Chapter 6: Picture

Kent froze for a moment but then hastily put his wallet back into his jeans pocket. He was uneasy if Eric would take it away from him.

“Just a picture, you know,” he mumbled, shrugging.

But to Elise’s mind’s eye, she saw her own picture. It was the solo photo she had when they won the cheerleading competitions. It was her brother that took it. But could it be that she was seeing it wrong? She knew she didn’t have to believe everything she sees lately. It was like freaking her.

“Let me see!” Eric demanded. “I think I saw it before.”

“I’m sorry. A friend gave it to me.”

Eric frowned. “Who? Which one of your friends gave it? Hey, pal. I’m your only friend.” Eric grinned and threw an arm around Kent, caught him by the neck. Suddenly, he managed to take out the wallet by force and checked out the picture. It was Elise he saw in the photo, which made his jaw drop.

It was indeed the one that Elise thought she was thinking a while ago. She recalled she gave it to Diana when she asked for her photo for some cheerleading slum book.

A slum book? Her mind was reeling. She was totally duped by Diana!

“Diana gave that to me. I didn’t steal it,” Kent explained defensively.

Eric laughed. “I took it! I knew the picture was familiar. It’s okay. You can have that. My sister was pretty at the time because I was the one who took it.” Then he gave the wallet back to the owner. “Hmm… So you’re friends with Diana. Just when did you become friends?” Then he took some more slices of pizza, bit them at the same time, and chewed the food, watching Kent’s relieved expression on his face.

“Uh, well since early this school year.” Kent shrugged.

Eric sized him up. “I think I already know when it was. Anyway, take good care of my sister’s photo or I’ll bust your head off!” he warned his friend.

Elise smiled at her brother’s chosen words, and Kent could not help himself but laugh.

They continued talking and eating, feeling the air more at ease. It was another sign that proved that Kent truly liked her.

Elise was really flattered and felt happy about it. She couldn’t believe at first that he was for real. She knew that he had a girlfriend before, a cheerleader as well but she transferred to another state and so they broke up. Eric filled her in anyway, after telling her his friend got a crush on her. She was weirded by this idea since she was her brother but he didn’t hate this fact, unlike other brothers. Certainly, Eric wasn’t a normal brother.

She remembered when she was in the middle school, she only had a glimpse of Kent. She knew from her brother’s stories at school that he was a very close friend of his. He never visited their house but only once when her brother was absent due to a fractured leg. It was almost three years ago. She could still remember the first time she felt her heart beating so fast and her cheeks felt so warm upon setting her eyes on Kent. She was on the top of the stairs, and her brother was in the living room with a visitor. She did not come down to peer who it was ,but later on, she learned it was Kent, her brother’s closest friend in school. He was not a quarterback at the time, though. And yet, she heard he was very popular, especially to girls.

“Will just go to the john,” Eric muttered after finishing the whole pizza.

Elise and Kent watched him fight his way to the bathroom as the fast food was so crowded as usual. It was like everyone in town was there to have a taste of Nohkoma’s delicacies.

“I’m sorry about the photo,” Kent apologized quietly, and Elise looked at him seriously.

“It’s fine. Honestly, I feel flattered about it.” She smiled sweetly at him.

Kent smiled at her, his eyes were so tender. “I really like you, Elise.”

Elise bit her upper lip and smiled at him. “I like you too, Kent.” Then she looked down on the table. “But I can’t get into this kind of relationship with you right now. I hope you understand.” She forced herself to say those words. She had a lot of thinking and considering to do. Her age, her studies, her brother’s friendship with Kent, and her freaking visions…

“I’m willing to wait, Elise. I promise not to put pressure on you regarding my feelings for you.” He looked serious as he gazed at her pretty face.

“Thank you, Kent. You’re such a very nice guy,” she answered with a smile on her cherry lips.

They seemed to talk much while merely looking at each other. It was kind of weird for Elise. Then she saw her brother come back, fighting against the crowd again. He sat down on his chair that he left earlier.

“There are really a lot of people around here for a small population like in Belmont. Maybe I can go on ahead? I think I need to go to some place. Kent, take good care of my sister while I’m not around, okay?”

“Sure!” Kent said, smiling at her brother Eric. His eyes had that grateful look in them.

Her brother was off immediately, leaving them two alone in the crowded fast food.

“You want me to bring you home now?” Kent queried after a while.

