Shanes pov
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The Dairy Queen was pretty much empty when I and Elli arrived with only a few lingering families left in the restaurant. It reminded me of Jefferson. The dairy queen was still un-renovated with the red roof still on the outside and primary colored plastic booths to sit in on the inside. I almost felt like I was in Mississippi again if it wasn't for the girl sitting in front of me. Which was more than a good thing that she was here.
After I lost state last year I went on a two-day drinking bender I hardly even remember, which I guess was the point. The night we lost state was my fault too, I only played for a quarter but in the short period, I managed to blow our team's tie and throw 2 interceptions, one of which was for a TD. I guess that was worse than what happened tonight, but still, tonight's loss hurt, it was supposed to be my redemption and I blew it.
"Shane, are you okay?" Her soft-spoken voice pulled me out of darkening thoughts. "I was just thinking about the game." I shook off as much of my spiraling mind as I could and tried to focus as much on the girl in front of me as I could.
"It's gonna be okay, there's always next year, you know?" She took a bite of her blizzard and shrugged her shoulders, and my mind echoed back to when last year's seniors said the same thing to me. There's always next year, until there isn't a next year anymore.
"Yeah, that's what they said when I blew it last year and just look at me now," I spoke sarcastically and hung my head in shame, Elli sat up a little straighter. "Everyone fails, even you Shane. It's okay to not be the best at everything all the time. When you finally succeed it makes it that much better, it is like me and chemistry, I finally passed a quiz and it feels like I worked hard and accomplished something good."
"What about the seniors, who don't have a next year, I failed them." Despite how serious I was Elli chuckled. "Let me tell you how things have worked historically at Northview. No one cares about the outcome of the football games, it's just something to do Friday nights and a status symbol until you are a senior then the seniors work hard and try to make something happen but nothing does. And that's fine everyone goes and parties anyways." She brushed it off like it was nothing but the fact that no one cared about winning, irritated me, and next year that was gonna change. I was going to be a junior and I planned on making winning a priority.
"That's not how things were at my old school," I said sarcastically, Ellianna tilted her head and gave me an inquisitive look. "Do you ever miss your old school?" I shook my head, trust me I didn't miss the rednecks and the drinking and the small-town politics. "No, I don't, things are a lot better here. I miss my friends sometimes but other than that Im glad I got the hell outa there."
Elliannas phone rang and she picked it up. "Hey Mer." She smiled cheerfully as she responded to the facetime. "Where the hell are you?" I could here Miranda slur. The game had ended at 9 and matt and Colin had left the feild at about 9:30 i looked down at my apple watch and noted it was approaching 11 pm which meant they had been at the party over an hour which was plenty of time for Miranda to get wasted. "Im at dairy queen." Elli shrugged her shoulders and glanced up at me with the cutest half smile and her blue eyes glistining. Despite the horrible noght i had, i found myself smiling too.
"Is Shane with you?" Miranda yelled through the phone. Ellianna got up from her side of the booth and slid in next to me similtanously shoving the phone in my face. "Hi Miranda." I said sarcastically. Then Colin appeared on the screen, also drunk of course. "Bro what the fuck are you doing? I thought we were crashing the party." Elli put her head on my shoulder and in the moment i had absoluetly 0 regrets about not being at Maddies stupid party.
"We decied to ditch it." I shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah were out celebrating, i got an a on my chem test." Ellianna chimed in. "Well have fun i guess, but your misding out this shit is wild over here." Miranda snatched the phone from Colins hand and added. "Okay bye Mer." She said with a giggle as she hung ip the phone and put it face down on the table.
"I am not envious of them at all." I whispered out loud to Ellianna"Me either, actually there's nowhere else id rather be." She agreed quietly, I snaked my arm around her back realizing how dangerous I was making this situation for myself. She was the girlfriend type and right now the last thing I needed was to have a girlfriend. The only thing I needed to be focused on was football, winning, and getting the hell out of here via a full-ride scholarship. Not some blue-eyed girl who had somehow wormed her way into my heart. I could have and probably should have shrugged her off me or told her I had a curfew to meet at home. But I couldn't, for the first time in a long time I felt whole and there was only one explanation for this unbelievable phenomenon and she was sitting right next to me her long blonde waves tickling the hairs on my arm. As we sat there and continued to talk I asked myself how far I was willing to let this go. I wasn't going to date her. I wouldn't allow myself that kind of happiness at the risk of breaking her heart. When I left Jefferson behind I swore I would never hurt someone I cared about again. And I was beginning to care about Ellianna Wesbrook more than I cared about myself.
