Saving Elliot ©2015 Sydney Wray

Chapter 26~Equally As Deadly

"Ohhhh, yeah." I grinned while slowly rolling forward. I was driving; driving. All thanks to Jaxx.

Jaxx laughed in the passenger seat. "Eyes on the road."

"I am a prodigy."

She snorted.

I clicked on my blinker, preparing to turn left. "Seriously. I'm such a good driver."

"Elliot, pay attention." She was laughing now.

I blinked through my RayBans. "So how's life in Jaxx-land?"

"Oh, just grand."

I glanced at her, noting the sarcasm. "Trouble in paradise?"

She was looking out the window now, shrugging. "Typical. My brother is a common jerk, and the guy I have a crush on only thinks of me as a friend."

I would have to get back to the brother topic, but I groaned. "Jaxx. Alex likes you."

"He does?!"

She whipped around excitedly, staring wide eyed at me.

"But you didn't hear it from me." I put a finger to my mouth.

"How do you know?"

I snorted. "The guy can't keep his eyes off you."

"How sure are you?" She leaned closer.

I looked at her strangely. "I don't know.."

"On a scale from one to ten, how much does he-"

"-Jaxx!" I inturrupted, laughing. "I'm not in his head. Just ask him."

"Elliot Jason Jackson, I will not ask a boy if he likes me or not." She slumped back into her seat, shaking her head with a grin.

"Well, why not?"

"Because it's against girl culture."

I let out a laugh. "What is girl culture?"

"Don't laugh," she said, giggling, "Girl culture: the rules that apply to every girl."

"Like..?"

"Like.." She tapped her chin, "Say I'm friends with a girl, and her boyfriend and her break up. Do I go out with him?"

"I don't see why not."

"Exactly! You're a boy, so you don't understand. The answer is no. Ex-boyfriends are off-limits."

"But what if it's okay with your friend? Then what?"

She was quiet for a bit. "I guess it depends on the relationship between the friend and I. But I still wouldn't."

I nodded. Understood.

"And the whole prom thing. I assume you went to prom in high school?"

I bit my lip, sneaking a glance at Jaxx.

She punched her hands on the dashboard. "No. Way."

"My father wouldn't let me."

Jaxx made disgusted sound. "Well, anyway, back to my question. When has there ever been a time where girls are supposed to ask the guys? Am I right?"

I was starting to get her girl culture.

"Alright, alright."

"It's a sexist world, really." She crossed her legs on the dashboard, plopping on her RayBans and letting her hand fly limp out the window. "It's like girls have to depend on guys. Who buys the meals? The guys. Who opens the doors? The guys. Who has to make the first move?"

"The guys?" I guessed, smiling.

"Elliot," she put a hand on my shoulder, "I think we're starting to understand eachother."

I laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't like this." I winced, watching my feet and pointing the flashlight into the water. I had invited Jaxx and Alex to go crab-spearing with me. We were given long, metal sticks with points on them. Apparently, large crabs came in when it got dark.

Alex thrusted his spear down into the water that reached our knees. "I think it's cool."

"You would."

Jaxx laughed at my response. "And why would he?"

"Sociopath." I murmured, a smile forming.

"Hey," he held up surrendering hands, "I have no problem killing things if I can eat them."

Jaxx splashed water at him with her foot and a giggle.

He looked adoringly at her, grinning and splashing back. "I have a spear."

"So do I." She retorted, laughing.

Something touched the side of my foot. I screamed and jumped away, holding the spear in my hand as a protection.

"Relax, pretty boy." Alex laughed. "They're crabs, not sharks."

"Equally as deadly."

"Oh definitely." He sarcastically added. "One has teeth, and the other a claw."

I pointed the flashlight down, glancing at the other lighted spots around us. We weren't the only crab-hunters. Apparently, others had the same brilliant idea as we did.

I searched the dark water, the flashlight in my hand moving in diagonals.

"Oh, I see one!" Jaxx whispered loudly, as if her voice would disrupt the crabs.

Alex stepped cautiously behind her, careful not to scare away the crab.

He enveloped his arms around her, his hands overlapping hers on the handle of the spear.

A small smile tugged at her lips as he flushed his body against hers softly. I watched him whisper something into her ear, and the spear suddenly plunged down and stabbed the crab.

A squeal came from Jaxx, as she turned and high-fived Alex.

They grinned, staring at eachother for a moment.

Their moment started something in the pit of my stomach; longing. More than anything, I only wished Hailey was there to spend those moments with me. I couldn't even think of her anymore without being overlapped with intense sadness. It was all too much. I was dangerously close to giving up. Giving up on her.

She was now only a distant, mysterious memory. And a memory was all she became.

I realized, then, that if she hadn't come into my life-I never would've stopped out of my comfort zones. I never would've met Jaxx, or even Alex. I never would've had Snoopy, and the same domino effect following those.

And alas, at that moment, I was thankful I had met her. I was trying to convince myself to let her go, as hard and painful as it would be.