Star-Shaped Saphirs
“Jessica? Are you okay?”
I stopped tapping my pencil on my desk, looked up at the person who spoke to me and sighed when I recognized my friend Nelly.
“Yeah. I’m fine Nelly. Thanks for asking.”
And then I kept tapping my pencil on my desk.
“You know” she said. “I’m not sure you’re okay.”
“What makes you say that” I replied, starting to get frustrated at her insistance.
“Well…you’re staring at the math teacher who’s talking about geometry (and you NEVER listen to the math teacher), you’re face is all white and you won’t stop tapping you’re pencil on your desk.”
“Oh. So I see…I can not tap a pencil on my desk, right?”
I stopped doing whatever I was doing and stared at Nellie, daring her to answer. She sighed and turned to face the chalkboard at the front of the class before leaning over her math book, pretending to do geometry.
And I continued to tap my pencil on my desk until the math teacher turned around and looked at me in a way that said: “You either stop that, or you’re out of the class”.
***
Okay, Nellie was right. I wasn’t okay. I was completely nervous. Why? I had my reasons. So, there I was, sitting on an old-looking bench, in the middle of a deserted park, shaking like crazy. Thank God it was cold out so I could pretend that I was shaking because I was cold…not because i was nervous. HE said he would come. That’s what HE told me. HE would always be there for me if I was there for him. Thing is, I don’t know if I wanted him to be there for me. Actually, I dreamed of him leaving me alone. I looked up and there HE was, in front of me, wearing a black coat that covered his long, thin body, his dark hair coming down to his shoulders, his grey eyes light with an unusual glow and his skin paler than ever before. Though his overall look was weird, there was something special about him that made him look rather handsome.
A malicious smile appeared on his thin lips as he whispered a “hey”. I shivered at the sound of his voice; though it was calm, it had a something cold in its tone. I got up clumsily and tried to smile, but I somehow couldn’t.
“Look” I said. “I’ve got somewhere to be so…”
“You have somewhere to be?” he asked with his voice losing it’s calm part and his face turning into a frown. “I don’t think so, Jess. Now you look. I’ve got…(he paused) problems.”
I sighed impatiently.
“You ALWAYS have problems, Eric. And I’m tired of trying to solve them. What is it now? You’ve got the police after you for drug selling or something?”
“No…” he said, hesitating. “Not for drug selling.”
“WHAT?” My eyes widened. “What do you mean by not for drug selling? You’ve got the POLICE after you?!”
“I mean, Jess, that I’ve kind of…”
“Kind of what?”
“Kind of run away.”
“No” I said abruptly. “I am NOT letting you stay at my house.”
“Oh come on” he said pleadingly. “Why not? Your parents are gone for a week in Africa so-”
“What? How do you know that?”
“Jess.” He smirked. “You know that I know everything.”
“Exactly. That means you know where you’re going to stay.”
“Of course I do.” And he smirked again.
***
”DON’T touch that” I yelled as Eric was leaning down and approaching his hand of a miniature glass elephant. “My parents bought it when they went in India. And they expect to keep it intact forever.” I insisted on the last word while he straightened up and gave me an amused look.
I glanced at him warningly and placed the plater that I was holding on the coffee table in the living room. I sat down on the couch and took one of the two cups of hot chocolate that were on it. I stared at Eric for a moment and when he realised what my look meant, he took of his coat and scarf (first the scarf, then the coat) and sat down next to me, taking a sip of his hot chocolate before putting it back on the platter and leaning back, his hands under his head in a laid-back way. I gave him another warning look and he just stared back saying: