_Chapter 10_
Ricky Martinez
"So what kind of punishment did you come up with finally?" Elliot asked him as he was busy typing on his laptop to finish his exam. It was kind of making me feel bad that I was taking so much time from him by making him help me study but on the other side, it was him who offered his help and he should've known the consequences.
"Yeah, what you plan for him to do? Dance naked on the baseball field?" Derek cocked an eyebrow, stooping with that sarcastic comment to Christo's level.
"Ew no! No one wants to see that! You really want us to go blind," Christo shuddered.
"Hey, I'm awesome also down there and you know it. Bet you're just jealous," I stuck my tongue out and kept bickering with him.
"Yeah right. Even Elliot would laugh at a pathetic sight of yours," he held his head high as if he knew better than me.
"Are you calling me small?" I gasped in offense.
"Well that came from you!" He raised his hand up in innocence when we heard a fist collide onto the table, making us jump in surprise. Our heads automatically turned to Elliot who looked a little bit or maybe really annoyed.
"Could you both care to shut up for once!" It instantly became quiet as none of us dared to say anything. "Thank you," he pressed a fake smile on his face before he focused back on his essay.
Christo then shifted over to me, highly aware of Elliot when he whispered a bit, too conspicuously, "Do you think he's angry because he's small down there?" He sounded seriously concerned which made it even more hilarious.
I really tried my best to hold it in but when Elliot looked at him ready to bury him six feet under, I just couldn't and therefore burst out laughing my god damn ass off. "Oh shit, did he hear me?" Christo screeched in fear.
"Hell yeah I heard you! Now tell me whether you prefer me poking your good for nothing eyes out or whether you want me to hire a femdom to help me choke you to fucking death?!" His eyes looked ready to kill, causing Christo to jump in fear.
Even Derek couldn't hold himself any longer at that point and nearly choked on the gum he was chewing. "Pick the femdom, Chrissy! I would love to see that," He laughed.
"I bet you wouldn't be so offended if you really hadn't had a tiny tiny dick," he provoked him even more.
"Go fuck yourself, Christopher," he muttered as monotone as ever. I guess that gave him the rest because he afterwards snapped his laptop shut and grabbed his bag to stuff it in before he took the chance to leave.
"I think you overdid it now," Derek frowned in concern but couldn't hide the amusement in it.
"I forgot, not anyone can be god blessed with a huge member," he sighed and shook his head.
"Shut up, Christo. Must you always upset him?" Now I felt bad, and it wasn't even my fault. He really did look bothered when he left just now.
"If you adore him that much why don't you go follow him?" Christo looked at me with anticipating eyes. I was about to complain when he stopped me by holding his finger up. "And don't come at me telling that you don't adore him. I may not be the brightest but even I can see your eyes turning to hearts when you look at him."
"What are you even talking about?" I frowned at him.
"He secretly thinks you're gay," Derek got to the point. "Or at least gay for Elliot."
"Just because I somewhat care for him doesn't mean that I'm gay," I rolled my eyes at him. "So to get back on topic, what will my punishment be?"
"Oh yeah since I figured you like Elliot so much and since I'm not that cruel, I let you decide between writing a page long poem about him and read it out loud in front of our whole team or you draw a huge painting of him and hang it up on the cafeteria wall. So what will you choose?"
Was he trying to set me up with him or what? "Elliot wouldn't like this at all," I sighed.
"I know, but you're not allowed to tell him," he grinned. Did he have anything against him, what the hell? Such a sadistic douche.
"When you say huge, what do you mean by that?" He grinned when I indirectly went for the second choice. I mean, I really suck at poems. No one wants to listen to crappy rhymes that make ears bleed.
*
"Hey can't we make a little break? My head can't right now," I sighed when I looked at the complicated exercises that was just half filled in. Elliot just looked at me like he didn't want to make a break. "Pretty please," I begged.
"Fine." He finally accepted, making me sigh in relief as I throw myself on his bed in exhaustion. "Hey, I just wanted to lay down in peace," he complained and scowled at me for taking his bed from him.
"What you talking about, here's enough space for two," I cocked an eyebrow when he just shook his head and didn't really mind me when he climbed on the bed and took up the other pillow before he relaxed, closing his eyes. I just took the time to stare at him for a while, knowing that I had to draw a portrait of him later but at the same time not knowing how.
However, he eventually noticed which is why he took the blanket to cover his face. "Stop staring at me, you creep!" He groaned. Anyway, he ended up pulling the blanket down once it got too warm underneath and he noticed me still staring at him. "What is your problem?"
"Do you really have a small dick?" I smirked, but just meant it as a joke to, avert from him questioning me as to why I was observing him.
