Feathers (13 page)

             
Heading home, I couldn’t help but reflect on the irony of it all.  Even Raziel had figured out that I actually did like Sean, though I’d never have given him the satisfaction of a real answer on it.  But as I thought about this, forbidden thoughts entered my mind.  What if Sean did ask me to the Prom?  What would it be like?  I imagined that it would be wonderful.  Pulling over to the side of the road, I banged my head on the stirring wheel.  This just wouldn’t do now.  I had to figure out a way to get that stupid fox out of my head.

             
After pulling myself back together, I finally made it home.  Once I got my things put away, I laid back on the couch and pulled out the book I’d been reading, along with my IPod.  It was my favorite gift from my dad by now.  Putting it on shuffle, I tried to lose myself for a while.  I just needed to stop thinking for a bit.  I was certain that doing that would help.  And it seemed to work.  I spent the next hour just lost in music and my book.

             
I eventually ended up laying the book over my face and closing my eyes.  I was half asleep when I noticed the book being moved.  “Well, you picked an odd way of napping.” Michael joked as he looked down at me.

             
I couldn’t help but smile up at him.  “I was comfortable.” I said, pulling the ear phones out and turning the player off.

             
Michael smiled back, moving to toss the newspaper he’d brought in onto the table.  “I was thinking we’d go out for dinner this evening.  You don’t mind, do you?” he said happily.

             
I knew he had to have something in mind for this sudden thought.  But it was probably good, considering his cheerful disposition.  “Sure.  Just give me a bit to change.” I said, getting up.

             
It wasn’t long before we were heading out to a small restaurant about thirty miles from town.  It wasn’t really a place where you’d normally see people with a lot of money, but I think Michael preferred it because it had this down home feeling to it.  It was kind of funny when I thought about it.  For a millionaire, Michael was very down to earth in the end.

             
We took a seat at the side table near the back so that we could watch the other people coming in.  I couldn’t help but look back at him though.  “You’re in a good mood tonight.  Did something good happen today?” I had to ask.

             
“Well, it was a good day for us.  But I’m more happy over being able to get out tonight.  It’s been too long since the two of us had a night to ourselves like this, hasn’t it?” Michael replied.

             
I couldn’t help but smile at that one.  “Yeah.  It has.” I agreed. 

             
After we ordered though, Michael did drop the question on me that I’d been waiting for though.  But it turned out to be one I kind of wasn’t expecting either.  “I have been wondering about something Mia.  Raziel mentioned the other day that he was taking a girl to the Junior Prom this coming month.  But I don’t think you’ve mentioned anything about your own going.” he said.

             
I knew that this was the roundabout way of him asking why I wasn’t going.  It was that unspoken connection the two of us had at work again.  “No, I really haven’t said anything, because I wasn’t planning on going.” I confessed.

             
“Really?  That’s a bit surprising.  I thought all the girls looked forward to that.” Michael said.

             
“I don’t think it’s that surprising Dad.  I just don’t see where I could go.  That’s all.” I said, putting my chin on my hand.

             
“Are you that worried about getting a date for it?  I’m sure that wouldn’t be a problem for you.” Michael said.

             
I couldn’t help but smile at that one.  “It’s not that.  There’s just no one I’m interested in going with.  Besides, the only reason Raziel’s going is because his girlfriend wants him to.” I said.

             
“I suppose.” Michael said.  “But it’s still a big night, even for a junior.”

             
“I know.  But seriously Dad, there isn’t anybody I want to go with here.  Most of the guys in our school just don’t interest me.” I told him.

             
Michael shrugged.  “I suppose I can’t say much to that one.  I’d expect you to have high standards.  Just don’t set them too high darling.”

             
Of course.  This was typical Michael in the end.  I knew that no guy would ever be good enough for me in his eyes.  After all, he was my dad.  But at the time, I decided to try and change the subject a little.  “By the way, I forgot to tell you that Sean apologized to me a few weeks ago.” I said.  I felt like now might be a good time to do this.  After all, time had passed, and Michael had seemed to be a bit more forgiving towards Sean when he’d spoken of him now.

             
“Really?  I had guessed he might have done that at school when Raziel wasn’t around.  Raphael probably would’ve gotten a phone call about his son’s suspension otherwise.” Michael said.  It was matter of fact, but I had to laugh.  How sad that he was technically right.

             
“So you’re not against me at least speaking to him now?” I asked.

             
“Not really, though I will be keeping more tabs on him.  Sean’s really a nice boy in the end.  And I’d imagine that since what happened he’s much more stable now.” Michael replied.

             
“So you know about this breaker thing that Raziel and Sean were talking about?” I asked.

