Original Stories Fan Fiction / Horror Fan Fiction / Romance Fan Fiction ❯ Invoke ❯ Peculiar Actions ( Chapter 2 )

I could feel eyes sticking to me like glue when I walked into the restaurant. Not like I cared, who could care after what had just happened? I took a peek behind me, making sure Aunt Elena wasn't following me. Once my procession into the restaurant was over, I examined the room for my mother's head. It wasn't hard to spot, because she was the one glaring at me, and waving me over towards her. She watched my every move as I settled myself down right next to Haden. He was staring at me too, but it wasn't that of a death glare. See, he's the more simple kind of person who wants to know what's happened, and if there was a fight involved. He always appreciated that.

 

“What on earth has gotten into you Lore—”

 

This time, it was my turn to give my mother a sharp, sturdy look. I was surprised to see she clamped her mouth shut. “I don't want to be rude, mom, but Aunt Elena says some things that I don't appreciate sometimes. This is one of the times that I won't tolerate for that. I'm 17 already, and she's still stampeding forward on my life. I've gave her the benefit of the doubt for the past 16 years of my life, but, I'm sorry, this has got to stop.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my chair, staring at my empty plate in front of me. I wasn't happy at all. It wasn't like I didn't know this was coming, but it was different this year which was why I was so upset. It wasn't that I found it strange at all...no, there was something in her words that made me upset, perhaps, her tone even.

 

She stared at me so serious; I didn't know what else to do. I nearly believed what she was saying to me. The words still rang eerily in my mind. The entire scenery began to take place behind my eyelids when I closed them.

 

 

“I need you to listen very closely, okay Lorelei?” I turned my head for a moment seeing Haden and my mother walking away from the car without a second glance. My palms felt sweaty, and I couldn't understand why I was so nervous, I just was.

 

“Okay...” I said wearily. There was a car door next to us that closed, and I felt myself flinch when it did. It wasn't like I didn't know what was coming, I had known it since I heard she had come to Salem, but this wasn't how it used to go.

 

She took my hand in one of hers, and she stared at me, almost testing me in some way, “There's someone new going to enter your life, and I want you to stay as absolutely far away from him as you possibly can. He won't be good enough for you Lorelei; he'll turn your world upside down.” There was almost a sinister look in her eyes. There was something else she wasn't telling me, but the worst part of it was she was telling me who I can and cannot befriend. As many friends as I have made in my school in Salem, now of all times she wants me to make sure that I'm cautious of those around me. I pressed my back up against the car door, trying to create a greater space in between us. “I know it sounds...absurd,” she thought over her words carefully, “but you have to listen to me.”

 

I felt my shoulders slump and a sigh slipped through my mouth. The anger was shaking through me, burning through my veins as I sat there watching her false, pleading face. There was something more to the story she was telling me, and I didn't like the feeling at all. “Every year...” I muttered and watched as my Aunt's eyes lit up as if I understood something. I narrowed my eyes, “Every year you do this to me!” I exploded. I dug my nails into the palm of my hand as I watched her surprised expression turn into a brooding stare. “I'm so tired of it! I have been sitting next to you listening to your lies throughout my entire life, and none of your predictions ever came true! I'm not a kid anymore Aunt Elena.” I turned and pushed the car door open, “It's time that you stop telling me these fictitious lies and start homing into reality.” I slammed the car door and walked off towards the restaurant.

 

 

I snapped out of my reverie when my brother nudged me with his elbow. When I opened my eyes I could see my Aunt Elena standing next to the table, narrowing her eyes at me, but didn't say a word as she took her place next to my mother who looked at both Aunt Elena and myself repeatedly. As if someone would say something now. I was hoping this year would be different, but apparently I had been wrong. The only time any of us dared to talk it was when the waiter came to ask for our orders. While we ate, I studied my Aunt, given my only chance considering she wasn't watching me at this moment. She was too focused on cutting her grilled chicken breast into smaller pieces to stick in her mouth.

 

Aunt Elena hadn't changed much since the last time I saw her. In fact, she seemed a little livelier then she had been. In the past years, she was always heavy-eyed with sleep, and hair that was less than perfect. Her eyes had always been a very dark black; almost as if there was no iris, it was more like her entire pupil was covering it. She had gained pounds too; looking healthier then she had, but still kept the shape of her figure, no voluptuous curves, just like a too thin model. Even while she ate, her lips were set in a way that made chills run up and down my spine. Like a hidden secret behind it all. No one dared to talk while everyone else continued with their food. The rumbling of laughter next to us, and the chatter all around us was beginning to make my head spin. It was too silent.

