Yohanna and Alex Chapter 3

 
                                   
                                    The Beach Party: part 3



      I woke up to hear Alex and Bruce talking. I wasn’t sure what they were saying, but I was sure they thought I couldn’t hear them, and that I had been knocked out for a while now maybe an hour or so.
      “Don’t hurt her, whatever you do don’t hurt her, please” Bruce pleaded.
      “I would never do that, it’s different now that I have met her,” Alex replied, they were talking about me.
      “Well I don’t care if you see her differently, if you hurt her you will be in a lot of trouble with me,” Bruce assured Alex
      “Do you love her?”
      The question caught both me and Bruce of guard.
        “Yes of course I do, I wouldn’t help her if I didn’t. Don’t you think?”
      “I meant as a girlfriend you know like really love her,” Alex asked again.
      “Yeah you could say I do love her, but not like that, I always wanted a big brother to be with me, but she I know doesn’t have any so I try to be the big brother I never had for her, if anyone hurts her they hurt me.” Bruce answered his question and I was glad that I was awake to hear it.
      “Sorry I didn’t mean to offend you,” Alex apologized.
      “Yeah I know, so how much did you hear back at the beach,” Bruce asked
      “Not much, enough though,” he replied.
      Bruce looked mad “What is enough for you?” he asked mad. I started to move slowly as if I was barley waking up; I didn’t want to hear his answer. Knowing how much he knew about me made me feel strange so I didn’t want to know how much he had heard. They both looked at me so I started to open my eyes slowly, waiting for them to clearly see that I was awake.
      “Hey, how are you doing?” Bruce asked
      “Fine, where are we at?” I asked curious
      “We’re about to get to your house,” he answered “I wanted to let you relax just incase aunt Clara was waiting up.”
      “How long have I been gone?” I asked.
      “An hour or so,” Alex answered.
      I didn’t want to hear his voice it was disturbing so I just looked out the window.
We were home and I was glad that I didn’t have to ride with Alex home alone.
      “Well I guess I am going to get out now,” Bruce said trying to hint to Alex to get out of the car.
      “Well nice seeing you again Bruce,” he said politely “see you in school Monday”
      And he was gone without a glance at me he was gone.
      “You’re the best you know that” he asked. I just smiled.
      “Hey how are you going to get home?” I asked.
      “Well I was hoping that you would let me stay, with you,” he looked at me.
      “You can if you want to, you would never hurt me and I know that” I replied.
      “I was playing, you take things to seriously, actually I am taking your car back to my house and bringing it to you tomorrow,” he said.
      “No really, you can stay with me if you want I have a queen size” I said playing.
      “No that is insane I won’t bother you tonight you need a good night rest” he explained
      “You being there would help me a lot you know, last night I didn’t sleep at all I was scared of him, I think that is the real reason I bought the doorknob with a lock, I think I am scared of him. Maybe he will come in my room.”
      “He wouldn’t do that”
      “I don’t know him enough so I am scared, if you won’t sleep here then I will sleep at your house.”
      “I shouldn’t have said anything,” he sighed “gosh your aunt will kill me if she sees me in your room.”
      “I got a lock remember there is no way, she can come in I got the lock that cost the most, that must mean it’s secured”
      “You really are scared of him aren’t you?” He asked.
      “Yeah I am, plus you are my big brother,” I reminded him.
      “You were awake, you faker” he teased me.
      “Will you stay, for me please?” I begged.
      “What ever you want,” he said “how much did you hear?”
      “Enough,” I replied.
      We walked in the house quietly, and still I could see the shadow of someone standing over the hallway and as soon as Bruce and I were headed that way the shadow disappeared into the only room left in this side of the hall. The other two rooms in the house were on the opposite side of the house. When we were in front of my bedroom I tried opening the door but it was locked, I shook the doorknob hard and the sound was loud.
      “Oops,” I whispered, I felt Bruce chuckle behind me, I laughed too, a little too loud though.
      “Shhh,” he whispered back.
      I grabbed my keys from my purse and we went in my room.
