~Chapter Seven~
We were working on the project, a thesis on how electrodes can be used in industries, with all sorts of explanations. Thankfully, it was to be printed.
We’d gotten past the awkwardness, and surprisingly, fallen into a studying mood. We’d done the planning with all the assembling of data, and it was heading towards six in the evening. Luckily Macy’s closed at eight. I was typing while he was reciting.
“Hold on,” I said, to which he stopped. “In the system to become…” and he repeated. His voice was smooth as he read, and I was lulled into something peaceful. He was serious when he studied, and I realised Elliot was smart, probably smatter than his GPO. I think I liked him more then, unfortunately I’d ruined things.
We were scrolling through some papers to correct an error, when one of the waitresses came over with two steaming cups of coffee.
“Hey guys,” she smiled sweetly. I smiled back, Elliot simply acknowledged her with a nod as he returned to the scrolling. “Macy wanted me to bring you guys this. She said one of your teachers paid for it.”
Curiously I glanced to Elliot, who was just as astounded. “From St. Patrick’s?” I asked.
She nodded enthusiastically. “He told me to tell you specifically,” She pointed to me, “‘Job done well.”
Elliot scoffed, I blushed. So far, I didn’t like how well my job worked out. I smiled thankfully as she placed the mug of coffee close to me but far from the laptop. “Thank you,” I read the tag on her blouse. “Jenifer.”
She smiled appreciatively. “Oh, and to Elliot, he said something like: have fun, doesn’t necessarily have to be bad considering all that has happened and will happen,” even she was confused at that, but Elliot shrugged it off. She left after.
I couldn’t stay silent. “Listen, Elliot about earlier–”
“Let’s just get this over and done with,” he said over me. I clumped my mouth shut and let a peaceful smile play at my lips, as my mother used to advice. Do not show your disappointment yet; the game isn’t over until you can't feel anymore.
“I mean it, I’m sorry–”
“What? Can't deal with the consequences?” he scoffed, eyes blazing with fury I knew he was suppressing. My chin inched higher in defiance, because I knew he was trying to scare me. He smiled, but it was cold. “Let’s just get this over and done with. You’ve done your part, and I have to admit, it was impressive how you accomplished the task. But are you certain you can accept the consequences?” he leaned in closer to me, so much so that we were a few inches from each other, and I could feel his warm exhales.
It was because I refused to back down that we ended up that close. I couldn’t speak even as my mouth was hanging open, ready to retort. I couldn’t move, because I was captivated by his heat. All I could accomplish was gulp in awareness of how close his lips were.
Pink lips that seemed angelic.
“Want me to kiss you?” he offered, and something about it wasn't mocking. I glanced from his lips to his eyes. If I had options before, they were gone now. Fire glazed with ice. No, it was like when the arctic froze in winter and suddenly smoke rose from different points. It sent shivers of delight all over my body.
I smirked shakily, and I noticed the smug look on his face. Of course, I was being used. “Right, like I’d agree to that,” I scoffed mockingly, pushing back. “No way, mister.”
Only, to Elliot, ‘no’ will always mean ‘yes’ most especially if it’s something he wants. Hot and demanding, his covered mine in a flash. I gasped at the sudden intrusion; found my mind dizzying before I knew it. Why? Because I was kissing him back just as passionately.
I realised what we were doing, what was happening, but I couldn’t stop it; I didn’t want to. A tension had lingered around us ever since we met here after school. We’d gone home and changed, of course, but upon meeting again, both of us noticing the other without the school uniform, it had all seemed different, somehow.
Deeper and fiercer as we fought for the upper hand, I pulled him closer with my hands into his hair. We both seemed to moan at the same time, and I couldn’t imagine a second kiss better than that.
I gasped and we let go. Suddenly panting heavily with both of us holding the other closely, it dawned on me that Elliot could actually be attracted to me.
But he’d said you had no sex appeal, my inner voice reminded me. Elliot noticed that. I was staring into his eyes, watching with unabashed amazement as darker shards stuck out brighter, with the rest of his pupils making it seem like I really was staring at frozen ocean water.
