Entry #534782, added on 09-12-07 @ 6:46 pm EDT
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| Chapter Twenty | Entry #534782 |
{Violet moped around the Cup O' Joe on Sunday, not sure why she felt so down, but she did. She'd woken that morning feeling empty, like there was no real reason for her to get up and go to work. But she'd forced herself to.
When her mother asked her what was wrong, she lied and said that nothing was wrong with her, when the truth was that she didn't know.
When she drove past Drake's house on her way to work and saw him by the curb, reaching into his mail box, she'd turned away and turned up her radio, pretending she hadn't seen him.
She looked in her rear-view mirror before getting out and going into work. She had deep, purple circles under her eyes after not sleeping the night before, and her hair was a mess. She reached into the backseat and found her spare brush, pulling it through her hair before getting out and facing the music.
Six hours later, she dazed into space while she waited for the shop's last few costumers to leave so that she could close up. When she heard the front door open, she barely looked up, letting only her eyes stray to the entrance.
When she saw who had walked through the door, she sighed loudly. "Christian!" She began to walk around the counter. "Julio," she called. "Could you watch the counter for a few minutes?"
Julio looked up from the paper cups that he was stacking in an intricate pattern on the far counter. "Sure," he answered then turned back to his design.
Violet joined Christian at a small table in the back of the shop and took off her smock. "I didn't know you were coming by," she told Christian.
"Yeah, I know. I just thought I would drop by after work." Christian's eyes narrowed on Violet's face. "Violet, you look really tired."
Violet dropped her head on the table and groaned. "I know. I was up all night. I couldn't sleep."
"Why? Is something wrong?"
She lifted her head and sighed, looking him in the eye. "Drake told me he was in love with me last night."
Christian's expression didn't change. He didn't laugh or seem shocked. After a few seconds passed, he said, "And?"
Violet's jaw dropped open. "What do you mean 'so'? He told me he was in love with me! Do you think it was a joke."
Christian's eyes wandered past Violet's head. "No, I don't think it was a joke. It's just that..." He put his arms out in a helpless gesture and his eyebrows went up.
"What?" Violet demanded.
"Well, duh!"
Violet blinked at him. "What?"
Christian's expression turned to confusion. "You didn't know?"
Violet looked down at the table and splayed her fingers out against the wood surface. She shook her head. "No, I didn't know."
"Oh. I thought it was pretty obvious."
Violet's head shot up. "Well, it wasn't obvious to me!" she snapped at him.
The couple from two tables over, a boy dressed in black and a girl in a heavy jacket stood and walked from the shop.
Violet and Christian watched them walk away, and then Violet stood and looked down at Christian. "I have to close up. You should go. I'll see you at school tomorrow."
She walked away, not wanting to look him in the eye. How could he have known something like that and not warned her? And why did she still feel so empty, like there was a hole right in the middle of her chest?
She slumped behind the counter and watched Christian walk out of the shop. She felt like she'd screwed up, like she'd done something horrible, even though she knew she hadn't. Had she?
Violet felt a lump rise in her throat, and she forced her fingers to hold still as she opened the cash drawer and handed the money to Julio, who was counting it.
But soon she had to stop because she couldn't see clearly through the haze of moisture that blurred her vision. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed quietly.
Why did she feel so terrible? She should be so happy, but somehow she felt bad for Drake. All this time he had felt something for her that she hadn't even realized, and now she wasn't sure that it would be the same between them.
He had let Christian come between them and cause such a gap that, after the news that he'd presented her with the night before, she wasn't sure that she would be able to fix it.
She felt Julio rub her back and looked up through her tears, forcing herself to smile so that he would know she was alright.
But she knew she wasn't.
"Mrs. Helaine!" Christian bellowed as he walked into the antique store.
Maggie looked up from the glass duck in front of her that she was checking for cracks. "Christian?" She glanced at her watch. They would be open for another half an hour. "What are you doing here?"
Christian came to stand in front of her by the counter. "I want out."
Maggie blinked at him, letting her hands fall to her sides. "Why?" she asked in disbelief. Prom was in six days and he wanted to back out now?
Christian looked down at his hands. "It just doesn't seem right anymore. Drake finally confessed that he was in love with Violet, and I can't bare to break up their friendship anymore."
Maggie threw her hands up. "Woah, woah, woah. One thing at a time. Drake said he was in love with Violet?"
Christian let out an exhausted breath. "Am I the only one who knew that he had feelings for her?"
"Not really," she breathed, pulling up a stool before her knees gave out. "I knew he liked her, cared about her, but I didn't think he was in love with her."
"That's what he told Violet."
"And what makes you think that you're breaking up their friendship?"
"Mrs. Helaine, eveer since we started hanging out, they've been tense. I think Drake's jealous, and now he's dating this hot blonde, and I can tell that it really bothers Violet, even if she'll never admit it."
Maggie put up a hand to stop him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. She was going into information overload. "You think Violet's jealous?"
"Yes," Christian stated loudly.
Maggie looked at Christian with unbelieving eyes. "You think she has feelings for Drake?"
Christian's brows knit together in thought. "I'm not sure, and I don't think she is either. That's why I want out. I don't want to come between them anymore."
Maggie felt sick to her stomach. Had she kept her daughter from the one thing that she really wanted? Had she taken away her chance to find out for herself if she had feelings for her best friend?
The whole time, she thought she was doing what was right for her daughter, but she may have done what was totally wrong for her.
"I'll give you the money you gave me, if you want."
Maggie shook her head. "No. I told you I would give you money for every day that you spent time with her until prom, and I'm going to keep my word."
"But I didn't keep mine. I'm not doing it until prom, so you don't have to pay me."
"You earned the money, it's yours."
Christian looked away from her. "Alright."
Maggie could tell that he wanted to say something else, but she couldn't decide what.
He took a deep breath. "Violet's a great girl. I'll admit, I really regret overlooking her unitl now. We could have been good friends. If I had really noticed her earlier, I may have even asked her out on a real date. But now, no matter how much I like her, I could never ask her to look at me that way, not after decieving her like this."
Now Maggie agreed with him, and she saw it as deception. "I understand, but you can still be her friend."
Christian nodded. "Yeah."
"Thanks for everything, Mrs. Helaine."
She didn't say anything as she watched him walk out of the shop and into the dark outside.
She was staring at the carpet in front of her when she saw a figure emerge from behind a shelf in the back. A tall girl with long blonde hair stepped up to the counter, a large smile on her face, and set a ceramic cross on the table.
Maggie's mind reeled as she tried to figure out where she'd seen the girl. Was she a friend of Violet's? No. The only real friend Violet had was Drake. And Christian.
But the girl's platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes seemed so familiar. She stopped and placed he hands on the glass counter. "Sweetie, have we met before?"
The girl's eyes were wide as she answered, "I don't think so. Aren't you Violet's mother?"
Maggie nodded. "That's me. Are you a friend of her's?"
The girl shrugged. "Not really. I just know her from school."
"What's your name?"
"Colette."
"Hmm." Maggie put her index finger on her chin and looked thoughful, but she still couldn't figure it out. "Nope. The name doesn't ring a bell."
"Montgomery," the Colette added. "Colette Montgomery."
Maggie snapped. "That's it! I know your mother. You look so much like her." Maggie handed Colette her plastic bag and waved goodbye at her.
It wasn't until Colette was long gone that Maggie's blood ran cold. had Colette heard what was said between her and Christian. If the girl knew Violet, wouldn't she know Christian as well?
Maggie dropped her face in her hands. She was a failure at this. |
© Copyright 2007 GryffindorGurl (UN: magicfreak11 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
GryffindorGurl has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
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