Stay Wild: A Curly Shepard Love Story

- Chapter 7 -

Curly Shepard's Point of View

Someone grabs the back of my neck and I jump back away from Ella Rae. She looked so nervous every time I looked at her. I feel bad. She should have just stayed inside like I told her. 

Tim stands smirking next to me, glancing between Ella and I. 

"Whos your little friend, Curly?" I step towards him and smack him. It obviously wasn't very hard, he just shook it off and laughed. Ella Rae bites her lip and watches us. 

"Tim, this is Ella Rae. El, this is Tim." Her name sounds odd coming out of my mouth. She obviously thought so too. He nods and reaches out, shaking her hand. Ella offers him a small smile. Tim keeps glancing between us. 

"This where you've been going." 

I wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question because he almost always knows where I am. I simply nod back. 

"Can you go? I was kinda in the middle of something," I shoo Tim away. He just laughs and salutes with a "Nice to meet you." I smirk back at Ella Rae and grab her hip, pushing her against the wall again. 

"You scared the shit outta me," she whispers sternly, out of breath. 

"To be fair, I told you to stay inside." 
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"Come on, let's get outta here," I say, pulling Ella Rae towards the door. I can't get her parents out of my head. She never talked about her life at home, she was never one to share a lot at all. It was mostly me talking, which I never really shared much personal stuff either. 

After a while walk towards her house, we hit our old elementary school again. Without thinking, I started to lead her back there. We sit in the same spot we sat in last time, by this time she sits closer to me (a lot closer)

Her shoulder tucked under mine and her head was on my shoulder. I leaned my head back and one of her legs overlaps mine. 

"What's up with your folks?" I ask out of nowhere. 

"Nothing, what do you mean?" She replies. 

"Never see 'em around or nothing. I mean, your house never looks like anyone is living there." Ella Rae shrugs and scoots down, leaning on me more. I close my eyes and wait for an answer. 

"I don't know," Ella replies. "They just started coming home less and less and I dont really know." I can hear the tears in her voice. I squeeze her tighter. "I don't know where they go or why or when the last time I really talked to them was. I know they come by sometimes, but I don't know, Curly."

It sounds like she never really thought about it.  I feel like I shouldn't have said anything, but it didn't sound like I would find out anytime soon. 

"What about your parents?" She asks, sniffling/and wiping her own eyes. She clearsnher throat. 

"Ran off the Vegas," I laugh, biting the inside of my cheek. "At least I think Vegas. They ran off and where else would someone go?" I don't want her to feel bad for me. We get along fine without them. Tim does fine, Angel too. We don't need them. 

"I'm sorry," she replies. 

"Don't worry about it," I dismiss. "Don't need them. We get along just fine."

I open my eyes and look around. The stars are out and when I looked at the clock at Buck's it was almost 2 in the morning. Do her parents stop by the house? Would they realize she was gone? 

"Hey," I whisper, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of my pocket. I grab the lighter too and pull two of them out. "You have fun?" 

Ella Rae sits up and shrugs, grabbing a cancer stick. 

"Still not much of a party fan. Why you gotta fight like that? What if you got really hurt?" I didn't this time. My nose was bleeding a little, lip was split. I'm sure I'll wake up with bruises in the morning, but that's not necessarily a problem for right now. 

"I'm alright, princess. You should have stayed inside, but I do fight better with an audience," I wink. Ella Rae chuckles and rolls her eyes. 

"Not funny, Curly." She was able to calm her voice, but it broken into slight laughter near the end. 

"Then don't laugh, Princess." I stand up and reach down for her hand.  I pull her up and finish, "You're encouraging me." 

Ella Rae rolls her eyes and readjusts my jacket on her shoulders. I've been wearing my old one. I slide down the slide and she follows. I grab her hand and pull her up again. She doesn't let go of my hand as we walk back to the front of the school. She doesn't let go all the way back to her house. 

Ella Rae walks up the front porch and I lean on her fence like I had done on our first date. This time, she waits at the door, leaving it halfway open before stepping inside.

"Why don't you come in?" I smirk and hope the fence, running up the stairs to the door. I almost crashed right into her. We go up to her room and she takes her clothes and changes in the bathroom. 

When she comes back, she's wearing white shorts with red polka dots and a white tank top with my jacket still over her shoulders. I sit back on her bed and she walks around me to the headboard, sliding under the covers. 

"Spend the night?" I nod. 

"Okay, Princess."