Chapter five | Ladder Climbing

Chapter five | Ladder Climbing

Returning from the shopping trip with Cynthia, I buried myself in the room for the rest of the evening. My eyes counted the stars as my mind replayed the events.

We were awkward, really awkward with each other.

I placed the bags on the bed and stared at them for a moment. An odd feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, making me feel queasy. I felt a heavy weight on my heart as if I just did something wrong.

I shook my head at the absurdity of my thoughts and averted my eyes.

My thoughts came to a sudden halt as a knock resounded in my room.

"Eli, dinner is ready," I heard my dad say. Soon, the patter of his steps receded.

Sighing, I got up from the bed and ran a hand through my hair. My bare feet gave a dull thump against the carpeted floor as I ran downstairs.

Dad was setting the plates up as mom leaned over the pot.

I swirled my fork between the meatball and spaghetti as I thought about my next words.

"Uh, Dad?" I called out, uncertainty clear in my voice.

He looked up from the plate where he was vacuuming the food. Finishing his bite, he licked his lips. "Yes?"

"Can I go to a party tomorrow night?" I kept my gaze steady, waiting for an exaggerated reaction.

After my words, Mom's spoon clattered on the plate. "Pinch me, Aiden. I think I am dreaming!" she gasped in shock.

"Don't overreact Catheena," Dad muttered as he rolled eyes at mom's dramatics.

While Mom huffed, Dad turned his stern stare towards me. "Why do you want to attend a party? Last time you went one was freshman year, and after that, you said it was not your scene."

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly while I played with food on my plate. "It is senior year, so I might as well enjoy the last year of high school," I offered an explanation.

Mom grinned at my reply while dad scrutinized my expression. He once again leaned over his plate and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't drink and drive and don't do any drugs." My eyes bugged out at his statement. "Try to be back by 2... Oh, and don't forget your keys. I will not be waking up at odd hours to open the door. Most importantly, stay safe and enjoy."

"Don't forget about condoms! I am too young to be a grandmother yet," Mom pipped in, making me choke on thin air.

Both of them laughed at my expense as I nearly coughed my lungs out.

The following morning I stared at the contents of the shopping bags that I had shoved in my closet yesterday.

Pulling on a dark blue t-shirt (What? Blue is my favorite color), I pulled my regular jeans up my legs. I grabbed my bag and my phone, along with the charger, and ran down the stairs.

Quickly grabbing a Nutella toast for breakfast, I rushed out the door before Dad could say anything.

Leaning against my car, the sight of Cynthia scrolling through her phone was the first thing that greeted me.

"What are you doing here?" I blurted through a mouthful.

She looked up from her phone and gave me an amused look. "Good Morning, Eli," she mocked with a saccharine-sweet smile. "I am going to school with you." She tapped the hood of my car.

My brows furrowed as I looked towards her car in her driveway. "What happened to your car?" I asked.

"Nothing happened," she said, dismissing my guess.

My eyes turned towards her amused ones. "Then?" I inquired, genuinely confused.

"First, carpooling is good for the planet," she said, wildly gesturing with her hands. "And second, you will gain attention when I step out of your car. Now come on, open the door."

I unlocked the car and moved towards the driver's side. As I settled in, she threw her bag along with mine in the back seat.

As I drove towards the school, she stared at my side profile. Stopping on a red light, I turned towards her and gave her a questioning look.

"This dark blue t-shirt looks good on you. It goes well with your eyes," she complimented, making my ears burn.

I muttered a small thanks under my breath. Once again, silence prevailed.

"Tell me more about yourself, Eli," she said with a smile, sporting a genuinely intrigued look.

I turned my eyes towards the road as the light turned green. "It is Elias," I muttered under my breath. She just grinned wider in response.

After a few seconds, I opened my mouth.

"I like ice-cream and blue is my favorite color, with green coming next. You?" I gave her a quick look from the corner of my eyes.

"Hmm... I like ice-cream too, and my favorite color is white with gray coming up next."

Silent followed momentarily. "Favorite movie?" I asked hesitantly, not sure if I was stepping on her toes.

I had heard various rumors about her short temper and private nature. While I am not one to give those rumors much heed, I couldn't help but feel cautious even for asking such a minor question.

She was silent for a minute. I almost assumed she had ignored me until she suddenly spoke up. "It is never constant because there are too many amazing films. If talking about the latest, then it is Avengers: Endgame."

Shocked, I gave her a brief glance. "You are a Marvel fan too?" I was sure my eyes were bright with excitement.

Before she could reply, we had entered the school premises. Sighing, I unbuckled and grabbed my bag as she did the same. I stepped out of the car, and nobody noticed.

But when she did, I could feel the eyes turn our way. For a second, shocked silence floated through the air, but whispers followed soon. I felt unease crawl up my skin. Suddenly being under the attention of students' scrutiny was not something I could ignore.

I quickly slung my bag on and made my way towards the door.

I jumped as I felt a hand on my arm. I quickly turned around and shied away from Cynthia's touch. Cynthia gave me an easygoing smile, making me feel a little better. She was seemingly unaffected by the stares.