His arms around my waist tightened and he leaned in to kiss me again. My chin rose for just that, but then we were reminded we were somewhere public.
“Hey guys,” Jenifer said. I was startled back to earth with a pang. I seated straighter on my seat, with Elliot languidly sliding back into his. Cheeks red hot, I glanced up at Jenifer, who was smiling knowingly. “Rules say you can't do that here, though I’d definitely change those rules if it were up to me.”
I blushed deeper, and Elliot smirked cockily, “We’re sorry,” I said, already knowing he wouldn’t bother.
And I was right. “I’m not,” he reiterated, returned to his papers.
Jenifer cocked her brow. Flustered I was quick to reassure her, knowing Macy was right behind watching us. “Yes, we are,” I amended, elbowing Elliot to pay attention. Begrudgingly, he placed the paper back on the table and nodded at the woman behind the counter. “See, all amended.”
“An apology has to be truthful,” Elliot pointed out.
I smiled at Jenifer; lifting a finger to indicate a minute. The college goer didn’t seem fazed; in fact from the fact that her lips were pressed together and her eyes were bright, I doubted she minded at all.
I turned to Elliot. “An apology comes from a person,” I said. “A person isn’t forced to speak, to walk, to listen or to think. It’s all natural. So when someone actually comes out and says something, it’s all per their will. Get it?”
Elliot wasn't giving up though. “One has will that can be forced,” he pointed out, and somehow, that was a stab to the heart. Eyes slightly wider, I gave him a smile that didn’t feel right to me either. Elliot sighed. “Shortie, wait…”
I shook my head. “Jen, thanks for the reminder,” I said. “It won’t happen again.” She nodded and then walked off. I met Elliot’s glare a little shell-shocked. “What?” I asked dumbly.
Testily, he shook his head no. “Nothing, let’s just finish this,” he said. I nodded numbly. Great, from great kiss to argument and we’re back to him being angry. He wasn't silent for long though. We were through when he ground out. “I want that photo and the video.”
I glanced up from the screen, suddenly glad I was wearing lenses instead of the glasses I’d been bought for. I didn’t want Elliot to have something to tease me about. They were only for computer use, though, as were the lenses.
“I, um, it’s my leverage,” I said sternly, shoulders squaring. “Besides, only, um, someone knows where it is.”
Elliot scoffed, “Like Jonny?” he said. Panic seized me then. My fingers stilled on the keys before me. How had he known that? What was he going on about? Why had he kissed me? He answered it all though. “He’s a boy genius, remember? He’s the one who was able to hack my family’s security system.”
Tensed, I sat up straighter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…” I trailed off in intrigue as he placed a cell phone between my powered laptop and his closed off one. Suddenly, a voice I knew all too clearly filled the void of silence.
“Yeah, she likes vanilla most, though she also likes chocolate sometimes,” Jonny was saying, way too innocently. “You still haven’t told me of the processor. I mean, if it’s big enough to store as much files as the school has, how big can double get? Have the blue prints?”
My chest was heaving, my eyes were clouding; and my fists were out. I didn’t answer; way too busy trying to control the one thing our mother said could end us: anger. I felt it then.
How dare he? How could he bring an innocent child into all of this? How could he threaten my brother? At that moment all I saw was Elliot as a monster, a monster I didn’t want to associate with.
I reached for my cell phone, but it wasn't in my jeans pocket. Elliot waved another cell phone at me. “You forgot this back at school,” he said, eyes meeting mine. I met his squarely.
“You’re despicable,” I gritted out. Elliot remained calm through it all, and I realised he was used to getting insults and curses.
“You could have messed with me, Jenkins, but using Mongo wasn't the best idea, at all,” he chimed. “I’m doing this to protect you…”
“Then put a bloody gun to my head, that’ll scare me easily,” I whisper yelled, making certain no one could see us. Still, that expression was calm and collected, while I was tempted to hit him just to get a reaction. “I know what you want. You’ll get it. But just know I’ll never forgive you for exposing Jonny to any of this.”
