And there's holes on the walls
Written in the sand
Deception on my lips and there's blood on your hands
And I'm tired of keepin' lies
You can see it in my eyes
I don't wanna die
---------------
Eden spun the ring on her finger, reciting mathematical formulas in her head. She had made a deal with two of her teachers to turn in her homework electronically since she had gone home to be with Lyric early. Those two teachers had been understanding, the other two, not so much.
Written in the sand
Deception on my lips and there's blood on your hands
And I'm tired of keepin' lies
You can see it in my eyes
I don't wanna die
---------------
Eden spun the ring on her finger, reciting mathematical formulas in her head. She had made a deal with two of her teachers to turn in her homework electronically since she had gone home to be with Lyric early. Those two teachers had been understanding, the other two, not so much.
But two passing grades were better than none. She'd just have to retake the other two classes when she returned after Lyric gave birth.
She'd been home two weeks, and it seemed like Lyric had ballooned in that short amount of time. She was at 34 weeks. So, so close. Eden could tell by the way she acted, that she was nervous.
"Paint, Eden! There could be a baby anytime, you know. I'd do it if I could, but I happen to be the one carrying the baby."
Eden's thoughts cleared and she looked at Lyric sourly.
"You're supposed to be the nice Simon, what happened to that?"
She laughed and continued painting, the green color covering up the dull beige Aria had put all over the house for God knows what reason.She finished one more passing of the brush, and took a step back. The color was gorgeous and matched all of the furniture and decor Lyric had picked out.
It had been... different... spending so much time with her little sister. She had forgotten how close they used to be in all the time she'd spent trying to escape her life. But it had been amazing being home with her, helping get things ready for the baby's arrival.
Lyric was keeping the name a secret, which bugged Eden to no end.
Eden dropped the brush back into the paint can and turned to face Lyric, a smile across her lips.
"Do you like it?"
Lyric squealed quietly and wrapped Eden in a hug, which, for once in her life, Eden gladly accepted. Lyric's stomach put definite space between them, but it was still warm and sweet, something Eden was trying to get used to. Lyric was sunlight, and Eden was darkness. When they were together, it almost felt like Eden could finally feel the light.
She had no idea what she would do if that light ever went out.
"I love it. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Lyric drew the last word out and Eden nodded at her, wiping the paint off of her hands and onto her jeans.
"You're welcome. I'm gonna go take a shower, okay? Don't go into labor while I'm in there."
She touched Lyric's stomach softly and then patted her on the head. Lyric responded by rolling her eyes.
"Yes, I'll try not to. Although, I'm sort of sick of being pregnant."
Eden pulled the ponytail out of her hair and laughed.
"I'm sure you are, but the doctor said he needs to stay in there as long as possible. So... Not yet."
She shut the door to the nursery behind her and headed up the stairs to the only bathroom on the third floor with a shower. Aria and Carter had had 5 bathrooms built in the house, but only two contained legitimate showers. The rest had claw footed tubs and other fancy bathtubs. Eden had always wondered where their heads were on that decision.
And then she remembered they made a lot of stupid decisions.
"Eden! You have a phone call."
Carter looked annoyed, like he had been searching for her. He held his personal cell phone out to her, raising an eyebrow.
"Where's your cell phone?"
Eden crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the phone apprehensively.
"In Saint Claire. On purpose. Who is that?"
Carter brought the phone to his ear, his face amused.
"I'm sorry, Kiara. Looks like Eden doesn't want to talk to you."
Eden instantly grabbed for the phone, her mouth dropping open.
"No! Give it to me!"
She wrestled the phone out of his hand, scowling as he walked away, laughing. She could hear Kiara chattering on the other end, annoyed. When she finally put the phone to her ear, she caught her speaking mid-sentence.
"...I guess I'll just go since my best friend hates me."
Eden opened the door to the bathroom, rolling her eyes.
"Oh shut up."
Kiara went quiet for a moment, and then she started talking so fast, Eden barely understood her.
"You left your phone in Saint Claire, and Xavier answered it. My first thought was maybe you two were finally dating, and so he thought it acceptable to screen your calls like a freak, but then I realized that you left your phone behind and went to Bridgeport. Why would you do that? Don't you know I will be very angry if I can't call you every night and annoy you? You could have at least told me you were going back so I could have already been there. What's wrong with you?"
Eden waited patiently for her to finish. When she determined she was done ranting, she cleared her throat, turning on the water for the shower.
