Violet's Awakening, PT. 1

2 Months Later...

Violet sung along to the upbeat playlist she created to keep her motivated when she had to cook, clean, or do laundry. Her clean clothes pile that she’d ignored for almost two weeks was driving Lynne crazy, so she’d finally given in and was folding and sorting.

 She paused several times to check on her group texts. Her nerdy friends were asking if anyone had finished a project that was due next month, while her girlfriends gossiped about crushes and boyfriends. The group chat she was in with Jesse and their mutual friends were planning to go to the movies on Friday. Jesse hadn’t responded. She could hear the TV going in the living room and the low rumble of Jesse and dad’s voices. Since it was Wednesday, there was no rush for him to answer, but she suspected he would say yes. They’d just talked about several movies coming out that they wanted to see.

She hung her tops and jackets in the closet before she carried neat stacks of clothes to her drawers. As she organized her underwear, she frowned. She walked around the bed and looked under it to make sure she hadn’t missed any stray clothing before she went to her hamper and dug around.

It was the strangest thing… Certain panties had an uncanny habit of disappearing during a wash cycle and magically reappearing during the next. It was hard to be certain since she didn’t do laundry consistently, but several times she washed clothes because she needed a specific pair for an outfit. And when the day came, she couldn’t find them, forcing her to wear something else. Inevitably, several days later, the pair of panties would magically reappear in her drawer. She felt like someone was playing a trick on her, but who would borrow her underwear and put them back? She shook her head and closed her drawer. It was a great mystery…

Her phone chimed, distracting her from her underwear problem. Vi, what’s going on with you and Tobias? Someone saw him giving you a note in class??

Before she could answer, the other girls began to react.

You and Tobias? Since when?

I’ve never even heard him talk.

OMG, what did his note say?

Tobias was a quiet guy she had History with and who haunted the school library. They crossed paths often, since she usually killed time after school when Jesse had practice. Tobias was always scribbling in a notebook. She finally asked him what he was writing and was dumbfounded when he showed her pages of poetry that sounded like Shakespeare. She wasn’t sure exactly what the poems meant, but he was passionate and dedicated to his craft, which she appreciated. He was awkward and terribly shy, but also very sweet.

There is no me and Tobias. We’re just friends. He’s a poet, she shared. He’s been asking for my opinion on some of his work.

There was a long pause as the girls tried to digest this. She hadn’t known how to react when he started asking her for feedback. She’d been flattered that he asked for her opinion, but also totally at sea. She couldn’t give him notes since poems weren’t her forte, so she usually said something like, “powerful,” “moving,” or “I really like the direction you’re going in.” That was enough for Tobias, who seemed thrilled with her response.

Are the poems about you? Marie asked.

That had occurred to her, especially when a few mentioned a girl with hair that mimicked the ripples on the surface of the ocean and eyes the color of honey. But he’d also handed her poems that spoke of ravens, lions, and roses, so… I don’t think so. I think he’s just happy to share them with someone.

He’s in love with you, Georgia gushed and added a row of heart emojis.

“Lights out, honey,” Mom called through her closed bedroom door.

“Okay!” she called and rolled out of bed to brush her teeth.

Although she was getting a little too old for mom to give her a bedtime, she didn’t fight it. No matter how much sleep she got, mornings were always a struggle for her. Somehow, Jesse managed sports and effortlessly getting good grades on only four or five hours of sleep. Everything came so easy to him. If she didn’t love him so much, she’d hate him for being so perfect.

She hopped into bed and turned out the light, but continued texting. When most of the girls signed off for the night to go to bed, she rolled her eyes when Georgia started texting her directly. Her friend was convinced that Tobias had a crush, and she was in denial. When she insisted they were just friends, Georgia demanded to see his poems to determine for herself whether he wasn’t madly in love with her or not.

She hadn’t realized how much time had passed until she heard Jesse and dad making their way to their rooms. She heard Jesse’s door close and, ten seconds later, her parent’s door at the end of the hall.

Violet yawned and placed the phone facedown on the nightstand, unable to keep up with Georgia. She’d tell her friend she’d fallen asleep, which they both should be doing right now. Why had Allison brought that up? Now, the girls would be watching her and Tobias like hawks in class and Georgia, being the bold, endlessly curious creature that she was, might ask Tobias outright if he was in love with her. She sighed. She’d make sure to talk to Georgia tomorrow before she had a chance to pounce on poor Tobias.

She pulled the covers up to her chin, turned on her side, and tucked her arm under her pillow just as the bathroom door swung open. She blinked, sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. Did the door open on its own? Just as she was about to raise her head to be certain, Jesse stepped into her room. Was something wrong? She opened her mouth, but her voice died when it dawned on her that he wasn’t wearing any bottoms.

**This is a raw draft of the prequel for Corrupt Idol. Please do not share or distribute.

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