Chapter 28
A new house for anything without a home.
Zeke and I sit on a picnic table, at the park a few blocks from the library. We've been there for a total of four minutes and fifty-one seconds. I was losing my confidence as every second ticked by, but I tried to remain upbeat. For both our sakes.
I guess you could say we needed it.
I glanced at my trusty partner in crime - I started referring to him like that as of late - and saw him with his eyes closed, his tri-colored irises nowhere to be seen. His lips were pulled together in a tight line and his mass of honey blonde hair looked extra untamed; probably because he ran his fingers through them one too many times. I knew him enough to know that ninety-nine percent of the time, my theory was true.
I blew a sigh, sweeping the surroundings with my slow, lethargic gaze.
A new house for anything without a home?
Maybe it's an orphanage?
Or an animal shelter?
Because you know, they have...no...other...home?
"Hey, Zeke, what about a shelter?" I asked, my chest filling with hope. So far, that was the only idea I could come up with.
His eyelids open, but his expression looked uncertain. "Don't you think that's too easy?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy.
"Well, I never said I was good with riddles," I shrugged. "I mean, Rumplepigskin would most likely have my head for that."
Zeke chuckled, pulling us to a standing position. "Lucky for you, I'm a master of mind games.
I made a face when he said that.
A heartbeat later, he started to put on his helmet. I do the same.
"By the way, it's Rumplestiltskin, you dumbass."
"Close enough, Einstein."
Without another word, the two of us take off. He told me on the way that he was positive that our next destination was a secondhand shop, or a pawn shop, whichever. There were tons in town, but we thought we'd check out the biggest one first - Bishop's Pawn Shop. Yep, it rhymes. No wonder people loved going there. Now that one of our problems had been dealt with, and that was assuming we got it right, it was time to figure out what to do with the stupid badges.
In my head, I listed off the people closest to me. There was Cindy, of course. Mom and Dad, Penny, Charlie, Mr and Mrs Fellows, the Ashton twins, Diana, Benjie, and Macy, I think. Zeke is pretty much crossed out of the list; but that didn't mean we weren't close. I'd like to think that Zeke was now officially one of my closest friends.
What about Drew?, a voice in my head wondered, though, I quickly shook the thought away. First of all, I doubt that we're close. I can barely speak to him without choking on air. Second of all, he probably didn't get a badge, if you think about it. Drew is part of the activity himself. It'd be hard for us to get a hold of him.
And Anna Stanton, my brain added.
Yes, of course, I can't forget that little detail.
"Zeke, how many people have you got? I could think of about twelve people close to me," I said, as I pushed away an image of Anna and Drew sharing a celebratory kiss at the end of day, by the beach during sunset.
Don't ask me why it's so unrealistically specific.
Or not-so-unrealistic.
Shut up, brain!
After I left my question dangling in the air, I saw Zeke's expression turn sour. He turned to face me, ever-so-briefly, and in the most sincere way, he replied, "To be honest, I've got four and that's including you." He shrugged it off as if we were talking about which ice cream flavor to choose. "I don't like trusting too many people," he then quietly elaborated, but that was as far as he let on.
I froze, sagging at the fact that he couldn't tell me. Zeke seemed so serious that it scared me. I felt sad and a little sorry for him. I mean, how the heck did I get through to him that easily? Before I could ask anything, he cut me with a look that said, "Drop it."
I swallowed, nodding at him in understanding. "Well, let's go find Cindy first. I think I know where she is."
We ran, we cycled, we jogged, I limped - stubbed my toe - and we talked. The two of us ran on our adrenaline, searching and following our loved ones like creepy stalkers. It was mostly the people that I care about and Zeke's adorable five-year-old brother who was with his mother. His mom and I also had a quick meet and greet.
Since this challenge isn't supposed to be a breeze, we're down to one person who seemed to disappear. During this search, I discovered that the new golden rule of the universe is to tie Elouise Walton to Charlie Fellows.
I've got no friggin' clue how that satisfies the unknown.
For now, it's short for: we're down to the last badge and I think you guessed who has it. No other than our very own diva, Charlie, of course.
You know, I really thought he'd be with Cindy. He wasn't, he went to buy corndogs. When we reached the twins, you'd think he'd be there. Nope, he ran an errand for his mother. Zeke and I even had the misfortune to run into Drew and Anna, but even then, everywhere else we looked was Charlie-free. It was as if the boy didn't exist. Zeke almost gave in to calling him, but I told him it was cheatint. I didn't like cheating that much. It went against my morals.
Yes, I have morals. Don't look so shocked.
We mindlessly wandered over to a skate park and, holy hell, we've struck gold. "Zeke, I found him!" I half yell, half squeal. It sounded ridiculous, but we found him; we finally found Charlie-I'm-missing-when-you-need-me-Fellows.
Zeke's face looked relieved and we pedalled for dear life. God know's we can't lose him again.
Charlie laughed at our silly, extremely tired faces and I had to stop Zeke from clocking him. It was amusing, though. "Well, you found me," he stated with a mischievous smirk.
Zeke glared at him. "The badge, dude. We need it. NOW!" he all but growled. I nod in agreement. I mean, who knew how many more destinations we had!
Charlie showed us his palm, the tiny badge placed smack in the middle. I snatched it and put it away with the others. I then count them, confirmed that all of them are present and accounted for. Zeke and I high fived each other. As we got ready to leave, Charlie smiled at me.
"Hey, Eli," he called out.
I looked back at him, my whole being exuding impatience. "Yes?"
"So we're close?"
I almost threw back his badge at his face just to wipe of his knowing, teasing smirk.
"I'll see you later, Charlie."
