A week passed. Things have been much quieter in the house with Crystal, Rose, and Ethan gone for most of the day at camp. Elliott is still in summer school and Addison is always out with friends (Mike). I basically just have to watch Jonas and Bethany.
Jonas doesn't play soccer at the park anymore, since that's where Darren likes to hang out. I keep pushing him to invite friends over, but he never feels like it. As concerned as I am, I know he just needs time to heal.
"Ivy, I hate socializing!" Rose whines. "Why would you invite strangers over?"
"They're not strangers," I argue. "They're your neighbors."
This morning when I was getting the mail, Nora stopped me outside and guilted me into having them over for a dinner to get to know everyone. Honestly, I think it'd be good for the kids to meet the neighbors. Jett and Nora seem really nice.
"That Jett kid is strange," Crystal says. "I saw him walking his pet turtle."
"Yeah." Rose giggles. "He wears weird clothes."
"It's not very nice to judge people before you know them, girls," I say as I set the table with paper plates and plastic utensils.
They frown, but nod in agreement. I send them to pour the drinks for everybody before walking upstairs to check on Bethany. Seeing she's asleep for the night, I go to Elliott's room to ask if he's having dinner with us.
"Are you hanging out with Flynn tonight?" I ask when he opens his bedroom door for me.
"No."
"So, are you going to be able to have dinner with the new neighbors?"
He shrugs, throwing his dirty clothes into a pile on his bedroom floor. "I doubt it."
I nod. "Okay." My eyes follow his shirts as they fall into the growing pile. "What is that?" I walk over and lift a gray shirt, stained with red blood.
Elliott snatches it out of my hands. "I told you last week. I fell."
"Well, saying you fell gives people the impression you tripped over a rock, not that you fell out of a car."
"It was a really big rock," he mumbles.
I sigh in annoyance and step forward, taking the bottom of his shirt and lifting it up to see his back. Sure enough, thick red cuts cover his back, some fading into scars. It's quite gruesome.
He jumps forward and pulls his hurt down. "Woah there, at least by me dinner first!"
"Where did you fall from?" I ask, ignoring his comment. "A plane? Those cuts look serious, Elliott."
"I'm fine," he assures. "I thought we had a nice agreement about you not babying me like this."
I place my hands on my hips. "And I thought we had a nice agreement about you not dying while I'm here."
"It's just a few scratches." He picks up his backpack from the ground and throws it over his shoulders. "I gotta go."
"Where?" I ask, concerned for his well-being after seeing the cuts.
"The library," he mutters and rummages through one of his drawers in search of something. "My Spanish final is next week."
I nod. "What are you looking for?"
"My sombrero," he responds sassily, his anger starting to show. Once he finds a small card in his drawer, he heads for the door.
I stop him by holding up my hand. "Don't you think it'd be hard to study for your Spanish final without your Spanish things?" I ask, pointing to the pile of books and notes on the floor of his room.
He tilts his head back, staring up at the ceiling before groaning. "God, can you just leave me alone?"
I rip the card out of his hands, not surprised to see the fake ID. "Nate Pools. 24. Blue eyes. Brown hair. Male. 6'2". From New Jersey. New Jersey? What, are you auditioning for Jersey Shore? Let's face it, you're too pale."
He rolls his eyes and snatches the card from me to stuff into his back pocket. Without another word, he leaves his room. I frown and debate on whether I should go full-on-mother-mode or just let it slide. We had been living in quiet peace the last week, and it was nice to not have to worry about where he was or what he was doing.
But now I am worried. Whatever he was doing last week got him seriously hurt. It most likely could've been worse. Had he just told me the whole truth, I might be slightly more relaxed. Nonetheless, I decide to let it just slide. I know that if I push him anymore, he'll just pull even further away and I'll be completely blocked out.
When the doorbell rings, I block Elliott out of my mind to focus on the dinner. Nora and Jett stand at the front door. Nora wears a pink sundress and Jett wears a Miley Cyrus concert t-shirt with bright green shorts.
"Hello," I say and open the door wider for them to enter the house. "Guys, Nora and Jett are here!"
Ethan is first to come running downstairs, nearly tripping over his feet when he reaches the front door. "Hi!"
