Survival

Chapter 15

(One Day Later)

Jack's P.O.V.

Elsa has the nerve to show up late. After class ended I told her to meet me after school by the parking lot so we can discuss how to work on the project.

She is already ten minutes late.

I decide to leave until I see her running. She slows down and take and takes a deep breath.

We just stare at each other in awkward silence.

C'mon Jack! Do it for the $100!

Just say something. Anything to make it seem like you're trying to be pleasant.

"Is your arm alright?"

Good. That was good, Jack. Real smooth.

It was today in class when I noticed her right arm was in a blue cast. I would ask how she broke it....but I don't care. She must've broken it yesterday.

"It's fine," she says quietly, not quite meeting my eyes.

I roll my eyes discretely and we make our way to the school's parking lot.

"Why are we going to the parking lot?"

"That's where my car is...." I answer kind of obviously.

She stays silent after that.

We get in, although she seems hesitant to step inside. Throughout the car ride she was stiff and looked uncomfortable. Well, she wasn't the only one.

****

I enter Tina's Café and go inside with Elsa trailing right behind me. The inside smells amazingly good and it's so warm—a break from the cold weather outside.

We sit in the corner by the large window and I take out my laptop. I step away and tell her, "I'm going to get a drink. Want anything?"

Elsa looks conflicted, but she shakes her head. "No, thanks."

I walk away and I come back with hot chocolate. I take my seat on the small couch with Elsa sitting across from me.

She hands me her notebook with a few ideas written down. Or at least attempted to be written down. It all looks like a 3-year-old tried to write something for the first time.

"I-I know it's hard to r-read. But I can't write with my l-left arm."

I try to makes sense of what it says until I give up. I walk to her side and point at a word, "What does that say?"

"Patriarchy. It's one of the themes."

And I couldn't help but laugh. "That doesn't look like 'patriarchy'."

"Yes, it does!"

"Your 'r's look like an 'n'. Not to mention your 'c's, they look like an 'o'."

I kept laughing at her as she got embarrassed. But then she cracks a smile. A smile. I've never seen her smile ever.

But when I heard a loud growl that ended up being her stomach she stopped smiling, which led me to stop laughing.

She grabs her notebook back and changes the subject back to the essay.

I nod and go back to my seat. I begin typing my laptop as she begins to tell me her ideas. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that her stomach wouldn't stop growling. She kept trying to hide it by clearing her throat or coughing.

Another moment passed until I told her I'd be back to go to the restroom.

But I actually make my way to the cash register and order chocolate chips mini muffins and a tea. As I wait for the order my phone rings with a text.

Merida: How's your date going? ;)

I text back: It's not a date! It's an assignment. Quit bothering me.

Merida: Whatever you say

I chuckle in annoyance until my order is ready.

I walk back to the lounge area and see Elsa in my seat as she reads the essay. Unaware I'm looking at her.

As I watch her I take a long look and notice things I didn't notice before, like how tired she looks, how....defeated she appears. Also, how thin she is. Her eyes, even from here, look so hollow and dull. A person typically wouldn't notice these things unless he/she studied close.

I walk towards her and when she sees me she scurries back to her seat. "I w-was just reading."

"It's fine. If you wanted to read it, you could've asked," I tell her as I set the plate of food in front of her.

She looks up at me with her blue eyes.

I gesture at the food, "It's for you. You're hungry, so...eat."

Elsa starts to shake her head, "I don't have any money."

I shrug. "It's fine. You don't have to pay me back. Just....eat."

She looks at me weirdly, as if this is some trick, a trap. She eyes the food and licks her lips. Hesitantly, she grabs a muffin and looks at me nervously.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing."

With shaky hands she picks a muffin and eats it immediately. As she sips her tea, she looks at me again and sighs, "Thank you."

From then on she eats the whole plate of muffins as we continue to work on the project.

She devoured that plate so fast, it seemed like she hadn't eaten in years.