Alex
Soft and viscous phenomenon slithered across my thumb, I could sense something flocculent caress my palms but it felt quiet difficult to point it out as all I saw was Raven overcast.
It was like my lids were glued to one another as I struggle to tear it apart, and when I accomplish my vision, next act was an immediate train of curses accompanied by regret.
The scintillating abuse of sun rays upon my eyes irks my already plotting migraine as they intensify.
Slowly rolling over the side, the thin blanket falls to the floor as I sit up clutching my hair with both hands.
A tiny fuzzy brown figure now occupies the position where my skull rested few seconds back. On a closer inspection, the brown mini mass reveals himself as a puppy.
We both blink our lids and observe each other with no intention of harm or hostility. Plain exchange of nonverbal stranger's interaction.
"Shit" I curse when my subconscious ambiguously recalls yesterday's night.
"Woof" it replies.
"Shit" I come again. But this time a feminine voice answers.
"Stop corrupting braves mind, he has enough to deal with Noah's " instantly I trend my face in the direction and groan as a shift of nausea hits me.
Extremely unpleased and dressed for the day Elaine views me with a tight lipped frown and with a sledgehammer on my side?
An awkward silence circles the wind as I shamelessly leer at her as she climbs up on a stool and blows at the nail positioned in between her thin fingers.
"There's lemonade in front of you, drink if you want to feel better" her dry response causes another embarrassing memory from yesterday to dig itself out of a grave. No wonder she's pissed.
She starts hitting the hammer over the nail causing the house to echo with the deafening pulse of thuds.
With each slam, my cells on my head explode.
Maybe she's doing this on purpose, I made a mental note to do my best and not lie on her bad side.
I gulp down the lemonade, and pop the Tylenol she kept on tray with it.
I gave myself a few minutes to collect what I could present her as an excuse but decided against it as she was too smart to not see through my lies. Not that it was easy to come up with something while she was roaring over the house with that noise.
I walk and lean my shoulder over the wall and clear my throat, even with the small stool she stood on, her face was just an inch above my head.
She ignored me.
"I was -
Thud
"Elaine I saw your tex-
Thud
"I can explain-
Thud
"ELAI-
Astoundingly, like lighting, she turned and looked down at me.
Literally.
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Alex, I never asked for it" she vented, it was cold and distant like those times while I still exerted to crack her. The part of her I wished I don't have to see again. It makes me feel like I was back on square one but the next words proved me wrong, and boy did it made me jump on cloud nine, or ninety-nine even.
I've never felt this way before.
What the hell was happening to me?
"I was so damn worried about you, all you had to do was text that you are alive and kicking" it was only in her eyes you could see the frost a second and burning fury the next. She was a storm to be handled delicately.
Guilt hooded my heart as I realized my flub. I would have reacted worse if Elaine disappeared for a day without a trace.
I was so consumed in self-loathing and liquor that I ignored her texts and calls. Why did I even bother making a friend while can't shaft such a precious relationship?
"I am sorry" ashamed I offered her my worthless apology.
Her features contorted close to pity as she eyed me silently.
"I am sorry for lashing out" she heaved a breath, being so close to her I could smell her minty breath. God knows how I stench, I hadn't showered yesterday either.
"I was scared that you'd turn out to be like him" secluded she whispered the latter part which ascended my ears.
"Who's him?" I ask looking dead in her eyes. She knows she cannot escape this as she threw me a defeated smile and stepped down on the floor, Resting the hammer on the floor She raised her chin to look at me and stated sarcastically,
"Do you want to know why I get bullied so bad? The story behind my adventurous life at school?" the one thing I learnt from Elaine was being with her came with surprises, you won't be aware of what she would do or in some case what she could do.
Like now I see her opening up to me, I feel the confidence radiating off her. She knows whatever it is I can take it. she's sure of it and her eyes tell me that she had arrived at this conclusion after a lot of deliberating nights.
But she still tests me by giving options, the choice to hear her story or pass it.
Deep down I know I require this immunity, will I be able to hold myself back from hurting them if I know who made her the way she is?
And then I see the conviction in those grey orbs, I never realized when her faith in me became more important to me than the trust in myself.
"Only if you believe in me" Nodding her head she sat on the chair near the breakfast bar as I occupied the opposite, the one facing her.
Clasping her finger she places it on the tiled granite.
"When I was new in the school everyone thought I was a special case because I kept myself isolated, always sat at the last and snuggled in books and hardly interacted. The fresh wound of my parent's death was still in my heart" Tucking her hair behind the ears she breathed slowly.
"But after a year I wanted a friend desperately, persuaded by Dr.Ross and my self-realization of loneliness led me to take a wrong move" her jaws clenched and she bit her lips.
"One day I happened to strike a talk with Karly and she was nice to me. She had her gang and I don't think you need their names to know who they are. It was the first time I met Tyler and it was also the first time when I wanted a boy to notice me" her fingers tangles around the royal blue pendant, a sign of her nervousness. I don't want her to force herself if she wasn't restored or comfortable. But the very mention of Tyler's name had my nerves burning.
