I Try

Chapter 8 - Monopoly

Beth’s Point of View

I felt sick again as we all sat on the roof once the sun had set. I was cold in the settling darkness but said nothing.  

All night Erika had been touchy-feely with Bryan and he'd done nothing to stop the advances. Did he not inform me right away he was gay? Why was he just letting it happen now?

Bryan grabbed graham crackers and chocolate for s'mores. Anna was clutching the bag of marshmallows to her chest as if it were her baby and she was about as ready to give it up. I was amused enough to feel a little relief but not enough to actually smile. 

“Anna! Give me the marshmallows!” he yelled. Playfully, but I could tell his patience was wearing thin. 

She shook her head once again. “Never.”

“But we can’t have dessert if you don’t give them to us,” Erika bribed her. Anna seemed to pause at this. I knew she had a sweet tooth. I was sitting in the farthest corner of the roof, shrouded in the shadows cast by the impending dusk. 

Finally, Anna handed the bag to Bryan, not Erika. I hated that my feelings toward Erika were shifting. She saved me in class today from the girl bullies. Why did I want a hawk to swoop down and carry her away?

It’ll go away, I told myself. It will. 

My heart jumped as Erika’s arm accidentally brushed Bryan’s reaching for the skewers they’d use for roasting the marshmallows. I stood up from my chair, removing his blanket from my lap and tossing it wherever it would land behind me. I didn’t care. 

I forced myself to join their small circle. Anna smiled at me as I approached and I pasted a false one onto my lips. If I smiled long enough it would become real, right?

“Okay, who’s first?” Erika was saying and I tuned into their conversation. She had a necklace around her neck that she was unclasping. I looked on as she placed it in her palm. 

The fire from the pit glowed against our faces. I was sat between Anna and Erika now, across from Bryan. I didn’t look at him. 

“Okay. This is a myth that my family does all the time, and it’s always right. This is a way to tell how many children you’ll have and what gender they’ll be. Who’s first?”

The crackling of the fire greeted her, as did skeptical glances. She sighed and flattened her own palm in front of her. “Fine, I’ll go.” She held the chain by the top and let it collect in her hand all the way down before pulling it back up again. It swung back and forth like a pendulum. “That means a boy.” She explained. She let it collect in her palm again before she repeated the process. It went back and forth twice more before staying still. 

“Three sons.” She said when it stopped moving. Her grin was sparkling and I felt uneasy. “It’s always said that.”