The dark room covered her body, draping it like a blanket while she began to clear up, stopping her rage. Pressing her hands against the floor, she lifted her body to her bare knees and viewed the messy room. Dragging her body, she fell upon her waste basket, pushing down along the rims for support while she tried to control herself. Beginning in the far right corner of the room, Vesteva finally began picking up the pieces of her ripped journal. Before placing it in the garbage, she unfolded it and stared at the writing and the day that once been. Sometimes in giant capital letters distinguishing her outburst that day, or seeing a smiley face at the end of the sentence.
Trying to smile, she gave out a small curl of the lip and threw it in the waste basket. Continuing across the room, when she reached her dresser where her c.d. player was, she switched from tuner to c.d., automatically starting with track one.
" Can I... can I come in?" her sister's voice traveled through the door. Vesteva turned the volume down as a song called "What A Girl Wants" began. Coming to her feet, she shuffled her feet across the floor, turning the knob and by habit crouched lower to her sisters height. " Mom needs you downstairs."
Rising back up to her feet, Vesteva followed Lee down the steps slowly, placing each foot on each step. Swinging around into the main living room, her mother was sitting on the couch with documents spread throughout the coffee table. You could hear her humming a song to herself while she organized the papers. Lee Lee went back over near the fireplace where she had her dolls set up and a cup of apple juice with a lid on it next to her. Vesteva took a seat next to her mother, leaning her back into the corner and her arm on the rest.
" New case?" Vesteva announced, staring at Lee across the room.
" Just got it yesterday. The office called me and I need to go in for a meeting. One problem, your counselor called and they need to move the time up to...," she said while staring at her watch, " In a half an hour. Your father left for work about 10 minutes ago and I can't get a sitter this short of notice. There's a day care at the hospital so I need you to bring Little Lee Lee with you. Will that be okay?" her mother choked out, still facing the papers.
Vesteva let out a large sigh as she shut her eyes tightly, " Mom! I don't need to go there! What are they going to tell me that I don't know already? It's so... stupid." Vesteva said, watching her language in front of her sister.
Her mother just shook her head back and forth, continuing to stare at the coffee table without an answer back. Moving her body forward, Vesteva stomped the ground with both feet and growled with anger. Lee looked over at Vesteva who pounded her feet against the solid ground all the way up to the stairs. Her eyes turned saddened, seeing her sister act that way. Not paying attention to what her mother said or what her sister just did, she continued to play with her dolls until it was time to leave.
Their mother dropped them off on the curb in front of the hospital doors. Taking Lee's hand and flinging her bag over her other shoulder, they walked into the building together. At the front desk a secretary sat, carding names in the file cabinet.
Asking where the day care was, Vesteva gave Lee a kiss on the cheek and a hug, having the secretary coming around and taking Lee's hand. Vesteva stood there at the counter as she watched her sister walk away with her head turned around. Her eyes showed as if she wanted to cry, though the eyes disappeared as they turned the corner and Vesteva was left alone. She turned her body around and dragged her feet down the hallway where she once again with be united with the class that had no difference in her life, no one who she had anything in common with. She clung her bag close to her body, having her hair in a low 'messy' bun at her neck, her bangs that framed her face fell down, hiding her mournfulness from all eyes.
" Good afternoon Festeva!" the counselor announced with a proud smile on her face.
" It's Ve-STEVE-a, thank you," she mumbled smacking her bag on the first available desk.
Chris sat there on a small plastic blue chair at a table with two small kids. In the middle of the table was a giant puzzle with pieces the size of his hand that made a picture of animals in the jungle. He watched the one boy and one girl stand up, trying to figure out which piece connected to which, helping out some when they asked for it. Already knowing his name, they called him from one side of the room to the other to join the little kids in their fun. Watching seven kids for two hours seemed like such a work out at first, though now the sight of each one's face was bringing a smile to his. It made him think about the future, being 28, that he wanted to be a father sometime in the future, though he wasn't ready yet.
With dolls and a kitchen settled underneath the windows that stretched over one wall, Joey played the father in the family. Sipping his tea of air and kissing his pretend wife on the top of her head, he even got on his knees to be their height. The roots of his dyed red hair were growing out while some kids looked in amazement at it. As a boy came over and giggled at the sight, Joey stood up and grabbed his waist, sending him flying upside down in the air.
The excitement was just beginning, building up as a lady came walking into the doorway with a new girl in hand. Her bright blue eyes gazed across the room, staring at the new faces that surrounded her including the two men. The lady brought the girl over to Chris who was nearly close to the front of the room. He stood up, grabbing the girls hand as she clutched to him closely, shy.
" Everyone, this is Leehola Hartner." The lady exclaimed, presenting her with a wave of the hand, lowering it to her head. Everyone kept still as Lee's eyes traveled from one to the other. Bending down to reach her ear, the lady whispered, " You'll have fun." She then left the room as her skirt fluttered back and forth hitting her calves.
Chris took her by the hand and lead her over to the empty chair at the table. Looking at the different faces, she grabbed a piece of the puzzle and held it in her hand tight, feeling the uneasiness of the tension in the room while eyes glowed right back at her. Her lips began to tremble though no tears came across while she sat down in a plastic chair and kept the puzzle piece to herself.
