A Pocketful of Gems

Chapter 3: the birds began to sing - Part 2

I ignored Spencer and Eve all day Sunday and my parents' numerous attempts to check in on me. My mother called me down to breakfast and lunch, but gave up and it was dad who came knocking around dinner time. He apologized through my locked door and said nothing else for twenty whole minutes before saying he'd put a cover over me dinner and leave it in the fridge.

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At school Monday I sat at the usual table and Eve joined me. The crease between her eyebrows was obviously concern, but she tried not to voice it when she asked me how I was.

I assured her I was okay and was totally confused when she asked me about my foot, but then remembered the cut between my toes that I'd gotten running around the park barefooted. I'd changed the band-aid but had in fact forgotten about it.

"It's fine, I've been cleaning it," that's a lie, "and I changed the bandage," once.

"Good, this weekend was crazy wasn't it? I got into an argument with my cousin Selma. She was trying to hint at something with Abel, his Spanish is good, but limited, so he probably wasn't sure what she was saying to him," I'm pretty certain that Abel was at a loss of what to do when Eve's cousin stared a conversation with him, he wasn't the most verbose of guys, "but I heard her and I let her have it."

"Your cousin tried to petition Abel with you in the same area code, she must be brave or stupid."

"Im'ma go with stupid."

"Well you can't fault the girl for trying, heck, I'd try to if we weren't friends and I wasn't so, blah," I smiled at Abel. "He is wonderful in every way and an absolute dream babe."

"Thank you," he whispered. I nodded and smiled.

"I ain't even gonna bother with you," she crossed her arms on the table. "This whole thing you got going is a facade, you're a secret boy fanatic and I know your type."

I stole a glance at Abel. He was watching something in the distance, no counting on him to distract her with a kiss.

"I wasn't aware I was the type to have a type." She smiled smugly, "what is it?"

"Yellow." She announced triumphantly. I waited. I got exactly what she was saying and I hoped my face wasn't betraying me.

"My type is yellow?" she winked, Abel whispered into her ears. Good timing too. Spencer had just arrived, running late, I couldn't actually see him among the swarm of hungry kids, but I caught glimpses of his smooth curls bouncing above the heads of the other students.

I waited eagerly for the crowd to disperse, like I'd wait for the sunrise on days when I snuck out to sketch. Impatient cause it seemed to take forever, but confident that it would show up and it would light up my world.

I didn't wait long. Spencer pushed out the crowd, the smile on his face made me squint and my eyes watered at the intensity in which he shone.

He fist bumped Mitchell Gordon and looking up after exchanging a few words waved at me. I lift my hand to wave back and Mitchell Gordon turned to look.

I duck quickly slamming my chin into the table and folding my hands on top of the table laid my head down. My chin stung and my cheeks burned.

"You okay Gemma?" Eve patted my head.

"Yeaa...just a spell, it'll pass." She patted me again and I raised my head, not enough to look at her but enough to let her know I was listening.

"Mitchell or Spencer, who's cuter?" I laughed mockingly into the area below the table.