BEAUTIFUL MONSTER

21 : The Cold Friend

"Ellie," I called out as I walked into her room. She was sitting down at her computer desk, typing. "Can I ask you something?"

She glanced over, a bored look on her face. "Sure, what's up?"

"You know the diary you gave me, why did you--?"

"Wait, what? What diary?" She interrupted, turning around, perplexed.

"Er, the one you gave me for my birthday?" I waved the red, velvet-covered book in the air. "I was wondering why you--"

"I didn't give you that."

"What?" I stared at her and demanded. "What do you mean you didn't give it?!"

She rolled her eyes. "I gave you The Ultimate Joke Book, not a diary. Why would I give you a diary?"

My hand trembled and I looked at the diary, flipping it open to where it said the message 'Happy birthday, Bea!

Got you this so you can write out your teenage bullshit drama, use it well! ;) xoxo Ellie.' I felt my eyes glaze over as I looked at it and I blinked; wasn't that Ellie's handwriting? It sure looked like it.

"Are you sure?" I pressed urgently. "I mean, I know you gave me this. I unwrapped it and everything."

"Someone else must have given you that, because I didn't. What did you want to ask about it anyway?"

"Uh, nothing, nothing," I shook my head, turning around and leaving her room. "J-just forget it."

"Weirdo," her mutter followed me back to my room. I paced my bedroom, going back and forth. Did Deacon give me the diary? He must've. I mean, he was the one who said those words earlier on. But how on earth did he get Ellie to give it to me? If he...if he manipulated...I went back to Ellie, barging in. "You're not crazy, Ellie. The man in your dreams is real and I believe you. You can tell me, you do know that, don't you?"

"Uh," she looked utterly confused, giving me a weird look and saying slowly. "I know Channing Tatum is real...is this some sort of prank?"

I swallowed, rubbing my face as conflicted and complicated thoughts ran dizzying circles in my head. "I don't - ugh, I wish I could tell you!" I barged back out, grabbing my jacket from my room and shouting. "I'll be back later!"

As I made my way to the Piano, Deacon's confession slipped and stumbled over and over again in my mind. I felt confused over whether he was being serious and telling the truth or whether he was messing with my mind again and lying. Did he really like me? Some part of me thought he did while the other wasn't so sure...

I sat opposite Ross, next to Ali. "Where have you been, princess?" Ross asked in an annoyingly high pitched voice. "My, you've grown,"

"Quit it," I sighed, looking around.

"Hey, I'm just curious. I haven't seen you since that fit you had at your party...what had happened to you that day, by the way? You went crazy."

Ali agreed and I shuffled in my seat uncomfortably and did a slow shrug. "I don't know. I was drunk, I guess,"

"Ha," Ross snorted. "With what? Your Mum didn't even let us have Coke."

"Orange juice," Ali sniggered.

"You're hilarious, the pair of you," I snipped when they both laughed out loud. "Just forget about it. I was tired and...whatever."

Ross rolled his eyes. "Alright. But we're still going to have a party, an actual party this time--"

I interrupted him, standing up. "Yeah, I think I'm going to have a rain check on that."

"Where are you going?" Ali asked as I walked off. I waved behind me, before sitting down with Ajax.