“Kore sang him to sleep, a lullaby that needed to be sung through the night, thus preventing her own. When awakened-”
Buzz!
Hayden sighed, setting down the book before glancing at his phone. The notification preview showed a picture of Ilene on the screen with a kissing face and the caption “I love you” cut off near the bottom. He looked back at the picture book, at Kore’s face, drawn in its simple yet colorful way, the texture reflecting cleanly off the lamp in his room. He turned to the phone again and frowned, his eyes shutting after a lingering second, before flinging it across the room.
His room had white walls, spacious with a single bed against the corner, a desk with a computer, and a bookcase crammed with literature.
“Hayden!”
Crashing in, bustling with laughter, Zach fell onto Hayden against his chair, the large and tall brother sliding him back somewhat.
“What the-”
Zach’s friend, of similar stature but blonde-haired and tanner skin, plopped on Hayden’s bed and guzzled the beer in his hand.
“Hayden, my loving and ever caring brother,” Zach slurred, “I-” Burp! “Oh, mm. I need you to… uh… Oh, shit, man, where do I need him to take us?” He glanced at his friend, who shrugged. They then both launched into a hysterical giggling and hiccupping fit, clutching their stomachs and kicking around.
Hayden closed his eyes, nostrils flaring. “Whatever the request or destination, the answer’s no.”
“‘Whatever the request or destination,’ blah-blah-blah. Look, man, I need to get over to practice, got to be there to impress this chick. AJ’s wasted, I suck at driving-”
“Yeah, that’s the reason,” AJ retorted, holding the last few drops of alcohol over his mouth.
“Exactly, exactly, man. Exactly, so mm… so! Can you?”
Hayden glared at his brother, eyes shadowed by his scrunched eyebrows.
Zach rose up and backed away with his hands raised. “Alright, man, Jesus. Just, you know, stop doing that shit there with your eyes, bro. Freaks me the fuck out. Come on, AJ.”
AJ hiccupped, jumped out of the bed, crushed the cup, then shot it like a basketball at Hayden’s garbage can. Except there was no garbage can, and so it hit a small, empty corner of his room.
“Score!” he shouted before leaving.
Hayden’s eyebrow twitched as he released a long, slow sigh.
Buzz-buzz-buzz-buzz-
Checking his phone, he saw the reminder pop up: Take girlfriend shopping. He sighed again, set his book down, then exited room, jacket in hand.
“Ilene!”
Knock, knock!
“Ilene!”
“Come in!” she replied.
Opening the door, her grandmother, Emilia – a 67 year old woman, gray hair tied into a ponytail, eyes an ocean washing against the sand on a soft night, matching Ilene’s – smiled as she entered. Her granddaughter stood in front of her open wardrobe, twisting her hips for a mirror, looking for any cracks in the reflection.
“Well, well, who is this beautiful young darling in my house? Looking like a grown woman already.”
Ilene chuckled, smiling now. “No, Nana, your eyes deceive.”
“Oh, shush. I’m nearly deaf, but I’ve got 40/40 vision.”
Ilene giggled as Nana grinned warmly, sitting on the bed. The girl’s room was covered in various artistic posters – Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Edvard Munch’s Anxiety and The Scream, large printed pieces of poetry, and more.
“Alright, alright, slow on down now, don’t catch a fuss. What’s the occasion?” Emilia asked.
“Oh, I’m, uh, just going to go out to the mall for a bit. That’s okay, right?”
“That’s fine. With your friends?”
“Uh, no, that boy I told you about before. The one that I’m seeing.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I just want to wear something that will impress him.”
Emilia frowned. “Now, I’m sure he’s a wonderful boy, Ilene. But be careful. Boys sometimes have a way of… making women do things they might never have done.”
Ilene shook her head, waving her hand. “Don’t worry, Nana. Hayden is- He’s nothing like that. I know him, we’ve been together for a couple months now.”
“I understand that-”
“Oh, he just texted me. He’s waiting outside!” Ilene kissed Emilia on the cheek, then ran past the door. “See you later, Nana!”
She sighed, glancing at the open wardrobe, pretty dresses strewn across the floor.
“I’ll never grow accustomed to all the green here. So much Packers’ influence.”
“Was it weird- er, odd to move from Paris? I don’t think I ever asked.”
The mall was bustling, young couples their age frequenting as well. Food shops flooded the air with nutrition and taste, kids stomped about the floor and echoed with the conversations of people on all levels of the mall, and various video advertisements played on every intersection.
“I suppose. My parents wanted a quieter life. I don’t remember much of Paris, having been all over, but still.”
Ilene laughed. “Yeah, it’s pretty tame here unless it’s football season. It can get boring. I can’t wait ‘til I get to college and can get out of here.”
Ilene stopped in front of a dress shop, eyes widening as she stared at the mannequin figures and the dresses.
“Oh, my God!” she exclaimed. “That’s so pretty, holy- I mean, it’s just so… captivating.”
Hayden smirked. “So, you envy mannequins then? I know you’re pale, but still.”
“Shut up!” Ilene slapped his chest, a mirthful glance and smile exchanged between the two of them. He grabbed her hand and began to walk her inside.
“Hey, Ilene!”
Danny and Philip ambushed them, hugging Ilene, lifting and spinning her around. All three laughed heartily while Hayden watched from the side, stone-faced.
Danny, who held her, noticed, and so he softly cleared his throat and set her down.
“Um, how are you guys?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re about to go to the food court,” Philip replied, “get some pizza. You want to join-”
Hayden glanced past them at Ilene, who met his stare and shrunk. “Ac-actually, I’m about to go clothes shopping with Hayden right now, so I’ll text you guys later.”
“Right,” Danny said, giving a curt nod to Hayden; he responded in kind. The two waved as they walked away, Hayden wrapping his hand around her waist. She looked up at him, at his shy smile and hollow eyes.
She smiled weakly back before they continued inside the store, among the dresses. Ilene bubbled when she saw the dress again, feeling the flower-patterned fabric. It was magenta, shorter, with a low cut in the bust. Hayden frowned at it.
His eyes traveled to a longer, looser, plain-colored dress. An image of Kore flashed – her wearing it, twirling in it and smiling at him. He stalked towards it, feeling over it. Ilene, feeling his shift, turned to where he stood.
“Hey, babe, what are you looking at?”
Hayden’s hands traced down the seams, smirking. “I think you’d look good in this.” He lifted it from its hanger and held it to her.
Ilene took in his face: his smile and the lack of hollowness, now filled with something else. A flame or an ocean, she couldn’t tell. Her heart sank as she received the dress, a forced smile on her face but her body warmed as his face glowed.
Exiting the dressing room, Hayden absorbed her appearance, then nodded. “Absolutely…” He grinned. “Perfect.”
Ilene walked over to the mirror and spun her hips, a blank face painted over her.
“You like it?” he asked.
She nodded. “I do, but…” She furrowed her brows, examining the reflection. “I think there’s something wrong with the mirror…”
“What?”
“I think… I think there’s a crack in the reflection.”
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