Eternal Spring A Young Adult Short Story Collection (22 page)

The house sitting alone in the midst of the woods was a
small, square box. But even in the darkness, it seemed well kept. Whole conch
shells marked the outline of the front yard.

Gracella pulled down the driveway and parked. We tumbled out
of the car, and my legs wobbled as if I'd been out to sea and tossed in a
storm. As we walked toward the house, the path crunched under our steps and,
glancing down, I observed a mixture of broken shells and dirt spread along the
way. The porch light revealed yellow clapboards on the house, Haint blue on the
porch ceiling and trim, and white pickets on the banister.

"What's with the blue?" Nathan asked.

"It's supposed to keep away evil spirits,"
Gracella answered.

"Doesn't seem to be working. You're here," I
teased Nathan as we reached the porch.

"Yeah, Nathan. Could you please not be such a tool in
front of my great aunt?" Gracella added. "She could put the
bad mout
curse on you, and turn you into a toad or something."

"Ha," Nathan scoffed, although he did squirm a
bit.

Gracella knocked at the door and it swung open.

The woman inside couldn't have been more than thirty-five.
She wore a flowered caftan with a scarf tied around her hair, enhancing her
ebony skin color.

"Titi," she greeted Gracella and embraced her.
"You
is
so tall dese days."

"Aunt Vandi." Gracella smiled broadly as she
pulled back. "Thank you for seeing us. These are my friends Tina and
Nathan."

"Aye ya." Aunt Vandi took my hand, speaking with
her Gullah accent. "You da one what need the love potion
joso
."

As I nodded, Nathan inserted, "No. She doesn't need any
mumbo jumbo magic stuff."

Aunt Vandi reeled around to examine him with narrowed eyes.
"Mumbo what,
bohbo
?"

Nathan blanched, obviously seeing his future life as a toad.
With head lowered he mumbled, "Nothing...Ma'am. Sorry."

After a few seconds Aunt Vandi cocked her head to the side.
"A'ight I see you good
bohbo
what jes wanta p'otect your gal."

Nathan mumbled something unintelligible.

Aunt Vandi turned back to me and took my hand again,
examining the palm. "Why you want this potion, zactly?"

"I ummm. Want ummm..."

"You nervous gal?" she asked. "If you not
sure the
joso
not work."

"I'm sure," I replied. "I want the love
potion so this guy I like—Ronny Tallsman—will ask me to a
dance."

"Dis strong magic you play with." Her eyes locked
with mine, and it seemed as if she was seeing straight down through me to the
calluses on my soles. "You okay if he has love for you dat last long
time?"

Swallowing down a lump, I nodded.

"A'ight," she said, twisting to pick up scissors
from a table next to us.

Before I could say anything, she snipped two of my
fingernails. Then sweeping my shoulder length hair back, she took a lock from
the nape and cut it off too.

Coming out of my stunned shock, I glanced at my friends and
saw them as surprised as me.

"Hopefully, that won't show," I joked. "I'll
never get Ronny to take me to the dance if I have a bald spot. Potion or no
potion."

Nathan scowled. "If you wanna go to the dance so bad,
Istanbul, I guess I could force myself to take you."

"Thanks," I said through clenched teeth, trying to
tamp down the kernels of hurt his words caused. He had to
force
himself?

"Yeah," he continued. "You clean up okay. You
wouldn't be a total embarrassment."

The kernel popped like Orville Redenbacher's in a microwave.
"Wow, what a fantastic offer," I retorted. "But I wouldn't want
you to lose your creds with the other geeks. I know you guys only date
supermodels."

"It's okay," he said with a smirk. "Any
sacrifice for a friend."

Reaching up, I gave a yank to a clump of his hair. "I
wouldn't be seen on a date with anybody who had a messy mop like this."

"Oww," he protested, rubbing his head.
"Sheesh. Are you trying to give me a bald spot to match yours?"

Aunt Vandi, peering down her long nose, contemplated Nathan
and me for a few moments before making a
tut tut
clucking noise with her tongue.

"I take these to make potion. Beeback." With that
she swept through a beaded curtain and disappeared into the bowels of the
house.

