Double Dare II waterparks

050

░▒▓█▓▒░ "I think you're right," Sophia admits to Otto with a frown, "Awsten is getting into a bad situation with this Amelia girl." "Shit," Otto mumbles, wishing he had been wrong. "What'd he say to you?" "Not much," Sophia replied tiredly, curling up in the hotel bed next to Otto, her head resting on his chest and her fingers going to his hair. "Accused me of being jealous. Defended Amelia. Told me good luck with you after I told him good luck with her. It's more what he didn't say, I guess...and I'm pretty sure he knows just as well as everyone else that she's bad for him." "So, what do we do? If he didn't take your help..." Otto trails off before sighing and just saying it. "If he didn't take your help, I don't know if he'll take anyone's." "I have an idea...but I don't think you're gonna like it," Sophia mumbles hesitantly. "What's the idea?" Otto asks with a concerned frown. "I think Elliot should talk to him." ●☆●☆●☆●☆● Elliot remembers the first day he met Awsten. He hated him pretty much instantly. Awsten, in Elliot's young eyes, was an outsider just getting in the way of his schedule, of what he was used to and comfortable with. He was new and Elliot didn't much care for new people as a kid, he was set firm in the belief that new people would hurt them; that's the conclusion he'd come to when he started at a school full if kids older than him and realized that people didn't like people who were different. So Elliot decided he wouldn't let new people into his or Sophia's lives, he was certain it was for their own protection. He kept things consistent. He liked structure, coming home after school and having his usual time to sit and tell Sophia about all the new things he'd learned even though they both knew she didn't understand. She listened, and that's what had always mattered to Elliot. So coming in after school with physics homework he was excited to ramble on about and hearing his sister busy laughing with some strange, new kid he knew nothing about was unsettling, to say the least. Elliot had gone into Sophia's room and found her playing with Awsten, whose name he was unaware of at that moment, and wanted nothing more than to kick this strange boy out of his house and chase him away from his sister. "Who's he? Why's he here?" Elliot had asked, not sparing Awsten another glance. Then Sophia smiled, brighter than she had in a very long time, as she grabbed Awsten's hand and pulled him up to stand. "This is my friend, Awsten! I met him at school; he's really cool," Sophia introduced excitedly. "Awsie, this is my big brother, Elliot, that I told you about! He's cool too, and really, really smart!" Elliot had beamed with pride at that moment because he knew that Sophia having a new friend didn't mean she didn't care about him. She had told this new kid about him. He was still important. That was enough to make him decide he would at least try to put up with this kid, not really thinking he would be around for too long anyway. He'd never seen a lasting friendship so he didn't expect one to form here. He assumed Awsten would be out of their lives in a week, at most, and then things would go back to normal. Elliot had glared at Awsten for a moment before noticing the young boy's different colored eyes, immediately interested. His glare vanished and he'd launched into a long-winded explanation of different reasons Awsten could have eyes of two different colors. For however long Awsten held a place in the lives of the Queen siblings, which Elliot hoped and assumed wouldn't be long at all, Elliot decided then and there that he would try his very best to be nice to him unless he hurt Sophia in any way. Then, the young Elliot had decided all those years ago, he wouldn't be nice anymore. Elliot has kept his promise to himself, even having come to enjoy having Awsten around over the years but he never fully trusted Awsten. Awsten never really stopped being the one to change Elliot's structure, meaning he never really settled into his life in a comfortable way. It was always just, I don't hate you but I wouldn't be sad if I never saw you again but you're nice to Sophia so I'm happy to have you around. Now, though, Awsten has hurt Sophia. So, when Sophia calls him and asks him to talk to Awsten, he's more than happy to go over Just a talk, Sophia had told him sternly, no overreacting. Just a talk. ░▒▓█▓▒░