𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑢𝑠

Ch.5

📍Walking home
Elaina (1st person pov)
Friday, 3:00pm

The school day was, to put it simply, uneventful. I may or may not have smoked first thing in the morning, so I was out of it all day anyway. I didn't talk to anyone or look at anyone or notice anyone.

I was walking home painfully slow, just coming down from my high. My head hurt and I hadn't eaten. I'm walking past the Jacobs' street when I hear yelling.

I look down the street at Nate's house to see him and his dad having a screaming match in the garage. I stop and stare for a minute. One, I'm half high. Two, I'm nosy. I can't hear what they're saying, but I can tell that Nate's getting lectured.

His face looks weird. I don't know how to explain it. It just looks...different. Just when I realized this, Nate looks back at me. Directly at me. A look that I hate but know all to well. I quickly turn my head and keep walking, hoping he doesn't recognize me.

༄ ༄ ༄

I'm almost home, passing the park, when I see Cass and Maddy.

"Hey." I wave.

I, of course, expected a wave back. But they only stared and then whispered to themselves. I shouldn't take it as personally as I do. I walk away quickly as I put my AirPods in.

I guess I care what they think of me for more than other people...but so does everyone else. Whether you're their friend or not, their opinion matters the most. I mean, they're fucking Cassie and Maddy.

They didn't even say anything. They probably didn't see me...But they did.

They weren't talking about me...But they were. I know they were.

I'm overreacting.

༄ ༄ ༄

I unlock the front door and tip toe past my mom, who's passed out the couch. I trudge upstairs and drop my bag as I take off my shoes.

As you can guess, I text Elliot and Rue. This shit is like ritual now. A pen could fucking drop and I'd text Elliot and Rue.

I invite them over, and they don't have lives, so of course they're free.

༄ ༄ ༄

I let them in, sneak them past my sleeping mother, and into my room. Elliot gets a blunt from god knows where, and Rue starts pulling pills out of her sock.

"Woah woah, what the fuck?" I whisper shout.

"...what?" Elliot stops in his tracks.

"No drugs, are you crazy!? My mom's here!"

"Oh my god. Lainey she's like, dead downstairs. We'll be fine." Rue says as she goes to crush the pill.

I quickly snatch it out of her hand.

"Yo, what the fuck!?" She shouts.

"Shhh! I said no drugs guys, c'mon." I plead.

"...fine." Elliot says, putting the blunt away.

Rue puts her hands up in surrender and puts the pills back.

"Thank you." I exhale. "Now let me tell you about Nate."

"You texted us about it." Rue says.

"No, something else happened."

"Again?" Elliot cocks his head.

"Yes. When I walk home, I see his street. Like, I don't go down it, but I pass it. Enough to where I can see his house."

"Mhm." Rue nods.

"So I was walking past it, and I heard yelling. I look down his street and his dad is fucking screaming at him. I mean, finger in his face and all." I tell, "I'm pretty sure Nate saw me so I booked it but-"

"He saw you??" Elliot interrupts.

"I mean, I think so. We made eye contact and it was kinda scary as shit."

"Your life is fuckin crazy." Rue hums as she lays back.