      “Wow, it looks the same,” Bruce said looking around my room, as I turned on the light. I didn’t worry about the light I had a dark curtain in my window and my door kept any light form escaping my room.
      “Yeah,” I said to my self “I don’t like changing much I like how everything looked ever since I got here.”
      “You know I had a crush on you,” he said matter-of-factly.
      “What!” I shrieked. I didn’t like Bruce like that; he was my big brother, nothing more.
      “Calm down, that was when you were nine, and cute,” he said, I took that as a compliment, I didn’t like it when people talked to me about being pretty.
      “What?” was all I could manage.
      “You are still beautiful, but I realized that you are my little sister, and I your big brother.”
      “Oh, well hello big brother,” I said laughing at my self. My voice was soft and childish; everyone could always tell when it was me.
      “Where am I staying?” he asked.
      “In my room,” I said “Where else?”
      “I meant where am I sleeping?” he asked again.
      “Oh,” I had lied about the queen size bed, and he knew it he had been in my room before and it wasn’t new to him “what about camping on the floor with me,” I offered.
      “No, you stay on the bed and I will watch over you, and then tomorrow you drive me back to home, and I can sleep when I get there,” he looked as if he was imaging everything in his head.
      “Ok, you are not staying up, you are going to sleep.”
      “Don’t tell me you are not afraid of him coming in here, I mean that is why you wanted me to stay.”
      “Yeah I am, but you’re here and you won’t let him hurt me,” I said.
      I was scared of Alex, as much  as I didn’t want to admit it I was, anyone who could have the right to stay in my house, in the same hallways as me would have me fearing because of them, it was another reason I didn’t like him much, he could come in my room when ever he wanted to. Bruce sat on the window seat; it was built in between the walls so there was a small rectangle carved in the wall big enough for my window. I loved that spot of my room, I use to sleep in it without any intention looking out at the stars made me feel tired so I usually slept there.
      “Can I sit with you?” I asked
      “Sure,” he said, making a space for me the closest to the window.
      “Why don’t you like him?” Bruce asked, it surprised me I thought he knew that I liked Alex I mean that was what he had seen earlier. In my eyes he had seen how I was mad that Alex had gone after Lucy when she had left.
      “I don’t know, at first it was the fact that when he got here I couldn’t go to the beach, I was ready to be free yesterday,” I replied quietly.
      Bruce just looked at me as if expecting more; he didn’t say anything so I kept talking.
      “And today I find out he is taking my only family, aren’t those enough reasons to dislike him? Hate him even?” I asked not only Bruce but also my self.
      “He is not taking me.” Bruce guaranteed me. I was happy to have heard this, then I thought even though Lucy told me she didn’t give in she had lied, and then I wasn’t so sure about Bruce anymore, just that one thought made me change my mind. I stared at him seriously now, I didn’t know if he wasn’t lying, he couldn’t lie Bruce wouldn’t lie to me.
      “I am not Lucy ok,” he assured me as if he had read my mind “and I am also not saying I wont talk to him, but still I wont leave you it will always be like the old times,” he paused and took a deep breath “even better now, because I know that you trust me enough to tell me anything, and I trust you.”
     
      I looked at him and then turned to look out the window, I knew Bruce wouldn’t lie to me. We sat in silence for a while, and then I got up and turned off the lights, it bugged me that I was in clear view, anyone who walked by my window could see us with the light on. Bruce was on the opposite side of the window seat, so we were facing each other we looked at each other for a while, I was just a tiny bit darker than him, his eyes were green and they flickered with the light that came from the moon. He was also taller than me; everyone I knew was except for Lana she was a little shorter. Bruce was also built and strong, he carried me and Lucy together; he was good looking too, but not my type.
      “Go to sleep and stop staring at me,” he said bringing me back from my thoughts.
      “Oh sorry I didn’t mean to stare,” I replied
      “Well go to sleep then,” he whispered.
