Being Shot

P h o t o #54 - Relapse

P h o t o #54 - Relapse

I tried counting mailboxes as Elliot and I drove down an empty main road, but soon gave up when I noticed I barely had the capacity to keep track of them. So, instead of rushing to numbers when I wanted to keep myself occupied, I turned to just keeping track of which houses had decorations.

'Reindeer, Reith, red and green lights, inflatable Santa, and...hey, is that a Menorah in that window?' I squinted, sitting up a little higher from my slouch, genuinely curious when I see the lit candles, 'Happy Hanukkah.' I silently wished the family of the house as the car drove on.

I lay my head back against the the leather seat, swallowing. I silently winced, forgetting the bruising on my esophagus that already began. My hand rose up to my throat, applying pressure here and there to see if there would be any outward effects from what happened with my run-in with Courtney. It fell back into my lap once I realized that practically, from my jugular to my nape, everything ached. I imagined the blotchiness is most likely wake to tomorrow.

The passenger window I stared out of gave me a clear shot of my reflection as it stared back at me with empty eyes. Expensive, red pigment smeared the left side of my mouth, my flushed cheeks peaking through thinned foundation. Mascara clumped and running at the corners of my eyes, eyeliner wet and runny at the bases of my waterline even though I have yet to shed a single tear. I could almost picture Kayla's face if she saw me like this, and the image has me lolling my head to the other side so I didn't have to face myself any longer than I had to.

A muscle in Elliot's cheek jumped the moment I laid eyes on him, his gaze still glued to the dreary road ahead. He hadn't said a word to me since he stuck the keys into the car's ignition, and initially I was grateful that he wasn't testing the waters for the time being. Now it just had me wondering if he was in any way angry that I had ruined his fun for the night.

I studied the side of his face, watching as he steadily grew nervous under my stare. His eyes fretted to the side whenever they could, his knuckles white as his hands tightened around the steering wheel.

Just as I felt compelled to speak, my search for any sort of anger or sadness blown away, Elliot removed his right hand from the wheel and, to my surprise, flipped on the heat to the highest degree.

"Sorry," He said, his rig voice filling the quiet car with the sounds of low whirring from the heater's fans as they went into action in the background, "I didn't realize you were cold."

My eyebrow quirked, my attention officially taken from my haggard appearance for a second as I gave the boy a once over. Then it fell on how tight I had my arms wrapped around my body; an involuntary coping mechanism he must've taken as being chilly. The corner of my lip twitched at his concern, but I pushed the smile away. This wasn't exactly a time for it.

My chipped red fingernails traced around a growing bruise forming on the back of my left arm, the heat fanning my body enveloping me like a warm wool blanket fresh from the clothing line, "No, I'm the one who should be apologizing." I begin as Elliot's vivid eyes suddenly turned cold as he regarded the slick pavement ahead of us, his grip never loosening, "You had to leave the party early because of me so you could take me home, and don't even mention the dirt I got on the seat," I grimaced as I noticed the little blotch of beige that must've slid onto the leather even though I knew I was being as careful as I could, but my head immediately dropped to the ruby necklace that still sat in my lap, "And..." I trailed, but the look Elliot gave me out of the corner of my eye told me he knew where I was going with this.

A long, slow breath cascaded from Elliot's full lips, his styled hair falling back into its usual shaggy state as the car's heat took over the atmosphere, "I had had about enough of that party by the time you showed up again anyways," He stated, then turned to me with a soft expression, "Thanks for giving me an excuse to get some fresh air away from all of that drama." Then he gave me a quick once over, and the softness in his face hardened with mixed emotions, "Too damn bad it was at the expense of your good time."