"What is just wrong with you all?!" He even got a little red but I couldn't tell whether it was from embarrassment or from irritation. Maybe he somehow was a little cute. "What a bout you answering that question?"
"Hm. I don't know, why don't you just see for yourself?" I teased him. He blinked at me a couple a times like he couldn't believe what I just said until he blushed and just turned his head to the side so he wouldn't have to face me.
"Pervert," he mumbled. I chuckled at his reaction and couldn't help to confirm that he was indeed cute.
It was silence for a while when I had to think back at what Christo said earlier about me being gay for Elliot. I nonetheless think that what he was spouting was bullshit but my curiosity was betraying me when I looked at the guy beside me and thought about how it was like to date someone like him.
"Hey Elliot?" I tapped his shoulder. He didn't react though. "Don't act as if you're sleeping, you hobo!"
"What do you want?" His voice rather came out like he wasn't up for any jokes now.
"Have you ever had a crush on someone?"
It was silent again before he turned to face me with a questioning look. "Where'd that come from?" He frowned but I just shrugged. "Well, I never had, have you?"
"Yeah, but it was long ago." I smirked, thinking how I had a total crush for Jayden back in eight grade.
"How'd it go? Did you confess?"
"I did. Even tried to catch her attention by showing off my basketball skills. But for whatever reason, she really resented me so when I confessed to her she grabbed the ball from me and threw it in my face, saying I should go kiss a tree if I'm too desperate," I sighed.
All of the sudden he started laughing at me. "She really said that?" He looked somehow younger when he laughed like that. Without the constant frown of annoyance on his face.
"Girls really aren't my thing. I don't get what's going on inside their heads and to be honest they're kinda scary," I honestly admitted.
"The only feminine human beings I get to know is Maya and my Mom," he said.
"Who's Maya?"
"A girl that belonged to my group of friends back then. I didn't like her. But I didn't like any of them so it doesn't really make a difference," he shrugged. Right he mentioned that already.
"Why didn't you like them?" He looked at me for a few second in which I had my hopes up that he would finally tell me something about himself but he didn't end up doing so. He just remained silence and looked away. "Hey," I tried to force him to look at me but the moment I reached out to touch him, he slapped my hand away.
I sighed, he was really difficult to approach. According to Christo and Derek he was a really lonely person, however it can't be changed if he constantly keep backing out when things get personal. Though I had the feeling that he has always been like that. Also his Mom thinks that he had issues opening up to people but in reality I don't think he only has some issues with it, it's more like he doesn't even know how and I'm sure he hasn't even realized.
It's so frustrating knowing that you can't do anything even if he was laying right next to me. And he isn't doing well. Even a blind could see. Of course he wouldn't admit it, though.
As much as I did, he hated the idea of having to be stuck to some stranger. And I probably made the worst first impression ever. To be fair, my first impression of him was not any better either. An arrogant, stubborn and selfish brat. That was what came to my mind first.
But now that I got to know him better, I can say with certainty that he is indeed arrogant and unbelievable stubborn that you'd break your head when you try arguing with him. Nonetheless, he isn't selfish. He cares so little about himself that it's seriously worrying.
He probably didn't even figure out how I noticed him struggling with catching up with his assignments but he would still not consider cutting out the teaching lessons with me.
"You're staring again," he pointed out. "If I'm ugly then just look away."
"Who said you're ugly?" Now I was confused. Whoever told him that must get himself a new pair of glasses. "Shut up, you're not ugly. Even Liana fell in love with you at first sight."
"Well too bad you're ugly," he muttered but I could clearly hear the embarrassment in his voice.
"Hey, now that is not true," I pouted and poked his sides, making him chuckle. "You said I have pretty eyes, so I can't be that ugly."
"I know many people who're ugly but have pretty eyes," he shrugged.
"Oh yeah like who?"
"Mh people like Maya. She had cool golden brown eyes but from the inside she was deeply rotten, ugly, fake and-" I noticed how he got tense with every word, gripping the bed sheet and gritting his teeth before I stopped him by grabbing his hand, letting them intertwine with mine.
It left a tingly feeling when I watched how he looked at our hand in utter confusion but didn't let go nonetheless. In fact, he just stared at them like he didn't understand the gesture at all. That was until his expression suddenly changed to an extremely sad one. One that I have never seen on his face before and one that I didn't want to see on his face.
He didn't let go. Instead he gripped onto it tighter like he was hoping for more support from them the longer he stared at them.
"Elliot?" I whispered but he wasn't even listening. He just kept gripping onto me with his soft rather small hands and let everything else fade out. However, when he suddenly had that smile on his face, you could say I was shocked by how fast my heart started beating at that point.
And that's when I figured out how I wanted to draw him.
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~J🍋