Chapter 12: E-L-L-I
“I”uh”I think I”Liz is calling me.” I stutter trying not to cry until at least I’m out of Allison’s sight. Not waiting for a response I turn away from the pair and go on my search for Liz. I really want to go home now and I could use a hug from my best friend.
Argh! Where is she? There are people everywhere. I’m starting to feel claustrophobic. I’m outside and I’m feeling claustrophobic; isn’t that a contradiction?
Why do girls like that always have to be so mean? And why do they always seem to single me out? I mean what did I do to her? She insulted me first! Ugh, and I already felt bad enough about my body before dumb, silicone-filled, look-at-my-boobs Allison insulted me. She looked at me like I was the most repulsive things on the earth. Am I? That disgusting, I mean?
Justin probably agreed with her. He was probably relieved that I left so that he didn’t have to look at me anymore. But he was acting like he was having a good time before that. Allison must be his girlfriend. That has to be it. She’s his girlfriend and she’s just doesn’t like him socializing with other girls. But, she was acting like they hadn’t seen each other in a while and they weren’t hanging all over each other. Maybe they’re just not a touchy-feely kind of couple.
And He didn’t even stand up for me! Wouldn’t you think he would have told her to stop acting like a jerk to me? If I’m his friend, which I think I am, he should have told her off. Right? I can’t find Liz and I need to get away from all of these people. There she is!
“Hey girly. Where’s Justy?”
Justy? What the”do you smell that? It smells like…. “Are you drunk?”
She stumbles a bit giggling all the way to my side. “I only had like two drinks.” Try two dozen. She reeks of alcohol.
“You’re seventeen Liz. What are you doing drinking?” I scold grabbing her and trying to pull her away from the group of guys who were surrounding her a moment ago.
“Loosen up Elli,” She slurs roughly pushing me away and snuggling up to some overly-muscular guy with a fake smile to go alone with what I think are hair plugs. “It was just a few drinks.”
Just a few drinks, she says. I need a sober friend right now not an irrational drunken one! I can’t take this! I need to get away from her right now. It’s not like I could ever get her to follow me anywhere. And even if I could, where would I go? I can’t drive and she obviously can’t either.
Sighing heavily, I head up the gravel path to the huge mansion before me. My house is like a third of the size this one is.
The house if full of people too; they’re literally everywhere. Still trying to find some private area to slip away to I head up the stairs turning to the first door on the right. Thank goodness it’s empty. Practically everything in this room, from the walls to the bed linins are baby blue. I crawl on to the plush bed sinking into the softness. This has to be the most comfortable bed I have ever been on. Slipping under the covers I pull my knees up to my stomach and clutch the sheets close to my body. This is just what I needed.
“Who ever the hell you are you better get your ass out of my f**king bed right now! I told ya’ll this room was off limits!” Justin booms scaring the bejesus out of me. I jump about two feet in the air tumbling off the side of the bed and knocking my head on the side table.
With the nights events rushing back to me and then piling this on top of it I can’t hold back my tears any longer. I break down right there on the floor of Justin Timberlake’s bedroom while he stares at me. I’m not just crying either; I’m all out balling, sobbing, hyperventilating and sniffling. This has been one of the worst nights ever and my head hurts really bad now.
“Oh God Elli, shit. I didn’t know it was you.” He curses crouching down in front of my crumpled body. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” My crying only gets louder and harder. “Don’t cry Elli please. I’m sorry.”
And now he’s apologizing. Now he’s making me feel bad for crying and I would stop but I just can’t stop. Have you ever held tears in so long that when they finally push to the surface you can’t control them? Maybe it’s just me.
“I’m sorry”I was”Liz is”my head”I”I”” I try to speak but it just sounds all broken because I still can’t stop crying. The next thing I know his arms are around my quaking body and his hands are running soothingly over my back. I’m crushed against his chest”bare chest mind you”clutching onto his shoulders as I let it all out.
He must think I’m the weirdest person in the world. To him I’m just an ugly, fat, stuttering, psycho. Oh I forgot clumsy, that definitely needs to be included when describing me.
Once I start to gain control of myself Justin pulls back just enough to push my hair out of my face. “Are you alright sweetheart?”