"I'm sorry. I thought you would figure it out."
Kiara's voice slowed down a little, but not much.
"Well no. I thought that you were falling in love with that kid and would take him everywhere and become annoying like you did with Firecrotch. I didn't think you'd run away across the state where no one but your family knew where you were. I guess I should have assumed since you're Eden. But I didn't."
Eden sat down on the pouf in the bathroom and squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her forehead with her free hand.
"I'm not in love with him, and I didn't run away."
Kiara's sigh was so loud, Eden pulled the phone away from her ear.
"What do you call it then?"
The steam filled the room, and Eden echoed Kiara's sigh back to her. She didn't know which of those two things her best friend was even referring to.
"I have to go."
There was a pause, and then
"I'm gonna be in Bridgeport in three days. Don't kill yourself, or anybody else."
Click.
Eden stared at the phone, standing and tossing it on the vanity, stripping down.
What the hell just happened?
-----------
Kiara seemed less irritated in person, and more excited about Lyric's pregnancy than Eden. Apparently, she even got Lyric to tell her what she was naming the baby. Not that Kiara would tell Eden. She'd been 'sworn to secrecy'.
"That's not fair. In any way at all."
Eden huffed and kicked at one of the pillows on her floor. Like a child throwing a hissy fit.
"It might not be fair, but I'm still not going to tell you. There are lots of things you don't tell me, after all."
That got to Eden. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. She knew Kiara was right. She used to be an open book with her best friend, but lately she couldn't even think about certain things in her own head, let alone tell them to anyone else. She was trying to think of a response, something to explain what was going on with her head, but she was saved by a knock on her bedroom door.
Kiara glanced at her one more time, walking over to it. She opened the door, but she shut it so fast, Eden jumped in surprise from the slam. Kiara turned back to face her, shaking her head with a smile.
"It was no one."
Eden raised an eyebrow, crossing the room. When she opened the door, Atticus stood on the other side, his face expressionless.
"Hey, A."
She stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her.
"She still hates me, doesn't she?"
The way he said it was so devoid of emotion. Like a robot reiterating a line of numbers and sequences. She knew, inside, he was probably hurting. He had to be. It had been almost a year, but her brother really loved Kiara. At least she thought he did, until Mackenzie came around. Now she wasn't sure if he was covering up the loneliness with this girl, or if he cared about her too.
"When did you get in?"
She declined to respond to his question, bumping her shoulder against Atticus and walking to the stairs. His heavy footsteps followed her all the way into the kitchen, but he didn't respond either. She turned into the kitchen and stopped short, a scowl crossing her face.
Xavier and Cassius were by the counters, laughing about something. Probably about her, as far as Eden knew. Because she knew she would have been stupid to believe what Cassius had said. He was a maniacal psycho, after all.
Xavier looked up when she entered, but didn't say anything. Just raised a hand in what she guessed could be some type of 'guy wave'. She turned around, trying to exit the kitchen, but Atticus stood in her way.
"Move."
She muttered the word under her breath, trying to move him aside, but he didn't budge.
"Look. I don't want to punch you in the face, but if you continue to stand in my way, I will do it. I'm not big on being trapped anymore."
She took a step back, looking up into Atticus' identical bright green eyes. She huffed, curling her hand into a fist. She raised her fist about two inches from her side when she felt a hand close around it.
"Stop it. He's standing there for me."
Eden turned around, pulling her fist out of Xavier's grip.
"And why is that? Did you not get the point when I left Saint Claire? I know you aren't stupid, trying to be a doctor and all."
Atticus moved out of the doorway, and Eden stomped through it, heading for the stairs. She turned around when she reached the bottom step, putting a hand on Xavier's chest.
"Don't bother, Xav. Stay down here."
He put his hand over hers and tugged her towards him.
"Would you shut up, for just a second?"
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. It only lasted for a second, and then he pulled away, releasing her hand simultaneously. He didn't say a word, just turned back the way he came. She curled both of her hands into fists at her sides, her face red.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
She spoke the words to his back, not waiting for a response. She took the stairs to her floor, hitting each step with a loud thump. When she opened the door to her room, Kiara was laying on Eden's bed reading some random magazine. She had Eden's headphones in and the music pouring into her eardrums was so loud, Eden could make out every single word.
She popped one out when Eden slammed the door, tossing her magazine on the floor.
