ELIAS' POINT OF VIEW
*****
"Aww, look at them! They're adorable," a gentle coo caused me to stir in my sleep.
Malcolm, I groaned in my head, immediately wanting to bash his head.
A bright flash suddenly went off.
"Are you seriously taking pictures?" the voice of Andre scolded. "Cool it, you're gonna wake them up!"
"Too late," I growled, squinting my eyes open.
I was immediately met with the faces of dumb and dumber, Andre and Malcolm.
"Good morning, Ellie," Malcolm beamed, taking another photo. The bright flash caused me to recoil, and I made a swipe at the phone in his hand. Lucky for him, he'd backed away fast enough.
I'd almost gotten up to chase him, but thought better of it when I glanced down at the girl resting in my arms. My breath slightly hitched. Wow, I could wake up to the sight of this every day.
Daisy Johnson. A true enigma, that was for certain.
My little siblings had fallen asleep during the movie, and so I'd carried them up to their rooms before heading back downstairs. However, Daisy and I must've dozed off at some point without even realizing.
I'd never seen her look this peaceful. Frustration and anger seemed to be her more dominant emotions when I was around. Couldn't blame herâthe two of us had a certain way of sparking fury within each other.
For a moment, I merely remained still, taking in the sight of her. Her clear, dark brown skin being illuminated by the ray of sunshine that beamed through the windows. Her big, curly hair that framed her heart shaped face. Her soft, plump lips parted open just a smidge as she gently breathed. Her short, wide nose centred perfectly on her face. Her soft, evenly symmetrical eyebrows relaxed just above her doe eyes. God, she was so beautiful, and what was worse was that she didn't even know it.
I was disturbed when another flash went off.
"Take a picture, Ellie, it'll last longer," Malcolm cackled.
"Fuck off," I snapped, dismayed by the fact that he'd clearly caught me lacking. "And you're not allowed to call me Ellie."
"But you let D call you that," Malcolm immaturely pouted.
D? My right eye twitched. How dare he use my nickname for her?
"You're not allowed to call her that, either," I demanded.
"What the duck!" Malcolm exclaimed.
"Duck?" Andre quirked a brow.
"Well, I can't exactly cuss, there's children here," he gestured towards Daisy, who was sound asleep.
"She's a week older than you," I deadpanned.
"Tomato tomato," Malcolm huffed. "It's not fair! Elias gets to call her D, and Andre's started calling her Flower. What can I call her?"
"Maybe my name?" Daisy suggested.
We all snapped our heads towards her. Her voice was soft and slightly raspy from having just woken up. It was precious. She was precious.
The heat of her small body immediately disappeared from me as she sat up on the couch. I found myself yearning for her to lie down once more, though of course, I would never voice these desires.
She glanced back at me, looking slightly disoriented. I could tell she was wondering when Malcolm and Andre had gotten here. I, myself, didn't know the answer to that, although I was certain the two bozos had merely let themselves in. The lovely perks of having two best friends who know no boundaries. I normally wouldn't mind, as the three of us were sort of a package deal. However, they'd just awoken me from the best sleep I'd had in ages, so I was entitled to at least a bit of annoyance.
"Your name's boring," Malcolm replied to Daisy's earlier suggestion.
"Hey!" she exclaimed in indignation.
Andre chuckled. "Face it, Malcolm. You're not smart enough to think of a nickname for our beloved Daisy."
"Exactly," I smirked.
Malcolm narrowed his blue eyes at me. "Hey, don't act all clever. All you did was take the first letter of her name. Kind of lazy, if you ask me."
I flipped him off. He returned the gesture before glancing at Daisy promisingly.
"Don't you worry, Daisy. I promise I'll come up with a new nickname for you by the end of this week!" he beamed.
Daisy giggled at his antics. The sound was like music to my ears. "Whatever you say, Malcolm," she said in amusement.
"Moving on," Malcolm redirected, "you guys had a slumber party without me?"
"It wasn't a slumber parâ"
"Why doesn't anyone invite me to things!" Malcolm dramatically cried, falling on the couch in between Daisy and me. "Do you guys not love me anymore?"
"I mean, we never did in the first plaâ"
Daisy reached over to hit me in the stomach before facing Malcolm warmly. "Of course we love you, Malcolm. We didn't plan to have a sleepover or anything. Next time we do though, we'll be sure to invite you."
Malcolm wiped at fake tears before reaching over to hug her. "Thank you, my love! I always knew you were my favorite."
He planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
"Malcolm!" Daisy squealed in amusement while crinkling her nose.
For some odd reason, watching the pair of them caused a strange feeling to form in my stomach.
"Alright," I quickly stood up from my seat, "I'm gonna whip us up some breakfast."
"Yeah, you do that, butler," Malcolm lazily waved me off. "Don't forget, no eggsâI'm allergic."
"Eggs it is," I said. "Scrambled or fried?"
"Scrambled," Daisy and Andre hollered back in sync.
"What the duck?" Malcolm flailed his arms.
We all ignored him, causing me to smirk before heading over to the kitchen.
*****
"Wow, Ellie, you're an amazing cook. I haven't had a breakfast like that in ages," Daisy slumped over in her chair with a content smile.
Despite the compliment, I found myself frowning at her words. I haven't had a breakfast like that in ages. It was no secret that Daisy was financially struggling. She attempted to hide it from everyone, but of course, I knew better. Frankly, I'd cook breakfast for her a million times over if it meant I got to see that smile.
