Fairytale Green

‘So, are we going for horror or action?’ I asked while sprawled out on Lana’s living room sofa, holding up two DVD cases ‘I think we should watch an action film for a change.’

Lana shook her head before sheepishly insisting ‘They are doing a showing of a Barbie movie on the kids station.’

‘We have seen all of them a thousand times. They are all the same.’ I sighed ‘Girl finds out something bad has happened and then discovers her magical powers. Girl defeats bad guy and gets with good guy. It is not going to change or get any more interesting the more we watch it.’

‘Please.’ She begged, putting her hands together while sending me a pleading smile.

‘The things I do for you.’ I huffed out as I threw the two DVD cases on the floor.

She grinned while letting out an excited ‘Thank you.’

‘It is fine. Die Hard has many flaws anyway. Like Bruce Willis climbs up elevator shafts and through vents and then he comes out with his shirt looking fresh from the store’ I explained before an idea popped into my head ‘I have a theory.’

Lana rubbed her at temples while letting out a small groan ‘Not one of your theories.’

Theories were kind of my thing. Sometimes a weird hypothesis or thought would come into my head and I would either explain it to her or I would write it down. I even used to have a blog where I would share my ludicrous theories with the few people that chose to follow my wacky site.

‘Die Hard was out in nineteen-eighty-eight. A massive decade for the laundry detergent business. At this time, all companies were promising squeaky clean clothes.’ I stated before going on to theorise ‘I think in the movie there was probably a deleted scene with Bruce Willis cleaning his clothes with this top brand cleaning product before he gets caught up in all that Christmas drama.’

Silence fell between us as Lana stared at me wide-eyed.

‘We have been best friends for ten years, Ella.’ She shared vocally ‘And I am still not any closer to knowing what goes on in that head of yours.’

Before I could share my theory about the Bermuda Triangle, Lana’s mother walked into the room with a friendly smile on her face.

‘Hi, Mrs Armstrong.’ I greeted, wondering if she would enjoy my theories more than her daughter.

‘Hello, Ella sweetheart.’ The woman’s voice was filled with energy as she spoke ‘How are you?’

‘I’m good.’ I answered back, crossing my arms over myself as I sat up from her sofa.

‘How did it go with school today?’ Mrs Armstrong turned to her daughter with curiosity flowing through her words ‘Did you get closer to that boy you like?’

Lana’s cheeks turned crimson when she mumbled ‘Yes, Mom. I did.’

‘I heard his friend was starting too.’ The older woman set her sights on me with a grin as she continued her interrogation ‘What is he like?’

I bit down my instant response to the question which would use very colourful language.

Shrugging, I shared with her “Well…he growls and grumbles a lot.’

‘Growls?’ Mrs Armstrong repeated, appearing confused ‘Like an animal?’

‘No.’ I answered, not mentioning the huskiness and the dark appeal of it ‘More like a broken vacuum.’

Mrs Armstrong laughed before she sauntered through to the kitchen and came back through with a bundle of washing. She then left to go upstairs.

Just as she left, the front door opened, and Mr Armstrong made his way into the house with a few bags of groceries.

Lana ran over to give him a quick hug and to help him carry the bags.

A pain went straight to my chest as I watched the two of them.

Every single time I set foot in her house; it was like a hit to the gut. The emotions that I was trying to keep down resurfaced when I saw them all laughing and spending time together.

A family eating together and sharing stories about their day was something so simple yet it was all I wanted. The Armstrong household was a painful reminder of what I did not have. What I wanted but could not ever have.

It was not like Lana, or her parents ever made me feel unwelcome. It was the opposite. They considered me family and always welcomed my visits with open arms.

I had mixed feelings about spending time at their house. I enjoyed their company but then I had to eventually go home to my own empty house, and it only made me miss what I once had more.

‘Hello, Mr Armstrong.’ I greeted as I walked over to take a bag from him.

The round man gave me a small hug before placing a bag in my hand ‘How are you, Ella? Are you staying for dinner?’

‘It is macaroni night.’ I told him with a grin ‘Nothing could keep me away.’

We took the shopping to the kitchen and started to unpack it as Mrs Armstrong appeared at the doorway with a small smile.

‘I have already made a start on the dinner.’ She informed while making her way over to the oven to make sure the cheese was melting properly ‘It will be ready in about twenty minutes.’

‘Twenty minutes too long.’ I whispered to myself, already drooling at the smell in the kitchen.

Mrs Armstrong must have heard me because she laughed quietly to herself.