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

They stood up and walked together closely toward his car. Some of their schoolmates saw them together. They immediately talked behind Kent and Elise’s backs. Elise though knew about what was happening but she chose to ignore it. She was sure that Kent was also doing the same thing. Those wagging tongues won’t stop even if they’d react anyway.

“Can we stop over at the park and have a short stroll?” he requested when the car was running on the road.

“Sure. Why not? I heard they re-designed the landscape for the summer to attract more tourists in town and I do want to see it… with you.”

They just stayed in the car and watched the people come and go for some minutes before they went out and strolled around. They did enjoy each other’s company even though they did not speak so much to each other. They just shared brief moments of staring at each other’s eyes and smiling when nothing was said. It was like reading their thoughts about each other. Then, they held hands. It just seemed to come naturally.

“I wish I will not wait for so long,” Kent said and slowly let go of Elise’s hand.

“Who knows?” she replied and smiled up at him.

Kent started the car to bring Elise home safely. She waved goodbye to him when she got out of the car and he was off to go on home, which was not really far away from their house.

“Who was that?” Her mom got out of the gate, a covered bowl was in her hands.

“Uh, a friend, Mom.” And she changed the subject swiftly. “What’s that?”

“I think I know that car around,” her mother said thoughtfully. “Oh, I heard our neighbor Mrs. Dorset is ill. I’ll send her some soup. The old lady has no children to take care of her. Poor old woman.”

“Oh, right. You’re so noble, Mom,” she teased and kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You go on in then. Will be right back!”

“Okay, Mom!” she said and went inside smiling.

Her smile faded as she saw Diana and her brother in the living room, talking.

“Diana?” Her brows went up. She definitely didn’t expect to see her at their house.

“Oh, Eric invited me over. He said that we’ll talk about camping on Belmont Mound,” Diana filled her in, grinning widely.

She was truly surprised. She had no idea that her brother would talk about it with Diana of all people.

“Well, yes. It’s a family camping. I didn’t know it was open for… friends?” she carefully stated, and her eyes went sharply to her brother’s direction. She could’ve invited Kent, too!

This sly red-haired person!

“Well, I heard that Kent’s invited, too,” Diana said excitedly.

She blinked fast. “Oh! Oh! He told you that,” But not me? Elise wanted to add, still looking sharply at her brother who was smiling toothlessly at her. Eric must be up to something, she concluded.

“I’ve never been into camping on the mountains. So, can you tell me what to do or what to bring?” Diana inquired her.

Eric exited the living room without a word to give them space. He went upstairs to his room while Elise had no choice but to tell her about the dos and don’ts during camping on the mountains.

“You have a tent? Or maybe not,” she said belatedly.

“Will buy one.” Diana said smilingly. “I think I’m more excited with this camping than our summer camp that’s coming up fast! Besides, Eric told me that because he’s going to graduate this year, your family is setting this camping on Belmont Mound this summer. It’s so great! Your parents are great! I think camping is cool, Elise!”

“Of course. It is.” She smiled with a nod, agreeing to her. “Just that you won’t have the comforts compared to your own home. Anyway, it would be a lot of fun, I can guarantee that.”

“I heard from Eric that Kent invited you today.”

Elise was silent for a moment and looked at Diana in the eye. “Yes. It was sudden, in fact. It did not even occur to me that he’d do it,” she said with a serious tone but squinted her eyes at Diana.

“So?” Diana was excited to hear more.

Elise frowned at her but was smiling at the same time. “What? Nothing happened.” She knew she sounded defensive. “Maybe he just wanted to eat pizza with me at Menominee’s Hut and we just stopped over at the park to see the new landscape and then… he just drove me home.”

“Wow. That was your first date!” Diana said teasingly.

She laughed because of it. “You’re wrong. It was not like that at all,” she denied. “By the way, where’s that slum book you wished to include my photo that I gave you this semester?” She wanted to change the subject.

“Oh!” The other girl feigned a surprised look. “Uhm… I forgot about it, actually.” She scratched the back of her.

“Really? Diana!”

Diana grinned and her Hispanic beauty was so charming. “Okay! I admit, I gave it to Kent. Really, I just wanted to help Kent but I had no idea how. So I just made that story up so that you would give me one of your photos.”

“And what do you think he’s doing with my photo?”

“Stare at it and imagine how pretty you are,” she teased Elise.

Elise just looked at Diana in resignation but then smiled at her older friend so wide that made them both giggle.

“Come on! Tell me more what’s your plan with Kent,” Diana urged.