Sickness of the Heart~ Chapter 1~Lumina

Chapter 1~ Lumina1

Love. It's a powerful and scary entity, it can kill you, revive you, make you happy and breathless or make you sick and loveless. Love can make you anything it wants you to be, it's only a matter if you survive the outcome. But I know for me, love makes me lonely, makes me miserable, it makes me sick...2

I sat at my desk in my ninth period class and chewed on the pencil. Gross habit but it's beyond my control. The bell was going to ring any second and I couldn't wait to get out of here. I had been the first one done with my History test so I was Bord and without any homework to keep myself busy. The bell rang and I stood up only to be quickly joined by my best friend Tanner Kyle, he optimistically leaped over several desks to reach me only to be scolded by Mr.Marvin. He sat across the room from me so I don't blame him and Mr.Marvin probably wouldn't have said anything if Tanner hadn't tripped over the last desk that was next to mine and took the chair with him to the floor.3

"Sorry Mr.Marvin!" Tanner called over to him before turning his attention to me.4

"Smooth move Tanner," I said giggling.5

"I know, I AM smooth. So what are you doing today?" he asked me.6

"Depends, who wants to know?" I replied picking up my bag and putting my books in it, then carefully slinging it over my shoulder.7

"Well, for art class I have to paint a portrait and well you know," he started bashfully.8

I smiled at him. "I'll be there, Tanner" I said to him.9

"Great! I'll see you sometime after school then!" he said, beaming like a little kid and ran off.10

Tanner and his whole family were bound to luck and success. Tanner's Dad is the CEO of some company and his step Mom is a surgeon at the hospital. Tanner wants to become a artist, it's his dream to paint beautiful portraits and make sculptures that people will travel the world to see in a art museum. Tanner is rather shy unlike the rest of his family and sensitive, he is the guy every girl dreams of falling in love with and the same guy every male wants to beat up in the parking lot. His Dad, Daniel is tough, burly, and aggressive and stern. He has never approved of Tanner's love for art. His step Mom is almost nonexistent, she's never around and when she is she doesn't talk to anyone. She is the flash as Tanner calls her, but Anna is emotionless and stays out of everything. 11

But I remember when Tanner's real mom left, she was an amazing woman. She was motherly, caring, careful and gorgeous. She was a fragile and petite young woman with long curly blond hair and sky blue eyes. But she was a free spirit, she wanted to travel, get her masters degree, and Daniel didn't want to go anywhere. And he told her that she wasn't going anywhere either. Me and Tanner were just kids when that happened, I remember me and him were listening on the stairs when that argument busted out. It seemed later that it was over with and blown over, but the next morning...She was gone. Tanner was devastated and had never spent so much time at my house til that day. It wasn't but a couple years ago he actually went home, without his Mom home he didn't feel safe so he stayed with me for a very long time. Me and Tanner go way back, our Moms were friends and neighbors for awhile and we still live but a block away from each other.12

It wasn't long after Tanner's real Mom, Angela, left that Daniel met and married Anna. And they had little Sabrina who's in the seventh grade now and on the soccer and volley ball team. Sabrina is tall for her age with a full face and long blond hair with midnight blue eyes to match her fathers. Daniel has light blond hair and midnight blue eyes, Sabrina matches him completely, none of Anna's features. Anna is long legged with dirty blond hair and blue-gray eyes. Tanner has longish wavy blond hair and sky blue eyes, he looks just like his Mother. 13

Once I got to my locker I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun me around. It was my friend Caitlyn, tall, busty, tan, long brown hair and green eyed Caitlyn. She had been out of school for awhile because of the chicken pox. 14

"Hey, Cait!" I beamed, smiling at her. "How was the pox?" I asked her.15

"Ugh, how was the Holocaust? " she asked rhetorically.16

"Pretty bad I take it? Anyways, good to have you back." I said.17

"Good to be back. Your lucky you and Tanner had the pox when you guys were itty bitty still." Caitlyn said leaning on the locker beside mine while I got my stuff together.18

"Are you kidding me? Tanner gave the pox to me!" I retorted.19

"Only cause you wouldn't stay away from him when he had them!" Caitlyn replied with a wink.20

"He lived with me back then, you know that Cait." I said.21

"Yeah, yeah I know. Anyways are you free?" she asked me.22

"Nope, got places to be after I get home." I said shutting my locker.23

"You got to be kidding me? I bet you'll be with Tanner." Caitlyn said with a 'hubba hubba' gesture which involves a shoulder shimmy and a pelvic thrust.24

"Tanner is my best friend, nothing more and nothing less. See you tomorrow Caitlyn." I said with a nod and walked away and out the exit at the end of my hallway. I marched over to my sapphire blue CJ-6 jeep and fished out my keys and let myself in and started it up. 25