             
“I do.  I have the same ability, though it surprises me that yours kicked in like it did.  Typically our extra abilities don’t come in until after our times.” Michael explained.  I could read between the lines very easily with that one.  I had to when it came down to it.  We were in a public place after all.

             
I couldn’t help but sigh though.  “I guess I really am weird, huh?” I muttered.

             
“Not really.” Michael replied.  “Mine also kicked in earlier then expected at one time when my life and the lives of others were in danger.  Perhaps it’s really reflex in the end.”

             
“Really?  What happened?” I asked, feeling curious.

             
“It’s not worth talking about.  Just an old problem that was resolved rather quickly.” Michael replied, giving me a reassuring smile.  I hated when he did that.  It left no room for anymore questions.

             
“I see.” I said.

             
After our food came though, the conversation turned back to the Prom again.  “By the way, I’ve been thinking about something since we got here with the whole Prom thing.  I really think you should go.” Michael said.

             
I quickly looked back up at him.  “You really think so?” I said in disbelief.

             
“Of course.  I think it would be good for you.  After all, you only experience high school once.  And far be it for me to be blunt, but your life before I got you back wasn’t exactly the best.  I’d prefer to see you have some good experiences here.  Especially given what has already happened. I’ll admit I’ve been feeling pretty guilty over it all.” Michael explained.

             
“You know that wasn’t your fault Dad.  Raziel and I should’ve told you when it started.” I said.

             
“I know.” Michael replied.  “But it doesn’t change my feelings towards it as a parent.  I know I haven’t exactly done right either, especially with my keeping you in the dark on so many things before.  My protection hasn’t exactly been good.  I suppose Raphael is right when he says that the worst events in history were caused from the best of intentions.”

             
Okay, so he was good at making me feel guilty as well.  Even though I shouldn’t have, I did.  I really should’ve been doing more.  “All right.  I guess I’ll go then.  But I still don’t have a date.” I sighed.

             
“You don’t have to worry about that.  I’m sure we can figure something out there.  After all, not everyone goes to such things with a romantic interest.” Michael said.  It didn’t escape me that he seemed more then pleased now.  I’d probably played right into his hand.

             
But I knew he had a point.  His words actually struck a cord with me.  “I guess.  But what do you mean by figure something out?” I dared ask.

             
Michael shrugged.  “Don’t worry too much about it.  If you can’t find someone within a week of it, then we’ll figure it out.” he answered.

             
Okay, I thought.  So I have until the week before.  I had better get on that first thing the next day.  But first, I had to make sure of something.  “So, as long as it’s someone I like, it’s okay?” I verified.

             
“Yes.  I won’t argue that one.  But please think about your decisions too.  You’re a smart girl, so I trust that I won’t have to worry too much.  But just remember that sometimes caution is good too.” Michael replied.

             
I did take in his words that night, though I think I’d already made up my mind on who I hoped to go with.  I just hoped he’d agree to it if it happened.  I guessed only time would tell now.

Eleven

              I ended up spending the next week at school feeling a little more then nervous.  And, not to mention, disappointed.  As it turned out, Sean was out for that week.  It was rotten timing really, considering my conversation with my dad and my promise that I’d be going to the Prom.  Beings he’d said he didn’t mind who I chose, I’d decided to just take my chances and drop hints for Sean to ask.  But the fox didn’t show up the next day when I went back.  So, beings he wasn’t there, I just decided not to mention the whole Prom thing to anyone.  If anything, I really didn’t want other guys knowing that I was available for it.  Sadly, that hadn’t stopped some of from deciding to ask though.

             
My first Prom invitation came in my first class.  The boy who decided to ask me was Charlie James.  He was nice enough, and a jock to boot, but I really wasn’t interested.  Though I will admit that it amazed me that a jock would actually ask me to a dance.  Once again, this was the allure of a rich man’s daughter.  Or so I believed at the time.

             
Of course, with me being the shy little girl I’ve always been, saying no was an incredibly hard thing for me to do in said situation as well.  So, I told a little white lie.  I said I already had a date.  What I didn’t expect was how quickly that one spread after that.  By lunchtime, it became apparent to me that most of the guys in the school thought I did.  Not to say it didn’t stop some from asking me still, but the rumor was the same.  And, of course, as soon as Anna sat down with me at lunch, she was asking herself.  I knew she had to have heard the exchange in our first class, and she was probably dying to know now.

             
“So, who’s your Prom date Mia?  I didn’t even know you were going.  I guess you changed your mind, huh?” she said.

             
“Neither did I.  Please tell.” Raziel said, smiling at me.  I knew that smile.  He knew I’d lied.

