Chapter 433: Elena VI--The World on the Side

Well one good thing was, Jana had not come close to throwing even one fit. For some reason, maybe she hadn't had an overload of sugar today, or maybe she'd burned her energy at school, but Jana seemed docile enough to sit quietly at the piano, and eager enough to play everything as told. Still, the little girl still lacked attention to grace, or even an ear for timing, but maybe she'd pick that up with a little more time. One thing Elena had to remember, not every little kid overachieved enough to be flashing off showtunes at each lesson.

They're not all me.

And Elena didn't mean that as a compliment to herself.

She yawned quietly, she rubbed her eyes and her stomach growled, not a hungry growl either. Putting her hand over it did nothing to calm it, and the base of her throat burned, her chest burned, and the Pepto Bismol she'd taken at school didn't seem to be working, in fact, it never worked anymore. She ran her tongue over her teeth, even though she'd brushed them, her mouth tasted awful, and her breath tasted metallic, and sour. At least she and Jonathan had had not time lately to trade a sly shy kiss, she wouldn't think he'd be tactful enough not to comment on her breath.

"There! And I didn't make one mistake," Jana said, pivoting on the bench to face her, beaming with more self pride and confidence than Elena had ever seen a child have. She wondered how much of that would carry into her teen years, she could imagine Jana either being the terror of her high school, or an idol in it.

"Sure you did," Elena said, lo and behold, Jana's eyes flashed, but only briefly.

"Oh, okay," Jana sighed and she turned back to the music, "What did I miss?"

Alright, she couldn't help it. "That's it?"

"What?" Jana asked curiously, "Is what it?"

"Well aren't you going to tell me that you weren't wrong, or try to talk your way out of playing it again?" Elena asked and she looked around the room, perhaps a door to another universe lay open, perhaps a different girl had slipped through and taken Jana's place? At least there should be spooky Twilight Zone music going.

"Oh," Jana said, "No. I'm too sleepy to fight, and, and Daddy said I should stop giving you a hard time if I really want to learn because if I want to lose my lessons with you I have to stop being a brat." A sigh of repression, of complete defeat. "And I'm supposed to apologize too, I'm sorry."

"Well, thanks," Elena said and she felt her cheeks burn. "But I didn't tell your Dad that you, I mean why would he, oh never mind. Play the second line again, you missed the F sharp, remember what we learned about sharps? When they're first in the measure, they're..."

"Like a cold!" Jana said quickly; happily, glad to show off her memory no doubt. "The rest of the F's catch the Sharp Cold, which means," Jana giggled and looked at Elena, "It means the other F's are sneeezing!"

Elena laughed. "Hey I never said that!"

"But it's true, if you think about it," Jana said smugly and she turned back to the music. She hummed with each note and she played, and this time she hit the F sharps squarely and proudly.

"Now we're talking," Elena nodded, "Get yourself a sticker."

Since Jonathan's hockey practice had switched to Monday's after school, Elena now felt weird being at his house after her lesson with Jana finished. Mom was running late, and Jana dashed upstairs to do her homework, so that left Elena alone really. Mrs. Roy had invited her into the kitchen for hot chocolate, but first she went upstairs to make sure Jana had her homework out. Elena sat at the kitchen table and rested her chin on her hand, she closed her eyes, they burned, and they teared. What she really wanted to do was take a nap, just a quick rest. But she wouldn't even be able to do that in the car, Mom would be talking her ear off about dance, or skating, or how she thought she deserved more recognition in some of those classes or something.

When she got home, she had advanced math, English, social studies and an extra curricular to do, really she should be starting all of that right now while she waited. But couldn't she at least rest for two seconds? Mondays sucked, they just sucked. Also it kinda sucked that Mr. Roy was out of town because Michele only paid her the agreed upon amount, like twenty bucks for the lesson, but Jonathan's Dad just threw money away! On real good weeks he'd give her like eighty bucks, and when she would try to correct him on it, he'd just smile and tell her to have fun. Now that was a perk to look forward to.

Come on, Mom.

"She hasn't come yet?" Michele said sweetly entering the kitchen with brisk steps, a sweet smell.

"I guess she's running late," Elena said, "I'm sorry."

"Oo it's not a problem," Michele replied, pulling a tin of powdered coca from a cupboard. "There's some snow it said on the news, perhaps it's slowing her. Don't worry, eh," she took some milk from the refrigerator and Elena was relieved to see it wasn't whole. "We won't throw you onto the street, for now." A half smile, a wink and Elena smiled back. Jonathan's mom scared her sometimes, not that she didn't appreciate how nice she was and generous and everything, it's just that... well... it seemed sometimes that she was a little too nice and perfect and thin and pretty, Mommy Robot was a term that came to mind, she wondered if she exercised in high heels to boot.

Gah! Come to think of it, she had to remind herself never to marry Jonathan because she could just imagine already him expecting his wife to cook, clean, smile and breed without complaint while he brought in the bread playing hockey. Inwardly she felt the icy hand of death and boring commitment and she shuddered.

The phone rang and Elena jumped, Michele answered it, balanced it on her shoulder, went back to the steaming milk and scooped cocoa into it, "Oh yes... yes... oh no it isn't a problem, mmhmm, yes... no we love her..."

Ah then it was Mom, finally. Mrs. Roy hung up the phone. "Was it Mom?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Michele said stirring the pot, she then pulled out from cupboard, cinnamon sticks and vanilla extract, and Elena was willing to bet, pure vanilla extract. "She said the snow has her running far too late, she had to pull over almost as soon as she started, she'll need to wait for the weather to break."

