Corruption

In my bedroom, I grabbed my swimsuit from the closet, and struggled out of pants. I wasn’t as thrilled about swimming over at Aiden’s house as Candace was, but if it would make her, I would do whatever she wanted me to do. It wasn’t that I let her step all over me…or did I? At least I don’t think I do. I try to let her step all over me at least. That has to count for at least something.

Candace called from the hallway as she stomped her way down the stairs to the front door. I ran after her, catching up to her on the driveway. “What took you so long?” she asked, speeding up her pace.

The day was more than hot, it was horrible. It was the ultimate high for Maine for as long as anyone could remember. The trees and surrounding wildlife was still, not even a breeze in the air. It felt sticky and disgusting as you walked outside, your lungs feeling heavy just by breathing in the air.

“Why were you so quick?” I asked her, nudging her with my elbow.

She nudged back, laughing in spite of herself. Gosh she was different. Well, not that different to me. She had always been this way back in Georgia, but when she came to live up here, she got harder, more within herself. It was good to see her start to creep back to where she had been before.

She no longer knocked on their door much. It was always planned that we would come over to their house, and of course they knew we were coming before we ever did. Aiden was just inside the door, his pale white skin exposed completely only wearing a pair of shorts. He waved us through the various hallways in the house, and into a very large indoor pool. If it was outdoor, it would have fit the weather better, but I wasn’t a complainer.

As soon as I got inside, I didn’t even think about it before jumping in. When I reached the surface, I saw Aiden was standing next to me, already drenched. Candace was on the edge of the pool, looking down into the water.

Taking a few glances around the room, I noticed that there was nothing special about the place. There was tile on the walls and floors, all of the same color. Three ladders helped you in and out of the pool, a diving board on one end, and descending steps on the opposite side. Lawn chairs were lined up on one wall for sitting in, and a door leading to probably a closet was near the door we had just come through.

“She isn’t going to come in.” Aiden whispered, his body just passing by mine.

I looked up at Candace, who was still staring at the water as if scared. I jogged through the water to the ladder and climbed up, going over to Candace. My fingers itched to push her over the edge, but I refrained, waiting for the right moment. I obviously had a goofy smile on my face because Candace made on of her own.

“Are you going to go in?” I asked her.

“It’s freezing!” Candace looked to Aiden for a response, but he did was smile. “What?” she asked, looking from me to him.

“Come in!” Aiden said, splashing a little water her way, but it didn’t reach her. His grin didn’t leave his as I’m sure mine didn’t as well.

“What?” she asked again, her hand moving to her hip in a snooty girly fashion.

I shrugged, trying to rid my face of the thoughts I had been having. “Nothing.” She must have gotten what I had planned because she back away from me, waving her arms in the air. “Do not touch me, do you hear me? It’s cold and I don’t want to go in. So help me God, if you…” her sentence was cut short by a scream as I grabbed her arms, tucked them close to her chest, and fell over the edge of the pool, dragging Candace with me.

This time going in, I felt the coolness of the water, the refreshing feel of it surrounding me. I let go of Candace quickly, letting her get to the surface on her own. Wet hair stuck to her face as she surfaced. She tried to peel it away but was having a hard time while trying to stay a float at the same time. “You assholes!” she yelled, getting frustrated.

I tried to keep my laughter inside, but when Aiden started to laugh, I couldn’t help but do the same. I had never really heard Candace swear before; and even though it was in anger this time, it was still a funny moment.

The door swung open, and two blurs ran through the room, jumping off of the ledge of pool into the water. Large waves washed over us, making my own hair stick to my face.

Ryan and another girl surfaced, both looking in our direction. Aiden met eye contact with the girl then looked away quickly, trying not to show to must interest in her. It wasn’t a physical attraction that I caught between them, it was somewhat of a remembrance.

“Hey, you guys.” Clark said, swimming on the surface of the water. He inched toward us, bringing along the girl he was with. “This is Jasmine,” he said to Candace and me. “do you mind?”

