Jenga

Chapter Nineteen- Matchmakers ~Fedora and Hugh~

"What are . . .  you doing here?"

I'm mad he asked that. "Is there a problem with me being here?"

I hide the dandelions behind my back as I close the door. But immediately, I'm figured out. "What's behind your back?" Charlie asks.

I hold out the dandelions to his face. "Here. Make a wish."

"No," he rejects. It hits me like an arrow when he says this, and I actually make the noise that people make in cheesy movies when they get shot.

He sees me, though, and laughs. Oh, so he thinks this is amusing? Me getting emotionally shot down by him?

Then I realize that one of the dandelions is in Charlie's hand, and, as if he were praying, he holds the flower close to his mouth and closes his eyes. Now I feel like touching his face.

A few seconds later, he opens his eyes and blows the dandelion flurries out of the window. They sore into the sky and although a few fall, most of them stay afloat.

Charlie turns his attention to me and I feel myself turn red. And this, this moment of silence makes me realize how beautiful Charlie is.

But then, he interrupts it with a loud yawn. Ugh, how rude.

"Come in, everyone!" he says.

I raise my eyebrows. What? Everyone else was here? That's embarrassing.

Arthur, a dull Wisty, Cyan, a slightly less angered Julia, and the twins walked inside. Those twins are still here?

I get up and walk outside, but not without one last look at Charlie. He looks at me and smugly smiles, only to get me flustered and I walk out the door faster.

I make it outside of the hospital and cease abruptly, only to feel two heads bump into my back. I turn around and there stand Fedora and Hugh, the terror twins rubbing their slightly bruised heads.

It shoudn't even hurt a little; my back is not that hard. They're just trying to act cute.

Anyway, I had confirmed when I got to the exit door that two people were following me, but I didn't know who.

"What do you want? Are you going to tease me?" I ask. They usually don't even bother to talk to me. Why do they want to approach me, now?

"Well, I would. You make it so obvious that you like him," Hugh retorts.

"My question was rhetorical," I mumble.

Fedora jabs Hugh in the arm and says, "But we're not here for that, right?" Then she turns to me. "We need your advice. It seems that Hugh is in love."

At first, my eyebrows made this twisted shape. Then, my eyes grow large. After, I outbreak into laughter. Hugh hangs his head and Fedora steps on my foot. "Ow! What was that for?" I say in mid-laughter.

"You're a girl, right?! Show that you care about this topic! Help him!" she demands.

"Exactly," I say to her, transferring my laughter from my mouth to my head, "I'm a girl, and Hugh's a boy. How am I supposed yo help him? Why can't you? You've never crushed on anybody before?"

Fedora rolls her eyes. "You shouldn't be talking. Isn't Charlie your first love? And you're 16."

Ignoring her remark, starting toward a bench, I say to Hugh, "First of all, can you tell me this girl's name?"

Hugh slouches and, with a dreaded expression, says, "Civa. I don't know her last."

No way. If what I heard is correct, Hugh just said he likes Civa. I hope it's not Charlie's Civa. If it is, the tension between the two of them will only grow.

"Describe her for me."

"She's short and in the 7th grade, a grade above me. We go to the same middle school. She has a striking face and bright personality, dark eyebrows and hazel eyes. She usually wears dresses, and has her short, blonde hair in a side ponytail."

This is, without a doubt, Civa Armstrong. But I won't say that. It'll only cause trouble. "You really like her, don't you, kid? Well, for starters, make small talks with her when you see her, ask her how her day was, and such. Don't be cheesy. Don't get her flowers, she won't like that. She'd like a book or an accessory. And most of all, be there to aid her, you're a lot smarter than she is, and don't be afraid to tell her how you feel."

I sound like a matchmaker, or even a therapist. Go me.

"You sound as if you know her," Hugh says.

Fedora interjects, "Wait, Hugh's not too good with talking to others besides me."

Yeah, I know what you mean. "Why? What's the problem? That's something you need to overcome yourself. I'll happen, only if you want it to and you use all of your strength."

"I'll explain," Fedora says, "When we were young, our parents paid more attention to Phoebe than to us. It made Hugh insecure and caused him to be a little anti-social."

He's not the only one who's anti-social.

"There was a time when Hugh came home late from school because of his swim meet, but our parents forgot that they'd assigned him to swim in the first place. So, they began to beat him. Looking back, Phoebe and I were cowards, because we could have--should have stopped them. But now, it's different. Now, Hugh and I are like--"

"A sword and shield. Separate parts, but they work together. Hugh is the sword, used for attack but is also vulnerable, and you, Fedora are the shield, protecting your brother from ultimate harm. Did I get it?"

I only say this because it's kind of similar to Max and I.

To my surprise, Fedora and Hugh smile. "Yeah, you nailed it."