Flawed Creatures

The Key -7-

She groaned, sliding the straps of her backpack upon her shoulders. "Time can go sit next to an ant hill." Again announcing that she had to go, she shifted closer to Robyn in order to kiss her cheek. "See you at lunch."

.

Heart rhythmically pumping at a fast pace, Ellie leaned over to check the bottom of each stall, not spotting a pair of shoes until she arrived at the stall at the end of the long row. Silently standing in front of it, she chewed the inside of her cheek while waiting for it to open. Also while waiting she wondered if she had completely lost her mind. When the door began to open Ellie hadn't decided on an answer.

She didn't have a game plan and she wasn't certain what she would say, yet the moment their eyes met she pushed Cara's chest using enough strength to send her back into the stall. Quickly joining her, she shut and locked the door. Backpack dropped to the floor, Ellie leaned against the door with her arms folded over her chest. Meanwhile, having straddled the toilet, Cara carefully brought one long leg over so she could lean against the wall underneath a window about two feet above.

"Problem, Ellie?"

Ellie nodded. "I do have one. This gorgeous girl was supposed to call me on Saturday, yet every time the phone rang she was never on the other end. If she changed her mind then that's fine, but the least she could have done was to call and let me know. Make it official."

Secretly she derived pleasure from being referred to as gorgeous by the school's biggest sweetie. "She apologizes. Might have called, but she was indisposed the entire weekend."

Difficult to decide which of the two appeared more shocked when Ellie's fingers reached out to gently trace Cara's wounded bottom lip. Blinking hers away Ellie replaced it with a faint frown, fingers moving downward to subconsciously stroke a smooth chin. "Did that indisposition have anything to do with the condition of her mouth?"

Cara audibly swallowed while wishing she would remove her hand and wishing that it would persist. "As a matter of fact it did."

"Does she care to tell me what happened?"

Maybe if you promised to make it better with a kiss. Cara sighed. No, she couldn't entertain such thoughts. Nothing more would happen between she and Ellie. She promised the girl's best friend to stay away from her and she had every intention of keeping that promise. It didn't matter that Ellie's soft, pink lips looked so kissable. It didn't matter how simple it was to drown in those dark eyes. It didn't matter how much she might have wanted to sift her fingers through those glossy, chestnut locks. It didn't matter one damn bit how lovely she smelled prompting Cara to imagine tucking her face against her neck for a closer whiff of whatever fragrance she had sprayed. No, no. She definitely wouldn't entertain such thoughts.

"She had an accident." Cara observed the shock sliding onto her face and had two seconds to wonder what Ellie might have been thinking.

"Oh my gosh. Did Robyn hit you?"

Ah, so she was aware her best friend stopped by for early morning chitchat. "No, she didn't lay a single finger on me." She sighed, uncertain if it stemmed more from relief or disappointment that Ellie stopped touching her. "Overall our conversation was quite...congenial."

Although worry remained over how Cara injured her lip a smile lifted her mouth. "Congenial. Good word."

"Learned it this weekend."

"Cara?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened?"

She glanced toward her watch. "We should go. Break is only fifteen minutes."