A New Beginning

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The next morning, I woke up freezing. I had kicked my covers off in the middle of the night, and now I was ice cold. When I walked outside, the snow didn't help either.

I made my way to Math, and I sat down. I started shivering. Damn, this school was freezing. Elliot walked up to me before the bell.

"You cold?" Elliot asked. I nodded and he took of his black sweatshirt. When he lifted his sweatshirt over his head, his undershirt rose a little bit, so I could see his abdomen. "Here," He said as he handed it to me. I gladly took it and threw it over my head.

It was soft, warm, and it smelled exactly like Elliot. I wrapped my arms around me to hold in the scent.

"I seriously can't wait to be in the sun." I muttered under my breath.

I walked home with Elliot, without any confrontations with Tony. We walked through the snowy streets until we reached his house.

"Hi Paige." Mrs. Chance said as I walked through the door. "What are you doing here? I thought the project was over?"

"It is. I'm here to help him pack. I started packing as soon as I found out, and he was going to wait until Friday to do it." I said. She gasped.

"Elliot, you are just like every other boy. I myself packed last week." She smiled at me.

"Oh be quiet." Elliot laughed as he dragged me to his room.

I looked around and saw that he already had a suitcase out. It was empty, but at least he put some effort.

"Ok, you need shorts, shirts, underwear, shoes, and bathing suits." I said. "I'll let you deal with the underwear and shoes 'cause I don't want to touch either."

"They are not that bad." He whined.

"Get to work." I ordered playfully.

I packed his suitcase with plenty of shorts, shirts, and trunks. He was all set to go.

"Now, you can bring a few things in a carryon, like your music player and your phone." I said. He didn't answer. I turned to look at him. He was sitting on his bed, starting at me. "What?" I said, instantly feeling self-conscious.

"Nothing." He smiled.

"Ok?" I was confused. "I guess I'll get going then." I said as I turned to walk away.

"Stay, you have awhile." He said as he gently grabbed my shoulder. I nodded and jumped onto his bed. I was staring at his ceiling when a thought came to mind.

"Hey Elliot, what's gonna happen when Joe finds out that you guys left?" I asked scared.

"My mom and I already talked about it. We both agreed that this was what we needed, and that we didn't care what the consequences are." He shrugged.

"Which are?" I asked.

"We normally receive at least one beating a day, so we decided that we would have one big one for leaving." He stated. I started feeling guilty.

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea." I mumbled as I thought of the time I hid in Elliot's closet and saw how his stepdad had beaten him.

"It is, and everything will be ok. Don't worry about me." He said as he sat down next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Try to not worry about you? That's impossible Elliot." I looked into his eyes.

"I'm a big boy, and I know what I want." He said. "And that is to get away and be with you." I blushed. Thank God my head was buried into his chest.

"You totally just stole my line, you know that?" I teased.

"Yup, that's why I said it." He said as my alarm went off.

"I have to go." I said not pulling away.

"I know." He said while still holding me.

I didn't want to go; I felt so safe and comfortable in his arms. I sighed and climbed out of his arms. I kissed him on the forehead and walked out the door. This thing was getting harder and harder every time.