The FORBITTEN Promise

Chapter 4 - Lilith

I know something is bothering Charles but I kept wondering what it is. I reached my hand out and placed it on his head. His hair was actually soft and not spiked up with gel, like I had thought. Charles stared at me, with a look in his eyes that seem to make him surprised and happy at the same time. But, that was before I knew what I did. I pulled my hand back and grabbed my backpack off the floor.

“Come on,” I said to Charles but not really looking at him. “let me show you to our second period.” I didn’t bother to see if he was following, I quickly walked out of the room into the hall and walked out the door, next to the classroom, and into the rain.

I can’t believe it. I can’t believe, I’ve just done that! I haven’t done that to anyone. Anyone! The only person I’ve done it too was… I slowed my walking and can feel Charles behind me. For some reason, I remembered I’ve done it to someone but… I can’t remember who. Who did I do that too? All of a sudden I felt dizzy. I raised my hand to my head, everywhere I looked the world was going sideways.

 I can feel myself swaying then I felt a hand on my shoulder and the world stood still. For some reason, I knew the person’s hand belonged to Charles. I don’t know how, but I just knew.

“Lilith, are you sick?” he asked. I moved his hand from my shoulder and kept walking.

“I’m fine.” I lied. What is up with me today? “Hurry up, we’re gonna be late.” I said and walked a little faster to the L building side door, next to the outside basketball court gate. The door was locked, but luckily someone was leaving and opened the door for us. I walked up the stairs onto the second floor and opened the outside door. I walked into the first classroom on my left. Room L201. Just in time to cause the bell just rang right when Charles walked in. I pointed at the back the left side of the room where our teacher was sitting behind her desk. “Davis is over there behind her desk.” I said to him and walked towards the back of the class, just a table away from the windows.

I sat down on the left side of the table and leaned back in my chair, standing on its back two legs. I rubbed my eyes, leaned my head up at the ceiling, and then closed my eyes. I thought of silence then realized I was still listening to music from my iPod with the earbud in my right ear. I listened to the music. This is How I Disappeared by My Chemical Romance. I let out a sigh then I felt the air shift on my right. I let out a low groan because I knew who it was. I opened my eyes to see Charles sitting in the seat next to mine.

This is going to bother me. Is he really going to sit next to me in every class?

“Lilith.” I looked up towards the front of the class to Ms. Davis. “You help Charles out, okay?” I made a face saying; ‘Do I have too?’  She let out a big laugh. “Look at you making a face like; ’Do I have too.’” I smiled. Davis is a tall African American woman – about six feet tall – with oval shape glasses. Who was nominated the craziest teacher of the year, for many years and probably for the next couple of years before she retires.

“Well, do I have to?” I asked smiling, setting my chair down. She laughed again, stopped, and then looked at a boy in our class. I think, his name was Richard. He had a bag of Hot Cheetos.

“Want some, miss?” he asked, holding the bag out to her.

“Boy, don’t start with me.” She said and everyone laughed. “I told you people already, especially to those that know me. That stuff is naughty! I’ve told you, you’re going to glow in the dark and set off metal detectors.” Everybody laughed even harder.

I took my folder and pencil out of my backpack and started taking notes on ‘Types of Slopes’ and ‘Slopes Formula’ when I noticed Charles had nothing in front – except for the Poisonwood Bible – or on him. Not a pencil, pen, or even a backpack.

He didn’t even bother to ask me for a piece of paper. And how haven’t I notice it before?

 I let out a breath. I took a clean sheet of paper out from my folder and gave him the paper and the pencil I was using. He looked at me. I looked for another pencil in my backpack when I found one, I looked back at him.

“If you need something, just ask me.” I said.

“Umm, thanks.” He said. I nodded my head, looked at the board, and continued taking notes.

Charles

            We took notes for the majority of the class then Davis gave us an assignment with about ten minutes to spare in class. I took the opportunity to ask Lilith some questions. I looked at her. She had her head down looking at the whiteboard, looking tired, and tapping her pencil on her head.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked as her eyes closed.

For a while, her eyes were closed and she did nothing her pencil in her hand. I thought she didn’t hear me when she suddenly sat up straight and the pencil flew out of her hand.

“What?” She stared at me then started cleaning her ear. “I think I heard wrong. Can you repeat that?” she asked.

“Do you have… a boyfriend?” I asked again. Lilith looked for her pencil on the floor, reached to pick it up, and sat back down. She rubbed her eyes as she let out a tired breath.

“No, I don’t.” she said then turned her head towards me. Her eyes went fierce. “Why?” She looked at me up and down – not moving her head, only her eyes. She’s very observant.

“I just wanted to know.” I said. She smiled a little.

“Just wanted to know.” She mumbled, still smiling. “Look,” she said this time to me. “I told you not to be interested in me.”

