Page 9

Abby

It’s that day of the year both me and Vicky curse after some less-than-successful adventures in love. Valentine’s Day! Victoria is a friend of mine and a neighbor. We used to go to the same primary school and then spend the evenings and weekends riding bicycles, roller-skating, practicing splits, playing elastics, and fooling around. Victoria has thick, jet-black hair and light brown eyes. She’s my height and has a similar figure—large chest, slim waist, and a shapely, round butt. I used to think these things were defects for the longest time. I always wanted to be thin and graceful like my friend Ivy.

All around town there are shop windows adorned with hearts and flowers. Couples in love on every corner, hugging, kissing, and holding hands. Infinity—the housing estate where I live—is my favorite place. It might not be downtown, but it does have its merits.

“Screw this, Vicky. It’s a dumb day anyway! Let’s spend this time as far away from boys as we can!”

“I can’t agree more. Genius idea!”

Yes, we’re not even seventeen years old and we’ve already had our share of disappointments in love. But it’s time to leave that behind. We’re young and have our whole lives ahead of us. It’s not as if boys aren’t interested in us, but the ones who are, are those that couldn’t interest us less.

Take that one guy who’s been trying to meet me for a while now. I don’t know him. I haven’t seen him at school or around the block. His friends, though, are another matter—I know them. They’re all a bunch of immature idiots.

Who in their right mind tries picking up a girl by sending their buddies to call at her door and then running away? Or driving by in a car and catcalling you? Childish!

One of them even pestered Vicky, asking her about me and trying to convince her to introduce us. Vicky—a good, kind-hearted person—said yes. Of course. I told her I wasn’t interested.

We’re strolling across the block now. We’re just about to pass the school when I notice a couple of boys by the building. They’re talking, fooling around. I don’t like situations like this. I always feel uneasy, self-conscious, and afraid that I won’t be able to control the events. I don’t know what to expect. I’m rather quiet and shy, better at writing about what I feel than talking about it. I often fail at coming up with quick retorts, and if somebody asks me something out of the blue or jumps at me, I blush and wall off. I just freeze, unable to speak. It’s different when someone I feel responsible for faces a problem. If a person like that is put in an awkward situation or someone tries to hurt them, I can count on unending reserves of courage. I can barely recognize myself. When I’m in control and hold all the cards, I can be confident. My life is a constant struggle to keep anyone from exerting control over me or surprising me. Well, I’m a creature of polar opposites.

Suddenly, Vicky stops and grabs my arm, snapping me back to reality. I nearly bump into her.

“Abby! It’s him!” she hisses.

“Who him?” What is she on about?

“Ve…”

“Who’s Ve?”

“That boy who wanted to meet you so badly!”

Shit, I think. Of all the days, today, when I decided to stop thinking about boys. Now he shows up?

“The irony.” I roll my eyes and give up. “Alright, which one is it?”

Vicky looks dumbstruck.

“You’re serious? You want to meet him?”

“I don’t know, Vicks. First, tell me which one he is.”

“The one in the dark blue jacket and gray pants.”

Okay, let’s see, I think. I focus on the tall and surprisingly handsome boy Vicks pointed at. He’s just standing there, taking a drag of his cigarette. I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t him being this handsome. He has thick, perfectly shaped eyebrows and thin lips. Just as I like them. He looks as if he is permanently stretching them in a line.

He sees me looking him up and down, and our eyes meet. Incredible, but that makes me a bit disconcerted. Caught staring, I break eye contact and feel my cheeks reddening. I just love it when that happens. I roll my eyes inwardly. My mind tells me I already saw this look before, but I can’t place it.

“Alright, let’s get this over with. Do it,” I say to Vicky.

“Really? Cool!”

Vicky’s enthusiasm can be irritating, but we head on towards the boys.

“Ve, can you come over for a while?” my friend calls out. The other guys fall silent and pin us with attentive looks, which stresses me out even more.

Ve walks over, eyeing me questioningly. He mumbles a quick “Hi, Victoria” and focuses his attention on me. Vicky opens her mouth to say something, but I cut in: “I heard you wanted to meet me.”

“You heard correct,” the boy replies, looking me straight in the eyes. His are blue, a bit smoky. For a short moment, I can’t take my own eyes off them. I’ve never felt this way before. He doesn’t seem to want to break eye contact either.

“Great, let’s get this over with. I’m Abigail, or Abby, or Gail,” I say, extending a hand.

“Ve,” he says curtly, taking it. His handshake is delicate but firm. His skin is as cold as mine. Despite that, I can feel a warm buzzing energy flowing through us. For an instant, it feels like burning. I withdraw my hand quickly, which doesn’t escape his attention. His stare becomes all the more intense.

“And your real name?” I ask to break the silence.

“Just Ve,” he barks.

“Have it your way, Ve. Nice to meet you.”

His eyes drill holes in me. I’m rarely embarrassed by men, but this time it’s like something connects our eyes—some kind of invisible energy. It’s a completely new experience for me. Intent on hiding my surprise at this, I add, fast and harsh, “Now forgive me, but me and Vicks are in a hurry, so… have a good one. See you around.”

He’s totally not my type, but there’s some attraction between us. That can’t be denied. I felt as if I fell into some kind of bubble consisting of a mix of our individual energies. And that current that shocked me when we shook hands. What was that? And those eyes of his! So full of goodness, so beautiful, so very at odds with the bad boy aura he exudes. He has a habit of biting his fingernails like I used to have. His posture, demonic stare, and the way he dresses make me think of someone who cares about nothing and no one. But there is something in him… I can’t quite put my finger on it. And that piercing look in his eyes, penetrating to my innermost core. That feeling that our eyes have already met before…

He wears clothes I like. Baggy trousers, like a skater boy. His voice… Unusual, one of a kind, so sexy, reverberant. Oh… I can already feel the heat wave coming. That voice of his vibrates across my body, my belly.

“And? What do you think?” Vicks breaks off my reverie.

“I don’t know, to be honest. You introduced us. You did your job. Take it easy. Now, come on.”

“Oh, come on, tell me more.” She doesn’t give up.

“Calm down, Victoria. You’re all worked up for no reason. There is something about him. Happy?”

“I guess it has to be enough for now,” she replies, pouting.

We walk around the block some more and head to the park, popping by the market on our way to buy some snacks. Nothing of note happens for the rest of the day. I keep sighing longingly, thinking about my boyfriend that never was. His name is Matt. God knows how much I like him. The way he dresses, and those blue eyes of his… Pity he only has eyes for Gini, who in turn doesn’t think much of him. What can I do? That’s just life. Love is like a shadow—you run away from it, and it chases you; you run after it, and it always stays a step ahead. Anyway, we met a couple of times, talked a bit, and chatted online. Exchanged phone numbers. Now I wait. Time will tell. I’m not one to push things.

I go home, wondering if that introduction and “random” meeting wasn’t all Vicky’s doing. That’s highly likely, I conclude. I’ll ask her someday, but for now, let her have her moment. Let her think she did something good.