Candace stood for a second, making eye contact with Jasmine. “Uh…no. Nice to meet you.” Jasmine smiled, hooking her arm around Clark’s as they got to the shallow water where they could stand.

It was awkward for a moment as we all stood, trying to see who would break the ice. Jasmine, the girl I had never seen before. Her hair, even when wet, was poufy around her face, but still sleek and shiny. Her dark hair matched her dark eyes. They almost looked black, as if she didn’t have pupils—or they were just completely dilated. But other than that, her skin was completely pale accept for two small streaks of blush across her cheeks.

She was stunning in her own unique way, the same as Candace. They both weren’t your normal beautiful homecoming queen, but they were both beautiful. Jasmine was different than Candace though. She had so much confidence, and it almost seemed like she knew she was superior. Not that I knew she was, but she carried herself that way. It turned me off immediately, and made me wonder why Clark was with her.

“You guys want to play a game?” Jasmine asked. Looking at Candace, she crept closer to her. “It’ll be fun.”

Candace seemed flustered by the way Jasmine was so fourth coming, but she gathered herself quickly, grabbing Aiden’s hand for moral support. There was something that seemed dangerous about her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned out to be a vampire.

Candace asked, “What kind of game could me play?”

“How about Chicken? I’m sure you know how to play.” She hopped on Clark’s shoulders, grabbing hi hand to steady herself. He didn’t seem to mind that she was up there. Of course she must not have been heavy for him.

Candace seemed flustered again, looking from Aiden to me, then back again. “But we don’t have enough people.” I new that she really didn’t want to play, but she also wanted to try and get along with everyone.

Aiden shrugged and moved to the edge of the pool. “We’ll switch off, Mike can go first.” I really didn’t want to play either. This situation seemed to me a little awkward, and I didn’t think it would be that fun. But when I hoisted Candace on my shoulders, it was more fun than I thought it would have been. Of course I had a harder time than Clark or Aiden because I wasn’t as strong as them, but it was still fun. After a few tries, Candace got the hang of it, but she rarely won. The time that happened was when Aiden tripped Clark.

It was fun to watch and play with them all. Watching, you could see Candace and all of her expressions she made, but if you were holding her up, you could watch Clark. It was interesting to see all them together and heartbreaking at the same time. She was so at peace with them, so comfortable. Maybe she was meant to be with Aiden, maybe she would be happy.

I stood on the sidelines for the tenth time, not really paying attention until Clark and jasmine both tipped over, followed by Aiden and Candace. They all stayed under for a moment, Candace being the first to pop up. “That’s cheating!” Candace yelled, her voice reverberating against the walls. Jasmine surfaced next. Clark and Aiden stayed under water for longer than I thought could be possible. The girls swam to the wall, and watch from the surface as the brothers wrestled underwater. I ducked under the surface to see better. Opening my eyes, it took a few for my eyes to adjust but when they did, I noticed that Clark and Aiden had stopped. Now they were just staring at each other, unmoving. Candace’s hand reached down for me and pulled me to the surface. “What are they doing?” she asked.

“Staring at each other.”

Jasmine laughed, and swam over to them, going under the water and coming back up with Clark, Aiden not too for behind. “We should get going. I have to go see my mom.” Jasmine said, climbing out of the pool. Clark followed her saying his own goodbyes before leaving the pool.

Candace gave Aiden a kiss on the lips, then held onto him instead on the side of pool. “What now?”

He shrugged. “We swim.”

It wasn’t much after Clark and Jasmine left. It was pretty much Candace and Aiden staring into each other’s eyes and talking about nothing at all. Every once and awhile, I would do something with one of them, but I was usually just in the corner of the pool, watching and thinking about them. Of course Aiden had told me the truth, even though I didn’t want it to be the truth. I was sure Candace knew how I felt about her. The whole world knew but she was in denial. She had never thought of me in that way and it was never going to happen the way I wanted it to. I would just have to accept that.