Elliot scoffed. “You exposed him to this.” I refused to admit it.
“And you were an ass at the start,” I threw back, blatantly ignoring him right afterward.
We finished our work, made three copies in which we signed them all. Once that was done, Elliot took one copy, and I took and remained with two. One we’d hand over to Mr.Daniels. It was nearing seven in the evening.
I made to grab my cell, but Elliot got it before I could, hand lifting up immediately. We both knew even if I jumped, I wouldn’t be able to get it. I scowled. “I have to call my driver,” I grumbled, hating to have to give an explanation.
Elliot slid the phone into his back pocket. “I’ll drive you home,” he offered. I glared at him while contemplating if he was nutty or truly in the mode forjokes.
Surprise, he was serious. I chuckled icily, “You think once I get my bother I’m going to allow him anywhere near… you again? Huh, wait until you see the twenty-four/seven body guard I’ll make certain he has. Things like you won't get near him again, when I have a say in it.”
Elliot nearly smirked, but he realised I wasn't in the mood for any acts. Almost grumpily, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the phone. With him watching, I dialled the first number, which was my dad’s, and put it on loud speaker.
“Hello, sweetheart I’m busy right now, why don’t we talk later?” his voice was deep and rushed as he spoke. Behind him I heard people throwing in proposals, as he’d gone to a doctor’s conference for the new clinic he was opening up.
“I was wondering if you could pick us up,” I said. “Daddy, Patrick got ill with flu and Ella sent him home, she’s not around, and I can't walk home with Jonny. It’s dangerous and then there’s the part where it’s cold. You do remember he has asthma, don’t you? And I just fed him gallons of ice-cream.”
Elliot’s eyes barely widened, but when they did, I was there with a grimace of a smile. A sigh came from the other side, and when he spoke I knew there was a smile. “Or you just miss your dad picking you up?”
I blushed. That could be true. “Maybe,” I smiled, walking off to pay up. But Elliot got it before me, I glared. “Could you come?”
Another sighed, then a groan. “The having is easy, the raising and responsibility is way crazy,” he said.
Confused I was nearly asking, but then Elliot’s blush confirmed I didn’t need to know. “TMI, old man,” I grumbled, to which laughter blew out the other side.
“Okay, okay, I’ll shut up,” he laughed. “Where are you two, I’ll come pick you up and we’ll have take out.”
I grinned, but then the grin dropped. I sighed. “Meet us at Macy’s. I had a project to work on so–”
“Project? From when?” I heard the bafflement in his voice as we walked down the street to wherever place Elliot was taking me.
The man had the audacity to tense. “First day,” I forced out. “Had some trouble but it seems its fine.”
Elliot glanced back briefly, and I was right there glaring. He turned back with an eye roll. I would have loved to bash his head in with the homeless guy’s wine bottle.
“I’m getting into an elevator, honey,” dad said. “I’ll see you soon. I might take maybe forty five minutes because the traffic’s started getting bigger, but I hope you’re done with the projects. It’s not like you to be this late in something. Must have other stuff pending then.”
I rolled my eyes. “Daughters are allowed not to be perfect, once in a while,” I followed Elliot down an alley, and at the end of it, I spotted who had the built of Chris, with a huddled up Jonny; both animatedly chatting. Relief filled me at that.
Dad chuckled in the phone. “And your mother had you at the end,” dad said.
I smiled, “Hey, we were a pretty happy family,” I said. Jonny noticed me then. He ran right for me, and I grinned as he reached me. “Hey dad, want to talk to Jon?”
“He’s there? Well put him on,” he was even happier.
Jonny immediately took the phone and was off to chat with dad, which meant I had enough time to sock these two before me made a break for it.
“All you have to do is hand over the copies, or delete them,” Elliot said.
I glared at him. “Right now, I loathe you so much,” I whisper yelled. Somehow, I knew Jonny had no clue why he was here, in a dark alley.
