❝〔 c h a p t e r t w e n t y - f o u r 〕❞
Eleanlr frowns as she watches Ej walk through the hallways, his hand covering his nose and blood in his shirt.
"What happened to you?" She raises her eyebrow.
"Why don't you ask your boyfriend?" He huffs, pushing open the door towards the men bathroom.
She looks confused for a second before following him in. "Ricky did that? And we broke up, you know that."
Ej sighs, taking of his jacket. "Right, okay so ask your soulmate what he did."
She rolls her eyes. "Why don't you just tell me what he did?"
He takes off his shirt, the girl her eyes widden slightly before she looks away from him, eyes focussed on the wall instead. She did not need to see him shirtless.
She hears water running, he is probably cleaning his shirt she realizes. "He threw a basketball in my face."
"Ricky? As in the golden retriever boy Ricky? My Ricky? That's hard to believe." She chuckles.
"Welk the proof is right here," He points at his face. "And here." He holds up his white t-shirt."
"Fair point." She nods her head, watching as he picks up the ice and presses it to the bruise. "So what exactly happened?"
Before Ej can answer the door opens. "Hey, how's the li- Ellie?"
"Hey, Rick." She chuckles awkwardly, very much aware the boy walked in on her and a shirtless Ej.
"What are you doing here?" Ricky frowns, looking between the two.
"I was asking him what happened." She points to his face where he is keeping the ice pressed on. "Didn't really get an answer though."
"This is the Boys bathroom." Ricky states, crossing his arms.
The girl shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, so?"
He shakes his head before walking closer to Ej. "How's the lip?"
"All good." Ej shortly answers.
"Listen, I don't know what happened out there. It was an accident."
"Really?" Ej asks throwing the ice pack on the sink. "Cause infinity plus one sounded pretty real."
Ej starts putting on his jacket again.
"That's not even a number." Ricky says for whatever reason.
"Just do me a favor and stay away from me, okay?" Ej tells him. "And maybe try treating your soulmate a bit better."
"Excuse me?" Ricky asks.
"Don't act like my best friend. Don't act like breaking up had everything to do with her and nothing with you." He points at the girl next to him. "Just stop acting, period."
"Ej!" The girl exclaims. "What do I have to do with this conversation?!"
"Listen, I'm just trying to make the beat out of a bad situation-"
"Well stop trying, Ricky." Ej interrupts him. "Just don't try so hard! It's embarrassing."
"Dude." Ricky looks at Eleanor for a secodn before back to the boy. "I'm just trying to say that I'm sorry."
"You want to apologize? You can start with making Eleanor feel bad all the time."
"What are you talking about?" Eleanor exclaims. "I never said anything about Ricky making me feel bad." Eleanor now looks to Ricky, it being more directed at him then at Ej.
"What did you just say?" Ricky looks away from his soulmate. "What is going on between me and Ellie is none of your buiseness."
"Just go home." Ej shakes his head, walking out of the bathroom.
"Rick-" Eleanor starts.
"What is he talking about, Eleanor? Do I make you feel bad?" Ricky interrupts her.
The girl instantly shakes her head. "No, Ricky. I don't why he said all that, but I promise I have never felt, or said anything like that."
"Well then why did he say it? You must have said something to him!" He states.
"Listen-" Eleanor starts but stops as a boy walk inside, giving the girl a weird look.
She gives him a awkward smile before tuening to Ricky. "Could we?" She points to the hallway.
He nods his head, walking to the door and keeping it open for her. She sends him a genuine smile as she walks trough the door opening.
"Okay, as I was saying. That day I was stoned? I did go to school at first. But then I spend first period very embarrased crying in some stairwell. Ej found me and I told him I felt so bad because of you. Because you broke things off." She explains. "But that is the only time I said something like that. And it wasn't even aimed at you, more like the situation! But I now totally get why you did that, And I'm not that upset anymore!"
"Why would you say that to Ej? Ej out of all people!"
"He's my friend." Eleanor states.
"Yeah well, you shouldn't be. What he did wasn't cool at a-"
"Ricky. No offense but that has nothing to do with you. I got over it, he apologized and I forgave him, me and Ej are cool." She tells him. "And I seriously don't know why he would say all that, but the points is that it is not true."
"Are you sure?"
She nods her head. "100% sure. Okay?"
He sighs. "Okay. Do you maybe want to hang out?"
"Depends, are you gonna talk about Ej?" She asks as they walk towards the exit.
"Hey!" He laughs, nudging her shoulder. "No, no I'm not. I'd rather not talk to the dude who just stood shirtless with my soulmate in a small space."
"If it makes it any better I didn't like that one bit." She giggles.
"Hmm, that infact does make it better." He grins, and naturally he wraps his arm around his shoulder.
Neither of them realize that they maybe shouldn't do that seeing they just broke up, but it feels so natural, so familliar that neither really notice it.