Amy appeared at the door, a nice suit covering her slim body. “Candace, your dad called. He wants you home for a family dinner.”

“Dinner?” Candace asked, looking at the clock on the nearest wall.

Amy smiled and left, leaving the door open. I got out quickly, grabbing onto my towel and starting to dry myself off. Candace was helped out my Aiden, who came up to me and clapped me on the back. “Good swim.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Candace came up to both of us, a towel in hand. She dropped it on the nearest chair, and smiled, looking from Aiden to me. “What?” Aiden and I asked together. I dropped my towel just in time. Her arms reached out toward us both, and pushed us over the edge of the pool. Out of instinct, I grabbed hold of Candace’s arm. Aiden did the same, laughing before we hit the water.

I surfaced and started to laugh. Candace had already surfaced and her hair was stuck to her face again. She tried to peel it off when Aiden surfaced. He laughed too, making Candace’s facade shatter. We all got out of the pool then, and left the room headed for the front door.

“Come to dinner?” Candace asked Aiden as he opened the door for us.

He shook his head with a smile. “You dad said family dinner. It’s a special occasion.”

She didn’t seem that upset about it which surprised me a little. We walked down the sidewalk to Candace’s house. She leaned over the edge of the side walk, wringing out her hair.

“That was pretty fun. I’m surprised…” I said, trying not to watch her as I walked.

“What was surprising?”

“You.”

“Me?” she asked, giving up on her wet hair. “Why was I so surprising?”

I shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. When you came here, she seemed to change. You were way more serious than you use to be. I guess I just saw a little of the old Candace today.” She didn’t answer me, but a small smile had covered her face as she wrapped the towel around her body. I didn’t smile though. Of course Aiden said he wouldn’t come over tonight, but of course he will. He did every night to come and bother me. For the past few days—no week—gosh it has been a week already; he keeps coming over in the middle of the night when I suddenly wake up to find him there, always wanting to tell me something that never really means anything to me.

I could tell he didn’t like coming to me and that he was doing it for Candace so I listened to what he had to say, and thought about it all the time, but I never really understood any of it. Not that he wanted me to.

Gloria grabbed our arms and rushed us up the stairs, mumbling something about chlorine on a stone floors. I ignored her, and showered in my bathroom. When I went into the dining room fully clothed, hair nicely brushed, Candace still wasn’t in there. I sat down across from Julie, grabbing my napkin and placing it on my lap. She was staring at me, her head cocked to one side.

I stared back, wondering what the sudden interest in me was for. I got up from my chair, and left the room, heading into the kitchen which I had found a few days ago. The people inside where all hustle and bustle and everything, people yelling over pots and pans, and woman with a bright red towel over her hand in the corner on a stool. She saw me looking and nodded.

“Just a small cut.”

I snorted my disagreement. The towel she was holding was filled with blood. She had to have lost a lot for the towel to be that full. “You sure about that?”

“Hey!” someone yelled from one of the stoves. It was a very clean cut looking man. He was even wearing a suit with an apron over it. “What are you doing here?” he asked with a southern accent.

“Ah…” I started to say, but then let my voice trail off. I really didn’t know what I was doing in here. The dining room was awkward with Julie staring at me like that, so I had just gone up and left for a second. Boy that was rude…

“Get out!” he said, walking toward me. Before he could take a step closer, I was out the door and walking back to the dining room. When I opened the door, Candace was already seated next to her mom on the opposite side of the table.

“Have a good day you two?” Nathan asked, not looking up from a script he was reading.

“It was very pleasant.”

I tried not t do so, but I laughed. Well, it sounded like I choked actually; trying to stop the laugh, and not being able to make it sound like I was coughing. The words and tone of voice she used just weren’t her. It made her sound comical. Julie joined me, covering her mouth with her hand.

“What is so funny to your people?” Candace asked, looking hurt.

I asked, “Why so elegant?”

