ELIZABETH.
“So you coming to the party later tonight?” I shut my locker and turn to James leaning against the next with a small smile on his face.
“Where did you even come out from?” I giggle and he steps closer, leaving only a tiny space between our faces. “You know I’ll find you wherever you go darling. “ he winks before leaning backward and I ignore the tingles those annoyingly reassuring words make me feel.
“You wouldn’t last a second without me. “ I reply to his earlier question with an intent to ignore his prior words and he smiles even wider as he moves to my side and throws his hand over my shoulder; a habit he’s quite fond of.
“You’re gonna have a nice time. “
“You say that every time then ditch me as soon as we get there. “ I hiss, slapping his hand off my shoulder and he pouts, rubbing the spot before he speaks, “That’s not true. I look after you all the time. “
“You only come looking for me when you need help with a girl. “ I glare at him and he shakes his head. He suddenly holds my face in his palm and I still for a second at the feel of his warmth.
“I might be with a girl every time but my eyes are always on you Elizabeth. “ he assures me with a serious look on his face and I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest with how fast it’s beating. Beating because of his words. Beating because of him.
It’s not right. James doesn’t mean it the way my heart is taking it and it’s why I pull away from his touch with a step back.
“What do I do with you?” I mutter under my breath and begin to move forward with him trailing behind me no doubt.
“Oh shit. “ He suddenly says and I stop in my tracks to turn to him.
“What’s it?” I ask and he nods to the front. “It’s Giselle. She can’t see me. “ I look ahead to see the pretty brown-haired girl is indeed moving in our direction. Giselle is one of his many flings and unlike others, she refuses to forget about their one time together and instead sticks to him like a damn leech.
She’s definitely number one on my list of the most annoying people ever. No doubt James's too.
I think.
“Help me. “ James grabs my shoulder, breaking me out of my thoughts and I shake my head. “What? No. You got yourself in this. It’s your responsibility. “
“Come on. Just this time. I’m really sick of facing her and telling her the same things repeatedly, which she never listens to. “
“Maybe you need to check the type of girls you fuck. If you don’t like them clingy then don’t do it. “
James frowns. “You know I don’t do school. I was just incredibly horny and she just happened to be there. “
And it’s my turn to frown. “You—“ James doesn’t let me finish before he pushes me forward. When I turn to glare at him, he gives me a thumbs-up and a sweet smile. With a drop of my chest, I return my attention forward and Giselle is already before me. She tries to look behind me and I smile as I move along.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Can you like move? I’m trying to look for someone. “ For a girl who appears nice at first sight, she sure is feisty.
“Sorry. I um– got something here. Haha. “ I awkwardly chuckle and she throws me an angry look. After a few more seconds of stretching to the left and right, she finally gives up.
She stares down at me and I expect her to snap but she strangely smiles. “Aren’t you like James's friend or something? I see him around you all the time. “
“Yeah. Right- sorry got to get to class. I’m running late. “
“But I-“
“Bye. “ I wave and walk away quickly.
The things I do for James Hall I swear to god.
~
“Try to stay close. I don’t want to lose you. “ James says just as we walk inside the loud room, booming with explicit music and excited teenagers.
“Oh shit. This is bigger than I thought. “ James shouts over the loud music and I’m about to respond when a stunning girl suddenly appears before us. She’s dressed in a two-piece of jean shorts and a jean crop top which leaves her flat tummy on display. Her purple hair bounces off her shoulders as she smiles at James. She’s insanely pretty. The prettiest girl I’ve seen so far today and of course her attention is on my best friend.
“Hey, James. I’ve been waiting for you. “ She literally pushes me to the side to encircle her arm in his and I scoff.
“Do I know you?” I hear James ask and she brushes one side of her hair off her shoulder as she replies, “No, but you’re about to. “
I roll my eyes to the point where I feel like they’re about to fall off as they silently exchange words before James turns to me. “Lizzie, do you wanna—“
“No have fun and let me know when you’re done. “ I cut him off and walk away. I find my way through the crowd to the kitchen where it’s less loud and I let out the breath I’ve been holding in. I place my hands on the counter and hang my head. Not even five seconds in and he’s already snatched away. So much for looking after me this time.
I move away from the counter and grab the nearest cup I can find. I rinse it and ensure it’s clean before I fill it with water. Leaning against the island, I take gulps of the water and nod along to the unclear beats that come from the main room.
