*Geek Boy*
"Do you have any intention of explaining to me what is going on here?"
My mother's gaze was solely focused on me. The lines of her face were harsh and her jade green eyes were icy. Her thin arms were crossed. She was still clad in her work clothes, a pinstriped grey suit and a matching tailored skirt.
I shoved a hand through my hair.
Dang, this wasn't good.
Had she just come in? And I hadn't even noticed her?
Who could blame me?
Ellie was intoxicating. The cute curves of her face, her sweet smile, her beautiful scent....
It made it hard to breathe, let alone think.
My gaze flickered to Ellie, who stood stiff, wide doe like eyes latching onto my mom.
She looked terrified.
I sighed. I wanted to rest a hand on her back, to calm her tense muscles, to tell her she had no reason to be worried.
My gaze jumped back to my mother.
I, on the other hand, was in serious trouble.
Stupid Will.
"Mom, this is Ellie." I gestured to Ellie's frozen frame. "Ellie, this is my mother."
"H-hi, nice to meet you!" Ellie held out a hand as she beamed at my mother. Despite her dazzling smile, her eyes exuded nervousness.
My mother glared at Ellie's hand in disdain till Ellie finally let it drop. Ellie's smile faltered.
"Mother," I hissed.
My mother gave Ellie a disgusted once-over, her eyes lingering on the cheerleading outfit and the exposed skin of her legs. Finally, with a revolted expression, she dismissed her, her irritated gaze falling back onto me.
"William, I would like an answer to my question."
No way was she treating Ellie like that.
Clenching my jaw, I strode over, standing between Ellie and my mother.
"I would like you to stop being unnecessarily rude to my guest."
In my head, I was murmuring comfort to Ellie.
My mother's eyes narrowed. "Pardon me? Rude?"
"Yes," I said shortly. "Rude." I crossed my arms. "As for your question, we were studying," I clipped. "I'm her tutor."
She made a sound at the back of her throat. "Tutor? And what about your own studies?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Do you have something to say?"
Her eyes narrowed further. Her gaze jumped from me to Ellie, then back. "Not in front of your guest," she spat. "But yes, we do have matters to discuss."
Foreboding slithered up my spine.
I nodded curtly.
My gaze fell on Ellie, still standing behind me. Her eyes were focused on the floor and she chewed on her bottom lip.
"Come on," I said softly.
She glanced up at me once before nodding and dropping her gaze back to the floor. I led her back to the front room.
"Wait a sec, I'll get your bag."
I shot a look at my mom's back, a mental warning for her to leave Ellie alone.
Ellie nodded as I raced up the stairs, to my room, to pick up the pink gym bag she'd brought in. My gaze fell on the notes I'd made during the session. Beneath some of my writing, was her own cursive script.
How had everything gone so wrong so fast?
I groaned. My mother just decides to step in at whatever time she sees fit and ruin everything.
Like always.
I gathered the notes and the bag and headed back downstairs.
Ellie was stood where I'd left her, her gaze still fixed on the floor tiles.
Please don't be upset.
Ellie glanced up as I came down the stairs. Her gaze jumped to her bag and she blinked rapidly. "Oh! Let me carry it!" Her small hands drifted to the strap of the bag.
I put a hand on hers, stopping her.
And, maybe, I was also enjoying the sensation of her hand beneath mine.
"It's ok, I'll carry it."
"But I'm fine with it," she protested.
I smiled. "Don't worry, I've got it."
Finally, Ellie gave up.
Throwing a last glance at my mother, I reluctantly led Ellie to the garage.
Ellie glanced around as we descended the steps to the obsidian-walled room. I weaved through the room, towards my car, opening the door of the passenger's side and ushering Ellie in.
The fruity scent that whisked through the air whenever she was in the vicinity slammed into me, snatching the breath from my lungs.
She shot me a miniscule smile, gaze tentative, as she sat down. "Thanks," she murmured.
Wow.
After a few seconds just gaping at her like a complete loser, I rapidly turned away, slamming her door behind me.
I dragged in breaths as I strode over to the back seat to put down the bag and notes. It took every ounce of concentration I had to ignore the sensation of her gaze prickling over my skin. To ignore the fact that Ellie Kent was watching me.
I had to be the luckiest guy on earth.
With my heart thudding at a million beasts per second, I clicked a button on the wall and swung onto the car seat as the garage door whirred upwards.
I risked the tiniest glance at Ellie. She was biting her lip again, a habit she had, as she stared down at her intertwined fingers. Pink danced on her cheeks.
