Betting on your Heart

Chapter Five

Ella stayed in that position; just sitting there with her head in her hands for what seemed like hours. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she was continuously cursing herself.  The only thought she could truly focus on was 'what have I just done?'. Images of the incident that has just occurred blurred her train of thought and Ella knew that she was not going to be able to focus on anything else for a while. If news of what had happened spread around their school, her life would be over. Ella could practically hear the entire school mocking her for kissing Damien, her own step-brother.

The most disturbing part of the whole thing for Ella was that the kiss actually been enjoyable! She wished that it would have at least been dreadful. Ella sighed and heaved herself off of the floor, there was no way that she could change the past. So she crawled into the warm comfort of her bed and attempted to achieve a good night's sleep.

Her alarm clock went off around 4:30 in the morning; Ella grumbled something incoherent and stumbled out of her bed. She rubbed her eyes and began her morning schedule. After taking a nice hot shower, she dried her hair and curled it. Then she put on her clothes and make-up. When her routine was completely finished, she went downstairs and grabbed a pop-tart out of the cup-board. The house was quiet, except for the distant pitter-patter of the shower. Ella really didn't want to go to school with Damien; lucky enough for her, there was still time to take the bus.

Ella exited her house, pop-tart still in hand and she began walked down the road towards her bus stop. Dark clouds hovered over her head, but Ella's thoughts weren't on the upcoming weather. When she reached her stop though, the rain began to pour and Ella cussed under her breath. The little freshmen that shared her bus stop ran and scattered for cover but Ella simply stood there. The rain drops spattered onto Ella's face but she couldn't bring herself to wipe them away. There was something oddly soothing about the rain just dropping relentlessly.

She stood there in the rain for about ten minutes before Damien pulled their car up next to her. He rolled down the window but Ella didn't move a muscle, she closed her eyes and pretended as if he didn't exist. "Damn it, Ella. Get in the car." He growled, annoyed at being ignored. She simply shook her head like a stubborn little child. Damien huffed and rolled his eyes at her cantankerous attitude. 'Why does she have to be so difficult?' He thought as he exited the car. He jogged over to Ella and threw her over his shoulder with ease.

"Let go of me!" Ella screamed, struggling her hardest to get out of his grasp. The other kids at the bus stop stared at the scene with interest. Damien ran over to the passenger side of the car, carrying her as if she were as light as a feather. He opened the door and dropped her into the seat roughly before going back over to the driver's side and getting in. Damien started driving down the street, not saying a word. The silence was awkward but neither person could come up with something to say. So the only sound was the violent tapping of the rain hitting the windshield.

Ella looked at Damien with suspicious curiosity when he pulled over on the side of the road. "What are you- You can't pretend that kiss didn't happen." Damien interrupted, turning towards her. Ella stared at him blankly, showing none of the emotions she was truly feeling on the inside. "I don't know what you are talking about..." She whispered, her courage becoming dampened with sudden anxiety. Damien rolled his eyes and cussed. "God, why do you have to be so stubborn?!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically.

"If I say it happened and act like it happened, then that would mean that it really did happen and I... I just can't. Damien, you're my step brother! It's sick!" Ella said fiercely. Then she sighed, frustrated that she even had to explain her views on this situation. Ella looked straight into Damien's eyes and immediately turned away. There was so much passion, so much guilt, and so much pain in his eyes that it hurt to even look into them for too long. "J-just drive" She stuttered, shaken from his piercing gaze. Damien closed his eyes for a moment to gather his bearings then he began to drive again.