I’m gonna talk to them today when I get home.  Anyway, are you off work today?

             
He responded quickly. 

Yeah.  I asked for the day off.
I have to take my brother to work tonight though.
I’m gonna work
short shifts on
Saturday and Sunday during the day instead.  Then I go back Monday night.  Pick you up at 6:00?

I remembered I had to work that night and I wrote:

I have to work until 6:30.  Can you pick me up at 7:30? I need to shower and change.

             
He blushed as he read this and it was the sexiest thing I had ever seen in my life. 
I wanted to climb over the desk and bite his lower lip. 
But I couldn’t imagine what he was blushing at. I gave him a questioning look
with my eyebrows slightly furrowing
. He started drawing a line on the paper and then showed it to me. 
Shower
  was
underlined.
I quickly wrote back:

             
             
             
             
             
Gutter brain
             

 
I hid my face with my hands and he laughed nervously as he wrote back to me. 

             
             
             
Ok,
I  will
see you at 7:30. 
Parents?

I rolled my eyes and went to reply, but the bell rang.

We moved our desks back in place and I turned back to talk to him. 

             
I looked him dead in the eyes and I said
,
“I’m
eighteen
years old and I’ve only ever gone out with groups of people. I won’t let them stop me.” 

             
He put both hands on each side of my waist and gave a slow squeeze. 

             
He matched my direct eye contact and said
,
“Don’t let them stop you…please.” 

             
He started walking toward the door and glanced back one last time to smile at me.  I left shortly after I could move my legs again.

             
I rode the bus home and took that time to gather my courage in order to face what I had to tonight.  I got home and directly went into my parents’ room to say what I had to say. 
I walked into the room and started in without even saying “hello”.  I made my voice stay solid and firm.

             
“So
,
” I began. “Carlos is the boy who brought me home the other day and that’s him who was calling while you were gone.
.
.” I waved my hand in the air
..
. “Wherever.  I’m 18 and I work and put in for groceries here.  He asked me to go to the movies tonight and I’m going.  First I’m going to work and then he’s picking me up at 7:30.  I’m simply telling you so that you’ll know.”

             
Man, I’m gonna get my butt beat for that one.
I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms over my chest in satisfaction that I had gotten all I needed to say out. 
Even if they were the last words I would ever mutter.

             
My Mom and the Ty
r
ant smirked at each other and he said “Fine.  But your date…” He
sneered
the word “date”. “Is going to have to come in and let us meet him first.”  I shrugged one shoulder and noticed that my Mom was in pure
shock at the conversation being held in front of her.  Her eyes were bulged at my Step-Dad trying to convey a secret message to him. 

             
“Ok, that’s fine
,
”  I
said all smug with myself. 

             
I didn’t give them an opportunity to say anything else.  Instead I got dressed and picked on May for playing for playing with Pet Shops and then went to work early to try to make up my hours.
Before I left I scrolled through the caller id and wrote down Carlos’ number.
As soon as I got out of view of the house on my way to the music store I had to stop and lean against the concrete of the freeway underpass.  I let out a long breath that I could swear I had been holding for hours.  I then started giggling to myself.  It was there perched against a
crumbling
concrete column under the freeway that my hope, the hope I saw in my new found love, turned from a feeling into tru
th. 

             
I started to do my regular duties at work in a hurry.  There was a method to my madness
today
.  I vacuumed and dusted the whole store and straightened the shelves that needed it.  I finally made my way behind the desk and retrieved the sheet music that needed to be filed because it was in the wrong place, returned or the customer changed their mind.  I brought it to the storeroom which was hidden in this cool door which was flush against the wall and if you didn’t know there was a door there you wouldn’t be able to tell.  I hurried in
and closed the door behind me
and
first sorted the sheet music alphabetically by composer.  I snuck a look out through a small window on the side to ensure that no one was coming and took my chance.  I called the number I found on the caller id and shuffled back and forth on my feet as it rang. 

             
I nearly knocked over the shelves beside me when I heard the voice my heart desired answer, “Hello?” His voice literally melted me. 

             
I giggled a little, “Hi! It’s Jenna.” 

             
I could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, “Hey!! You called.  Aren’t you at work?”

             
I sighed. “Yeah, I took a…um…break to call you and let you know that we’re still on for tonight.” 

             
He breathed into the phone. “Good, I was kinda worried after the last couple of days that they weren’t gonna let you go.” 

             
I smiled. “Well, I
gotta
get off of this phone before I get caught
. I can’t talk long. But I wanted to let you know that I can go.”

             
He s
ighed. “Ok, I’ll see you at
seven thirty
. Bye.”

             
I purposely didn’t tell him that he had to meet my parents.
He hung up first this time and I was glad.  It was hard to hang up on him.  I filed all of the music with a spring in my step and before I knew it
six thirty
had rolled around. 

             
I ran home and showered and got dressed ignoring the snide remarks and mean comments my M
om was giving me. I looked in my closet and instantly panicked. 
I have nothing to wear.
  I pulled out a decent pair of jeans and found a cute black shirt which had some kind of design in white down one side.  I wore my cheap black Mary Jane’s and headed to the bathroom to make myself look less like “death warmed over”. 
My bruises were barely visible now.  She must not have been as strong or as good of aim as she thought.  I put on some minimal makeup and remembered that I had a pair of black flower earrings in my top drawer.  I put them on and put on some scented lotion that I had bought with one of my paycheck leftovers.  I walked out of my room and ran right into my Mom. 

             
I gathered some gall and said, “Well, do I look ok?” 

             
She glared at me and said, “As good as
you
can get, I guess.” 

             
She went to sit on the couch next to my Step-Dad and they just sat there while I cleaned up the bathroom and kept
myself
busy getting ready. 

             
The doorbell rang at 7:25 and I smiled at his early arrival.  I headed towards the door to ope
n it but was intercepted by my s
tep
Dad.

             
“Good try.” He smiled a creepy smile at me. 

             
I shuddered and goose bumps, not the good ones, came to life on my arms.