The Phone Charm Valentine

The Day Before

I didn't get much sleep and my hand hurt a lot worse in the morning. Swollen up quite a bit too. I walked my brothers to school and told them where to meet me after. They all hugged me tightly before walking in. I smiled softly. There was a bruise on my jaw from the slap and I could cover it up. It hurt to touch. I swallowed thickly and sighed. My phone rang and I pulled it out. It was Connor. "What?" I answered.
"I have the paperwork from the school if you're really seriously about it," he responded. "If you drop out you're getting your GED ok? Please just think about it." My eyes widened. "Why the sudden change of heart?" I questioned.
"I've never hit you like that in my life," Connor muttered. "I regret it. I regret it a lot. And...you're right we need the money. I wish we didn't. It's up to you. I'll respect your decision. And I'm sorry about last night." My heart ached. "I'm sorry too," I said as I walked onto the school campus. "I didn't need to yell. I'm at school now so I'll check in later ok?" I heard an exhale of relief. "Yeah," he said. "I'll see you later." I hung up as I walked into my classroom. Dana was sat at her desk. I froze in the doorway. She was wearing a purple button up today. The sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair in a low bun. And she wore thicker eyeliner, even lipstick today. She was reading a book. Her hand wrapped around a travel mug with brown lipstick marks. Her eyes flicked up to me and she sat up more. "Good morning," she said softly. I nodded to her and walked in the room. On my desk I saw a box of protein bars and then some chocolate granola bars. "You really didn't have to," I said going to her desk. She shrugged and closed her book. Her legs crossed and I saw a pair of heels on her feet. My eyes widened. "Something wrong?" She asked. I blushed a bit and gestured to her shoes. "You don't wear heels," I commented. She looked at her shoes then up to me. "You noticed," she said. I blushed darker. My voice caught in my throat and I chuckled uncomfortably. "Uh yeah ha I guess," I muttered looking away.
"I'm just messing with you," said the girl in front of me, with an award winning smile. I blushed even darker. "I have a meeting with the school board after school," she explained. "So I figured I would do this." I scanned her. She stood up and gave a little twirl. I grabbed onto the teachers podium. "Do I look alright?" She asked. My heart was racing. I nodded eagerly as I scanned her. Her figure...her waist...her curves...her legs. She was gorgeous. The heels were perfect. "You look amazing," I confessed. "Really really amazing." She pauses and blinked. "Really?" She asked softly. I nodded. Blushing darkly. She blushed too and smiled. "Thank you," she said equally as soft as her hair looked. I cleared my throat and turned away. "Y-you're welcome," i breathed. We fell silent. It was so obvious that I liked her. I hated that. "Um, enjoy your book," I said not looking at her. I moved over to my desk and sat down. I moved the boxes into my back and slid down in my chair. Dana sat back down at her desk and continued to read. I glanced at the back of her head. Her ears were twinged pink. I blushed darker and looked out the window. My eyes closed and I laid my head down on the desk. My right hand up and over my head. People slowly started to arrive and Dana and I didn't talk for the rest of the morning. But I couldn't help but watch her. Especially when she walked. She was fluid on her feet as if she's been in heels all her life. She turned something in the the teacher and when she turned back, her eyes met mine. I blushed darkly. She stumbled a bit as she sat down and shifted uncomfortably. Trying to block that out. My eyes were wide. I bit my lip and looked at the desk. Her eyes hadn't even gone anywhere else. They went directly to mine. I smiled brightly and looked out the window. When lunch rolled around I took out my phone. I had a message from Connor saying that I should buy something if I wanted to to give it to someone tomorrow. I blushed darkly and ignored it. Someone slid into the seat next to mine. I looked over and saw Dana reading her book. She had a protein bar herself. My eyes widened when I saw her. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she concentrated on her book. The girls she usually hung out with all gave me dirty looks. I sighed through my nose and looked to the side. "Oh my god," Dana muttered and I looked at her. She was staring shocked at my hand. I looked and saw I was bleeding through the bandage. "Oh crap," I said hugging it to my chest as I stood.
"Come on we're going to the nurse," Dana said standing.
