Colour My World

I looked at the blonde as she cooped up the baby doll and began cradling it like a newborn, minding its head and everything. She was smiling at it and then at me, blue eyes bright and dancing with- what was that? Excitement? Oh lord help me.

"Diablo?" I deadpanned and she nodded her head, holding it up under its arms and swaying side to side as she chanted,

"Diablo, Diablo," in a gravely, rusty voice that sounded like she had a horrible cold and was slowly losing the ability to speak. I looked at her as she peeked over the doll’s head and smiled brightly at me. She was so easy, she just fell into relationships with people, like snow falling from the sky to melt on stone. She just wafted down and covered everything, it was interesting to see it in action, surprising to feel that pull of something in my gut I had never noticed or maybe never felt before. "It means-"

"I know what it mean, Knight," I snapped rudely and she frowned a bit in confusion. I closed my eyes and took a breath. The strange pull in my stomach kind of freaked me out, but that didn’t mean I had to be rude. So I apologized and she shrugged, cradling the baby doll again and curling an arm around it as if to comfort it.

"It’s fine, I know we’re not friends which is weird because we’ve known each other in a sense since kindergarten," she commented and I glanced at her. Had it really been that long? Northland Academy had many satellite schools through various levels so maybe we had been on this weird journey to our senior year together. "I think Diablo is a good boy’s name, so how do you feel about having a boy? If you want a girl we could call her Dia for short," she offered already engrossed with the task at hand and forgetting all about my snippish tendency. I guess that was good, it would make it harder for me to upset her. Maybe this project wouldn’t be a complete loss.

"Whatever’s fine," I said with a lazy shrug and Eli looked at the doll, holding it up in front of her and tilting her head. She squinted an eye and crinkled the side of her nose in what I guessed was thought and then went back to cradling it.

"Diablo, a little boy for the two women, I feel like that will be a greater challenge and boys are always fond of their mothers," she concluded after a moment’s thought. I looked at the front of the class and mumbled,

"Fantastic," but I don’t know if she heard me.

Mr Hoke decided the rest of the class would be us taking the time to get to know not only our partners but our new “children” as well. The classroom buzzed with voices and conversations and occasionally the cries of robo-babies as Mr Hoke activated them. Eli had a calendar out and was color coding weeks and writing things down in a neat and organized manner. Something I was not exactly known for.

"I’ll take him the first week and get a schedule down for him, that should make your week with him easy," she said and I looked at her with distaste. She was going to leave me alone with the thing for a whole week? No, no that would not work. I had parties, I had homework, I had socializing to do. I couldn’t be seen with a barbqued baby all week.

"No," I said and she lifted her head with a look of confusion, blue eyes narrowed uncertainly. "No I have things to do, I can’t have a kid. Marcy’s throwing a party next Friday, I have to be there." She studied me a moment, pursing her lips together in an unhappy expression.

"I’m not going to do the whole project for you, Ariel," she told me shaking her head a bit. "You have to make as many sacrifices as I do," she looked back at her schedule and started jotting things down, "Bring Diablo with you to the party- but no drinking," she warned and I gaped at her. Was she serious? I couldn’t bring that thing to Marcy’s party! I’d be the laughing stock of the whole thing! I had a reputation, a duty, to this party.

"I can’t!" I argued and she just shrugged her shoulders and highlighted my week with the baby in pink. "Knight-"

"Eli," she corrected smiling at me as Mr Hoke came by to our table and activated the doll. It gave a sharp cry and Eli quickly cradled it again and began lightly bouncing it until it settled. "If we’re partners we should be on a first name basis, now I’ll take him this week and you’ll have him next week. It’ll be traumatic enough for him having to change houses the least you can do is give him some needed attention."

"This is a project of sacrifice and team work, my little doves," Mr Hoke echoed, "You must work together if you want this to work, spend time together because that is also a portion of your grade. Your journals are to have at least two family outings per week!" He held up a finger and twirled it for effect and I glared at Eli, somehow blaming Eli for the sudden addition of bonding. Eli just smiled at Mr Hoke and then at me as she teased,

"Guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. Twice a week." She went back to her schedule. "Wednesdays and Saturdays."

"I go to the mall on Saturdays," I told her and she looked at me quizzically.

“Every Saturday?” she asked and I gave her a blank look.

"Yes," I replied defensively, "I shop the sales." She gave me a look of disbelief and then nodded her head and wrote on the schedule once more,

"Saturdays we go to the mall, can Nicky and Ian come?"

"Who?" She grinned then, showing off pretty white teeth with an airy sort of laugh. I shook my head at her, remembering the two boys she was always seen with. Ian Bright was on the lacrosse team and had been tagging along with Eli for years and then there was the school’s favorite cute couple- Nicky Dova and Eli Knight. Nicky was a geeky sort of boy that treated Eli like a queen, which only sweetened the deal because she treated him like a king. "Nevermind, sure they can come, whatever," I agreed as the bell for next period rang and I grabbed my things. The sound made all the dolls start crying and the ones left with them tried to soothe and pack at the same time.

I just grabbed my things and left as quick as I could.