Amaranthine

Chapter Eleven

© Copyright 2011
All work is property of Leah Crichton, any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal.

Enigma: (uh-nig-mah)

a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation

a person of puzzling or contradictory character

 

Having Orion for a boyfriend was like every romance movie I’d ever loved actually happening to me. He doted on me with constant and admirable devotion, often telling me all the ways I was beautiful. I wasn't about to argue, surreal as it was. We hadn't done much. He had yet to really kiss me, although his lips often found my neck or my wrist, even my forehead. I was okay with this.

There were no lingering hints of his less than admirable temperament, which made it easy to forget.  His attention was like a bad habit. I started to crave it, crave him. I couldn’t get to school fast enough, and I never wanted to leave.

I stopped searching for motivation because it didn’t matter anymore. I wanted to enjoy things that were given to me, and liked to consider that maybe he was a gift from the Universe to somehow compensate for the accident.

Chloe took his warning seriously enough to not even so much as look my way, but she would often sneer or snicker at Mona, who swore up and down that it was only a matter of time before she’d get what was coming to her.

On a Friday afternoon our group was at their usual table, Orion and I stretched out on the grass beside them. My legs were pretzeled inside both of his as I listened to his plans to take me sailing that weekend. Our time alone together was limited, and every free moment this week I'd lost myself in ridiculous fantasies about what could happen. I replayed them over and over in my head like bad reruns. I was doing precisely this when I heard Chloe flip. The murmur of students talking was quieted by a piercing scream.

Orion was quick to untangle himself from me and jump to his feet. I mirrored his action to find Chloe pointing to her lunch tray, eyes wide as saucers. “They’re in my food!”

Tyler, confused by her proclamation, picked up her sandwich. “Nothing’s in your food, Chloe. Sit down, you’re making a scene.”

“Are you blind?” she screamed. “They’re everywhere!” She slapped at her arms and jumped up and down, tugging at her hair hysterically. “They’re on me. Get them off!”

Tyler was now visibly embarrassed but concerned for his friend. His fists clenched. “Get what

off?”

“The bugs! There’s bugs. Get them off me!”

The whole student body was staring at her. No one, including me, could see any bugs.

Mona smiled.

“Chloe there aren’t any bugs,” Tyler yelled. “What are you talking about?”

“They’re everywhere! Someone help me. Please help me!” Her attack on herself escalated as her nails dug deep into her flesh, scratching at nothing.

A snarl escaped from the back of Orion’s throat as his eyes tore through Mona. He gritted his teeth and pounded a fist on the table. “I told you to leave it alone!”  

Mona smiled at him and shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.” 

Orion stalked over to where Chloe stood. “Chloe, look at me. You’re imagining things,” he told her coolly. “There’s no bugs.”