The Unproven Theorem of You and I

chapter five - fiery eyes

[ dedicated to @NeonWorld]

Chapter Five

ELLE REALISED SOMETHING WAS WRONG ever since she saw two helicopters idling on the expansive concrete ground. Something was off. Something was up. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts and the surroundings that she jumped at KC's voice, which seemed to have come out of nowhere.

            "...Elle?" KC repeated confusedly. When the girl whipped around at her voice, the cheerleader continued with her sprightly introductions. "Elle, this is Ray."

            Elle looked up at the young man standing before her, dressed in a simple denim-colored shirt and a pair of brown cargo shorts. He didn't quite make six feet, but his tousled, messy, dark brown hair seemed to make him look slightly taller. Like KC, he had a smooth, golden tan, and bright green eyes to match. Elle immediately decided she liked him.

            Ray gave her a polite, yet equally cordial grin and shook her hand spryly. "Nice to meet you." Elle couldn't help but return the smile.

            And suddenly, Savannah's breathy voice was at her ear. "They all fall easily."

            "What?" Elle turned at her sister's voice. Savannah waited until the subject at hand was out of earshot, exchanging small talk with the rest of her friends.

            "You spill and I kill, but KC has had a teensy weensy major crush on that guy ever since we were sophomores." Savannah nodded at Elle's shocked expression. "I know, right? I mean, he isn't even that hot. Zack totally beats him."

            "But isn't he... six years older than her?" Elle questioned, looking at her sister with confusion.

            And then Savannah laughed, giving her sister the oh-so-familiar aren't you the cutest expression. "You see, little sister, as one grows older, the importance of the age gap tends to shrink. Hello, June and Anden? Meggie and Farid?"

            "But neither of those couples worked out in the end," Elle pointed out softly, watching her sister walk over to her bantering friends. But of course, as always, no one was there to listen.

"HERE? I DIDN'T KNOW you were an instructor here!" KC practically shrieked in astonishment. From behind Savannah and her friends, Elle couldn't see why KC was blowing her top in excitement.  With Joaquin and Xavier positioned in front of her, even tiptoeing proved ineffectual. She scarcely reached the tops of their heads. Elle silently blamed her tall siblings for leaving her behind, barely there at five-foot-five.

            "I told you I had a part time job," Ray was saying. "Last week at the beach, remember?"

            "Yeah, but I thought you trained surfers, or something. Parasailing. Scuba diving. Not – um – this!" she replied frantically.