𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓 ✞𝑡𝑜𝑚 𝑘𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑧✞

part eleven

Rolling down the window, she felt the hot summer air flush against her face, dulling the burning sensation that had been growing all over her skin from the moment they had left the hospital. Across on the drivers side, Jay remained silent and fixated on the road as he drove, one hand poised firmly on the wheel. They didn't speak, but yet again, they didn't didn't need to as they knew that they both felt like shit. For the first half of the short journey, she gazed out of the window with a blank stare, barely noticing how their town was packed with families and teenagers out in the sun; she couldn't pull her mind from the image of Elliot alone in the hospital bed.

In an attempt to distract herself for the second half of the journey, she pulled out her cell phone from the clear bag and flipped it open. Displayed on the screen, she exhaled in frustration as she saw the mass amount of missed calls and texts from Jay, Alicia and to her surprise, her father.

"Come on" Jay bluntly instructed switching off the engine.

Examining her surroundings, Robyn's face furrowed in confusion seeing that they had arrived at Jay's house.

"I said take me home. I'm not staying here again" she looked over at him sternly.

Pausing, Jay's eyes filled with what appeared to be despair, his face softening.

"Rob, come on. We can't be alone after seeing him like that" he spoke softly with reason.

"I said take me home" she repeated "I want to be alone"

Jay flipped slightly, his arms flailing up and slapping against his thighs and he exhaled in frustration. "You always want to be fucking alone. Can you not just let me be there for you for once?" his voice grew more agitated and passionate. She could tell he was angry but only because he cared.

She watched passively as he did so, standing her ground and justifying herself. For the following moment or so, the pair stared at each other stubbornly, not backing down or compromising their opinions. They were too similar.

Impatiently, Robyn collected the clear bag beside her feet and opened the car door to leave.

"Rob, don't-" he began but by this point, she had already slammed the car door and was marching from the driveway, arms folded across her chest and clutching the bag of Elliot's clothes. From behind her, Jay growled slightly shutting his own door as he watched her storm off.

"Come find me when you've cooled off" he almost shouted. He was so petty.

Steps colliding at pace with the concrete, she rounded onto the main pathway of the neighbourhood, exhaling hurried, hot breaths as the heat of the evening sun expanded over her bare shoulders. Cars sped past, loaded with colourful beach furniture and umbrellas as teenagers sounded to the bass of the car's music. Insides churning, she felt the burning sensation of guilt rise in her throat as rapid images and memories of Elliot flashed in her mind. Her vision blurred between the jagged shards of light from the sun, causing her temple to pound as a result of the strain and her head to swell with the familiar sense of dizziness and disillusion. How could she be so selfish? Why was it Elliot and not her?

Unknown to her, her feet had carried her to her front porch where she now attempted to turn the brass knob. Struggling, the cool metal beneath her clammy palm remained firm and locked causing her to groan in frustration at her stupidity. She had left the keys on her kitchen counter. Having encountered this situation a number of times, Robyn exhaled frustratedly as she wearily moved to the side of the house, slightly unsteady on her feet. Approaching the ground level window, she groaned, pulling upward on the stiff window frame, the painful screech of the sliding glass invading her eardrums. Several attempts later, the window slightly shifted upwards creating a small space a few inches tall; she groaned now envious of her younger self who regularly slid through this gap. Still slightly dazed, the memories of their early friendship came flooding back.

"Rob" Elliot whispered rather loudly, standing beneath the night sky at the side of her house. After Jay lightly tossed a few pebbles off the garage roof beside her bedroom window, Robyn appeared leaning out of its frame, smiling down at the two boys.

"Pier" Elliot spoke again with a warm smile gesturing towards the direction of the boardwalk across town. From above, Robyn smiled and nodded, holding up a finger to indicate she would be down in a moment.

Hurriedly with cautious movements, Robyn pulled on some dirty sneakers and a sweatshirt before gently making her way down the stairs to the downstairs window. There, Jay and Elliot waited with anticipation for their friend, both of them pulling the window to reveal the small gap. After doing this so many times, the aged window had grown to only be either entirely closed or slightly ajar a few inches, making the trio use it as their method of getting Rob out of the house.

"Careful" Elliot whispered, both him and Jay now holding her wrists and shoulders and she slid out head first. Her feet still resting on the ledge, she grew unsteady with all of her weight upon the two boys and her torso shuddering because of it. In one swift motion, she ploughed forward, pulling the two boys either side of her down with her as the trio found themselves in an entangled mess on the grass. Robyn was the first to laugh, rolling off of the boys and onto the space beside them, shortly followed by Elliot and Jay who were in similar hysterics.

"Shhh" Robyn managed to whisper between muted fits of laughter, her cheeks almost beginning to hurt from smiling. She remembered how Elliot smiled back at her, his eyes white and cheerful and his cheeks flushed with rosy happiness.

She smiled on their youth, almost forgetting the status of their friendship now and how it had grown ugly and cruel. Time had corrupted them and the innocence of their past was nothing but a forgotten memory.

"You okay?" an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind her, causing Robyn to whip her head around to see. He was slender and tall with shoulder-length, jet black hair. His eyes were glossy and round but slightly feminine with his brows raised. On his left eyebrow, he had a small silver piercing similar to what she assumed was his twin brother's lip piercing. Approaching her, he smiled a sweet and comforting smile, making his eyes squint in sunset. Due to the late evening, his complexion was paler than Tom's and completely smooth, making him appear almost doll-like. She had never seen anyone look so beautiful and unique.