 

Haden placed his fork and his knife down. I turned to look at him, and he looked pretty upset. He was irritated. Haden loved action, but when it affected the talking at the table, he didn't like any of it. Haden was a talker. His eyes wandered over towards a waitress who was about to pass our table, and he touched her elbow gently. She jumped slightly; pieces of her red hair falling out from the messy bun it was in.

 

“Excuse me,” Haden spoke softly, as if he was afraid of frightening her any further. “Do you think you can get me a rum and water?” He nodded his head towards the bar area.

 

“Haden!” My mother hissed, leaning forward trying to contain her voice.

 

Haden merely ignored her, and he continued to stare at the waitress. Her cheeks began to turn a light pink on her ivory skin. “Ah...uh...yes, of course sir. Will that be all?”

 

He merely smiled and cleared his throat, “Call me Haden, not sir. And yup, that should be all, unless you want something?” He looked over towards mom, and she glared at him. “Nope, that should be it.” He smiled.

 

The waitress nodded her head lightly and scurried off towards the bartender. My eyes followed her, and I watch her tell the bartender Haden's order.

 

“Haden!” My mother cried again, “You just got over a hangover, and you're drinking again?” Haden simply shrugged.

 

Aunt Elena had finally moved. Her head was bent down towards her food, and her shoulders were shaking. I couldn't tell if she was crying or just laughing. We all watched her for a moment, until little slips of giggles slid through her lips. Her giggles soon turned into hysterical laughing.

 

“My, Haden!” She gasped, continuing to laugh some more. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. “You are quite something with the ladies, hm?” She was able to calm herself down, a grin lasting on her mouth. She was leaning forward, as if imploring him to answer. Haden sat up straight, almost surprised. None of us had ever thought of Haden as some guy who fooled around with girls. My mother had told me before that he attracted women like my dad did. Since I was little I quite frequently remember Haden bringing girls home after school, whether it was to do homework or it was a new girlfriend. But that came natural. Mom and I both agreed that Haden just had those strikingly, attractive looks. But he was my brother, and I never thought of him as some kind of...typical, male, pleasure-seeking man. He had the blonde stereotypical Californian hair, and the light, curious hazel eyes. He only drew girls towards him, because of his looks. He had never been conceited or vain about them.

 

Haden laughed good-heartedly, “It happens naturally. I really don't mean to do it.” Not soon after the waitress came with his drink.

 

She placed the napkin down gently on the table, and with shaking hands she began to set down his drink. “Here you are, sir.”

 

Haden raised his eyebrows at the girl, “Excuse me?” I looked at Mom curiously who exchanged looks with me, and we both looked back at the scene.

 

The girl's eyes had widened behind her square-framed glasses with apprehension. “I'm sorry.” She whispered, “Did I deliver the wrong drink?” Her hand immediately went for the drink that was set in front of Haden, but he caught her hand gently and looked at her. A blush crept onto her cheeks again, but her lips were trembling. She was frightened, or at the very least startled.

 

“I believe I gave you a strict order.” He insinuated. Haden waited for a response, but she just continued to stare back at him. Her eyes would not leave from Haden's face, but her body was inching farther back away from him. Eyes had turned towards our table. Mom and I were looking in shock, wondering, deliberating what was going through Haden's head. My eyes took a quick peek at Aunt Elena who was marveling at the spectacle that was playing out before us. Haden sighed, and let go of her hand. He took a piece of his steak that had been left on his fork and he picked it up. “Listen, I know you're trying to be polite, but don't; not with me. I'm twenty-two years old...”— he looked at her chest where her nametag was placed—“Melanie, and I'm really not that old.” He stuck the piece of meat into his mouth and made a: humph sound that made him seem almost childish.

 

The girl stood in place with her hands still at her side. A smile, small, but it was a smile, appeared on her lips. And she began giggling and closing her eyes, her eyebrows arching that almost made it seem that tears would fall from them at any moment. She was so timid, so...faint-hearted.

 

“No...” she shook her head still laughing, “No, you are most certainly not old at all. Not in the least.” Haden smiled back at her. For the first time I realized how gentle he was being with her. He had always been sincere at times, but with her, it was throughout the conversation. He teased her, yes, but the outcome of it all was him trying to—in a way—make her inch out of her shell. He was almost being gentle and benign with her. In a way that made my heart tremble for something similar. I looked at my food and smiled softly to myself. In that moment, there was nothing more in the world that I wanted was to be able to have someone treat me as gentle Haden had been doing with this girl.

 

My mother cleared her throat. It was sudden, or reprimanding, but more in a way that was to ease everything up. “Can we get boxes? I think we've all decided to take it home.”

