Close My Eyes,and Fly

Chapter 6

“...Come on down! You’re the next contestant on The Price is Right!” The announcer boomed. An eruption of cheers by encouraging audience members followed, as a woman with snow white hair raced down the rows of seats to the stage.
“Seven hundred Fifty!” Aaron shouted at the screen, as the contestants bid on a washing machine. “No! You boob you over bid!” she groaned as she got up to throw out the now empty potato chip bag and rummage through the remaining food in her fridge. The show cut to commercial and Aaron irritatedly shut it off.
This had been the highlight of her routine for the past two days. Wake up, eat, Price is right, eat, sleep. She knew that come monday she would return to the hell hole that was her school, while the rest of her peers-well, most of them- would be off enjoying their summer in some tropical destination she could only dream of.
The most exotic she would get, would be her summer school classroom, humidity included, courtesy of the sweaty, acne prone teenagers that couldn’t manage to pass 11th grade English either.
Aaron sighed, she had traded in her worn out jeans for even more worn out shorts, and the unbearable heat had made her thighs stick to the fake leather couch she had been planted on all afternoon. Resting her neck on the back of the couch, gazing absentmindedly at the ceiling. This was suppose to be the summer leading into her senior year, filled with adventure and maybe even romance. Instead here she sat, the warm days dwindling away along with the contents of her pantry and fridge.
Aaron felt her eyelids growing heavy, and she wandered off into a dreamlike state, the kind you have when there is an exciting event going on the next day and you just can’t get your mind off of it.
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! The silence of the living room was broken by the house phone that was sprawled across the table among candy wrappers and potato chip crumbs.
Aaron jolted awake in sudden confusion as she attempted to locate the phone among the chaos in her living room.
“Hello?” She answered groggily, rubbing her eyes and yawning unenthusiastically. The other line was silent for a moment and then an answer “Hey, uuh is this Aaron?” the deep voice said. “Yup, who’s this?” Aaron shuffled through the empty cartons and flicked away a fly that landed on her bare shoulder.” This is Scott.. from math class?” His voice trembled and Aaron sat silently in shock.
Scott Weston from math class was calling her. The same Scott that has been looking for her at the party and the same scott that was captain of the soccer team at her school. Aaron allowed her mind to wander, tracing over every part of his face in her mind. His sparkling blue eyes, his neat blonde hair that would wander across them always at the opportune moment in time. Aaron smiled to herself, she had only seen him tuck his hair behind his ear once, in freshman year and to this day she had exclaimed that it was the most gorgeous thing she had ever witnessed in her life. It was the rumor of the school, or perhaps just a known fact that Scott Weston had a secret weapon. Only it was no secret.
That fateful day freshman year was a Tuesday, and Aaron remembered it clearly. It was mid April and the spring clothes were just emerging out of the storage bins and tucked away corners of closets. Aaron sat at a lunch table with some friends, casually discussing an English test she had known she’d failed. She paused mid thought and chuckled to herself at the irony. Aaron thought back at the grey wife beater Scott was wearing that day,, his lanky arms that would one day be muscular and toned were the same olive skin tone they had always been and she smiled, admiring him from across the lunch room.
Scott was talking to a girl in their class that would later move to Indiana to live with her grandparents, and Aaron for the life of her couldn’t remember the girls name. She was a tall, thin girl with long brown hair that fell to the small of her back in neat waves. She had fair skin with rosy cheeks and from what Aaron could recall her name was Penelope. On this particular day, She was a sundress that fell just to her mid thigh and she had attracted the hormones of every boy in her class as well as a few of the upperclassmen.
Aaron watched as he stood there, looking perfect as ever, when it happened. He was giving her that boyish grin, the one that made all the girls in her class weak at the knees. It was the next action that would become his trademark. He reached up and brushed his hair behind his ear, revealing his defined and flawless jaw line. What happened next wasn’t a mere coincidence, it was planned. Penelope and Scott began dating that very same day, and they were an item until the day she moved in the middle of sophomore year.

It quickly became clear that she was not the only one that was admiring him that day, because from then onward, the pick up sign of Scott Weston, was the exposure of his chiseled jawline with is beautiful blonde hair being tucked delicately behind his ear.
“Hello? Aaron? Are you there?” Aaron snapped out of her trance.

“Yes! Hi! Scott it’s Aaron!” she stammered, her voice trembling as she prayed silently that he hadn’t hung up. “Hey Aaron, I didn’t see y ou at the party last week..” He started, his voice now sounding warm and inviting. Aaron practically melted into the phone, her full attention on the soothing voice on the other line. “Oh yeah, I had some stuff I had to do, ya know, busy busy busy!” She said, trying to sound casual about her studying expedition that had landed her in summer school.

