How To NOT Be Straight✓

28: Hark The Demons... Sorry, Did You Mean Angels?

The next three weeks went by so quick, but I was relieved about it. Not only could I have some time to relax this Christmas break, but it also gave me the opportunity to see Alexis and Terry more often. Blake still avoided me, and I understood why, but I didn't let it stop me from enjoying my holiday. In fact, Terry and Alexis did their best to make me forget about her for a little while. We'd spend most of the days together, get ice cream, and even go swimming. They did their best, and I'm forever grateful for it.

My parents invited the Samsons for Christmas dinner, and I wasn't completely against it. Yes, I knew that Alexis's dad was getting along with mine, and yes I knew both my parents were fond of Alexis and her etiquette, you know, something they desperately wish their daughter had. But like I said, I wasn't bothered by the invite completely. The only reason I was against it was because the garage looked like a rainbow because of all the work I was doing for art.

I hadn't figured out what I was going to do about the other half of the painting: I already drew the outline of an angel, but I wasn't sure if it looked good. My clothes were drenched in different colors as one side of the canvas was covered in paint, and the other side had pencil only. My dad let me work in the garage because it had tarps and plastic covered around it and the garage was spacious, enough for a girl with a paintbrush and a dream.

It was getting close to 5PM, and I still looked like I went through a rainbow. If the Samsons get here before I actually finish what I'm doing-

"Your mom said you'd be here." I screamed in shock and dropped my paintbrush as Alexis walked in and closed the garage.

I stared at her in awe; she was wearing all white, and had a golden headband on top of her hair. She had undone her braids, and her brown hair was straightened to perfection, tied into a low ponytail behind her. She walked closer and gave me a little wave before looking me up and down.

"Did you forget we were coming for dinner or something?" She chuckled, but when I didn't reply, she frowned. "Cameron?"

"Alexis, please stand in front of the canvas." I asked her. "Please."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and walked to the canvas. I took my phone and took a quick picture of her, picturing her with angelic wings.

"I didn't know you wanted to take pictures of me, I would've dressed better." She joked, and I smiled at her. "What?"

"Nothing." I shrugged. "You just look stunning."

She gave me a grin, and then came closer to me. We were so close that my mind began to wander, and she looked down at my outfit, putting her fingers on my bare wrist and sliding up my arm. She removed her fingers and showed me the yellow stain on her fingers.

"You need to take a shower and get ready." She whispered, stepping back. "I'll be in the lounge with my brothers, okay?"

"Yeah, we should probably take a shower-" I gasped at what I had said by mistake, and then corrected myself. "I'll just get going then."

~~~~~~~~~~

The table was full of food; chicken, spaghetti, salad, and even green vegetables. Alexis and her mother prepared lasagna, and brought it with them. But I didn't give a fuck about who prepared what; food is food, and I was hungry.

My hunger must have been the reason as to why I remained silent throughout the entire dinner, eating my heart out as the rest talked. My dad was probably burning with happiness on the inside because I hadn't said a single word.

"So Cameron, you ready for the new year?" Alexis's dad suddenly asked me, and I placed my fork down and quickly swallowed the spaghetti down.

"Oh, yeah." I reached for my napkin and wiped my face. "I can't wait to finish the project, to finish highschool, and to finally get out of-"

"We can't wait to host another event in May." Alexis interrupted me, putting her hand on top of mine as she smiled. "May is mental health awareness month, and we'd love to raise awareness on the topic of mental health. I'm excited."

I internally thanked Alexis for the save, and glanced at her. She gave a nod, and then her mom spoke.

"What's your project on, Cameron? Sounds fun already." Her mom commented.

"It's for art, and I'm working on the topic of fallen angels." I explained. "I have an idea of what I want to submit for the finals, but it's still a work in progress."

"Fallen angels you say?" My dad asked.

Here we go.

"Yes, dad. Fallen angels such as Lucif-"

"Cameron, please." He interrupted me, and I put a hand to my chest. "We don't need to be reminded of the devil."

"But you started it?" I said, disbelief covering my tone.

"We don't want to be reminded of him. Today is about the birth of-"

"God's baby, right." I rolled my eyes, my annoyance turned to the fullest level. "Isn't it funny how the holy spirit impregnated Mary? God could've told Joseph to fuck Mary for chrissake-"

"Cameron-"

"Like imagine explaining that to Joseph? 'Babe, I swear, it was the holy spirit that impregnated me, I didn't cheat.' Imagine his face and the reaction of the entire city when they found out. How does Joseph explain it to his mother? Gosh, I'd be there giving them a DNA test because what in the Jehovah is that bull-"

"Can you spend one hour without ruining our night, Cameron?" My father snapped, making the once muffled chuckles of the people around the table go silent. "You always ruin everything."

"Mr Jones, she was just joking." Alexis's mother defended me. "You don't have to take her seriously, it was a joke."

"She does this every night-"

"Okay that's a lie. Normally each night I let you tell me how boring your job is. I mean, it's good to laugh once in a while, right guys?" I turned to the boys, who were nodding their heads vigorously. "I just wanted to make everyone laugh."

"That wasn't funny."

"You're not funny." I shot back. "Sometimes you just need to take a step back and act like a normal human being with emotions, not a pastor. But hey, that's just a suggestion, right?"

My father gave me a glare, but said nothing. The evening continued on like nothing had ever happened, and I made an internal note to avoid the conversation for the next month.

Or maybe, my entire life.