Cursed (24 page)

I felt betrayed and disgusted. I knew the common
sense in what he was saying was there somewhere but I didn't want
to acknowledge it. Instead I thought about the millions of private
things I had told him thinking he was my mom. I felt the intrusion
into my soul most grievously.

He ignored my arms and walked to me pulling me
into him. He held me for a moment talking softly, “Aimee I need you
to try to not focus on hating me just yet. We need to focus on the
thing we’ve both dreaded, I have to leave tonight.”

I wanted to cry in frustration, he was like a
roller coaster ride for my heart. I closed my eyes and took a deep
breath letting my head rule in the final verdict over what my
response would be.

“You’re going to ruin my makeup and this is my
first time doing it on my own which sounds ridiculous and I know
that. I need you to try to wait till the end of my night before
ruining it.”

I hated him for hurting me but I wanted him to
love me and stay with me forever all in the same moment.

He nodded and pulled back to look at me, “You
are the most beautiful girl in the world.”

I smiled at him feeling like smashing things
over his head and kissing him afterward.

His eyes grew dangerously intense, “Are you
going with him still?”

I nodded leaving it at that.

His eyes narrowed again and he pressed his lips
together tight to avoid anymore problems, “You go and have a great
night. I will see you after the dance okay.” He looked dark and
serious, “Stay at his side the entire night Aimee.”

I frowned, “Why would you ask that?”

He nodded, “I will explain everything tonight
before I leave but promise me you will stay by Shane’s’ side all
night long.”

I agreed, “Fine. Since we are talking about the
drugging rapist of doom will you tell me one thing, are the letters
from him?”

He frowned, “What letters?”

I picked the letter up on my dressing table I
had been reading, “These letters.”

He read it and shook his head, “I don’t know. It
sounds pretty creepy.” He tilted his head slightly, “You know I’m
not psychic right.”

I laughed, “I just thought you might know.”

He rubbed his hands on my bare arms warming me
from the inside. I had been feeling weak and exhausted until he
touched me. Suddenly I was refreshed.

He bent down and kissed my lips softly, brushing
them lightly but the goop on my lips trapped him and he allowed
himself to be stuck to my mouth. His hands went down my bareback
sending chills up my spine. They roamed my dress landing on my butt
and pulling me up into his arms. I kissed him back wildly pulling
at his shoulders.

He pulled away covered in lipstick and gloss. He
winced when he saw my makeup. I threw him a look of displeasure but
laughed at the ridiculous amount of lipstick he was suddenly
wearing.

I turned away from him to clean my face off but
when I turned back to talk to him he was gone and a cool one coming
in the window replaced the warm wind.

I moaned as I sat back down to fix my face. He
never seemed to make my thoughts and decisions easier.

I was downstairs with my dad getting the speech
when Shane arrived, “No drinks you didn’t crack open, don’t even
drink from the water fountain. No boys except Shane and he doesn’t
touch you except to hold your hand at the most.” He paced the
kitchen ranting while my sister and I exchanged looks of
bewilderment.

Shane knocked on the door saving me from the
insanity and I jumped at the door feeling a slight head rush. I
trembled a tiny amount before I got my hand on the door to steady
myself.

Blake stood there in a tux beside Shane. Both
were in black Tux’s with shiny black shoes and a white rose. I
laughed, “The Blues Brothers are here.” I opened the door up wide
for them to come in. My dad laughed at the comment but where my
sister looked confused both guys looked astonished, as they stood
completely still staring at me.

I looked at my sister who raised an eyebrow and
shrugged.

Blake finally taking at least one of his eyes
off of me turned to my sister, “You look incredible.”

She really did. Her dress was silver like her
eyes and cut perfectly. She had her dark thick hair flowing around
her shoulders, which were bare. Her skin was tanned and glowing.
Her dress was a halter style with the thinnest straps imaginable
and cross-stitched pattern in silver beads and gems. It was a
corset and skirt. The skirt was pleated and long with a soft flow
and a shine to the silk material. She had slightly blue eye makeup
with plump pink lips. Her earrings were huge silver dangling ones
and a crystal and silver bracelet. She had strappy silver sandals
on. She looked like a supermodel. When she turned around to say
goodbye to me I noticed her entire back was bare as the halter
straps actually crossed thinly in the back and the skirt of the
dress hugged the very top of her bum.