"You don't have to do this if you're no-
Her glare stopped me short. I shifted nodding my head, signaling her to continue.
"I started hanging out with them and soon became the popular nerd of cliché group" She quoted it with her fingers and saw me staring at her with rigid features.
"I started falling for Tyler and he for me, or so I thought" she chuckled sarcastically and dazed off over the jar of peach jam upon the counter. I, for reason well known curled my hands into a fist, I know the kind of man he is and to know Elaine had feelings for such a monster and he playing with heart was not tolerable.
I wanted to punch something.
"We confessed our feelings one fine day, it was viral. The bad boy and the nerd." She cleared her throat as if her senses were clogging it to stop.
"It was my birthday, they said they are throwing a party for me and I being a naïve soul happily walked into the trap. The whole school was there, typical loud and trashing teenage party. But I was ecstatic as it was my first" she paused to heave in a deep sigh.
"I was lost and in shock. The humans I called friends pretended to not know me. They interacted with me as a stranger asking my name and things. I was so confused."
My skin burned as the nails dug into them sweetly, I welcomed it as it distracted me a little from the pain evident in her eyes.
"Later I was informed the whole school knew about the bet, the bet they made on me. They wanted to befriend me and make me fall for Tyler and they succeeded." Lines creeps her forehead as she scowls.
"But something else happened that night which made it worse, I helped a girl who was being abused by her boy friend at the party. Though I was a wreck that night, I had to help her. But seems like she was frightened and called for cops before we left. When students were interrogated later by the group she blamed it on me." I inhaled a cold gust of air only imagining what could the outcome resulted in.
"I was already a brewing laughing stock and this made them hate me for a reason, from that day they made sure my day went as hellish as possible. And so the trend continues till this date." She pretends to adjust the invisible tie on her shirt smiling as if getting primed to face the battle.
I lick my lower lip, trying to contain in some gruesome vocabularies.
But I swallowed my anger as I saw her strength, as vulnerable a glass is, it cannot break unless it crashes. And Elaine was just that, she built a protective wall around her so nothing could surpass her emotions and break her.
No wonder why it took her so long to befriend me.
But as proud I was to see her deal with demons positively, nothing could stop me until I see them withering as they apologize to Elaine.
"Did you ever report about it?" I ask the most rational question a normal guy would consider, and not the boy who can destroy someone's world if he feels they deserve it. And I just seem to have added a few to the list.
She looked at me as if I was crazy "They belong from big families, they almost rule the school."
I Raised my brow, does she even know who I am?
"Ever tried?" I ask again.
"Yes, but it didn't work. They laughed at me for even considering the option" rolling her eyes she hopped from the chair.
Immediately I stood up and stride to her, caging her to the counter with my arms on both sides. She sucked in a low breath as I leaned further toward her ears.
"Will you let me help stop this?" I whispered. When I could hear her gulp in smirking I brushed my cheeks softly against her
"Will you?" I asked again.
"ye-yeah" she stuttered. Retreating back I turn and walk towards the washroom.
"Where do you think you're going?" an angry voice follows me as I ignore her smirking.
"To the washroom" I offer as she pestered me.
"Why?" confused over her questions I frown.
"To pee"
"We're late for school. Your bladder might cause us to miss a class"
Despite her unhealthy protests, I stood out as she locked the house grumbling something about her scholarship fading before her eyes.
I stood freshly showered and clothed in full sleeved polo that Noah had left during his stay in the guest room, and also enjoyed buttery breakfast.
But it costs us two classes, apparently it was a big deal.
The Asian neighbor opposite the fence glared at us as he watered his plants.
"Looks like someone is having a bad day" I spoke expecting no one to answer.
"That's because he had a drunk teenager puke over his garden last night" Elaine smirks as another wave of memory washed over.
"Shit"
***
The day passes as I successfully manage to stay calm in class. Height of peculiarity was I noticed that almost every member from the so called clique including Tyler skipped the day.
By the end and during the last period which was history, I was edgy. Something was not right.
Elaine was not in the class.
She wasn't replying to my messages or calls.
Without a delay, I was scrolling over my contacts for April and Aiden. Then remembered I had their name saved under pest 1 and pest 2.
As soon as the class ended all three of us rushed to look for her in different wings. The ill-feeling intensified as time passed and the corridor became empty. Aiden and April met me where we parted, at the center hall.
"She's not in school, we checked" Aiden huffed a response as he came near.
Even April appeared concerned.
"Alex" someone hollered as the flapping of shoes followed it hurriedly.
Shifting I saw Tyler, his jersey clinging to him soaked in sweat.
Then all I saw was red.
I wrapped my clutch around his collar, he was way bulkier and built than me, but right now even his eyes widened with dread.
"Where is she?" I growled.
"Dude we need to get there soon. Jace has her" that was the last word I heard him say before my fist collided against his jaw.
***