Keepsake

Chapter 11

Alysia Evers

I grab my backpack off the ground and clock out of work saying bye to the other co-workers before I walk out the glass double doors. To my amazement, I find a silver Chevy Cobalt parked out front with Marcus out of it and leaning against it. I timidly make my approach with the feeling of both being happy to see him and being scared of what he could be here to say.

I stop a few feet from him. "What are you doing here?" I ask in a tone that is harsh rather than gentle. It just came out that way.

"Well," he says and then thinks for a moment, "I called your mother and told her that I would pick you up for school. She commented that it was a good idea, so here I am."

A smile crosses my face bashfully. I look up and try to hide it. "What is this about?"

Marcus opens the passenger door and holds it. "I've got an idea I want to talk to you about. You can agree with it, or not. It's up to you."

I sit in and fasten my seatbelt. Marcus jumps in the driver side and we speed off. He doesn't speak right away so I had to start the conversation. "What's the idea?"

"It has come to my attention that no one at school ever knew that you and I were cousins while we were dating, right?"

"Right," I answer. The sound of cousins dating each other still had a sting in it.

"And since no one knows, they won't see anything odd about us hanging out like we always have done." He turns to me waiting for my response.

It hit me as a shock and excitement. Was he saying what I thought?

"There's nothing to be weird about. I know you're my cousin. We know we're related. So if our story to everyone is that we broke up but remain friends, it wouldn't change a thing around them." He holds my favorite smile.

The shock went down a bit. We were reduced to just friends now.

"What?" he asks when he notices my face. "It'll work as long as no one finds out that we're family. We can get passed all of the awkwardness that we've been having."

My eyes turn looking out the window with a dismayed face. "Yeah, I guess it could work." My voice was barely able to fake being cheerful.

"So, do you want to do it?"

I look at him forcing a happy face, "Let's do it."

We arrive at school and I put on my pretend attitude that I'm okay with all of this.

In my first class, I at least have Sarah who could cheer me up a bit. We work on a project together and eventually she noticed something odd about me.

"Earth to Alysia. Are you there?" she tries calling me out of my own world. I had been dazed out for I didn't know how long, and she was bumping my shoulder and moving her hand in front of my face. "Where are you, Alysia?"

I snap out of it. "What happened?"

"You're dosing off. Do you want a soda to wake you up when we get out of here? My treat."

I fiddle with my pen. "No, I'm okay."

"Are you still thinking of Marcus? I can tell you are. I thought I saw a smile come out of you, but then it frowned."

"Why would I be thinking of him?" I try to counter, but it wasn't convincing.

Sarah made a face. "Ever since you and him unofficially broke up, you've been different. Your mind wonders off into the unknown right in the middle of class and break. Everybody sees it." She gently runs her fingers through her silky red hair. "What's the problem?"