The Azuli by Cassidy Shay (best summer reads of all time .TXT) š
- Author: Cassidy Shay
Book online Ā«The Azuli by Cassidy Shay (best summer reads of all time .TXT) šĀ». Author Cassidy Shay
āBecauseā¦ sheās just Penny. Sheās smart, gorgeous, fun, and justā¦ perfect. When they were telling us about the project, I told them that Iād do it willingly and without any objections as long as they let me choose who I do it with. They said I could. It was just a coincidence that they chose her for the experiment beforehand. Originally, they had her paired up with Ben. But I couldnāt stand to see her get married to someone else. Becauseā¦ I love her.ā
What? Carlā¦ loves me? He chose me on purpose?
I thought back over the last couple years, and realized that I could have seen it. I just hadnāt been paying attention. But here had been plenty of times when Carl had done something that you normally only do to someone that you like, or, as Carl said, love.
Many times, he had been in a conversation with me and had just reached over to put my hair behind my ear. His hand had always stayed at the back of my head for longer than necessary. Iād ignored it each time, because I couldnāt think of an explanation, and I never would have expected the obvious.
There were other times when he would hug me, if I were having a bad day of wasnāt feeling good. He had held on to me, tightly, for a few seconds longer than was comfortable for me. I always assumed that it was just because he was trying to comfort me.
If there were two empty seats, he had always chosen the one closest to me. I hadnāt ever really thought about why he did that. There were also the unnecessary touches, when Carl would reach for me or touch my hand for, what seemed to me, no reason.
But even with all these clues, Carlās proclamation of his love for me shocked me. I didnāt know how to react, so I tuned back into the conversation.
āSo all the complaining and all that - that was an act? You are perfectly okay with all this, as long as you get to marry my sister?ā Jack was really yelling now, and I decided to go back to my room. I knew that stepping in to stop the argument would make things worse, and I didnāt want to stand there and listen to the rest of the conversation, so the option left was to walk away.
For the rest of the day, I didnāt speak. When Carl and Jack came to get us for dinner, I didnāt say a word. When I slipped my hand into Carlās, I didnāt let out a sound. I didnāt say anything when Mary came up, hugged Jack, and sat with us while we ate. I didnāt open my mouth as we walked back to my cell, and I didnāt say a word when I closed the door without giving Carl his hug or kiss.
The next morning, I slept past breakfast. I would have slept longer, if it werenāt for Macy shaking me. Sheād brought me some food and told me that my parents had arrived and were talking to Jack. This meant that I had a couple minutes to get dressed and ready to see my parents. I got that done just in time before they knocked on the door.
Before I opened the door, I thought about all the things that I could remember about my parents. I remembered their cheery attitudes. In public, my mom and dad always had smiles on their faces.
I also remembered that they had been very involved in the community. Many of my days were spent at home with Jack and Aymie, the babysitter who lived a couple houses down the street. My parents were always at charities, or protests, or other events around town. Once Jack left for the Academy, they spent more time out, and I spent more time with Aymie. Despite their busy schedules, though, my parents always found time to spend with me.
The thing that I remembered the most, though, was that every night, my parents would play cards. But they never played together, and they never said a word. They each had their own game of solitaire going, and they would play, in silence, all night if they had to, until they won their games.
When I opened the door, I was shocked to see the people that were standing there.
The two adults that I remembered had up and vanished in the ten years that Iād been gone. My dad had a big mustache, sprinkled with long gray hairs. He had a large, shiny bald spot on his head, and the hair that was on his head was gray instead of dark brown. When he opened his mouth, he was missing a tooth, and the others had a yellow tint to them. His lips were chapped, making them bright red and cracked. His eyebrows were weirdly shaped, and the hairs were long and resembled tentacles of an octopus. His brown eyes had seemed to grow smaller, while his double chin and midsection had grown much bigger. His nose was bigger than I remembered, and his skin looked pale. He had a few moles on his face, and a big one on his neck under his left ear.
My mom had changed too, but not nearly as much as my dad had. Sheād gained some weight, and her teeth were a little yellow, but other than that, she looked the same. She had a tall forehead, with a few scars from chicken pox, just like me. Her eyebrow hairs were short and thin, not long and bushy like my dadās. She had crowās feet by her brown eyes, along with a couple bags under them. In the places that age had destroyed my dadās handsome appearance, the years had gone easy on my mom.
