The Unproven Theorem of You and I

chapter four - hammering heartbeats

"We may think we left the past behind, but it has a way of catching up to us."

– Mary Alice, Desperate Housewives

Chapter Four

LIKE THE REST of his friends, Xavier Dax was a man of extremes. Extreme sports; extreme weather, extremely hot girls at the beach – been there, done that. Ever since the start of high school, Zack and Joaquin had pulled him into their whirling, fast-paced, rollercoaster-y universe, and nearing the end of their senior year, Xavier didn't want it to stop.

            He'd thought he'd seen everything the world of extremes had to offer – until Elle Rivera, that is.

            At first, he'd tried to place her in any of the categories he'd encountered. Was she extremely pretty? Not reaaaaaally. Extremely smart? Nah, that was only a rumor. Extremely tall, short, fat, boring? He'd crossed them all out in one strike; that last part, he'd have to wait and see. She was skinny, but then again, he'd seen worse. But, as Zack had drilled into his conscience, Everyone is their own extreme.

            And then it hit him.

            Was it possible that Elle Rivera, extremely plastic Savannah's sister, was extremely... normal? Average? Standard?

Was Elle Rivera a clean slate?

            He, Zack, Joaquin and their friends had gone out of their way to cover their slates with sparkling medals, badges, accomplishments – and the occasional lipstick mark – in preparation for the tarnishes life had to offer. Was it possible that someone actually wanted to keep her slate spotless the whole way through?

            Xavier Dax hadn't encountered anything like Elle. His friends would probably keep their distance, after what had happened the previous Saturday.

            But Xavier Dax was a man of extremes. And he wasn't going to leave any person behind.

IT WAS A LONG STORY as to why Elle ended up staying after school hours with her sister, sitting on one of the benches by the soccer field. It was a story that included but was not limited to overprotective parents, a babysitting deal, and Savannah.

            "Sav, Elle! Hey!" KC walked up to them from the girls' locker room, dark green sports duffel bag slung lazily over her shoulder. She'd changed out of her cheerleading uniform and was dressed in a simple white V-necked shirt and a pair of ripped skinny jeans that flaunted her long, tanned legs. The girl took the seat on Elle's other side and dropped her bag on the ground.

            "The guys are just running some more laps. They'll be out in a sec," she told them, stretching her toned arms and leaning back on the bench. Elle noticed KC's sea-blue eyes trailing after Joaquin as he sprinted after Zack as they and their teammates ran around the field. As the cheerleader's eyes flickered over to hers, Elle quickly looked away and observed the blades of grass sticking out from under her sneakers.

            Ten minutes later, Zack, Joaquin and Xavier joined them, hair freshly wet from the gym sink's faucet water. Zack tilted his head. "Let's go."

            "Where are the others?" KC asked, eyeing the two other boys that usually accompanied the Dual Heartbreakers. Elle watched the twosome – Wilson and Brent, the backs of their jerseys read – as they hopped into a car and sped away from the field.