"See you at lunch?" she asked in a gentle voice.

Understanding her intentions, I simply nodded. Happy with my response, she went away her merry way, leaving me alone in front of the school doors.

Feeling a bit nervous with all the attention, I ran a hand through my hair.

Just as I pushed past the school doors, a feminine arm slung around my shoulders.

"What was that?" Navya questioned with shock lacing her words. "Why did Cynthia fucking Crimson talk to you and invite you for lunch?"

I tried to ignore her and kept my silence. Grabbing my shoulders, she stopped me in the middle of the hallway. Her dark brown eyes were wide like saucers (maybe an exaggeration) and mouth twisted in a scowl.

"Tell me!" she demanded.

My shoulders sagged, and I looked at the people surrounding us. Some of them had stopped and started to stare, waiting for my answer. "I will tell you later, not now."

She faced twisted in disapproval, and she was going to say something when Connor showed up. I sighed in relief at my best friend's timely intervention.

"Why are you badgering my best friend?" Connor said with an affable grin on his face. "If glares could kill, he would have been six feet under twenty times by now."

She turned and glared at him for his comment.

"Uh, I need to go," I rushed out and moved away from them. Slipping between a crowd of students, I made my way into the class.

This entire experience too overwhelmed me. Now all I wanted to do was bury myself in the book, hiding away in a corner.

Correct to Cynthia's words, I had managed to gain attention from the morning move. Wherever I go, whispers seem to follow me around.

One guy was even audacious enough to ask if I was fucking Cynthia. I nearly punched him in the face when he asked if she was a good lay or not. But thankfully, Navya dragged me away before that.

The rumors and stares started going missing by the time lunch came around. I was thankful for it because it was mentally exhausting to try and ignore the prying eyes.

Settling on the regular table, I placed my bag next to Connor's. I got into the line for lunch and grabbed a packet of chips and a juice bottle from there. I know it was not good enough, but it was the only packed food available. The unpacked food was simply out of the question.

"Did you finally get laid?" Connor asked me just as I took a seat.

I was thankful that I wasn't eating anything, or I surely would have choked on it (and maybe died).

"What?" I spat, feeling flabbergasted.

"I heard some girls talking about you fucking Cynthia. So, tell me, Elias Rodriguez, did you finally lose your V-card?" He wiggled his eyebrows in question, a wide shit-eating grin on his face.

Before I could reply, Navya smacked him on the back of his head, making him wince. "Stop annoying him," she hissed.

"Baby, you should have told me you were in that kind of play," he said with amusement dancing in his eyes.

Once again, she smacked him over his head, making me wince with the sheer force she used.

"Can I take this seat?" I heard a familiar voice ask. Looking up, I saw Cynthia looking down at me with amusement. I felt myself nod involuntarily.

My eyes widened, and my face turned warm when I noticed Andrea standing behind her. Connor let out a choked snicker next to me, making both Navya and I glare at him.

The loud scraping noise of chairs along the old cement floor made me register the silence in the room. We were under the scrutiny of the whole cafeteria as both the girls took their seats.

Once again, the overwhelming sensation pricked my skin, making my palms sweat profusely.

"Don't freak out." I felt Cynthia whisper near my ear, as the flutter of her breath touched my neck. I gulped and turned my eyes towards her.

"Well, sorry for not being used to the spotlight. Unlike you, I wasn't born with queen bee genes," I hissed, leaning closer to her face.

She just cracked a smile at my retort and leaned away from my face. It just made me realize how close we were a moment ago.

"Hey, Elias!" Andrea said with a cheery tone. The smile on her face brightened her features, making her black eyes glow.

"Hey," I said in what I assumed was a confident voice. Suddenly, my heart thudded faster for another reason altogether.

"Why are you guys sitting here?" A very annoying voice asked as he leaned down and pecked Andrea's lips.

I gritted my teeth and pinned my eyes on Jacob. While Andreas gave him a genuine smile, Cynthia and I ignored his presence.

"Cyn wanted to sit here with these guys. I joined in because our normal table tends to get suffocating sometimes."

Jacob scrunched up his nose in distaste and looked at Cynthia. "I am going back to my table," Jacob announced, staring deep into Cynthia's eyes, even if he directed the words towards Andrea.

Andrea shrugged in response but stared at his retreating form with a look of longing.

Cynthia got up on her spot and leaned forward on the table. "Hi! I am Cynthia. You are?" she greeted, moving her hand towards Navya.

Even if I was ninety percent sure that she knew Navya and Connor, I kept my silence, giving Andrea a brief look.

"I-I am Navya," she replied uncertainly, looking around the table. Cynthia nodded in approval and turned towards Connor with a quizzical look.

"Soccer team," she concluded, making Connor nod.

Cynthia huffed in response and sat down on her chair. "Anyway, you guys need to attend the party with Eli. No excuses allowed."

Connor tugged me to his side, bringing his mouth closer to my ear.

"You are going to a party? How did that happen?" he whisper yelled.

***

Question of the day: Do you listen to EDMs?