Caitlyn Lilly Blakes has been my other best friend since fourth grade and we're in the eleventh grade now so it's been awhile, not long as me and Tanner but still awhile. Caitlyn is the most active person I know, she's on the basket ball team, a cheer leader, takes dance lessons and also is in Latin Club. Her Mom, Daphnie Blakes owns a chain of hotels so they're pretty wealthy. Her Dad, Robert split a little bit before me and Caitlyn became friends. Robert was a wife beater and the last time he did it Caitlyn saw it and then he hit her. That's when Daphnie divorced him and put a restraining order on him. The last day he did it and Caitlyn came to school crying with the whole right side of her face bruised.26

Kids made fun of her and told her she got beat up and that she couldn't fight and that she was a sissy. I came to her and didn't say anything, I just hugged her and she cried in my arms. We've been close ever since. I pulled into my driveway and got out and locked up my jeep and walked inside my house. 27

"I'm home!" I yelled.28

"In here!" my Dad called back from upstairs. I jogged up the stairs and into the room at the top of the stairs and found Dad painting. This was going to be the nursery since my Mom is pregnant with her third child. My older brother Jay is in college and then there's me in high school and baby number three on their way. Jay is '6'2' ft and hair shaggy brown bedhead hair and hazel eyes and very built. He is very protective of me and smart and super old fashioned and he's in college majoring in Philosophy. My Dad is Mike Julius Moore, he is '6'6' ft and has short black hair and emerald green eyes and like all of us, a magnificent tan. My Mom, Julia Catalina Moore is petite with curly brown-blond hair and hazel eyes, she was made to be a mother, she's protective, motherly, caring, just very fragile and shy.29

My Dad however, is laid back, funny, hard working and masculine. Like, he does a lot of manly stuff. But him and my Mother were high school sweethearts and get more in love with eachother everyday. Mom also got pregnant with Jay when she was only 16 but she and Dad got married when they turned 18 and Dad worked two jobs plus school to provide for Mom. 30

"Hey squirt." Dad said ruffling my hair when I walked in and over to him, then hugging me.31

"Hi Pops, hows it a comin?" I asked looking around the room. It was a soft lavender so far, and it was nowhere near done. But Mom was only 6 months so I suppose there's still plenty of time, and were all pretty sure it's a girl so purple is a good way to go.32

"You have eyes, you can see I ain't got shit done." Dad said with a joking chuckle, he always was goofing off and Mom could never yell at him for it.33

I laughed. "So where's Mom?" I asked him.34

"Out shopping for baby stuff." Dad said.35

"And she didn't wait for me to go?" I asked slightly appalled, Mom never went anywhere without me or Dad. And here me and Dad were in the same room without Mom.36

"She has Jay's fianc'ee with her, you know Ember?" Dad said.37

I've only met Ember a few times since Jay is almost never around but the few times I met Ember I remember that she is petite like my Mom and me, has short and styled dark red-brown hair and blue-gray eyes and she wants to be a photographer.38

"Yeah, then Mom's alright then?" I asked.39

" 'Course she is, Luma." Dad said matter of fact. Luma, is short for Lumina, which is my name. The only time anyone in my family calls me Lumina is when I'm in trouble which is almost never.40

"Alright then, well I'm going over to Tanner's for awhile, I'll be back later." I said walking back out and to my room to change.41

"Oke Doke, be safe." Dad said waving to me.42

I walked into my room which is right next to the nursery. My walls are a dark indigo with those glow in the dark stars on the ceiling with. My room is very clean, all my dirty clothes are in the hamper and clean clothes are in the closet and dresser. I was wearing a white blouse with jean capris and a gold belt and brown sandals. My mid-back length black wavy hair was in a messy french braid and my hazel eyes were bright against my dark gypsy skin. 43

I picked up my cell phone and called Tanner to see what he wanted me to wear for the portrait, he does themes sometimes so I have learned to ask him before I go over for him to paint me. It started ringing on my end but I know on his phone 'Jai Ho' from Slum-dog Millionaire plays, since that is my favorite movie and all, and Tanner set that as my ring-tone when I call him.44

"Hey, Luma!" Tanner answered enthusiastically.45

"Hey, what do you want me to wear for this one?" I asked.46

"One of Jay's old shirts, jeans, your nikes, your uncle's ball cap, usual jewelry and that's it." Tanner said.47

"Ok, see you soon." I said and he hung up. I wanted to say 'I love you' but as usual I didn't. I've been in love with Tanner as long as I could remember but for the sake of our relationship and to spare him his time, I just try to ignore my love for him.48

I sat down my phone on my vanity and pulled out and slipped on Jay's old shirt. It's over-sized and blue with an inch worm on it that says 'every inch counts'. My hip huggers, then my jogging socks and white nikes. My red Buddha beads and rainbow friendship beads on my left wrist, purple and black hair ties, Moms charm bracelet on my right with my class ring on my ring finger on my right hand. And around my neck is a silver chain with Jay's lucky titanium ring, I always wear this pattern of jewelry no matter what.49

I slipped on my uncle American flag ball cap and grabbed my cell phone and walked out of my room and marched down stairs and out of my house and started walking to Tanners, he only lives a block away so I never drive there from home. It's simply a waste of gas.