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The Little Mermaid
chapter two
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chapter two.
spanish 101.
IT HAD BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE MEETING JEFF. Things were awkward for the most part. He was still actively flirting with her and it was starting to affect her relationship. Despite Mack's jealousy over the situation, he was still happy to drop Elina off at college. He pulled into the parking lot with ease, parking just in front of the building. "I can't make lunch today," he reminded the blonde, reaching over and taking her hair between his fingers. She pouted. "I know. It's alright."
He gave her hair a mild tug, a small smile replacing her once sad expression. She slid over to his side once she was out of her seatbelt. Her arms instinctively wound around his neck. "Thanks for the ride," she hummed before planting her mouth on his. He mimicked her actions, one hand coming to cup her face.
Ever since she had gotten home, she's felt rather needy. She wrapped herself around Mack to cease their arguing and to satiate her need. She wanted to blame it on Jeff. His flirting had made her feel guilty. How could she allow a man to flirt with her when she's taken?
His tongue prodded her lips, splitting them apart. A content sigh fell from her lips. If they hadn't been in a public place, she would have climbed over him. She would have deepened the kiss and succumbed to the need to be near him. But they weren't alone, they were in front of her school.
Their mouths disconnected with a pop. Saliva shone over their lips. "Love you," she sighed, wiping her thumb over his bottom lip. Pecking him once more, she forced herself to exit his truck. A big smile beamed across her soft features.
His truck door slammed behind her and she leaned into the window. "Why don't we go to dinner tonight?" she asked, resting her chin on her arms. Mack's eyebrows rose in surprise by her asking. "Like go out?"
Her brows furrowed. "Yeah?" she answered, confused. "Do you have plans tonight?" He quickly shook his head, laughing off her question. His hand that had cupped her face moved to grip the steering wheel. "Sounds good, baby."
"Okay... I have to meet the study group at four, but how's seven o'clock?" He nodded. Her smile returned in full force. She leaned back and drummed her hands on his open window. "Great!" she cheered. She blew him one final kiss before saying goodbye.
She walked with a pep in her step now. It had been a while since her and Mack had gone out on a proper date. With her crazy schedule at the aquarium and now college, they hadn't been able to go out.
"Lina!" came Jeff's voice. Her smile dropped upon hearing him. A car door slammed, followed by his footsteps approaching her. She hadn't even bothered to turn and face him. "That the boyfriend?" he asked, stopping next to her.
He pulled off his sunglasses, flashing her a smile. "Good morning," she greeted him, ignoring his question. This seemed to amuse Jeff. She continued her path, nose high in the air. Jeff followed with ease. "Good morning," he echoed with a slight laugh.
"So, what's your boyfriend's name?" Her eyes cut toward the taller man. Her lips formed a pout. "Nunya," she replied, "Nunya Business." He laughed sarcastically at her response. "I'm genuinely curious. In a platonic way."
"Platonic isn't in your vocabulary," she hummed. Before she could pull open the door, Jeff did it first. With his free hand, he motioned her inside. "I can be platonic. I have plenty platonic friends."
"That are women?" she asked. He fell silent. He could easily lie and say yes, but the look on her face had him stopping short. Noticing his pause, Elina's face lit up with pride. "I knew it."
Before her first period class, she had promised to meet up with Britta and the study group. She was surprised to see that Britta had invited Jeff to join. If she had stayed, she would have witnessed it. However, she had already been on her way home.
"Give me a chance. To be friends, I mean," he said. His persistence would have been admirable if it hadn't been for the wrong reason. Elina glanced toward him, brows raised. "You know what," she began, pausing and turning toward the man. He looked somewhat excited that she had done so, almost as if he was expecting her to cave.
That thought made her smile to herself. "I'll give you a chance." His eyes brightened. His mouth opened to speak, only to clamp shut when she lifted her finger towards him. "But you have to treat the whole study group. I'm thinking pizza. What do you think?"
His face visibly sank, but his smile remained. With a sigh, he nodded his head. "I think pizza sounds great." Impressed, Elina offered him a big grin. It sparkled within her baby blues like light reflecting off of water. "Awesome," she chirped. "We should probably get going before we're super late."
She reached forward and gave his bicep a reassuring squeeze before spinning on her heels. The study room wasn't too far. If they hurried, they'd make it. Jeff followed after her at a much slower pace.
"In campus news," came the dean's voice over the PA system just as Elina stepped into the study room. "The debate over our library's PA system continues, with some students suggesting its volume be lowered, while others question its very purpose."
She set her things down with a smile, greeting the study group. They were much calmer than the night before. "More on that story as it unfolds." She turned in her seat, expecting to see Jeff following her, only to see that he wasn't there. "That dude makes a lot of announcements," Troy stated.
"I like it," Abed said, "It makes every ten minutes feel like a new scene of a TV show. Of course the illusion lasts until someone says something they never say on TV, like how much life is like TV. There, it's gone." Elina slipped out her Spanish 101 book and her new bag of Twizzlers. "I like to study with a snack," she said, ripping open the bag. "So, I brought Twizzlers. If anyone has any allergies or preferences, let me know and I'll bring them next time."
