You Never Really Know Who’s Watching
By
Mary Harden
By
Mary Harden
Callie woke up wanting to turn over and go back to sleep but knowing if she didn’t get up she’d have another late day. She sat up in her mattress and looked around her living quarters. Her place was in shambles. She had take out boxes all over, her clothes from the passed three weeks were laying beside the clothes basket in a pile that resembled Mount Everest, her computer rested on an old crate that she used to keep her books in.
She got up and walked into the bathroom but left the lights off she was tired of the brightness already. She flipped on the bath water deciding to take a cold shower instead of a hot one. She disrobed and stepped into the shower. Leaning against the side of the shower she let the cold water spray over her body while she let the warmth disappear. After awhile she took up the shampoo bottle and began to lather her hair and body. Grabbing for a razor she bent down and began to shave.
“s**t!” she exclaimed as she realized that she had cut herself on the ankle. The blood trickled down her ankle but instead of quickly reacting she waited a moment and watched the blood fall onto the shower floor washing down the drain.
Stepping out of the shower she reached for a towel and wrapped it around her. Walking into her room she sat back down on her mattress pulling her ankle up beside her examining it. The cut wasn’t to bad but it was still bleeding. Callie reached for a sock the was lying on the floor and wiped at the blood and held the sock there. She then reached for her book crate pulling her computer in front of her.
She switched it on and quickly typed in her username and password. When her account popped up she noticed she had three emails. Choosing not to check them immediately she went onto limewire and choose a song by Pink Floyd and laid down to let the song consume her. When she began to feel better she sat up she decided to check her emails.
Opening her emails she saw she had an email from her father. She scoffed under her voice, “Probably wanting money again for another one of his scams.”
The other two emails were from her myspace account. Someone was requesting to be her friend and they had sent her a message. Curious she signed onto her myspace account and looked at the picture. There wasn’t a picture of a him. It was an anime picture of a girl. The name was Jester. She accepted the request not thinking about it. Then she went to the message.
The message read, “Hello Callie, I am Jester. I have seen you at work everyday. I was there when you filled out the application. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. With your dark colored hair with your green highlights, the hazel eyes you have twinkle so, your lips are pert with the most luscious pink color imaginable. I like how you wrinkle your nose when you laugh, the way you look so helpless in your sleep, the way you cry and cuddle with Mr. Snuggles. I love everything about you. Always yours.”
Callie began to giggle she knew whom the myspace account belonged to. It was her friend Jake whom worked with her. He was her close friend. She knew it would be easy for him to write such an intimate message to her since he was gay. Most people knew he was gay the way he danced around the lingerie store completely at ease with everyone and everything.
Callie stood and walked to her closet to choose her outfit for the day. She choose her filmy purple skirt with grey skulls etched into it, the grey shirt with the purple skull on the front, and to finish her converses. She looked into the mirror to admire herself.
She was a proud twenty-year old. She had graduated high school three years earlier, moved out of her mother’s house her junior year, and was now putting herself through college. She wanted to be a clothing designer and she was quiet aware that she was going to make it.
Turning around she grabbed her keys, her purse, and left her apartment after putting her headphones in. She walked to work since it was so close. When she got there she went in the back and put all of her belongings in her locker when she saw Jake. Jake winked at her and went around to his locker. She laughed and shook her head while she put on the headset she was to wear and walked into the store.
It was around noon when Jake came up to her.
“Hey Callie, want to go out for lunch? My treat.”
She smiled, “Of course I would. Chinese?”
“That’d be great.” he replied.
Callie and Jake went into the backroom to get Jake’s wallet and Callie’s purse. Jake came up behind Callie and grabbed her thinking she wasn’t paying attention.
Callie began laughing, “You’re dumb if you think I’m going to fall for something that easy.”
“Well, it was worth a try, Mrs. Hoity-Toity.”, he also laughed.
They walked out of the store and walked to fifth avenue and took their regular seats at the restraunt. Callie of course was by the window so she could gaze outside and think about things, and Jake sat across from her so he could have a good view of the waiter and men’s room.
“What were you doing last night?” Jake asked casually as he looked over the menu.
Callie smiled while looking at the menu also knowing that Jake was going to try to scare her, “Oh, nothing really. Just watched some television, downloaded some illegal music, and watch Mr. BullFrog catch the flies in my apartment.”
“Really? I was out on this hot date last night. He’s new. I haven’t told you about him.”
Callie was confused but decided to go along with it, “Really? What is his name?”
“Ben”, Jake replied.
Callie giggled, “You mean the same Ben whom used to rag on you at school all the time? I thought you two despised each other immensely.”
Jake rolled his eyes, “ I told you. You do not know him, but you will. He’s supposed to meet us here today. He wanted to meet the other love of my life.”
Callie smiled, “So, it was you that sent me the myspace message.”
Jake looked confused, “I told you that I don’t have a myspace. I don’t like them.”
Callie looked into his eyes looking for the gleam he had when he was lying, “What do you mean you don’t have a myspace? I got a message from you this morning.”
Jake reached across the table and touched her hand, “You got a message that made you think of me? That’s a bit creepy. What did the message say?”
Callie gulped, “That the ‘person’ sees me everyday, that they even saw me fill out the application, and they described my appearance.”
