Soft Green Eyes and Sugar Sweet Smile

A Chapter by josie

Violet slept soundlessly asleep last night, thoughts of Ethan and her lingered in her thoughts like a swirl of misshapen stories. Words echoed through the soundless boards of her brain as their voices could mesmerize even the slightest thoughtless person.

Give me my Romeo, and, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun. (5.3.175)

Violet turned around on her bed sheets, clutching her forehead as if it might shatter like glass. Ethan’s thick loving voice comforted her for a hair of a second, but the words still tangled in her thoughts.

What is in a name? That which we call a rose? By any other name would smell as sweet. (2.2.45-6)

Ethan. Ethan was speaking through her.

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun… wherever our hearts may lead, whenever the sun will rise, whenever you shall sing, I’ll always find you Violet…

Violet was breathing vigorously at that point; confusion couldn’t frame the thoughts she was hearing that moment. She wasn’t trapped, she was haunted. Her body was tense all over.

Thus with a kiss I die.

With that, Violet’s head dropped in an even deeper sleep of emptiness.

The next day, Violet woke up with grogginess as she tried to stop her head from exploding to a thousand bits. It was the first time she thought the sun was shining too bright. There was a weird feeling that settled in her gut, Violet only remembered experiencing a sudden drop into emptiness in her faltering dream that night. Well there’s nothing else to remember, she thought, but Violet also felt there had to be something more. You can’t fall into a pit of hollowness if you never had something to fall from.

Violet finally sat up halfheartedly, only to be stared down by Ethan who sat on her computer desk chair. Her heart almost jumped from her chest.

“Eek! Ethan, what the heck?!” Violet screeched. Ethan flashed his boyish grin at her unflinching from her surprise.

“Well good morning to you too little V.” He replied politely. Ethan noticed her tense sensation and immediately stood up.

“Are you okay V? I have been in here for twenty minutes with your eyes wide open, not even moving a single part of you, with your pupils looking like a black hole. I almost thought you stopped breathing for a second and did that weird dying thing with your eyes open, you know I worry about right V?” Ethan stroked his hair stressfully.

Violet looked at him with her arms crossed and eyebrows scrunched together trying to understand what just happened there herself..

“Yeah um, I guess. But thanks for your concern. Sorry to freak you out, but I never felt that weird feeling before. Otherwise no comment.”

Violet took a step and a wave of drowsiness passed by her head that made her knees buckle. Ethan quickly ran to Violet and took her behind the waist and arms holding her close.

Violet tried standing up on her own waving her hand in Ethan’s direction, “it’s okay Ethan, I sometimes fall like this when I sleep too comfy too much.” Violet knew that wasn’t the reason, but she couldn’t remember the right reason. Ethan didn’t look like he bought it.

“V. You don’t think I know when you’re lying? You need some more sleep, or even-“, Violet interrupted.

“No it’s okay; I need to change that’s what.” Violet shoved him out in the hall and closed the door. Ethan spoke through the door and said he’d wait outside completely defeated.

When Violet was just starting to undress, the home phone went off in her room. She hopped over to the phone with her pants half on and put on the best monotone voice she could perform.

“Hello, you have reached the voicemail of Violet Auborn’s mobile. Please leave a message at the tone.” When she started to put it down, Violet heard Tyler’s voice.

“Violet I know it’s you.” Tyler’s chuckle ringed through the speaker.

“Ha-ha! Hey Tyler.”

“Morning little V, you busy today? I’m going out later with a couple of friends at the play place, want to come along?” Tyler asked eagerly.

“Oh I can’t Ethan’s over today.” Violet replied apologetically. Tyler grunted and made an impatient sound over the speaker.

“Sorry Tyler, Ethan came over first, maybe next time.”

“Wait, Ethan’s already there? At 7 A.M. in the morning?” Tyler asked incredulously. He sighed.

“You know maybe I should come over there and-“Violet interrupted.

“No, it’s fine Tyler. I’m going to be okay. Jeez, it’s like whenever Ethan comes over you treat him like a street prisoner that needs to be in a cage or something.”

“Okaaay, fine if that’s what you want. But this doesn’t change anything, I’ll see you later.”

“Alrighty, bye Tyler!”

“Love you little V.” With that Violet threw the phone back on her sheets.

Violet hopped downstairs and heard the melodic sound of the Grand Piano echoing through the whole house. Ethan was seated on their brown velvet bench gracefully playing the piano. She watched him closely as the window sunlight was shining down on him as it bounced off his glowing gold hair. Violet never thought she could hear such music coming from the grand piano, or even see such beauty from the stairway. As if Ethan felt her staring he stopped playing and looked up.

Violet was perched on the stairway railing propped on her elbows studying him. Her red auburn hair was carelessly swung over her one shoulder as the little hairs were swept out of Violet’s face like bangs. Her smile was as bright as the sun itself Ethan thought, and he couldn’t help but smile too.

“What are you playing?” Violet asked eagerly.

“It’s one of my favorite songs by John Lennon. I’m still learning it but I think I got the hang of most of it.” Ethan shuffled through the sheet music and looked up again to find Violet standing beside him.

“Want to sing along V?” Ethan knew Violet loved singing, even though he only heard her a couple of times in her voice lessons through a closed door and when she sang to him a couple years back, but it’s been a while.