      I scooted to his side; the window seat was long about around five feet and a half, so we both fit together. I closed my eyes and started to feel my thought shifting somewhere else. I was at the beach by myself and I was crying, but no one heard me, I kept walking deeper in the sea and still no one stopped me. Everyone watched me but no one stopped me, they let me go. I suddenly heard a light knock on the door, I though about it and was surprised when no came in, I hadn’t locked the door last night, I’d forgotten to with Bruce here I didn’t need to lock it. If it was my aunt I was really grounded. The knock came back and it was a little louder now, really waking me from the long dream it was always long even though I did the  same thing for hours, I had this every night after the night I had ran away.
      “Come in,” I heard Bruce say. The door opened slowly, I couldn’t see the face behind the door, my eyes were still closed, I felt too tired to open them. If I was going to get in grounded then I would get enough sleep.
      “Hey Aunt Clara is gone,” Alex said, still searching for us in the room, he looked at the bed but we were by the window. Once he saw us he looked surprised as if he had seen something out of the ordinary, maybe it was just me I still had my eyes half way closed, the light from the window was too bright “Oh sorry I knocked,” he said looking at me only. I yawned and answered him politely now, not so scared.
      “Yeah I know,” I didn’t really know, but I didn’t care if I lied to him, Bruce started to get up, but I grabbed his shirt tightly now, so he didn’t move.
      “I was just saying incase you didn’t want her to see him in here,” he responded.
      “Well, I got to go take a nap,” Bruce said trying to get my attention.
      “No, you can stay here in my room, I’ll make some breakfast,” I smiled at him.
      “Ok, but be nice,” he commanded me.
      “I'm always nice to you,” I responded surprised at what he’d said.
      “I meant to him,” Bruce said shaking his head toward the direction Alex had left, he had gone seconds before Bruce said anything, because he was already in the kitchen messing with some pans. “You know he doesn’t know what you went through, and your being hard with him,” he spoke quickly as if trying not to get me mad.
      “He is taking my life, he already took Lucy,” I said remembering our talk, and the fact that I hadn’t seen Lucy today even though I had just woken up it was another old tradition. What time was it? Last nigh was so late I was sure I had slept through most of my morning, at least I did Bruce looked tired.
      “He hasn’t taken Lucy, but your giving her to him,” he paused to look at me but I turned to look outside the window, we were still laying down on the window seat me on his chest “do you think you could still talk to Lucy?” he asked.
      “I don’t know,” I replied, whispering.
     
      And I didn’t know, I was confused, Lucy had lied to me she had a chance to tell me but she didn’t. Could I blame her the guy was good looking, and I knew that good looks were tempting, Lucy was as crazy as me I knew that just like I had a crush on Eric she had a crush on Alex. I got up and went to my bathroom, aunt Clara had let me have the master room ever since I was younger I used to get up to go to the restroom a lot so I needed the bathroom. The room wasn’t much bigger than the rest of the four rooms in Aunt Clara’s house, but she didn’t use any of them only her own. Her kids were long gone and she didn’t see much of them. She had two girls and one boy, there were now in their mid twenties, I used to be with them for like three summers until one by one they started heading of to college. I wondered what room Alex was in but then remembered the shadow from last night. I knew Aunt Clara was in Stacy’s room, her first daughter and the one who had left her first, she was a single mother so she didn’t need the master bedroom. I went in the bathroom that was connected to my closet, and looked at the clock it was around noon, wow I slept a lot. I took a quick shower and got in my clothes, sweats and a tank top, like always, somehow no I felt naked. I brushed my teeth and stared at the reflection in the mirror; I hated my body and my face, they called for too much attention.
      “Hey what are you doing?” Bruce asked, I jumped scared, I hadn’t noticed him.
      “Washing me teeth,” I said pointing at my mouth.
      “No, you were looking at yourself in the mirror,” he corrected me with a smile.
      “Yeah, I hate how I look,” I said.
      “Guess that’s two now,” he said smiling at me “but I get why you feel that now,” he said walking away.
      “I’m hungry, I think I’m going to go eat with Alex,” he looked at me for assurance.
      “Whatever, go I’ll be there in a while,” I said.
      “Really he’s not bad,” Bruce said “You should get to know him,” he said leaving my room and heading for the kitchen.
