P h o t o #62 - Breaking And Entering
~Elliot's POV~
My foot hit the accelerator, my eyes evidently glued to my driver side mirror as my tempt soared. The silence in my car was suffocating, and I was sure that I was the root of the cause, but I didn't dwell on the fact. Ignoring the glances Kayla gave to me at my side, and the prickly sensation indicating that the others in the back were doing the same, I grit my teeth.
Bile rose in my throat at the thought of Emma being stuck in a situation she went anticipating. Even if she insisted that she ride with her mother, the images of what she had to go through because of the woman's failure to be there for her reeled through my head. My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my that knuckles were a stark white against the black leather.
Eyebrows knitted together in a way that most likely resembled an angered hound after being teased by little, tittering children one too many times, I pressed the gas just a bit harder, never losing sight of the car riding behind us.
"Elliot...Calm down a bit. It isn't good to drive when you're upset like this." Kayla finally spoke up next to me after opening and closing her mouth a few times, her voice strained.
But I couldn't calm down. Not in the slightest. Not when something could be happening just a few yards away. Not when I knew I had a stretch of road and highway keeping me from Emma, forcing her to bear her burdens alone after I've assured her time and time again that I would never do exactly that.
The look on her face before we parted ways in the parking lot burned itself to the back of my eyelids, the way she held onto every ounce of courage with a small smile, the knot in between her eyebrows betraying her.
I could've smacked myself, not just for easily letting her go just ten minutes before, but for being at a loss of words when I was left alone with her mother.
Memories swirled my mind like smoke snaking around a doused out fire, the time Emma accidentally met with my father, the time he tried using one of his mind games to turn her thoughts against me, the time she defended me till the end, even when all I could do was pathetically sit there and take it.
Again my foot hit the gas pedal, feel adrenaline pump through my veins as I swerved around the car lagging in our lane.
Kayla's left knee bounced anxiously, most likely worried as I wildly directed our car, but all my muddled mind could think of was how Emma had done the same when she expressed that she was nervous, and how her grandmother caught onto her ticks. I almost squeezed my eyes shut while in the middle of the freeway; this was no time to be angry that I couldn't do the same.
A hand fell upon my shoulder and I tensed immediately, jerking the steering wheel just enough to make Kayla squeak and grab at the handle above the passenger door. I would've rolled my eyes in any other situation at her dramatic reaction, but when I checked the rear view mirror I could evidently see how pale everyone's faces were in the back seat. I released a pent up breath.
My eyes flickered to the hand still gripping at my collar bone, knowing it was Jonas the moment he opened his mouth, "Just because you couldn't escort your girlfriend to your house doesn't mean you gotta kill us in the process." A series of astonished sputters and coughs rang out inside the closed in space.
Heat rose up my neck and bruned the tips of my ears, and I shrugged off his touch as if it suddenly burst into searing flames. I would've punched him if I wasn't currently trying to get around another car that didn't seem to understand the use of a high-speed lane.
A blissful smack sounded out in the car, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as Kayla directed a very angry glare towards the back, "Wow Jonas, could you be any more sensitive?" She said sarcastically.
Silence ensued, and we all braced ourselves for the fight that was coming. But the quiet continued, and I couldn't help but wonder just what the hell had happened between them to reach this point. I would've asked if I had a moment to care about it then.
"Alright," Jonas said, his voice remorseful, "Got it, I'm sorry. You're just stressing me the hell out driving like that."
"Eloquent." Kayla said as she swiveled back around and crossed her sleeve-clad arms.
I could almost hear Jonas grit his teeth, but was again surprised as he held back any retort he had ready, "...Anyways, you mind telling us just what in God's name is going on? Last time I checked we were going to grab a bite to eat down in the cafeteria and wait until Emma could visit her grandma. Now all of a sudden we're driving across town to go to your house?!" His voice rose as he spoke, showing his confusion.
"I'd like to know the same thing." Parker said, shifting in his seat, "Honestly, I'm having a hard time following just what led up to this in the first place. Care to fill us in?"
Finally, Cooper spoke up, his tone limp enough to startle me into remembering just how much Jonas' earlier comment most likely meant to him, "Me too. What's going on, Elliot?"
Questions flew at me left and right, as if Cooper's last statement was a gun firing off to signal the start of a race. The flood gates were open, and everyone wanted their answer to be given first.
It was then that I realized that no one really knew about what had happened between me and Emma over the course of these past few months. I didn't really know why it took me this long to notice how distant I was with them.
But I was still frustrated, and at any other point I would've spilled everything. The mixed voices were grating on my nerves, adding to the irritation I felt for the drivers surrounding me.
