Chapter Ten

"So disgusting," Kaitlyn commented the moment Elowen and Philip walked in. "Who would have thought that Philip would be hand in hand with a black. Knowing your father hates anyone darker than he is."

Right off the bat, Elowen knew Kaitlyn was drunk. She's only seen her this way once before and that was when Philip asked her out on their last date in February. she spoke her mind the whole time. even confessed to Elowen that Philip left her the moment he got what he wanted from her. And that's an A in physics.

Elowen loved hearing Kaitlyn talk trash. It exposed who she really was and she also exposed her friends.

Philip shook his head and lightly pulled Elowen deeper into the house. She followed behind him like a puppy until they were in the kitchen where most of the party was.

Everyone looked at them with smiles. Even a girl with deep red tipped hair. Elowen assumed that was Jane and waved. "Thanks for inviting us."

Jane brushed strands of her shoulder length hair out of her face and gave Elowen a hug. "I show love around here. Waving and formal shit is awkward. Now come sit. We were just rolling."

She listened and sat right next to Philip who looked eager to finally get some relief in his life. Jane moved her fingers around the brown stick like a pro. within a minute she was done and had already lit it.

"Pass it on. Let Elowen try." Cindy held it out for her but she waved it away. "What?"

"I'm straight. I don't do that or drink."

Cindy looked at Philip and he nodded to confirm it. "Already tried to get her to drink a bit of whiskey. She almost threw up." He took a puff and passed it to Joey. "What's happenin' with Kaitlyn. She's been so weird lately," he spoke with smoke coming out of his nose. "In there alone and drunk."

"I don't know. Then again I do." Jane's eyes trailed up and down Elowen as she took a sip from her spiked beverage. "You two going steady?" Philip shook his head. "Why not? You aren't screwing anyone else yeah?" Philip disagreed to that too. "Then what the hell!"

"I know!" Joey chimed in. "I've been telling the little bastard to go ahead and ask it. But he keeps saying "my old man this" and "my old man that" but at the end of the day. If you're fucking happy with her then do what your heart wants."

Elowen blushed as she watched Philip genuinely take in Joey's words. She continued to massage his head as he rubbed his temples from thinking so hard. "It's okay," she whispered in his ear. "It's your call."

"I know," he whispered back with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"Are you happy with her?" Joey asked.

"Yeah. You know I am."

"Then?" No one said anything else. All eyes were on Philip as he took a sip of Cindy's drink. It sparked a small amount of anger in Elowen but she knew there was a time and a place to react.

Kaitlyn stumbled in with an empty cup and long hair covering her face. She was laughing to herself and used her hands to guide her to a seat. "I smell joy," she lazily moved her hair and smiled at the blunt. "You guys should have told me. I was finger poppin' all on my own. Poor Elvis would be sad to know he only had one fan."

Elowen looked away when Kaitlyn made steady eye contact with her. She also didn't want her saying anything hurtful so she removed her hands completely from Philip's hair to avoid confrontation.

"I gotta go piss." Philip hopped off his stool and went down a hallway. Elowen started to go with him but that would only leave room for more mess.

"So, Elowen." Cindy started. "Tell us about you and Philip. Besides the making out and looking absolutely delicious. How is he in bed?"

She began to choke on air which made the table go into an uproar. Their laughing only made her nervous since she might have just exposed herself. "We haven't... we never-"

"Don't lie! Philip doesn't just stick around with someone cause they look choice. If that was the case, he would have still been with me and never looked your way," Kaitlyn practically screamed. "Now tell us cause the whole school is assuming. The slam book went around and someone put a voting in there."

Cindy giggled. "I saw that! I chose that you two were cute."

"Huh?" Elowen gasped. "What did the voting say?"

"If you two were a good couple," Joey answered. "I'm not sure what the final vote was but I read right past it. You guys are cute one day and ugly the next."

It hurt elowen to hear that. But all she wanted to know is if people like them together or still think a black girl and white boy trying to make a relationship work is just gross.

By that time, Philip returned and Elowen realized she did a good job at not answering their intimate questions. But of course that wasn't good enough for Kaitlyn. Now since the table was full, her mouth ran wild.

"She been flappin her lips the whole time?" Philip, slumped over and looking tired, asked. "I need more booze. Get me a beer Elo."

"I'll get it." Jane jumped away quickly while giving Elowen a soft smile.

"God! Just tell us! I know you two are fucking! Philip and I did it within the first week!"

"Once, for a grade," he mumbled.

Elowen sat up and took a good look at the girls that surrounded her.

Before she met Cindy, Philip told her she was dark in the soul and the worst person he's ever unfriended. Then there is Kaitlyn, he was pretty honest about her. Loud mouth, devious and kept a frown when no one was looking. As for Jane, he's never told her about Jane. She began to think back as to why.

Kaitlyn said he went over her house last week and the only logical reason for that was because they really were doing homework or he's cheating on her. The feeling Elowen got when Philip shared a drink with Cindy grew stronger by the second.

"Elowen and I can't get along for more than two hours. If we did do what you think we did then we'd both be dead." He took a big sip of Cindy's drink as Elowen sat in disbelief. Before he could take another sip, she slapped the cup across the table. "See," he stared at Kaitlyn plainly before turning to Elowen. "What's your bag? You're seriously gonna do this in front of them? 'Cause we already know how it ends!"

"How could you drink after her! You're such a skuzz! You brought me to the house of the girl your fucking just so I can meet the girls you used to do it with!"

Everyone sat quietly as they waited for Philip to explain himself. "You're thick in the head if you think I'd ever do anything with Jane! I used to date her but she was such a bitch I had to move on!" Jane laughed at that. "You think you know everything but you don't. So sit down and shut your fucking face!"

"You said Cindy was a bitch too but she's actually sweet! Maybe you're the bitch!"

Elowen saw Philip's eye twitch and she knew she hit a nerve. But she was too mad to apologize and too sad to feel bad for anyone but herself.

"What'd you say? What the fuck did you call me?" He stepped closer to her causing Jane to get out of her seat.

"Oh! You can call everyone else what you want but when I call you a-"

The slap was as loud as a clap. It was also just as forceful. The strength knocked Elowen off her feet and she collapsed onto the floor. Her hands immediately applied pressure to her cheek as the tingling and burning sensation spread to the entire right side of her face.

Her ear was ringing and the tears from her eyes were hot. She heard one of the girls screaming at Philip while helping her to her feet but Elowen felt stuck.

She blinked and her fuzzy vision was gone. Cindy was in her face with a cold and unopened beer. Kaitlyn was in the back trying to get a good look at the action. The cold felt amazing on her face.

"Get up baby. Just get up and dust it off." She listened to Jane's voice this time. "It's okay."

Was it?

When she was up and on her feet, she saw Joey pushing Philip out the kitchen. "I can talk to her! Let me apologize man! Just let me say- I'm sorry, Elo!"

She looked away from him and caught her balance on the chair in front of her.

"I'll take you home." Jane grabbed her keys and allowed Elowen to follow her to the back door. Cindy followed behind them and apologized for Philip's behavior although it meant nothing to Elowen. She wanted to hear it from Philip.

"Thank you," Elowen whispered when Jane buckled her in. When it got quiet, her mind began to flood with questions. "You laughed..." She started which caused Jane's eyes to leave the road for a split moment. "You laughed when he called you a bitch. I should have just... I should have just laughed too."

"No hun. You did the right thing sticking up for yourself. There's a lot you'll learn about Philip especially when you start to love him. He shows a lot of different things but..." Jane looked at Elowen with soft eyes and sighed. "But, just know you're better for him."