Jake looked a bit scared, “What is this person’s name?”
Callie replied, “His username says it’s Jester.”
“I’m going to go home with you after work. Just to make sure you’re okay. Now don’t say anything more because here comes Ben.”
Ben walked up to the table smiling, “Hey Jake.”
Jake stood up and hugged Ben, “Hello Ben! Pull a chair up.”
“No, I’ll sit in the booth beside Callie.”, he said while he slid into the booth.
Jakes face looked hurt and Callie caught it immediately, “Why are you sitting beside me?”
Ben blushed, “So I can look into Jake’s hazel eyes.”
Jake blushed also but Callie had an awkward feeling in her stomach. “Jake’s eyes are green.”
Jake wasn’t paying attention but Ben was, “I was guessing at his eye color because you see I am colored blind and can see colors.”
“Oh.” Callie gazed out the window to think while Ben and Jake carried on a conversation.
When Callie turned towards Jake she heard Ben saying, “Yeah, that purple suit you wore last night was beautiful. I’d really like you to wear it again sometime.”
Jake replied, “Well, I wont be able to wear it for you anytime soon I’m going to be watching over Callie for awhile.”
Callie noticed a flicker in Ben’s eyes, “Why would you be watching Callie? Isn’t she old enough to watch herself?”
Callie replied for Jake, “Jake is watching over me because there is some weird guy sending me myspace messages.”
“Really? That’s horrible! I should come over with you guys.” Ben peered down at his watch. “Well, I really have to get going to work I’ll meet you guys at Callie’s apartment at 3 o’clock sharp.” Ben stood and was on his way.
“Isn’t he great?” ,Jake asked while Ben was walking away.
Callie remained silent for a moment, “Yeah, he is. He’s a cutie pie too.”
“Well, we better be going.” Jake said as he stood from the table. He walked up to the front desk, paid the bill, and came back for Callie whom had just stood up. He held out his hand for her like he did so many times before and she stood up and grabbed ahold of his hand. Not because she was alone, because she knew the warmth would help her feel much better.
When they got to work Jake led the way into the back and they dropped off their stuff and went on their separate ways. At the end of the day Jake came up behind Callie and noticed that she was being quite.
“Come on you. You have entirely to much on your mind to be here. I’m taking you home.” , he said while he wrapped his arm around her hip. Callie let him pull her out of work because honestly for once she was frightened.
Someone was watching her and she didn’t know whom. When they got to her apartment she crashed onto her bed, while Jake went around and secured the house to make sure it was safe. Callie in the meantime turned and looked out the window and went into a pleasant sleep. Until she heard a knock at the door. She knew Jake would be excited that Ben was there so she wanted to stay quiet. She also wanted to stay quiet because she’d never seen Jake with a guy before. This was the first time she would ever see him with a guy. Maybe she could figure out as to why he could never keep a boyfriend. Callie waited. Then she heard Jake come in and sit down. She waited for another creaking sound of the other chair but she heard nothing. She assumed maybe they were being quiet for her. So she smiled and went back into a happy dream.
Several hours later she woke but she wasn’t alone. There was someone snuggled up in front of her. He had his arms securely around her, he had his chin rested upon her head, and their legs were also intertwined. Callie’s first reaction was that it had to be Jake but she realized anytime it began to get dark Jake would leave or he would go get a pillow and blanket from his apartment upstairs. She wanted to scream but for some odd reason she felt safe. She had never felt this way before.
As she kept on thinking the man woke up and snuggled closer to her holding her more tightly. As he did so she felt the soft drop of something wet on her head.
“If only I could tell you the truth.” ,the man said.
Callie froze. She couldn’t believe it. Could it really be? She slowly looked up into the man’s bright green eyes.
“Jake!?” ,she exclaimed.
Jake didn’t know what to do. He was paralyzed. He kept of hold of her though. He didn’t want to loose the feeling he had only felt when he was with her.
“I-I-I didn’t know how to tell you. I started falling in love with you in the eighth grade. I never wanted to be with anyone else except you.”
Callie looked stunned as she sat up, “ But you’re gay! What about all of those guys you’ve always dated?”
Jake looked down sheepishly, “I would date them because no other girl could compare to you. Though dating a guy wouldn’t last long since I never liked them.”
Callie was confused, “You went through high school acting gay so I wouldn’t know that I wouldn’t know?”
“I did that because I was afraid if I went after you you’d leave me like everyone else. You know my parents split when I was in the fifth grade. You know my grandparents wanted nothing to do with me. I couldn’t loose the only thing that really mattered to me. So, I decided that if I didn’t want to loose you I’d have to be there always for you as a friend.”
Callie’s body shook and Jake got up to leave, “I’ll leave.” When his back was turned he heard that Callie wasn’t crying she was laughing.
He turned, “What is so funny?!”
She was on her back with the laughter rolling out of her, “You are! I’ve loved you too for so long but I thought you were gay so I knew I never stood a chance!”
Jake leapt into the bed grabbing ahold of Callie and looked into her eyes, “I love you, Callie. I always have. Will you be mine?”
Callie starred up into his eyes and felt the warmth she had always felt, “Yes, Jake. I’ll be yours, but I got a question.”
“Yes Callie?”
“Why the myspace message?” she asked perplexed.
“Because you never really know who’s watching.”
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