The Missing Puzzle Piece

Chapter Three

Ella's POV

"Ella, the Royals will be here in ten minutes, please put on your dress," my mom begs. She's been trying for almost half an hour to get this dress on me. 

"No! I don't want to!" I complain. It's a weird material and I don't like it. "I wanna wear my pajamas!"

"You cannot wear your pajamas at dinner." I feel bad for her. She has to pu up with me and my little tantrums. I can't wear the dress though. It's gross. "Ella please." I shake my head and cross my arms. She sighs and puts the dress on my bed and leaves. 

Parker's POV

My dad pulls into Ella's driveway and we all get out. While we wait for someone to answer the door I hear someone yell, "I don't wanna wear the stupid dress!" I laugh but then immediately get elbowed by my dad. I clear my throat and put my hands in my pocket.

The person that yelled was probably Ella. I don't think she has any other sisters and I don't think her brothers will be wearing a dress. Her mother answers the door in a black dress with her hair straight. She looks so much like Ella. "Please come in." As we walk in I see a figure turn and run down the hall and then a door slam. "I'm sorry, my daughter is still getting ready."

"No, it's alright. Do you need any help with dinner?" my mom asks as she sets her purse down on the counter. 

 As the parents talk about random shit I join Ella's brother on the couch who's watching the Patriots and Giants game. "You're the guy my sister punched! She said you were bad," he says taking his attention away from the TV. Bad huh? 

"Yeah she punched me. Hey where is her room?"

"Down the hall and second door on the left," he explains pointing to the hallway. I follow his instructions and knock on the door. 

"Mom I'm not wearing the dress," she says not opening the door. 

"It's Parker. Can I come in?"

"No," she states. I walk in anyways to find her laying in bed in pajama pants that have cows on them and a Patriots sweatshirt. She's playing on a DS and has her hair in a messy bun. "I said you can't come in."

"Oh come on. Now what about this dress that your mom wants you to wear?" She points to a blue dress thats balled up in the corner. "Why don't you want to wear it?"

"It feels weird." Feels weird? What the hell is that supposed to mean? "Now go away."

I lay down next to her in bed and watch as she plays MarioKart. "Press B two times." She does and her character speeds up. "Now hit A." A banana is thrown at her and her character throws a shell at it to deflect it.

She ends up losing and she gets mad. Her smile fades away and she hits me with a pillow. I try to put her hands down but she yells, "No! Don't touch me!"

"Ella, I'm not touching you," I try to explain but she continues to scream at me.

"Get out of my room." She picks up another pillow and throws it at me which I catch and place back on the bed. 

"Hey, calm down. What's wrong?" I watch as she hits one of her hands on the other. "Ella!"

Her mom runs in with my parents following and sits down beside her. She holds her hands and hugs her. I can hear Ella crying and her mom trying to calm her down. I pick up the pillows she threw at me and place them back on her bed. 

Her mom stands up and Ella lays face down on the carpet. "Just let her calm down for a few minutes," she says leading us out of her room and back to the kitchem. "I'm really sorry about that, Parker."

"It's alright. She just threw pillows," I explain. I wonder what was bothering her so much that she freaked out like that. 

Ella's POV

Ugh. Why couldn't I have controlled my temper while Parker and his family were over? I made a complete fool of myself. I put on the stupid dress and walk out into the dinning room and sit at the opposite side of the table separated from everyone else. 

I sit there quielty with my hands in my lap and watch as everyone looks over to me for a second before returning to their conversations. Every once in a while Parker glances at me and shows a small smile. I stare straight ahead at the picture on the wall above my mom's head and keep my hands folded. 

"Ella would you like something to eat?" My mom asks holding up a plate. I remain silent and staring at the picture. She sighs and places the plate back down on the table. 

When Will brings up the day I punched Parker, I stand up and walk out the front door. I start walking down the street when I hear the door open and close and footsteps running towards me. "Ella please come back to dinner," Parker says walking beside me. I shake my head and cross my arms. "You're barefoot and in a dress. It's about to rain too. We're going to get sick."

"It's physically imposible to get sick from the cold and rain," I say as I keep walking. I hear him sigh and then material is placed over my shoulders. "I don't want it," I say taking off the jacket and handing it to him.

"Come on just take it," he says handing it back. It's dark and the only light is from the moon and street lights. "Ella."

"Stop saying my name." 

"Why are you so fucking stubborn and difficult?" He mutters. I can barely see him run his fingers through his hair and place a hand on the back of his neck. "Go back home."

"I. Don't. Want. To."

"I didn't ask if you wanted to. I'm telling you. If you don't start walking back now I will pick you up and carry you." I start walking the opposite way of my house but before I get too far he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. "I told you I would bring you home, whether it was walking with you or carrying you."

"Put me down! Help! I'm being kidnapped!" Apparently I didn't walk far because within a minute or two we are standing at my front door. He opens the door and sets me down on the couch. "I was kidnapped! Doesn't anyone care!?"

"No," Parker responds. He walks back to the dinning table and sits down at his seat. "She's back."

I walk to my room and slam the door shutting them out.

Parker's POV

When I sit down the parents are talking about something about work and I move the remanants of my food around on my plate. Does Ella have anger issues or something? I think inside my head.

"No autism," I hear being said. I look up at Ella's mom confused. "You asked that out loud. She has autism dear."

"What's that mean?" 

"It means she has trouble with controlling her emotions and talking to people and learning. She doesn't like the feeling of certain things or the looks of it."

"Is that why she wouldn't wear her dress?"

"Yes. And it's why she punched you and hit herself and threw pillows at you. She gets overwhelmed easily and frustrated." I am such an ass. I called a girl with autism an annoying bitch. I feel abdolutely terrible. 

"I feel so bad about everything now."

"She needs people to treat her like a normal person so she can learn about how to behave and act. You didn't know. Don't worry about it, dear." Shit. Shit. Shit. Double shit. 

So I am officially an asshole.