By five thirty-seven in the afternoon, every team was done. I think me and Zeke stood a good chance, but you never know with these things. We've all rested by now. We also have full stomachs. The sun was going down, sinking lower and lower with each passing second. I was falling in love with the view. If it wasn't for the pageant, I'd probably melt into the sand and just continue day dreaming.
I don't think I would ever tire of the ocean. I loved the way the waves move in perfect sync. I couldn't get enough of the beauty of its colors, of all the different hues of blue. The sound of the water washing over the sand was relaxing too. It just...leaves me breathless.
"Well, everyone, it is time to announce the verdict of this fun challenge,"said Mr Brower, stealing my attention away from the majestic ocean. "I'm sure you'd all like to know." People here and there cheered. I suppose that sort of motivated Brower in a way.
I glanced to Zeke, who sat on the patch of grass to my left, and smiled excitedly. He grinned at me, his eyes shining with delight. I looked to my right and there sat Cindy, who had her eyes closed. To her right, sat Charlie. He was talking to my sister, which wasn't as surprising as it would've a couple months ago. Of course, Penny caught my eye and winked. It became a domino effect, making Charlie twist around to see.
His smile was different, that much I could tell. He looked happy, really happy. The kind of happy that you get when you think things are falling into place, or going right, for once. It was like that; his dimples were depressed like two perfect commas on each cheek, his golden eyes much brighter than before.
It saddens me that I couldn't share the feeling. I guess his life is finally getting on. I think mine would take a little while longer. I mean, what was it even like to be contented?
"All the ladies and gentlemen that participated today did great, but, alas, only one team shall prevail." I figured as much, Mr Brower. "So, let's have it for all the contestants!" Everyone clapped. "The names of the winners will pop on the big screen behind me-" Big was an understatement. "-so here you go!"
I wanted close my eyes, to be honest with you. I was scared, but I wasn't sure of what. The excitement and the rushing of my pulse kept my eyes far from sealed, though. I even crossed my fingers, which goes to show how childish I actually was.
It started off as a thin black curve. Slowly, it grew and then came the letters.
CONGRATULATIONS ELOUISE WALTON AND ZEKE VANDERWALL!
You could hear a pin drop, but suddenly the crowd roared and came to life. There were whoops and hoorays and clapping and screaming and whistling. People nearby were patting our backs and congratulating us. I didn't know them all, but I decided to simply appreciate their effort. It was so...bizarre.
"Come on up here, you two!" Mr Brower chirped, his voice filled with enthusiam.
I was quite frozen, so Zeke had to pull me up. He was chuckling as we walked towards the make-shift stage. I was also brushing off myself, mostly my butt. When the realization finally sunk, I started cheering too. Zeke even surprised me by lifting me in the air, which made us laugh. Some people were smirking at us, winking even. I didn't know how to respond, but I was relieved that I had Zeke with me. Once on stage, Mr Brower shook both our hands in that looney way that he does. By then, the crowd had settled down. Although, you could still hear a loud buzz. It was mostly from their little conversations. A smiling and handsome Mr Corby came over, handing us each a microphone.
"How are you feeling?" Mr Brower asked, his eyes flickering from us to the audience.
"Nervous," I replied at the same time Zeke said, "Great."
We received laughter from our fellow students. Even Brower himself.
"You did it, you two. What a team, what a team! Isn't that right everyone?" Cue applause here.
"Thank you," we both said.
The photographer took a few photos and before we knew it, the day was over. Me, Cindy, and the gang stayed back for a little longer. Penny left as soon as possible with her cheerbot half-clones. A few by-standers even congratulated me, which - I won't deny - made me feel kind of like a local celebrity amongst Licoln Bay High.
After that, there was just me, Cindy, and her brother. When we were getting ready to leave, Drew showed up out of nowhere. Even though he caught me unprepared, I still managed to keep myself upright. I noticed how he still looked pretty chill; how his hair was still the same dark color and his eyes that were still electric blue. I almost choked myself just from saying "Hi."
"Congrats, El," he said and gave me a hug. Sadly, I was too shocked to hug him back. He pulled back pretty quickly, which was disappointing.
"Thanks, Drew."
"About that date?"
"The non-date one? What about it?"
"We still on for that, right?"
"Of course."
"Good, I'll see you then."
"Okay."
"Bye, El."
"Bye, Drew."
I watched him walk further and further away from me. I saw him hop into his car with Anna Stanton, her pretty red hair illuminated by the streetlamps. I pursed my lips, heading the other way. I found Cindy already looking my way. Charlie too. They probably witnessed my encounter with Drew, and Anna stepping inside Drew's flashy car. Cindy was wearing an apologetic smile, while Charlie shook his head with a disappointed look. Despite the acute embarassment that I felt, I chose to smile anyway.
The redo non-date date...
Was that a joke?
Looking back at the spot where Drew and Anna met up, no matter what he tells me, I couldn't help but wonder if I had actually lost.
* * * * *
I'm so, so, so, so sorry for the annoyingly late update, my lovely readers!!! It's just, I haven't had much time on my hands (you know, between burning my hand and getting a new puppy and stuff). :(
Thank you for standing by me, though. You're all amazing and...just, thank you.
Anyway, that was Chapter 28. MBFB is coming along quite nicely, but it is far from over. It might be a little slow, but please hang in there. :)
Okay?
Okay.
(See what I did there? *wink, wink*)
Dedicated to JordsDaBoorkworm, who's been amazing and nice to me (and this story). Your help is very much appreciated! c:
Multimedia Weekly:
- photo of Zeke lifting Eli in the air
- Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root
Please ignore my mistakes, everyone. Oh, and let's get MBFB to 19K reads! :')
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Bye-bye.
J~