These Lying Eyes (3 page)

“Not good to be late on the first day of school Mina,” he laughed, delighted with his stupid quip.

Mina’s glare only caused him to broaden his smirk to a sneer. He leaned against the lockers and slid his arm around the brunette next to him. The girl grinned and wrapped her arm around his waist.

“I need to know where room E5 is,” Mina ground out, imagining kicking Erik in the shin like one of their triplet sisters. He gazed at his girlfriend, rubbed his hand along her arm, and stared at Mina, saying nothing. The girl simpered at Mina’s stupid brother until Mina wanted to smack her a little bit.

“Please.” Mina said almost breaking into a cough from the tightness in her throat. This was a game to him. Oh, he deserved bad, bad things.

“Why should I tell you?” Erik asked.

He knew; she could see it in his eyes. He saw how she was gritting her teeth, holding back her anger. As usual, it made him happy to see her squirm.

“Because you are her brother, and you know she’s nervous.” Max said staring at Erik.

Erik frowned at Max, standing taller, straightening his shoulder to loom over both of them.

Max stared back, unconcerned and stalwart. Mina let her eyes drill into her brother until Erik finally met her gaze. There was a flash of shame, and then he gave them the directions, nodding at Mina as they left.

“Thanks.” Max said ending the tension.

“Don’t be rude.” Erik said when Mina didn’t say anything, laughing at her again. She slowed. Blind anger tittered at the edge of Mina’s mind, only one tiny prompt, and she would snap.

“Don’t let him get to you,” Max said, “Clearly he’s a jerk, so you can revel in being better than him.”

“Oh there’s no question of that,” she said following Max into a crowd of shouting and laughing kids. They wore marching band uniforms and were herded by a harassed teacher.

“No instruments in the hall!” he commanded. It was like a challenge; a blast of the trumpet, the teacher spun. The twitter of a flute, a few beats of the drum. The teacher could have been waltzing as he attempted to catch the culprits.

Mina could see Max laugh. His mouth moved, but it was too loud to hear his voice.

The band pinned them to the wall, and Mina’s eyes met Max’s. An arch of energy seemed to pass between them, a memory of the good friends they’d been, and it reminded her how much she used to love her life. Before she’d become so lonely.

Even with the clatter of the instruments, there was no sound, but the huff of his breath, just like when she’d pulled him up a tree after her. Goosebumps appeared on her flesh, and she felt something awaken within her as if the memory of her childhood self brought a new energy to life.

* * *

“Mina!” Before she even registered her name, someone was lifting her and twirling her.

“Peter,” she gasped as Max stepped back, and Poppy took flight.

Peter’s thick arms squeezed her. “Finally, you’re back where you belong—with me,” he said. His blue eyes dominated his freckled face, and he squeezed again before dropping her and lifting his guitar.

“I’m not a toy, you ox,” She punched his shoulder, “don’t do that. Petey, do you remember Max? He was in all our classes in grade school? Max, you remember my giant dope of a cousin, right?”

Peter squeezed her again, slung his guitar over his shoulder before saying, “Course I do. Dude, you’re not miniscule anymore. Moved back, huh?”

Before Max could answer or even nod, Peter continued, grinning at whatever was running through his head, “We’ll need to go catch frogs, climb trees, or start fires with Ben and Hailey to bring back the old times.”

“You look happy,” Mina said to Peter.

“Well, yeah.” Peter said, “It’s my lucky day, or so I’m hoping. I’ve got jazz band tryouts, and you’re here. You’ll have to be my lucky charm, but don’t worry, Mina-Lina. It’s a lucky day for you. Cause you’re back to where you belong. Going to school again with your favorite person, ever.” He pointed to himself.

A grin spread over her face, and she wanted to touch her cheeks and experience that smile fully. Her favorite cousin, and
Max.

“Gotta go,” Peter chucked her on the shoulder calling after himself, “wish me luck.”

He was gone before Mina or Max could reply. They walked down the hall together, and the crowd almost seemed to part before them; maybe there was something magical about Max. Like how he moseyed along without a care in the world even though it was the first day of high school. Mina watched him for a moment before trying to mimic his relaxed persona.