āOh, Penny!ā my mother exclaimed. āDear, itās so great to see you!ā She embraced me in a long, warm hug, as if wanting to make up for those ten years when she hadnāt been able to hug me. It startled me at first, as her hugs had become unfamiliar. I had grown used to Macyās hugs, not my motherās. But as soon as I got over the initial shock, I wrapped my arms around her. My father soon joined the hug, and the three of us stood in a tight huddle for several minutes. My mother began to cry, and thatās when we broke up our hug.
āItās okay, Mom,ā I said, wiping the tears from her face, āIām here now. You donāt have to worry about me any longer. Hey now. Sh.ā She kept sobbing, so I held her close to me. I looked to my dad for help. I didnāt know how to deal with this.
He pulled her off of me and looked into her eyes. āGloria, you need to calm down now. We are here to see our children, and to watch them marry the man and woman that they love.ā I winced as my dad said that, but didnāt say anything. āThereās no reason for tears today.ā He guided her out of the room and down the hall.
When it was just Carl, Macy, Jack, and I, I collapsed onto the bed. āThis is going to be the most exhausting week of my life,ā I said. āEvery time Iāll be having fun, I just know someone will bring up the wedding. How am I supposed to deal with this?ā I asked no one in particular.
āJust act natural,ā said Carl. Since Iād overheard the conversation between Jack and Carl, I hated Carl more and more every minute. I just didnāt understand how he could act like this was the worst thing that had ever happened, when he was really enjoying every minute of it.
āAct natural?ā I whisper-yelled, so no parents outside the door would overhear me. āCarl, I donāt want to marry you! How am I supposed to act natural when Iām being forced to marry someone I donāt love? Not only do I have to marry you, but I have to lie to my own parents about it. Thatās natural to you?ā
Immediately after saying this, I felt horrible. Although I couldnāt stand the sight of him, I hadnāt wanted to hurt him. After all, he was still my brother. I could tell by the look on his face that I had hurt him more than anyone had ever hurt him before.
āCarl,ā Iām sorry,ā I whispered as he left the room. āIām so sorry.ā
Jack and Macy stared, not sure what to say. Finally, Macy broke the silence. āJack, go find your parents and make sure theyāre okay. Itās almost time for lunch.ā She moved on to my bed and wrapped her arms around me as the door clicked shut.
āAlright, Penny. Tell me whatās wrong. I know you donāt like this whole situation. No one does. But why did you have to blow up? Carl was just trying to help you.ā
I shook my head. āNo, Macy, he just makes everything worse. Since the beginning, all heās done is make things worse. He asked to be paired with me. I heard him tell Jack last night. Heā¦ he loves me.ā Tears started falling, and Macy wiped them away.
āThings are so awkward now, Macy. He used to be my brother. And in a week, heāll be the husband that I canāt even stand to look at. I hate him!ā I started bawling then. The bell rang, announcing that it was time for lunch.
āWhy donāt you stay here today, instead of going to lunch? You can talk this over with Collin. āKay?ā I nodded. āIāll tell your parents that you had to go over some last minute things for the wedding. Howās that sound?ā I nodded again, and she wiped the tears off my face once again. Then she got up and left. A couple minutes later, Collin came running in. He didnāt have his cleaning cart or any supplies, and he was out of breath.
He saw me in a heap on the bed, and stepped toward me. He picked me up and wrapped his arms around me, and everything felt okay. Not good, but okay.
āI saw Macy in the halls, heading to lunch. She said you needed me. Whatās the matter, Penny?ā he asked. āI thought youād be happy to see your parents today.ā We were sitting in our usual positions, with our backs against the wall and our legs out in front of us. This time, though, I was leaning on him, and his arms were around me.
In his arms, I felt safe. I felt the kind of security that I knew I would never feel with Carl. āItās Carl,ā I said, after Iād calmed down enough to speak. Between sobs, I told him the story. I told him what Iād heard Carl say, and what Iād said to him. āI donāt know how to fix this,ā I said, and then nuzzled closer. āI donāt know how to fix anything anymore.ā
He was silent for a minute, and the only sound in the room was our synchronized breathing. Finally, he said, āPenny, I donāt really know what to say about this one. I usually have something but Iām completely drawing a blank here. Iām sorry.ā He started rubbing his hands up and down my back, like you would do to calm a baby. I found it surprisingly comforting, and I moved even closer to him.
āThanks anyway, Collin,ā I said. He didnāt ask what I was thanking him for, but I told him anyway.
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