      “Yeah,” was all I could manage.
      I went to the kitchen a few minutes after. I didn’t want to eat but still tried to be nice.
      “Hey that’s my job,” I said looking at Alex, while he was cooking.
      “Yeah well it didn’t seem like you wanted to when I arrived the first day and you didn’t even eat at all yesterday,” he said looking at the food and not at me.
Was he mad at me? He sounded angry.
      “Okay, need help?” I laughed at the question, and I could see him smiling even though he still didn’t turn to look at me. I could talk to him; it wasn’t his fault that his parents were being dumb by yelling at each other in front of him. I knew how he felt sad, alone; mad for not being able to stop his parents from fighting. It wasn’t even his fault that I hadn’t come last year leaving him an invitation to take my friends.
      “Thanks, but no thanks, I am picky with food,” he answered.
      “Then I guess I should start learning what you like and what you don’t, because I’m the one who does the cooking around here,” I said challenging him as I sat on the counter, I could see Bruce smiling at me from the table where he was sitting on.
      “No, thanks I can cook for myself,” he answered.
      “Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,” I murmured too loudly.
      “And someone didn’t even wake up on her bed today,” he answered me.
      “Uh, uh,” I heard Bruce from behind, I’d expected him to say something to Alex but he didn’t.
      I got of the counter and went to sit in the table. What was wrong with Alex? Why was he mad at me? What did I do?
      “Hey guys what are you doing?” Aunt Clara said from the door, holding the groceries “Oh hey honey, what are you doing up so early its Sunday?” she asked turning to Bruce.
      “Oh hey Clara, I just came by to see, Uh…Yohanna,” he hesitated; he never called me by my name. He had always called me silly girl. I use to be silly with him when we were younger always making him laugh. Bruce was one year older than I was; he was seventeen about to turn eighteen.
      “Oh well I didn’t see your car and I am certain you didn’t walk,” she accused him.
      Bruce lived on the other side of Harbor Springs, so he couldn’t walk all the way over here. Aunt Clara was now looking at us suspiciously, Bruce wouldn’t lie to her she was always nice to him.
      “Some friends dropped him off,” Alex said turning to look at Aunt Clara.
        “Hey why are you cooking?” Aunt Clara asked turning to Alex then to me “its tradition Yohanna.”
      “Yeah I know, but he wouldn’t let me, plus he said he was picky with food so I let him.”
        “Help me with the groceries,” she said looking at all three of us.
        “Don’t worry our traditions are forever, I will learn his tastes in no time.”
        We put all the food away and sat on the table while Alex served.
      “This is awkward,” Aunt Clara said.
      “Sit, I’ll serve,” I told Alex.
      Somehow he obeyed without any arguments. He sat on my chair and I started serving, only for then though, I didn’t feel like eating with him there.
      “What? Your not eating again?” aunt Clara began “you didn’t eat yesterday either and you haven’t eaten today; I can tell.”
      “Yohanna, sit and eat something,” Bruce said after aunt Clara had finished, he looked surprised as if he hadn’t known I hadn’t eaten, and then I thought and remembered I hadn’t told him I didn’t feel comfortable eating around Alex either.
        “Why are you guys teaming up on me?” I paused to see if they would keep trying to make me eat “really I am not hungry Aunt Clara, I ate dinner with Bruce last night and got way too full,” I lied to her, and Bruce gave me a disappointing look. My stomach growled giving me away, I felt betrayed again by my own body. Alex just shook his head slowly and chuckled.
        “Okay I’ll eat but I am really not very hungry,” I complained hoping my stomach wouldn’t growl again, and it didn’t. Thanks, I thought in my head. I grabbed some food and put it on my plate, sat down and chewed.
      “Thought I wouldn’t live to see this day,” Alex teased.
      We sat and talked about school, Alex’s ride turns out he lives on the southern part of Michigan, we also spoke about my flight I had left my car here two years ago. I had two cars, one in California and one here, my parents I guess felt guilty so they gave me everything I wanted, that’s the reason they let me come here every summer without complaining. I had my own credit card, but I didn’t use the money unless I needed it, I didn’t want them to feel that they were right. There was only one time that I overused my card.
