end of school

It was a quiet last day of school. Ellie still said nothing to Leia. Ellie was too busy checking the girl's restrooms for writings on the wall about her, Eric and Cory. Nothing. She wasn't sure why it made her breathe easy. Honestly, she didn't care anymore.

Of course, Cory thought they should go out and celebrate.

"I can't, " Ellie said. "My Mom is coming home tonight. I have to go watch Kyle in a fight. Its all planned out." Really, a part of her wouldn't have minded hanging out with Eric and Cory. "You two should do something together. Go bowling or something." She gave Eric a light punch in the arm, but Eric just looked at her as if she'd lost it or on something.

They both shook their heads, no. They didn't want to see Kyle get in a fight, either.

"There might be blood," Cory said. "I can't handle blood."

"Yeah, that's why you're not a fighter," Eric chuckled.

"Watch it." Cory informed him. "You don't know that." He tried to act wee bit tough with a pop and lock move, but it came off just silly.

Ellie shook her head, "Maybe this weekend we can all do something." That is if Kyle survived the fight, and she survived the aftermath. Maybe it would be best if she just stayed away from him. Maybe he was just bad news, but then she found herself being there for him. It was really beginning to make her think she wasn't the girl she remembered. No one ever got to her. Now it seemed everybody did.

"Do you think I've changed since I've been around Kyle?" She asked point blank.

"You've always been around him, though." Cory shrugged.

"Yeah, but that was before, when he was just a guy I knew," Ellie said as they walked out of the school.

"And now?" Eric asked.

She didn't want to tell either of them that he was a like a drug to her. She didn't want to admit that she needed him. She'd never needed anyone before. This couldn't be happening to her, and yet she wanted it too. Only she was reevaluating the whole thing. It wasn't quite a relationship. OK, there was the bracelet he'd given her.

"He's kind of my boyfriend." She sighed.

"So you can't be friends anymore? Is that it?" Eric stared at Ellie, blankly.

"Maybe. I don't know." She squinted. "I don't know anything anymore."

Eric gave her a hug. Cory gave her one too.

"So we'll hook up? Soon?" Cory asked.

Ellie lightly laughed wondering if Cory really knew what he was talking about. "Sure, sure we will." Now she had to get to the middle school.

By the time she got there, the playground was empty. She didn't see anyone in a fight. Possibly, it was a let down, but it was better than seeing Kyle on the ground with a bloody mouth. It was just quiet.

She hadn't noticed before, but the air was stuffy and clouds were hanging over. It could rain any minute. And no Kyle. Suddenly, she felt useless and stupid for even being here. Why did she have to care so much?

She thought of that night at the sleepover last summer when Kyle was with Kelsey, and she'd never seen anyone that up close and personal. Ellie was pretty sure she was that type of girl that nothing like that would ever happen too. Ellie remembered Kyle's very words when she was the so called sex police and told everyone that had to keep their clothes on. She'd only said it because she thought he and Kelsey were to close for comfort. "Really, do you want to be that girl that everybody remembers as the most annoying girl?" He had scowled at her then. How did they ever become friends?

She crossed her arms, thinking she shouldn't wait. He wasn't worth it. He couldn't be. But she didn't budge even as a sadness shadowed her.

Maybe this was something that only happened while her mother was away. She'd felt so alone. Prehaps, she'd gotten this needy, unintentially, and now that her mom was coming home, she'd be her old self, again. Only, she wasn't sure she wanted to be that person, anymore.

Ellie turned her back on the metal mesh fence and stared at the sky. It was going to pour and here she'd be all alone. Suddenly, she felt goosebumps even in the thickness of the humidity. Drops of rain fell hard and cold, so suddenly that she didn't even see it coming.

She heard a beep then, and saw that it was Rex. Her eyes lit. Had he been following her? How did he know she'd be here? She didn't wait to find out. She climbed into the pickup truck cab.