The car was filled with her scent, intensifying with even her slightest movement. Then, for just the barest second, she glanced up at me, cerulean eyes locking on mine before she quickly glanced away and her face burned red.
Too beautiful.
I sighed.
This was going to be a long ride.
Guilt curled in my gut as we drove. Mentally, I replayed what my mother had said, how she'd treated Ellie. How poorly I'd defended her. I should have done something, anything, to make sure she didn't leave my house upset.
Good job, Will, I'm sure she likes you now that your mother basically insulted her.
I bit my tongue as my mind worked over what I could possibly say to comfort her, to return to how it was before my mother came home.
"I'm sorry about my mother," I finally blurted out.
I shot a nervous glance at Ellie, searching for a reaction.
She blinked up at me in surprise. "Don't be!" She spurted out, waving away my words. "I mean, I pretty much invaded your house, I can't blame her from being upset with me. Besides, it wasn't your fault! My mother would probably have reacted like that as well!"
My gaze searched her face, weighing her statement.
She was trying to comfort me.
I almost wanted to laugh at how useless I was.
Why are you always like this Will?
Tentatively, I reached towards the space between our seats, grasping her hand. A small gasp fell from her lips.
"I'm really sorry," I repeated softly. "Am I forgiven?"
She blushed, her face glowing a bright red as her gaze fell to her feet. "You're forgiven," she mumbled.
I felt a smile stretch onto my face. "Thank you."
Silence filled the car, only broken by the sound of our breaths. My gaze flickered back and forth between our intertwined hands, fingers entangled, and the road.
Her hands were softer than I'd ever dreamed while her fingers were miniscule in comparison to mine. They radiated warmth into my hands and were tinted red from her blush.
So cute.
I spared a glance at her. The sun sparkled on her skin and her hair, making dazzling gold lights dance throughout the car. Her cheeks still red, she bit her bottom lip as she stared intently out the window.
She was just...perfect.
No matter how many times I'd said it, I still couldn't comprehend the enigma that was Ellie Kent.
And we were holding hands. I was holding hands with Ellie Kent.
I made a poor attempt to focus on the road, attempting to ignore that fruity feminine scent and the warmth of her hand beneath mine.
A few minutes later, Ellie's voice permeated the silence. "Um, Will?"
"Yeah?"
"What does your mom do?" she asked. "I mean, like, as a job?"
My gaze leaped to her. The blush on her cheeks hadn't faded, but she'd turned to face me, those beautiful eyes latching onto my face.
I gulped nervously as I turned back to face the road.
"She, uh, manages conferences and stuff," I replied.
And stuff? Pretty articulate Will, pretty articulate.
"She does the planning for business events and organizational occasions."
I bit my lip as words poured onto my tongue, a myriad of things I wanted to tell Ellie.
Things I'd never wanted to tell anyone.
"She used to be an inspirational speaker," I whispered.
I ignored the sensation of her gaze searching my face as I stared straight ahead. My hand clenched tighter around the wheel.
"Before we came here, when I was ten, she used to travel around giving speeches to young people particularly, about how they could transform their lives and reach their goals." I pulled in a breath. "All they needed was some faith, prayer and determination."
I sighed.
"She doesn't do it anymore though."
How can you be an inspirational speaker when you've lost all your inspiration?
The weight of memories crushed my shoulders, bringing back images of who I used to be.
Who we used to be.
I felt a squeeze on my hand.
I blinked out of my daze as the memories dispelled. Ellie was peering up at me, concern etched in her features.
And, just like that, I forgot all about the past.
Relief flooded my veins, dissipating the thick lurching regret that pounded in my chest.
I squeezed her hand back, enjoying the jolts of warmth that shot up my arm in response.
Enjoying the sensation of feeling perfectly whole.
Because that was how she made me feel--like I'd never lost anything.
*
We arrived at the address Ellie had given me too soon. The house, flawless cream with a red tiled roof, featured a wraparound porch. It was bordered by perfectly trimmed flower bushes and the stone tiled driveway was decorated by colours that formed the image of a flower.
I recognised this house.
"I run past this house during my morning jog," I mused.
Ellie cleared her throat.
My gaze slid back to her, my mouth parting to ask a question. The thought vanished as soon as my eyes met hers. She was biting her lip again and peering up at me.
Almost as if I was important.
I pulled up our intertwined fingers and, without shifting my gaze from hers, I kissed the back of her hand.
I could hear her exhale of surprise shift the air. Red permeated her cheeks, making her face glow.
For a few hours, it had just been me and her.
"Thank you for coming over today," I said softly.
