Her Wish

Her Wish [Chapter 14]

Elie leaned back in here chair, leisurely stretching her arms whilst making wide and near exaggerated motions, bored as ever in the midst of their teacher’s lecture on U.S. history.

As she tilted her chair backwards, a small ball of stationary bounced once before settling on Jennie’s notebook, causing her furious note taking to pause for just a second. Recognizing it to be a note from her friend, Jennie quickly pushed it aside and resumed her scribbling, opting to read it later.

However, a split second later, another note was sent her way in a manner very similar to the first.

“Miss Stronghold, do you find my lectures uninteresting?”

As their teacher’s monotone voice broke off momentarily, her attention directed towards Elie, Jennie quickly moved to stash the notes inside her desks in fear that their teacher would catch her too.

Those soon became wasted efforts though when Jennie watched as their teacher returned quickly to her lesson plans after Elie’s simple but innocent shake of her head.

As she turned her back to write something on the chalkboard, Jennie easily snatched this time to read her friend’s note, knowing from experience that would only continue coming her way until she did so.

Already having predicted what was written on the second note; she moved it aside and opened the first instead. Her body tensed faintly as her eyes skipped across the page:

You’re friends with Alex? Fill me in!

- Elie

Although it may not have seemed like such a large request to allow Elie an insight of Jennie’s personal life, Jennie had never before shared anything beyond grades, test scores, and advice on others, lives with anyone apart from her mother and the boy she’d just begun to meet.

Her eyes rising to gaze at the back of Elie’s head covered with her long, silky dyed hair, Jennie began to wonder what she should say.

As if on cue, Elie turned around, catching her gaze and flashing a bright smile, almost as though she were saying she knew a thousand and one things more than Jennie wished for her to know.

Had she not known any better, she would have believed it too. Instead, Elie’s bright grin only managed to reassure her.

Another note was dropped onto her notebook, breaking Elie’s train of thoughts once more.

We’ll exchange. You tell me about Alex and I’ll tell you about what happened last night.

- Elie

Strangely enough, for one of the few times since their friendship had begun, Jennie found herself eager to hear what Elie had to say. Although she knew her intentions were wanton, she found herself with the sudden need to know if it had been Elie who Danny had gone to after spending time with her and Alex.

It wasn’t as though there was any secret behind her sudden friendship formed between Alex anyways. They were merely friends, how could a person possibly read any more into what there was?

Long after Elie had delivered the notes her way, Jennie’s mind was still on them. She continued to dwell over what to tell her friend and continued innovating possibilities of what she would say in return.

Idiot, she inwardly chided herself, wondering why she was listening at all about such insignificant worries inside herself when she was meant to be listening to the teacher instead.

-

For the first time ever, it was Jennie looking for Elie as opposed to the other way around. It seemed as though one of the few times when Jennie had actually longed for her friend’s presence, she was nowhere to be found.