“The thing about high school is,” Max said suddenly during a lull in the roar of chatter, “that you’re on the downhill side. Only four more years and you’re free.”

He had just voiced the promise she’d made to herself that summer. The downhill side, you can make it through, she had said. He spoke her thoughts, and he did it with that familiar smile.

“Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll never get away from here. It gives me nightmares,” Mina confessed as they spied their classroom. “I’m even taking extra classes to get out early. Whatever, I have to do.”

“I just want to go to college,” Max said. “My grandparents took me to visit a few this summer before camp. They want me to go all Ivy League or whatever, I just want to get a dorm room, bring my X-Box, and have a mini fridge.”

Mina cocked her head at the picture he painted. It sounded heavenly. But even though, his voice was calm, there seemed to be a flash of frustration?

Their eyes met as they paused in front of the classroom door, and Mina was amazed to see anxiety in his face. She could feel his dissatisfaction. The twin to her own feeling that something was missing. It was as if there was a truth hovering in front of them, mocking them in its invisibility but letting them feel its weight.

Mina looked around his shoulder—that phantom awareness hovering between them. In the back corner, she saw her once-best-friend, her cousin Hailey. There were several kids from the last couple of years, people who had never bothered to notice she existed.

Max gestured for her to go ahead of him, but she didn’t want to go first. She didn’t want to go in at all, but if she had to, Mina wanted to cower behind him before she slunk to an obscure seat. She peeked again through the window and back at Max.

And then she saw it again. That glimpse of his nerves. Guilt welled in her, and she realized she couldn’t do this to him. She couldn’t drag him into the land of the invisible.

“Ladies first,” he said, pulling the door open. Mina surveyed the classroom again, finding the faces she knew and watched their eyes sail past. And then, she stepped back into the hall.

Max glanced into the room before letting the door go and joining her in the shadows by the windows, “Mina?” he asked.

“So,” she said, fighting for the right words. “You have to know I… Man, how do I say this,” she trailed off again, caught the memory of little Max calling her name.

He looked at her so patiently, with those big familiar blue eyes.

“Max, I don’t have any friends except Peter. Probably, my other cousin Ben. Even Hailey and I aren’t friends any more,” she said.

Max’s eyes widened as she spoke, and a zombie monotone took over her normally husky voice. “You don’t have to be nice to me just because we were friends in grade school. If you enter that room alone, you will be pulled into the popular crowd and the next four years will be happier without me.”

He shook his head, so she continued, “Max, you’re all tall and pretty.”

The slightest of flushes crossed his cheeks, and Mina nodded to emphasize her words, adding, “Don’t let me ruin it for you.”

She made herself meet his eyes. She wasn’t going to be self-sacrificing while blinking tears away and staring at the ground.

“Mina…” He trailed off.

She clenched her jaw, preparing for him to slide away, missing her old friend again already.

But, he took in a slow deep breath, almost in unison with her. She could nearly feel him thinking.

“Really.” Mina said. “It’s cool. Go. You know. Have a good life.”

An awkward tension filled the space between them, and Mina waited for him to flee it. After all, grade school was a long time ago, and Max was no longer the squeaky little kid he’d once been.

“Mina, I’m not interested in those things. Being popular or whatever.” Max said. “I’ve never cared about it.”

He lowered his voice, stepping closer, and the movement thrust him into the light while she lurked in the shadows. “If we’re going to be embarrassingly honest, seeing you again is the only good thing about being back. I know we aren’t little squirts running around the forest anymore, but we were. And I’d rather run through the woods again with you than do whatever those popular types have to offer.”

He tugged one of her curls. “I like you, Mina.” He said. “I rather be friends with you again than sucked into a crowd of superficial people who probably turn on each other.”

“Max.” She didn’t know what else to say.

They waited. Ill at ease, uncomfortable, shifting their feet, avoiding the other’s eyes, but even still, each felt as if they were standing on stone, rather than the shifting sands of moments earlier.

“Mina.” He grinned his face lighting up, and the dimples flashed on his face as he gestured to the classroom door. “I think we agreed you’d go first.”

She sighed dramatically as she stepped into the classroom, making him laugh. She tossed a grin back before glancing around the room, carefully not seeing her cousin, Hailey. Except, the only place with two seats together was next to Mina’s cousin, and Max headed right over.