             
I shook my head, feeling myself blush.  “It’s a secret.” I said softly.

             
“Oh come on.  You can tell me.  I am your best friend, right?” Anna begged.

             
Raziel just laughed.  “It’s a secret because she doesn’t really have one.” He said.

             
“Yes I do.” I protested.  It was still weak though.

             
“Then who is he?  How come this is the first I’ve heard of all of it?” Raziel challenged.

             
I probably should’ve given up at that point.  But somehow, I felt pretty stubborn.  “I just haven’t mentioned it because I wanted to make sure it was okay with Michael first.  That’s all.” I told him.

             
“Ohhh, is it Sean?  It’s Sean, isn’t it?” Anna said.

             
“Don’t even say that!  It’s not funny!” Raziel told her.

             
I had to laugh at them.  Of course that would horrify Raziel and thrill Anna.  It was predictable.  But laughing probably wasn’t such a good idea.  It gave the wrong impression.  “Oh my God.  It is Sean.” Anna proclaimed.

             
Raziel put his head down in defeat at that one.  “I can’t believe it.  I can’t believe that Michael would let him take you.  Everyone must be going insane.” He moaned.

             
Truth be told, I was planning on telling him that it wasn’t true later.  But I didn’t have much of a chance by our last class.  Instead, I was still being asked out by guys.  Of course, half of them now were asking also if it was true that I was going with Sean Morrison.  Damn my luck.  Anna’s little outburst had cost me again.  Raziel was quick to tell them to leave it alone, but it didn’t stop the questions from coming up again and again.  I don’t think I’d ever been so glad to get out of school in my life before then.

             
A few more days would pass, and thankfully, the questions died down again.  I guess that the guys were finally accepting the reality now.  Or at least the reality that had been painted for them.  I couldn’t help but slam my locker that morning as I thought about all of it.  Even Michael got a good laugh out of this whole situation.  He’d even joked that I should go with Sean just to back myself up on it.  Yep.  There was my dad’s sense of humor for you.  Michael was a liberal with a lot of things.  I didn’t dare ask Raphael’s opinion on all of it though.  If he knew about all of this, he probably didn’t like it.  Raphael was more the type to save face for our family.  Though he really couldn’t say much with Sean being as popular as he was.  Only we knew what Sean really was.

             
I ended up brooding over the whole thing thru the entire day.  But as afternoon rolled around, I found myself sitting in the art room working on my end of the year project.  It was just me in there by then, but I didn’t mind too much.  I probably should’ve been terrified after what had happened only two months prior, but I wasn’t.  Instead, I was too lost in my thoughts as I worked on my painting.  I still couldn’t believe this was happening.  Stupid Prom.  Stupid men.  Stupid everything.

             
The sound of the door opening barely caught my attention for these thoughts.  I heard someone walk up near me, but they were quiet for a moment.  When they finally did speak, I almost froze.

             
“A very beautiful piece of work.  Even if I can’t see all of the colors, I’m impressed by the detail.”

             
I looked over my shoulder quickly to see Sean standing there.  He gave me a friendly smile.  Dressed in black pants and a white shirt, his pale skin and emerald eyes were still a stark contrast to his dark hair.  Of course, I was staring at him like an idiot too because of this.  He was just too handsome anymore.  “When did you get here?” I heard myself say.

             
“Just this afternoon.  I’ve been helping my mom out because she’s been sick.” Sean admitted.

             
I quietly climbed back down my step stool.  The painting I was working on was pretty big.  Hence the words “end of the year project”.  “Is she doing okay now?  I didn’t even know she was sick.” I admitted.

             
“She’s fine now.  Just a little infection.” Sean assured me.

             
I couldn’t help but smile back then.  “I’m glad that’s all.  I wouldn’t want to hear of anything bad happening to her.” I said.  I decided to just go ahead and put my art supplies away now.  It was almost four anyways.

             
Sean watched me move about for a moment before speaking again.  “By the way, I wasn’t aware that I was taking you to the Prom this year.”

             
I stopped dead as he said that, almost dropping the tray of paints I was holding.  Damn that rumor!  “Uh… neither was I.  It just started going around recently.” I lied, resuming what I’d been doing.

             
“I see.  And here I thought that perhaps you had started that.  How silly of me.” Sean said.  It was funny, but he actually sounded a little disappointed.  But it could be hard to tell too.  He always seemed so damn calm anymore.

             
“No.  It just ended up spreading.  I’m going, but I don’t actually have a date yet.” I admitted as I washed my brushes.

             
“Going without a date?  Why would you want to do that?” Sean asked.

