Concrete Delusion

On The Caramel Flooring

Chapter 10 Elliot

How could I get to her? I hadn't so much as given her my home number. If anything major would have happened, no one would ever contact me to let me know. All I could do was cry. In my rampage earlier, I had broken two windows, cracked a table, and shattered most of the dishes at the two tables near me. There was no way of explaining to those around me why I had blown up.

My mother had been called and asked to pay for the windows and tables, but the man who owned the shop said that he wasn't going to press charges because he doesn't believe it will do anything. He knows I know what I did wrong. He could tell that something had gotten to me. He even brought me a free coffee.

"When one is upset, it is only traditional to bring them a warm beverage." the man had said. I nodded, and cried as I sipped it.

It was after school now, and still, no one had been able to pry me from my corner beneath the broken windows in the coffee shop. I was still sitting there, sobbing, staring at my dying phone. How long would it last? Why was it dying already? Somewhere inside me, I knew it was because all day, I hadn't let the screen rest. I had either lit it up to stare at it, or would be sending Sage one of the endless messages I had sent her.

After all these hours, hope was starting to drain from me. My friends came to see me, just sitting there, but I could barely find words to respond to anything they said. They had tried to make me laugh, but without success.

Why? I don't understand it. How can some girl I've never met upset me so much? I don't know her. I can't even get myself to understand, so I couldn't even attempt to get others to. I heard the footsteps of my mother against the caramel tile flooring.

"It's time to come home, Elliot. You've been here all day. Now I don't know what has you so upset, but you need to be upset at home rather than here. They can't even clean up your mess until you leave..." Her voice trailed off, and I could feel them staring at me. It wasn't a demanding stare, but a worrying one. Something inside her knew that something had hurt me, or even terrified me, and that terrified her. "Elliot, are you going to be okay?"

I wanted so badly to tell my mother no, I wouldn't be okay. I wanted more than almost anything to shrug, or even acknowledge her, but I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to do anything other than stare at my phone. The more I did, the more I hated it and myself. I hated it for not lying to me and showing me what I wanted to see. I hated myself for not telling Sage all the things I wanted to, or reading her the poems I longed to, or giving her my address. I owed her more than that. She had told me everything from the start.

In an instant, my mother started to cry. "I don't know what to do." she said to me pleadingly, "I don't know what to do." she said to the shopkeeper, who had now walked up behind her. He put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but she turned and buried her face in his apron. My mother wasn't the type to cry in public. My mother wasn't the type to turn to strangers.

I knew that even though she was buried in the shopkeeper's shoulder, she was still watching me, hoping for any glimmer, any ray of decency in my character. It wasn't there. My body had seemingly shut down. In the back of my mind, I heard the little buzz that had been racing through my head all day, the quiet news channel that had destroyed everything. All day, I had been waiting for it to speak to me, to tell me that my Sage was fine, and that her life had been spared.

All of a sudden, I heard it, the familiar voice of the reporter speaking, "...Marietta, Georgia. The tragedy at Marietta High School took the lives of four locals, including three students themselves. The suspects are under custody of the Marietta Police Department, and will go before court tomorrow at noon. The shooters were, in fact, caught on multiple cameras, and are definitely guilty. The judge will most likely want to see how the three injured citizens make through before the prosecution."

My head lifted. I felt the world go silent. For a moment, there was nothing except me and that blurry television across the room. My mother's crying stopped. The shopkeepers hand ceased it's patting upon her back. I felt like the silence of the golden haired lady on screen was just an evil meant to taunt me.

My mom rushed forward, and took my hand. She dragged me to my feet, and out the door, nodding to the shopkeeper as we exited. My feet stumbling into hers, I caught a glimpse of Sage's beautiful face flashing across the fading television screen. The reporter's voice was now too far away to hear.