"N-no," I said going into my bag. "No it's ok I can just go the the-" she grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the class. My heart stopped and suddenly I couldn't think. She dragged me along rather easily. I couldn't breathe. "What the hell happened to you?" Dana demanded. I snapped out of it and yanked my hand back. "Wait Dana," I panted. "Hold on. I'm ok. Really. I'll just clean this up in the bathroom." She frowned. "Let me help," she said. "I'll make sure it's properly dressed."
"You know how to dress a wound?" I asked in shock.
"I read it in a book once," answered the ever growing mystery. She walked with me to the outside sink used to fill buckets and attach hoses. I pulled out the bandages and sat on the edge of the sink. Dana grabbed my hand and undid the bandages. "What happened?" She asked quietly as she wet some cloth to clean me off. I didn't want to answer. I watched her hands work. My fingers moved and closed around the ones on her left hand. She paused for a moment and looked to my face. I refused to look anywhere else. She didn't say another word as she carefully held my hand. Pouring a bit of alcohol on my skin. I hissed and tensed around her hand tightly. Regretting bringing that. "Sorry," Dana whispered. "It's ok." I bit my lip and turned away. She carefully wrapped it up for me. It was a lot better then when I did it myself. I looked and saw her heels sinking into the grass getting muddy. "I'm sorry about your shoes," I whispered. She looked at them. "I don't care," she said. "Tell me what happened to your hand. And your cheek oh my god." She grabbed my chin and turned my head a bit to get a better look. My heart stopped. She carefully touched my cheek. The world vanished around us. My eyes flicked to her concerned face. Her fingers were soft. Gentle on my skin. Her eyes met mine and she blushed pulling her hand from my face. I looked at her hand around mine. "I um," I muttered. "I got into a fight with my brother. He slapped me...and I punched a tree a few times." Her eyes widened. "Over what?" She asked. "What did you fight about?" Memories of the night flashed through my vision. "I don't really want to talk about it," I told her. Dana's eyes met mine. We fell silent for a moment. Then she nodded. "When are you working tonight?" She asked. "I want to stop in and get some more things."
"You don't need to be there when I am," I told her. She blushed a bit. "Well it's easier with someone I know," she admitted. My heart skipped a beat. Both of us blushed darker and pulled away awkwardly. "T-thanks for the help," I cleared my throat. She shrugged and waved her hand. "No problem," she said looking away. I looked at my bandaged hand. We walked back inside and to the classroom. "Eat please," the girl said as she sat next to me. I nodded and pulled out one of the bars she bought. We stayed quiet for the rest of lunch. She was blushing quite a bit actually. When lunch was over she walked back to her desk. And I couldn't help but watch her move. She looked beautiful today I couldn't deny that. The way she moved was just mesmerizing. I blushed darkly and looked at my right hand. I could practically feel her hand in mine. I lifted it to my mouth and kissed my fingers. Wishing her hand was still there. After school I waited for everyone else to leave before packing up. My hand aching from trying to take notes. "Eli," Dana said catching my attention. "See you later right?" I blushed darkly. I nodded. "Have a good meeting," I wished her. She smiled kindly and nodded to me before walking out of the class. I sighed and stood up. My brothers were waiting for me when I got to their class. I ruffled james' hair. He was blushing. Obviously deep in thought. "He's been talking about the girl he likes all day," Jeffy said to me.
"Oh yeah tell me about this girl," I said steering him towards the shops.
"Eli," James whined.
"I'm serious I wanna know," I chuckled.
"'She has hair like gold'," Grayson quoted in a sing song voice.
"'Her skin like caramel'," Jeffy said in the same tone. My eyebrows raised and James looked mortified. "'Her eyes are dark and mysterious'," Grayson said beaming. "'She's beautiful she's smart she's the whole package I don't have a chance.'"
"You said all this kiddo?" I asked looking to James. He looked at the ground and grumbled a bit. "If she's lucky enough to have you looking at her I bet shes amazing," I said. "You've totally got a chance."
"I don't care if I do," my brother said I'm a low voice. "I just want to make her smile." My heart reached out to him. I ruffled his hair again as we walked into a shopping center. The other boys mocked him with kissy faces and exaggerated lovey looks. I chuckled and james' entire body tensed. "Are you going to ask her out?" I asked as we walked into a grocery store. James looked scared. "I umm I've never been on a date I wouldn't know what to do," he stammered.