‘Oh, Lana.’ Mrs Armstrong turned to her daughter and her face lit up like she was just remembering something ‘I forgot to mention. There is a cute boy throwing rocks at your window.’

Either Brennan was trying to gain her attention at her window, or we had picked up a stalker on the way home from school.

‘So that was what he was doing?’ Mr Armstrong spoke to his wife over his shoulder as he placed the groceries in the fridge ‘I seen him and his friend pull up in the truck.’

I stilled where I stood.

‘Was his friend hugely built, evil-looking and wearing a leather jacket and a scowl?’ I forced out the question because I was unsure if I wanted to hear the answer.

‘That is a very accurate description actually.’ Mr Armstrong chuckled.

Stone’s parting words in the school corridor made sense now.

Lana and I shared a matching look. That was until I bolted away from the kitchen and up the stairs.

‘Ella!’ She called as she raced after me.

I got up the stairs in record time, but I was short of breath as I made it to her bedroom. Lana also sounded out of breath, and I cackled at the image of her standing in front of Brennan all red and sweaty.

I raced to her bedroom window and what I saw below made me burst out laughing.

Brennan was standing on the driveway, and he was reading something on his phone with a look of bafflement on his face.

My eyes only momentarily rested on the guy below the window because my attention quickly went to the black truck parked on the sidewalk.

Stone was leaning against the vehicle with his large arms crossed over his broad chest. His face was emotionless as he stared at nothing particular.

The dark eyes noticed me because his gaze then rested upwards towards the window I was standing at.

I welcomed him by flipping him off.

A small smirk took over his strict and serious features.

Lana held back a few steps from the window. She looked too scared to see what Brennan was doing so I decided to grab her arm and yank her beside me.

‘What is that idiot up to?’ I spoke while nodding down to the guy who was currently smiling up at us.

Lana pushed her window open and stuck her head out to shout ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Don’t you know, Lovely Lana.’ He called up to her ‘I have a school project to do.’

I shot her a confused look because I had no clue what he was about to do.

Brennan raised his phone to eye level, and he read aloud ‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief. That thou her maid art far more fair than she.’

I understood then what he was trying to do

‘Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes. To twinkle in their spheres till they return.’ Brennan continued reading from his phone ‘What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars.’

‘Can you believe him?’ Lana’s tone went all dreamy when she admired him.

‘Yeah.’ I deadpanned while sticking my head out of the window so that he would hear my comment too ‘He just skipped a massive part.’

Brennan ignored my criticism and called up to Lana ‘I needed evidence that I was like Romeo for my English essay.’

Lana’s blue eyes went glazed over in admiration as she peered down at him.

Nobody had ever turned up to her garden and re-enacted Shakespeare before. Not even me.

‘So, what now then?’ She shouted down to him ‘We drink poison and die together?’

‘That is not quite what—’ I started to argue but I got cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

Lana’s mother was outside, and she was practically sprinting towards the boys.

‘Hello, Mrs Armstrong.’ Brennan did not look fazed at all when he spoke to Lana’s mother ‘I’m Brennan, Lana’s friend.’

Mrs Armstrong wrapped her arms around him to welcome him. She also gave him a kiss on the cheek as she hugged him tight.

Lana was staring out the window with a dropped jaw.

I was too busy laughing to show any sympathy towards her.

‘I haven’t even kissed him yet.’ Lana muttered under breath.

Laughing evilly like an animated villain, I patted her back ‘Don’t worry. There is plenty time for kissing after he meets his new in-laws.’

She shushed me before peering out the window and watching the rest of the scene unfold.

‘It is so nice to meet you, Brennan.’ Mrs Armstrong declared enthusiastically, waving her arms around in the air ‘Do you like macaroni?’

‘I love macaroni.’ Brennan answered, shooting a grin up at us.

‘You must come in for dinner.’ Lana’s mother insisted and then her attention went to the large man standing by the black truck as she added ‘Invite your friend too.’

‘I will go and get him, Mrs Armstrong.’ Brennan told her with a friendly smile ‘Stone is not a talker.’

Mrs Armstrong did not hug Stone on arrival, and I could not blame her for that. I could not imagine hugging him. He would squash me like a bug.

Both men walked over to the house and followed Mrs Armstrong into the house.

I snapped out of watching them and grinned at Lana while taunting ‘Looks like dinner has got a bit more interesting with your loverboy.’

‘You will have to spend more time with Stone.’ She rebutted.

My grin fell.

