Sweet Revenge

Rot

I'd spent the weekend dodging Jess' calls and trying not to obsess about Elliot. To no success. Last night I found myself rifling through my old belongings, until I eventually found the drawing he'd sketched of me back when we were only nine years old. I'd taken it out of the book I'd carefully kept it in and soothed the slight creases in the paper with shaky fingers. I studied it for longer than I cared to admit, wondering for the millionth time why he would have bothered to draw me. In the drawing I was sat with two other girls, probably Jess and Erin, but it was impossible to tell who they were as he'd chosen not to detail their faces, leaving them as smudged, indescript figures. I traced the lines he'd carefully detailed of my wistful, nine year old face, the attention to detail he'd taken in the curve of my lips and the stroke of every single eyelash. I smiled sadly as I remembered how miserable I was at that age, having started puberty ridiculously early. I'd felt like the BFG until I was eleven and then everyone else started catching up until suddenly I was a normal height again, though now at 5'8, I'll always be a little tall for a girl.
I tucked the drawing back into the book and slotted it away on the shelf.

I waited outside in the warm summery breeze that Monday morning in a shorts and a white tank top, tapping my trainers against the pavement. Jess pulled up, only ten minutes late which is practically punctual for her, and honked her horn unnecessarily.
I hopped in beside her, ignoring the glare she fastened on me. When finally it became apparent she refused to drive until I acknowledged she was in a mood I sighed and turned to face her.
"Well? Why the hell have you not been answering my calls? Its not my fault you're all freaked out about Elliot coming back!" She snapped, her lips, which were painted a cherry colour today, turned down at the corners.
I sighed.
"I never said it was. And I'm not freaked out." I replied mulishly, folding my arms. She scoffed and cast me a sarcastic look.
"Right. Of course you're not." She said cattily before rolling her eyes.
"Then why have you been dodging me? You're going to be sorry you did. A lot happened after you left the party."
"Oh yeah?" I asked, attempting to sound interested.
"Yep." Something about her smug tone made me glance over suspiciously as she at last started to drive. With effort I bit my tongue, refusing to give her the satisfaction of my curiosity.
"It involved Elliot." She announced casually, twirling a strand of gold hair around her index finger. My eyes widened as I struggled to keep silent. What had happened? Had Melody and Aria played some cruel joke on him? Had he been seduced by Melody? By some other girl?
I groaned tipping my head back. "You're not going to tell me are you?" I said wearily. Jess cackled gleefully.
"Nope." She said glancing at me coyly as she smirked.
"Consider it your punishment for ignoring your so called best friend." She said with a wink.
I scowled in annoyance and anxiety for the rest of the drive. My mind was racing with increasingly crazy possibilities of what might have happened after I left, starting with Elliot and Melody having wild rampant sex in one of Mason's upstairs rooms, ending up with a theory of Elliot somehow getting beat up and leaving the party in tears. I scoffed at the last one, the young Elliot was the one I remembered crying, I couldn't imagine his confident, blunt adult-self ever crying.
Jess pulled into the school car park, and shut off the car, pausing to pull open her front mirror and check her appearance. She fluffed her short gold hair, carefully studied her sharply flicked eye liner and then dabbed at her candy red mouth. Satisfied with her appearance she flicked shut the mirror and turned to face me.
"Okay, so I'm going to tell you, but only because I love you." She declared.
'Only because I know someone will tell you as soon as we get inside so I might as well tell you to see your reaction.', I translated in my head. I said nothing, tugging a lock of hair anxiously as I waited. Jess' eyes lit up in anticipation as she cleared her throat.
"Well after you left, Melody was pulling out all the stops, all her slutty little signature moves." Jess divulged, rolling her eyes.
"Anyway it looked like Elliot was falling for it hook, line and sinker. I mean those two were just all over each other."
I tried to keep myself from cringing at the visual. Jess flicked her hand, her red nails gleaming in the sun.
"So then when Melody leans forward and kisses him, no one's surprised, even though you could practically hear the hearts of all those possessing a vagina shattering. And of course because Melody wanted to one up me she does it in the living room in front of everyone."
I frown, absolutely despising this story.
"But then, Elliot made a face straight away and pushed her off." Jess declared dramatically, raising her hands for emphasis. Yes
"And then do you know what he says?" Jess said, glee dripping from her tone. I shake my head avidly.
"What?" I question.
"He says, 'Strange. So pretty. But you taste of rot. No thanks.' Then he just walked away and left her standing there like a fucking idiot in front of everyone!"
I stared at her in shock as I absorbed her words.
"Now everyone thinks Melody has rancid breath." Jess said smugly, smirking and tilting her head in satisfaction.
"That's not what he meant." I whispered but she didn't hear me, too busy telling me with glee how humiliated Melody was. I knew Elliot hadn't been talking about the taste of her mouth but the nastiness of her character. My heart swelled as I felt strangely proud of him.
I wondered if he tasted my lips, he'd think I was rotten too. And I wondered if I'd see him today.