Seasonal Love (Spring pt.2)

I did not plan on spending my spring break with Alexander Green. At all. It is only Tuesday and here I am in my room trying to figure out what on earth I should wear to his house. Yes. You read that right. Yesterday, at the Spring Equinox Festival, Aurora Green, Alexander’s mom, invited my best friend, Kathryn McAnton and I to lunch. Let me just say I was not stoked for this lunch, even though Mrs.Green’s food is amazing. The problem is that Alexander has been my arch nemesis since 8th grade. He would pull these dumb pranks on me in front of everybody. It was humiliating. And when my humiliation wasn’t enough, he would follow me home after school with a crowd of friends and taunt me. Once Alexander followed me home on a  September Friday with eight or so people. He and his squad would throw pebbles and small rocks at the back of my head and when I turned around to look they would all be standing around acting like they all weren’t just attempting to crack open my skull with rocks. When I turned back around I could hear them snickering. It was the worst. Back then I used to call Alexander and his gang the Torment Squad. Only Kat knew what was happening, sadly she was never there with me on my miserable walks home because she rode the bus home. Now that we’re in high school Alexander somehow manages to get into my locker and fill it with disgusting stuff. Once in 10th grade he scrawled his nickname for me in red spray paint. It was the day before winter break and I was going to get my books for chemistry. Right in front of me was the name I despised so much. Anna the Annoying. I know, it’s a lame name and nothing to get so worked up about, but still hearing the name slither out of Alexander’s snake like mouth and now on the front of my locker, makes me want to slap him across the face. 

After school, I had to stay and scrub the spray paint off my locker. The janitor gave me this look, like I was some ex-con criminal. He acted like he knew that I was the one who vandalised my own locker. Whatever, I thought.

So here I am stressing about what to wear to his damn house. It really annoys me that I am putting so much thought into what to wear to Alexander’s house. I sigh and reach over my nightstand for my phone. I dial Kat’s number.

“Hey girl”, Kat exclaims.

“Hi, what should I wear?”

“What do you mean?”

“To Alexander’s house for lunch today.”

Has Kat already forgotten Mrs.Green’s lunch invite already? Typical Kathryn. Always forgetting the simplest things. I laugh.

“Yeah, I remember. Why are you asking? It’s just Alexander’s house.”

I sigh again. I know it isn’t a big deal, but something deep down inside of me, whispers to me. The voice says, Look nice. Look decent. Look like you at least don’t live in a Dumpster.

I guess going to Alexander’s means extra tormenting, and I want to look okay enough, so he won’t insult my fashion choices at the very least.

“I guess I don’t want Alexander calling me a clown if I wear my red flats or a cowboy if I choose to wear my fedora.”

“And if he dares to do that, I will personally make him a clown. He’ll have a red nose, soon to be purple and blue all around his eyes.”

I smile,”Thanks, that makes me feel better.” And it truly does.

“No problem Anna Banana.”

We hang up and I head to my closet. I look around for my yellow and blue floral top and decide to wear it with the navy blue skirt I got for my last birthday. I smile at my reflection in the mirror, then frown. My face is bland. From my plain brown eyes to my tangly brown hair. Just plain is what I am. I sigh for the third time and head for my bathroom. I pull out my mascara and move the wand over my lashes. Then onto lip gloss. The strawberry scent is why I bought it and it still smells yummy. Last, I put on the blush I “borrowed” from my older sister, Darbie. I step back from the bathroom mirror and take in my handiwork. I smile again because this time I look presentable. I grab my bag off my dresser and slip on my green sandals, not my red flats.

“Bye Dad”, I say heading out the front door.

“Bye Anna, be back by 4:30 sharp. Oh, and don’t talk to any strangers” he says.

I roll my eyes, I was just going to Alexander's house. 

As I head down the front steps a car honks and I look up to see Kat waving at me from her red BMW. Kat’s father is rich, so when she turned sixteen this was her gift. I hop into the passenger seat and throw my purse into the back.

“Ready?”, Kat asks.

“As I’ll ever be.” I mumble.

Yesterday, at the Spring Equinox Festival, Kat and I both gave Aurora our phone number. From there she texted us her address.

Turn left on Bob White Drive, instructs the GPS.

Kat turns left.

In 100 feet, you have reached your destination, announces the GPS.