‘Does that mean less macaroni?’ I cried.

She brushed off my concern for the food and pointed down to herself before asking ‘Do I look okay?’

‘You look fine.’ I assured her ‘I don’t think Brennan is expecting you to change your outfit three times a day for him.’

Her hand grabbed mine and she dragged me out of her room and down the stairs.

The two well-built guys were already sitting down on the sofa. Brennan was talking to Lana’s mom while Stone made eye contact with me as I descended the last step of the stairs.

Lana sat down on the sofa opposite them while sending them a smile. Her face then blushed as Brennan smiled back.

‘Hello Brennan.’ I said in acknowledgment while I flopped down on the seat next to my best friend ‘Lurch.’

‘Medusa.’ The gruff voice delivered lowly.

‘Hi, Ella.’ Brennan was chattier because he added a question to his greeting ‘How is it going?’

‘It’s not changed since the last time I seen you.’ I hummed while pretending to stare at my wrist that had no watch on it ‘Because that was only two hours ago.’

Stone occupied a large amount of the sofa. He leaned back and spread his legs while he continued to keep his black irises set on me.

I knew that this surprise dinner visit was premeditated.

The giant had warned me at my locker. He had come to annoy me and potentially kill me if insulted him further. Which I would.

‘I’m away through to the kitchen to make sure the food is cooking just fine.’ Mrs Armstrong announced while making her way towards the other room ‘Is lemonade okay for you boys?’

Brennan nodded and smiled, and Stone just nodded.

My eyes narrowed at the large man as I grounded out ‘What are you doing here?’

The massively wide shoulders belonging to him shrugged and his gravelly deep voice went quiet when he revealed ‘I can’t stay away.’

His idea of a joke made my eyes narrow further at him.

‘Meeting the parents?’ Lana joked with a nervous giggle ‘That is a big step.’

Brennan leaned back and made himself more comfortable on the couch as he spoke up ‘I have a confession to make.’

‘You don’t really like lemonade?’ Lana suggested, the blush on her face growing.

‘I didn’t come here to recite Romeo and Juliet.” Brennan chuckled ‘We came to try this famous better-than-sex macaroni.’

The stunning obsidian-coloured eyes connected with mine as I finally grew the courage to meet his gaze.

Everything else ceased to exist apart from the feeling of my body burning under his study.

I should have found his fixed observation on me unsettling, but I did not. I should have been scared of the fact that that he could crush me between his finger and his thumb, but I was not.

Brennan sighed as he peered between the giant and me ‘Why don’t you two try to be nice to each other?’

Stone’s gaze homed in on me and he cocked his head like he is waiting for me to answer.

‘In the book Anne of Green Gables, she does not talk to Gilbert Blythe for like two years after he insults her hair.’ I referenced before pointing to the large man opposite me ‘He is lucky I am talking to him at all.’

Lana and Brennan sent me a blank look like I was speaking in Latin.

‘They go on to get married and have six kids.’ The gravelly masculine voice spoke up.

I would have strangled him if I was not so taken aback by his book knowledge.

‘Tell me, Broccoli.’ Stone grumbled out his words, his lip curling up in amusement ‘Do you want me to buy us a cottage in California and we can name it Green Gables?’

He had called me Broccoli. Like the nickname Carrots in the book but instead he had used a green vegetable for my green hair.

I palmed the side of the sofa and fought the urge to launch myself at his unshakeable body and kill him.

Mrs Armstrong’s arrival interrupted my glaring at the giant.

‘Dinner is nearly ready and the table is set.’ Lana’s mother sung teasingly ‘I will let you arrange your seats but no footsie until dessert.’

Once we were all through to the dining room, the two men paused and waited for us to sit down before taking a seat.

I sat down in my normal seat and picked up the cutlery before beginning to tap it on the placemat. Lana sat down next to me, and the male guests took the hint to sit opposite us.

‘Can you stop tapping?’ Lana sassed while nudging me ‘You are acting like you are never fed.’

Stone’s head turned to me immediately. He eyed me across the table with an emotion that I could not decipher. His jaw clenched while his shoulders tensed.

‘I’m so hungry.’ I faked a small whine ‘I feel like Hannibal Lecter in the asylum being prevented from a good meal.’

‘Minus the human meat?’ Brennan questioned with a chuckle.

‘No.’ I assured him quickly before pointing my dinner knife at Stone ‘Why do you think we let you both in?’

‘Ella, please refrain from killing our guests.’ Mrs Armstrong interrupted my cannibal threats as she set the big dish of macaroni in the middle of the table ‘There we go. Dig in.’