Britta was the first to reach for the candy. "Oh, that's nice," Shirley cooed. Annie reached for the candy next, taking out a licorice straw before speaking. "I guess Jeff is running late again." Elina was about to respond when Britta spoke up. "What a shame. Maybe we should get started on the—"
"No, no, no, no. No, I think we should wait for Jeff before we start," Shirley suggested. Britta closed her previously open book with a sigh. Annie's brows furrowed, her fingers toying with the candy in her grasp. "But when Jeff gets here, we could talk to him, as a group, about his tardiness."
"Come on, don't use that word in front of Abed," Pierce scolded the young girl. "He was just behind me," Elina said around the candy shoved in her mouth. "We were walking in together and then he disappeared. Like a magician." Abed looked at Elina with furrowed brows. "And if you guys want me to have a chat with Jeff, I'd do it. We've got a bond going, kind of, sort of like brothers."
Elina met Abed's eyes, her own narrowing to mimic his gaze. His head tilted slightly. "Hope your mom didn't make you take baths together," Troy said, gaining their attention fully. "Because one of you would have been, like, thirty."
She grimaced at the thought of Jeff and Pierce sharing a bath. How would they even find a bath big enough to acquaint them both? Shirley and Annie both laughed at Troy's dig, expressing their approval. He beamed at the attention. "Jeff probably comes late so he doesn't have to sit through your tardiness. Sorry, Abed."
"Can we stop with that?" Elina asked. She didn't think Abed took offense to his words, but she wasn't sure he understood them either. Pierce looked at Elina with confusion. "Stop what?" he asked. She sighed, one hand running over her pulled back hair. "Stop making snide remarks about Abed possibly having a learning disability. It's not funny. And you're not a doctor."
"Hey, can you guys have a little self respect? You are obsessing over someone who does not give you a second thought," Britta said. "Meanwhile in Guatemala, journalists are being killed by their own government."
"Baby, you done jumped another column. What's happening in Guatemala?" Shirley asked in concern. Elina glanced between the two women before snagging another Twizzler. She knew that it wouldn't be long before Britta brought up her activism. It's inspiring, really, to see someone so passionate about helping people. But it could be a little demeaning, as well. "Nothing," Britta replied.
Annie seemed to also be taken aback by the news. "Journalists are being murdered?" she asked in disbelief. Britta nodded slowly. "Believe me, every day in that country people are being killed for speaking out," she replied. "The worst part of it is, when it's all over..."
"Spoilers," Abed exclaimed, turning his head away from Britta.
"...it's as if it never happened," Britta finished her sentence, turning toward Abed in surprise. "Hey, Abed." He hummed in response. Elina was already grimacing. "Real stories, they don't have spoilers. You understand that TV and life are different, right?"
She chomped down on the Twizzler with a slight roll of her eyes. "Hey!" Jeff greeted the group, the rest of the group reciprocating the sentiment ecstatically. Elina turned to see him in the doorway. "Where did you disappear off to, Houdini?" she asked as he patted her head in passing. "Oh, had to take care of a few things," he replied, flashing her a smile. He approached Annie, offering his hand. "My lady."
"My lord," she replied in a faux English accent. He kissed the back of her hand, flustering the young girl. "Hey, baby," he then greeted Shirley, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She giggled, replying with, "Hey, sweetie."
"You smell nice. Vitamin P." Elina grimaced as Britta watched in utmost surprise. Pierce stood to his feet and shook Jeff's hand. "Morning, Jefferey. People were jazzed to see me too," he stated arrogantly. He passed by Pierce and met Troy's fist, the latter saying, "Word them up!" in a higher octave. Jeff replied with, "Word them everywhere."
"Good entrance," Abed complimented the older man. Jeff shook his hand with a proud smile. "It was for you." Elina almost laughed as Abed thanked him. He slipped past Britta and sat in his seat right next to Elina. "Britta," he greeted the older Perry. She smiled, a fake and forced smile. "Hey, Jeff. I think there's something that the group would like to talk to you about."
The rest of the group began to argue. Elina sat back, like Abed, and just watched. At that moment, she could understand why he liked to do that. It was just like prime time television. Britta, annoyed, huffed. "Okay. If you're gonna study with people, it would be cool to show up on time."
"Oh. Were you waiting?" Jeff asked in faux confusion. Everyone began to deny. They scrambled to deny and save his feelings, even though Jeff didn't really care. "Kind of," Elina hummed, spinning the bag of Twizzler's toward Annie. She happily withdrew one of her own. "You guys usually spend the first twenty minutes talking about your interesting lives and your cool emotional problems."
His eyes fell on the bag sitting in front of Elina. She seemed to notice his gaze and spun it around in his direction. He took one with a small smile. "I feel like I never have anything to offer," he finished his sentiment before chomping down on the candy stick. Both Annie and Shirley cooed at him sweetly. "Nah, truth is my life is emptier than this three-ring binder." He paused for a split second as tossed open the binder. "Annie, do you have any Spanish notes that might fit in there?" he asked.
Annie grinned and passed over a freshly printed hoard of notes. "Wow!" Jeff exclaimed in surprise. "Double-spaced. Thank you. So, what's a guy gotta do to get a C around here?" Elina slowly slid her package of Twizzlers back toward her. As the rest of them laughed, all except Britta, she felt awkward. Excruciatingly awkward.