Violet’s eyes widened. “Sing? Like, right now? Oh, I can’t Ethan.” She looked down and started to fumble with her fingers, slowly backing away from the piano. Ethan pulled her back from her arms and led her back carefully.

“Violet, I know it’s been awhile but no doubt you are a great singer always have been. I love hearing your voice. Can you at least just sing for me this one time? Please?” Ethan asked anxiously. Violet thought for a moment and shifted her eyes to the sheet music on the piano stand. She picked the pile up and observed it closely as Ethan was still looking for an answer on her face.

“Okay. I’ll do it. For you.” Violet flashed her angelic grin at Ethan as he celebrated his victory.

Ethan began the piano chords to the prelude as Violet went around and stood at the piano end and began singing.

“Imagine there’s no countries

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion, too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace”

Violet took one breath relaxing her voice.

“You may say I’m a dreamer,

But I’m not the only one

Ethan looked over at her as she sang. He thought Violet had an amazing voice ever since she first sang to him two years ago . Even as a fifth grader, Violet’s soft melodic voice was mesmerizing.

“I hope someday you will join us,

And the world will be as one”

Violet continued singing as he played the piano chords lightly.

Ethan couldn’t stop staring at Violet’s soft green eyes, or her sugar sweet smile. He couldn’t stop falling in love with her voice as much as her own self. Ethan was a 6^th grader, he thought, he didn’t know any of that stuff. The only thing he was sure of was that he never wanted to be separated from Violet.

* * *

That morning, David rode his bike to the park so he could read peacefully in the nice autumn air. It was one of the only reasons he ever went out; that along with the library and school. Tyler was also out too meeting some friends over by the huge Highway Bridge where they had a play set out of the streets on the grassy plain.

When David Set his bike down on the rail, he went over to the biggest tree in the park and sat in the shade to proceed with his book. He noticed a couple of the guys from the other class was there too; Daniel, Mike, Toby and a bunch others. Ethan was usually with them too but David saw his bike over at Violets that morning. He could imagine Tyler bearing over that over dinner.

Daniel slowly approached David from the swings.

“Well, isn’t it nice you’re not that socially deprived? Ha, everyone else at school thought you would eventually shrivel up in a ball and die in your room alone. But look, you visited the park.” As Daniel spoke louder, the other kids started listening in.

Daniel glowered down a t David darkly, “Big mistake, mate.” Daniel always had a slight Australian accent that was slowly faded away through the years. At that point everyone made a huge crowd around David and Daniel.

“Just leave me alone Daniel.” David replied defensively. He didn’t want to attract a crowd; David felt he could face Daniel easier without a huge audience.

“I think not. Yeah, this town is cruel but it’s survival of the fitted. No one wants you here David, thought you realized that, like two years ago I’m look at you, have you really taken a good look at yourself in the mirror? Ha, if I were you I would have killed myself already.” Daniel leaned in close, “You’re just a small town loser David.”

David looked down at his hands, fighting the urge to sob as his heart kept thumping faster.

Mike chimed in happily after a moment, “Ha, Forever alone!!!” The whole crowd cheered on and added to Mikes chime. At that point David’s face was red and puffy by the tears. He didn’t know he could cry that fast. He even dared to look up.

“Yeah! Get out of here Nerd!”

“I can’t believe your mother gave birth to you loser!”

“I bet you’re going to die alone in your bathroom!”

David’s body couldn’t take it. The looks on their faces was unbearable. He was screaming at that point with his hands in fists. David tried to stay strong but his tears just kept coming, and he just kept wiping them away.

Daniel came up to David and threw his book in the nearby pond vigorously. Every one cheered on.

David pushed his way through the crowd while being shoved and fell down and scraped his knees a couple of times. His fists were shaking as he sprinted towards the Road Bridge.

He didn’t want the life he was living.

* * *

“Then when Juliet found poor Romeo dead, she didn’t have the will to move on without him, so she grabbed the dagger and took her own life in sorrow.”

Violet and Ethan went out for a walk. For Violet never wasted a good autumn breeze. Ethan looked over at her astonished.

“Unbelievable. Now they’re both dead?” Ethan asked. Violet nodded. She remembered the first time her Dad told her the story, Violet was so sad for them at the end that she actually cried. She hated if that were to happen to her. But Violet still had that weird settling in her stomach as she thought of Romeo and Juliet.

“I guess it’s understandable.” Ethan replied

“What do you mean?” Violet never found any sense in the story; she thought it was about unforgiving love and tragic deaths.

“I mean, no one would even listen-“Ethan was disrupted as Violet turned her back.

“Wait, is that David running over there?” Violet asked surprised David ever ran at all. She was her close cousin and fellow class mate, but she barely ever saw him since David was always in his room. Violet was always very close to Tyler, for Tyler wedged himself into her life.

Ethan followed her gaze and spotted him on the opposite side of the street where they were walking heading downtown.

“Yeah,” Ethan replied alarmed.

“His face is all red and puffy, almost as if he… he was crying.” Violets voice faded out, hoping nothing worse was going to come out, but had never seen him run so fast, David almost looked like he was angry. Then she noticed a huge crowd of kids from Ethan’s class chasing just a few feet behind David.

“Ethan!” Violet exclaimed in a worried tone. Ethan took her by the elbows carefully and led her down the street.

“Come on, we have to stop David.” Ethan said cautiously.

With that, Ethan and violet were sprinting worriedly to David, along with an angry mob of kids.

* * *

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