Elaine
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"For the eight time yes, I am fine. I'll probably watch some movies and eat a lot before crashing the bed. You need to get going" I assured her, helping her into the beige over coat.
"I can't believe they're making me work even on Christmas night. This is absurd" infuriatingly she slipped on her Magenta green heels, balancing her work case on her arms.
"What can I say? The town is not getting over the best designer this place has to offer"i smile as she pulls me into a warm hug.
"I am so sorry honey; I know I promised to be here, celebrate the night with you" Diana's voice cracks at the end as I return the hug.
"No crocodile tears please, you are going to ruin my dress" lighting up the mood with a high pitched and annoyed tone I blurt out, making her laugh in return. Probably recalling the kind of common customer likewise she deals with.
She plants a hasty kiss on my cheeks and urgently strides to her car. I Wave a bye as the vehicle pulls off the drive way.
As soon as she's out of my sight a loud sigh escapes my lips, my shoulders falling in defeat, feeling lonelier than ever before.
I walk back to the living room gathering some fresh treat for brave and sliding the bowl towards his eager awaiting wagging tongue to devour it, I fall upon the couch, bouncing it like a kid.
"So I guess it's just you and me huh?"
He ignores my attempts to strike a conversation as he happily chews on his juicy bones.
Pouting I switch on the Netflix, to play some Christmas movie. In between I traded the white floral strapless dress that Diana had gifted me to a long sleeved maroon sweater which fell to my knees, pairing it with some black leggings.
Even going as far as to don a Christmas beanie, the one that comes with white snowball wreath on top.
Halfway through the film I found myself stalking over unofficial school's facebook page. Yes, I have a social media account now. Surprising, what two month of insanity can do to an intellectual person.
There were outrageous response and disbelieve on the occasion of Tyler Wren turning his status to in Relationship. Which was not a bit startling as the whole school practically witnessed him and Melissa eating each other's face every day.
Subsequent to the event of the certain three students relinquishing their educational priorities quarter into the year, the school resumed back to worshipping the old popular group or what was left of it.
Tyler, David, Melissa were the 'it' group everyone followed or talked about. As for me, I was more than elated to have people out of my hairs.
The winter semester ended two days back and for past two days I had been doing nothing but staring at my white ceiling or stuffing my face with calories.
It was like a reticent agreement between the physical nerves on my body with the curious sensors of my brain cells to fall in an active mode of hibernation.
That is until Diana proposed the prospect of cooking for Christmas dinner did my ears perked up. We were in the middle of our mouthwatering meal did she got the emergency call with no niche for excuses.
I haven't met Ashley in days, may be almost a month. After the disastrous hallowing party which I still kick the memory off my brains when it subconsciously crawls up, hurting my pathetic self in the process I avoided everything and place that ever had anything to do with him.
But after a weak I mustered up the courage to go and deal with Brysons professionally only to be declined with a sweet smile by Mr. Bryson who had returned from his project in Alabama that took him six month on whole, he was now perfectly capable of taking care of his wife and baby girl.
So in short I had no job, no motivation and absolutely no life.
Well except for the days when Nathan and Noah drags me out with them. As for Nathan, after getting beaten to pulp he did have a few questions. I filled him about the tale which involved a new boy in school and something we had that we thought was little more than friendship. Minus the part involving the twins and possible threat that loomed upon them.
At first he expressed his disbelief over the fact of Alex white even being capable of feeling sense called emotions. Then he was skeptical about his survival in a public school for not four days but four months. Later he was curious until he realized he wasn't getting anymore of details from me so he finally decided to let go of the topic.
As for me, I spent nights feeling flustered and angry at myself for letting him walk over me as if I was worthless piece of trash that he thought was valuable for a period due to illusions he presumed.
But as days passed I was determined and satisfied to the core that fretting about a jerk who I won't be seeing again was nothing but scratching over the healing wounds. He was out of my life for good.
Suddenly the doorbell rang stretching me out of my little monologue that I had been repeating to myself at least once in a day, but to no avail it helped me calm down my nerves.
"Merry Christmas El, would you like to have some sodas, and pizza's with cheese enough on your system to last for a week?" rooted to the ground my grasp still on the knob I watched Nathan bring in the above mentioned edibles like a professional waiter. All while ignoring me as I kept the door a jar for him to carry out the task.
He delicately places them at the coffee table and plops down on the couch turning his head to acknowledge me for the first time, supporting an unnatural grin.
Closing the door, I look back at him. Crossing my arms across my chest with a query filled eyebrow raised.
"What was the fight about this time?"
His enthusiastic shoulder sagged and the smile evaporated.
"Same old, responsibilities and family heritage blah blah shit" muttering he resumed the movie as I walked and sat beside him.
"Have you ever like actually purposed them with a brief idea about your plans and dreams?" he gave me a blank look to which I added "that is if you have any."
"They don't want to hear anything other than me accepting to take over the hospital. Why even bother trying when I leave after new year" he says popping in a popcorn kernel as I bit my lips processing what he said.
"You are leaving?" I didn't bother hiding the annoyance. Why was I troubled again? Yes, you are a loner and once he leaves you'll become an official one. Congratulations.
"I am eighteen El,I have a job' and I don't think my parents would appreciate a day more of my presence at their resident if I am not going to apply to their terms". I nodded as if I was optimistically contemplating his reasoning, but my mind was elsewhere, it still felt the hollow pity of possible parting with such an annoying yet good friend one could ever ask for.
"Are you alright?" he asked frowning.
"Yeah," I lied.
He watched me with a calculative gaze and as if he solved something complex his features perked up as he smirked.
"Are you sad that I am leaving?"
"What?" I scoff, doing my best to appear nonchalant.
