My father begging, pleading. The man throws his head back with a loud laugh. The smell of sulfur hangs heavy in the air. It clogs my nostrils. I feel it filling my lungs like sand with each breath I take.
I concentrated so hard on the images in my head, trying to make sense of them, to figure out who the mysterious man sitting in my parent’s living room was, I almost missed the sound. Just a whisper, really.
I’m coming for them, Milayna.
I screamed.
“Milayna!” my dad yelled.
“I’m okay… just stubbed my toe. It’s fine.” I wasn’t sure why I lied, but it felt like the thing to do at the time. How could I explain a vision to my parents I didn’t understand myself? It would only upset them.
Padding into my bathroom, I splashed some cold water on my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My green eyes were dull, filled with confusion and something else.
Fear.
***
Friday. I’d hoped it wouldn’t come.
“We’re still good for tonight right? No cold feet?”
I smiled at Xavier. “Yes, we’re good for tonight.” I couldn’t hurt his feelings.
He let out a breath. “Good.”
Word of our date quickly made its way around school. I could hear people talking about it in the hallway. Girls were jealous, calling me skanky and slutty. I felt like I should be wearing a scarlet letter across my chest. Boys were happy. One less fish to compete against in the high-school dating pool. And Xavier was a big fish.
“I can’t believe you’re going through with this.” Jen eyed Xavier across the room. “I mean, you just broke up with Chay.”
“Actually, he broke up with me. Big difference. Besides, it’s not a real date.”
“So why go?”
I don’t know. I guess ‘cuz I want to, and maybe I want to make Chay a little jealous.
I shrugged a shoulder. Jen smirked like she’d heard my thoughts. “He’s not the jealous type, you know.”
“Who?”
“Chay.”
I snorted. “You’d be surprised what Chay Roberts is and isn’t.”
The day went by in a blur. Classes ran into each other. Lunch sped by at lightning-fast speed and before I knew it, Muriel and I were driving home from school.
“He’s pissed, you know,” Muriel told me.
“Who?” I already knew the answer.
She sighed. “Chay.”
“Well, he gave up the right to be mad. What do you think, Muriel, am I making a huge mistake?”
“Probably, but what fun would life be if we didn’t take a risk or two?”
“So if it were you and Drew, you’d go?”
“In a friggin’ heartbeat.”
Chay texted me after school. My finger hovered over the read message button. Did I want to know what he had to say? Yes. I pressed the button, biting my lower lip as I waited for the message to display.
Chay: You’re going out with him?
I could almost hear the accusation in his voice.
Me: Is there a reason I shouldn’t?
I prayed he would say yes. That there was a reason I shouldn’t go out with Xavier. I wanted him to tell me it was all a big mistake. He didn’t mean what he said. He did love me.
Chay: No. No reason.
I tossed my phone onto my bed and walked into the bathroom to get ready for my non-date with Xavier.
The doorbell rang at exactly six o’clock. I plodded down the stairs to the foyer. Plastering on a smile, I opened the door. All I saw was a gigantic bouquet of red roses, and then Xavier peered around them, wearing a dimpled grin.
“Hi. And before you say anything, I know this isn’t a date. So these flowers are just for a friend of mine.”
“Thank you.” I smiled and took the enormous bouquet from him. “Geez, how many are there?”
“You can count them later. C’mon, we’ll be late for the movie.”
“Lemme get my jacket.” I carried the roses into the kitchen. Their sweet smell surrounded me like a cloud, and I breathed them in. “Mom? Would you please put these in water for me? Xavier and I are going to be late for the movie if we don’t leave.”
“Sure. Wow, look at them all.”
“I know.” I giggled.
And that was how our non-date, date started—me giggling like a little girl over some flowers. And it only got better from there. Xavier was easy to be with. Our non-date lacked the tension I was expecting. It was effortless.
“Where are we going?”
The spring days were getting longer and the last of the day’s sun streamed through the window, making Xavier’s black hair shine. I tried not to look. It wasn’t like we were on a date. I shouldn’t care about his hair or how it looked in the sun. Maddeningly enough, I kept looking. Even more so, he knew it. I could tell by the way his lips pursed as he tried to hide his grin.
“I found a little movie theater downtown. It’s pretty cool. I thought you’d like it.” He glanced at me before turning his gaze back to the road.
It was an older movie theater that had been restored. It had a glowing marquee with lights trailing around it. Neon lights decorated the front, framing vintage movie posters.
“It’s so cool.” I looked up at the lighted marquee. It was so bright it overshadowed the streetlights.