Nonsense

After Cypress

[[A continuation of the Cypress Park chapter, which occurs on the bus ride back]]

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~•.Caden.•~

The sun had long since set,

giving way to the dim crescent moon. Ellie and I had just gotten done eating an extremely late dinner when we were told the buses were leaving in ten minutes by a classmate.

Ellie's coffee-colored eyes widen, the placid look on her face is temporarily replaced with a look of panic. She inhales sharply, grabbing my jacket sleeve and walking in the direction of the buses with me in tow.

"E-Ellie slow down!" I grumble, stumbling after her with my unfinished soda in hand. She only moves faster, determined not to be left behind.

"They're going to leave!" She says, her voice shakily jumping up an octave. My legs move quicker, matching her long strides as best I can. We make our way through the busy park, worming through the dense crowd. She keeps a firm hold on my sleeve as we go, refusing to leave me behind. Tall lights tower over the walkways, illuminating the crowd of people. Most of the people tower over Ellie and I, me especially. I frown slightly, removing this fact from my thoughts for now.

Ellie's face relaxes as we near the buses which have tired students filing into them, many yawning. I suppress a yawn of my own as Ellie releases my sleeve. We stream into the bus, luckily avoiding any contact with her friends or mine. She chooses one of the few remaining seats, leaving room for me. I settle beside her, aware of a lingering pain in my feet from walking around all day. A brief silence covers the bus as it begins to leave, following the other four buses. I glance wordlessly at my phone, checking the time.

11:03.

We'd stayed later than I expected to, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. I had actually enjoyed myself on this trip, which is rare nowadays. My gaze shifts to Ellie, who leans back into the leather seat with a deep sigh. A soft smile rests upon her lips. I find myself smiling as well, enjoying this side of her. I haven't seen her this happy since that day. The image of her surprised yet delighted eyes and faint blush flashes behind my eyes. My smile falls when I picture her stained wrists once again.

She's not always like this.

I busy myself with going over the day, filled with corny jokes, awkwardness, and pure bliss. We had evaded the knowing eyes of our classmates, which turned into a sort of game by the end of the day. Ellie and I both know it would be difficult to explain why we were talking again, not that we'd even want to elaborate. She's a lot more adventurous when it comes to rides, I've come to find out. She'd want to go on all the roller coasters first, pointing like a small child. Even after a brief lunch, she'd want to go on some crazy spinning ride with a long line. I didn't want to admit it, but a lot of the rides we went on were just terrifying. She definitely enjoyed it though. Her face was lit up with a warm smile virtually the entire day. I remember we sat down on a bench under a tree after a rather large ride. Ellie had sat with her legs crossed, fixing her light hair which had gone askew. She had giggled and fixed my hair too, after a bit of convincing. That affectionate grin had lit her face up as she had mumbled,

"This...This is really nice."

She stares out the window now, eyes scanning the dark scenery outside. Her eyelids were half closed, her breathing slow and methodical. I felt my cheeks warm up as the thought of her sleeping beside me raced through my mind. I avert my gaze, staring at the floor of the bus and listening to the quiet mumbles of the exhausted people around us.

"Are you tired?" I ask, not looking at her.

I feel her move beside me, feel her half-lidded eyes on me. She mumbles a small yes, just above a whisper.

"Well you- you can... lean on me. I-If you'd like to," The words spill from my mouth. I turn my head just enough to look at her. Her eyes widen for a moment, then droop back down as she gives me a pleased look. She makes a small noise I take as an acceptance. I watch her as she begins to shift closer to me, lightly resting her head atop my shoulder. Her pale hand is placed gingerly on my thigh. My muscles tense at first, before relaxing considerably. She exhales quietly before letting her eyelids fall. A few minutes pass, leaving us alone with our thoughts. Her breathing is so slow, I assume she's asleep already. Which is probably why it surprises me when she speaks up.

"Why?" Ellie murmurs. Her eyes remain closed, but her eyebrows are furrowed.

I hum questioningly as a response.

"Why- Why did you waste your day with me? You could've- could've spent time with Marc or Aaron or one of the others, but you decided to spend time with me... Why?" Her voice falters and squeaks, as if she's about to cry. My eyebrows twitch upwards in a mixture of sadness, confusion, and remorse.

"Is that what you think?" I ask, my voice coming out harsher than I intended.

She chokes out a small sound that makes me want to cuddle her like one would an injured kitten. She nuzzles into my shoulder, hiding her most likely teary eyes from me.

"Why are you even doing this for me?" She's sobbing now, her voice fading in and out uncontrollably. "What's the point of amusing- teasing me like this? This- this can't last forever. I- I just-" She gives up, grasping onto my jacket with both hands.

"Who said I was doing this for you?" I grumble, staring at the top of her head. I'm not sure why I'm being so tough with her, I don't want to be like this, to her of all people. I sigh and turn toward her, lifting her chin with my left hand. She looks into my eyes for a few moments before lifting her hands up to cover her red and teary face. I scoff lightly and grab her wrists before she can hide from me.

"Ellie," I say, in a commanding voice. She freezes, her hands shaking in my grasp.

"You aren't a burden to me. No matter what I say or do, okay?" I don't wait for an answer.

"And..." I release her wrists and instead hold one of her hands in my own. "You don't have to be so strong around me. It's alright to be weak sometimes," I murmur. She stares at me as if I'd just said I loved her, yet she still can't believe it. Tears well up in her eyes again, but this time she lets them fall, holding onto my right hand tightly. We remain that way until we reach the darkened school once again. Students file out of the five buses, and like usual, I wait until the others have left so we won't have to fight to leave the bus. I let Ellie go first, releasing her hand. She follows the person in front of her, running her hands on the rows of seats as she goes. Before she steps down out of the bus, she suddenly whirls around, stopping me in my tracks.

She quickly leans forward and presses her lips to my cheek, completely flushed. As quickly as they were there, they were gone.

"Goodnight Caden," She says genuinely, with an embarrassed smile. She then steps off the bus and jogs over to her ride home. I remain rooted to where I stand, still comprehending the past fifteen seconds or so. My cheeks warm up and my hand moves up to touch the spot she kissed. Ellie's never made a move like this before, a move this risky to her. I could've been lying and she wouldn't have known. A slow smile spreads across my face, admiring how much she trusts me. I chuckle quietly, finally stepping off the bus and heading toward my mother's car I spotted a while ago. This would definitely be a night is remember for a long time, no matter how mushy it was.

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Fluffflufffluff (≧◡≦)

Sorry for the short chapter but meh