The Boy With The Skull Tattoo, Belinda Louis [uplifting novels txt] 📗

and my mother is of Cuban ancestry. Drew's parents are of French ancestry. I laughed to myself when he told me his name. Drew Willy Cartier. He was so shy and weird looking as a child. Narrowed eyes that slanted a bit. His full eyebrows looked plucked but they were already proportional since birth. His full lips were pink and puffy. I've never seen such perfect lips on any boy before. He was named after his father Willy Drew Cartier. His mother and father divorced when he was five years old. He couldn't remember what his father looked like after a while. There were times when I'd come home from school and Drew waited by the house window. He just waited like an owl hungry for the night to appear right before it's eyes. A lost wolf roaming the woods and waiting for the full moon. I asked him what was so special about that window. He told me in the front lawn is where he and his father would play baseball. He'd teach him everyday when he'd come home from school. One day Drew hit the ball so hard with the bat that it broke the window. The same exact window he'd look through viciously everyday. He told me that day was the day he'll never forget. It was the last memory he ever had of his father. Drew never really owned things that belonged to his father. Only his name. After a while he stopped looking through that window and play video games upstairs in his bedroom and I'd secretly watch.

I finished dressing up, applying the last scoop of lip gloss on my lips and then adding on the last touches of beach waves curling to the ends of my hair with my purple curling wand. 

As soon I was done, I walked downstairs prepared to go. Drew slouched in my sofa with his index finger holding his head up and the other hand tapping his shaking leg. He looked emotionally depressed. He wasn't crying over-dramatically, it looked like he was overthinking and got very pissed off the moment he remembered whatever made him feel like that. I never, ever, in my life saw him look upset before. 

"Drew is everything okay?" He lifted his head and took a moment to look at me. He never stared at me for this long. It was a different stare. He wiped his little tears away. He ran his thumb down my cheek and smiled.

"You look gorgeous!" he inhaled deeply opening the front door as he lead a tail and I'd follow him. "Let's go before mom starts getting mad." We both laughed walking our way out the door.

                                                                                     ___________

 

We stopped at a local restaurant my father rented out. It was filled with family and guests. I almost couldn't believe how crowded it was. For the first time it was like everything was okay between everyone. My father was on the far end side clumsily kissing guests on the cheek. He greeted almost everyone that came around him. He seemed happier than ever. It was a new happy and I didn't know where it was all coming from.

"Can you walk much faster?" said Drew walking behind bewildered.

"I'm wearing heels for God sake. You don't run in heels. You walk and it takes time." I curtsied in front of him and he almost tripped.

"There go's Lonnie." said Drew. My father saw us coming his direction and jumped cheerfully when he saw me. His happy face slowly faded away when his eyes came in contact with Drew's.

"Is that my Ellah?" my dad opened his arms to greet me for a hug. I walked as fast as I can to hug him. I missed his hugs. They're warm and soft. I almost wanted to cry.

I pulled away from him and hugged my step mother who stood right beside him. She smiled joyfully at Drew and I.

"Darling, it's so good to see you." I never really called Drew's mom my mom. Angie is what I always called her my whole life. She respects it and learned to accept it. 

"Hi Mom." I said for the first time. She pulled away so fast from the hug and her face slowly lightened up with sparkles when her eyes met mine.

"Hi Ellah." We hugged again a second time. I looked at Drew and he brushed his chin with his fingers  as a soft smirk appeared on his face.

Standing next to a crowd of a few family members who came to celebrate, we all welcomed my dad a happy fifty-ninth birthday. Every family member of ours danced along, we all laughed together, sat together, and communicated like family. Drew smiled more and spoke more than he usually does. I, well, I danced more than I usually do at family events. Suddenly, the DJ began to slow down the music. The lights went down too.

Out of breath from all the crazy dancing, I took a seat by the cake table by myself at the corner watching everyone parade around my father like it was some kind of Bar Mitzvah. I bowed my head  down and my hands held my head for support. Someone had walked by me but immediately stopped. Their shadow stood still. I didn't bother to look up at the person. If it was my dad he would've picked my head up and asked me what's wrong or am I okay, but this time the feeling was dissimilar.

"Elle." Drew's voice sang through my ears. I lifted my head up to see him. He stood in front of me. Everything else was a blur. He was the only one I could see.

"Dance with me?" he pulled his hand out. I didn't know what to say or think. This was not like him at all. Yeah, he offered me to dance with him a couple times before when we were young but that was ages ago so why now? Maybe the real Drew got kidnapped by Aliens and never returned to Earth.

"What?" I said. He lowered his head down halfway rubbing the back of his neck.

"Dance with me Ellah." He commanded once again. Seconds later he released a sigh. It wasn't a sad sigh, It was a calm sigh. It's like he knew the exact answer I wanted to say. He looked down on me passionately. I got up grabbing his hands as our fingers began to lock together the closer we got to the dance floor. He opened his arms wide open so that my chest would be closer to his body. I leaned in, resting my head on his shoulder. Standing behind him was Lonnie and Angie holding on to each tightly making love faces as they sang along to the melodramatic music playing in the background.  Angie swayed softly to her hearts delight, my dad.

My Chanel perfume wafts under my nose again when I slightly put my chin on Drew's shoulder to get a better view of Lonnie and Angie dancing. I felt safe in his hands. I never felt safe like this before. The entire vibe in the room changed. This time I was observing everyone making faces in the crowd each angle my eyes looked. Getting lost gazing at the faces in the crowd, my parents wedding song finally came on, Angie's favorite French singer, Michel Sardou. His French hit began playing through the speakers. I remembered the melody as a child dancing with Drew. I'll never forget loving  the pronunciation of French vocabulary dancing off his tongue. Je Vais T'Aimer.

"You were crying earlier."  I randomly thought of bringing up the topic whispering into Drew's ears.

"What?" 

"Why where you crying earlier?" I lifted my head off his shoulder and met with him eye to eye. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Crying? No I don't think so."

"Lies. Your eyes were all red. They were puffy."

"So. .what's that suppose to mean?"

"You were crying. And it seemed pretty serious."

"Just shut-up and dance with me." he pushed my head back on his shoulder gently.

"I'm still going to get you."

"I hope it's a sweet revenge too." He replied with an evil tone to his voice as a laugh escaped his mouth. I felt his body vibrate against my chest. I couldn't help but laugh too.

"Do you remember this song?" I asked. He pulled away and met eye to eye with me again.

"How could I forget this song. This is the song you and I danced to when we were younger. Till this day I don't understand not one fucking word he's saying." He said out loud absentmindedly.

I placed my hand over his mouth feeling his lips move on my fingers. I laughed too, softly.

"Hey watch it. But I hardly understand either," he wiped my hand on his suit."I can't believe you still remember that day though."

"How could I forget!" he smiled harder. He seemed much better. Much happier in my arms. Our eyes connected for so long. Throughout the whole dance I never lost eye contact with him. I almost spilled everything I held in as a child. We swayed like so around the dance room floor until of of nowhere the music suddenly changed to the Electra Slide.

"Alright get the fuck off of me!" I pushed him away belligerently going towards Angie and Lonnie to dance with them instead.

 

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Publication Date: 01-09-2016

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