“Yeah, he took me to this pretty cool place with all these videogames,” Jonny was telling dad. I had another feeling that he’d decided to take the stairs. Good for a diabetic. “Dad, why don’t we have an arcade at home?… No way, it’s sad we don’t even have a theatre… yeah right, like you’d know how to play… ha, I’d beat you by fifty to two.”
I glanced from the bubbly oblivious boy to the mad men before me. “You want it out, that’s the genius over there,” I said.
Chris nodded, before pulling out a box. He stretched out his hand to me. “I didn’t want to involve Jonny, having a little sister of my own.”
I eyed him speculatively, wondering why I wanted to accept it. But no, I wouldn’t. “After this… transaction is done,” I tugged my lapels closer, standing straighter as I met both boys’ stares, “I don’t want to even hear one whit about you near my brother, better yet, near my family. You can keep your rug rat ways; just keep me out of it. And Dupree, do remember the world is made up of more than seven billion inhabitants, you’re nothing but a speck within it all.”
Elliot scoffed, but he didn’t answer. I couldn’t believe I’d let him kiss me, I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten the rule of the game: tit for tat was a fair game.
“I mean what I said, though,” he suddenly said, staring straight into my eyes with seriousness and determination. “You see Mongo; you run the other way, Jenkins. You don’t want to mess with that guy, and I for one won't save your ass a second time.”
“Excuse me?” I shrieked, but then quickly glanced to Jonny. He was still talking to dad but I noticed how his lips were growing a shade lighter. The temperature was dropping, I realised. Things were getting way too heated for us. I zipped up my jacket until the neck, before removing my scarf. “I was not in any danger, to begin with. You’re forgetting I’m the one who missed all of your search party, including you, yet I passed by you, right under your nose, dumbass.”
Elliot was befuddled as he contemplated the idea. Chris shook his head as realisation finally struck. “Oh Shit, you were the hippie, weren’t you?” I winked, which just made him laugh. Elliot scowled suddenly, but I guessed he’d gotten pissed off for being duped, twice. “Man, you reeked. What did you do, pour liquor all over you?”
I shrugged. “Trade secrets,” I said, reaching into my bag and pulling out the spare gloves I put in hand for Jonny, and then I pulled out the inhaler just in case, before dropping it in my jacket pocket.
“Are you asthmatic?” Chris asked a little nervously, hand tightening around the parcel he was holding.
I shook my head no, but glanced to Elliot. He held my gaze, and I dared him to spill. He sighed. “Jon’s asthmatic,” he said.
Chris’s eyes widened with astonishment, and then guilt. I knew what he’d say before he said it. By then I was shivering, I knew Jonny would be worse. “Don't worry about it. Like I said, he loves the one thing that could hurt him. Excuse me a moment.”
I left them and walked over to Jonny, who was shivering. He was still talking happily, though, like they hadn’t in decades, and that was true. With Ella’s sons constantly in the way, things were different at home, and dad and Jonny didn’t have these moments often.
“Jonny, you have to put this on,” I said. He glanced up and pouted a little.
“Chrys wants to turn me into an Eskimo,” he grumbled to dad, who I supposed had asked what I wanted.
I rolled my eyes, squatting down in front of him. I decided to kneel as he’d become taller since Christmas, seven years ago. That was the year our mother died.
“You have to stay warm, brother, you know that,” I said, zipping up his jacket. “Put dad on speaker.” He did so without a problem.
“She’s right kiddo; we don’t want you spending the harvest in hospital, do we?” Jonny grinned.
“Nope, I still have to get Chrys back for smashing me with those pumpkins,” he mock pouted. “Dad, this time we have to beat her. I mean, come on, one girl against two guys and she didn’t even get a scratch.”
I giggled evilly. What they didn’t know was that planning a battle field isn’t just inspecting it. They’d dumbly stumbled upon a well laid plan, and at the end of it was me, with the finishing touch. It was simple, really, but they’ll never know.