I let out a big breath of air as Kat maneuvers her car into the Green’s driveway, which is big. Very, very big. The Green’s house is even bigger than Kat’s house. It looks like one of those mini mansions from the home magazines my mom likes to read. Just great, we’ll not only be eating lunch with Alexander Green, but we’ll be eating lunch with rich Alexander Green, I think to myself. I take in my surroundings, the yard is well manicured and covered with a bunch of colorful flowers. I see daffodils, daisies, roses, sunflowers, lavenders, cosmos, and buttercups.

“It’s like they robbed the Spring Fest and dumped their loot here.” Kat says, taking the words right out of my mouth.

I scoff.

We get out of the car and I ring the bell. From the inside of the house I can hear the chime sound and the excited squeal of Aurora Green.

Mrs.Green opens the door and wraps Kat and I in a thyme scented hug. Then she pulls both of us into the house, dragging us straight to the kitchen.

Just like the outside of the house, the inside is large too. The kitchen overlooks the living room and the living room has a sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. From there I see emerald green grass, a turquoise pool, and an outdoor fireplace with comfy seatings. 

Mrs. Green reaches into her apron pocket and pulls out a ladle. She dips it into a large pot, filled to the brim with what looks like broth and chicken.

“Taste.”, Mrs.Green says.

I obey and taste what’s in the ladle. My tastebuds are immediately filled with a lemony flavor and oregano. My sister loves to cook too, so I know most flavors.

While Mrs.Green is feeding Kat the soup, I ask,”What is this soup called?”

Mrs.Green smiles,”Greek lemon chicken soup, but in Pataras we call it avgolemono. Do you like?”

Before I can say anything Kat speaks up.

“I love it!”

“Me too.” I say.

Mrs.Green smiles, but then her expression becomes impatient. She looks up the huge staircase at a bedroom door.

“Where is Alexander? I asked him to be down by 2:30.”

As if realising she was saying all this in front of us, she smiles again and says,”Sorry, Alexander is a little grouchy today, so you’ll have to excuse him.”

Excuse him? Yeah right. After all the horrible things he’s done to me over the years? She wishes. But, then again, Mrs. Green seems to think that her precious son and I are best friends or at the least acquaintances. 

Just then, the room door Mrs.Green was looking at opens and out comes my living hell. Did I say that? I meant to say Alexander Green. Sorry Aurora.

Alexander glides down the stairs and comes into the kitchen.

He kisses his mom on the cheek.”Sorry Ma, for how I acted earlier.”

Aurora smiles, then pulls his earlobe.”Never again, do you hear?”

I laugh to myself and Alexander scowls.”Yes Ma.”

Soon, all the food is on the Green’s dining table and we are all seated in their gigantic dining room. Mrs. Green is sitting next to Alexander, I’m sitting next to Kat, but somehow I managed to end up sitting across from Alexander. He catches my eye and I return his scowl from earlier. He just smirks.

God, he is so infuriating.

“So, where’s Mr.Green?” Kat asks curiously.

Leave it to Kat to ask private questions like that. She means well, but others might take it personal.

Like Alexander for example. 

“There is no Mr. Green.”, he says this with so much emotion, I almost feel sorry for him. Then I remember who I’m dealing with.

Mrs. Green sighs, “Alexander’s father and I divorced seven years ago. Green is my maiden name, so therefore there is no Mr.Green.”

When Ms. Green finishes, she smiles kindly at Kat, then she springs back to her energetic self and starts cutting the lamb kleftiko. Kat reaches for the tzatziki for her pita bread. I loved the avgolemono so much earlier, I reach to get more. Turns out Alexander has the same idea and our hands collide on the ladle’s handle, almost splashing soup everywhere. 

“Great.”, I mutter under my breath.

Alexander ignores me and takes the ladle and dishes soup for himself.

What a gentleman, right?

Then soup is being poured into my bowl, I thought it was Kat, but no.

I look up to see Alexander putting soup in my bowl for me.

What?!

He looks me in the eye and then grins. He has a nice smile, but I know this smile was meant to be a cheesy, annoying one.

I rolled my eyes at him, he probably spit or did something to my soup, while I wasn’t looking.

I am not going to eat that. No way.

 Although the avgolemono tastes really good. I give in and plunge my spoon into the bowl, scooping chicken and lemony broth into my mouth.

What a loser. Look at me eating the enemies food. Across the table Alexander is just smiling like he won the lottery.

Yup, he probably spit in the soup, I think.

Curse that soup. Actually curse Alexander.