falling

four : to the moon

"you want me to get in that,  that, that THING!?" Jade squealed as Elijah and her walked to her car after the game. Elijah nodded.

"would you rather go to the party at Jenna's?" Jade sighed and inhaled sharply.

finally, she slid into the passenger seat of the worn down 1984 car, that was actually pretty nice on the inside. she felt like she was transported into another dimension when she sat inside.

she clicked the radio button and the song that came on was 'never surrender' a song she loved but didn't understand why it was on the radio.

"oh yes, I forgot to mention, since the car is so old it only plays old 80s songs because that's when the car was created. it's odd, but it's pretty nice." Elijah shrugged as he threw his gear in the back.

Jade nodded in time with the song, and scrunched her nose. "ugh you stink."

Elijah let out a laugh. "you love it." she shook her head and pretended to gag, making him laugh more and she- soon joining.

It was dark as they drove, and the stars were twinkling in the bitter cold, that
wasn't all that cold to two teenagers who didn't know anywhere about where they were going, except that it was somewhere, and that they really hoped it was beautiful.

Jade traced the stars with her finger on the frozen windows as they drove, her finger dragging as she connected each star with the next. little constellations she created that had no shape, but they did have meaning. each blob a design she didn't quite know, but somehow loved for
each unique reason.

Elijah held one hand on the leather steering wheel, and the other holding on to the roof from the crack in the window. his finger tapped on the roof to the music as they sped down each dirt road, soon landing on the highway.

the wind blew into the small car out their windows that Elijah had now rolled all
the way down, it was what some would describe as the perfect night.

the quarterback and the cheerleader speeding down a night sky highway with wind in their hair and unsaid words on their tongue's. a nostalgic summer song written by lorde awaited to be released.

"the moon; it's full." she whispered as she stared out the windows, her hand resting on the console of his car.

"for you, it's full." he replied, as he too rested his hand on the console. their fingers brushed against each other's by the rims of their knuckles, just barely, so soft a whisper could run through.

the small moment between the two reminded him of middle school when they had both went to the same catholic school. all the other kids they know went to a large public school, but they remain the only two catholic school kids that switched to public for high school.

Elijah remembered how in 7th grade for the Christmas nativity scene he played a shepherd and she played the virgin Mary. some kid hid baby Jesus before she was supposed to go on, most likely to mess with her. even then she was unapologetically strange, and always followed the rules, sure to make everything perfect.

when Jade noticed the baby was gone she went out into the audience, borrowed someone's bag, wrapped it in the blanket, and carried it around as if nothing had happened.

"that girl doesn't take crap from anyone", Elijah's mother said that night approvingly. his mother used to love Jade, always noticed the small things she did at school events. used to say she was nothing but sugar all the way through, which his mother also said could be a terribly wonderful thing to possess.

in interest of full disclosure, Elijah was the one who stole baby jesus, and it was to
mess with her. but, in no way did he think she would have handled it so well, and when she did he felt terrible, especially when afterwards his mother praised her for it.

the small graze of touch recalled all these memories in the back of his mind, like when she used to sit slouched against the brick wall, her uniform, a black and red plaid skirt hitching up to the mid of her thigh, as he stood above her watching the kids play. they used to sit on the wall at
recess in fifth grade before they grew apart and talk about the interesting things that
no one else found interesting.

it seems their bodies had memory, and always pulled each other towards the other. which is why, Elijah believes they are here now. sitting in a car, speeding down the highway, with no destination in mind, just somewhere.

it was almost nostalgic. delicate, but potent, in greek nostalgic literally means the pain from an old wound. it's a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone- a feeling of a place where he aches to go again. and somehow he felt as if he was finally there.

every night he spent thinking I want to go home even as he laid in his own bed, made sense now.

"I hate this town." she whispered, as their fingers stayed grazed.

"I hate it too," he whispered, inching his fingers towards hers. "but I never want to leave."

she smiled softly, as both their pointer fingers linked. "me neither."

Jade had pushed away the thought all day, repeating the same words he's not cute over and over in her mind to try and remind herself that she couldn't find Elijah Lance Adler cute.

but, finally, she sighed as their fingers stayed linked. okay. so he's cute. he's a tiny bit really extremely cute.

and as their hands finally connected in full swing, puzzle pieces hands finding the perfect fit, she stared out her window.

(to the moon) she whispered; "I know who you are"

A/n : how we feeling?