My alone time is however interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. “Hey. What are you doing in here?”
I turn my head to see a girl standing by the door. She’s dressed in a gown like me with a smile on her face. She has pretty eyes. Very blue pretty eyes that round out her blackish-blonde hair.
“Hey. I was just—“
“Not a fan of parties?” She asks as she walks herself in and I chuckle. “Not really. “
“You came alone?”
“No with a friend. “
“Your friend left you?” She lifts a brow and I shake my head. “No. Not really. He’s somewhere around having fun. He loves parties so it’s best if I don’t ruin it for him with my boring self. “
“Boring?” She lets out a small laugh as she stops by my side. “You don’t look boring. “
“And you know that by?”
She gives me a look down then meets my eyes. “I just know it. “ she whispers and there’s a second of silence before she says, “I have friends. A group. We’re just about to play a game. You want to come along?”
I’m about to decline her kind request when she suddenly grabs my wrist and smiles. “It’ll be fun. Trust me. “ Her words are comforting and I stare at her hold of me before I meet her eyes. They’re anxious, waiting for my answer. Taking a quick look around and realizing I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of the night in here just drowning cups of water as I wait for James, I open my mouth to tell her, “Yes. I’d love to try that. “
Her smile grows bigger as she pulls me along. “Oh they’re gonna love you. The name is Penelope by the way but I prefer Penny. “
“Elizabeth and you can call me anything. “ I respond.
And like that, she pulls me into the crowd.
ELIZABETH. ~When Penelope said she was gonna take me to her friends, I didn’t expect my best friend to be sitting there with the purple-haired girl from earlier by his side. He’s the first I notice and he seems immersed in whatever she’s talking to him about. Even with a bright smile on his face and the same goes for her. So much for his attention always being on me even when he’s with other girls. ‘And why the hell would you believe those words?’ Right. “Hey, guys. This is Beth. Beth. Meet the group. “ All attention immediately turns to Penelope and me, and I wave awkwardly at the group. There are about four guys and five girls. Including James and purple hair. “I found her alone in the kitchen. “ She provides them with further information and it seems that caught James's attention as he turns to me. “Lizzie! There you are. I looked for you everywhere. “ You definitely didn’t look enough. “You know her?” A guy asks as Penelope pulls me to sit with her, just across from James.
ELIZABETH.“Oh sorry—“ There’s a deep chuckle in the dark then movements before the lights come on, revealing the tall shadow to be a tall handsome boy with alluring green eyes and dark hair. I don’t know him yet he feels weirdly familiar. “I didn’t mean to scare you. “ He smiles, revealing his perfect set of white teeth. “I saw you leave earlier and wanted to make sure you’re alright. ““Leave?” I repeat and he nods. “The game. I was there. “Realization finally dawns on me. “Oh sorry. I didn’t recognize you. “ I take two steps forward now and he takes three, leaving little decent space between us. “That’s okay. I was silent throughout the game so you wouldn’t have. “ he tells and I give a small smile. There’s a short silence between us as he seems to be thinking about his words. “I don’t bite. “ I don’t know why I said that but this boy seems to find it funny as he lets out a short laugh. The sound is lovely to the ears. “You’re funny too. Perfect. “ He murmurs as his eyes bore
ELIZABETH. What I wake up to is the loud shouts of my name from my mom. I let out a loud groan as I throw my covers shielding me away from the light and lean against my headboard then her call comes again, “Elizabeth! Are you not up yet? It’s getting late. ““I’m up. I’ll be down in a few. “ I scream back and there’s finally silence. I cover my mouth as a yawn slips through my lips and I do a stretch of my body with a few bones cracking before I begin to move out of bed. Walking out of my room, I take the path that leads me to her and as I take the last stair, Mom appears before me with a huge smile on her face. “Hey baby, “ She greets as she wraps her hands around my waist; the fact that I’m on a stair giving her easier access to it. When she pulls back, I lift a brow, “What’s with the morning affection?”She chuckles as she pulls her hands to her sides. “I’ve always been affectionate, haven’t I?”“Yes, but it feels different. You just called me baby and you rarely do that. “Sh
