Nothing Left | Ray Hall ~ Panic

ONE

Saturday, June 18 - PANIC

          To say that Elianna was feeling the heat of unrelenting Texas humidity and was miserable because of it would be a drastic understatement.
          She had just graduated the day before and was only a bit grateful. She did not have the opportunity to sit in air-conditioned classrooms for eight hours a day anymore and it was slowly killing her. All she could afford to buy was a small, weak fan that hardly put a dent in her excessive sweating and heat exhaustion.
          Her thin tank top stuck to her skin and made her feel even grosser than the fact that she had to wear just underwear to fight the heat. Elianna's stray hairs, that managed to escape her headband, stuck to the sides of her face and neck.
          Her father appeared to be too drunk to care about the heat, as he was busy dozing off in the bathroom tub fully clothed. As much as she hated being home, it was the only non-public place she could be. She hadn't made any friends that stuck with her, most of them drifting away after hearing all the false rumours about her virginity, lack thereof, and drunken mess of a dad. Her father was all she had, and he was hardly there when he managed to stay sober for an hour.
          Left with no other options, she sat up from her sprawled out position on the bed and tugged some jean shorts on. Sliding some flip flops on, Elianna stretched and popped her back in various places. She thought it was too damned hot to put on a bra, and just dealt with the itchy cotton top on its own. Reaching to grab her wallet that rarely had over twenty dollars within, she made her way out the door. Her only option was to head to the local diner and hope they'd let her stay if she bought the cheapest item on the menu- a bad habit of hers she adopted after Sophomore year.

          Elianna marched in the doors with confidence, earning a knowing look from Dodge, a worker at the diner and fellow introvert. She had come in everyday after school to finish homework in AC the previous year, earning herself the nickname Bookworm despite her loathing towards the need to do schoolwork outside of school.
          "Powdered donut?" Dodge asked with an expressionless face, already moving toward the baked goods display case.
          She nodded her head, taking the closest seat in front of the counter. "Make it two, please," she added in, breaking her pattern for the first time since Dodge had moved to Carp and started working day shifts.
          "That'll be one-fifty." Dodge walked to her behind the counter, sliding two ceramic plates along with him.
          Elianna reached for her wallet, pulling out the exact change to hand to him. She was rather lucky that the diner wasn't crowded. She absolutely despised crowds of any kind. Dodge had the same interest, which drew them closer to acquaintances than complete strangers. After he had put the coins in the register, she slid the extra plate away from her and in front of him, "I'm lucky you're new or else you'd probably act like everyone else in my class and audibly groan everytime I entered a room." It was a silent thank you gift for his kindness.
          Dodge raised his eyebrows at the offer of a powdered donut. He knew that she couldn't afford air-conditioning, that being the whole reason they met, let alone pay for others' meals- no matter how cheap they may be. "You know you don't have to buy me lunch, Bookworm," he looked down at the donut as though it were a dazzling diamond she had decided to buy him.
          She picked up hers and took a big bite, "I know, but I'm feeling generous today." Noticing the look on his face, Elianna looked him in the eyes with pure kindness, yet a startling intimidation, "Just eat it, so I won't feel guilty about not being able to tip you for the past year." She ignored the use of her nickname, finishing off the donut in a matter of seconds to keep herself from arguing any further.
          He raised his hands in surrender before picking up the donut and taking a bite. After the minute of silence of him eating the rest of the messy pastry, he spoke, "If it's real, are you going end up playing Panic?" He filled a plastic cup with cold water and set it beside her plate.
          Elianna nodded without hesitation, "As you know, it's my only way of getting out from under our current financial situation. Will you compete?" She turned the question, stacking their dirty plates together to make cleanup easier for him. She put a straw in the glass and sipped at the refreshingly icy water as she waited for a response.
          Panic began as so many other things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere : because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Panic is a legendary game that any graduating seniors can play, where every challenge is meant to target everyone's fears, and where someone would only get hurt if they panicked. Why would anyone play a stupid game where their lives were at risk? For the increasing payout, of course, seeing as it was the only way out of Carp.
          "I have to, for my sister," Dodge said quickly, picking up the plates and taking them back to the kitchen. All Elianna knew about Dodge Mason was 1. he had a sister with some sort of disability that he won't talk about, 2. he was angry at the reason behind why she was disabled, 3. he was somewhat socially awkward, and 4. he had moved around a bunch before getting stuck in Carp.
          All that she was aware she had told Dodge was 1. she was 'not rich,' 2. she hated school, 3. she hated living in Carp, 4. most if not all rumours about her were false, and 5. her father was an alcoholic asshole that did nothing around the house, resulting in Elianna having to pay the bills. Overall, not much, yet that didn't stop their occasional small talk.
           "I'll be right back!" she yelled out to Dodge who was still in the kitchen. She stepped down from her stool and made her way to the bathroom.