Changed me

Where do I stand?

(Nile's POV)

            I'm definitely going to be sore in the morning. I am pretty sure my stomach was black and blue. When I bent down to pick Eli up it hurt like hell. The black long sleeve that adorned my body was doing its job, hiding the bruises that decorated my body.  I tried my hardest to suck it up. As I pulled the kid up I cringed when his leg grazed against the newest bruise. I could feel Manny's eyes burning holes into my back and I knew she didn't believe me. Eli hugged me quickly his arms wrapping tightly around my neck, and then ran back to the sofa.

            For a moment, the feel of the house engulfed me. A sense of peace filled the house. It gave off this warm welcoming feel that I loved. The first time we came over I remember walking in and instantly feeling at ease. I was dreading being dragged here for that party, but now I can't get enough. It was homey. The aroma of chocolate filled my nose and made my stomach growl all at the same time. I prayed it wasn't as loud as it sounded. I went home with the intentions of dealing with whatever had happened and eating. Too bad there were other things to take care of.

            "Here" Manny said placing a tray of cookies in front of me. She was still looking at me weird. Her nose crinkled. I could tell by looking at her that she wanted to chew on her bottom lip. That meant she wanted to push the subject. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head.

            "Thank you." I said grabbing a cookie. The taste of it teased my hunger, as my stomach demanded more.

            "Hey it's the least I can do. You saved me today." She said pulling at my shirt that still decorated her body. It was beyond me how she made a plain t-shirt look so good.  That will definitely be my favorite shirt for now on. I tried to fight it but I couldn't my eyes trailed down the length of her body. Then back to her heart shaped face. Her smooth coffee brown skin looked as if a bruise would forever damage it. The very thought of a bruise grazing her angered me.  

            "You're welcome. Just don't do that again." The words came out before I could stop myself. Nevertheless, I didn't want to take them back. The way word traveled around that school I heard about it before I even saw her. Truth be told it made my blood boil when I saw the way guys were looking at her. She was a beautiful girl who God definitely blessed. So it irritated the crap out of me. We didn't look at each other. She didn't respond to my comment instead she just got to work. I was thankful for that.

            Eli was planted on one side of the couch, so Manny and I sat on the opposite end. Manny kept a close eye on Eli and Lizzie glancing often at each of the kids. Lizzie was in her own little world chewing away at some toy and Eli was hypnotized by the movie.  I tried to look up some information on my computer, but Manny kept moving. She would move every two seconds as if my body wasn't already hyper aware that she was sitting close to me. She moved from side to side then she sat cross-legged. She finally settled on a spot but then the bouncing started. She bounced her leg up and down up and down. Placing my hand on her knee I stopped her. Her body immediately tensed up.

            "Do you have ADHD?" I asked smirking at her. Scrunching up her face she moved my hand from her knee.

            "I liked you better mute."

            "Oh really"

            "Yes" she said confidently crossing her arms and sitting up straight. I took that as a challenge. I knew how much it pissed her off when I didn't talk to her. So, I sat there and resumed working. We were silent for some time. Manny was still bouncing around like the energizer bunny reading through a few pages of the book. She started talking and I just followed along without saying a word.