Perpetual

"I heard he has a girlfriend, Elena."

Elena glared at Iolanda, who was rolling out dough to bake a cherry pie for Pietro. "Should I give up on scoring goals just because there's a goalie in the goalpost, Iolanda?"

Iolanda girl laughed heartily, filling the kitchen. "I wish you were that fierce, but we both know you're not interested in guys with girlfriends."

Elena's shoulders stoop. "There's nothing I can do but pray they break up."

"Oh, come on! I'm sure there are plenty of good-looking boys your age at school, Elena."

"None of them interest me."

* * *

Zemo was lying down in his red armchair in the reading nook of his huge living room, listening to the purring of his cat, who was snoozing on him. He was close to the fireplace. He had wanted to read a novel today because God knows he couldn’t focus his mind. He was beginning to think that reading Pride and Prejudice was not a good idea. Every time he read the name Elizabeth, his mind would wander to Elena. He had never seen such a contagious smile in his life. When he felt his cat, the Countess’s paws on his lips, he realized that he was smiling. He murmured as he stroked the animal’s shiny white fur, “Countess, if you saw her smile, you would agree with me.” The cat leaned its nose towards the man in a noble manner, asking for a kiss. Its attitude was so funny, it was saying, “I deserve your kiss, come on, be quick, give me a kiss." but it didn’t lose its composure. Zemo chuckled as he kissed the cat’s pink nose. “I thought Elena’s mannerisms were very familiar. Maybe she was a noble person like you in a previous life, Countess? What do you think?”

The Countess murmured sweetly and stretched herself across the man's chest. When Zemo tried to return to his book, he heard the sound of high heels echoing through the room. He pushed his reading glasses slightly back with his index finger and continued reading as if nothing had happened.

"Zemo! Let's end this childish quarrel between us, please."

The Countess could never tolerate Svetlana. The moment she heard the woman's voice, she sensed Zemo's tension. To protect him, she lifted her head and hissed at Svetlana, who was walking towards them.

As Svetlana rolled her eyes, the man embraced the Countess to calm her down. "It's okay, my dear." Though the Countess relaxed in Zemo's arms, she kept her gaze on Svetlana.

"You're making her uneasy," he said to the woman. "Stay away, Svetlana."

Svetlana let out a laugh that sent chills down the cat's spine. "When we get married, I'll get rid of that flea bag, Zemo."

As the Countess hissed angrily, Zemo adjusted his position on the couch, holding the cat in his lap. He rested his chin on the trembling Countess's head. "Shhh... Calm down. There's no way I'd marry that woman, and no one has the power to send you away from this house."

As the animal began to calm down, Svetlana leaned in towards the man. Zemo warned her, "Don't!" But Svetlana didn't listen. The once-quiet Countess suddenly struck Svetlana's face with a sharp swipe of her paw.

The woman screamed in pain, "You devilish flea bag!" She grabbed her face. Quickly pulling out her mirror from her bag, she checked her face. Fortunately, there was no scratch, but now she was furious at the man who was still petting and calming the cat. "Zemo! That demonic creature you’re feeding just tried to ruin my beauty! And instead of looking after me, you're still..."

Zemo gently placed the Countess on the couch and stood up. "Enough! If everything about me, even my cat, bothers you so much, why are you still here, Svetlana?"

Svetlana forcefully kissed him. When he didn't reciprocate, she pulled away angrily, but then she grabbed his chin tightly. "Look at me, Zemo! If someone like me is with a freak like you, stop questioning it and be grateful. Out in the world, there are countless men waiting for me, but you? Who's waiting for you, Zemo? Could you find someone stranger than yourself? What woman would want an antisocial man who spends hours reading in front of a fireplace? Your looks are average, we both know how you are in bed, and you hide from people at every opportunity. What can you offer a woman besides this rundown mansion? I'll tell you—nothing! Yet, as you can see, I'm still here because I love you. Isn't it tragic that we can't choose whom we love? Now..." She leaned in and commanded before kissing the man, whose eyes had welled up with tears, "Kiss me." And Zemo obeyed.

* * *

Elena gagged as she watched Pietro kiss Iolanda, who was sitting on his lap. "Oh God! Did I stay the night just to watch you two mate? Can’t you manage just to sit next to each other?"

As Iolanda and Pietro giggled, Elena rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please! Wouldn't you rather be sitting on Professor Weirdo's lap right now?" Iolanda teased. Elena blushed to her ears while Pietro raised his eyebrows. "This joke has gone too far! The guy has a girlfriend!"

Iolanda noticed the boy's irritation, and Elena tensed up as well. When silence fell, Pietro continued, his voice laced with frustration. "Setting aside the fact that he has a girlfriend, the guy is like a hundred years old, Elena! Have you lost your mind?"

"He can't be that much older than me!"

The boy gave his sister a serious look. "Your interest in this guy ends here! There are a thousand rumors about him, and I'm sure at least two thousand of them are true! I heard he’s into men!"

"Oh, come on!" Iolanda protested. "Aren't you overreacting a bit? Every student can have a crush on their teacher. It's not like they’re going to get married, so you don’t have to go crazy, Pie!"

Elena stood up. "I'm going home."

"It's eleven at night, don’t be ridiculous!" Pietro said. "I overreacted, I’m sorry. It’s just... the guy is weird, Elena, and I want you to be safe, is that a crime? His girlfriend is a mess too. You don’t want to get into trouble with that woman."

The girl shrugged. "Goodnight to you both. I’ll call when I get home."

Pietro tried to get up. "Elena!" But Iolanda stopped him. "The streets are packed this time of year. Relax. Clearly, she needs some time alone. Let her be, please."

After Elena slammed the door behind her, she pulled up her Spotify playlist and played a song before shoving her hands into her pockets to protect them from the chilly night air. As she walked home, eyes brimming with tears, she couldn't even pinpoint why she was so emotional. It felt as though Zemo was someone she had known, loved, and cared for all her life, and hearing people say such hurtful things about him pained her deeply. She was surprised at herself. There were always rumors at school, right?

So what was the problem?