Shrinking Violet

chapter eight (2/3)

"Where's Eli?" I asked, seeing Violet smoking a cigarette on Thomas Harvey's front porch.

"No clue."

"Did he come to the party?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he's around. Why what's up?" Violet asked. I sat on the porch next to her.

"We got in an argument and he completely misunderstood what I was saying and now he thinks I'm embarrassed to be seen around him." Violet sighed.

"Eli's been really insecure about that, Lulu. Before you guys got together, he thought he'd never have a chance with you, because you wouldn't date outside of your circle."

"He knows I don't care about stuff like that!"

"It's not about what he knows. It's just how he feels," she said. I sighed. Violet offered me the cigarette, and I threw it on the ground, stamping it out.

"What the hell?" Violet exclaimed.

"Cigarettes are horrible for you. You shouldn't smoke them."

"I don't smoke them regularly for your information! It was offered to me. I thought it'd be better to sit out here awkwardly by myself than stand in there awkwardly by myself."

"Sam will be here soon!" I said.

"We're not particularly close," Violet replied I raised an eyebrow suggestively, and Violet shoved me.

"But you two are a thing now!"

"We certainly are not! We're acquaintances with benefits, at most. The only people here I'd want to talk to are you and Eli. And you two have problems to sort out by yourselves," said Violet.

"I'm going to find him and apologize. After that, you're coming back inside with me."

"Good luck, cadet," she said, saluting me. I walked inside, into the throng of people, searching for Eli. I finally found him playing Catan in the basement with Tara, who was friends with him and Violet. She was also Eli's ex.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"About what?" Eli asked sullenly.

"I'll go," said Tara awkwardly. She walked back up the stairs.

"Should I be jealous? You have a track record of kissing the girls you play board games with in basements."

"You should be happy then right? People will think that I'm dating Tara, and they'll finally stop spreading rumors about our scandalous hug," Eli said sarcastically. I sighed and sat next to him.

"Eli, I'm an idiot. That's not what I meant at all. I just... I've never done this before. I know Sam was joking, but it made me think. I don't know what's the appropriate level of touching in public, and I'm worried about getting it wrong and making people uncomfortable. It's not about being seen with you or having people know we're dating. Not that we're dating or anything! Sorry that was presumptuous. I know I'm being irrational, but this is uncharted ground for me." Eli sighed.

"You are crazy. Which is probably why I like you so much."

"You're not mad at me anymore?"

"I was never mad at you. I wanted to think the worst of you in the moment and speculated about your intentions. I'm sorry too," said Eli. I hugged him.

"Why would you want to think the worst of me?"

"Because I still feel like this isn't real. I can't believe you're with me. It seems too good to be true."

"You really think too highly of me, you know that?" I said with a smile. I kissed him and stood up, offering him a hand. "Come on, I promised a sullen, cigarette-smoking Violet that we would rescue her from loneliness." Eli took my hand, and we walked upstairs and out on to the front porch with our hands entwined. Violet was there in the same position I had left her in, except she had another cigarette.

"Where are you getting these? And why is your mysterious benefactor not out here smoking with you?" I asked. Violet grinned.

"I'll never tell," she said. She took one last drag and ashed it before standing up and coming inside with us.

"Lulu, other two, come play pong!" Thomas shouted. I rolled my eyes, but dragged Violet and Eli with me to participate in juvenile drinking games.

***

Author's note: not much happens in this chapter, but I wanted Eli and Lulu to resolve their fight before the end of the basketball quarterfinals trilogy is over lol. Also listen to the songs!! I have a hard time reading with music in the background, but I've been trying to choose songs that match the vibe of the book