The Picture of Evelyn Grace by S. E. Gutierrez (the gingerbread man read aloud .TXT) 📕

I can hear the heated shouts, the thump of things hitting the wall. The smack of skin against skin. I tremble, cowering and hiding in my closet. I thought they were fihgting about me, about how awful I was, my purple eyes, my knoby knees, my shrill voice. I felt the endless stream of warm tears down my cheeks. I felt the salt left behind. I felt the fear coarse through my little three-year-old body. I saw the knob turn.

I woke with a start, the sheets twisted around my body, and my best friend standing over me. She didn't know my eyes were purple, the brown contacts I wore wouldn't let her. She sighed.

"Ya know, you really should see someone about these nightmares you have. I mean, they could be telling you something." she said.

Kayten had always been big on mythological stuff, from when we were kids, till now, juniors in high school. I knew I could probably tell her I had purple eyes, but I didn't want to have to tell her that the parents she assumed were biological were really adopted. I also didn't want to tell her that the so-called nightmares were really my memories personified in my dreams.

I also didn't want to tell her because I wanted, needed to find out who and what I was before anyone else. I felt like this was a journey I need to go on by myself. Rubbing my eyes, I got out from underneath the blankets that covered the floor. I heard Kayten shriek.

"Omigosh, Eva, what the friggin crap happened to your eye, one is purple!" she screeched.

I nearly swore. Crap, Crap, Crap where'd that contact go.

Kayten found it before me.

"Evelyn, why is there a brown contact next to your foot?" she asked in a whisper.

I sighed, taking out the other contact. "Katie, I'm sorry, but there's still a lot about me you don't know. For one, my eyes are naturally purple, and my parents now are adopted."

I wasn't expecting her to take the news well, but her reaction now shocked me.

"Evelyn Angel Grace, get out of my house I never want to see you again! You liar, jerk, deceiver, and so many other words that I will not say! Just get off of my property!" she shouted, face stony and betrayed.

I hung my head low, nodded, gathered my stuff, and left. Apparently purple eyes are a secret to be kept for a lifetime. I went home to find my parents cudling together on the couch, watching their favorite romantic movies together. They were a young couple, barely twenty-five. Unfortunately, she had a disease as a teenager that won't let her have kids. So, as a result, they adopted me. They loved me, I loved them, they respected me and my space, I respected them and their space.

Silently, I closed the front door, and made my way up the stairs, trying not to disturb them. I opened my door, and was greeted with the smell of the forest right outside my window. I had left the french doors to my balcony open again. I so needed to stop doing that. I set my bag down by my door, and plopped into my computer chair. Katie hated me now. The only friend I ever had, despised me. That and my parents said they would only buy me one pair of colored contacts a year. It was only august, school stated last week, and now, I had to go colored-contact-less. This was just amazing. Slumping my shoulders, I checked my email.

'one new email' slid across the screen. It was from Katie.

Evelyn,

You left your fuzzy socks here. I'm sending Jesse over to give them to you. And just an FYI, he has officially filled my spot next to you in all the classes we share. I can't believe you didn't trust me enough to tell me your parents were adopted and your eyes were that freaky color. If you had told me a long time ago, this might not have happened. Think about that for a while will ya?! Anyway, go mind your own business.

Still pissed at you,

Kayten

I sighed. Jesse was this kid that Kayten's parents sort of took in. He had been living on the streets for years, and they felt bad. They got the court's permission to give him a place to stay and come to without adopting him. The doorbell rang, yanking me out of my reverie.

"Evs can you get that please?" I hear my mom shout up the stairs.

I hopped up. "Yup, I got it." I shouted back as I raced down the stairs.

Jesse and I had always been good friends. Not as close as close as I had been with Kayten, but still, he counted as a friend.

Then I remembered my eyes. Oh my dear crap.

I oh-well-ed to my self and opened the door anyway. Jesse gasped.

"So Kat wasn't lying when she said you had purple eyes huh?" he asked, awed by my eyes.

I shook my head. "Can you please tell her I'm sorry and that no matter what she's still my sis from another miss?" I pleaded.

He shrugged. "Sure, but she's not mad that you have purple eyes, she actually thinks that's kinda cool, but she's mad that you didn't trust her. By the way, here are your pink socks."

He held up my bright pink and fluffy socks. I smiled glumly, remembering Kayten's lime green pair.

"Thanks Jesse." I replied.

"You look like you need a hug." he said, wrapping me in his black clad arms.

This kid always

has at least one thing black on. Today, however, it was only a shirt.

"Thanks Jess the Best!" I said, using his childhood nickname.

He laughed. "Be good, okay?"

He acted like he was my years older brother, even though there was only a few days difference between us. I smiled and promised I'd be good, and he left. I closed the door behind him, and solemnly marched back up to my room, leaving my socks on my dresser.

I plopped on my bed, and hid my face in my hands. This was a disaster. I had lost my best friend, and let the cat out of the bag about my eyes all in a matter of cinco minutos. I groaned inwardly. I heard a knock on my door.

"Yes?" I grumbled.

"I heard from Kayten's mom about what happened. I'm sorry darling, is there anything I can do fro you?"

Publication Date: 10-17-2011

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
For Jonvi, for being one of my besties