My left hand slammed down on the buttons along my door, forcing every window in the car to roll down with an angry rush of wind that almost clawed at the inside of my eardrums. I needed to cool my head, that was certain.
Frigid air whipped my hair into crazed tufts as Kayla let out a yelp and clamped her arms around her head. Her raging voice sounded garbled against the pressure, and I probably looked like a mad man at that point, but I needed some fresh air. The tension was far too thick in my car, and all I wished to do was release it.
I turned down the next exit, rounding a patch of road and stopping at a stoplight, turning my blinker on as I sat back, never realizing until then that I was practically hunched forward in my seat.
"Feel better?" Kayla asked, her teeth chattering as she finally regained enough senses to roll her window back up again, her hair already sticking out in my than a few places. I was almost surprised by how calm she sounded, although she huffed a breath, "Geez, you could've just told us to shut up."
"Let's just say the plans have changed." I finally spoke, rolling up the car windows again and suddenly feeling the after effects of my outburst, "And let's just say that I'm not entirely sure what Emma has in mind either. Better?"
A crease formed in Kayla's light eyebrows, "No," She deadpanned, the look of uncertainty still filling her face, "not really."
Again, irritation flared up in my chest, but I knew better than to direct it at anyone. If anything, I blatently understood that I was angry that I couldn't give my friends what they wanted because I had no clue myself what was really going on. I was pussed off I couldn't read Emma, couldn't pinpoint exactly what she had in mind, couldn't shake the anxiety in my chest, nerves in response to the fact that I was leading her straight to my father without any explanation.
Suddenly I felt like an idiot, almost contemplating slamming on the breaks altogether as I drove down another street. Why in the hell was I taking her towards my father without so much as hearing what she had in mind?
'Maybe your dumb ass just trusts her with it.' A comforting thought came along, although brash. Perhaps it truly was that I simply entrusted her with the matter. Her eyes held resolution as she looked at me in the hospital before directing us out to the parking lot. Her posture straight for once, her steps righteous.
And immediately I felt a warm, soft feeling in my chest, overwhelmed with guilt, 'Shouldn't I be the one protecting you?'
I glared daggers back into the mirror, Emma's mother barely visible die to the distance, but I still stared nonetheless. I was overwhelmed by the fact that I couldn't do anything, didn't do anything when I had the chance to earlier. I thought after last night with Emma I had sworn to myself that I wouldn't be submissive any longer, that I wouldn't sit back and allow things to unfold without my consent just because it was a pain in the ass to deal with.
I could reason with myself that it hadn't even been twenty four hours since I had made my decision, but it felt as though justifying my case would just be a cover up for me running away. Like I always did.
I flipped my blinker on again, the streets beginning to melt into a familiarity I didn't really need to concentrate on. We were nearing my house, and I had to calm myself down.
But my brain continued to rage, to lash out thoughts that didn't quite make sense when I thought about it. I was so lost in myself that I didn't even register Kayla's soft voice until she spoke for the third time.
"Elliot," She said soothingly, any sign of her temper from beforehand completely gone. I had almost forgotten how motherly she could sound when she wasn't dishing out sarcastic remarks left and right, "We're worried too, you know. We're not too happy about Emma being left alone with her mom either."
I peaked out of my peripheral vision, watching as she propped her chin upon her hand, her eyes watching the scenery fly by outside her window, "But that was her decision. Emma was the one who decided it was time to face her, and we should respect that. It's okay to be worried, we all care about her."
"Yeah," Jonas added, his voice not as gruff, "and I sure as hell don't know what she has planned once we get to your house, but I gotta say I'm pretty curious. I'm sure your dad won't be too pleased seeing the girl who practically backhanded him with words, though."
I recalled that day again, and almost smiled this time. It seemed every time I remembered what she'd done for me, I grew more fond of her.
A chuckle escaped Parker's lips behind my right ear, "That's true, I could barely believe it when you told us of what she did."
"Emma's amazing." Cooper responded, his voice almost somber. We all silently agreed, and that was when I remembered that he had his heart set on Emma as well. I shoved the guilt away, promising to deal with it soon.
"We sure as hell didn't anticipate all of this would happen a couple months ago, that's for sure." Jonas reminisced, and we all nodded, a lighter air taking over the inside of my car.
Kayla nodded, her lip-glossed lips upturned as she thought about her friend, "Whatever Emma decides to do, I trust her. She probably has the best judgment out of all of us."
"I agree," Parker said, "Remember that time you decided to bake a cake for us when we all began high school and gave us food poisoning because you undercooked the batter?"
