ScribblePad

SAVING ELLIOT :: American Dream

Dedication to northbynorth 

This one shot, in a way, is a continuation in the lives of the characters of SE (how I picture it in my head at least). The one shot doesn't completely focus on ElliotxElliot, but sort of shows everyone's life a couple of years in the future.

Enjoy!

Ps, there is quite a few puns/references to parts from the real book (go ahead and try to spot them if you like :))

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Saving Elliot

O N E S H O T | AMERICAN DREAM

    It's been awhile.

It's been a long, long irreplaceable while but I suppose a part of me had just shut off to how long time had turned into since I spent the majority of this time given stressing about exams, about coursework, about projects and about internships... mainly just stressing, I suppose.

I loved being here. I loved waking up in this brand new place and having these new opportunities just handed right over to me - I loved university, it was like a given long list of experiences to meet people, to learn, to break and rebuild - but aside from all great stuff - it was also fucking difficult.

And it impacted my life majorly. Hell, it's taken over my life. There was always this part of me that wanted to save lives - I just didn't know that would mean giving up my own.

"You should get out of the house," Tam says as she eyes my beat figure sprawled over the bed. "Take some time off, stop wearing those . . . glasses," she adds uncomfortably.

I shoot her a look and I groan, rolling over slightly to find a spine of a thick textbook pressing into me. It hurts a lot more than it should, and I consider the fact that by keeping my mind so busy these days, my body has just given up on me.

"I can't."

"It's today, you know," her eyes narrow at my clear displeasure. "Arthur and Mac's birthday bash - no, don't look at me like that, Elliot! You should go with all of us, they're your brothers . . . and I promised everyone!"

My hands immediately reach for my hair, burying my fingers into the tangled mess. "I honestly can't Tam," I protest. Although I loved what I was doing and getting to where I've always dreamed of being - it was suffocating. There were days I woke up with blurry visions and forgetting what people looked like when all I was surrounded with were books. "I have a lot of bloody coursework to get through before Tuesday and I'm so fucking behind- it's already second year!"

A flash of pity goes through her eyes before she shrugs it off and simply says, "You're going, Elliot."

"You can't bloody make me!" I scoff. "My work isn't going to do itself."

She looks at me menacingly before charging towards me. "You know, I somewhat get it - you're trapped under so much work but Elliot, you've cut out everything for this," she says. "Do you even remember what your family looks like? When was the last time you spoke to them properly?"

I flinch uncomfortably at her words - had I really not seen my family for so long? Losing in touch with everyone else was bound to happen, that was life - but how much university work had I really stumbled into to let myself lose all social skills (if I really did have any before) and family?

"Fuck," I mutter as it dawns upon me, like a painful bucket of cold ice. I look up at Tamara, "I don't even think I remember what anyone back home looks like."