Before Halloween, something I’m glad we do celebrate together, we usually go to my mother’s father’s farm. She’d inherited it, and now it was mine from when I turned eighteen, but every year, we’d help harvest the pumpkins over a week we took from school, where after, a truck would leave with the best for home, wherever we had come from, where we’d have to work at carving all pumpkins.
We played a war game during that time, in which it was boys against girls. As I was the remaining female in the family, I’d had to utilise my skills, and as I’d started fearful, God had helped me prevail in the end, giving me enough confidence to succeed.
“I still can't believe how she did that,” dad grumbled. “It’s almost like she had someone else help her.”
I giggled, pulling out Jonny’s glasses, wiping those cleanly before I hooked them to the neck of my jacket. I twirled my cowl around his neck, tying it up securely, before returning his glass.
“Hey dad, I know this is going to sound so soon,” Jonny started and I knew what he wanted to ask. I nodded encouragingly. “There’s this science fair this weekend and I was wondering if–”
“I could come? No worries. I’m free all weekend anyway,” he said. The grin Jonny gave was the best I’d ever seen, by far. I asked for the phone.
“Thanks, dad, Chrys wants to talk to you,” he said. “I think she wants something more personal. I’m going to go say bye to Chris, as in Christopher.”
“Ah, Chrys’ boyfriend’s best friend?” my cheeks blushed dark crimson in aggravation. Jonny glanced up at me, way too innocent. He shrugged.
I glanced back to the two guys to find one hiding behind the other obviously laughing, while the other was slightly amused. I scowled, before remembering another rule: scowls marred beauty.
“Okay, bye, I have to get as far from her before I become minced meat,” and he handed me the phone quickly, running off. I almost hated to stop him from being Chris’ friend.
“Hello, dad?” but the man was laughing on the other side. “Now that you’re done humiliating your daughter, I have something to tell you.”
I glanced back to find Jonny and Chris had fallen back to something entertaining, while Elliot was keeping an eye on me, far too much if I had a say in it. I tilted my shoulders back and spoke into the phone.
“Go on sweetheart,” he chuckled.
“I know there’s something you have to do on Saturday,” I said, to which I knew the laughter died. “For so long he’s been asking you to come watch him do what he likes. For Timmy, you can, for Duke, you can, and I don’t care if you don’t appear at my debaters contests, but this is Jonny. He’s still eleven and going to enter teen hood soon. Do you really want him grumbling all the time?”
For some time it was silent. I wondered if he’d listen, if it was all worth listening to anyway, and I thought I’d overstepped something, but then he sighed.
“Jonny’s lucky to have you as his sister, you know that?” he said, and I felt the smile. “I’ll drop it the moment we reach home, and if I don’t, you have all the permission to drag me there from whatever boardroom I hide in, clear?”
I grinned. “Crystal clear, sir,” I giggled, to which he laughed. “Anyway, listen; I’m saying bye to, um…” I wasn't tugging them as friends.
Dad didn’t think so, “Yeah, kiss your boyfriend goodnight,” he said. My cheeks immediately turned crimson and I glanced behind me. The man just had to be there staring straight at me. My breathing hitched in a sharp inhale, suddenly aware of how intense his eyes were. “Just remind him to keep his hands off my daughter. She’s saved.”
I rolled my eyes. Imagine being saved yet she could smooch away at a restaurant, come cafe, come library. “There won't be keeping hands off anyone because he’s not my boyfriend,or my friend. We’re just acquaintances on a project. The moment the week is over, we’re done.”
The words went both ways, and I was glad when Jonny heard me. He looked disappointment, but I knew Jonny enough to know he’d find Chris soon enough. He was that kind of persistent.
“Okay,” dad sounded a little odd out. “Am I crazy to hope a little bit you’d become a crazy girl and get pregnant early?”
“Daddy!” I snapped, though the smile was there. He laughed all the way as we hung up. He was one weird father, which was certain. He once said I could spend a week with my boyfriend if I like, just as long as I cursed once. How wonderful!
I rolled my eyes as I walked back to them, particularly to him. Jonny immediately knew there was trouble.