mysteries & secrets | mileven

eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN;
• HOLLY •

"why are you hiding here?" dustin asks, looking down at el who was hiding at the back aisle of the library.

"lunch time. troy and stacy." she whispers as he sits down across her.

"mike told me to come find you." he tells her as she hums.

smiling, she replies, "tell him i'm fine."

"or you could tell him yourself by coming out of this stuffy library." he says, raising an eyebrow.

"can't." she mutters, looking down at her sketchbook.

"what are you doing?" he asks, moving to sit next to her now.

"you like it? it's a snowy mountain with an outdoor rink!" she smiles widely and points.

"nice drawing." he smiles.

"you think so? i wanna colour it but i don't have crayons." she frowns and continues to sketch.

he grins, "i do!" he unzips his bag and hands her a pack of crayons.

"dusty! you're amazing!" she exclaims, taking out the crayons and starts colouring it in.

"who are they?" he asks, pointing to the people she had drawn on the paper.

"that's my brother, that's me, that's the whole party, that's my mama and that's hop!" she giggles quietly.

"you know, you're pretty cool el." he says softly.

"am i really though?" she asks, her attention focused on the paper.

"mhm. you're a shy girl with a badass dark side. in other words, cool!" he exclaims with a wide smile.

"i don't have a badass dark side." she mutters.

"yes you do. you can fight." he shakes his head as she shrugs.

"hmm." she hums, "you should go to lunch now."

"what about you?" he asks her.

she shakes her head with a reassuring smile, "i'll be fine. i'll see you guys later."

"okay then. keep the crayons, ellie!" he smiles widely before walking off.

ellie...

kai used to call her ellie.

"ellie! wake up, you sleepy head!" kai tugs onto el's blanket.

"kai, let me sleep." she groans and pulls the blankets back.

"can't. it's sibling training day. mama is watching." he tells her.

"what about daddy?" she asks tiredly into her pillow.

"papa isn't." he says as she nods slowly.

"now come on ellie bear." he whines, jumping into her as she shrieks loudly.

"kai!" she groans in pain as he laughs.