Under the Floorboards

Chapter 1

As Ela walked into the kitchen for breakfast she heard her mom talking to someone.

"Oh, yeah yeah, no problem! Only for a couple months? Ok, I got it. No no no, it's no problem. No, really, we have an extra bedroom under Ela's. No, of course!"

Ela ran her fingers through her coffee brown hair and tossed it back. "Mom?" Ela said nervously as she  turned the corner into her kitchen.

Ela's mother held up a finger as if to say I'm on the phone, help yourself. She had made sausage, scrambled eggs and toast. Ela grabbed three sausages, a piece of toast and some eggs  and sat down at her spot at the kitchen table.

Once Ela finished her breakfast, her mother, Jane, sat down and reached for her hands across the table and griped them tight.

"Um, honey? Do you remember the Botsfords son, Jase?" Her mother hesetently asked.

"Yeah," Ela said, "Mrs. Botsford is your best friend, and Mr. Botsford is her husband. As well as dad's best friend."

"Well," Ela's mother fumbled with Ela's hands, "Rick and Mandy are going to India for a while, so," she pursed her lips and paused, "Jase is moving in with us."

Mom didn't know Jase like Ela did. When Ela and Jase were children, they were best friends. But as they grew older, they grew apart. At this point in their lives, Jase and Ela were completly diferent.

"Mom how could you let him move in? You know I need peace and quiet." Ela said in an anoyed tone.

"It's only for a couple months, sweetie."

"But mom," Ela started. "Where's he going to sleep? Plus he can't sleep on your side of the house... can he? And if he dose move in to the room under mine, you know there is only one bathroom on my side of the house. What are we going to do in the morning? Will he get his own bathroom built? What if we both need a shower at the same time? Mom, what if-"

Shhh, we'll talk about this later. Now, you should get dressed for school."

Ela growned but left the kitchen, sulking.

By the time Ela got back to her room it was 7:04, school started in 31 minutes, not to factor in the 20 minute drive from her house to the school. If you're wondering, no, I don't take the bus. My school doesn't have a bus system. Why, you ask? I go to Kellen High School, a school for the more welthy of citizens.

Admission is $700 for half the year, but my father is a surgeon. Now, I know what you are probably thinking: oh wow, basic rich girl. But actully, most of the people who go there are just extremely talented and intelligent, mostly because Kellen gives out 250 scolerships a year. Our town is fairly small, so due to the shortage in "privileged" children, they accept intelligent and talented kids, too.

Unfortunately, there isn't a uniform to make it easier for us to get dressed in the morning so I threw on a random outfit. It turned out to be a combination of a grey mini skirt, dark grey knee high socks, a tan colored sweater with no coller, a white shirt that added a coller and cuff but didn't fruffle anything, and a scarf. It may sound crazy but it actully looked quite put together. I shoved my coffee hair in a messy bun, added big black glasses, and fake pearls (so if I lost them, it wouldn't matter) to complete the look.

I finished getting dressed 7:12 and quickly jumped in the car with my mom and sped off to school.

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"Oh. My. Gosh. Elllllllla!!!" Bethany squeeled.
Katherine, Lilly and Rachel just stood there with wide eyes and stared at me.
"Hold on, honey. Let me pick my jaw up off the floor. Jase!? As in Jase B!?!? You're Jase?" Katherine questioned.
"Um," Lilly mumbled quietly, "doesn't he have a girlfriend?"
"Yeah, April right?"
I gritted my teeth, "yes Rachel, it is April, but you guys don't understand! We can't have guy talks at our sleepovers anymore. He'll hear us and then tell them. After all, the guys you all crush on are his friends."

A basketball bounced against my calf and a guy came chasing after it.
"Can I have my ball back? Hey, aren't you Ela?" The guy said. He wore a grey tank top and black shorts, the long kind. His hair was black and slicked back while his eyes were open for anyone to stare into, they were similar to Jase's except his were more milk chocolatey.

"Uh," I figeted with my hands, "yeah. How did you know that?"

"Oh, well, Jase was just saying he had to move in with a girl named Ela, but he didn't say you were this cute."

I folded my arms over my chest and saw one of his friends checking out Lilly.
"...yes, he is moving in with me, now," I bent over and picked up the ball, "if you would excuse me, I'm busy right now." And threw the ball in his gut.

He walked back cluching the ball to his chest while all his friends yelled stuff to him such as, rejected, and dang, boy, you messed up. I turned around and shook all of that off.

Lilly was blushing wildly while Bethany and Rachel held back Katherine.
"He can't talk to you, any of you, like that."
Katherine was a really protective friend. She didn't like it when any guy we didn't like back flirted with us. She once got suspended two days for socking a guy in the nose for acsadently brushing his hand against Rachel's butt. She gave him a black eye and broke his nose. I think she also punched out a tooth, too.

"Back to what we were saying, Ela, we are sixteen, we don't have silly sleepovers anymore." Rachel said.
Katherine and Bethany said in unisen"Speak for yourself, woman! We love sleepovers."
"Whatever, anyway we had one planed this weekend, when is he moving in?"
"I, don't know. I think this weekend. I honestly don't know." I said.
They all growned. "Hey, we can still have you guys over but how about Saturday at 5:00?"
"Check." Said Rachel
"I'll be there."Katherine desided.
"Just texted mom" Lilly and Bethany noted.

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The next day...

My hair was a mess and I didn't want to get up but it was Saturday so I slept in enough alredy.
I scratched my rat's nest of hair and walked down stairs for breakfast.

"Oh, hey Ela."
I stopped cold. That was not my mother or father.
"Morning, Ela." That was my mother.
"Oh, yeah. Ela, Jase moved in this morning." That was my mother. In my head I growned, the "unknown" voice I heard was Jase.
And he saw me in my cat Pjs.