About five minutes passed with Nathan harping at me and me
sniping in response.

"Honestly you two," Gracella said. "If you
don't knock it off, I'll leave you here and you can get back to town through
the gator-infested marsh."

As she finished the last word, her aunt stepped back into
the room. Aunt Vandi walked past Nathan, and he jumped, startled.

"What is it,
bohbo
? You act like I may turn you into toad or
sompin."

"Hehe." Nathan tried to laugh.

Aunt Vandi stopped in front of me and held up a capped vial.
Inside was a brownish red powdery substance. "Dis potion. It make this
Ronny guy take you to the dance and it bring you love. Dis what you want?"

I nodded, and took the vial with trembling fingers.

"Take
care
no one but your guy
swallows dis mixture."

"Swallows?"

Nathan snickered. A genuine laugh this time.

Duh, Tina
. Somehow it hadn't occurred to me I was going to have to
get Ronny to
take
the love potion.

Gracella held one side of the sign against the lip of the
table as I held the other. Applying a piece of the tape, I affixed my side
before standing back to take a look. The signed screamed in block letters:
Lacrosse Team
Fundraiser Bake Sale. Brownies $1
.

We'd set up in a corner of the cafeteria, and a few
pre-lunch students milled around us, eyeing our progress. On the table, we had
three-dozen brownies. Each had been wrapped in plastic and decorated with a
slender ribbon bow. The ribbons were red and blue on the
normal brownies
. We'd decorated two
special
love
potion-filled brownies with yellow ribbon and then hidden them safely inside a
picnic basket.

"Tell me again why we have two special brownies?"
Gracella asked.

"We have a spare, just in case something happens to
one."

"Like what?"

"Like it falls to the ground."

"This isn't going to work." Gracella shook her
head and wrung her hands.

"It will work," I said, arranging the brownies in
precise spaces on the table. "Our target loves brownies. I've noticed him
getting one every time they have them in the lunch line."

"Why would we be fundraising for the lacrosse team? We
aren't on the team, and we aren't on the insipid cheer squad."

"So? Anybody can have school spirit," I defended.
"It's common knowledge the school board cut funding for athletics and
everything but football is suffering. Besides, we'll actually donate the money,
so we aren't cheating anyone."

"What if Ronny doesn't eat lunch inside today?"
Gracella asked.

"Shhhhh," I whispered. "Don't say his name.
Just say target."

"Okay, what if the target—"

"He
has
to eat lunch inside. If he doesn't, we're walking the halls
with the brownie until we find him. The dance is tonight. This is the last
chance."

Gracella frowned, and her lips formed a pout. "How do
we sell these things?"

Pushing past her with a huff, I swiped one of the trays from
the table and put two brownies on it before thrusting the tray at her.
"Just hold this out and say, '
Would
you like to
buy a brownie? Only a dollar to support the lacrosse team.' Can you remember
that?"

"Maybe I should write it down." She glared at me,
hands on hips. "Of course, I can remember that."

When the bell for lunch period rang, we were inundated with
customers. We quickly got down to our last dozen brownies.

"Crap," I said when we reached a lull. "I
didn't think we'd sell this many. What if we run out of cover brownies before
he shows up? Sell slower. Let's raise the price."

Nodding, Gracella got out a sharpie and was drawing a line
through the dollar price when Nathan sauntered up.

"Poison Ronny yet?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Shhhhh." Scanning the nearby students, I didn't
see anyone who seemed to have heard him. I grabbed his arm. "I'm warning
you, Nathan. Shut the frig up or else. Don't mess this up for me."

"Okay, okay," he said, twisting out of my grip and
throwing his arms up in surrender. "I'll be good."

He walked over to the table. "Can I have one of these
things?"

"Oh all right," I said, waving in his direction.

I began to worry. What if Ronny didn't show up? I'd
discounted Gracella's comment earlier, but we were getting to the end of the
lunch period and he still hadn't come in.

"I'm not gonna get a tainted one am I?" Nathan
picked a brownie with a blue ribbon and eyed it.

"No, of course not. Those are hidden."