Cooper gagged, and I let out a chuckle, "Please don't remind me, I was sick for almost two weeks after that." He answered.
Kayla scowled towards the back of the car again, but the sides of her mouth twitched as she fought a grin, "Hey four-eyes, it's the thought that counts."
"Yeah," Jonas spoke, cutting through the mood, "Come to think of it, that was probably only one of the few times we all had hung out together before this year."
And suddenly, the atmosphere dropped. Again, I wanted to berate him for blocking off the happier path we were striding down, but I then realized that this was the first time we all came to this conclusion together. I mean, I'm sure we've mulled over this fact on our own accord dozens of times before, but we never really addressed it.
"Yep," Kaila whispered, her body slightly leaning off towards the right as I turned, a content look on her face as her cheeks flushed, "Emma truly is amazing."
A breathy laugh fell from my lips, and I was almost taken aback at how proud I felt of Emma. I could still recall the days she take off down the hall whenever we approached her, when she'd hide her face when she talked, when she didn't so much as offer a smile until the first month we knew her.
It was astonishing how much she had changed. Sure, so did we, but definitely not in the way she did. I guessed it was the first time I'd seen someone go through such a drastic transformation, and it was astounding in every way.
I honed my focus back into the present, locking all of the memories I shared with Emma back into my head, and realized that we were now pulling into the gates leading up to my driveway. It seemed everyone else was too deep in thought to notice too, because I could suddenly feel the rush to tension well up within the car again.
I slowed the car to a stop, shifting gears and unlocking the doors, but no one made an effort to get out just yet. Emma's mother's car pulled in behind ours, and unlike our situation, the passenger door flung open as the car continued to slow to a stop. A shout fluttered through the windy winter morning, but Emma ignored the sound as yelled something back, bolting towards my house with a certain kind of urgency. Instead of shooting down my driveway, she made a beeline for my enormous yard, which was coated with a fresh layer of thick snow. It clinged to her jeans and flooded her shoes, but she continued on.
My brows furrowed as I almost smacked my head into the visor, my hands fumbling with my seatbelt. Adrenaline spiked my blood pressure as my head whipped back, watching as Emma's mother slowed to a stop next to the trunk, her arm out as if she could reach her daughter from her stance. She dared not to take another step, and I guessed it was because their relationship had yet to mend itself much.
My body moved forward as I freed myself from my bounds, clicking open my door. A sheet of ice under my feet gave me no traction, and my legs shook as I tried to regain my balance, barely able to stop myself from sprinting after Emma. I cursed the weather for tricking us with how nice it was the days prior, but quickly honed in my focus.
The sound of car doors slamming alongside me slowly began to vanish, the thrumming of voices bouncing off my eardrum rather than being absorbed and understood. I squinted off towards the distance, the snow proving to be too blinding under the pale, clouded sky. Brisk air began picking up, and I took it as my cue from nature to stops criticizing it and start running.
Taking the sign to heart, my legs began pumping out from under me, blood rushing up and down my spinal cord as a cold sweat broke out upon my forehead. Easily I made my way around the bend of the house, thanking the two years of track I'd decided to test out during junior high, knowing it was practically the only thing that had aided in soothing my breathing troubled as I began using the muscles more and more.
I turned around the side of my house, my body tilting as cold air whipped across my temples, its frigid bite causing my eyes to water. My hot breath clouded around my head, fogging my field of vision.
I couldn't tell if the sound of rhythmic pattering in my ears were from my feet crunching against the fresh snow or my own heart pounding within my head. I didn't have time to decipher the sound either, because before I had the chance my eyes met with my destination.
Except the only problem was that she was dangling from a window, her hair whipping in all directions as she clung for dear life.
***
~Emma's POV~
"A little help here?"
I finally craned my neck down far enough to meet Elliot's stare, noticing that his jaw had almost managed to drop to the cold Earth below. I would've giggled at the sight if I wasn't currently trying to keep myself from falling straight on my bottom from where I hung, my arms already falling asleep. I was only a few good feet above the ground, but I would assume that a fall from this height could earn some ugly fractures.
"What in the hell are you doing?!" He immediately rumbled once he got ahold of his better judgement, already storming over towards me.
I jutted out one of my long legs, pointing my soaked boot at his puffed out chest, "Hey it's not my fault your dad likes high windows to go with his equally high ceilings. Now could you please give me a boost?"
A hand flew to his face as he let out an exasperated sigh, "Now's not the time to suddenly act uncharacteristically spontaneous," He muttered, but I continued to stare defiantly. Shaking his head, he let out a bitter laugh as he walked closer, less tense than before. I lowered my leg sceptically, squinting as him as he reached for my calves.
