Pretty In Black Part 3

"Some guy, a while ago. I don't really wanna talk about it."

"So don't."

A cold wind made me s.h.i.+ver. Next thing I knew, Marcus removed his black jacket and placed it around my shoulders. "You don't have to be sad, you know."

Suddenly, I found myself wanting to tell him things, but I didn't. He got this concerned expression on his face and moved closer to me.

"Don't do that," I said.

"What?"

"I'm fine. I swear."

"How about I read you a poem?"

"I'd love to hear it."

"Death isn't so bad- It's the only thing that keeps me alive I vowed an eternity spent staring into your eyes To tempt fate, who forbids, I say, 'No, she won't close her lids.'

Death isn't so bad- For I'd die again and again and again Plus once more If I could touch your lips with mine Or be wedded to you, with time I'd die again, I'd die."

All I could think of, after he recited the poem, was, "You kissed me, Marcus."

"I know." He smiled. His face moved closer to mine. "I'd do it again..." My heart raced. "And again..." He moved even closer. "And again." I'd never seen someone so beautiful. No guy had ever made my pulse race that fast. I'd never felt this much desire. His gaze landed on my lips, then reached to meet my eyes again.

I breathed, "I'm going to the cemetery." I stood up quickly and took off.

"I'll come with you." He leapt up and chased after me. "Hey. Would you slow down? It's almost like you're running away from me."

I pushed my arms through the sleeves of his black jacket. It was now fully nighttime.

"You're really fast."

"You're doing an excellent job of keeping up." He was now at my side.

"May I ask why you're running?"

"To keep from dying."

"Explain."

"You know exactly what I mean, Marcus."

He put his hand underneath mine, entwining fingers, to keep me from racing away from him. My heart sped out of control. We were already at the cemetery gates of Mandolin Cemetery, where we'd met. He turned me around to face him. "I want to hear you say it."

My breath was short. "I don't want you to kiss me, again."

"I think you mean everything but the 'don't' part."

I shoved him. "Go away." He inched back and leaned against the brick wall. I stared at him. He stared back.

"You're still here with me, Ellie."

"So?"

"If you don't leave right now, I'm going to kiss you again and you're going to end up kissing me back." His eyes twinkled.

I opened the gate to the cemetery and I didn't leave.

Creep "Where the f.u.c.k you been, Eleanor?"

This is how my mother preferred to greet me. She violently extinguished her cigarette in the ash tray next to the worn couch. Nick slouched about in his boxers, a stained man's top, and dirty socks, gulping down the weeks money. I hated the smell of sloshed beer and trashy s.e.x.

"I was in the cemetery."

She leapt up from the couch. "Who the f.u.c.k we know in a cemetery? We ain't got no dead people we know 'bout. You wh.o.r.ed around. That's what you did."

"Forget about Darcy, mom?" I felt like crying.

She hated when I spoke about Darcy. She wanted to forget it'd ever happened. She picked up the ash tray and slammed it against the trailer wall. Nick looked at me, a smirk inching around his lips. I ignored her and made my way to my room in the back. But she followed me.

I shut my door and turned on my stereo. A sweet old fas.h.i.+oned melody competed to drown away my mother's tantrum. She threw a plate against the wall and it shattered. "And clean up these G.o.dd.a.m.ned dishes, Eleanor."

I opened my wallet and realized I only had twenty dollars left. I dug to the bottom of my bag to find my cell phone. I rang my father. I had to plug my ear with my index finger to drown out the yelling topped with the music.

"Hey, Dad. It's me. Ellie. I need more money."

"Hey sweetie. How are you?"

"Miserable, maybe?"

"How much money you need, doll?"

"Five hundred dollars."

"Woah, Elle's. What happened to all that money I sent last week?"

"Mom and Nick spent it on drugs and beer. When are you returning from New York?"

"I don't know. I have a lot of business to take care of, Ellie."

"I'm going to take a bus to where you are. I can't stay here any longer."

"No. You can't do that, Ellie,"

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Oh. I understand. You're just another p.r.i.c.k who doesn't care about the welfare of his daughter. So screw you, too." I hung up. I wasn't going to stay in that house. I crammed a week's worth of clothing and accessories in a duffel bag and climbed out the window, only reaching back in to retrieve my music player and phone charger.

My cell rang again. It was Declan.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He said.

"Don't call me, anymore. Lose this number. We're not together." I also hung up on him. I called Sean and asked him to come get me. I walked from the trailer to the edge of the road. I caught a glimpse of something red moving in the shadows. When I turned my attention to it, I noticed someone watching me.