He shifted near me and teasingly nudge his shoulder against mine.
"you are so going to miss me"
"You wish" I huffed in response, But his next words had me puzzled yet knocked some sense into my stubborn head.
"It's okay to miss someone El, it doesn't make you weak. instead it's a sign that you are strong enough to part with them just for the sake of their happiness" ruffling my bangs he pinched my cheeks. He had been doing it since I decided to have a layer of hair curtain my fore head. It was suppose to make me look old, but according to him it did the exact opposite.
"you aren't talking about yourself are you?" I said slapping his hands away from kneading my cheeks. It was obvious that he was pointing it to the conversation we had few days back when I said I'll move away the day I turn eighteen. He probably thinks I want to do it to provide Diana some personal space. But for once I was glad he choose not to pry deep or decipher my plans. The less amount of people knows about it, the better.
"Let's eat before the pizza gets cold" successfully wheeling the conversation away from the sensitive topic we chewed on our slices in respectable silence, even though I had dinner like two hours ago, denying to devour a pizza was sin in my eyes.
Suddenly there was a sound of camera going off.
"You took my picture?" I narrowed my eyes at him who whistled sheepishly with his mobile still angled towards me. No doubt it was an image of me stuffing my mouth literally with food
"Now this is what I call a grown up chipmunk on his starving days" I lunge forward to snatch the phone.
"Woah easy there" he pulls it back and this goes on back and forth until I brought in a deal to take a selfie with him in which I would do my best to look humane if he deletes the previous one.
"I'll delete it, I can't trust you" he tosses me his phone rolling his eyes. I catch it with ease and frown upon when th screen askes me for password.
"whats the code?"
"Guess"
"Nope, its not opening"
"I asked you to guess, guess is not my password" he hits his knuckles softy atop of my skull when I made an realising gesture with an Oh.
"I'll give you a hint, it's a character from Marvel" he wiggled his brows while I search through the files in my memory.
"Is it iron man? Because last time I checked he was your favorite" I awaited him to say something when he simply smiled at me with his head tilted to the side.
"You remembered"
"A grown up man obsessing over Robert Downey Junior is not exactly forgettable you know" I smirk as the screen brightly flashes on.
"so you think I am a man huh?" From the corner I could feel him flexing his biceps and rewarding it an air kiss.
"Why is your password so predictable?" I ask handing him back the phone after I was done.
"I don't know, it's a silly thing but I've always feared the day when I would suddenly disappear or die leaving behind a few signs like my phone and other stuffs which only I could've access to. But I figured out that if I kept the passwords predictable it is bound to be figured out by someone really close to me. And I think the least they deserve is to have some insight over my thoughts. And unfortunately for us post millennial's we are too busy to sit down for a journal or have pental pals. Instead I always had my gadgets_" he stopped when he saw me grinning at him. I don't know what made the stretch on my face to be so genuine that it seem to automatically effect his mood as well as he mirrored my actions.
"I know it sounds crazy"
"No, it's thoughtful really" I said shaking my head, but all of a sudden the my body froze. The sole of my feet rooted to the ground, as a segment of what he said involuntarily was grasped by my mind comprehensively.
"Predictable enough for the close one's to figure out" I muttered as I slowly got up. Repeating the above realization again and again softly under my breath.
"El?" Ignoring his protest I heard my feet slapping the floor board rapidly as I walked upstairs to my room, another sound followed me but I was too engrossed to explain or care of anyone's presence.
"What are you looking for?" His question hung unanswered on the air as I shuffled through the drawers immediately once I entered , when I finally touched the cold metallic texture of the drive I stiffened.
plugging the drive to the laptop I waited. Each second felt like eternity till the page flashed across the monitor.
"What is it?" Nathan's tentative gaze scrutinized me from behind the seat I sat in. His posture inclined as one hand gripped the armrest of my seat and other on the desk, both of our face staring straight at the monitor. Too close but for practical purpose.
Seeing no way out of this I gradually found myself opening to him about the past events that led me to find out the true nature of the pendant that I had been wearing for four years straight expecting it to be an ornament of attraction, To the maximum three alternative trails for the password and everything I did to unlock the files in between.
"Are you sure about this one? This is your last chance. You do realize it will self destruct the media or whatever there's in it if this goes onto state error" Nathan who has been listening to me with creases on his forehead and taking all in without much questions purposed when I had told him I already failed with two attempts with my dads common numerical password and my own name. This was the last strike.
"I don't think I have a better trace or pointer" Licking my dry lips i took a shaky breath.
"El?"
"Yes"
"You are trembling"
Indeed I was, my palms were sweaty as they hovered above the keyboards, having a hard time keeping it from shaking.
"Let me" he slides the board towards his side as I nod. I don't think I will be able to do it myself.
"Word?" He asks confidently.
I provide him with the term I theorised. Uncertain but hopeful as much as I could ever be.
When he punches in each alphabet I felt my heart shuddering into extreme pace of apprehension.
When he clicks enter a small green bar appears beneath the code slot and lethargically swims from left to right. Similar to the way it did for the past two times.
With each heavy second I gave up a little more, the reveries decapitating slowly within me.
But all of a sudden the alien ring of soft tone graces my ears followed by an image of folder on screen
It worked.
My throat constricts with unknown emotion as I smile with tears pooling over my vision. The overwhelming sense of success overpowered the dread of what the contents inside could lead me to.
I thought back to the day what Mom had said when she sat by my side playing with the pendant at the park as I read a book.
You know Elzi, this is probably the only thing your dad gifted me which doesn't comprise of his favorite colour.
I chuckle at the way he had discreetly founded a way with it.
The word itself being the the core to open his gift.
The password,
White.
***