My heart leapt in my chest as his warm touch moved through the fabric of my jeans, as if I wasn't expecting him to touch me at all. Just as I was about to tell myself how stupid that was, I felt a hearty yank come from down below.
I turned to face Elliot, who now stood under me, his eyes angry as he pulled. My forearms shook violently as I held onto the edge of the slim window.
"What are you doing? I thought you were helping me!!"
Another humorless laugh, "Help you what? Break into my house? This was your 'master plan'?"
My eyebrows scrunched into a thick crease, wondering if the stress was getting to his head as I tried shaking my legs from his grasp, "You think your dad's just gonna let any of us in? Your mom entitled you to things he's keeping from you in her will, you have a right to see the document!"
My rising voice caused his to grow louder as well, "But that doesn't mean you can go breaking and entering!!"
"Technically it isn't 'breaking'," I began, pushing in the glass separating me from the room inside with a balled up fist before quickly returning it to keep my upright, "if he left the window open. It's just entering."
"Entering illegally, Emma! How do you even know this is where he's keeping her will anyways?!" He asked, almost heaving as he worked himself up.
"He gave me a tour last time I came here, I know this window leads to his office."
It was the only hope I was holding onto, honestly. I had no way of knowing if the document was actually in there or not.
But his grip slacked for just a moment, and I used that time to boost myself up. He notices too quickly and yanked again, almost causing me to fall completely, "That still doesn't mean you have to resort to this, Emma! This is my business!!" Elliot roared.
Suddenly I recalled the feintest memory of an unfamiliar car sitting at the very end of the driveway and panic caused me to sway momentarily. I swiveled my head around to face Elliot again, "Be quiet or he'll hear us!"
"Oh please, haven't you met my father? Don't you know he'd be willing to invest in sound proof insulation?!"
Now everything he was saying was a rageful yell, as if the entire situation was causing him to panic. I could still see the whites of his eyes even from the distance, "Okay, I get it. Now let go!"
Admittedly, I knew I was acting like a mad man, but the entire car ride here I had weighed every option I could think of, and each and every one led to the sound of a door slamming in our faces. There was no way Elliot's father would listen to a word we had to say. All we needed to do was get our hands on that single document and all of Elliot's troubles would be released.
That was enough to keep me fighting.
"Jesus Christ, why did I even let you sway me into coming back here." He began, thinking out loud as our little game of tug-of-war continued with no end in sight, "As if you had a plan that would actually work! You're acting crazy right now, Emma. We can find a other way if we just talk instead of jumping to conclusions. Just come back down and-"
"You have to let me do this one last thing, Elliot." I spoke just barely above a whisper, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice. My knuckles turned a tender blush color as they began giving out, my arms worked well pass their capacity. Turning my neck around now seemed to be more than a simple chore as every muscle in my body grew taught, sore from the over usage. Still, despite the aches, I shot him a smile, "I know we can talk this through. I know I'm being absolutely stupid. I'm a fool for even thinking anything I had in mind would work in business that isnt even mine. I know that, Elliot. But this is the fastest option, right? I know how much your mother's jewelry, more than anything, means to you, and the document ensuring they belong to you is right inside this room. Please let me do this for you."
Again, I probably would've giggled at how strange we were acting - as if we were some kind of twisted, modern version of Romeo and Juliet, except I'm pretty sure Juliet never tried herself at house-hopping - but given the circumstances I would never let a chuckle escape. On the contrary, it took all of my might to swallow past the lump in my throat, to blink past the water pricking at the sides of my eyes.
Elliot's eyes widened, as if something clicked, and fear poured into the wake of the flickering emotion. Movement shifted in my peripheral vision as our friends finally made their way to us. We had to have been quite a sight, because everyone stopped in their tracks at the exact same time, sending up slush and piles of snow as they skidded.
Gulping, I ever so slightly tilted my toes downward, praying that I was far enough down from Elliot's lungs, knowing after this I would be nothing more than a madman.
"Elliot," I murmured, causing his neck to snap back in my direction.
"Sorry."
As if I were a rocket launching erattically into the atmosphere, I kicked off from my bounds, my boots going into Elliot's left side, his body acting as the boost I needed to force myself through the window I had thrown open not even a second earlier.
I was already prepared to face the earful I was going to get after all of this, even the possibility of angering my friends was a thought I mulled over, but I needed to do this now - not soon, not after a discussion that would most definitely ruin the resolve I had built up to get me here - for the person I cared about the most.
Before I had to leave entirely.