McGee: Drawn to Life! (Special)

Chapter Thirteen

NICHOLAS (Narrating):
[Things... didn't exactly get better. Not for a bit...

Another day or two went by like this, Ellie being sunken in and defensive and McGee back on silent mode no matter what I tried. But then the weekend came. I had hoped maybe I could get McGee to talk, but he just...wouldn't budge. Even bringing up Ellie seemed to be for naught, despite my efforts to use it to my advantage; in hindsight, I think he knew what I was doing and disregarded it. Regardless, when the weekend ended and the new week came along where I was still leaving the sketchbook at home, Ellie started acting out of frustration and the next thing I knew, I had my long-standing buddy Cryder now thinking I had something to do with it...

But I was too guarded to admit it at the time. ]

~ ~ ~ 

Derrick had asked Nicholas into his office after having noticed Ellie skipped his class and the one before that. When he tried to talk to her, after finding her hiding in the washroom on the ground, curled into herself, she just stood up abruptly, with a scowl on her face.

"Why don't you ask your best friend, Mr. Martin?" She groaned as she brushed past him before he managed to catch up. He had her sit in his office, hoping to get to the bottom of what was going on but she didn't offer him much. Derrick just ended up letting her go to lunch, at a loss.

The man leaned up against his desk, while Nicholas seemed to already have a hunch why he was there, shutting the door and leaning his hands on the chair right before him.

DERRICK:
Hey, Martin...hopefully Mrs. Roslyn was okay with taking over Cafeteria duty for ya? 

NICHOLAS:
Uh, yeah...

*He scratched the back of his neck.*

No issues there. I would ask you what's up but I have a feeling it has to do with my no-show during second period? 

DERRICK:
Your feeling would be right...

*He sighed, leaning back against his desk, arms crossed over his chest.*

 I found her hiding out in the girl's restroom after a few other students said they heard some weird noises coming from it. Turns out she was crying while she skipped out on her supposedly favorite class. 

NICHOLAS:
*He gripped the edge of the seat tighter.*

I think she kissed up my class being her favorite last week sometime. She's been so withdrawn again, and rather snarky, if we're being honest... [As honest as I can be, anyways, given the circumstances...] 

DERRICK:
*He looked at him with a soft brow.*

Martin, I know we're friends, but this isn't like you to chase students off. What's going on?

NICHOLAS:
*There was no explaining to Derrick that he had cut Ellie off from seeing or interacting with his six-and-three-quarter-inch living cartoon character who had fallen madly in love with her over the course of three days and who too was at home giving him very much the same cold shoulder...so how could he word things without seeming like he was hurting Ellie?*

 I--I took something away from her and she didn't respond well...

DERRICK:
*He looked taken aback.*

Took something away? You're trying to tell me she's skipping class and acting out over your taking something away from her? Like what? Her phone? Gaming device? Smartwatch? 

NICHOLAS:
*He rolled his head a bit.*

Not exactly something physical. More like...mental?

*He sighed heavily.*

I caught Ellie last week in my classroom during lunch hour. It turns out she's been hiding in there for quite some time, I'm assuming away from Conner but she won't admit that. However, I think in that time....she...sorta...found solstice in the drawing on my whiteboard...

*That was as close as he was going to get at this rate and even that sounded crazy.*