By the time their session was over, Elina had to hurry to Marketing. She gathered her books silently and put up her almost finished package of Twizzlers into her bag. "I like Three Musketeers," Abed said, coming to stand beside the blonde. She peered up at the man with wide eyes. "Good to know," she replied. "I can bring some tomorrow."
"Cool," he replied, "cool, cool, cool." Without another word, he went back to his place at the table to gather his things. "Why is he telling you his candy interests?" Jeff asked, standing next to her. She barely offered him a glance before she was moving out of the room. He followed, repeating his question once more. With a huff, she stopped. "I'm bringing snacks for the study group. It could help people focus."
His brows raised slightly. "That's very on brand," he stated. "I like Reese's cups. Or Reese's Pieces. Either are fine." She snorted. It was amusing to her how much she had to look up at him. Compared to Mack, he was a giant. She suddenly shook the thought from her mind and brushed back stray strands from her face.
"Alright," she blurted out. She laughed awkwardly. "Just don't forget pizza. I think Troy and Abed would really enjoy it." He nodded his head with a slight laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure they would." She grinned up at him. Thinking that the conversation was over, she made a move to leave. Jeff was quick to side step in front of her. "Hey, do you know what I just realized? It's been exactly two weeks since our chance encounter."
"You've been keeping track?" she questioned, amazed. He shrugged nonchalantly, a hint of a smile crawling across his face. A warmth spread within her chest. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Sure, he was flirting with her while knowing she was in a relationship. But he wasn't too aggressive. "Huh," was all she could think to say.
Britta brushed past Jeff with a sour expression, her fingers instantly wrapping around Elina's wrist. "We need to go," she reminded her. Instantly, her eyes traveled down to the phone in her opposite hand. "You're right," she huffed. "I'll see you in Spanish." She patted Britta's hand and bid her a farewell. Britta offered her a smile before shooting a glare at Jeff.
"Oh! Before I go, will you run to the store with me after school to pick up some candy?" Jeff grinned. Britta nodded while Jeff accepted her offer verbally. Both girls glanced toward him in confusion. "Oh. You meant Britta," he said, awkwardly. "Sorry. I will exit this conversation."
"Great," Britta replied snarkily. Elina nudged her, a warning gleam in her eyes. "I have to run. Love you." Britta reached forward and ruffled her hair with a grin. "Love you too, Ellie." Just as Elina began to walk away, Abed approached. Troy was following just a few steps away. "Can you bring snacks outside of the candy variety?" Abed asked, matching her stride.
She nodded her head. "Of course. What do you have in mind?" Abed stared straight ahead, lost in thought. The duo walked with matching, fast speed. Troy came up on her opposite side. "Hey, you think you could bring those wafer cookies?" he asked. Elina glanced around to face him, nodding her head. "Sure. The pink ones?"
"Nah, the white ones." She made sure to make a mental note to write all of these requests down. When she nodded, Troy smiled and walked down the opposite side of the hallway from them. "Chex mix," Abed blurted out. "Trail mix. With the M&M's."
"Good idea, Abed. That sounds really good," she replied with a beaming grin. "Do you mind texting me those so I won't forget?" He nodded his head. "Sure."
Her marketing classroom was quickly coming up. She spun toward Abed with a grin. "Cool." He agreed, nodding his head. "Cool. Cool, cool, cool."
"Every once in a while, a student will ask: Señor Change, why do you teach Spanish?"
Elina sat right in front of Abed, her notebook open with a gel pen bitten between her teeth. Senor Chang chuckled to himself. He was perched on Annie and another student's desk. "They say it just like that," he continued. "Why do you teach Spanish? Why you."
Elina took a glance toward Troy on her left side. He wore a matching confused expression. "Why not math?" Chang continued, leaning into the man on Annie's left. He swung over to insert himself in Annie's personal space. "Why not photography?"
He continued down the small aisle and swung himself toward Shirley. "Why not martial arts? I mean, surely it must be in my nature to instruct you in something that's ancient and secret like, building a wall that you can see from outer space."
Britta bit back a laugh. She leaned backward just enough to meet her sister's eyes. "Well, I'll tell you why I teach Spanish. It is none of your business. Okay? Now, I don't wanna have any conversations about what a," — he raised the pitch of his voice and began stroking an invisible, Wizard's beard sprouting from his chin — "mysterious, inscrutable man I am."
In big letters, Elina scratched the word crazy into the margin of her notebook. Professor Chang continued to laugh in a very fake, grating way. He sort of reminded her of an escaped mental patient. He glanced around him at the students all sitting in their desks. "I am a Spanish genius!" he yelled, startling the blonde enough to have her pen fly out of her grasp.
"In español my nickname is El Tigre Chino." He began to squawk and grunt like a rogue tiger. Elina couldn't help but stare wide eyed as he bit his teeth at Shirley. "Because my knowledge will bite her face off."
"Jesus Christ," she barely whispered, straightening nervously in her desk. Jeff noticed her straighten almost immediately. He also noticed the gel pen sitting on the floor, abandoned. "So don't question Señor Chang or you'll get bit," he continued. "Yeah, bit. Yeah, bit."
He stretched out his leg, the toe of his shoes catching the pen underneath them. Slowly, almost like he was casted in the next Mission Impossible movie, he began to retract his limb with the pen snuggly kept beneath him. "Okay," Chang exhaled, clapping his hands and seemingly back to normal. "Friday mañana, we'll be having conversations with the rest of the class, using some phrases we learned."