"Howdy, partner," Jett says and tips his invisible cowboy hat.
"This is Ethan," I introduce, holding the squirrelly boy by the shoulders.
Jonas is next to come down, a frown on his face to prove to me he is very unhappy with this situation.
"Introduce yourself," I tell him.
"Yo," he says and gives a head nod.
"Sup, gangsta?" Jett responds and strikes an odd pose.
Jonas looks at me as a cry for help.
Addison walks out of the kitchen with Rose and Crystal close behind. The twins act shy, hiding behind their older sister.
"Hey," Addison says and shakes both Jett and Nora's hands. "I'm Addison. These two suddenly very shy redheads are Crystal and Rosie."
"Is that all of you?"
"Bethany is already sleeping. She's only one and she's always sleeping. Elliott, the oldest, left," I explain.
Nora nods. "I think we saw Elliott on our way over."
"I waved, but he didn't wave back," Jett says.
"That would Elliott," Addison laughs. "You can follow us into the kitchen."
We go into the kitchen where the large table to seat fourteen is set for eight. Addison made dinner, a simple pasta dish with her own spin on things. She wouldn't let me in on the secret ingredient.
"We didn't know if Elliott was eating with us tonight," Crystal explains as she puts away the extra table mat. "I told you, Rose."
Rose shrugs her shoulders and sits down at her regular spot at the table. Ethan sits next to his sister and pulls me to sit on the other side of him. Everyone else takes a seat while Addison fills the plate with her dish.
"So, where are you guys from?" I ask a basic question.
"Well, we move around a lot," Nora starts. "Most recently, we were in Dubai."
"Cool," Addison comments as she hands everyone their plates. "Where else have you been?"
"France, Australia, Canada, Northern Ireland, and now we're in Oregon!" Nora lists. "I'm excited to explore the forests. I'm a nature girl."
"I am not your girl," Addison laughs. "Ivy, do you like nature? I'm actually curious."
I shrug. "Actually, yeah. I take after my dad in that way."
"We have to go hiking or something one day," Nora says in excitement.
"Yeah." I swirl my fork in Addison's meal. "I can't promise you I'm the best with direction though."
"I'm an Eagle Scout!" Jett announces proudly. "I can lead the way."
Nora nods. "Right. I think it sounds like a plan!"
"Okay," I say with a forced smile and take a bite of my dinner.
Nora and Jett seem to be very outgoing. I'm the opposite, unable to become close with others until I know them for a long time. I'm not saying that there's something wrong with Nora and Jett. I just wish I could be that open.
They tell stories about experiences in Dubai and Ireland. Jett is able to pull of a believable Australian accent. Nora can speak fluently in French. They tell us about their family, how they live with their aunt and uncle while their parents stay in Dubai for work. Apparently, Jett wasn't doing too good in Dubai for some reason. They didn't specify.
It isn't awkward like I expected. Rose even seemed to loosen up a bit, giggling when Jett shared a joke and commenting on an interesting story Nora told. Jonas didn't stay angry as he had been, unable to hide his laughter or interest. I start to see that I was right in making them agree to have dinner with the neighbors.
"So, Nora, you're going to be a senior in high school this year? And, Jett, you'll be in eighth grade like Jonas?" Addison speaks her guesses as we sit in the family room.
"Yep," Nora confirms. "Both of us are going to be the upperclassmen of our schools."
"I'll be the lower class," Addison sighs. "It's difficult to move down in society, you know?"
"I don't know how you'll survive," I joke, pushing her arm lightly.
She shrugs. "I'm still excited for high school though. Have any worthy stories, Ivy or Nora?"
I look to Nora, hoping she has one. My high school experience was about as exciting as an hour-long infomercial.
"Ivy, you'll have to think of something. Jett and I have been homeschooled for our whole career," Nora informs.
I raise my eyebrows. "Homeschooled?"
"Our mom always wanted to be a teacher, but she had us kids to worry about. So, she homeschooled us. This is our first year going into a real school."
"That has to be scary," I say, hoping to switch the conversation from 'high school story time,' as Addison would call it. "Are you worried?"
"I'm not," Jett announces. "I like to consider myself a social butterfly. My aunt said I'd fit in."