“Ooh, Madison had told me you were home with the flu..” He responded, his voice pausing between words. Aaron beamed, she knew there was a reason she had chosen Madison as her partner in crime. “Oh yes” She coughed dramatically into the phone “I am still terribly sick, thats what I meant” she paused “And I would really go for some nice hot soup but I’m afraid i’m just too sick to get up” she coughed dramatically again. “Well I can bring some to you if ya’ want” He said there was an obvious hesitance in his voice. Aaron grinned, “Oh I wouldn’t want to be any trouble..” She mused, biting her lip anxiously. “Oh it’s not trouble at all, I’ll be right over, you live just down the street from the drugstore on main street right?” Aaron laughed, “Yes thats me! I’ll see you soon” she hung up the phone and flopped back into the cushions of the couch, beaming to herself.

She had paused for a second when it hit her. She wasn’t actually sick. Aaron’s eyes popped open and she jolted around the house trying to discover some way to become ill in a matter of minutes. running to the kitchen she grabbed a box of tissues. Wadding them up she tossed them carelessly about the living room, while straightening up the empty bags and candy wrappers she had collected.
Aaron ran chaotically about her house, hiding dishes and trash she had carelessly accumulated in her parents absence.

The doorbell rang.

In a panic Aaron ran to the front door throwing it open and giving the most genuine performance she could muster. “Ooh, hey Aaron..” Scott said, his hands gripping take out container who’s lid had the condensation of what looked to be tomato soup forming.
Aaron coughed and ran her fingers through her messy blonde hair, “Hey Scott, how’s it going?” she responded, opening the front door wide enough to consider it an invitation to enter. “It’s tomato...” He said, thrusting the container into her hands, he didn’t move an inch.Aaron gave a weak smile, “Thanks.. my favorite.” She didn’t understand his behavior, hadn’t he just been eager to come over and see her?

Aaron glanced over at her reflection in the oval mirror that hung on the wall by the shoe rack. She stood in horror at the image. The eyeliner she had applied earlier this morning was smudged around her eyes in what only can be best described as a raccoon appearance. Thinking back she mentally kicked herself for so carelessly rubbing her eyes, and even more carelessly not managing to check her appearance before his arrival.

She chuckled cooly and turned back to him, her face glowing a light crimson color. He smiled and took his thumb, whipping the makeup from under her eye and smiling. “It’s okay Air, I know you’re sick” He walked in and swiveled around to face her, flashing his irresistible boyish smile.
Air, AIR he had given her a nickname, she beamed. “Excuse me for just a second, lemmie just go take care of this, make yourself at home” Aaron called out, placing the soup on the counter and running over to the bathroom to fix her face.

Scott Weston was in her house, in her living room. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror and turned to the side, sucking in her stomach as much as she could. She sighed. She was in no way as skinny as Penelope had been, and Aaron couldn't help but resent herself for emptying the contents of her kitchen earlier.

Just then, Aaron heard voices coming from outside the bathroom door and froze. In a panic she pushed her ear to the door and listened. ‘I’m pretty sure Aaron’s not suppose to have young men in the house” She heard the familiar voice say.It was Mrs. Callage she had totally forgotten. “Ooh I was just bringing her some soup, ya know since she had the flu and all” She heard Scott reply. Aaron burst open the bathroom door.

‘Mrs. Callage! What are you doing here?” Aaron said, panicking, her hands self consciously across her chest. “Aaron! You didn’t tell me you had the flu? Are you okay? Did you call your mom?” Mrs. Callage rushed over and rested her hand across Aaron’s forehead. “You feel like you have fever, you should lay down dear” She sighed. In fact, Aaron’s face was warm, but it was triggered by her humiliation and the blush that had risen to her cheeks, not the flu.
Aaron brushed away Mrs. Callage’s hand and glanced over at Scott who was standing there awkwardly, he gave her a slight smile. “ I should go and let you rest Air” he said, brushing out the wrinkles in his shirt and gazing back up into her eyes. Aaron’s fake smile dropped, and she nodded understandably. “I’ll walk you out” She said. The two walked silently to the front door with the eyes of Mrs. Callage burning a hole in the back of Aaron’s head. Aaron nervously brushed a piece of hair behind her ear and stared at the ground as they approached her front door.

“Well, feel better...” Scott trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets and smiling, a strand of blonde hair falling across his eyes. What he did next was permanently burned in Aaron’s memory. Scott, slowly leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek so lightly she hardly believed it happened. Aaron felt her face turn a dark shade of pink.
“Ahem” Mrs. Callage cued from the background, her arms folded across her chest an disapproving glare across her face. “ See ya around” He said with a grin, before disappearing behind dark oak door.