She Is Beautiful

Five

Five
Together

"Ya punk with me tomorrow too?"

"Oh dear, son, your words. What do you mean punk."

Alona glanced at Charles. His head was bent down, his elbow on the table, his hand holding the pizza he was devouring. The way he lifted his eyes, his head not following, and the way he chomped roughly on his pizza and looked at her, Alona couldn't help but move closer to Mrs. Neil.

"He meant to say, if you'll watch a band with him." Mrs. Neil put more green peas over Alona's plate of cherry tomatoes. "It's a local band."

"Punk rock."

Alona managed a shaky smile. "No."

"Ya need to burn that pasty skin of ya. Is that why ya don't like outside? To be pasty." Charles yanked out three tissues, wiped the sides of his mouth with them and carried his plate as he stood and walked over to the sink. "Thought ya would, dawg. So why ya here?"

Alona didn't have the intention to answer, and she didn't need to because after Charles put his plate in the sink, he took off with his guitar, didn't even wait for her to answer. Alona took a deep breath. Anything involving her is not, never will be, important.

"He thinks you're here because tomorrow is his birthday. Celebrate-it-with-his-Mom kind of thought."

Alona swallowed. Hard. "I-Im sorry, Mrs. Neil."

Mrs. Neil laughed. "You did nothing to be sorry of, Alona."

Alona nodded, chewing, counting the remaining green peas she needed to finish. She never liked peas, beans, legumes, lentils, but her late grandmother was right. Some people try not to purge things out of what they call respect.

"Will you do me a favor?" Mrs. Neil's gaze was pleading. Alona felt a sharp pang inside her chest. "Can you go with my son? For me?"

Mrs. Neil doesn't normally ask Alona to do things for her. So Alona said yes. It was the least thing she could do for Mrs. Neil. Even if she hated it, she didn't want to forever regret not doing it for her only friend.

Alona stayed up till midnight talking with Mrs. Neil over the phone. Then opposite what she told Sander, that she'd be studying, Alona binge-watched the five movies of the Wormwood series.

Darker circles, dry and burning eyes, heavy and aching head, Alona planned to catch up on sleep on the bus or in Mr. Higgins' class. Mr. Higgins allows sleeping in class so long as the student is still following along with the class lectures and is not behind. Alona initially didn't like it. She thought Mr. Higgins' one lazy bum, but she saw him later on in a different light after she herself fell asleep in his class for the first time. Result of her watching late every night. Result of that "I don't date UGLIES," a memory Alona still hated, felt so ashamed of, and constantly wished she could erase.

Ever since that day, because of too much watching and reading, Alona had always been deprived of sleep. Before she knew it herself, she'd put her head down on her desk and drop off. To add to that, despite how many times she eats in a day and how much she eats in a meal, she was always feeling hungry. She used to not feel that way. Maybe it was the lack of sleep.

"Alona? Alona??"

Alona awakened with Henry's dashingly handsome face glowing before her eyes. Ochre color cheeks, light blue eyes that change hue from time to time depending on the light, now it was of a very light shade of blue, how Alona envisioned seeing that flawless face every morning when she opens her eyes.

"Class was over two hours ago."

Alona looked around panically. The room was empty. Except that Charles was asleep in his desk too. Head sank low in his arms and snoring. The yellow-orange afternoon rays of the setting sun were gleaming on his back. It was like watching a nostalgic movie. Alona's heart ached.

Hurriedly, she packed her books. She wore her bag and prepared to bolt out of the room when Henry stopped her.

"Mr. Higgins asked if someone could check on you."

Alona simpered. Irritated. But Henry saw it. With his kindness getting returned with awful ungratefulness, he felt offended. He was the only one in class nice enough to do what Mr. Higgins asked, and it displeased him that Alona's not even interested in saying thank you.

"No thank you at all?"

"Thank you." Alona turned on her heels. If Henry won't make way for her, the window's a decent exit. The room they were in was on the first floor anyway.

"Alona, I'm just trying to be—

"Kind to me? Then shi-with your kindness, Henry." Alona pushed the slider window with all her might. Henry not understanding her was a torture. Henry acting nice was a dagger rupturing the muscles of her chest and yet here he was, insisting on his unconditional kindness. Embarrassing her in front of many was hard enough for her. To be near him, with her feelings still leaping madly, she did not think she could bear the pain.

"Shi-what? When did kindness ever become a bad thing to deserve a cursing?" Henry watched as Alona kept pushing the window which he figured she had forgotten to unlock. He could not understand her. He could not understand why she was rejecting his offer of kindness.

Alona stopped pushing. "Because you're a birdbrain! Too dense a birdbrain!" She was already screaming. "I don't need you to be kind to me."

Henry sighed. "Alona, you don't turn down kindness."

If her ears could believe him, she would. But it was ridiculous. Without saying anything, Alona just turned, her steps headed towards the still sleeping Charles. She was reminded of Mrs. Neil's request. She shook Charles on his shoulders.

"Whaaat, dawg?"

Charles was glaring at her with his smokey eyes that Alona almost backed out, tell him to just go back to sleep.

"T-The rock band? A-Aren't we going watch it?"

"Punk rock, dawg." Charles stood, his doubting eyes fixated on Alona's. "What ya way too nervous of?"

Alona could not be honest and tell him that she was anxious about being next to him, nor could she confess that she was only going with him because his Mom asked her.

But then again, before she could make up another lie, Charles held her hand. "Loosen up. You're with me."