WARM ORANGE RAYS TOUCHED Scarlet's skin as the vibrant blue sky dulled down, getting ready for the dark hours. She sat by the huge potted trees as both Rodents and Preppies shuffled along into the parking lot, some carpooling, some waving goodbye from their individual cars. They all bathed in the mellow glow of the twilight.
She would have been driving away from Zion Auditorium if it weren't for Jake's words. "After rehearsal." Scarlet didn't know what he meant by adventure after rehearsal, but she was determined to stand her ground, listen to her mother, and get a life outside of taking care of her. A pang wrecked the inside of her chest as she fought the urge to run into her car and go home, but a text message would have to do for the time being.
A chill ran through Hales Bay, picking up dust in its wake. Scarlet rubbed at her exposed arms, goosebumps rising on her skin. She tried not to mind the quick emptying of the parking lot in front of her as she waited by the auditorium entrance.
Where was Jake?
The auditorium's heavy doors opened, and she stood on her feet already smiling. When Elliot came out, her smile dropped. He stopped and stared, glassy eyes unwavering from her. That easy trap locked her up and she was back in the park running her hands over him.
Her lips sealed, stuck as her previous conversation with Bonny Park flashed into her mind. "Don't believe his words." Was Bonny warning her about Elliot lying to her?
The only lie he told painted Jake as a bad guy. Scarlet couldn't even blame him. The school rivalry tainted each of their perceptions, so Rodents looked bad to Preppies, and Preppies looked bad to Rodents.
Even she was adamant about working with Preppies at the beginning.
The one thing Scarlet wished to convey to Elliot was how they could probably never be friends in the way he thinks they can. She gave it her best shot, but his insistence to stay away from Jake went a little too far. She respected that he didn't like Jake, but her feelings were on the opposite side of the spectrum.
Elliot twisted his shoulders away from her for a millisecond. She straightened her back as she realized that he was letting go of his trap, but he turned back and walked towards her in a confident stride.
"Scarlet, listen to me, please," he begged. "I'm trying to protect you here. I swear. I'm doing all of this for you."
"Elliot—"
The auditorium doors swung open and Jake waltzed out, the breeze ruffling his brown hair. When his gaze set on Elliot standing so close to her, his blue eyes stormed like a torrential downpour over angered seas. Scarlet wondered which would come first: would she be devoured by the lion or be taken by the currents?
"Is everything alright, Scarlet?" Jake asked, setting his jaw.
"Yes," she said, stepping aside to meet up with him. "Bye, Elliot."
Elliot made no moves to leave, but Jake didn't waste a single second, leading her to his expensive car. Scarlet glanced back, and Elliot stood in the same spot, capturing her gaze once again. He shook his head ever so slowly and curled his fingers to make a fist.
"Come on, Scarlet, I promised an adventure," Jake said, interrupting the locked gaze with his voice. He opened the passenger door for her, and made sure she climbed in safely before running back to the driver's side. She glanced back one last time through the rear view mirror, checking to see if Elliot still stood there. But when she tried to locate him, not even a trace of his presence lingered.
"OKAY, SO WHERE ARE we going?" Scarlet asked, minutes after they sped away from the auditorium. The words were hard to slip out, but after listening to a few alternative rock songs and slouching back into the seats, the stiff air began to soften around them.
YOU ARE READING
Forever Crimson
Teen Fiction"The vultures are disguised as humans." Scarlet Turner has her last semester of high school planned out: graduate as best as she can and take care of her sick mother. But when she's told she won't graduate because of the pile of tardies she's collec...
