The Unproven Theorem of You and I

chapter four - hammering heartbeats

            "They passed," Joaquin replied. Savannah sat up rigidly in her seat.

            "What – why? You didn't tell us where we're even going in the first place!" she exclaimed, panicking. Zack grinned at her and told her it was a secret.

            "They're scared of heights," he explained evasively. "C'mon. You guys coming or what?"

            "I'm in," KC pitched in, gathering her things and standing up. "I'm always in." She looked over her shoulder, her bright blond hair swishing like a silky, golden curtain. "Elle?"

            And then it was like déjà vu again – all of a sudden; everyone seemed to remember just in that moment that Savannah's younger sister was in fact sitting in the midst of the verbal exchange; big, innocent eyes flicking between each speaker. Zack cocked an eyebrow, dark eyes flickering; having obviously remembered the events of the day before. "And why is she here?"

            "Babysitting deal. Long story," Savannah answered curtly. "I'm getting five bucks a day. Don't give me that look – it's something." The group shouldered their belongings and started towards a minivan parked by the curb. Elle felt someone's level gaze on her, and looked up from her twitchy hands to meet the unwavering, neutral gaze of Xavier Dax. His stormy gray eyes didn't stray, and the corners of his mouth tilted up in a small smile.

            "H-hi," Elle mustered. In that single word, she felt as if a gust of air had been pushed up and out of her lungs. She offered a shaky smile, unsure of what to make of the sudden weight in her chest.

            "Hey, Neymar," Xavier said, smile widening ever so slightly in amusement. He tilted his head and turned on his heel, striding after his friends.

            And for a long stretch of time, Elle merely stayed put on the bench, the gears and cogs in her brain turning rapidly, back and forth. As a car honked in the distance, it all suddenly clicked into place; Elle quickly picked up her bag and rushed into the backseat of Joaquin's minivan. Her brow was already furrowed; edges of her lips already pulled down in a slight, barely noticeable frown. Savannah eyed her sister's expression with trivial interest, but just as quickly looked away and pitched into a conversation between her friends.

            Because within those two words, Xavier Dax had captured Elle's darting attention. He was different, and it wasn't just his broken nose. 

 He was different, and Elle was going to find out why.

HAVE YOU EVER gotten so passionate about something, that because of it, you tend to forget basically everything else? Like that hard question splat in the middle of your test that makes you leave the rest of the numbers blank, or that favorite shirt that you wear every single day, leaving the rest of your wardrobe primed and untouched?

            Well, if Elle was passionate about anything, it was about thinking. Without being able to channel her energy anywhere else except inside, it was her brain doing the most work constantly. When she was so deep in thought, she tended to forget everything else, like eating breakfast, brushing her hair, or in this case, that she was sitting in Joaquin Villamora's dull red minivan, without even knowing where she was going.

            "You girls are gonna love it," Zack was saying, looking over the passenger's seat. "Vier, Quin and I booked this crash training course. Well, Elle here wasn't part of the deal, but I bet we can get her in."

            "It's gonna be sick," Xavier added excitedly, sitting behind Joaquin at the driver's seat. "I've been wanting to do this ever since I was ten."