elliot lee -- the boy with the loud laugh and the stars in his eyes.
micah cassidy -- the boy who's always got his earbuds in to drown out the world.
micah and elliot fell in love in the ninth grade. they've been best friends since way before that...
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On the last day of break, after Elliot returns from his trip, we decide to go see a movie.
The movie theatre in the mall is cold, and it's practically empty like always, and we split a small popcorn as we hold in our laughter.
Then, just like that, it's over.
As we push our way through the double doors and back to the rows of shops after the movie, eyes adjusting to the light, Elliot is grinning. I shove my hands into my pockets, falling in step with him.
"I want to see that movie a thousand more times!" Elliot exclaims, striding so fast I feel like I'm jogging to keep up.
"I'm in!" I reply.
Not only is it a thousand times seeing a movie I enjoyed, but it's a thousand more times seeing that movie with Elliot. What could be be better?
"Only problem is... we're broke."
Elliot laughs, a bubbling sound that pierces the air, and I feel this immense sense of pride. After being apart for nearly a whole week, it's nice to know we can fall back into our normal rhythms.
It may sound silly, but I think this week has been our longest time apart in years.
"How was your trip?" I ask, changing the subject as I cast a sideways glance at him.
He looks like he's glowing, to be honest, and for a second I feel panicked. He's been doing fine without me, meanwhile I could barely get out of bed all break. But I shove that down to the best of my ability, trying to absorb the warmth he radiates.
"It was really nice! Mom and I ended up in this small town with a little dinosaur museum, and a coffee shop with the best coffee I've ever tasted." He pauses, then starts again so suddenly I jump. "Remind me to bring your present with me to school tomorrow!"
"You didn't have to get me anything!" I bump my shoulder into is, shoving him gently to the side. This doesn't stop the feeling that swells up in my heart, and I pull my eyes away.
He shushes me, his finger pressed to his lips. "Nonsense. I had to get you this thing, and I promise you'll like it!"
I feel my lips tilt upwards too, and I don't try to fight it.
"How was your break?" Elliot asks me, slowing to a stop to sit down at a table on the outskirts of the food court. I sit across from him, balancing my chin on my hands.
"It was okay. We had a few theatre days to try and get ahead of set and props, but aside from that I didn't do much." I inhale and exhale, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "No presents for you, I'm afraid." I add, chuckling.
The air fills with a heaviness when we both stop talking, the weight of a million words that I couldn't say even if I tried. But maybe it's more then that; I can't shake the feeling that it is more than that.
It feels like there is something Elliot isn't saying, this dark spot that sits behind his eyes. I wonder if he can see the same in mine, both of us biting our tongues and keeping our words in.
"How was theatre?" Elliot asks after a moment of silence, fighting off the quiet like a knight on a horse going into battle. "How is the show coming along?"
Immediately, the warmth he collected from the sun during his journey rushes back to me. Elliot was like a beacon, and I was stuck in his glow. Like a moth, like a deer, like something beautiful.
"It's really stressful. I think it will be okay in the end, though!"
"I mean, yeah! They've got you, so it better be!"
I laugh, but when I look up and lock eyes with Elliot he is fully serious. The world shifted at some point, and I don't know when, nor do I know how to adjust to it. Instead, Elliot is being serious and I can't make my smile drop.
I look away, eyes roaming around anywhere they can so they don't have to stare at him. My finger awkwardly taps up and down on the table.
It feels like we have come so far from the start of the year— from painting my bike, and sharing cookies under the tree at lunch time. It's been less then four months, and yet I feel changed.
"Uh." He clears his throat, and I blink one too many times. "Do you want to walk around a few stores? We still have an hour until my mom gets here."
"Yeah, sounds good!"
So we do. We act like total idiots, trying on silly hats and sunglasses and laughing all the while. I miss the moment even as we're in it, and I force myself to take a mental picture. This is how I want to remember freshman year— painted in gold and stamped with joy.
When Elliot's mom finally arrives, I don't want to leave.