Her blush deepened. "T-thanks for tutoring me."
I smiled. "No need."
Inhaling one last whiff of her beautiful perfume, I stepped out of the car and strode over to her door. I held the door open for her as she stood.
Her gaze flickered between mine and the ground. She lingered for a moment. "Thanks again."
I drank in her face, her cherubim lips and lustrous lashes. "It was my pleasure."
With a last lingering glance, she turned and headed towards the house. I felt my breath abandon my lungs as I watched her beautiful frame waltz away.
She shot me a final wave before disappearing into the house.
For a few moments, I was unable to move. But, finally, I got back into my car and drove home. The entire time, Ellie was on my mind.
As I pulled back into my garage, reality began to sink in. That familiar sense of foreboding slithered through my veins as I stepped out of my car and into the house.
When I stepped into the kitchen, my mother was perched on one of the high chairs conjoined to the kitchen island. She was perfectly still, her back to me.
Tilting her arm, she pressed a cigarette to her lips before blowing out a grey plume of smoke.
"Since when do you smoke?"
Abruptly, without turning, she put out the cigarette, pressing its butt against an overflowing ash tray. One that I'd never seen before.
My mother slipped the ashtray into a compartment beneath the counter.
"Mother," I stated. "When did you start smoking?"
My mother sighed, but she still refused to face me. "Sit."
Narrowing my eyes at her, I shuffled to the space opposite her, leaning against the counter. One miniscule act of defiance.
She didn't even look at me, her eyes blank as she stared beyond my figure.
There was silence.
"What did you want to talk about?" I finally blurted out.
She sighed as she leaned back. My eyes went to her features, long and exhausted, something uncommon for who she used to be.
"Have you been attending the classes I sent you?"
I shrugged. Was that all she wanted to talk about? "Yeah, I guess."
Her face was emotionless. Or rather, it was as if it was pre-programmed, set permanently into one all despising expression. "You missed three classes this morning. In fact, there's a class right now that you are currently missing," she stated.
In my mind, I ran through this morning's events. I'd jogged from six to one, without any time to check my schedule. The thoughts of Jed and Ellie had made it difficult to think, so I'd kept jogging. I'd kept running until I couldn't think.
"Sorry."
"These classes are detrimental to your future William, it is absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable that you would miss opportunities like this." Her eyes finally met mine. "Instead of working on your future, I find you here with a scantily dressed cheerleader?"
I shifted, feeling rage pulse through my skin. "Stop talking about her like that," I snapped.
She narrowed her eyes. "In addition, last night I find out you skipped your duties at that orphanage you practically begged me to let you volunteer at to attend an unnecessary school game of all things? You also managed to miss another lecture at the University. Now, please tell me that has nothing to do with that girl."
I stiffened, crossing my arms.
"I've spoken to the Wilsons and, their daughter, Catherine is it? She apparently came home from that game she went to with you upset and alone." She watched me, as if waiting for a response. "I have raised you better than that William James Johnson. To let a young girl go out on her own in the middle of the night? To even be out at that time for unnecessary events?"
You haven't raised me at all. Not these past seven years at least.
I stayed silent.
"I would like an explanation as to why you missed your job, your lectures and your tutoring sessions these past few days."
I flexed my jaw.
Her eyes narrowed further. "William, you need to get your priorities right. If a stupid cheerleader is more important than your future, I have to question whether anything we've worked for will materialise, because you are making incredibly idiotic decisions." She paused, and her chin lifted as if weighing me up. "We've already had one failure in this family," she said, her voice low and deathly calm. "Do you plan to follow in his footsteps? Do you plan to sacrifice your entire future for a girl?"
I bristled. "Are you done?"
She didn't reply.
I turned to stride out of the kitchen.
"Also," she said.
I froze, standing in the doorway.
It couldn't get any worse, could it?
"Jed is being released from the rehabilitation centre in three weeks."
It could get worse.
It definitely could.
"He'll be staying here after he's released."
For a moment, all I could do was stand there, unable to move. Unable to even breathe. Her words reverberated in my mind, spreading ice over my limbs.
Finally, I made my way up the stairs, muscles numb.
I shut the door behind me as her words chorused through my skull.
Jed, Jed, Jed, Jed...
I wasn't sure what to feel, how to react.
In just three weeks, Jed Johnson was coming back from rehab.
In three weeks, my older brother was coming home.
Somehow, it felt like a bad omen.
***
Thank you for reading :)
Also, comment your ideas about what you think is gonna happen ;) I'd really love to hear it!
God bless
xxx
Yemi Everest