My dad gulped looking her sternly, “Same rules
apply for you.”

He shook slightly as he looked at the guys, “you
boys take good care of my girls, are we clear?”

Blake nodded but Shane had still not come out of
his coma.

My dad snapped his fingers in front of Shane’s
eyes and smirked as Shane came back blinking. “You look amazing
Aimee.”

I smiled at him as I sipped my glass of water
and set it down and kissed my dad on the cheek, “Night Dad. Don’t
worry we’ll be fine.”

He looked worried regardless of what I said and
smiled the most fake smile I had ever seen cross my dads lips.

Alise kissed his cheek and patted his back, “Its
okay daddy. I think I saw something about a special on discovery
channel tonight about astropsycics. Should be fun.”

He nodded weakly and walked us to the door, “Its
astrophysics sweetie. I have it taping.”

I laughed as she shrugged not fazed but Blake
smirked, “Astropsycics, is that a space psychic?”

She smacked him in the arm making me laugh
harder.

Shane offered me his arm, his gaze fighting
desperately to focus on my eyes as half my chest was exposed and my
breasts were pretty much popping out the top of the dress. I would
have cursed Giselle under my breath but she needed prayers
more.

Before I took his arm I hugged Blake.

He hugged me back, “I feel naked.” I whispered
to him.

“You are.” He smiled at me as I pulled away. I
knew we were going to be okay.

I looked around me and decided this was the life
I wanted, if Aleks left tonight he would take a very large part of
my heart with him and all of the air I had breathed for nearly a
year but I would survive on the air from the people in this room,
and Giselle. I had survived heartbreak before, one much more severe
than this one would be.

I took Shane’s arm, looking up at him feeling
butterflies as he squeezed my arm, he was warm and inviting. He was
flesh and blood and he didn’t fly through the air or pretend to be
something he wasn’t. Shane had never lied to me about anything and
in that moment that was more attractive than a crooked smile and
the bluest eyes ever created.

Shane kissed my cheek and turned us both around
to face my dad, he put his hand out, “Goodnight sir and please
don’t worry I will have her home at a respectable hour.”

My dad tried hard to hide his true love for
Shane, “You better.”

Blake followed Shane’s lead having never dated a
real girl before and put his hand out afterward.

My dad smiled looking at least a little relieved
as we walked out onto the porch and he looked over our dates once
more, “Well you kids have a good time.”

We walked out into the cool night air, Shane
taking me to his truck and opening the door, “Wow Aimee, like wow.
That dress and your hair. It’s going to be a long night.” He bent
and kissed me softly, “Remind me later that I have self control
okay.”

I nodded giggling, “Okay. You look great
too.”

He laughed, “I look like your butler, you look,
wow.” He walked around to the other side of the truck still talking
to himself.

Blake took my sister to the car he had arranged
with a driver who stood before my sister in his suit and top hat.
She waved at me slightly as she gushed and climbed into the
car.

I smiled at her feeling so many good things all
at once that I didn’t have to fight to keep the bad things down
deep. It seemed the wall I had build had crumbled down and filled
in the moat and I didn’t need any of it anymore.

I looked out at the night sky as it darkened and
knew that regardless of how rotten my night was going to end I was
determined to have a great time until it was over. I knew the
heartbreak that was waiting for me but I was resolute to have
something resembling fun up until then.

We walked up to the huge doors of the school
where the gymnasium was holding the dance. The teachers were there
with the spring formal committee taking the five dollars the dance
cost per person. Teachers were more than likely checking each
person to see if any intoxicated people were coming in.

Police were standing around in plain clothes but
with their weapons on their hips like detectives in the city would
wear. I breathed a small sigh of relief seeing Constable
Bindley.

Shane paid our entrance fee and walked me in.
Mr. Mac was already talking to Blake and laughing as my sister
stood there looking confused.