"Sup, gorgeous?"
Eden walked over to the chest next to her bed, rummaging in the bottom until she found what she was looking for. She sat the full rum bottle on the comforter and exhaled far too dramatically.
"I hate boys.
Let's get drunk."
Kiara sat up, tucking her legs underneath her.
"I can totally drink to that."
---------------
Eden opened her eyes, looking over at the empty bed next to her. Kiara must have been somewhere else in the house. Or maybe she had gone back to her own place. Eden looked at the screen of her iPod, her eyes widening. It was five PM. She had slept the entire day away. She groaned, rubbing her eyes with her fists.
At least she had slept her hangover away, she could be thankful for that. She slid out of her bed, the world tipping for just a moment. She needed something, probably water and food. She closed her bedroom door louder than she intended to, heading for the stairs.
"Eden."
She rolled her eyes at the voice, glancing over her shoulder. Xavier had apparently slept here too. In the extra bedroom upstairs. Of course he would, he liked to stalk her every waking moment, after all. She turned around to face him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What do you want, Nile?"
He opened the door wider, nodding toward the depths of the bedroom.
"Come here."
Eden raised an eyebrow. First of all, why would she? She left Saint Claire for a reason. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Xavier. She paused for a moment, finally uncrossing her arms with a groan and walking through the door. She heard the soft click of the door closing as she was glancing around the room, taking in all of stuff that she hadn't remembered even being in this room.
"What do you want, seriously?"
She repeated the question, speaking to the walls, not looking at him. She didn't even hear him come up behind her, his arm sliding around her waist. He turned her to face him, and her face went blank when his eyes finally found hers.
"Can you not touch me?"
She stepped away from him, and his touch disconnected from her body. He didn't look offended, or upset, but he did look impatient.
And he still hasn't said anything.
"Did you ask me to come in here so you could stare at me? I mean, you can do that on your computer. I have a Facebook."
At that, he rolled his eyes. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to her. When she dropped her eyes to it, she realized it was her iPhone. She crossed her arms over her chest again, defiant.
"I left that on purpose."
He nodded.
"I know you did. So I couldn't call you."
She shook her head quickly, her cheeks turning a little red.
"No. Not everything is about you, Xavier."
Xavier grabbed her hand and placed the phone in it, releasing her instantly.
"Nothing is about me, of course. You leaving right after you admitted you had feelings for me isn't about me either, right?
I don't know what you expected. Maybe that I was like your father and I'd come after you the way he always did with your mom.
I think, subconsciously, that's exactly what you wanted to happen.
But I'm not him."
Eden's face started to grow hot for a completely different reason, anger rising to the surface. When she spoke, her voice was loud, abrasive.
"No, Xavier. I fucking left because I don't want you. I don't want anyone. No matter how I thought I felt."
Xavier didn't raise his voice, but his tone was expressionless, issued in a way that Eden knew meant she had pissed him off, at least a little bit.
"You're such a bad liar.
Can't you just say thank you that I brought it back to you?
Then you can leave and go pout like a child in your room."
Eden threw the phone at the bed, annoyed. It slipped off the side and hit the floor. Xavier looked over at the phone and back at Eden, shaking his head.
"Or you can act like a child now. That works out too."
Eden curled her hands into fists, her heart bouncing in her chest. Her words were rushed, blinded with irritation, anger.
"I really don't think I like you. I actually think I hate you. I mean, it makes sense when you think about it. How often are hate and love confused, after all."
Xavier stilled, his eyes flashing for a second. He wasn't responding and Eden couldn't figure out why. He just kept staring at her, so intently it made her uncomfortable.
And then she realized what she had just said.
She raised her hands in front of her chest and took another step back, shaking her head.
"No. That's not. I didn't...."
She was stumbling over her words, panicking. That was not what she had meant to say, not what she felt. No where close. She wanted to take the sentence back, fix what the hell she'd just placed in his possession. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the door to the bedroom flew open and Lyric appeared, her face colorless. She clutched her stomach and bit down on her lip, her words pained.
"I think, maybe, I'm having a baby."
----------------
"...I guess I'll just go since my best friend hates me."
Eden opened the door to the bathroom, rolling her eyes.
"Oh shut up."
Kiara went quiet for a moment, and then she started talking so fast, Eden barely understood her.
