Fused

Chapter 7: Angels and Demons

It is easier to tell a person what life is not, rather than to tell them what it is. A child understands weeds that grow from lack of attention, in a garden.However, it is hard to explain the wild flowers that one gardener calls weeds,and another considers beautiful ground cover.

-Shannon L. Alder

***

"I can tell you're thinking about something.  What's on your mind Jos?"  Janelle sat cross legged on my bed.  Her long honey blond hair was piled in a messy bun on the top of her head and her books were spread out around her.  She had her planner in her lap and was gnawing on the end of her pen.  I don't know how she managed to look so disheveled and so beautiful at the same time.  It was kind of unfair.

"What? ...Oh. Nothing.  I'm not thinking about anything.  Just exams."  I said from my spot on the floor-- and it was total lie. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Like how in the world did my mom and dad actually bring Abel back?  How did they do it? What was the process for bringing someone back from the dead?

"Right."  She said sarcastically then more gently added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." 

We were supposed to be studying for our Art History exam except I couldn't get my head wrapped around the unit we were working on.  Our teacher dubbed it Angels and Demons.  He was a fan of Robert Langdon books.  I guess it was a suitable name for what we were studying; the artistic portrayal of heaven and hell, angels and demons from different religious traditions.  Janelle was a genius when it came to this stuff and I needed her help.  I was struggling with some of the interpretations and had difficulty focusing on the subject matter.  The whole heaven and hell thing was just a little too close to home right now.

"I met this guy last night..."  He wasn't what was distracting me but I needed something to tell Janelle. The subject of James was a permitted conversation while what was really occupying my thoughts was not... Okay, if I was being honest with myself...maybe he was distracting me a little too.

"Oh."  She perked up and looked at me intently, pushed her books aside while setting her pen down next to her planner and placed her full attention on me. The subject of boys trumped all. "Who is this Romeo that has diverted your attentions from our most important endeavors?"  She laughed.

"I don't really know much about him. I met him at the gym. Dylan was showing him around, trying to convince him to join one of the competitive teams.  I know his name is James and that's about it."

"Well he must have impressed you in some way?" She raised her thick perfectly arched brows at me. I was jealous of those brows.

"He did.  He seems really nice."  My mind drifted, caught up by the memory of the way his hand felt in mine.

"Earth to Jos... Nice huh? That's it?"

"Well, he's pretty freaking hot too." I laughed and so did she. 

"What does Dylan think?"

"Think about what?" I said defensively. This time I was graced by a single arched eyebrow. A look that said you've got to be kidding.

"Jeez, you too!"  I swatted her with a pillow from my bed. "Dylan doesn't think anything. He doesn't get to think anything. And why would he care what I thought about James anyways?" The arched eyebrow glaring at me became more severe.

"Janelle, Dylan and I are just friends. Besides, I just met James. I know nothing about him other than his name and I may never even see him again...," a knot formed in my gut at that statement, "...He may not join the team, he may never come back to the gym again." I couldn't imagine never seeing him again.