 

The waitress smiled, “Of course ma'am, I'll bring them right to you.” She bustled her way through the crowd of people getting up from their table saying the “excuse me”, “pardon me”, and “I'm sorry!” routine.

 

“Well...” I started, “I never would have guessed she was your type.”

 

He shot a look at me, and I could have sworn his cheeks were red too. “She isn't...” He looked away. That was very out of character, even for Haden, who was doing things un-like himself all the time.

 

My mother raised her eyebrows, “Oh! Well then I guess that's just being a guy, huh? Playing around with girl's feelings, is that what you're doing?” I winced. This was going to end ugly. My mom was fuming and Haden was seething.

 

“You know I don't play dirty mom.” Haden spat.

 

“Well, you better get your priorities straight, sir. Because whatever that was right there, sure didn't look like y'all were just talking.” She was pressing her light pink lips together. “You know, this has been the worst dinner ever. Without your father it's been just horrid!” She turned away from the rest of us.

 

Aunt Elena touched her shoulder, “C'mon now Pam. Don't fret over nothing! Your hubby will come home soon, and until then I should be able to keep you company.” Mom mumbled something under her breath and her tiny shoulders slumped in her jacket. While my mother pouted in the corner I could see the tiny girl maneuvering her way through the crowd. I hit Haden with my elbow, and he glared at me only before seeing me jut out my chin in the direction Melanie was coming.

 

“I'm sorry it took so long.” She apologized. I watched her carefully. How, behind her glasses, she stole glances at Haden when he was passing out the boxes. She wasn't the type of girl Haden would date. The girls that Haden dated were the kind that I disliked the most. They were the girls that never stopped making you feel inferior. Poor Haden took all that, and more; trying to keep the little shrew as happy and jovial as possible. He thought he was doing it for himself, but he didn't need those types of girls to make him content. He was a hopeless romantic, and he wanted to love and be loved. Occasionally involving himself in arguments, but he wants someone he could talk to. He thought those endless talks on the phone at night with the girls he dated were fun, but never realized how nonsensical the conversations were. Because those last sentences never ended with `we' or `you'; it was always `I'. Those girls wouldn't stop talking about themselves. How I knew this, was because I would sit in the other room, and hear the girl blabber on, and on about herself. She never gave it a rest. Of course, I blamed Haden for his lousy choices in girls.

 

“Thanks,” Haden smiled. Melanie smiled back lightly, and pushed back her loose piece of red hair out of her face. Haden looked at the rest of us and stood up. “May I talk to you for a second?” He took hold of her elbow and dragged her in the direction of less people.

 

Aunt Elena giggled, “Is this the first time he's done this?” She was directing the question towards me. She was obviously not mad, or if she was, she was really good at hiding it.

 

I shook my head. “It's a first. Not his type either.” I echoed my thoughts.

 

“You're right.” My mother said in agreement. I realized that while we had been scooping our food into the boxes, she had turned to face the rest of us again. “It's rather strange. He's sure gotten brave, that Haden. Hm, that girl isn't that bad looking either, a little...how do I say this in a nice way? She looks smarter then what Haden likes to be around. Which I think is good. She may rub off on him; get him to go to college or something.”

 

I rolled my eyes and watched the two from afar. It reminded me of a movie, or something like you would see on TV. The girl would be leaning up against the wall, while the guy would be towering over the girl asking her something. Except, the girl wasn't smiling. She was shaking her head, and holding her ands by her side. She looked up at him once, fearfully, and then looked down. Sometimes she would look in the direction of her co-workers, maybe looking for some help, but none of them ever bothered to see if she needed help. Haden looked upset. He was motioning a lot with his hands, tiling his head. One of the words I could make out he was saying was `Why?', and the girl promptly began shaking her head. I wanted to go up and hit Haden. It looked like he was pressuring her. What he was doing wasn't like him at all. The girl obviously liked him, or thought of him handsome, but now there was a slim to none chance that there would be a relationship coming out of this situation. The girl, Melanie finally gave one more shake of her head, and she slid out beneath his gaze and went to go talk to one of the other workers there.

 

Haden was staring in shock, at the place where Melanie had been standing. He looked embarrassed, and instead of approaching back towards the table, he walked out of the restaurant. He was hurt. His pride was hurt. He would be bitter and sore for a very long time. I knew this as my mom took the receipt from the waiter's hand. Before we left from the restaurant I turned to see Melanie sitting on a bar stool shivering.

 

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm glad to hear from you again, although talking to myself because I've no idea if anyone is viewing this for future tenses. Ha-ha, in any case, a new update from me to you! I do hope you enjoy. Keep tight more chapters will be coming out soon.