Lana filled her plate and then Brennan did the same.

Stone did not move. He looked at me then the food then back at me.

My mouth quirked up a little. I hid my hint of a smile away from him as I scooped a large spoonful of food onto my plate.

Both of Lana’s parents took the last two remaining seats at either end of the table.

‘It is nice to meet you both.’ Mr Armstrong told the boys as he offered them a jolly smile ‘We have heard so much about you.’

‘Really?’ I laughed after swallowing down my macaroni ‘I don’t remember mentioning them.’

Lana kicked me in the shin which resulted in some perfectly good food getting dropped on the table.

She sent me a look of warning to be nice.

‘It is nice to meet you too, Mr Armstrong.’ Brennan replied charmingly before motioning with his head towards his friend ‘I’m Brennan and this is Stone.’

Stone remained silent and nodded his head once in his idea of a greeting.

Mrs Armstrong finished her mouthful before questioning ‘So how did you meet the girls then?’

‘We met them at the pier.’ Brennan answered ‘I met Lana when we both wanted the last candy apple from the stall. I offered to share it and then we went on the Ferris wheel.’

‘That is so romantic.’ Lana’s mother gushed before her motherly instincts kicked in ‘What are your plans for the future?’

‘Mom. Stop. This is dinner.’ Lana tried to nicely enforce her mother to be quiet ‘Not an interrogation.’

‘It is fine.’ Brennan assured Lana before answering the question ‘Surfing is my passion. I want to teach other people how to enjoy and love the waves as well. I have always wanted to teach young kids how to surf. It was a massive thing growing up for the both of us.’

I paid extra attention to the last part of his sentence.

Stone was a surfer, and it came as no surprise to me because nobody got to his size without exercising vigorously. He had to do more than grunting and glaring to earn that muscular figure. His arms were the size of my thighs, and I only had a small gap between them. 

I took a drink of the lemonade and forced myself to ignore the existence of the man on the opposite side of the table from me.

‘What about you, Stone?’ Mrs Armstrong’s voice grew a little quieter when she spoke towards the quiet one ‘Any plans?’

I stopped eating and looked up at Stone to wait for his answer. I waited to see if he would answer.

He glanced at her for a split second but then his attention drew back to me as he disclosed ‘I work as a mechanic.’

My list of facts about him had grown. I knew that his name was Stone. I knew he was large, intimidating and reserved. I now knew he was a mechanic. I knew he was smart and maybe even secretly a nerd. I had gathered that from the Midsummers Night Dream and The Anne of Green Gables reference.

‘The macaroni is delicious, Mrs Armstrong.’ Brennan commented.

I shook myself out of my trace and looked anywhere else apart from across the table.

‘You are both lovely boys.’ Mrs Armstrong beamed while cooing ‘You can come over anytime.’

‘As much as I want Brennan to come over here every night,’ Lana leaned over and whispered into my ear ‘I don’t want it to be with my parents watching us like their very own reality show.’

I laughed at her but then my eyes landed on the empty macaroni bowl.

‘Ella, is everything okay?’ Lana’s dad asked when he noticed my solemn expression.

‘No, it is not. Mrs Armstrong kindly makes me up a box of leftover food for my lunch for the next day. Even though there is no microwave at school, I still eat it cold because it still tastes so good and now look,’ I ranted dramatically before pointing to the now empty bowl in the middle of the table and then to the two guys ‘These greedy pigs have eaten it all!’

‘I will make more next time.’ Mrs Armstrong promised, stifling back a laugh.

‘Why do you even have a six-seater table?’ I asked both of her parents before taking another drink of my lemonade.

Mrs Armstrong grinned as she confessed ‘We always knew you were both going to bring boyfriends back and here we are.’

I almost spat out my drink.

I had to put my hand over my mouth so that the soda did not spray all over Stone and make him look like a wet dog.

I then second guessed myself and reconsidered spitting it out.

Before I could shut down her comment about Stone and me, Lana corrected with a nervous smile ‘Brennan and I are not a couple.’

‘Yet.’ Brennan added with a wink in her direction.

Her parents matched his ear-to-ear smile while I thought I was going to puke up all my food from the flirting going on.

Mr Armstrong decided to change the topic of conversation ‘How was school today, girls?’

‘It was good.’ Lana replied.

‘Ella?’

‘Awful.’ I declared, sending a secret smile towards Stone before putting on a sad voice while telling them ‘This new guy in my English class likes to insult me. He made fun of my hair and my height.’