Mr. Mac stopped talking as I walked in, he
smiled at me almost blushing, “Well well Cinderella you have
cleaned up for the ball I see. You look fantastic kid.”

I felt myself blushing as Shane squeezed my arm.
“Thanks Mr. Mac. I feel a little weird being in a ball gown but
this is my last chance at doing it.”

He looked concerned, “How are you feeling?”

I shrugged, “Good days and bad. Today is
good.”

He rubbed my arm, “I’m so glad to hear that, I
have been very worried about you.”

“Thanks Mr. Mac I’m just glad the years almost
up and I can take the summer to relax and focus on my health.”

He nodded, “Yes, school is almost up. Well I
better be getting back to chaperoning, I’d hate for anyone to say I
slacked off.” He gave me a sideways glance smiling one last time. I
smiled back and let myself be dragged to the dance floor with
Shane.

He looked down at me as he led me into a slow
waltz. “You look incredible.”

I nodded rolling my eyes, “Yeah you said that
already. I actually hate that I look like this amazingly hot babe
and everyone is nodding as they look at me. Its like my sister was
right all along, a little care and attention wouldn’t have killed
me.”

He laughed, “Ah but you’re still the bitter
cynic that I love.” I didn’t know what I was about to say when he
said those words but I stopped breathing. I knew I didn’t love him
back, not yet, not the right way as a large piece of my heart was
reserved for something impossible. I knew I could love him. I could
be happy with him and that when I got my heart back from Aleks I
would be all Shanes'.

He bent softly to kiss my cheek. He lingered at
the side of my face, “I do love you Aimee, I have loved you since
we were five and you saved the all the worms on the sidewalk when
it rained at kindergarten. I’ll never forget you putting them into
a rubber pail, a thousand creepy slithering worms and put the pail
under the back deck at your house. You stayed with those dirty
bastards until it stopped raining and then you released them.”

I laughed into his chest as he continued, “I
loved you in grade seven when that girl Robin got picked on by the
mean girls and you found the maxi pad colored with red felt on her
bag and before anyone came around the corner you grabbed it and
stuck it to your bag. You think no one saw but I did.” I remembered
that and the merciless torture I got for it.

My head was spinning now, “I loved you in grade
ten when Grace Mellotti's dog got hit by that car and you carried
him three miles to the vets office and saved his life.”

He kissed the other side of my face, “I loved
you last summer so much but when your mom got killed I couldn’t
bring myself to ask you out. Then your sister told me you were
madly in love with that Blake kid and I thought I had missed the
boat. I panicked while asking your sister about you and
accidentally acted like I wanted to ask her out.” His voice was
filled with regret, “I am so sorry I never man’d up and just asked
you out.”

I laughed nervously, “You make me sound like a
saint. I have done bad things in my life FYI.”

He raised his eyebrows in doubt.

I shrugged, “Okay well not bad but stuff. I’ve
lost library books and let my sister take the blame. I wanted to
try to peroxide my hair lighter than it is when I was in eighth
grade but I was nervous about doing it. I thought the bleach might
ruin my hair. So one night I filled a spray bottle with water and
peroxide and I sprayed Alise’s hair. In the morning her hair was a
tacky color of copper brown and all streaky and when my mom yelled
at her for trying to die her hair I never fess'd up it was me. It
cost my mom a fortune to fix it and Alise got so confused she
actually tells the story now like it was her who did it.” I
actually felt a small bit of shame still for that one.

Shane laughed, “Your sister was an evil brat so
it isn’t hard to imagine her doing bad things like that. Surely
your mom knew she was evil.”

I laughed nodding, “Yeah my mom knew. Her sister
is exactly the same.”

I looked him deeply in the eyes, “Shane I am so
lucky to be with you.”

He smiled, “Ditto.” We hugged and danced slowly
just enjoying each other. I loved the fact he was my history. He
knew everything about me and remembered the things that made me
proud of myself.

We danced for a few minutes before he stopped
again and looked at me very seriously this time, “Where is that
Aleks guy? Have you seen him?”