Elixir

Chapter 2 - Worst Day Ever

“Umm…” I stuttered, unsure of what to do. I just kept staring at his face, trying to take in every ounce of his unmistakable beauty. “Uh, I’m Violet.” I finally managed, relieved that I was able to accomplish a complete sentence. I began to brush my fingers through my filthy wet hair, trying to reach some level of normality, but finding it useless because even if my day had gone normally, I still couldn’t even compare to what he looked like standing right in front of me.

He reminded me of some sort of young male supermodel, with his shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes that were studying my face rapidly; making me feel self-conscious. He had a perfect tan, a dark orange, not quite brown. Almost like he was from Mexico, but just barely light enough to know that he just spent a lot of time in the sun. He smiled, and I couldn’t help smiling in return because it was the kinds of smile that was contagious, and made the day brighten, and it impossible not to smile in return.

“Where are you from?” I asked, looking down his lightly muscular arms at then back at his face. “California.” Alex answered. “Oh.” I said. That explained the tan and the surfing look. “Why did you move to Texas?” I asked, afraid that I was asking too many questions. But he just sat down in the seat in front of me, the same seat that Dianna had been sitting in a moment ago, but she had somehow disappeared for the time being. “My Dad is in the army. I was born in Texas, but moved to Cali when I was 2. We moved to an army base in the mountains of Cali, not in Hollywood or something like most people think of when someone speaks of California. My mom and I came here because my Dad had to go to Afghanistan, and my grandparents are here. That’s where we are living at the moment, until my Mom finds an apartment or something that we can stay in until my Dad gets back.” Alex replied. “Oh. Wow.” That was all I could say. I had heard and seen people in the war there, but I couldn’t imagine anyone I knew to be there, much less my own father. That must be horrible.

Alex and I talked and talked the rest of the way to school. Katie had fallen asleep in the seat next to me, so she wasn’t a disturbance. I found out that he was in most of my classes, my homeroom, and my lunch table. We didn’t have 1st period together, but that was because I had Algebra 2, and he was only in 1. Then we would meet up again for world history 2nd period, then English in 3rd. 4th period we both shared lunch, and 5th and 6th period we also shared. I knew one thing, if nothing at all. Today was going to be amazing.

—

Katie had fallen asleep next to me, and once we arrived, she looked quizzically at Alex and asked, “Who are you, Violet’s boyfriend or something?”  I immediately blushed and looked down at my feet. I was about to answer when Alex interrupted and said, “No. We just met.” At that, I’m not sure exactly why, but my heart sank. I suppose it was because he said he wasn’t my boyfriend, even though he wasn’t. I thought that that meant that he didn’t like me, and wouldn’t be my boyfriend, which as usual I was completely wrong about and just jumped to the nearest conclusion my near-sighted brain thought possible.

After 1st period was over, I was nearly jumping out of my seat with nervousness at seeing Alex again.

I walked into History and sat down at the desk farthest from the front of the room, leaving a desk right next to me in case Alex sat there. I looked to the classroom and found that I was the first one there.

My math teacher must have let us out early, but I was too much engulfed in my own little world to realize it. So I began to draw on I scrap piece of paper until class started. We were currently talking about Greek and Roman mythology, which I had already studied and found quite interesting. My favorite was Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy. My greatest asset was wisdom, and I remembered almost everything that I read or saw, and was great at math and science. I knew almost all of the gods’ names in both Greek and Roman form, along with the different hero’s such as Perseus and Jason.

I began to draw owls’, which were Athena’s symbol, until they nearly covered the entire page. I turned the page over to the back where I tried to draw Helen of Troy running away with Paris, while Meneleus, Helen’s husband was kissing another woman behind Helen’s back. I wasn’t the best drawer, but I managed to draw what looked like a man and a woman riding away in a carriage, which more looked like a spaceship pulled by horses than a carriage. In the background, I drew a man, kissing what looked like a very pregnant woman, which thankfully was accurate because the slave that Meneleus was cheating with was indeed pregnant. All of this was under the moon, which aloud me to cover their faces with shadows instead of drawing their features.

Alex came and sat down next to me. My stomach fluttered. “No.” I thought. I don’t like him. Besides, he just got here. “What are you drawing?” He asked. “What, Oh um nothing, Just Greek Mythology.” I stammered. “Cool, what is the drawing of?” He asked, causing me to feel a little bit like I was being interrogated. “Um, Helen ran away with her lover Paris because her husband Menelaus was cheating on her.” I answered, summarizing much else that I knew. “Oh.” He said, “I would never cheat on someone like Helen.” He said blushing as he talked. “What kind of person is Helen?” I asked, wondering why he would say something like that if all he knew was only the short summary that I told him. “Well, I do know a little bit about Greek Mythology…” He claimed. “Then why did you ask me what the drawing was about?” I asked. “Because I wanted to hear you tell it.” He answered blushing even redder. I couldn’t help but wonder if he liked me from blushing so hard.

“Good morning class!” Mrs. Andromeda called from entering the door. Was I imagining it, or did Alex sigh of relief? I couldn’t know. “How many of you know about Athena?” Mrs. Andromeda asked. I raised my hand. “Yes Violet?” She said pointing to my hand. “Athena is the goddess of wisdom and strategy.” I answered. We had been talking about one god/goddess of Greek and Roman mythology every day. I had read the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and liked it so much that I did my own research and read many other things about Greek and Roman mythology.

“How do u no so much bout grek myth” Alex wrote on a piece of paper in his Latin journal. “Percy Jackson.” I answered. We kept talking in his journal, and the whole time my head started hurting, and stomach began hurting so bad I was in physical pain. “Not again.” I murmured clutching my stomach.

My mom had been worried that I had been sick too often because this was the third time this month that I had felt bad. I assured him that I was fine and each time just stayed home and endured it. I shut my eyes, as if that would stop the pain in my stomach. Alex noticed, “Are you okay?” He asked. I didn’t want to go home, and I still wanted to enjoy being with him, so I tried to ignore it and sat up, removing my hands from my stomach, but not before I fainted, falling to the ground. The last thing I remembered was Alex catching me too late before I hit the tile and blacked out.