The Elijah Walker Fanclub

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

I was in! In the student council that is, which was later clarified by the wads of council paperwork shoved into my hands by Danicka the following day. The look on her face said everything I needed to know about the situation. She wasn't happy, and her karmic punishment could come at any moment. It would be swift and deadly, just like her death stare.

I didn't care what Danicka thought, that much anyway. I wasn't going to make her issues my issues or let her get inside my head. Instead I hyped myself up over being well on my way to achieving Step Number Four – Find some common ground.

When I headed downstairs on the day of my first Student Council meeting, I had all the energy of a baby deer running for the first time. I was even greeted to a pancake breakfast made especially by our housekeeper Tildy, just to make my start to the day even more glorious. Tilfy handed me the maple syrup and gave me a sad sort of wistful look as I hopped up on the breakfast bar stool.

"I wish I could make you breakfast every day; you look so skinny, I don't think you're eating right," she said, folding her arms before her ample chest.

I drowned my pancakes in syrup and looked up at her with a smile. "I eat fine, though I definitely wouldn't say no to pancakes every day."

She nodded and moved to the sink to wash up the dishes, continuing to talk to me whilst she filled the sink with water. "Your dad mentioned he has dinner out again tonight, will you be alright, or would you like me to whip you up a lasagne?"

I looked up from my pancakes, a half-eaten bite still in my mouth which I swallowed quickly so I could answer. "He has dinner out again; did he say if it was a work thing?" I asked, thinking back to that dating site he'd had open on his computer. He wasn't going on a date, was he? Surely, he would tell me if he was going on a date with someone?

Tildy wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and turned back toward me, leaning her lower back against the sink. "He didn't say..." she said hesitantly. "So, the lasagne, I that a yes?"

I put down my fork, I didn't much feel like pancakes anymore. "Only if you have time, please don't go out of your way for me. I can cope just fine on my own."

Tildy shook her head. "You shouldn't have to darling, you're still only a baby. I bet you only eat sandwiches for dinner most nights."

I frowned back at her. "I'm seventeen, and I happen to like sandwiches."

"Still a baby," she said with a wistful smile.

I sighed and picked my fork back up, maybe I still had room for more pancakes.

My excitement for the day quickly melted into anxiety the moment I walked into the Student Council room and all those eyes turned to scrutinise me rigorously. Danicka sat near the head of the table with her head resting on her folded hands, her eyes burning into me as if she hoped she could laser beam a hole right through my skull.

I pulled out an empty chair and cleared my throat awkwardly as I sat down. Thankfully, I recognised a face or two, who waved instead of glaring at me, and I hadn't been sat down for more than a minute before Jackie slid into the seat beside me.

"Hey Mae," she said, giving me a friendly smile as she stretched her arms above her head.

"Hi Jackie. I didn't know you were on the council," I said brightly.

"Oh yeah, I heard they were going to make the winter formal western themed, with line dancing and everything, can you believe that?" she said sounding horrified.

"I can't," I said, truthfully. That definitely sounded like something somebody had made up.

"Yeah so, I just had to make sure to stop it, you know? A girl only has so many parties where she gets to dress up in a gown and I'm not having them ruin it with some crazy buckaroo."