OFF TRACK

16

SUMMER

"Where are you going?" I ask when I look up from the cutting board in front of me.

"Olivia invited me to dinner with some old friends," Ellie shrugs.

"Olivia who?" I ask as I start cutting the pepper I was cutting before.

"Olivia Holt," she says it as if that's just another normal person.

"Okay who don't you fucking know?"

Ellie laughs.

"No like for real, who don't you know?" I point the knife at her for dramatic effect.

She holds up both of her hands, "Do you want to come?"

"No, I have homework to finish," I lower the knife.

"Looser." She's grabbing her purse from the hook, "I'll be back later, love ya!"

"Be safe! Call if you need anything!" I call after her as she makes her exit.

I continue cutting up cucumbers and bell peppers, then head back to my room to continue writing my essay.

I'm hating every second of this essay so when my phone rings I'm relieved. I hope it's Ellie needing me to pick her up because she drank too much but when I glance at my laptop for the time it's only been twenty minutes since she left.

I have to get up and get my phone from my bed side table. I left it there so I wouldn't be tempted to use it instead of work on my essay.

"Hey," I hold the phone to my ear.

"Hey!" Hearing Trevor's voice makes me smile a bit, "What are you doing?"

"Homework," I sigh looking back over at my computer screen.

"Wanna take a break and go get some ice cream and fool around?"

"As tempting as that is, it's due at midnight," I move back over to my desk, "And I barely have one page done."

"How long does it had to be?"

"Four to five pages."

"That's an hour a page!"

"Yeah and I'm wasting time talking to you," I tease.

"Why'd you wait to do it?"

"If you're about to lecture me I'm ending this call."

"I won't, but how about I come over and help?"

"You're just gonna distract me," I smile.

"Promise I won't, what's it about? Maybe I can help," he sounds sincere and it makes my heart warm.

"Whether or not history actually repeats its self. But I have to have four examples on why or why not, so most of my time has been wasted researching," I sigh looking at my almost blank word document.

"Ya know what? You're on your own with this one," he laughs.

"That's what I thought," I laugh.

"Can I still come over? James has two girls over right now, and I think they think they're in a porno."

I laugh, "Yeah you can, Ellie just left."

"Good, because if I had to go back into that apartment I might of gone crazy."

"Text me when you get here."

"Will do," then the line goes dead. And thirty minutes later Trevor texts me that he's here and I go let him in.