He easily leaned over to pick up the pen. To save her ink from drying, he uncapped the lid from the end of the pen and put it in its proper place. "You'll be partnering up in pairs of dos. Heh.. So if you look under your desk, you will find a card with either a picture or a word on it, okay?"
Elina glanced around her desk before reaching under. Sure enough, there was a card there. It was painted much like the flag of Mexico. "Por ejemplo, Blondie, aqui, has a card with a picture of a house on it." Elina pulled out her card curiously. "So that means the person with the card with the word "casa" on it is her partner. Comprende, Star-Burns?"
On her card was a picture of a dog. Elina pouted. "Okay, see you Friday, find your partners, have a great day. And what do we say at the end of every class?." Everyone in the room began to respond in different ways and in different words. Professor Chang seemed about to give up. "Come on, hands. Ninety percent of Spanish."
Elina mimicked his movements and echoed his farewell. Finished, she turned in her seat to already see Abed showing off his card to Jeff. He had been matched with Britta. "Oh, man," she exhaled. Abed blinked. "Do you guys know if anyone has perro?"
Jeff sighed. When neither man gave her an answer, she began packing her things. "I believe this may belong to you," came Jeff's voice. Curiously, she spun back around in her seat to see her pen perched between his fingers. "Oh," she blurted out, blinking. Jeff let out a small noise of confusion.
"What?" he asked. She waved him off with a dismissive swat of her hand. "I thought you might have found the matching card," she admitted. "It would have been nice to do this project with someone I know." She plucked the pen from his grasp and flashed him a smile. "Thank you, though. For my pen."
He felt his mouth go dry. She stood from her seat and shrugged on her backpack. Abed sat silently, watching the exchange happen. Elina slipped between her and Abed's desk to ask around about the card. When she was just out of ear shot, Jeff turned toward the only person he could trust with this task.
"I need to find that card," he told Abed, determination deep within his eyes. Abed blinked. "Okay," was all he said in reply. Jeff leaned toward Abed. "I need your help to find it. Okay?" The other man looked to be in thought. For a split second, Jeff thought he would finally deny him. He'd finally give him that bittersweet taste of rejection, but a majority of him knew better. He's Jeff Winger. Nobody says no to Jeff Winger.
"Okay," came Abed's monotonous reply. A huge smile wiped across Jeff's face. All he had to do was find that card and an evening with Elina is achievable. "Alright, we should probably ask the study group first. Except Britta. We already know you and her are matched."
"Jefferey!" Pierce exclaimed, approaching the man still sitting in his seat. Jeff turned only slightly to glance at the old man when his attention was caught. Standing just outside the classroom was Elina and a woman he didn't recognize. On that woman's card was the word perro.
He was too late. "Pierce," Jeff finally replied, tearing his eyes away from the two. Pierce lifted his card in response. Curiously, the Winger man glanced at his word and his own card several times before it dawned on him. "What are the odds?" Pierce asked.
"Yeah," Jeff said. "What are the odds."
The moment Shirley and Annie walked up to her with a platter of brownies, Elina was putty in their hands. Especially considering how great of a baker Shirley actually is. She wore a shirt bearing the face of Chacata Panecos and was passing out signs Annie had made.
It was nice to see people so passionate about something. So much so that she had called off her date night and instead invited Mack to protest with them. He had seemed like he didn't necessarily want to go to dinner, anyway. This way, he could also meet her study group.
"If you like that brownie, you're gonna hate what's going on in Guatemala, I'll tell you that. Google it," Shirley told someone just as Elina returned to her table full of her delicious baked goods. "All of the signs are passed out," she announced proudly. Shirley spun around to face the blonde, a big smile across her face.
Before she could praise the youngest Perry, she had noticed the eldest approach. "Bri," Elina greeted her sister with a smile. "We're protesting! Look!"
"Yes, yes!" Shirley cheered. "Raise the truth!" Despite the happiness radiating off of them, including Annie who had scurried over the moment she saw Britta, the oldest blonde couldn't reciprocate those feelings. She wanted to be happy for them, especially for Elina, but she felt unnerved by the way they were going about the protest.
"Okay, once it gets dark, I'll hand out the candles and we do what's called a speechless protest," Annie explained. Britta blinked. "We put tape over our mouths and gather hand in hand in a sea of outraged silence."
Elina shuddered. She was already getting goosebumps from the idea. She turned toward Britta with an expectant smile, but before her sister could say anything, rap music began to play over Star-Burns speakers. The group of protestors cheered with glee, some even lowering their signs to dance.
Shirley bumped her hip with Elina's, eliciting a smile from the girl. Though they seemed happy, Britta clearly wasn't. She raced toward Star-Burns with determination tense in her shoulders. "No, no, no," she chanted as she clicked off the music.
Noises of protest began to ring around them. "Britta, what's gotten into you?" Annie asked. Britta huffed. "This is not how you do this," she replied.
"Well, we know it's not how you do it because we're doing everything," Shirley said. "But this is tacky and lame!" Britta exclaimed, irritated. Elina frowned at her sister. Her arms crossed tight over her chest as she took a step forward. "Not cool," she commented. "Do you know how hard we worked on this? How long Annie and Shirley spent planning this and then putting that plan into motion?"