"Hear hear," Malcolm mumbled through a mouthful of pancakes. "Speaking of breakfast, Elias, when's your next fight?"
"How does that even correlate?" Andre questioned.
By now, I knew better than to question Malcolm's weird thought process, and so I briefly answered the question. "It's next Saturday. I'm going up against Ivan Petrov."
"Shit, that big Russian guy?" Malcolm winced.
"Yes," I said, unphased.
"He's never lost a match, y'know," Andre pointed out.
"Neither have I," I coolly replied, "and I'll be damned to let this be the first."
"Can I watch the fight?" Daisy asked.
"Not a chance, D."
"I don't think so, Flower."
"Of course."
We all glanced at Malcolm, stunned by his agreement. He merely shrugged. "Might as well let her come. She's gonna follow us like the little stalker she is anyways. Hey, maybe that can be my new nickname for youâstalker!"
"Hard pass," Daisy cringed. "But, yeah, what Malcolm said. It's either you bring me with you, or I find my own way there."
We slightly glared at each other. I cursed her and her stubbornnessâshe was the only person that dared to challenge me. I couldn't decide if I loved it or hated it.
"Fine, but you better not distract me like you did last time," I gruffly murmured.
She laughed, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. I wondered why. Was the topic of fighting sensitive to her? If so, why?
I was prevented from asking anything when Malcolm changed the subject, successfully distracting all of us. And so, there the four of us were, surrounded by the table, chattering about whatever came to our minds and laughing our heads off. It felt strange to let loose, even for just a moment.
"Wow, I missed this," Malcolm sighed after a while, the smile on his face subsiding.
"Yeah, it feels like the four of us haven't hung out in ages," Andre said.
"That's because we haven't," Daisy said. "There's been a certain someone getting in the way of that."
My eyebrows slightly raised, and I sipped my black coffee in interest. Of course, I already knew exactly who Daisy was talking about. Being an observer meant I noticed certain things that others didn't.
"You don't mean Heather, do you?" Andre uncertainly asked.
"Oh, come on, aren't you supposed to be the clever one? Of course she means Heather," I rolled my eyes.
Daisy looked shocked at my outburst, although nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry, I know you guys are friends with her, but I'm done pretending like I'm okay with it. She's a horrible person, and I simply refuse to be around her."
"Hear hear," I boredly droned, crossing my arms. "I, for one, saw straight through Heather, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the rest of you followed suit."
"Really?" Daisy raised her eyebrows in interest. "What gave it away?"
"Lots of things, the very first being that she claimed to be deathly allergic to your cashmere sweater, and then she proceeded to wear a cashmere scarf the next day," I mused.
Daisy emitted a radiant laugh, and two identical dimples bloomed from her cheeks. The sound warmed my insides. I was glad I was able to make her feel happy, even if it was just for a moment.
"I'll be damned," Andre shook his head, his dreads moving with him. "I had no clue Heather was fake... chick had me fooled."
"I don't blame you. She has a certain way of manipulating people," Daisy shrugged. "Anyways, it's not that I hate her or anything, it's just..."
She trailed off, appearing almost embarrassed, although a willful look from me allowed her to gather the strength to continue. And so, she explained how Heather, along with the other jocks and cheerleaders, had bullied her for years. However, upon the arrival of Malcolm, Andre and I in senior year, the bullying had subsided, as we'd sort of taken her under our wing.
My hands were balled into fists by the end of her explanation. I was purely livid, although I suppose I should've noticed it sooner. I briefly recalled that when we'd first met Daisy, she'd accidentally introduced herself as Crazy.
"Wow, Daisy, I didn't know things were that bad," Malcolm was equally upset by the fact that Daisy had been treated so poorly. "How come you never said anything?"
"I didn't think it mattered," Daisy shrugged with a forced air of casualty. I frowned. Why did she always pretend like nothing was wrong?
Thinking about what she'd been through brought me sadness. It was unbelievable. How could someone look at Daisy and desire to harm a hair on her head? The same Daisy who giggled at teachers' corny jokes out of sympathy. The same Daisy who brought homemade cookies for Malcolm every week merely because he asked her to. The same Daisy who volunteered at the animal shelter twice a week. The same Daisy who smelt of vanilla with the softest hint of cinnamon. The same Daisy who scrunched her brows in this really specific way when she was concentrating on something. The same Daisy whoâ
"Right, Elias?"
I froze at Malcolm's question and peeled my eyes away from Daisy.
"Of course," I coolly replied, having no clue what I was talking about.
Malcolm sported a boyish grin, and there was a knowing look in his eyes. I looked away from him, for I knew exactly what he was trying to imply. No, it couldn't be. I refused to even entertain the thought. How could I ever? She didn't even know me, and more importantly, she didn't know what I was capable of.
*****
QOTD: airpods or headphones?
AOTD: airpods
This chapter was bit of insight into Elias' thoughts! What do you guys think? I hope you enjoyed, don't forget to vote if you did!
Today has been incredibly chaotic. My friends and I went to a party this weekend and so much drama happened. Gotta love being a teenage girl. Anyways, I'm hoping tomorrow is a snow day so I don't have to go to school.
Enough about me, how are you guys? My PMs are always open, feel free to message me if you need any advice or ever just wanna chat!
Love, Emmanuela
02/27/2023