AFTER THE WHOLE BABY powder incident, both Lindsey and Flora were excused from rehearsals. They couldn't afford to ruin the stage and props. Lindsey sent a nasty look Sierra's way, saving a bit of venom for Scarlet on her way out.
Everything else ran smoothly.
Scarlet said her goodbyes to Jake inside as he got summoned by Mr. Williams to discuss more about the play. Sierra had already left, talking about getting food in a random diner before going home, so she skipped her way out on her own. Most of the students drove on, leaving the auditorium behind. Others lingered, speaking between one another.
Scarlet wasn't as keen to socialize, so she crossed the street to her car. Thoughts of her mother swirled in her mind, reminding her to send a text before driving off. The last thing she needed was to get a surprise emergency as she opened the front door.
"Scarlet."
She unlocked her car and turned to Elliot. His hair looked unkempt and wild as his glassy amber eyes flashed. She took a step back.
"Scarlet, I'm begging you," he croaked. His eyes widened at the end as if to prove a point. A point that made no sense. "Jake is nothing but bad news. You are going to get hurt. Whatever you think you're doing is gonna blow up in your freaking face."
She shook her head, leaning against her car as if it would help her get away from him. "Elliot, I need you to stop." Her chest tightened when his breath hitched. He leaned close to her face, studying her like he always did. But there was a hunger in in his gaze, one she couldn't deny.
He had always stared with striking eyes—poised, calculating, and a little over the edge. The amber hue was the cherry on top, appearing like the same shade as a lion's mane.
Scarlet wondered when he would roar.
"You don't know what you're doing. He's gonna drag you through the mud. I'm doing you a favor! Get rid of him." His hands shook as they grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stay put. Those words lingered in the air, and they suffocated her more than his touch.
A demand. An order.
Scarlet shoved him off, catching him off balance and threw him to the ground where he made one with the gravel. "I don't think you quite understand this, Elliot. This is my life. My life, my choices. Whoever I decide to spend my time with is up to me, not you. I don't know what's gotten into your head, but Jake is the perfect gentleman. You're the one acting like bad news with legs. So leave me alone." She turned back to her car, ready to get farther away from him. "And I mean forever," she added, giving him one last glance before getting inside her car.
She wished for a dramatic exit, like one of those highlighted in the stupid script from the play. She'd drive off and look through the rear view mirror as Elliot stayed on the ground, dusting his hands from the fall. But that only happened in fiction.
Just as she turned the keys to the ignition, Elliot slammed into her window, yelling obscenities. Scarlet gasped and hit the gas pedal by mistake, revving the engine. He jumped back, but continued with his explosive comments. Through the car's barrier, his words muffled, but Scarlet could make out just how much hate harbored inside Elliot, all geared towards Jake.
"Please, Scarlet, I don't want to see you get hurt," he cried. "You're the most amazing girl in the world. I don't want to see you get stepped on by that rich loser. He's gonna take advantage of you."
Not longer after he said that, a fist knocked him right back down to the ground. Scarlet screamed as Jake pummeled Elliot. She scrambled for the door, struggling to get out of her car.
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...