Stone sat back in his chair and homed in on me with interested like he could not wait for what I was going to say next.

Mrs Armstrong appeared shocked when she uttered ‘And you did not punch him?’

‘I wanted to.’ I answered her but I never took my gaze off the amused giant ‘I just couldn’t reach.’

After we all finished our food, Lana’s mom stood up from the table and started to collect the plates. Lana and I got up to help her with the dishes, but she shook her head quickly.

‘Your mother and I will clean up.’ Mr Armstrong insisted to his daughter.

‘Lana, go and show Brennan the garden. Spend some quality time together.’ Mrs Armstrong suggested commandingly before adding ‘Ella and Stone can go and sit on the sofa.’

I gaped at the back of Mrs Armstrong’s head as she and her husband went through to the kitchen, leaving us all standing there silently.

‘Is that okay?’ Lana turned to me and asked.

‘I am perfectly fine with getting left with the wicker man.’ I told her before looking up towards Stone ‘I can handle him.’

Brennan barked a laugh before he asked, ‘What is a wicker man?’

‘The Druids, the enemy of the Romans, had this humongous statue of a man. They believed that they had to set the wicker man on fire and hand it—’ I started to explain but I got interrupted by the wicker man himself.

‘Human sacrifices.’ Stone finished off for me with a grunt.

‘It is a very clever reference if you understand it.’ I explained, ‘Stone is large and he looks like he wants to kill everyone around him.’

I was not used to people getting my references. I usually had to explain the joke or the point I was making. I had become accustomed to laughing on my own at my jokes and nerdy comments.

I peered down at the floor and smiled at how Stone had gotten my reference.

Lana appeared hesitant to leave. She looked between Stone and I and she remained standing beside me.

‘Go.’ I insisted her while I took a step towards the large man ‘Stone and I will not kill each other. Well, not today anyway.’

She did not look convinced.

I sighed before reaching out and tugging at the bottom of Stone’s leather jacket ‘Come along, Lurch.’

Stone instantly followed me through to the living room as I skipped ahead.

As I walked on further, I noticed how near he was lingering behind me. His body trailed so closely that I feared again if I stopped suddenly, he would run into me and flatten my body in the process.

My back slumped against the sofa as I let myself fall back onto the pillow. The material under me then moved as Stone sat right next to me.

There was a whole other empty sofa in the room, yet he had sat next to me so that the whole of the side of my body met his. My head was close to resting against his elbow.

If I moved a single centimetre then I would have been sitting on him.

I was about to ask about the proximity, but I was interrupted by my phone buzzing against my chest.

I fetched the phone out of my bra before checking what had made it buzz.

Stone’s eyes darkened when he saw what it was.

A notification from a dating site lit up my phone.

The colossal sized body remained motionless which contrasted with the emotions swirling about in his black eyes. He looked completely and utterly furious and bloodthirsty as I opened the app.

His gaze darted between my face and my phone while his eyes darkened further until he appeared even more unhinged.

Tapping around on the date site, I ignored the manic and crazed expression he held as he clenched his jaw.

He was always angry, so I thought nothing of his current attitude.

‘I don’t actually meet up with anyone.’ I spoke to fill the silence ‘I just like to bring arrogant guys down a peg or two. I like hitting them with an awesome comeback to their pickup lines. It is quite therapeutic.’

His mood did not lighten.

The round wide shoulders remained tensed, and his jaw was ticking furiously while he watched me.

‘This guy wrote Haven’t I seen you someplace before?’ I read an example off my phone screen ‘So I wrote back Yeah, that is why I don’t go there anymore.’

A carnivorous grumble left the large chest.

I ignored the noise ‘He is probably crying in a corner right now.’

Stone was scowling at the phone like it was his long-lost arch-nemesis.

‘Do you want a go at writing something smart back to one these guys?’ I asked to break the tension of his gaze on my face ‘You might find it therapeutic too.’

He snatched my phone from me in one vicious flick of his wrist. He gripped onto it so tightly that it was a miracle the phone did not crush in his hold.

One thick finger was all he used as he pressed three times on the screen.

The widget was gone from my home screen. He had deleted the dating app from my phone.

‘Why did you do that?’ I asked, sending a frown up at him.

Stone said nothing else. The only time he moved was to place his bulky arm on the part of sofa cushion behind my head.

I shrugged before muttering to myself ‘I guess that is one way to get rid of all of those flirty messages in one-go.’