Shanes Pov
•
As many times as I had picked up and dropped off Elli at her house I had never actually been inside. Now I stood on her porch in front of her doorway about to have dinner with her abuser. She stood next to me taking a deep breath trying to find the courage to open the door to her home. "Its gonna be okay Elli, were gonna get through this." I whispered to her nudging her shoulder gently with my much broader one. Elli dug her house keys out of the front pocket of her backpack. She opened the door and then ushered me inside the house. She led me to the kitchen where her mom was finishing cooking dinner and Scott was already sitting at the dinner table a beer infront of him. "Hey mom." Ellis mom turned around not noticing her daighter but me instead. Elli noticed it and immedaitly introduced me. "Mom this is Shane, my chem tutour and a friend. Is it cool if he stays for dinner." By now I had noticed Scott looked up from his phone and was staring at me too. I was fighting every urge to pull Elli close to me and show him she was with me. "Whatever Ellianna, you just better behave." Her mom warned as Scott stood up and walked over to us. I didnt like him before i saw him and i didnt like him now. He had strawberry blonde hair and pail skin and the ugliest mustache youve eber seen. He was lean and skinny, about 5'10" which made me feel good because I was about 6'3" he had a bit of a beer gut and a slight tone to his arms. But still even though he was about 20 years older than me I could definitly beat his ass if i needed to, or wanted too. He approached Elli ignoring me and hugging her his hands snaking down her lower back. Her body stiffened and I had to restrain myself from pulling her away from him. I had to play nice. "Long time no see blossom." He told her. Ew he had a disgusting nickname for her. She pulled away and looked at him. "Hey Scott." Was all she could muster out. Ellis mom started putting food on the table. "Lets eat." She stated firmly. We all took our seats at the table me and Elli next to eachother, Scott across from her and her mom next to him. We all filled our plates silently, I thought things with my dad were akward but damn this was tourtureus. "So blossom your all grown up now, got yourself a boyfriend and everything." I looked at Elli, she was keeping it together put thsts about it. "No Shane isnt my boyfriend, just a friend." Scott laughed, I felt my jaw clench up, it was like he knew how to push all of Ellis buttons. "You better lock that one up son." He said gesturing at me. "No my little Ellianna knows better than that." Her mom stated, what was that supposed to mean. Was she implying I wasnt good enough for her daughter? I probablly knew Ellianna better than she did. " youll have to face it Jenny, your little blossom is a ripe peach now." I felt Ellis hand grip the top of my thigh. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it, hoping to provide her some comfort. It seemed that everyone at the table was put off by Scotts latest comment. So we went back to eating in scilence. "So son, you play a sport or something." I sat up a little straighter. "I play football, im the quarterback." I stated proudly, I could see Ellis mom roll her eyes. "So your the big man on campus huh?" He asked me I shook my head. "Hes really smart too, Shane is a honors student." Ellianna chimed in. She was really keeping me humble out here. "Wow seems like your a great boyfriend to my little blossom." I decided to laugh off the comment but Elli stood up angry. "Im not your blossom okay? I dont like you Scott and Shane is not my boyfriend!" I watched as she turned and stormed off to her room. I had never seen Elli stick up for her self like that, but I was proud of her, I had never seen her be so stern. "She was always a feisty one, how do you put up with that shit?" Scott asked me chuckliing. Ellis mom looked livid, "Scott thats enough." She stated firmly. I stood up knowing I shouldnt be at the table anymore but checking on Ellianna. "Excuse me, im gonna go check on her." I said as I turned away, Scott and Ellis mom arguing in the backround. I dont think they even noticed i left.
I climbed the stairs snd then knocked on on Elliannas door. "Elli its me." I said hoping she would awnser. After a few seconds I heard footsteps and the door creaked open. She stared at me for a second before throwing her self at me and wrapping her arms around my torso. With her around me I shuffled inside and shut the door. She was flustered I could tell, and I knew she was anxious alot, now that i think anout it she got anxious over everything. Her family, chemistry tests, partys, where to sit at lunch. But this was diffrent her anxiety was heigtened to like 10. "Shane im sorry, i shouldnt have let you come here, I should have known, im so sorry." I tried to shush her and started rubbing small circles on her back to see if that would do anything to help her calm down. "Elli its okay, I knew it might be like this, I knew he was an asshole." I said in the gentelest way I could. I felt a few tears on my chest, she was crying. "Its not okay, its embarrising and he was rude to you too." I couldnt help it, I couldnt stand seeing her in pain, i pulled her closer and i rested my forehead on the top of her blonde curls. As far as I was concerned it was just me and her and I would do anything to protect her. "Its okay really." I told her just wishing she would come back down to earth. We just stood there in silence me holding her with her head on my chest still quietly crying while I continued to to try to soothe her anxiety, the both of us listening to her mom and scott arguing downstairs. After a few minutes she seemed to have calmed down a bit, when we heard the sound of boots storming upstairs and a male voice getting louder. I let Elli go and stood in front of her door. He banged on it. "Open up this door little girl." He yelled his southern accent more prominent than it was before. Ellianna just stared at me. Like she was asking me what to do. "Open up the fucking door!" Scott yelled louder than before, I just kept my brown eyes locked on her blue ones. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to Elli." She shook her head and then spoke. "What do you want Scott?" She yelled much more powerfully than i thought she would. "I just wanna talk to you blossom, open up the door." Scott's voice turned sweet a complete 180 from how aggressive her was seconds ago. Ellianna approaced me and guestired for me to move to the side. I complied and took my place on the side of her aprehensively. She slowly opened the door just a peak. "Blossom im sorry, I didnt mean to hurt your feelings." I hoped Scott could see my fuming face because I could certainly see his pathetic one. "No no more more blossom bull shit, you came here to hurt me again, i know you did." Her voice quivered a little bit but she was standing her ground. "I never meant to hurt you blossom, what happened that night was a mistake, i paid my price I know that." Scott busted through the doorway and grabbed Ellianna by the waist, she pushed him away but he kept her close as he could, his blue eyes seeming to darken, like he took some sort of sick pleasure in hurting her. "Hey get the fuck off of her." I got between the two of them and shoved him off of her pushing Elli behind me. "This has nothing to do with you pretty boy." Something inside me switched, my dad called me thst when he got drunk, pretty boy. I hated it. "You put your hands on her and it has everything to do with me." I spat at him. He made the choice to try to throw a punch st me. Before he could make contact I pushed him hard, he hit Ellis bedroom wall with a thud and that sent Elliannas mom running upstairs. "You, stop it, get the hell out of my house!" I looked up to see Jennifer Wesbrook was pointing her finger at me. Scott stood up. "You heard my woman, get the fuck out of this house." I looked over to try to find Ellianna but she had dissapeared, her balcony door ajar. Good she shouldnt have to be in the middle of this. I was about to protest the order to leave when I noticed something, Jennifer had a red mark on her cheek, scratch marks and a swollen neck. This dick wad choked her out. "Your fucking sick you know that?" I yelled at him. "You dont know what the fuck your talking about." Scott spat at me. "Get out of my house if you know whats good for you." Elliannas mom yelled again and this time i listened, i ran out of Ellis room, downsairs and into the fromt lawn where cops where waiting. I was getting flashbacks to the cops infront of my house back in jefferson. I put my hands in the air and scanned the yard, thats when I saw "Colin?"