Britta's eyes met her sister's. She knew that she was out of line. She just felt like they weren't taking it all seriously. "I know. I didn't mean that," she exhaled. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. What I meant to say was that this cause is really personal to me."
"Are you saying that we're not allowed to protest?" Annie asked in disbelief. Britta's brows furrowed slightly. "Britta, you sound like Guatemala." Shirley hummed in agreement. "Somebody has a case of "likes to use fringe politics to make themselves feel special but doesn't ever want to do anything" itus."
"No! I do things," Britta argued, and Elina wanted to agree. She'd heard the stories of Britta's travels. "I— I went to—" Britta's face fell. "I don't do anything." Elina uncrossed her arms immediately and reached for Britta's hand. Her older sister frowned before looking to Annie and Shirley, the ring masters behind this whole thing. "What can I do?"
Annie glanced around them before picking up their piñata. "You can hang the Chacata-Panecos piñata," she suggested. Britta exhaled exasperatedly. "You guys realize he was beaten to death, right?" she asked, and Elina grimaced. Perhaps the piñata was a bit too far, but they seemed happy. "That's where we got the idea from," Shirley answered truthfully.
"Poignant," Annie said. Britta took the piñata in her grasp while Shirley offered her the stick. Elina smiled over at Britta. "I can help you hang it up," she offered. The older Perry nodded her head with a slight sigh. Squeezing past Shirley and Annie, Elina ended up leading the way to the perfect spot.
"Weren't you supposed to have a date tonight?" Britta asked as she stood on top of a chair brought out by Star-Burns. Without the music, he didn't really need it anymore. Elina stood beneath her, watching as she attempted to tie up the piñata. "Yeah, but this seems more important. So, I just invited him to come check it out."
Britta scoffed. Mack wasn't exactly the protesting type. Unless it came to women's issues, which she didn't really understand how they had anything to do with him. "What?" Elina asked, slapping at her sister's legs. "What do you have to say?"
The eldest of the two glanced down toward the youngest. "Nothing," she replied. "Nothing, but the fact that he's probably not going to show." Her head tilted back into the perfect position to see the little hook clearly. Elina frowned. "You don't know that. He could show up."
"To a protest?" Britta pushed. "Ellie, he barely wanted to go out to dinner with you. What makes you think he'd show up to a..."
Her words died in her throat the moment she glanced over her shoulder and saw Mack approaching. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans and a nice dress shirt that Elina had bought him for Christmas. He had actually put the effort into looking presentable, like it was a date.
Confused by her sudden silence, Elina chanced a glance over her shoulder. Her eyes immediately found Mack in the crowd, standing awkwardly. With a squeal, she spun on her heels and raced toward him. Surprised, Shirley and Annie watched as the blonde launched herself into a strange man's arms.
"What a welcome," he teased, arms wrapped tight around her waist. Her fingers began toying with his soft, brown hair. "I'm so happy you came," she admitted before pressing a kiss to his mouth. "I know this isn't your scene, but it means so much to me that you came."
Her feet returned to the ground and his hands moved to cup her face between them. His lips met hers in a soft, full of scorching passion, kiss. Her fingers gripped the sleeves of his denim jacket between them in a way to keep her grounded.
"Nice of you to make it," came Britta's stern voice. Mack was the one to pull away and meet her eyes. He cleared his throat. "Well, I guess it had to be important if she canceled dinner," he replied, toying with the hair framing her face. Elina turned in his grasp to glare threateningly at her sister. 'Be nice,' she mouthed.
His hands fell back against her waist, a small smile passing over his face. "So, what's the deal with Guatemala, anyway?"
"Oh!"
Shirley scrambled toward the three with a brownie in hand and Annie following closely. His head turned toward the two women approaching curiously. "The Guatemalan government is executing anyone expressing their opinion against them in cruel ways," Elina explained, surprising Britta. She hadn't thought her sister had actually done her research. "So, we're protesting against their brutality and in the name of the victims. In hopes that we can start a worldwide thing to somehow help the families affected by the government's cruelty."
Mack looked just as stunned. "Wow, babe," he said. "I didn't think you were into protests." Britta wanted to ask why. What made you look like you protested? But she kept her mouth closed. "And who is this?" Shirley asked, passing off the brownie in her hands to Mack. He smiled over at her like a son-in-law meeting his future parents. It made Britta's blood boil.
"I'm Mack," he introduced himself. "I'm Elina's ball and chain." Shirley giggled at the metaphor. She obviously was a bit smitten with the smooth talker. Elina beamed. "Mack, this is Shirley and Annie. They're a part of the Spanish study group."
He could finally put names to faces. With a polite smile, he greeted the duo. "Nice to meet you. Elina talks about the group all of the time." He shook Shirley's hand first, and then Annie's. Her face flushed as their fingers touched.
"Try the brownies," Elina pushed. "Shirley made them and they're amazing."
"Oh, that's nice," she cooed, waving off Elina's comment with a smile. Mack looked down at the treat still sitting in his hands. Slowly, he began unwrapping it and chanced a nibble. Her nose scrunched up, not in distaste, though he didn't really like it either. But he quickly put on a smile. "Yum," he replied, holding the brownie out between him and Elina. "Help me eat it? I ate before I came."