At my answer, Nathan opened the wrapping and stuck the
entire thing into his mouth.

Just then, Ronny entered through the cafeteria's swinging
doors. My heart leaped into my throat before racing as if I'd started a
fifty-meter dash. Whirling on my heel and giving an excited hop, I ran to the
table and opened the basket.

"He's here," I whispered to Gracella as I got out
the two yellow ribbon brownies and put them on my tray. "This is it. Keep
Nathan busy so he doesn't interfere."

She nodded, and I turned back only to see the target had
passed us and was on his way toward the lunch line.

"Ronny," I called in a panic. "Fundraiser for
the lacrosse team?"

He glanced over his shoulder. Tossing his blond hair back
and out of his eyes with one motion, his brows converged in confusion.
"Fundraiser?"

"We're selling brownies."

"Brownies?" He smiled and crossed to me as he
inspected the contents of the tray. Then he examined my face. "Do I know
you?"

"Yeah."

"You aren't on the girls' team are you?"

"Team?"

"Lacrosse."

"No. I'm in the science club."

He frowned.

Stupid, Tina. He can't understand why you're doing this
.

I hastened to add, "But I love to go to the games and
it's a real shame about all the funding that was cut."

"Yeah." Nodding, Ronny thrust a hand in each of
his pockets. After digging around, he shrugged. "Sorry. I don't have any
money today."

He started to walk away. Damn, damn, damn.

"That's okay," I said before he could take more
than two steps. "Brownie's on me."

He turned back. "Really?"

"It's for a good cause."

"Hey," he said, taking one brownie and appearing
to toast me with it. "Thanks."

"You're more than welcome." Relieved, I smiled and
placed the tray on the table.

He pulled off the yellow ribbon, opened the plastic and took
a bite. After making a yummy sound, he swallowed. "I love brownies."

"I know."

"What?"

"I mean that's good."

After he finished off the brownie, he gave me a half smile.

Woohooo. The love potion was already working
.

"I know where I've seen you before," Ronny said.
"Math class. You're the girl who always knows the answers."

Better to be known as the beautiful one, but at least he'd
noticed me. No need to be choosey.

"I've been wanting to talk to you about
something," he continued.

"What?"

"Well." He glanced around him. "It's kind of
a long story. Can we meet somewhere later?"

Omigod, that brownie was a miracle. He'd already asked me
out.

"A date?" I said, trying to keep my excitement
hidden but failing completely.
Be cool, Tina.

"Ummm." He glanced around again before turning
back to me. "Okay. A date. But I'm not sure where we should..."

"How about the Science Fair Fiesta Dance?"
Way to be cool
.

He blinked. "Why not?" He grinned. "How about
if I meet you out in front of the school about seven?"

He's not going to pick me up?
was my first thought.
Don't look a gift
jock in the mouth. At least he's going to the dance with you,
was my second
thought.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

 
"See you
there," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked away.

With an excited wiggle, I ran over to Gracella who was
selling a brownie a few feet away. I clutched her arm mid sale, and her tray of
brownies spilled.

"Hey—"

"Never mind those," I said as the customer gave a
disgusted huff and stalked off. "Ronny asked me to the dance."

"You're kidding." She jumped up and down, giving a
little clap. "That's great. Wow that was fast. Now we can rub it into Nathan
that we told him so."

In concert, we turned to the bake sale table and saw Nathan
stuffing another brownie into his face. Three wrappers lay abandoned on the
tabletop: three pieces of plastic, a blue ribbon, a red ribbon and... a yellow
ribbon.
The
yellow
ribbon.

"Oh my God. Nathan what have you done?" I
exclaimed.

He gawped at us as he swallowed the last of it.
"What?"

Pushing open the door to the boys' restroom, I yelled,
"Make yourself throw it up."

A freshman washing his hands at the sink, reeled back as if
I'd struck him. Staring at me goggle-eyed, he quickly fumbled with the faucet
handles to shut off the running water. He checked his fly. Was he concerned he
hadn't hidden the equipment?

"You said that already and it isn't helping. I can't
just barf on cue." Nathan's tortured voice bounced off the tile walls and
echoed out to me.