Whatever You Say
TWO
I got home around six thanks to The Hive who decided to give me another present in honor of Éirin’s absence in the afternoon. She had some “errands” to attend, hence the reason why I had to do her homework. Susanne waited for me, just like every other day and we walked home. Again.
I covered up some of the visible bruises and locked myself upstairs along with Susanne, before having to see my brother, or in that case anyone.
The bed was exquisitely organized and I never allowed anyone to sit on it besides Susanne. You know, with her being OCD and all.
She shifted and crossed her legs in front of herself, at the very end of the bed. She took her books out, as did I, but she stopped as her eyes captured the flowery print. She raised an eyebrow behind her glasses. “What is that?” She pointed to it.
I shrugged. “…just decided on trying something new?”
“Is that so?” she asked, considering my position. Or at least I thought before she caught the folder from my hands to take a peek into it. I pulled it back and nodded.
“Don’t you know that pink’s the color that’s in?” I teased.
She laughed back. “Sounds like something The Butt-Queen would say.” Éirin.
My smile got shut down.
“What?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head and completely pulled the folder from her hands slowly. I quickly opened it myself, finding hundreds and hundreds of undone assignments.
I didn’t remember this.
I thought for a little while when my eyes scanned the names of all of them.
This wasn’t only Éirin’s.
I realized what this meant. This was all of The Bee Hive’s homework. How come I didn’t see it before? I tried to explain this to myself. Why did I need to help all of them?
Éirin’s voice rung in my ear. “You owe me.” Yeah, I sort of did.
I didn’t have a choice, I repeated in my head.
The “cool” one always had “their loser” to do the work for them. In this case…
I was the loser.
It’s always the same, I thought.
“Why do you have that?” I heard Susanne’s voice ask when I flipped through some more problems.
I looked up. “I told you: nothing.”
Then something I thought would never happen did. Susanne snatched a thing from me. She snatched the folder in a violent way from my hands. I stared silently. “Well you wouldn’t tell me.” She studied the papers and then my face. “This isn’t yours.” Well I didn’t actually think pink was a color for me. “Why do you have this, C.J.?”
I shrugged. “Just some stuff I have to do.”
“For The Bee Hive.” Her face lifted up with fury. “Ooh, they’re always after you. Tell them to leave you alone.”
“I can’t,” I simply said before she continued on in a ramble on all of the things they had done in the past.
“Why?” she demanded.
I couldn’t answer her with the truth. I couldn’t tell her that the reason why I was bound to do whatever Éirin told me to do had to do with the fact that she saw me drink some pills in order to win the competition. I wasn’t aware of them, I repeat. I sighed. It still didn’t matter.
“Can’t.”
She hummed and shifted to get closer to me. She leaned her head to the folder and I moved my stare to her reddish hair. She took a couple of papers in her hands.
“If you’re not going to tell me, I might as well help you.”
I argued. No way was she going to get involved with them.
(*)
Éirin smiled wryly the next day before taking a quick glare at Susanne who stood in her short form next to me. “Double the losers. I like it.” But I couldn’t tell her that she was wrong. She was…The Queen after, all. And she was beautiful.
The Queen Bee flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away from us. I held a charming smile to Susanne which seemed to return it along with a she-will-never-learn look.
I covered up some of the visible bruises and locked myself upstairs along with Susanne, before having to see my brother, or in that case anyone.
The bed was exquisitely organized and I never allowed anyone to sit on it besides Susanne. You know, with her being OCD and all.
She shifted and crossed her legs in front of herself, at the very end of the bed. She took her books out, as did I, but she stopped as her eyes captured the flowery print. She raised an eyebrow behind her glasses. “What is that?” She pointed to it.
I shrugged. “…just decided on trying something new?”
“Is that so?” she asked, considering my position. Or at least I thought before she caught the folder from my hands to take a peek into it. I pulled it back and nodded.
“Don’t you know that pink’s the color that’s in?” I teased.
She laughed back. “Sounds like something The Butt-Queen would say.” Éirin.
My smile got shut down.
“What?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head and completely pulled the folder from her hands slowly. I quickly opened it myself, finding hundreds and hundreds of undone assignments.
I didn’t remember this.
I thought for a little while when my eyes scanned the names of all of them.
This wasn’t only Éirin’s.
I realized what this meant. This was all of The Bee Hive’s homework. How come I didn’t see it before? I tried to explain this to myself. Why did I need to help all of them?
Éirin’s voice rung in my ear. “You owe me.” Yeah, I sort of did.
I didn’t have a choice, I repeated in my head.
The “cool” one always had “their loser” to do the work for them. In this case…
I was the loser.
It’s always the same, I thought.
“Why do you have that?” I heard Susanne’s voice ask when I flipped through some more problems.
I looked up. “I told you: nothing.”
Then something I thought would never happen did. Susanne snatched a thing from me. She snatched the folder in a violent way from my hands. I stared silently. “Well you wouldn’t tell me.” She studied the papers and then my face. “This isn’t yours.” Well I didn’t actually think pink was a color for me. “Why do you have this, C.J.?”
I shrugged. “Just some stuff I have to do.”
“For The Bee Hive.” Her face lifted up with fury. “Ooh, they’re always after you. Tell them to leave you alone.”
“I can’t,” I simply said before she continued on in a ramble on all of the things they had done in the past.
“Why?” she demanded.
I couldn’t answer her with the truth. I couldn’t tell her that the reason why I was bound to do whatever Éirin told me to do had to do with the fact that she saw me drink some pills in order to win the competition. I wasn’t aware of them, I repeat. I sighed. It still didn’t matter.
“Can’t.”
She hummed and shifted to get closer to me. She leaned her head to the folder and I moved my stare to her reddish hair. She took a couple of papers in her hands.
“If you’re not going to tell me, I might as well help you.”
I argued. No way was she going to get involved with them.
(*)
Éirin smiled wryly the next day before taking a quick glare at Susanne who stood in her short form next to me. “Double the losers. I like it.” But I couldn’t tell her that she was wrong. She was…The Queen after, all. And she was beautiful.
The Queen Bee flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away from us. I held a charming smile to Susanne which seemed to return it along with a she-will-never-learn look.