Don’t look at her, Mina told herself. Don’t remember. Hailey. Cousin. Once-best-friend.

Max stretched out his legs and crossed them as soon as they sat, and as he did, Charlie, Hailey’s boyfriend, recognized Max.

“Max Mason?” he asked, and Mina closed her eyes before slowly turning to face the couple behind her and Max.

Hailey spread her lips in the semblance of a smile; Mina echoed it. Mina and Hailey moved restlessly, not meeting the other’s eyes.

“Hailey right?” Max asked as he glanced at Mina’s cousin.

“I don’t know if you’re in good company Max,” Hailey spread another fake smile while running her fore-finger over the perfect skin above her chest, “I’m having this sudden memory of you running with my wild cousin in the woods. Seems like it’s only a matter of time before she leads you astray again.”

Wild cousin. As if Mina were the raccoon of their family. At least she hadn’t said crazy.

“Good times.” Max grinned.

Mina produced a stilted chuckle, glancing at Charlie, Hailey’s boyfriend. He was chatting with Max about something or other not noticing how Hailey was eyeing Max.

“So,” Max said a few moments later as his eyes bounced between Mina and Hailey, “I forgot how much you two look alike.”

“Yeah,” Mina tried to smile but feared her face formed some sort of post-death rictus.

She knew and hated that she was the artless version of Hailey. They had matching curls. Though Hailey’s were only blonde. But, they also had matching full lips and high cheek bones. Hailey had a single mole near her eye, bigger than a freckle, yet the darn thing still managed to be sexy. Mina’s eyes were gray while Hailey’s were deep, dark brown. Mina’s face was thinner but that was due to the combination of stress and her diet of apples. Hailey was, of course, model tall and made Mina feel like a sprite.

And, Hailey’s elbows didn’t stick out.

“Yeah,” Hailey ran her fingers through her curls, drawing attention to how much smoother, silkier her hair was than, well, everyone’s, “we used to get that all the time. Our moms even confused us a few times. ‘Member Mina?”

Hailey upped her charm, leaning forward so she could peek up at Max through her thick lashes, a near chuckle hovered on her lips as she played with the collar of her shirt. As she did, Hailey’s charm washed over the boys.

Mina pushed back her envy, sliding down in her seat. The current moment was so stark next to the previous hour when Max had been hers alone. Somehow during that time, she’d forgotten that she was crazy, sick-looking and too thin. Mina twisted her earrings and twirled her hair. She was sure she couldn’t keep up this bantering for long. Only, she wasn’t bantering; she was sitting silently, grimly while Hailey charmed the socks off of Max and Charlie.

Charlie flicked Mina’s shoulder playfully. “So Mina, Hailey tells me that you...uh…what’s the word? Take a lot of unscheduled vacation from school.”

Mina pursed her lips and shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh really?” Max asked. “I remember a few unscheduled vacation days with you.”

“Well I for one,” Mina said pretending she was having fun, “blame the grade school teachers. Noticing too late that I didn’t always come back from lunch. I mean after you spend a few afternoons innocently swinging a little longer or poking a few sticks into a pond, you learn a very, very, valuable lesson.”

“Oh yeah,” Max asked, grinning, dimples flashing, making Mina’s heart stutter before she remembered this was her childhood buddy, a near brother.

“What’s this valuable lesson?” Charlie asked.

“The fun you can have when no one knows where you are.” She explained, “It’s perfection.”

“That’s some fun I’d be willing to learn,” Max said, and a delighted grin leapt onto Mina’s face before she could stop it.

“Relearn if I remember right.” Hailey said snidely.

Mina’s mouth dropped to deliver…something, but the teacher entered the classroom giving Mina the escape she needed from her cousin. Gratefully, she turned forward and pulled out a notebook. Max nudged Mina’s foot, a little smile quivering at the edge of his mouth, and she didn’t bother to hide hers.

Chapter 3

“Did you want to tell me about your day?” Dr. Seal asked from her wide leather chair behind the broad wood desk. Her half-moon glasses didn’t obscure her piercing blue eyes, and yet again, she made Mina feel as if spiders were crawling down her spine. She just didn’t get being so interested in every little thing in someone else’s life.