Page 2 of Lovestrung

I needed to get out of my room and I needed to go down there. Somehow, I had to show this new member of my family that there was no reason to be afraid. That whatever had happened to him to cause such anxiety wouldn’t touch him in my home.

I scrambled down from the windowsill, eager to get out of my room, and stumbled through my things lying haphazardly all over the floor. I cursed under my breath at my mess, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. When I reached my bedroom door, I had a wild thought and turned back to my white desk at the far end of my room. I rummaged through the drawers and let out a laugh when my fingers found what I was looking for before I rushed out. I skipped down the two flights of stairs, excitement pulsing through my veins, but when I reached the front door, I slowed down. Our two red Retrievers, Molly and Sam, started whining and panting in front of it, no doubt eager to see my parents now that they were home again, but my instincts told me that I shouldn’t let them out. Instead, I clucked my tongue and when they saw me, ears pricking, they scrambled toward me as I ran down the hall to the back of our house and let them out in our backyard.

“I’ll be back soon,” I promised them as I shut the door behind them. Then I hurried back to the front door, my heart racing again. I placed a hand against my chest and waited until I’d calmed down before I turned the doorknob and stepped out on the porch.

Daddy and Mama were walking toward me, Daddy holding a small suitcase and a backpack. Ethan walked slightly in front of them and glanced up at me. I smiled but I wasn’t sure if he saw it because his eyes darted everywhere at once until he tucked his chin, keeping his head down once more. Suddenly feeling shy, I tucked my blonde hair behind my ears and turned my eyes to my mom, looking to her for guidance. I could tell that she was trying to act normal when she gave me a wave and called out.

“Hey, baby girl. We’re home.”

I nodded and waited for them to come to me, my hands behind my back. Silence descended upon us when all three stopped at the foot of the wooden stairs, and the courage that had flared up inside me ebbed away. Maybe I shouldn’t have come out here.

“Penelope,” Daddy said quietly, “this is Ethan.” He looked down at Ethan who still kept his head down. Daddy sighed but then carried on like nothing was wrong.

But it was. Everything about this whole picture was so very wrong.

“Where are your brothers?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Probably in their room, reading comic books.”

A small smile played on my dad’s lips.

“Ah, thought as much.”

I looked down at Ethan as he moved his weight from one foot to the other, and my courage returned. I went down three steps and stopped on the second to last step which meant our heads were at the same height.

“Hello, Ethan. It’s nice to meet you.”

Even though I’d kept my voice low, as if I was talking to one of our dogs, he flinched again. But I decided then and there that I wouldn’t walk on eggshells around this boy. No, the way to gain his trust was to be myself, and if there was one thing I wasn’t, it was a quiet and meek girl. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t be patient with him.

I pulled my hands away from my back and extended them toward him. I clenched my fists so that he couldn’t see what I was holding, and that got his attention. As if he couldn’t help himself, his eyes flitted between my hands and mine, and I smiled at him.

“Pick one.”

“Penelope, I don’t think –,” Mama started, but Daddy placed his hand on her shoulder and shushed her softly.

“It’s okay.” I smiled at Ethan. “It’s a present, and one of my favorite things in the whole world.”

Finally, he kept his gaze on mine for longer than a mere second, and I considered it a small victory. His eyes were blue. Cerulean blue and surrounded by the longest lashes I’d ever seen on a boy. His face looked gaunt, too thin for his age, and if Mama hadn’t told me the night before that he was thirteen years old, I never would’ve guessed it. He didn’t smile, but when he didn’t turn away, I nodded encouragingly at him.

As he wet his lips, he slowly raised his hand. I held my breath again, my heart thumping wildly in my chest, but I tried not to let it show that I was nervous. He unclenched his fingers, his eyes darting back to mine, and when his index finger touched my left fist, I found that I could breathe again.

“Good choice.” I grinned. “Here.”

As I opened my hand to reveal the small bag of Skittles resting in my palm, Daddy’s low chuckle reached my ears, and I raised my eyes to him. The pride that shone back at me settled the last remnants of the fluttering nerves playing havoc with my insides.

“A perfect present, Penelope,” he praised. I beamed at him, happy that he liked my choice.

“What…what are those?”

I tensed at the sound of Ethan’s scratchy voice. It sounded rusty, as if he hadn’t spoken in ages. How strange.

“The best sweets that exist,” I explained. “Have you never tasted them before?”

A blush crept up on Ethan’s cheek as he shook his head.

I shrugged as if to let on that it didn’t matter. But it did matter. How didn’t everyone know what Skittles was? It was unfathomable.

“That’s okay. You’re welcome to share mine anytime.”