Memories by: Acenth Bowmen
A small part of me still hopes that Macenth Owen Rhodes Bowmen is still out there somewhere. Today, I'd be celebrating his 20th birthday not attending his annual memorial ceremony if he hadn't mysteriously vanished. On this very day six years ago, 14 year old Mace was found missing from his dorm room at military school in Russia.
It was allegedly believed that Mace ran away because of the brutality he had endured at the school and due to this reason the school was forced to shut down. But my theory is different! I believe that the invisible hand of Harry Bowmen extends over my brothers disappearance.
It's always been my dad's lifelong goal to get rid of Mace. After I dug around his office, I came across a letter from Mace addressed to my mother explaining all the brutality he had to endure because of my father's generous donations to the school on the condition that Mace would have the most nastiest military education of his life.
That isn't the only reason why I believe that Mace is still alive; after many confidential reports, interviews and conversations from his schoolmates, I came to learn that he wasn't dead not only because we lowered an empty casket into his grave but also because he took a trip back to America. A long voyage on a cargo ship. Apart from that information, his current whereabouts still remains unknown.
Losing Mace had taught me many things. It taught me that even when someone is gone distance doesn't create a void in your heart nor should it stop you from reminiscing even if it hurts. Losing Mace is a test for me. Alive or dead I believe that he is still looking out for me wherever he is.
"A toast to my beloved son", my dad lifts his glass of champagne. Not a single tinge of sadness plagues his features. More like happiness and satisfaction did, from accomplishing his life long goal. "On this very day, 6 years ago my beloved son Macenth Owen Rhodes Bowmen disappeared and was later proclaimed dead. May he rest in peace."
Every year my dad holds a massive memorial ceremony for Mace however his true intentions are much darker. The ceremony is just a façade and like a curtain, it neatly hides the illegal discussions that take place. The FBI are on my father's back, but lack concrete evidence to nail him down. My dad knows this, so he used Mace's death to his advantage. By hosting a memorial ceremony each year he can successfully discuss everything he needs to without the FBI ever suspecting a thing. They think that shareholders, business tycoons, investors and CEOs all come to offer their condolences but like I said before, they're fooled beyond comprehension.
"Lame party", Max scoffs swirling the drink in his glass.
"Its actually a memorial ceremony", Felix points out and Max scowls. I've never seen him scoff and scowl so much before. Did something happen to his over-energetic and flirtatious playboy attitude that was notorious for sweeping girls off their feet.
"What in the world of broccoli ice-cream , is with you?" Melissa pops up making me jump. This girl is honestly inhuman, she has the ability of popping up in the most unexpected places, at the most unexpected times. "You're always so flirtatious its annoying but today. . . I kinda miss it", she mumbles out the last part.
"For starters my girlfriend dumped me and I've searched high and low, far and wide. There's no girl who can even hold a candle to her."
Melissa snorts at his statement "excuse me but karma took quite long to reapply her make-up and file her nails."
"No one is interested, sappy heartbreaks and cliché love stories don't belong at memorial ceremonies", Felix counters harshly
What's gotten his boxers in a twist?
"I need revenge, vengeance. No girl has ever dumped be before. She bruised my ego, my pride. Her chartreuse cheeky eyes, her contagious smile. . . I found something I miss more than make out sessions", he sobs out.
I mentally face palm myself as he continues mourning.
"Max, I swear if you don't shut up, the next thing coming out of your mouth will be your teeth", she threatens.
At this rate, Max is going to drive himself insane over some girl, but then again who can blame her for dumping his sorry ass. Who can blame a girl for dumping a guy who uses more face cream in a week than she does in a month.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold", I respond smirking. "I know exactly what you have to do." The King of Revenge is opting to help Max, his mood should lighten up.
At least a tad bit?
"Hold your horses!" Mel demands "are you going to try to woo her back or break her heart beyond comprehension?"
Extremely important question, three pairs of eyes intently gaze at Max. "I'd like to break her the way she broke me. So what does 'The King of Revenge' suggest I do?" He inquires staring at me.
"Does your mastermind plan involve toilet papering her house and spray painting the words 'heartbreaker' on the walls?" Melissa asks suggestively and I shake my head. That's an extremely childish idea
"Then should we summon a troop of undead zombies and command them to unleash their wrath upon that mortal being?" Max interjects.
"Zombies are dead, they're not 'undead'. Get your facts straight, Max", Felix corrects him.
"If they're not dead then how do they move, walk and eat human brains?" He argues and I mentally smack myself. How did our conversation escalate to zombies?
"Dude, they're not even real and you're acting like a nerd", Max snorts as Felix semi-yells to prove his point.
"Besides if there is an apocalypses, you don't have to worry because zombies only eat brains", Melissa comments and Felix presses his lips in a thin line to prevent himself from laughing.