"Not with those shorts," Crystal mumbles to her sister.
I shoot her a glare. "And what about you, Nora?"
"I'm a little worried," she admits. "Maybe hearing one of your high school stories that you survived will make me feel better though."
I nod, cursing her in my head. "Right, one of my crazy high school stories that I just barely made out of alive." I pause and try to think of something, anything. "Well, my freshman year I was trying to get my locker open for like all of passing period, but then this really cute senior walked up to me and told me that it was his locker. My locker was the one next to his."
My story gets a couple snickers, but the very unamused look from Addison lets me know it didn't satisfy anybody's needs.
"Come on, Ivy," Addison groans. "Did you ever get in trouble? Tell us the truth, girl."
"Yeah, I've gotten in trouble," I sigh. "I used a red pen on an essay and had to write another essay on why red pens are not good essay writing materials."
Everyone stares at me blankly.
"What?" I ask. "I'm not an ex-convict!"
"Talk about a goody-two-shoes," Jonas laughs.
I frown and cross my arms over my chest. "I'm sorry for following the ever-so-simple rules of high school."
"You graduated without any detentions?" Nora asks in surprise. "Even I get detentions at home."
"I've gotten a detention before," I defend myself.
"For using the red pen?"
"No," I pause, "but I don't want to say how I got the detention right now." I look to the younger kids, hoping the others get the hint.
"Woah," Jonas comments when he realizes what I meant. "I have to hear this story eventually."
I shake my head. "Moving on, please."
"Right, right." Nora gasps dramatically. "You guys have Hedbanz? Can we play-"
"No!" Jonas, Addison, Crystal, Rose, and I yell at the same time.
~~
After another hour of small talk, Nora and Jett head home. It had gotten pretty late. I put Ethan to bed, then the twins. Jonas fell asleep on the family room couch, and I decided it was best to leave him there. Addison closed her bedroom door long before I even finished putting the twins to bed.
Back downstairs, I clean the mess of the dinner. The table is easy to clean off since we used paper plates and plastic utensils. I put Addison's extra pasta into a container, leaving it in the refrigerator.
I'm not tired yet, but I don't want to disturb Jonas by putting on the tv in the family room. Instead, I go into the guest room and read some of my book. Once that gets tiring, I pull out my phone to look at social media. I'm horrible with it and barely post anything, but it's a useful tool when you're suffering from boredom.
On Facebook, people in my grade are posting photos from some huge party. I notice Flynn in a couple of the photos, which isn't too much of surprise. He is Mr. Popular. I still find it weird that he and Elliott are such good friends, despite their polar-opposite personalities.
Unable to control myself, I click on Flynn's profile. There is no trace of any friendship with Elliott. His photos are with the people at school whose names are known by everyone. The football players, the cheerleaders, the student government. I logout of Facebook and turn off my phone, placing it on the bedside table. Shutting off the lights, I try to get some sleep before I'm up with the kids all day.
I stir in my sleep, images of the cuts on Elliott's back flashing in my mind. Something worse could happen to him. Did I make a mistake by letting him go out tonight? He isn't home yet. Then again, he's never home at this time. I'm just being paranoid.
Finally, I'm able to fall asleep. It's a nice, deep sleep. A rarity in my life. A treasured moment. So perfect that nothing could destroy it. Nothing but-
"Hey."
I groan and turn away from the noise.
"Hey!"
I shove a pillow over my head, blocking my ears. It's useless, since the pillow is ripped out of my hands.
"Hey, wake up."
I sit up, rubbing my eyes in the darkness. Looking at the alarm clock, I glare at Elliott through the red glow of the clock numbers. "Are you kidding me? It's four-thirty in the morning. Did you just get home?"
"Yeah," he says. "I need your help."
"Why?" I whine, sounding like a two-year-old. Hey, it's four-thirty in the morning. I'm allowed to be whiny.
"It'll just be ten minutes of your time. I promise."
I mumble under my breath as I roll out of bed, pleased with myself for not taking of my bra before bed. "What do I have to do?"
Elliott turns on the lights in my room. "It looks worse than it actually is. I just can't go to the doctor because my mom will freak out if she sees the bill for the visit."
"I don't see anything," I mutter.
