she's mine.

44

"Uhm. What are we riding?" You could very well say I was thoroughly confused, but not only with the fact that we were about to ride something. Also with the fact that these people had absolutely no chill. Did they ever stop??? They were always going, never just lounging around or hanging out like all the other kids our age. No they were planning a party, or racing for thousands of dollars, or even jumping cars to pay the bills.

They were ambitious to say the least.

Everyone in the room turned to look at me, all very unnervingly holding the same mischievous smile. "You'll see," Jake challenged before turning and walking away. Lea laughed and followed him. I turned to Eli. Jake and Lea's voices drifted off with the echo of who was better at whatever we were about to do I'm sure.

Eli stood tall next to me, his shoulders back and his thick arms crossed over his chest. I don't remember him taking off his sweatshirt when we got in, I had been so caught up in my thoughts about what we would be riding, but boy oh boy, my thoughts weren't on anything else now.

His white shirt was damp at the collar where the rain had slipped under his sweatshirt, and it was beautiful. He was an angel in white, glowing even (okay maybe it was the rain water shimmering off his skin and hair but whatever same thing right??). His dark hair fell onto his forehead even darker than before giving him the black and white aesthetic look that no photographer could ever capture no matter how hard they tried. His bruises slowly coming in added the touch only artists dreamed of.

His eyes narrowed and pulled me out of the day dream I was in.

I turned to look at what he was looking at- Kameron.

But Kameron wasn't looking at him, his eyes were on me. He smiled a sweet Kameron smile before his eyes rolled over my outfit. He didn't seem inclined to answer my question either, and it seemed like nobody liked this outfit.. Apparently they were too used to the flannels.

Suddenly, Eli stepped in front of me. "Come upstairs, Rai. We'll see you outside Kam." His tone was forcibly polite, with a steel undertone. It was a kind offer to get out of his way wrapped in a threat. Kam tensed as his eyes slid back to Eli, his lips in a tight line. The tension in the air was thicker than thieves.

Oh boy.

I learned a long time ago that beef like this wasn't something anyone else could work out. This was between them, and it had to have been deeper than the new girl in town. I slid past Eli to the stairs and wondered on my way up what had happened between them. I got to the top then wondered why i was up there.

Why had he even wanted me up here? Ugh. I always end up just doing what I'm told without even thinking.

I spun around to see Eli say something quietly to Kam at the bottom of the stairs. I decided to walk away, it seemed too personal to watch. I walked to the end of the hall where the pictures hung on the wall.

There were 5 people in every single one of them. They weren't normal posed pictures, they were goofy.

There was one with Lea on her father's back, their mother on Eli's and Jake in the middle playing air guitar. It was probably the sweetest picture I could have imagined. Their smiles were genuine and flamboyant. I caught myself staring at Eli. I had yet to see him smile so openly, full of life and a love for it. He looked like Jake now. I hoped Jake never lost that.

My eyes drifted up to their mother on Jake's back. Something in me told me i would've liked this woman. Her dark hair flowed as her vibrant smile took over her visage making her look as young as her kids. She seemed happy, spirited and alive. I couldn't help but notice the way she seemed to light the picture up with the glow of a halo.