             
“I just wanted to go.  But I haven’t gotten a date yet.” I replied.  I wasn’t about to tell him it was because my dad really wanted me to.  Or offer the information that I’d been asked quite a few times now.

             
“Hmm.” Sean said.  I felt him walk over behind me.  “It doesn’t seem too right, does it?  A pretty girl going alone to a dance like that.  Even some of the less popular girls have dates.”

             
I put the brushes back into their holder.  “It’s not that big of a deal Sean.  I still have time to get a date if I wanted one.  Besides, I just haven’t had anybody ask me.” I lied.

             
“I find that one hard to believe.  I would’ve imagined many of the boys here would be asking.  After all, you are Michael Renaldi’s daughter. Not to mention that you’re a very pretty girl.” Sean said.

             
I felt myself blush with that one.  “I’m not that pretty Sean.” I argued meekly.

             
“I’d beg to differ.” Sean replied.

             
“Anyways,” I went on, “I don’t have a date, so it’s not that big of a deal.  Maybe someone will ask me soon.”

             
“But that would be a bit difficult when everyone believes you already have one, wouldn’t it?” Sean said, walking over and handing me my bag.

             
“Not really.  It’s not going to stop them.  Trust me.” I muttered, looking away.

             
“Maybe not.”  Sean agreed.  He looked back at the garden thru the window for a moment.  “Would you like to take a ride with me Mia?  I wanted to talk to you about something.”

             
I felt my heart beat a little harder.  “Sure.  Where did you want to go?” I asked.

             
“It’s not too far.  We can take my Jeep.” Sean assured me.

             
To this day, I have no idea of why I decided to trust him like I did.  Maybe part of me just knew that he wasn’t lying to me, and that he never again would harm me.  Or maybe I was just feeling rather bold at that point.  But either way, I agreed to his request, and left with him.  We left my car at my house, then I hopped into the Jeep to ride with him.  We didn’t really go far.  Just to a pretty little marina right outside of town.  Sitting on the side by the water, I couldn’t help but feel at peace with the soft breeze blowing thru my hair.  “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked softly.

             
Sean smiled slightly.  “It’s nothing too bad.  But I didn’t think that the art room was really the place.” He said.

             
“Okay.” I agreed.

             
Sean took a deep breath before continuing.  “You know, I can’t say it didn’t bother me to hear those rumors.  I honestly didn’t think you were the one who spread them, considering the sources they were coming from.  But it wasn’t the context that bothered me either.  It was the fact that they started because so many were asking in the first place.” He admitted.

             
“I guess you didn’t like it then.” I said.

             
“No.  I didn’t.  But not for the reasons you might be thinking.  The truth is, I felt like I missed something important when I came back to that.  It was pretty frustrating.” Sean said.

             
“Something important?  What do you mean?” I asked.  Really, I didn’t think he was making any sense.

             
Sean just sighed.  “The truth is, I wasn’t going to say that it wasn’t true either, because I was planning on asking you myself.” He confessed.

             
If it had been possible for one’s heart to literally stop, I think mine would have then.  I felt like I couldn’t move.  He just couldn’t have been serious.  I didn’t even have to drop hints, and he was considering asking?  “You’re not serious, right?” I managed to squeak out.

             
At that, he looked over at me like he was puzzled.  I wouldn’t put it together until later that it was because of my odd reaction of being practically frozen and unable to speak.  “Of course.  I was planning on asking.  But now, it seems a little silly.” He said.

             
“Silly?  Why?” I asked, finally regaining myself.  Suddenly, I was really feeling like a fool.  He wasn’t asking after all.  I’d jumped to conclusions.  How pathetic.

             
“Don’t get me wrong Mia.  I really was planning on it.  But then something came up, and coming back now, it seems silly of me to even ask.” Sean assured me, a soft smile playing on his face.

             
“So something came up.” I sighed.  “You’re not going.”

             
Sean shook his head, laughing a little to himself.  “No.  I’m going.  It seems you’re misunderstanding me.” He said.

             
“What there to not understand?  Are you making fun of me now?” I pouted, turning away and crossing my arms.  Yes, it was childish.  But somehow, he seemed to bring this out in me.  And the funny thing was, he always would.

             
“No.  I wouldn’t do that.” Sean said.  I felt myself tense up a little as he reached over and made me turn back to him.  “What I’m saying is that my plans were pretty much blown up in smoke with those rumors.  So I didn’t see a reason to really ask you to go.  You’re already going with me.”

             
Well, he was bold.  He was confident.  I’d give him that much.  “You know, you’re seriously bold about this.” I couldn’t help but laugh.

             
“Yes.  I know.” Sean laughed back.  “So tell me, can I take this as a yes?”