She agreed happily, taking the treat from his grasp. She split it in half, passing one side to Mack and keeping the other. "There's going to be a silent protest tonight. Do you think you'd want to stay?" Annie asked. He shrugged his shoulders half heartedly. The protest was already proving to be something of a bore. "Maybe. If I can hang."
He wrapped a loose arm around Elina's neck and tugged her body into his. Britta almost rolled her eyes at the two. "Where's the rest of your group?" Mack asked curiously. "I'm really interested in meeting this Jeff guy."
Elina choked on her bite of brownie. Britta's eyes widened. "Jeff?" Shirley echoed. "Oh, he's a good guy. Very sweet." Elina coughed into her hands.
She had wanted to keep those two separated. There was no reason for them to meet. Not when she knew how jealous Mack could get. "Really?" Mack replied. "He sounds like a girlfriend stealing douche to me."
"For once, we agree on something," Britta commented. Her eyes were bleary with tears. The youngest Perry waved her hand toward her in hopes of breaking the heat beneath her skin. "He's not that bad," she argued. "But... not tonight. He has to meet up with Pierce for the Spanish project."
The rest of the girls grimaced at the thought of pairing up with Pierce. "Is that the old, wet towel guy?" Annie nodded her head. There wasn't much to say about Pierce but that he was a bit uncomfortable to be around. Well... there's actually a lot to say about Pierce. A lot of ugly words that Elina would never say out loud, or in front of anyone.
"I should get back to the table," Shirley announced. She turned toward Mack with a big smile. "It was nice to meet you, Mack." He grinned back. "The pleasure was all mine," he replied, cheekily. She giggled, shaking her head at the man before turning on her heels.
Elina suddenly felt uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because Mack was mingling with her college crowd. Or maybe it was the idea that he could possibly meet Jeff after all. That idea did frighten her. Her teeth dug into the flesh of her bottom lip. "I'm going to get the candles ready. Britta, would you like to help?" Annie asked, and the blonde immediately nodded her head.
"Have fun, lovebirds. See you when the sun goes down." Mack snorted before pressing a kiss on the crown of her head. She spun around in his grasp and sighed. "Want a tour?" she asked. "I can show you all the best make out places."
He hummed in appreciation, leaning close. "Sounds like a good time," he replied. "Count me in."
Once the sun had finally gone down, the vigil was in effect. Soft guitar music played gently as the people all took their duct tape and their candles. Elina rubbed the duct tape onto her mouth to ensure that it didn't fall before taking a candle.
"I'm sorry, I'm not doing that," Mack whispered, but he did take a candle. Annie and Shirley looked at him weird. Elina, stunned, peeled off her duct tape. "You have to," she told him. "It's part of the protest."
His brows furrowed in confusion. "What is duct taping my mouth going to do to help?" he asked. "Is the duct tape bullet proof? Can I jump in front of a journalist with it?"
She frowned. "What the hell, Mack?" He couldn't seem to grasp why she was getting upset. If he didn't want to put on duct tape, he shouldn't have to. And yet there she was, scolding him like a child. "I'm not putting the stupid duct tape on," he told her.
"Matter of fact, I think it might be time for me to go." She was quick to stop him. "One second," she whispered to Annie and Shirley, passing her candle back to Annie. With a firm grip, she tugged Mack away from the table and away from the peaceful protestors. "What is going on with you?" she asked.
His hands rested at his hips. "I just don't want to put on the duct tape. What's so wrong about that?" he inquired. Her arms crossed her chest with a small huff. "Look, protesting is cool and all, but it's not helping anything. People are still going to die regardless of the duct tape."
"That may be so, but at least we're bringing awareness to the situation," she argued. "And the duct tape is not stupid. It's symbolic to the hands of the Guatemalan government. They're silencing their own people with death and fear."
"And by forcing me to put on the duct tape, you're taking away my rights to say no." Confusion puckered between her brows. He knew what he was signing up for. She had told him amidst their heated make out sessions. Why was it such a big deal now?
His hands cradled her head between them. "Look, I'm happy you're finding something to care about. But maybe tone it down a bit. Take off the rose colored glasses."
She shoved off his hands with a heavy frown. "You're such a jerk," she told him. Without another word, she stomped off in the direction of Shirley's booth. She smoothed the duct tape back over her mouth and accepted the candle Annie had held for her.
Maybe she was getting mad over nothing. Maybe Mack held some truth to his words. But that didn't make his refusal sting any less. He had basically spit in her face when he talked down about the protest. Sure, she hadn't planned any of it but she helped set up and supported it.
She ignored him when he tried to talk to her. And she ignored him when he gave up and stalked off, mumbling about her stubbornness under his breath. She ignored it all as her eyes flooded with tears and she stared into the darkening sky.
This mattered to her. And it mattered a lot. The heat of the flame warmed her skin as she held it up and close to her heart. She was almost completely zoned out when a pair of footsteps approached her. Curious, she glanced to her left to spot Jeff holding a sign.
She couldn't see his mouth, but she knew he was smiling at her. The action was enough to have her brows furrowing and her chest stuttering. Tears plummeted over her face despite the effort she had put in to stop them.
He reached for her duct tape and peeled it back. A soft gasp left her lips, her face contorting into one big, sad expression. The air was welcomed in her lungs happily. He then peeled off his own tape. "You okay?" he asked, stunned by her response to his being there.
