Page 98 of Eyes Like Angel

“Hey, are you listening? I was telling you about how we could spend some time together to get to know one another,” Emily suggested merrily.

My brows scrunched. “To where?”

Emily chuckled dryly. “Well, my mom wanted us to hang out at the park or something, have a deep conversation or something. Sharing an ice cream or go shopping.”

“Why would I want to shop? There’s nothing much out here,” I said, my tone carried in a hinted bore.

Emily’s brown eyes darted with melancholy, her lips formed a pout, intentionally trying to look chic and adorable, but appeared more like a scary bug. “Are you sure want to do…something else? I mean there’s not much to do in Fort Heaven, anyway.”

“I—”

The speakers boomed as the crowd gathered, with Romano climbed up on stage, my full stomach twisted.

The crowd cheered when they spotted Romano grabbing the mic from my dad, giddied and eccentric, like he was on drugs or something.

Romano took the stage and snatched the megaphone from Dad’s hand.

“Since I’m back in this great town, I would like to say a few words, regarding to the event.”

The crowd listened.

“I would like to say, I’m back,” Romano resumed. “And it’s great to be back to such wonderful community who are kind and welcoming with hospitality, to see all the shining smiles and pretty faces.”

The crowd cheered.

The girls fussed in delight—filling “oohs” and “aahs”.

And I was tense.

“Hold on, hold on, folks. I haven’t finished my sentence, so don’t interrupt me,” Romano demanding on the mega-phone, his palm rose, signaling for the claps to halt, to cease for his soliloquy to be over, but some assumed it was heartfelt, couldn’t hold his speech in like he was dying, saying his last words before taking his final breath.

“I had to say that this has to be greatest day of my life, and possibly the greatest decision I have ever made. The Rivers Foundation was a great success, if it wasn’t for special someone, and that someone special is…”

At a full speed, Romano locked into the crowd, jumped out from the stage and rushed over to grab Eva’s wrist without consideration or having her consent and dragged her up onto the stage and looped around her shoulders as he said, “This person is the reason why this is the greatest day of my life. And without her hard work, her dedication, we wouldn’t be making it this far, this event wouldn’t be successful without the beautiful, the saintly, and ever so graceful, Sister Eden!”

It’s Eva, damn it! Get it right, asshole!

Her teeth gritted and grinded in a gradual, harsh movement, hands tucked and crumpled her fingers on a purple apron. In an instant, Romano clutching her around her shoulders and hauled towards to a closer proximity was no great help.

The anger lingered inside me was winning, a spiraled flame engulfed at the back of my hand as I steadied my hands for a calmer effect, but it was no use, I had to fight it off as much as possible before I explode like a fucking time-bomb.

But I wasn’t alone.

Other folks, like a group of girls, not only they got pissed, it’s also my mom, Bjorn, then the members of the Divine family, their eyes daggering onto Eva’s direction, who was petrified.

By the time, Eva had her eyes on me, I was gone.

25

Eva

Darkness and hot fire swallowed me whole. I dislike being swallowed whole by people’s eyes—murderous and contempt laid judgement as Romano yanked me at the stage for everybody to see me as a volunteer in the church, who contributes thoroughly. A once volunteered crowned into a saint. Everyone looked at me as if I was riding a hideous three-headed beast in the Revelations.

My functionality has ceased to exist, and they couldn’t turn a blind eye, at least not yet. Voices pounded into my numbing ears as I dispersed from a crowded spot, pacing in the back halls, reaching at the back kitchen. I mourned for my sanity shattered at its recent events.

“Just who is she?”

“I’ve never seen her before.”