Thorn [Farkle Minkus]

[03] After School

"O - 0h, yeah, s - sure," she stuttered.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Um, do you want to study at my place?"

"Yeah, sure," Farkle said.

Farkle looked over Ellie's shoulders.

Justin and Tyler were getting into the car.

"Are those your brothers?" Farkle asked.

Ellie looked back. Tyler was following Justin into the car.

"Yeah," she said.

The wind began to blow a little bit, causing a bit of her hair to get in front of Ellie's eyes. She moved her hair and tucked it behind her ears.

"Come on," Ellie said.

Farkle followed Ellie to the car.

"Hey, Anna, can my friend come over to study?" Ellie said when she and Farkle got into the car.

"Who?" Anna asked, looking over Ellie's shoulder.

"Hi," Farkle said. He extended his arm. "I'm Farkle. We met once?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember you," Anna said.

"Can he come over to study?"

Anna hesitated. "Yeah, sure."

Farkle followed Ellie into the car.

***

They got to the apartment and Anne refused to let Ellie and Farkle go up to Ellie's room to study. She barely knew Farkle and she would much rather have the two under her supervision.

If Aaron and Anthony came over, Anna wouldn't mind them going up to Ellie's room. She knew Aaron and Anthony and she trusted them enough to let them go up to Ellie's room to hang out. Farkle, on the other hand, was a boy she didn't know and didn't trust yet.

Ellie and Farkle spent two hours studying. Anna had made them snacks as they studied and helped them whenever they needed her.

After they finished studying, Farkle hung out with Ellie for a bit.

"Hey, Farkle?" Ellie asked as they were finishing their homework.

"Yeah?"

"How are things with you and Smackle?"

"A - alright," he said.

Ellie noticed his stuttered. She noticed his expression change at the mention of Smackle and their relationship.

"What's going on between you and Smackle?"

"We've been arguing... a lot," he said. "We had a few arguments in the past, but it was never like this. Things have been... different. Nothing has been the same since that trip the ski lodge."

"Oh," she said.

She remembered the trip to the ski lodge. So much has happened in the ski lodge.

Ellie and Farkle spent a lot of time together at the ski lodge. They talked and bonded over the trip. They connected.

"Look, if I did something, I'm -"

"Don't worry, it's not your fault," Farkle interrupted you. "I don't want to refer to her as jealous, but..."

"But she's worried she's going to lose you?"

"Yeah, she is," Farkle said.

"Farkle, why do you let her make all of those comments about Lucas?" Ellie asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I like her a lot, but over time, I realized... I don't like her as much as I used to."

"Oh," Ellie leaned back.

"Yeah, I'm realizing that... I like someone else," he continued.

Ellie bit her lip. She began to think to what Anthony and Aaron told her that morning. They said that Farkle has feelings for her. They had told her a bit later that day that they noticed a shift in their relationship after the ski lodge. Ellie noticed the shift, but since she's not in the relationship and none of her business, she didn't say or do anything.

"Do I know her?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah, you do," Farkle said.

Ellie smiled weakly.

Farkle took a deep breath and picked up his pencil. He wrote answered the last question on their science homework and set his pencil down. Ellie followed suit.

After finishing up studying, Farkle and Ellie packed up their things and Farkle stayed for dinner.

Shortly after dinner, Farkle said goodbye and left.

Ellie went up to her room and bit her lip. Now she is more confused than ever. She has no idea what she's feeling. All Ellie knows is that whatever she's feeling for Farkle, she can't tell him. He's become a good friend and she doesn't want to lose him. She cares too much to let anything to ruin the friendship she has with him.

Ellie picked up her phone and was about to text Anthony and Aaron. She wanted to talk to someone. She needed to talk to someone. Before she sent anything to her friends, she stopped herself. She bit her lip and thought for a moment.

Does she really want to text them?

Ellie slowly turned off her phone and set it back down. This was something she needed to figure out before she told anyone.