      “So how was your summer Yohanna?” Aunt Clara asked. She was hurt last year when I didn’t come to her house. I stared at Bruce and he frowned, I glanced quickly at Alex, and then away. I noticed he was curiously looking at me but I didn’t look at him a lot.
        “I don’t know my summer hasn’t started yet,” I said with a fake smile.
      “I meant last summer.”
      “Fine,” I lied to her again.
      “What did you do?” Aunt Clara asked.
      I looked from Bruce to Alex, even though i knew he didn't know. I kept all the tears in and kept cool.
      “Many things,” I said “how about you?” I asked her trying to change the subject.
      “Oh I was here with Alex, just hanging out, waiting for you to change you mind,” she whispered.
      “I was just looking for a girlfriend last summer,” Bruce yelled happily.
      I knew why he’d done it, my face was something he didn’t like looking at when it was sad.
      “Really, so did you find anyone good?” I asked now curious.
      “No, well her name is Suzy, she’s hot,” he smiled at me.
      “Where did you find her?” Alex asked.
      “At a party, she was really lonely so I kept her company.”
      Aunt Clara and I rolled our eyes and together said, “Whatever.”
      “Don’t get mad,” Bruce said “you guys are my favorite girls,” he finished smiling.
      “Yeah, sure,” I said.
      “So what are we doing today?” Bruce asked.
      “Party?”
      “No I am too tired for that, its two already and I don’t have my school supplies or clothes for this summer,” I reminded him
      I always left my stuff with my parents, I thought if I brought them with me I would bring every bad memory, so I left them behind, plus California was hot and Michigan wasn’t always hot.
      “Oh, honey you can go with Alex, he went to the store downtown last year,” Aunt Clara said.
        “Um, I already got my supplies earlier this morning,” Alex interrupted.
        “Oh, its okay I’ll take her then,” Bruce offered “I’ll tell Eric to come with us” Bruce continued “he would be happy to go with us.”
        “I didn’t say I wouldn’t take her, just that I had already bought my stuff,” Alex explained to Bruce.
        “And who said I would go with you two?” I asked both of them “plus I don’t need any help,” I said mad at both of them. Bruce was trying to drag him with us and Alex was being weird, first he is mad at me and now he wants to go with us, well with me to the store, what did he want me to think? I stared at both of them and just shrugged.
      “What, I want to take Lucy with me, you know is something we do every year,” I said looking at Bruce “plus she’s a girl I don’t think you two want to wait for me outside a dressing room.”
      “Where is Lucy?” aunt Clara asked “she always stays with you the weekend before you start school, this is so surprising.”
      And it was Lucy would be with me from the Friday that I arrived to the Sunday before I had to go to school. I’d forgotten I didn’t want to talk about her, which was why I wouldn’t say her name throughout all of our conversations this morning. I stared at Alex; he just looked away smiling and frowning at the same time. Bruce just looked at me with a smile he wanted everything back the way it use to be, with me smiling all the time.
      “You are?” Bruce asked.
      “Why wouldn’t she” Alex said, again more like a statement rather than a question.
      “Well I am going to go to shower before I head of to work.”
      Aunt Clara was a secretary in a big company; she worked from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm. She walked to her bedroom, which was on the opposite hall from mine and Alex’s.
      “So are you going to call Lucy?” Bruce asked.
      “I don’t know,” I replied.
      “I thought you were taking her with you,” Alex asked.
      “That was just to get Aunt Clara to relax and to get you two of my back,” I said sharply, suddenly I was mad at him again when I thought about Lucy and I.
      “Yohanna!” Bruce snapped “remember what I asked of you, and Lucy has no fault in anything,” Bruce finished.
      “Yeah, well it wasn't my fault either who knows whos fault it is," i said looking straight at Alex, "I will call her I need to talk to her anyways,” I replied walking to my room. I got my cell phone to call her; I wouldn’t use the house phone when he could at any time pick up the other line and eavesdrop again.                     




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