𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒓 ᖭི༏ᖫྀ 𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖𝚜

chapter thirty six: till the lake is dry

[XXXVI]

I don't know why we bothered trying.

We always ended back in each other's path one way or another. It could be circumstance, misunderstanding or simply growing apart. But we'd never really grow apart. Our roots were always going to be intertwined, no matter how hard we tried to escape them.

But I really didn't want to see her right now.

And I know, no matter what had happened, she wouldn't want to see me like this. That is, half naked with another girl's arm wrapped round me. Hell, if the roles were reversed, I would have gone bat-shit.

But Ellie and I were always opposites.

While my anger filled the room with loudness or tears or exertion, Ellie's was all in there. All in that steely gaze, that stiff neck, that low brow. All in that head of hers. And it was scarier than mine.

I waited for her to speak. She didn't take her eyes off me. Not even when Mari turned to whisper in my ear,

"Who is this weird chick clocking you like you're dead?"

Her eyes shook as she watched Mari's fingers brush on my bare neck, clasp my shoulder. And I knew that's what she was looking at, because I could feel it like fire on my skin. It was turning me on. And Ellie could see it.

Shit. I am dead.

"Hey...you...I don't know what kind of ish you have with my girl Amelia..." Mari started, gesturing to Ellie with the arm still over my shoulder. No, no, no. Don't poke the bear! "...But if you could stop staring, that would be much appreciated."

Ellie's silence broke, for a scoff of amusement.

"Did you fuck this hood-rat, Amelia?"

Shit.

Mari chuckled, arm sliding off me as she approached Ellie.

"Now I know you did not just call me a hood-rat, white trash," Mari said, finding this all very amusing apparently. I did not. She turned to me, gave a cocky wink, and turned back to Ellie.

"And so what if I did? She's fine, look at her. Ain't no crazy ex gonna stop me from getting it."

The words made me blush, though I had no clue if they had any truth to them.

I said my prayers for Mari, I really did. Whether or not anything had happened between us actually didn't matter, because the mere implication had snapped the coil anyways.

But Ellie just sighed, and smiled. "I'm not gonna have a dick fight with you, I'm not a man. And I know you didn't sleep with her..."

She looked at me again, eyes ablaze. "Because she's not over all the things I could do."

My blood rushed down, and it made me mad. I stormed up to her, standing beside Mari and finally saying something instead of letting this shit happen.

"You initiated the end, okay Ellie? For all your fucking wrongs, I was going to be there with you. And you gave up first.

Now...I'm ready to move on. Mari...she's kind, and gentle, and not only half the time. And whatever we are...it's none of your fucking business, okay?"

She looked pretty shocked. I guess, when she saw me, she thought that a little back and forth like we'd always done would fix things right up.

"We weren't right for each other. I meant what I said."

Ouch.

Her words were painful but real, and that was all I could really ask for. A part of me ached to drop it all and beg to get back together, but things were different now.