“Yeah, you did but you didn’t tell me to stop and ask you out. Even if I was interested in you or not.” One of her eyebrows went up and she stared at me then I realized what I said. “That wasn’t what I meant! I meant –”

“So, you’ll ask me out just for fun?” she asked, cutting in, her eyes narrowing as her face scrunched up a bit, in anger. And the look in her eyes is actually scaring me a bit.

“Yes – I mean – No – I mean…” I could feel myself becoming more scared and embarrass at the same time but then Lilith laughed. Somehow, relaxing me. When did she become so mean?

“It’s okay, I know what you mean. I was just messin’ with you.” At first, I could read her eyes and see what she was thinking then all of a sudden her eyes became unreadable. She looked at the clock. I looked at the clock as well, there was still, at less, three minutes left in class. I looked back at her. She was looking at me, thinking and I could tell she was in deep thought. “I can’t come up with anything.” She said to herself.

“About what?” I asked.

“Why you’re into me.”

I smiled. “I don’t know either, I’m still trying to figure it out myself.” Then the bell rang and while the bell was ringing, Lilith chuckled which send my heart beating against my ribs.

“You’re real funny.” She said, standing up and grabbing her backpack from the floor. “It’s nutrition time. Do you want something to eat or you just want to hang out at the library? Which by the way is our next class.”

“Whichever you want.” I said.

“Well, it’s your choice.” She said. “We can hang out in the library so you can talk to our librarian or I can show you around school.”

“Well,” I thought for a while. “You can show me around the school then.”

“Then let’s get started on the tour.” She said and waited for me to get up and walk with her out the door.

Lilith

            I showed Charles around school, telling him which buildings were which, and showed him the little Japanese garden we have across from the softball field. The fountain in the back of the R building, but then of course we were walking in the rain. So we were soaked to the bone but Charles didn’t seem to mind, actually where ever we walked he wanted to walk in the rain.

My hands were cold and felt numb, it was hard to curl up my fingers in a fist so I put them in the pockets of my sweater. We walked inside the R building, dripping wet from the rain, the hall was filled with a few people wanting to stay warm. My body was shaking a bit from the cold but there was a big smile on my face.

Rain was dripping down my face onto my wet shirt and sliding under my shirt. I reached for my cell phone in my pocket even though it’s a bit hard to bend my fingers since they’re cold to the bone. I managed to get my cell phone and check the time.

“We have a bit more than five minutes left. Want to head to the library now?” I asked, looking at Charles. His face and hair were dripping wet, but there was a big smile on his face.

“Yeah, sure.” Charles said.

We were headed towards the long flight of stairs when I heard someone’s voice that was a bit louder than the others in the hall. I turned my head towards the other flight of stairs that led to the third floor, where I saw Ariel and her boyfriend, Erick.

Ariel was wearing a tight pink shirt – so she can show her boobs to the world! – and the freakin’ skirt that I told her not to wear. Erick is on the football team, about 5’10, with hazel eyes and brownish shoulder-length hair. Erick was holding onto Ariel’s wrist and his other hand was trying to get under her skirt while Ariel was trying to move away from him.

My body instantly became tense and my breathing grew heavy as I went on auto-drive, dropping my bag against the wall, besides the staircase, and walked towards them.

“Erick, let go of Ariel’s wrist and stop touching her.” I told him as my voice deepen.  Ariel stared at me, surprised and then scared, that I was there all of a sudden.

“Do you mind? I’m with my girlfriend.” Erick said.

“I do mind and this isn’t any girlfriend, she’s my sister and you’re hurting her.” I told him. “Now, let go of my sister’s wrist.” I grabbed his wrist that was holding Ariel’s, he instantly released her wrist – but I didn’t let go of his – and placed myself between Erick and Ariel.

“Hey, let go! Your hand is fuckin’ cold!” He tried to pull his hand back, but I tightened my grip.

It was actually hard to keep my grip on his wrist, my hands were numb and I can barely move my fingers, and feeling the different body temperature from mine to Erick’s gave my hand a burning, tingly sensation.

“If I ever find you touching, or hurting, my sister and she doesn’t like it,” I tightened my grip and felt something c***k under my hand. Erick let out a small yelp. “I’ll be kicking your balls so hard forget about walking for the rest of your pathetic life.” I said and released his wrist then grabbed Ariel’s arm behind me and started walking away, pulling her with me.

“Damn, Bitch.” I stopped instantly, feeling my stomach tighten, and turned my head around.

“What you just call me?” I growled, clenching my teeth, baring them.

“No! Lilith, stop!” I looked at Ariel and gave her a cold stare. She flinched and tried to move away from me, but I had her arm in my hand.

She wants me to stop and forget about this? A growl came out from my throat, a growl I’ve heard only a couple of times from myself that sounded like an animal growl, and I knew it was bad, but at the moment I didn’t care. I was angry he just called me a –

“Get the hell away from me!” I heard Erick say. I turned around and saw Charles towering over Erick holding him by his football jacket.