"Why don't you ask her to the movies?" I suggested. "Write it on the card to the candies." He looked so scared. "James have you ever actually talked to her?" I asked.
"She tutors me at lunch," he answered. "And I just like being with her. She's really funny. She's just nice to be around." I smiled. Dana flashing in my thoughts. "What does she like?" I asked. Grayson and Jeffy were looking at the other sweets. "She likes drawing," James said rubbing the back of his head. "She paints apparently. I didn't know that until yesterday. And she likes makeup. She says it's art on the face." I smirked. "Do you maybe want to get her something other than chocolate then?" I asked pointing to the cosmetic section. His eyes widened. "Really?" He asked. I nodded. "Go pick something out," I suggested. "Something you think she would like. I'll be here with the others." He nodded and jogged off. Neither of the other two had a significant crush they wanted to buy for. They just bought little gifts for their teachers. Small heart shaped boxes. I thought of Dana as I looked at the candies. I wasn't sure if she would appreciate any of it. I decided not to buy her anything. The phone charm entered my mind. Crap I forgot to give it to her. Would she see it as a Valentine's Day present? I should clarify that it's not...oh I'm seeing her that night right? I swallowed thickly. I looked over when I saw james walk up. He was holding a small tube in his hand. Lipstick I could see. It was a berry tone. Red with a hint of purple. He was blushing. "She likes these colors," he whispered. I smiled. "Perfect," I remarked and he smiled widely. "Get her a box of chocolates to go with it too." He nodded and caught up with the other two. I sighed and followed him. I was able to pay for everything with the money Connor gave me. James seemed really excited. All of them were going to write cards to go with the gifts. I walked behind them on the way home. They all talked happily. It gave me a sense of calm as I saw how happy they were. When we got home I made sure to tell the boys to do their homework. They ran up the stairs to the younger boys room. I heard a voice in the living room and I checked inside. The tv was still playing. I saw my dads form. He was standing up out of the chair. "Hey dad," I said as he trudged past me. He didn't respond to me as he slid into the bathroom and closed the door. My jaw clenched and my stomach started to hurt. Burn almost. I waited for him to come back out. He trudged into the kitchen and grabbed a beer. Connor wasn't old enough to buy them but he used my dad's old college ID and it worked just fine. "Dad," I said trying to get his attention. He didn't respond. I got in his way and he stopped walking. "Dad," I said shakily. "You can hear me right?" He didn't respond. "Say something," I urged. "Please." He walked around me and into the living room. When he sat down again I knew there was no chance of getting him to respond. He was like a ghost floating around the house. I clenched my jaw and decided to get ready for work. I told the boys I was leaving and they all wished me a good day. I looked at my hand as I walked. I felt myself going through the motions. Checking stock, checking out purchased, keeping the store clean. Not many people came to the store. So my coworkers waiting in the break room watching the security monitors waiting for customers. I stayed out on the main floor reorganizing the fabrics and the yarns. It was a rather boring night. By the time closing rolled around, Dana hadn't visited. I frowned as I walked home. My phone buzzed and I took it out.
I didn't make it in time I'm sorry. I'll see you tomorrow though
I smiled a bit. Feeling a little better now that she sent me a message. When I got home, Connor was there too. "Hey," he said scanning me. "Oh woah what happened to your hand?" I looked at the bandage. "Punched a tree last night," I answered. My brother frowned. "I'm sorry," he said sadly.
"I know," I said patting his shoulder. "Don't worry about it." He ruffled my hair and pointed to the kitchen and said, "The boys left you something. I'm getting to bed. Night."
"Night," I repeated as I walked into the kitchen. There was a full meal for me. Steaming steak, some soup, mashed potatoes, and some vegetables. My eyes widened. There was a little note too that read "thank you for everything you do for us. We love you - James Grayson and Jeffy" I noticed a plate in the sink. They made one for Connor too. I sat down at the table and looked at everything. My stomach growling. Tears welled in my eyes. I leaned on the table and sighed. "Jerks," I muttered. I ate dinner by myself. Happy to have such a nice meal made for me. Afterward I went to bed. Happy. Comfortable. James was snoring in his bed. Connor was out like a light. I climbed onto my mattress and cuddled my pillow. Sleeping soundly. Dana's smile comforting me to sleep.