He lets out a sigh before grabbing his shirt by the collar and pulling it over his head. I instinctually look to his abs. Before I even get the chance to admire, my eyes move to the huge gash in his side.
My mouth hangs open. "That better be fake."
"I just need you to clean it and put a bandaid on it. I'd do it myself, but my arm is a little sore."
I note the huge bruise on his arm, my stomach churning. I sit back down on my bed, not dating to look back at his side.
"Are you okay?"
"Just a little woozy," I admit, biting my cheek nervously. "That cut looks deep. I think you should go to the doctor."
"I can't," he sighs. "Please, just clean it. I guess I can bandage it myself, but it-"
"I'll do it," I mumble and stand up, leaving the room to go into the kid's bathroom. There's a medicine cabinet, filled with first-aid needs.
Elliott jumps onto the bathroom counter. "I would've gone to Flynn, but he's been at a party all night and is probably wasted."
"Are you?" I ask and wet a towel under the faucet. "You had to be pretty out-of-your-mind to end up with a cut like this."
"I haven't been drinking," he promises. "It was a freak accident."
"Were you doing the same thing you were doing when you scratched up your back?" I ask, scrubbing at the wound with the towel.
The close contact as I clean the cut makes me almost dizzy. My fingers graze his stomach skin, something that would send any girl crazy. The anger of his stupidity allows me to stay calm, even though deep, deep inside my heart is racing.
"Yeah," he admits.
I nod and throw away the bloody towel into the trashcan. Next, I rub Neosporin on the cut. Elliott winces briefly when I accidentally press too hard into the wound. I apologize in a mumble, still angry he was stupid enough to get hurt all over again. After wrapping up his wound with gauze, I clean up the supplies and place them back in the cabinet.
"What were you doing?" I ask.
He hops off the counter and presses on the gauze, clenching his jaw. He turns to face me and lets out a sigh. "Cliff diving."
"Cliff diving," I repeat in genuine surprise. "You cliff dive?"
"Yeah."
"Why the fake ID?" I ask next, intending to get all my answers.
"There's a group of guys, the founders of the spot, who make me bring them drinks as my ticket of admission, if you will. I bring them beers; they let me jump."
I nod and cross my arms over my chest. "Were you drinking? Is that how you got hurt?"
"I told you I wasn't drinking," he says with a hint of annoyance. "I just fell on some rocks instead of water. It happens all the time."
I almost laugh. "Oh, so I have nothing to be worried about if it happens all the time."
"Don't worry about me. Thanks for helping, nanny," he says curtly and leaves the bathroom.
"Goodnight," I mutter and wash my hands, scrubbing off the remains of blood.
Cliff diving? That is so dangerous and illegal and this "founders group" sounds pretty shady to me. In just seven days, Elliott has had two pretty serious accidents while cliff diving. Clearly it happens all the time, but that doesn't make it any safer.
But what can I do to stop him? I know there's no way I'll be able to. He has to be passionate about it or something, seeing he's going back after getting hurt. Maybe it gives him some type of outlet, or a thrill. Whatever the reason is, he won't stop if I tell him to.
I go back to bed, more tired than I had been before. I only have about two more hours to sleep before Ethan comes running into the room and begging me to make him some breakfast. Oddly enough, I'm able to fall asleep quickly.
Hate to admit it, but Elliott's abs did make an appearance in my dreams.
~~
AN:
I hope you guys liked this chapter (even if I couldn't think of a good enough title)! you got to know Nora & Jett a little bit more. and you find out what Elliott has been up to all these late nights.
Cliff diving? Who saw that one coming? I mean...I did (lol)
maybe I should've kept you wondering for a chapter more.. oh well. there will be plenty of plot twists and mysteries up ahead. no worries, y'all.
so, I've written a couple stories on wattpad and I've never given myself a schedule for updates, due to either being bored and writing three chapters a week or too busy and waiting a month. since it's summertime and I don't have anything in my life, I want to try and make a schedule.
every Thursday I'll post a new chapter (hopefully)
if I'm really excited about a chapter, I could post it earlier. or if I'm really stuck, I might miss a day or two. I really can't promise anything right now. this is a trial and error sort of thing, so just roll with it
thank you!!
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