"I'm so not a nerd, they stand at the bottom of the social high school hierarchy. Besides Mel if I am a nerd, zombies would come after me because nerds are smart", he retorts "zombies are alive because they move, walk, talk and do those funky dance moves."
"Sure only female zombies would run after you Max, all muscles and no brain", she disapprovingly shakes her head taunting him further. Max grits his teeth opening his mouth to say something nasty but I intervene their useless banter before they decide to bite each others head off. "A zombie is a dead person who is believed to have been brought back to life using witchcraft. Both of you are correct. They're partially dead and partially alive so now can we please stop talking about them!"
"If your mastermind plan doesn't involves zombies, does it involve dying her hair neon green and throwing a bucket of maple syrup over her head?"
I look at him pointblank, my jaw touching the floor in disbelief. How absurd can he get? "It doesn't involve toilet paper, spray paint, not even hair dye or extra sticky, sweet maple syrup and definitely no zombies!"
"Then what does your mastermind plan involve, because it sounds pretty boring to me!" He replies exasperated.
"What does every girl resent the most?" I ask with a sinister smirk.
"Bad hair days, empty tubes of face cream, chapped lips, acne an-" I cut him short "that's what you resent."
"Mother nature", Melissa intervenes and I roll my eyes. Every girl hates getting their period, because along with a bloody week comes an unwanted guest called cramps and mood swings. Advice to every guy out there in the world: if your girlfriend is on her period, run for your life to avoid getting hit by the closest thing to her if you accidentally piss her off.
"Bro, I should be the last person to be asked what my girlfriend resents", he remarks and I roll my eyes once again. How could I forget, Max doesn't use girls like toilet paper he dates them for stress relief. His motto is: use them, abuse them, lose them. He treats them like trash, utterly demolishes their self-worth, crushes their dignity and hammers their sense of gender equality into a gazillion fragments by using them only to elevate his social standing.
"Why did your ex even date you in the first place? I mean you're egotistical self centered and don't even care much about others, no offence", I study the unreadable emotions that plague his normally flirtatious attitude. His turquoise eyes are dull, almost lifeless and he looks like an insomniac with bags under his eyes. His shoulders tensing at the mention of his breakup.
"She was different", he replies "we met on the track team. She was sweet, understanding, not the least bit judgmental, she was practical, optimistic, cute. She's everything any girl would envy to be. She stood out and man, I was so messed up! I broke her, I love her but I hurt her", he declares remorsefully.
Melissa snorts "puh-lease, I hope she isn't a fictional character from some cliché novel you read at night, under the covers."
But who she is, isn't my biggest concern. Max Heesters just said that he loves a girl! He has never been smitten by anyone, not even by his babysitter. Don't ask me why he still has one. "Max, did you just say that you 'love' her?" I shriek to make sure that my ears aren't playing tricks on me.
"I told you, she's different", his eyes lit up at the mere mention of her personality. He has fallen hard and he is falling deep. But now he's drowning in his own guilt. Only if she could see...
"So what did you do? No girl would dump you without a valid reason unless. . . she got bored of you."
"Please, I'd dump him any day", Melissa jeers. Well its a shame that he dumped you first, Mel.
"I kissed her best friend, in her house on her bed and on her birthday. She even slapped me. The bruise on my left cheek now covered with concealer- was her gift to me. I can't blame her, Dawn and I basically hooked up every single day. I broke her, Ace", he cries.
"You hooked up with her best friend. Dawn must be some kind of backstabbing fake friend. Cause damn, that girl broke the girlcode. There's no hope for you Max, you hooked up with her BFF, if I was her. Getting back together wouldn't even be in the picture let alone looking at each other", Melissa disapprovingly shakes her head.
"News flash, you're not", Max retorts "Acenth Zachary Bowmen, what does the King of Revenge think a girl resents the most?"
"I was thinking heartbreak, but after listening to your miserable love story, I've changed my mind."
He gasps "dude, you're a genius. If someone can make her feel the same pain I did, she'll understand how much it hurts to loose someone you love."
"Hold your horses", Mel intervenes "that it the stupidest thing I've heard. You've broken thousands of hearts, you got what you deserved so take it like a man."
Melissa is right, his ex dumped him because of what he did so he shouldn't behave like a sore loser. "You love her, so why would you hurt her?" I'm not a genius in the love department but what I do know is that when you love someone you'll do everything in your power to protect them. Love in general is gibberish for me, it's like a foreign language. My parents divorce and falling for the girl my friend loved has utterly destroyed any positive feelings towards the emotion.
"If someone can date her and dump her, they'll break her. She'll feel what I feel. And that is exactly where you fit in Ace. You can date her, then dump her."
"No!" I exclaim defiantly. I for one do not want to ever get tangled up in his sticky web and love drama is a big no!
"C'mon Ace, you have to break Evangeline Summers for me."