“It just—wasn’t you.” Julie added, taking a sip of water.

Candace rolled her eyes at us both, grabbing her own glass of water to take a sip.

The waiters came out like they always did; carrying platters of delicious smelling food. The main course was Candace’s favorite, spaghetti. They brought out baskets of garlic bread, which I wasn’t to excited about. But Candace wouldn’t stop eating them. I always caught myself staring at her, and when she looked up from her plate to make eye contact, I would notice what I was doing. Nathan never looked up from the script and Julie wouldn’t stop staring at me which was making me very uncomfortable.

Candace parents talked their normal dinner time batter. Nathan was talking about going to a premier for his movie tomorrow and he got tickets for us all, one for me as well. He also said he got a guitar souvenir from the movie. Some type of Ibanez.

“I have always wanted one of those!” I said after swallowing a mouthful of spaghetti. Right before Candace had left, I had taken up playing the guitar with my dad. He had played in a band once, and wanted to teach me a few things.

Nathan looked from the script for the first time all night. “The guitar?”

I wiped my mouth with my napkin, and then placed it back on my lap. “Yeah! I’m using my dad’s old one right now, but I am saving up for a new…”

“I didn’t know you could play the guitar.” Candace said, flabbergasted.

I smiled at her astonishment. “I started about month before you left. I didn’t want to show until I could actually play something.”

“Can you play something?” She asked.

“Well—I guess. I’m no rock star, though.”

“Why don’t you play for me?” Her cheeks turned crimson once she realized how it sounded. I looked down at my plate, feeling my cheeks redden as well.

“Um, sure. Maybe later—after dinner?”

She nodded, looking down at her plate as well. The rest of dinner was almost silent accept for Nathan muttering a few things here and there about the script. The table had turned into stares and red cheeks when someone caught someone else staring. I guess, hat was kind of a lie. Only Candace and I turned red, Julie just kept staring at me, not even looking away to look at Candace as she spoke.

The waiters had brought out a huge cake and started to sing to us. When they were finished, Candace was laughing. “You know it isn’t either one of our birthdays today right?”

Nathan nodded. “We know, but we won’t be here tomorrow night for Mike’s birthday. We will be at the premiere. And on your birthday you will be…”

Julie cleared her throat, telling Nathan he already said too much. “We just thought it would be nice to have a family party.” Julie tried to clean up the mess Nathan had just made, but he had already said too much. Of course Candace had some indication that wee were planning a surprise party for her, but it was never really confirmed.

Candace pointed her finger at me, a sly smile on her face. “You.”

I put my hands in the air, trying to show I was innocent. “Me nothing!”

“Yeah right.” she scoffed.

“Make a wish!” Julie clapped her hands together again, getting excited. I thought about it long and hard, Candace doing the same. The cake was almost split into two parts, so I figured the whole side with my name on it was mine. I blew as hard as I could, but when I ran out of air, I had one candle

“You have a girlfriend!” Julie screeched at me, glancing in Candace’s direction. She was shaking her head at her mother’s behavior.

Candace got up from her chair and took the carving knife that was lying next to the cake. Julie began to protest, but Candace stopped her. “Mom, I’m fine. I won’t cut a finger off.”

The cake was the best chocolate cake I had ever had in my life. I finished way before Candace, so I waited for her in my seat. When she finished, she immediately got up from her chair and pushed it in.

“We should go to bed now.” she told her parents. The clock above Nathan’s head already said it was soon to be ten. They both stood up to wish us goodnight.

“Your presents are on your beds.” Julie told us as we were leaving.

“Presents?” Candace asked, stopping in her tracks.

“Isn’t that what you get when it is your birthday?” Julie asked. Candace still stood there for a moment, watching her mom rub her stomach like she was full with all of the food. “Go on.” She urged, waving her hand in our direction. Candace shook her head as if she had been in a daze, then headed out of the room and up the stairs to her bedroom, me following right behind her.