One hand wiped away at the tears dampening her face. She nodded, not wanting to speak during a silent protest. He didn't seem convinced. "Why are you crying?" he whispered. Her wet, glassy eyes met his. They looked stunning against the candlelight. "It's stupid," she replied, her voice cracking. "And you wouldn't care."
"Woah, woah, woah. We're friends, remember? Platonically." She bit down on her trembling lip. She didn't want to burden Jeff with the knowledge of her imperfect relationship. Partly because she was scared he'd take advantage of that, and the other part was that she just didn't want to talk about it.
Before she could deny him once more, a voice came from the steps leading up to the college. "Look at awesome Jefferey Winger!" Pierce slurred, a bottle of alcohol dangling from one hand while the other pointed accusatory toward Jeff. Elina sniffed, a confused frown buried between her brows.
"Too awesome for old Pierce with your hip shirts and your– your gelled hair and your cool tape over your mouth." She glanced toward Jeff, tearing her gaze away from Pierce approaching them with angry, heavy steps. "Why is everybody wearing tape over their mouth?"
With a huff, Jeff ripped the tape from his mouth. "It's a protest, Pierce," he answered, his tone harsh. Pierce looked surprised. "Oh, good! Because I know what I'd like to protest. How much you hurt me."
"Pierce," Elina spoke up, finally tearing away the remnants of her tape. "That's not how protests work." The old man held up a finger in Elina's face to silent her. Her eyes widened, lips parting in a surprised 'o' shape. "First you constantly blow me off, then you want me to do your homework. Then you tell me I'm trying too hard to be your friend so you have to go."
She glanced around the area in search for Britta. If anyone knew how to diffuse the situation, it was her. "You had to come out here to pretend to care about the stupid stuff she cares about." His finger that had lingered between them was now pointed at her face. She gasped. "His words, not mine," Pierce assured her, finally retracting his hand.
"He is paraphrasing," Jeff tried to assure her. She didn't look, or feel, too convinced. "Pierce, I got an idea. Why don't you go get a cup of coffee and hold some waitress hostage with a monologue about your sperm."
"I'll show you some sperm, buddy," Pierce shot back. Elina was quick to cover her eyes to avoid any spotting of Pierce's penis if he whipped it out. But instead, it was as if his jacket had decided to combust. "Is this your idea? What the hell? I'm on fire!"
Pierce ran through the protestors like a bull in a china shop. His screams filled the air, cracking whatever remnants of the silent protest they had remaining. Jeff sighed. "Oh, he's— He's jumped in the fountain. He's fine."
With Pierce's monologue and then his fire, Elina had had enough time to absorb his words. "You two are one in the same," she commented. Her hard stare turned onto Jeff. "Who? Me and Pierce?" he asked. "No, no, no. I am nothing like him."
"No, you and Mack. You're both jerks." Jeff went to argue. He didn't even know who Mack was. How could he be like him? With a sad pout, Elina turned away from Jeff and began stalking toward Shirley's booth. Someone had to make sure Pierce was okay.
"Have you seen it?"
A shadow flew toward Elina. In her ears was a pair of pink, jelly earbuds blasting Leona Lewis. Curiously, she looked up to see Annie and Shirley standing above Britta.
"What's happening?" she asked, taking out one earbud. Annie squealed, reaching for her hand. "We made it to page three! Listen. "The incident occurred during a protest regarding events in Guatemala". Awareness!"
"And this isn't the school newspaper, by the way," Shirley added. "This is a real damn newspaper. There's a Marmaduks in there." Elina smiled, basking in their excitement. She needed it after the long night she had. "Well, it's more than I ever accomplished," Britta said.
Elina placed her hand over Annie's still sitting tight on her wrist. "Congrats, guys. That's amazing." Annie smiled at the blonde before releasing her and turning back to grab the newspaper. Elina could see her framing it. Her eyes sunk toward the words, reading over the pages. "Did you guys know about the ethnic cleansing in Burma?"
"We need to bust out that brownie mix," Shirley stated, getting a curt nod of agreement from the younger brunette. Elina smiled to herself before tucking her earbud back into her ear. She was trying to drown her sadness away with soul filled ballads, but nothing seemed to be working. Not even Leona Lewis' gut wrenching song, Run, couldn't make her forget about the vigil.
The seat beside her was suddenly filled. Her eyes cut toward the owner before flying back toward her Spanish note cards. Jeff sighed, a blue envelope in hand. "Morning," he greeted the blonde, only to be ignored. She even bopped her head to show him that she wasn't listening.
With a sigh, he tossed the blue envelope onto her desk. It fell right onto her hand, causing the tip of her pen to scratch across the bottom half of her card. Her tongue prodded her cheek for a moment before she picked up the card and set it back onto his own desk.
"It's an apology," he said, placing it right back in front of her. Silently, she turned to face the older man. "Read it." She could barely hear his voice over her music, but she could read his lips. She wanted so desperately to throw it back at him, or maybe rip it up, but she didn't. Instead, she took the envelope in her hand and opened it.
The card was glittery and pink. It had a baby pig on it that she suspected was supposed to resemble Wilbur from Charlotte's Web. On the front, it wished her a happy fifth birthday. She scoffed in disbelief.
Reaching over, Jeff moved her hands away from the card. He tugged the front over to open it and reveal his chicken scratch handwriting. In black ink, he wrote: I'm sorry about the protest. I know it meant a lot to you.
