Enigma
She sat there watching them run past in groups of two. The ashes from her cigarette flew out as she blew smoke into the air. Her legs crossed elegantly though the stiffness in her hunched form betrayed any sense of confidence. The voices of excited teens floated around as conversation shifted to the Halloween Ball. You could hear girls prattle on about hair, and shoes, the length of their dresses and their dates. The boys discussed about who could smuggle in the alcohol. You heard the cocky tones of some who believed they would get lucky.
I stood leaning against the blue padded wall watching Rosaline smoke some times i wanted to be her level of carefree just once i wanted to bend the rules. Even though Mrs. Murray, our gym teacher, glared at her many times, the blond simply puffed on the cig and blew smoke. Pushing myself off the wall, I calmly walked over to her, climbing onto the bleacher. I sat next to her. Her icy blue eyes moved to me as the seat shifted beneath my weight.
“You know, Mrs. Murray is gonna write you up, right?”
She didn’t speak. Not that I expected her to. My sister had a way about her that made you want to know what made her tick. To an outsider, Rosaline was cold and quiet. But to me, she was sly and calculated. She taught me sometimes being an observer was more rewarding than being a participant. When the allure of cigarettes and rock concerts wore off, she’d huddle against me in our darkened room and whisper her secrets. She’d tell me about wanting to be a nurse and how she had stolen Mom’s vodka from the cabinet. I’d hear about the concerts and how some drunk guy would climb onstage during the show and tell everyone how special he is.
I’d hear about how she wanted children and what they would look like. My niece was to have Rosaline’s blond hair and her blue eyes. My nephew would be a miniature version of their father. She’d tell me their names – Annabelle and Aaron – both would be her pride and joy.
Even when she spilled her guts under the covers in the dark winter nights, you couldn’t tell if those were goals or dreams. Rosaline turned to look at me just as the bell rang, signaling the end of class.
“See you at home.” The hollowness in her voice never changed. I nodded, watching as she jumped down and walked through the double doors that lead to the hallway.
My throat tightened with the unsaid “love you” even though I ain’t saying it. She knew. I wondered if she showed her love for me through cold tones and whispered secrets. Through cigarettes and rock concerts. Through stiff and uncomfortable goodbyes. Climbing down from where I sat, I walked out the doors to the locker room. The faint smell of smoke wafted by me, a sure sign of Rosaline. Sitting in my English class i listened to the teacher’s voice talking about Shakespeare a sudden vibration in my pocket jolted me i pulled my phone out to see a text from rosaline it read
Wanna skip with me
No
How come you’re bored i can tell
I shook my head at the text i was bored but i didn’t want to leave and get in trouble
Rosie i can’t leave you know that
And why not
I’ll get in trouble
Not with me come on sis do i ever ask you to join in
No not really y all of a sudden
You need to have some fun
O really and who says i don’t have fun
I do when was the last time you did something bad
I stole a pencil from ms Murray
Ha i stole 20 bucks from mom’s purse
ok so i’m not you Rosie why do u wanna skip with me
You’re my secret keeper
I didn’t know what to say after that my body wanted to make an excuse and go join her to bask in roseline's rebellion but my mind kept me rooted to my chair i wasn’t going no where. The bell rang finally signaling the end of my last class getting my bag i pulled it onto my shoulder and walked to my locker. As i approached I saw Sean leaning against it his dark washed jeans hung low on his hips the chain on the side draped against them gave the pants a nice touch. I saw him run his fingers through his dark hair as he looked at his phone. Walking closer i took a deep breath as i got closer to my locker and him. I’ve liked Sean since our freshmen year now a senior i still feel a rush whenever we crossed paths. “Hey” i said as i reached my locker his head snapped up as he smiled a little dimple came out to wave at me.I felt my face heat up as i reached to open my locker. I wondered why he was here and not with rosaline they where joined at the hip another thing to make me feel envious about my sister. He grinned at me "I was told to wait for you Rosie wants you to come with us." I was confused as to where he was referring knowing my sister it couldn't be anything good.