"You left your phone in Saint Claire, and Xavier answered it. My first thought was maybe you two were finally dating, and so he thought it acceptable to screen your calls like a freak, but then I realized that you left your phone behind and went to Bridgeport. Why would you do that? Don't you know I will be very angry if I can't call you every night and annoy you? You could have at least told me you were going back so I could have already been there. What's wrong with you?"
Eden waited patiently for her to finish. When she determined she was done ranting, she cleared her throat, turning on the water for the shower.
"I'm sorry. I thought you would figure it out."
Kiara's voice slowed down a little, but not much.
"Well no. I thought that you were falling in love with that kid and would take him everywhere and become annoying like you did with Firecrotch. I didn't think you'd run away across the state where no one but your family knew where you were. I guess I should have assumed since you're Eden. But I didn't."
Eden sat down on the pouf in the bathroom and squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her forehead with her free hand.
"I'm not in love with him, and I didn't run away."
Kiara's sigh was so loud, Eden pulled the phone away from her ear.
"What do you call it then?"
The steam filled the room, and Eden echoed Kiara's sigh back to her. She didn't know which of those two things her best friend was even referring to.
"I have to go."
There was a pause, and then
"I'm gonna be in Bridgeport in three days. Don't kill yourself, or anybody else."
Click.
Eden stared at the phone, standing and tossing it on the vanity, stripping down.
What the hell just happened?
-----------
Kiara seemed less irritated in person, and more excited about Lyric's pregnancy than Eden. Apparently, she even got Lyric to tell her what she was naming the baby. Not that Kiara would tell Eden. She'd been 'sworn to secrecy'.
"That's not fair. In any way at all."
Eden huffed and kicked at one of the pillows on her floor. Like a child throwing a hissy fit.
"It might not be fair, but I'm still not going to tell you. There are lots of things you don't tell me, after all."
That got to Eden. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. She knew Kiara was right. She used to be an open book with her best friend, but lately she couldn't even think about certain things in her own head, let alone tell them to anyone else. She was trying to think of a response, something to explain what was going on with her head, but she was saved by a knock on her bedroom door.
Kiara glanced at her one more time, walking over to it. She opened the door, but she shut it so fast, Eden jumped in surprise from the slam. Kiara turned back to face her, shaking her head with a smile.
"It was no one."
Eden raised an eyebrow, crossing the room. When she opened the door, Atticus stood on the other side, his face expressionless.
"Hey, A."
She stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her.
"She still hates me, doesn't she?"
The way he said it was so devoid of emotion. Like a robot reiterating a line of numbers and sequences. She knew, inside, he was probably hurting. He had to be. It had been almost a year, but her brother really loved Kiara. At least she thought he did, until Mackenzie came around. Now she wasn't sure if he was covering up the loneliness with this girl, or if he cared about her too.
"When did you get in?"
She declined to respond to his question, bumping her shoulder against Atticus and walking to the stairs. His heavy footsteps followed her all the way into the kitchen, but he didn't respond either. She turned into the kitchen and stopped short, a scowl crossing her face.
Xavier and Cassius were by the counters, laughing about something. Probably about her, as far as Eden knew. Because she knew she would have been stupid to believe what Cassius had said. He was a maniacal psycho, after all.
Xavier looked up when she entered, but didn't say anything. Just raised a hand in what she guessed could be some type of 'guy wave'. She turned around, trying to exit the kitchen, but Atticus stood in her way.
"Move."
She muttered the word under her breath, trying to move him aside, but he didn't budge.
"Look. I don't want to punch you in the face, but if you continue to stand in my way, I will do it. I'm not big on being trapped anymore."
She took a step back, looking up into Atticus' identical bright green eyes. She huffed, curling her hand into a fist. She raised her fist about two inches from her side when she felt a hand close around it.
"Stop it. He's standing there for me."
Eden turned around, pulling her fist out of Xavier's grip.
"And why is that? Did you not get the point when I left Saint Claire? I know you aren't stupid, trying to be a doctor and all."
Atticus moved out of the doorway, and Eden stomped through it, heading for the stairs. She turned around when she reached the bottom step, putting a hand on Xavier's chest.
"Don't bother, Xav. Stay down here."
He put his hand over hers and tugged her towards him.
"Would you shut up, for just a second?"