“My head hurts.” I sniff removing my hand from his arm and wiping at my face while the other massages my throbbing head. I must look a mess; even more so than before I mean.
He chuckles sympathetically and reaches behind my head to where my hand is pressed against what is probably going to be a huge bruise. I wince when he presses a bit too hard and he quickly apologizes.
“Well the good news is you’re not bleeding.”
“What’s the bad news?”
“I can already feel a bump.” I laugh despite the pain in my head and to my pride. “You want a t-shirt to put on or something?” My eyes fly to his. I don’t know if I should be upset or thankful. “I don’t think you need one,” He adds quickly, “I just thought you might be more comfortable.”
“I look ridiculous don’t I?” I sigh pulling completely away from him and pulling myself up to sit back on the edge of the bed. I just realized he’s not wearing much; as in all he’s wearing are his swim trunks. Too much skin on skin contact for me.
“No, not at all. I just can tell you aren’t very comfortable.” He explains getting up as well and sitting next to me….a little too close to me.
“Liz convinced me to wear it.” From the look on his face I can tell he was expecting me to say that. “She said that there were going to be all these gorgeous women here and they would all be wearing things like this and if I wanted to fit in I should wear this…thing.” I say motioning to the bathing suit I’m sporting. Liz was right about all the other women here though. Their suits were even more revealing than mine is. I don’t know if you can even really call them bathing suits; more like dental floss. “I wasn’t even going to wear a bathing suit.”
“You prefer to swim in the nude?” He asks seriously. “You still can you know. It won’t bother me.”
I can feel my jaw drop and I look at him incredulously before bursting into laugher. “You know what I mean.” I say hitting him in the stomach. Oh, bare-rock-hard stomach.
He playfully bends over in pretend pain. “There’s no need for violence Elli.”
“Oh I barely even touched you, you big baby.” I laugh pushing him again. “How about that shirt?”
“Oh right.” He says jumping up from the bed and bounding over to the opposite side of the room where he disappears into what I assume is a walk-in closet. That closet is probably as big as my bedroom at home. I take this time to collect myself and try to calm my rapidly beating heart. He has no idea what he does to me walking around shirtless like that. “Incoming!”
I look towards the door I saw him walk though moments earlier just in time to get a t-shirt thrown in my face; literally. As I remove the garment I listen to him snicker. Pulling the shirt over my head I can’t help but inhale his scent. I don’t know if its cologne, or laundry detergent or just the plain smell of him but I can tell you that it smells heavenly. I look down at the shirt I’m now wearing as he approaches me once again; it says ‘Work Sucks.’
“Nice.” I smile and he returns one even larger than mine. We sit for a few minutes in silence not really knowing what to say. “How many tattoos do you have?” I ask randomly feeling like a huge dork as soon as the words leave my mouth.
He laughs a little and nudges me with his shoulder. “Seven.” He smiles proudly. Yuck. I am not a fan of tattoos and seven? That’s a lot! I can’t stop myself from scrunching up my face and shuttering at the idea of pain that goes along with getting seven tattoos. “I’ve got this cross on my arm, an angel on his back, a Celtic symbol right here on my both my calves, JT initials on each leg, and tattoos for each *NSYNC album.” He spouts off displaying each every one for my viewing.
“Did it hurt?”
He tosses me a lopsided grin. “Only the first time.”
“Only the first time?”
“You get used to it.”
“It looks like it would hurt. Especially the one on your back, that one is huge.” I say leaning back to look over the guardian angel. It is pretty…….I guess. My curiosity getting the better of me I tentatively run my fingertips lightly over the cross on this arm. It feels just as sooth as regular skin. I always thought a tattoo would feel different like raised up or something. “Are you going to get any more?”
“Naw, my mom talked me out of it. I promised her that I won’t get anymore until I’m married.” He replies softly. Feeling his eyes on me I pull my hand away from him and back up slightly.
“Why until you get married?”
“I’ll get my wife’s name.”
How romantic….not. I just don’t get tattoos. I would never get one. I’m too scared of needles I guess. “So I guess you’re looking for someone with a short name?” I laugh at my lame joke and silently count the letters in my name. My name is short….
“Something like that.”
TBC......
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