The anger she had coddled slowly began to dissipate. It took a real man to apologize, but he had apologized for the wrong thing. She turned toward Jeff, a soft smile present on her face. "You know, you can take that apology and shove it right up your ass."
She gathered her things lightning fast and stood from her chair. Britta watched in silent surprise as Elina slipped through the aisles to find another seat. Jeff looked amazed. He looked stunned. They all were, really. "Damn," Britta muttered. "You definitely messed up."
He glared over at the older Perry. "It's not my fault Pierce decided to act like a lunatic and ruin everything."
"Oh, we don't blame you, sweetie. Pierce has always been on my watch list," Shirley stated. Elina sat on the other side of her and replaced her earbuds, ignoring the conversation. Jeff's shoulders deflated. "That dude is crazy. He told me girls have two pee holes," Troy chimed in.
"I sang Christmas carols at a nursing home once. I've seen the face of dementia, and last night, I saw it again," Annie declared. Jeff would have laughed if that weird feeling hadn't been sitting on his chest. Britta snorted. "You know what he did that's really crazy?"
Elina could never understand why she heard Britta loud and clear during everything. It could be storming outside, and Britta would be the only thing she hears as she calms her down. She could be completely zoned out and Britta could be the only one able to get her back. It was infuriating sometimes, like right then. When Elina was trying to ignore everybody.
"He offered Star-Burns a hundred dollars to switch cards with him just so he could be partners with Jeff." Jeff finally met Elina's eyes. "I think he thought getting closer to Jeff would bring him respect in the group. I think he spent his whole life looking out for himself, and he would trade it all for a shot at some kind of family."
Elina was the first to look away. Jeff had caught her listening in. He knew that she was present. Her eyes immediately went to the door, hands flying to her ears as Señor Chang and Pierce entered the classroom. They were speaking amongst themselves until Señor Chang greeted the class.
"Time for our presentations. First up was supposed to be Jeff and Pierce, but Pierce explained the situation to me. Apparently there was a falling out, things were said, people were betrayed." As Pierce turned his back, Chang began moving his hand in a circle near his head to express just what he thought of Pierce. "Jeff, having heard Pierce's side of the story, I think the only humane thing to do would be to give you a C and let Pierce do his presentation alone. If that sounds fair to you."
Elina couldn't stop herself from glancing toward Jeff curiously. He ducked his head for a moment and Elina expected him to agree. What would he gain from catering to Pierce's needs, right? Besides basic human decency and a soul. But she was stunned to see him shake his head. "That doesn't sound fair to me at all," he replied.
"Pierce, I understand if you don't wanna be my friend. But this thing that we've created, it is bigger than the both of us, and it deserves to be done right," Jeff declared. Joy was visible on Pierce's face, though he tried hard to fight it. After a pause, he agreed with a small nod. "Alright," he mumbled.
Chang looked confused. "Okay, um, guys, why are there costumes involved?" he asked. Everyone else was most likely thinking the same thing. The assignment only consisted of five phrases. That was hardly enough time for a costume change. "These are short conversations. They're not supposed to take—"
"Your breath away," Jeff interrupted Chang with a mild smirk. Elina snorted to herself. "Well tough." His eyes flickered from Chang to Elina for a brief moment, then his head snapped toward Pierce. "You ready, amigo?"
"Sí," Pierce responded with a straight face. The duo spun toward the class and began their assignment. None of it made sense. The costumes, the plot holes, the silly string. It was just one big production of shit. But Abed ate it up alongside Elina, the two beaming from their seats.
She couldn't deny that she thought he was still a jerk. But his jerkitude was decreasing day by day — or at least week by week. When it was all done, Jeff and Pierce stood like starfish with burning sprinklers in hands.
Abed applauded the production, clearly impressed with their work. However, Chang most certainly was not. "F, F-minus," he said, grading their assignment aloud. Pierce looked stunned. "What?" the old man asked. "What? Did you say S?"
"If the grading system went that low, yes," Chang replied. "Now, with that having taken up all of our time. The rest of you will present your assignments next week." The rest of the class finally joined in on Abed's applause, including Elina.
Jeff and Pierce bowed, though the former was utterly embarrassed by the act he had put on. It felt great to be praised, though. "Class dismissed," Chang exhaled. Gathering her things, Elina was one of the first to stand from her desk. Jeff, noticing this, hurried to catch her before she left. He had more to say, though he didn't actually know what words he would use. He just knew that he needed to talk to her.
"Nice highlights," she teased, reaching for the light purple silly string stuck in his gelled hair. He tilted his head lower to make it easier for her to reach. "Thanks. I would say I did them myself, but I can't take all of Pierce's glory."
Her eyes instinctively rolled at his comment. Picking up her books, she got ready to escape the Spanish room. "It was nice what you did for him... I guess you're not as insincere as I thought."
"Does that mean you'll accept my apology piglet card?" he asked. She bit down on her bottom lip, blue eyes batting up at him. She really was something. "Maybe."
He grinned. "I'll take it."
rumi says . . .
impulse post impulse post impulse post
i just really love jefflina & would like to write for them forever thank you.
what are your thoughts on the chapter?
what about elina's addition to the greendale
seven?
thank you for reading!
feedback is greatly appreciated!