𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓦𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓮
♦Eden♦Female♦17♦
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxLikes
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxDislikes
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx❖Water
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-❖Cat calls
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx❖Sweets
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-❖Restrictive environments
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx❖Motorcycles
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx..❖Honors English
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx❖Summer
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-❖Parties
Open Road
“So Eden, tell us a little bit about yourself.”
“Well, I’m a junior in high school and I’m hoping to major in theater in college. I’m part of the dance team, and I really love baking. There’s just something so rewarding about sharing food with people and getting to watch them come together around the table. In my spare time I volunteer as a cook at the soup kitchen.” She beamed at the audience and stepped forward to do her final walk.
The audience applauded as she left the stage and the next girl went on. Eden let her smile morph into a more neutral expression when the curtain closed behind her. She kept her head high, untouchable as she wandered the greenroom back to her things and her mother.
“Great job honey,” her mother said as she fussed with Eden’s makeup and hair. “You really sold it out there. Make sure to keep up that sparkle. And don’t forget that hair flip we practiced next time. It’s your best asset, make sure they notice it. But don’t clue them in! Remember, the key is winning them over without them ever knowing.”
“Yeah mom. I’ll remember next time.”
Finally, all the girls lined up on stage for the awards ceremony. Eden stood in her flowing dress, hip popped and smile wide, but softened just a bit to be sweet instead of blinding. She clapped politely as the runners up were announced. Then all that was left was to announce the winner. When her name was called she tipped her chin and placed a hand on her chest, widening her smile in excitement. She stepped forward and accepted the crown and microphone that was handed to her.
“I just want to thank you all so much for giving me this title. There were so many amazing contestants here tonight. I’m honored. And thanks to my mother, who has been my coach, my support, and my guiding light throughout.”
-0-
Monday morning her alarm went off at four A.M. Eden glared up at the ceiling in her dark bedroom and seriously considered quitting. But, with an internal sigh, she rolled out of bed and went to shower. Clean and dressed, she grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and her keys from the rack by the garage door. She plugged her phone into her car and drove to school. For the twenty minute drive, she blasted her private playlist, “Morning Jams.”
She made it to school just in time for practice, as always. Eden went straight to the gym and changed into her practice clothes. Her teammates were sitting in a circle on the floor, and she sat down with them to start stretching for practice.
“Congratulations, Eden!”
“You looked so pretty up there. I knew they’d pick you.”
Eden accepted their praise with a nod and a smile that didn’t show her teeth. Then coach clapped her hands and they had no more time for small talk. Nearly two hours later they were all tired, sore, and sweaty, but a little closer to having their routine memorized. Class would be starting in thirty minutes, so they traipsed off to the locker room to shower. After Eden cleaned up, she applied some simple makeup and went to find her locker.
People called out sleepy good mornings and some even congratulated her on the win as she passed. A few boys gave sleepy whistles at her skinny jeans and sweater combo. Eden kept walking. Head high and gaze focused straight ahead, as if she hadn’t heard. In a sad way, she really didn’t. She’d heard these kinds of things often enough wherever she went that it had become a kind of twisted soundtrack to her life.
Classes offered a bit of a reprieve as she had to force herself to pay attention. Good grades were important to her parents. And it wouldn’t look good to judges if she were failing classes in high school. She tried to take notes and prevent her mind from wandering with everyone else’s to the world outside the walls of the school. At lunch she sat with a girl from her dance team and her friends. Holly had decided early on that they were friends and dragged Eden to her table. It wasn’t the worst arrangement Eden could think of. The girls wore jackals’ smiles and gossiped about people outside and inside their group. But so did so many people. Really, Eden’s main complaint was that they talked about boys and getting a boyfriend too much for her liking. Which was to say, any talk at all. Eden would be perfectly fine if she never heard the phrase, “what a guy looks for in a girl,” ever again.
After the last class of the day, Eden grabbed her homework and books from her locker before making her way to the student parking lot. Suddenly, someone was calling her name and a too confident hand landed on her shoulder. She turned around sharply and efficiently shrugged off the boy’s hand. It was always a boy.
“Hey now,” he said, holding up his hands and smirking down at her. “Just wanted to say congrats on the win this weekend.”
“Thank you,” she said curtly, and started to leave again.
“Wait,” he said and grabbed her hand. She was pulled to a stop and he slid in front of her, blocking her path. “How about we go grab a bite to celebrate. My treat.”
“Absolutely not,” she said.
“C’mon, it would be good for you. It could help you lighten up, let go a bit.” He leered, leaning into her space.
Finally, Eden had enough. She roughly shouldered past him and marched out to her car. She held the wheel in a white knuckled grip while she waited in the line to get out of the lot. Once she was on the road and out of sight of the school, she reached over to her phone and opened her playlists. She tapped the one labelled “Rough Ride” and then she was singing, no one to hear her being abysmally off key as she wandered down to the highway.
She kept her eyes peeled for motorcyclists as she drove towards her favorite bakery. There was a sleek black one in the far lane being ridden by a guy with a striped helmet. Then a woman with greying hair passed her on a striking blue motorcycle. The bike was large and Eden caught a flash of a wild smile as the woman passed. She felt a familiar pang of excitement and envy watching her go. When she made it to the bakery she spent a long time looking at all the cookies and cakes she couldn’t have. The cashiers knew her and didn’t even look her way as they helped other customers. Someday, she promised herself, she’d buy an entire chocolate cake and eat it herself. And then take a dozen macarons to go. Eventually Eden had to leave or she’d be late for dinner. She walked up to the register and asked for a single vanilla cake pop. She nibbled on it on the way home to make it last.
She made it home and opened the door from the garage into the mudroom. She toed off her shoes and set them beside the others on the mat.
“I’m home,” she called.
“Just in time dear, dinner’s out of the oven. You did amazing on Saturday, the press is all over it. And I’ve decided you’re next competition! You’ll do great at this one, and it can send you to Miss Teen. I know the staff who like to run this one and it’s perfect for your skill set.”
An evening of smiling and helping her parents around the house. Doing her homework like a good student. Until she fell into bed before midnight. Eden plugged in her earbuds and tried to just breathe for a moment.
When can her life stop revolving around how she looks and how much she impresses the judges? Tuesday she wakes up at four A.M. Rinse. Repeat.
Eden hates dancing and she hates people that think they know her. That think she wants to be someone’s arm candy. Their good little trophy wife. Their property they can put their hands all over and slobber on in the back of their car. She wishes her world was different. She was adopted by perfectly suburban parents. An ex-pageant beauty for a mother and radio talk show host for a father. They always said they took one look at her angelic face and knew she was the one. Eden’s always been beautiful. An enchanting child, she was entered into her first beauty pageant when she was four years old. Eden’s been coached on how to walk, how to talk, how to carry herself ever since she can remember.
In school she daydreams about the open road, racing wind, and fierce, carefree smiles. Her mother never cared for women who rode motorcycles. With their wind burned skin and swirls of ink. But Eden loves the practical elegance of tight jeans and leather jackets. The whimsy of tangled hair. Free to go wherever she wants, with nothing but the open road before her. She knows that one day she’ll be one of them.
✥