"Okay, so that's creepy." I said to myself. I didn't take my eyes off the person in the red robe, stalking around in the edge of the woods. I put my phone to my ear to ask Sean, "How long do you think it'll be 'til you get here?"

I blinked and the red figure disappeared.

He picked me up at the end of the street about twenty minutes later. His boyfriend Tony was with him.

"So you're the fabulous Ellie."

"Not sure how fabulous I'm supposed to be."

I plucked the rubber band against my wrist. Sean smiled and it warmed the small s.p.a.ce of the vehicle. I would've gone for him if he wouldn't have been gay.

He heard the snapping and turned around to look at me. I'm a master at bringing unwanted attention upon myself.

Tony turned the radio dial and got nothing but a lot of static. And it started to rain.

"Anyone know where I can get a decent meal for under ten bucks?"

"McDonald's Dollar Menu?" Sean offered.

Tony slapped Sean's upper arm. "Don't worry, Ellie. I'll cook you a three course meal when we get back to Sean's apartment."

"What?" Sean said. "You can't cook."

"Yes I can."

"What? TV dinners?"

Tony made this face. "I hate you." And Sean laughed. He was the most masculine of the two.

"Aww. I know. You're just trying to seem cute and domesticated."

"I am cute though."

Sean took his eyes off the road to stare at Tony. "Very cute."

"All right. All right." I said. We made it safely to his apartment after all and ended up eating oven pizza and ice cream. After I'd scarfed down a thousand calories, I took a warm shower. When I exited the bathroom, I saw Tony and Sean cuddled together on the couch. Sean turned around to see me watching him and said, "Oh, I'm sorry." And they got up and Tony unfolded the bed from the couch.

I realized how this was going to cause problems. Tony traveling to the bathroom and seeing me sleep. Me wanting to sleep in and not being able to, or wanting to crash in a bed, but Sean wanting to watch TV or play video games.

"I'm sorry guys. I really am. This is only temporary. I'm looking for a job tomorrow, I promise."

"It's okay, really," Sean said. I also didn't want to eat their groceries. I had nothing to contribute. The pain I experienced that night was equivalent to being ran over by a semi. Tomorrow was Thursday. I would skip school and look for job and pray to my deities to still let me manage to graduate somehow.

Haunted I really needed a job. Not only did I have nowhere to stay, but I discovered an independent bookstore that I wanted to practically barricade myself in and read all the poetry and romance novels, a thrift store that sold really cute vintage clothing, and a bakery that made tasty French bread. I bought ten loaves.

Around 2:56 pm I landed a job at the local cinema sweeping the floors and scooping popcorn. Plus, I got discounted films. And since Halloween was inching closer, all the terribly amazing horror films would show. I went to work immediately and worked from 3:30 'til close. In the haste of scooping popcorn, making drinks, and counting back cash, I thought I saw Marcus in the movie crowd, eying me. But when I blinked, he was gone.

It might've been my imagination. I was anxious to see him again. When my s.h.i.+ft was over, I wiped down the counters and swept the place as I and the guard waited for the last showing to end. I looked up from sweeping and saw Declan tracing the curves of my body with his eyes. I suddenly went weak and gripped the broom. Images of him pounding into me filled my head and I almost collapsed trying to force them out.

I wanted to throw up. Some memories haunt you forever.

A Visitor October 3rd Back in Math Cla.s.s.

I opened Marcus's journal and flipped past several pages of musical compositions, and landed on Cemetery Love Song and the portrait he'd sketched of me in his free time. I still wore his jacket. He'd left the journal behind one evening. Madison leaned over her desk and caught a glimpse of the journal before I could close it.

"Secret admirer? Do tell."

"This is none of your business, Madison."

"Who is Marcus Marble?"

I spun around to face her. "What did you just say?"

"The name on the jacket says Marcus Marble. Does Declan know about this?"

"There's nothing that Declan needs to know. He and I are not together anymore. He cheated on me, okay. Just stay out of my business."

"So you're using this guy to pay him back for what he did? He said he was sorry."

"It's not like that. I'd never use Marcus. And I'd never forgive Declan."

"So, this is a real thing, with this guy, isn't it?"

"f.u.c.k off." I spun back around. Ten seconds later, the teacher called on me.

"Miss Eleanor Piper. Please come solve problem number three on the black board."

I walked smugly to the front of the cla.s.s and as I wrote the numbers on the board, I chanted: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-" I sc.r.a.pped the chalk against the board to make that blood curling sound that makes you cringe.

"Stop the nonsense Miss Piper."

"-While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."

I tapped the chalk against the board.

"Stop it, I said."

My voice grew more theatric. "Tis some visitor," I muttered. "-Tapping at my chamber door-Only this and nothing more."

"Stop it this instant!"