Chapter 44: The Drama That Follows
I am happy to announce that Officer Butler did not haul my ass off to jail nor did I get at ticket or fine. Once we got out of the car and I was in plain sight e was able to recognize me and all suspicion was thrown to the wind. It turns out he has two teenage twin girls who are huge Nsync fans. I signed some autographs for them and talked to them on their dad’s cell phone and then he let up go on our way.
Elli was quite shaken up and just nearly escaped tears. I was proud of her for remaining so strong and put together. I’m sure if she had muttered a single word she would have burst into tears but luckily she was able to remain mute. She remained quiet the ride back to my house and has yet to really say anything. She’s just sitting next to me on the couch staring at the television”the TV is off by the way. Her form is rigid and muscles tense and I don’t think she’s blinked in a number of minutes. I tentively reach a hand out to brush against her bare arm and call out her name softly. Her head snaps in my direction and she jumps at the sudden touch, causing me to pull back.
“Are you okay?”
She stares blankly at me for several moments before speaking. “I have to go to a police banquet with my mom and Steve tonight.”
“Okay,” I answer not really know where she’s going with this.
“So I should probably leave soon. I have to find something to wear.”
“Elisha and Trace are on their way back.” I inform her hoping that she’ll take the hint and stay a bit longer. I haven’t been able to spend all that much time with her lately since I’ve been working such long hours with the album promotional stuff. “Lish can help you.”
She nods silently and turns back to stare at the still black television screen. She’s really scaring me right now. I’ve never seen her space out like this before. That cop must have freaked her out more than I realized.
“Does this seem wrong to you?”
“Does what seem wrong to me?”
“Us.” She answers vaguely.
My eyebrows furrow in my confused state. Where is she going with this? Why do I have the feeling that she’s about to walk out of my life and leave me high and dry? Our relationship has barely even started. It’s been two months and she’s already backing out on me. I turn my body to the side to face her better and take her tense hands from their perch on her lap to hold in mine. She turns to face me after I press my lips to each of her hands.
“Us could never seem wrong to me.” I assure with great emphasis. “Some people are going to frown at our relationship and tell us that it’s wrong, but you can’t listen to them Elli. You just can’t. If being with me feels good to you than it’s not wrong.”
“I hate lying about it and sneaking around.”
“If this….if being with me is too hard for you””
“Hey ya’ll!” Elisha’s voice booms as her and Trace gallop into the living room, hand in hand. “Oh”are we interrupting something?”
“Yeah, can you give us a minute?” I answer somewhat coldly, never taking my eyes away from Elli for even a second.
“Uh”sure,” Trace is the one to answer this time. “We’ll be up in my room if you need us.” I nod in their general direction and wait until I hear the sound of his door closing before I begin to speak yet again.
As much as I don’t want to have this conversation right now I know that it’s the best thing for us. I’m terrified that this will be the end of ‘us.’ And I want so much to convince her that I’m the best thing for her, but at this point I’m not so sure of that myself.
“Elli, I need you to tell me what you’re thinking right now.” I press, reclaiming her hands that slipped from mine the moment Elisha first spoke.
“I just don’t get why you want to be with me after seeing all the trouble I can get you into.” She answers quietly and very timidly.
That’s a good question and I sometimes find myself asking that very same question. I’ll admit that I hate that I’m attracted to Elli. I would be ashamed to tell my mother that I was involved romantically with a seventeen year old girl. I wish I didn’t feel the way I do about Elli but wishing isn’t really going to change anything. The thing I think I adore most about Elli is her innocence. That innocence isn’t something I’m used to with the women I normally date. I don’t know if has to do with age and maturity or just the way that Elli was raised in comparison to all those other women. And I guess that’s what kind of scares me. I don’t want to wake up one morning and realize that I’m some kind of demented pervert who gets his jollies from hanging around outside high schools to watch the young girls walk to their buses.
“I like you a lot Elli. The reasons why I can’t quite put my finger on but I do, nevertheless.” I find myself saying. “I know about the consequences and”and all the trouble I could get myself into for being with you; not only from the cops but also from both of our parents and just the media in general. For some reason none of that deters me. Something about you keeps me coming back for more and I love that.”
She swallows thickly and nervously moves to brush her hair behind her ears. Her throat clears and she looks up at me blankly. “I should go see if Elisha can help me get ready.”
O”kay? I was expecting a very different kind of response out of her than that. How about ya’ll? She peels her hands from mine and stands from the couch, turning her back to me as she begins to retreat from the room. She stops though, before she get to far from me and turns back around.
Quickly, her feet carry her to stand back directly in front of me and she crouches down to my level and give me the surprise of a life time by press her lips to mine. The kiss short and sweet, on of which could be misconstrued as just a friendly peck, but I know better. When she pulls back a cute little smile covers her face and she quickly saunters away and disappears upstairs.
Wow.
That’s the first time she’s ever kissed me before. Maybe things will be okay after all…..
~*~*~*~
I’m hot, tired, bored, and my dress in itchy and uncomfortable. I don’t know why I had to come to this stupid police banquet thingy anyway. I don’t know anybody here besides Steve and my mom and their “working the room” right now so I’m left to sit all by myself at the table. My mom told me that I could invite Justin to come along if I wanted”by Justin I mean Trace pretending to be Justin”but I didn’t want to bother him. I know he and Elisha had plans.
I wish the real Justin could be here with me. I feel like we left things kind of rocky. I was just really spooked after that cop”what’s his name”Officer Butler got through with us. I didn’t want to break up with him or anything I just don’t want to mess up anything for him. I would never be able to forgive myself if I ruined his career or got him thrown in prison. And I do hate lying to my mom and sneaking around all the time. I mean Justin is my first boyfriend and I can’t even tell my mom about him. I wanted her to help me get ready for my first date and force me to bring the guy inside so that she could interrogate him. I feel like I missed out. When I’m eighteen I’ll finally have to admit all this to my mom”if we’re still together.
I kissed him by the way. On the lips kissed him and I was the one to initiate it. Aren’t you proud of me? It wasn’t anything hot and steamy or anything but I still did it and it was the first time. I guess it was just my way of letting Justin know that everything was okay between us and that I didn’t want to lose him either.
Oh, and speaking of kissing. Justin gave me a….a…hickey. I was so embarrassed when Elisha pointed it out while she was doing my hair. She gave me such a hard time about it. Now I have to borrow makeup from her so that I can cover it up so my mom doesn’t notice it. I never really understood why anyone would like a hickey. I mean don’t you get it from someone sucking really hard on your neck? I would have thought that it would hurt. It is basically just a bruise. However, no that I have experienced getting one it doesn’t seem quite so terrible. I really liked it when he kissed my neck, it tickled and felt oddly good”I don’t know but it made my stomach feel all funny.
“Elli?” An eerily familiar voice questions. I turn to my left and the moment I catch sight of the man in front of me my jaw literally drops and my breath escapes me.
“Officer Butler….”
TBC.....
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