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. It only lasted for a second, and then he pulled away, releasing her hand simultaneously. He didn't say a word, just turned back the way he came. She curled both of her hands into fists at her sides, her face red.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
She spoke the words to his back, not waiting for a response. She took the stairs to her floor, hitting each step with a loud thump. When she opened the door to her room, Kiara was laying on Eden's bed reading some random magazine. She had Eden's headphones in and the music pouring into her eardrums was so loud, Eden could make out every single word.
She popped one out when Eden slammed the door, tossing her magazine on the floor.
"Sup, gorgeous?"
Eden walked over to the chest next to her bed, rummaging in the bottom until she found what she was looking for. She sat the full rum bottle on the comforter and exhaled far too dramatically.
"I hate boys.
Let's get drunk."
Kiara sat up, tucking her legs underneath her.
"I can totally drink to that."
---------------
Eden opened her eyes, looking over at the empty bed next to her. Kiara must have been somewhere else in the house. Or maybe she had gone back to her own place. Eden looked at the screen of her iPod, her eyes widening. It was five PM. She had slept the entire day away. She groaned, rubbing her eyes with her fists.
At least she had slept her hangover away, she could be thankful for that. She slid out of her bed, the world tipping for just a moment. She needed something, probably water and food. She closed her bedroom door louder than she intended to, heading for the stairs.
"Eden."
She rolled her eyes at the voice, glancing over her shoulder. Xavier had apparently slept here too. In the extra bedroom upstairs. Of course he would, he liked to stalk her every waking moment, after all. She turned around to face him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What do you want, Nile?"
He opened the door wider, nodding toward the depths of the bedroom.
"Come here."
Eden raised an eyebrow. First of all, why would she? She left Saint Claire for a reason. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with Xavier. She paused for a moment, finally uncrossing her arms with a groan and walking through the door. She heard the soft click of the door closing as she was glancing around the room, taking in all of stuff that she hadn't remembered even being in this room.
"What do you want, seriously?"
She repeated the question, speaking to the walls, not looking at him. She didn't even hear him come up behind her, his arm sliding around her waist. He turned her to face him, and her face went blank when his eyes finally found hers.
"Can you not touch me?"
She stepped away from him, and his touch disconnected from her body. He didn't look offended, or upset, but he did look impatient.
And he still hasn't said anything.
"Did you ask me to come in here so you could stare at me? I mean, you can do that on your computer. I have a Facebook."
At that, he rolled his eyes. He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to her. When she dropped her eyes to it, she realized it was her iPhone. She crossed her arms over her chest again, defiant.
"I left that on purpose."
He nodded.
"I know you did. So I couldn't call you."
She shook her head quickly, her cheeks turning a little red.
"No. Not everything is about you, Xavier."
Xavier grabbed her hand and placed the phone in it, releasing her instantly.
"Nothing is about me, of course. You leaving right after you admitted you had feelings for me isn't about me either, right?
I don't know what you expected. Maybe that I was like your father and I'd come after you the way he always did with your mom.
I think, subconsciously, that's exactly what you wanted to happen.
But I'm not him."
Eden's face started to grow hot for a completely different reason, anger rising to the surface. When she spoke, her voice was loud, abrasive.
"No, Xavier. I fucking left because I don't want you. I don't want anyone. No matter how I thought I felt."
Xavier didn't raise his voice, but his tone was expressionless, issued in a way that Eden knew meant she had pissed him off, at least a little bit.
"You're such a bad liar.
Can't you just say thank you that I brought it back to you?
Then you can leave and go pout like a child in your room."
Eden threw the phone at the bed, annoyed. It slipped off the side and hit the floor. Xavier looked over at the phone and back at Eden, shaking his head.
"Or you can act like a child now. That works out too."
Eden curled her hands into fists, her heart bouncing in her chest. Her words were rushed, blinded with irritation, anger.
"I really don't think I like you. I actually think I hate you. I mean, it makes sense when you think about it. How often are hate and love confused, after all."
Xavier stilled, his eyes flashing for a second. He wasn't responding and Eden couldn't figure out why. He just kept staring at her, so intently it made her uncomfortable.
And then she realized what she had just said.
She raised her hands in front of her chest and took another step back, shaking her head.
"No. That's not. I didn't...."
She was stumbling over her words, panicking. That was not what she had meant to say, not what she felt. No where close. She wanted to take the sentence back, fix what the hell she'd just placed in his possession. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the door to the bedroom flew open and Lyric appeared, her face colorless. She clutched her stomach and bit down on her lip, her words pained.
"I think, maybe, I'm having a baby."
----------------