The way the she looked so innocent gave Chris his attention as he stared at her face from the side. The name also being so recognizable that he almost has his finger on it, though can't choose which one. She set herself apart from all the kids, as if she was in her own world and no one else was in the room. Dazed and confused, she seemed to stir about until deciding to amble over to the carpet area and sit right in the corner.
An hour passed by quickly through Joey's eyes, being in that one room with the eight kids. His stomach roared with hunger though tried to ignore the emptiness. Throughout the time they played games, colored, sang, and read a couple books. He developed a relationship with each child in his own way, letting them know that he is always there and they can have full trust in him. Though one girl was set apart from the group, sitting by herself and not participating that much in the activities. After paying more attention to her and giving his will to help her feel excepted, he then gave up in the fight.
The two guys were to leave in a half an hour, where a volunteer would be taking over. Three kids left between the time period but they earned more back with two being dropped off. It was all silent in the room, everyone was calming down from a game of tag and hide and seek.
The door began to open with a twitch of the doorknob, the same secretary came through leading a young girl with coffee colored hair and bright brown eyes with her head flushed downwards. Beginning to observe the room in seek for her sister, Lee found Vesteva first as she jumped from the table and ran to her with open arms. Wrapping them around her thighs, Vesteva patted her back and gave her a kiss on the head in return, then messing her hair up as she petted her.
Looking up from the warm greeting, Vesteva saw Joey and Chris launching from their seats to stand up in place. Vesteva whispered a small thank you in a barely audible voice, watching them do a slight bow of the head in return.
The secretary left the room first, followed by Lee Lee, turning around to look up at Vesteva, " Ves.. Vesteva, can we go to McDonalds for dinner?" she breathed in.
Chris flashed around from a boy and stared as Vesteva left, closing the door behind her. Remembering where the last name came from, Vesteva must have been the same girl that JC was talking about. He noticed the similarities between the two. Both were quiet with the look of innocents that flushed the whole face. Seeing exactly what JC was talking about at dinner last night, it brought him to wanting to run after her and tell her who he is. While he thought of the consequences of what might happen if he did chase her, it was already too late, she would have been in her car and drove off already. Wondering what she was doing at the hospital, he sat back down and continued drawing with the colorful crayons scattered all over the table now.
Lounging around still, Lance paced around the living room, listening to the cracks beneath his feet at every pace. Justin's eyes were shut closed on the couch, having his head nestled into the corner. Lance rubbed his fingers through his spiked hair out of complete boredom. Though JC stood less that fifty paces away from him, and Justin was sleeping right there, he felt completely isolated from the group, as if he was one, and they were *NSYNC. The relationship between him and Justin, having the close ages was always brought to his attention by the media, immediately sticking the two together as if they were closer than to the rest of the guys.
Stopping behind the misty green leather couch, he looked down at his feet and then at the shirt that was on his body. One of Justin's shirts that he just grabbed from his room today. He plucked at the stomach and held the shirt out in front of him, just staring at the print that read 'Abercrombie', that wasn't him. The act that he played in front of the world was gaining him more respect than what he had in the beginning. Dropping his shirt, he dragged his bare feet over to the kitchen where he grabbed a glass.
Looking out the window, the lake took full view with wide naked trees spread. The small wince of a moving figure tripping around the outskirts of the lake. Eyeing that he knew he was JC, he continued what he was doing instead of trying to help him out. Knowing that what he said wouldn't even register in his head, his words had no meaning of the word try. Opening the refrigerator, he glared at the Miller Light cans settled on the middle shelf. To his approvement, he dove for the milk instead. Walking back over to the counter where the window was still partially in his view, he put the glass down in the sink and just began to drink the milk out of the carton.
In the cold breeze that was set by the trees waving the leaves around, splashing colors to the ground. Goose bumps appeared on JC's still dark tanned skin as he shuffled along weeded areas, less than two feet from the water. Clutching his fists together he started cracking his knuckles, speeding up his pace. Time was going by quickly as each thought entered his head and escaped it, that he completely forgot the reason that he was moping around anyway. From where he stood, the house was directly across from him. He placed himself in the tall grass that was eventually beginning to die from the change in weather.
The sun radiated over the house and set sail right on the lake. From the angle of the ground, JC saw his reflection shining straight back at him while staring into it. Gathering grass in the palm of his hand, he ripped it out with a snap, tearing them into millions of pieces and tossing them into the lake. Watching right back at him was still his reflection, what he didn't want to see. Stomping his feet on the ground, he grabbed stones and struck them into the water with an angry growl.
The water grew into circles one around each other, waving back and forth as the picture of him shattered into pieces. Just like his life was. All this stress was built around things that didn't even exists. His girlfriend cheated and lied, he had to deal with it and it was in the past. Vesteva he barely knew, but he couldn't let go. It was as if he was setting himself up for the heart break once again, though he wasn't clear of it.
What was there left for him to do. Continuing to walk he caught himself approaching the house once again. Holding himself back, he didn't want to go back in there but there was nothing left for him to do. He had no transportation except for walking. Knowing where nothing was except for the hospital, Abby and Vesteva's house, it wasn't walkable. He then continued to saunter into the house.