Now, Then and Inbetween

01

look into his angel eyes, one look and you're hypnotized

R U T H P O V

*present time*

I hate people-watchers.

They're possibly some of the most annoying kinds of human beings. While I could be minding my own business entirely, there's some nosy dimwit staring into my soul from across the street. Whenever I meet such a person, all I'm overcome with is mind-numbing rage and strong homicidal tendencies.

But something I despise even more is people-observers.

They see and know everything. Simply everything. They notice when you've gained a pound, when your hair is tied up and when it's down. When you're feeling confident and when you're feeling insecure. When you're hungry, angry, sad, disturbed - everything.

Sometimes they even take advantage of this knowledge and use it against you.

It's like living life underneath a microscope.

A living example of such a person is Elias Greyson.

The bane of my existence since I was old enough to fart.

Well - not really. I'm pretty sure I was old enough to fart before I was eleven, but you get my point.

What showed up on our doorstep an innocent, sweet young boy turned into the physical embodiment of Satan.

"There's cake on your face," Elias pointed out, grinning annoyingly at me, "and in your hair, too. What are you, five?"

He was starting something, trying to rile me up, to engage. But I was not going to fall for his tricks and ruin my good mood.

My parents decided to throw Eliza a surprise birthday party in her backyard, because the woman was turning sixty-six now, which is in their eyes a big milestone. Also because she's just the best.

They invited people from all around the neighborhood and some of her family. When she got home from the groceries and my mom directed her to the backyard, she was so happy that tears sprung to her eyes. Everyone screamed "Surprise!" and a few people popped those confetti poppers, covering the air and ground with tiny bits of paper.

We were currently sitting at the table, eating her birthday cake. Also sitting at the table was my parents, Eliza and John - a neighbour of ours that's been friends with us since the beginning of times. John is old, with grey hair and a grey beard, and he loves hunting.

I remember when me and Elias were around 13 and he took us both to hunt geese in the forest. He taught us how to shoot with his gun and eventually it became a full blown competition between me and Elias. We disagreed about who had won and started fighting, fists swinging. Only when it turned especially violent did John break us up. He said a little combat was good for taming our inner wild animals. We've calmed down a little since then, but we still fight every once in a while.

Ahh, good times.

Now, not so much. This Elias-bitch was looking at me with his classic amused-slash-judgmental expression.

"Leave me alone," I mumbled whilst shoving half the cake down my throat. "If you had any sense of what's good in life, you'd be eating this cake too. But of course your limited intelligence can't comprehend such a complex idea."

"Insulting my intelligence is really the last thing you want to do, sweetheart. We both know I'd beat you in any math competition."

I suddenly got the strangest urge to punch him in the face. Sure, he's better in math, which he knows I can't stand, but I'm definitely better in chemistry. Physics is something we're pretty even in.