ELIZABETH. I was right. I, in fact, do not like whatever is happening right now. I watch as Gabriel places his hand over my mom’s and she doesn’t flinch at all. If anything; she seems completely used to it with that small smile that appears by the corner of her mouth.My mind tells me that I already know what they want to announce but my heart refuses to believe it. “We plan to get married. “Gabriel finally drops the bomb and I can’t hear anything else in the room over the loud beats of my heart. A heart that’s beating from astonishment, betrayal, and fear? Why am I feeling betrayed? I’ve got no idea. “What? Is that a joke?” I hear James's voice, drawing me back to the situation at hand and my gaze falls on my mom. She’s staring at me, anxiousness all over her face. She speaks next, “It’s true. Gabriel and I have been seeing each other for a while and we have good feelings towards each other. We want to take it to the next level but we want you kids to know first. “ She doesn’t
ELIZABETH.~WEDDING DAY~“You look really beautiful today. “ I tell Mom as I stand behind her and meet her eyes in the mirror. She’s truly looking so elegant in her blue wedding gown. Mom didn’t want it white for a reason she refused to let me know but she doesn’t look any less beautiful in this. She smiles. “Thanks, my love. You’re looking sweet yourself. “ She comments and I look down at the short flowy white gown I have on. It’s sleeveless which leaves my torso and shoulders on display. I smile and gently place my hands on her shoulders. I give the skin a soft squeeze as I ask her in a gentle tone, “Are you happy mother?”She drops her hand over mine and rubs it. “I am. Very happy, Elizabeth. “ And I know she means that. “And it makes me, even more, happier to know that. “ I say and she nods gently. She lets go of my hand and I remove my hands from her shoulders. “You’re comfortable yeah? No negative feelings?” She raises a brow and I’m quick to nod. “None. ““Good. I made sure
ELIZABETH. “Wow. This is looking huger than when I came. “ Mom says immediately we walk through the front door of our new home, each with our luggage in hand. “I helped pick this out. “ James whispers to me with a smile, obviously proud of what he’s done. “You won’t tell me what good job I’ve done?” He frowns when I don’t answer and I shake my head as I drag my luggage forward. The house is quite big. Bigger than our previous home and I can tell a considerable amount of money must have gone into this. “I’m sure you kids must be tired. You should retire to bed. “ Mom announces. She’s still in her after-party white feathery gown and she hasn’t stopped glowing; I guess that’s what being genuinely happy does to you. “Goodnight. “ I mutter before I start to drag my luggage up the stairs. “I’ll take this one. “ James appears out of nowhere, calling dibs on the right room and I look to my left before I return my gaze to him. “I got here first. “ “I said it first. “ “You can be so
ELIZABETH. “Hey. “ It’s James happy voice and I turn to him with a fake smile. “Hey. You have someone over?”He nods and walks into the kitchen with his hands behind him. “Yeah. I hope you have no problem with that?”I shouldn’t right? That doesn’t stop me from teasing him though. “I thought you’d want to get used to the house before you start bringing your flings in. “ I can’t tell if I really meant it as a tease.“Is that jealousy I hear?” He taunts me and I glare at him, earning a laugh. Then he says, “It’s just us for the day, and thought I could use myself a bit of fun. “ You don’t find staying around me for long fun then?“Right. “ I smile. “Her again. You must be having quite the fun with her. “ I nod my head towards the direction of the living room where I’m sure the girl is waiting for him and he turns in the same direction before meeting my eyes, “Better than I thought. ““You must really like her. “ I don’t know why I’m still talking. “You brought her to the wedding. Now
ELIZABETH. I scurry off the floor and make my way to the bathroom. Shame and guilt fill me as I lean against the tiled wall with my eyes shut. I can’t believe I just did that. Masturbate while eavesdropping on their private moment. “That was so low of you. “ I mutter under my breath as I get rid of the clothes I have on, my panties going first; feeling too disgusted in them. I turn on the shower and step under the cold water, rubbing and scrubbing my body in hopes of stopping the shame that crawls my skin. After spending minutes intensely washing my skin, I finally take a proper bath and drop my clothes in the sink just next to the exit before I walk back into my room with a towel wrapped around my body. “I feel like I can finally breathe again. “ I mutter as I walk to my closet to get fresh clothes. After getting dressed, I grab my phone and plug in my headphones to drown out any conversations I could potentially hear. As I lay there, gently rocking my head to the soft beats of