"Oh great!" Elena rolled her eyes, "That could be ages."

"Well if it comes to that, we have a guest room, you and Jonathan go to the same school, and probably have the same homework, hm?" Teasing eyes, white teeth, a playful wrinkle of the nose, the woman didn't know how to be unaccommodating. She wondered if she ever had a need to rant or vent about something, from what Jonathan said all the time, she had a bad temper, but maybe to him, that was seeing her stomp her foot and say "phooey".

The kitchen filled with the aroma of the spices, sweetness, and her stomach growled this time with hunger and she put her hand over it. Worst thing now would be for Mrs. Roy to hear her stomach and take it upon herself to fill it with everything and the kitchen sink. And horribly enough, Elena saw Michele grab a carton of whipped cream and take a huge spoonful, "Oh no I don't need that!" Elena exclaimed, standing up and holding out her hand. "No whipped cream please, thanks."

"Oh," she said, she pursed out her bottom lip a little, and put the carton down, "Well that's fine. Are marshmallows alright with you?"

"No fat, no problem," Elena nodded, seeing how slim Michele was, Elena was sure she'd understand, the woman couldn't possibly be gifted with a perfect metabolism, those didn't really exist.

Michele dropped a few marshmallows into the steaming hot cup and she slipped a tiny silver stirring spoon in before she placed it on the table before her. "Watch your mouth, it's hot. And really at your young age you need not be worrying so much about fat and calories eh?"

Oh great. Elena nodded. "Of course I do! I'm a dancer not an elephant."

Michele pursed her lips, her brow crinkled and she looked worried, oh great, come on Mom where are ya!

"Elena, darling," Michele said sitting at the table, and she looked serious, caring, pretty and in a way, dangerous, "Might I just talk with you a little, as a friend, maybe?"

"Um, sure," Elena said holding her head high but feeling terrified as all hell.

"There is a little something that has worried me, and we should really have a talk..."

New York, 2010

...and the crowd roared, impossible not to be caught up in it if red blood ran in the veins. Elena jumped to her feet and screamed, held up a victorious fist and clapped her hands to the music blaring the audience to a celebratory frenzy. "Awesome!" She felt his arm around her waist and she wiggled free, turned to him and gave him a high five.

"New York Ranger Goal scored by number 9 Alain Dagnais...."

The crowd sat down as the players on the ice took to the face off circle and Elena sighed happily, shifting in her seat. "Now there's someone who can haul ass," she grinned, "that was one helluva breakaway."

"At least you're having fun," Jonathan said, "Just wait till I'm down on that ice."

Elena raised her eyebrows, "My God Jonathan I don't think I've been to a hockey game since," she squinted, "Since your Dad was in net, that's how long it's been."

Jonathan whistled, "Hell, there have been so many season stoppages since than I'd be surprised if you even remembered it was a professional sport."

Laughing, Elena wrinkled her nose, "Yeah didn't there like used to be eighty two teams or something? There's only like fifteen or something left right?"

Jonathan shrugged. "There used to be thirty teams, not eighty two," he laughed. "And that was games, eighty two games in a season."

Elena curled her lip, "Eighty two? What the hell do you need to kick each other's asses that often for you blood thirsty savages." Yeah she remembered that part, the COOL part, the blood and fighting, the checking, the broken glass. She ran her tongue over her teeth, she even remembered that salty hot bite she'd taken herself on that ice with those smelly ass old players.

"I'm just glad I finally got you out," Jonathan said, and he looked at her, he smiled, and he looked so sad in a way, lonely. Once a Momma's boy always a Momma's boy. He probably had spent many a night after she'd hung up the phone, telling him she had practice, or a performance, or a traveling venue, or a solo performance at a private function wondering how a female could turn him down, especially one he'd pinned affections on.

"Well today was a rare day," Elena said and the crowd roared in an unified "oh" and "ah" at a rather nasty looking hit against the boards, "When I didn't have a shit load of things to do, no press calls, no junkets, no dance, no parties, no performances, and no meetings and no agent. Lovely huh?"

Jonathan grinned. "What? How could that happen? The world forgot about you for a day is that possible or did Saint Cecilia feed the masses with loaves and fishes?"

Elena scowled inside but she knew Jonathan wasn't being mean, she smiled instead and tossed some popcorn into his face. "No I just turned off my phones, all of them. Screw the world for today, right?"

"Aw you put the world on the side for me?" Jonathan said with a gleam in his eye that could only be his male brain working over how soon he would be able to score now, and Elena didn't mind that either because she was working out how long she wouldn't let him.

"Just for today lover."

"Heh, won't that piss people off? Give you bad press? That doesn't seem like ya Elena, Miss Personality of the Year." He grabbed her hand and kissed a knuckle, suave boy, suave, came straight from the daddy.

"Yeah but you know, your mother told me something once, and it really hit home."

"Oh and what was that?" Jonathan asked.

"Fuck the world when they want to tear the clothes off your back, because if you can't enjoy the only life you have sometimes, then you might as well just shoot yourself and get it over with." She nodded. "It's not worth it to achieve and be miserable doing it, I have to take a day off sometimes, or else I'd go mad."

Jonathan's eyes widened, "Mom wouldn't have said that! She wouldn't use that word!"

Elena laughed and tossed more popcorn at him.