Elly & Kent - The Complete Story: Includes Books 1-3

by Marie Cole

  "Aww, poor Elly-phant," I heard faintly, it barely registered above the heavy pounding in my body.

  I drew the air into my lungs when I burst outside. I wasn't sure how I'd gotten there but I was glad that I had. I could leave it all behind and try to get past it. I wouldn't have to see the smirk of contentment on his face when he finished and found me. And I wouldn't have to pretend like I didn't know anything, when I did.

  I wouldn't have to hide the hurt that was surely showing in my eyes and that I felt so badly in my chest.

  My knees were starting to give out so I started walking faster, wanting to get away before someone witnessed my impending break down.

  Why had it taken me so long to accept it? Kent didn't want me. He didn't see me that way. He wasn't mine outside of the little friendship we sometimes indulged. We were going away to college soon. We would part ways. Anything that we ever had or ever would have between was friendship. I didn't know if I could actually still be friends with him.

  I barely noticed the scenery pass by but when I looked up I was staring at the 7-11 sign. It glowed like a sunbeam shining on a church. My feet, aching from the high heels that were too high, carried me across the busy intersection to my version of heaven. A store filled with sugary goodness; bright colored packages that were meant to instill a feeling of joy and happiness, and I needed some. I went to the Slurpee machine and grabbed the biggest paper cup they had. I mixed the flavors before putting the lid on. My fingers fumbled with the straw that was almost as long the distance between my mouth and the bottom of the gigantic cup. I got it all to the counter, my mouth readying itself for the sweetness to come, when I realized that I didn't have any money.

  I didn't have any money. I didn't have Kent. I didn't have anything.

  Tears filled my eyes quickly as I rushed out of the store, my merchandise left for the clerk to take care of. I couldn't see at all, the tears blocking my vision. I tripped when my heel sunk into the grassy plot next to the store and I fell, my chin bumping the damp grass beneath me. Awesome.

  I got up and ripped my heels off my feet, throwing them against the dumpster just to my right. They each made a satisfying thunk against the side before they crumpled onto the pavement below. I turned my attention back to the task at hand. I needed to get home so that I could wallow alone. I didn't want anyone to drive by and see the poor Elly walking home alone from prom after being humiliated by her best and closest friend.

  Tears prickled at my eyes again and I forced my feet to keep walking. The drive was only twenty minutes but the walk was a torturous three hour one. As I climbed the stairs to my room my body was physically exhausted, my mind mentally exhausted, and I just wanted the sweet relief of sleep. I hoped it would be a dreamless one.

  I stripped out of my dress and climbed into bed, not caring that my feet were disgusting and dirtying my sheets. I'd take care of everything tomorrow. Everything. Including Kent.

  Chapter Nineteen

  KENT

  I awoke the next morning with no memory of getting home.

  My head hurt like shit.

  I didn't have much time to process my options before my mother came into my room and pulled the curtains wide open, not gently either. "Did you have fun last night, son?"

  I groaned as I tried to block the sun coming in the window with my hand. "Mom... five more minutes." I rolled over.

  "No. You need to get up now. You're going to go to lunch."

  She grabbed my pillow and all my blankest and left the room.

  The thought of food made my stomach turn more.

  "GET UP KENT! YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TO GET YOUR BUTT DOWNSTAIRS WITH CLEAN TEETH AND FACE!"

  "Alright, alright." I said and rolled from the bed.

  When I came downstairs I was greeted with a PB&J with a side of pretzels. The table was set for one and my mother was sitting across from the plate, hands clasped, resting on the table. "Come, have a seat. We need to talk."

  I took a seat and munched on a pretzel. "What are we talking about, Mom?"

  "We're talking about why Elly went home last night all alone."

  I felt the confusion deep in my hazy brain. I was trying to piece the night together and failing, badly. "What do you mean?"

  "She walked home all alone and she didn't get home until well after one am."

  "I...." I frowned. "I don't know why she...." I groaned and put my hands on my head.

  "Did you fight?"

  "I don't know, Mom. I was stupid last night and I drank in the limo. I don't remember anything except taking the prom picture at the dance. I probably said something stupid. I've got to call her."

  She looked at the table and shook her head. She didn't say anything else.

  I tried to eat another pretzel but my stomach was telling me how unhappy it was so I stopped.

  My mother waited patiently for me to say anything further.

  "I need to go call Elly."

  I stood from the chair.

  "Good luck."

  She stayed at the table, still watching me. An uneasiness settled in my stomach. Or was it just the hangover?

  I blinked a few times. What had she meant by that? Did I do something bad? Instead of calling I decided to get dressed and started walking. Figuring the walk would help flush the rest of the alcohol cells from my body and mind.

  I didn't get too far before Jen's car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down and she yelled out to me. "Kenny! Where are you going?"

  "I'm walking to Elly's house. Mom says something happened last night. I'm hungover."

  "We were going out for lunch, didn't your Mom tell you? You won't find her there."

  Jen looked behind her as someone honked. She moved a little further down the street before finally pulling into a driveway a few feet from me.

  I frowned and moved to her car. "What do you mean?"

  I got into her car and rubbed my hands over my face. My head was throbbing so badly and my mind was so busy with worry about what had happened with Elly that I hadn't noticed I wasn't wearing glasses until I was trying to make out the number on the blurry house in front of me and couldn't.

  "How are you feeling? You look tired." Jen asked as she pulled out of the driveway she'd been idling in, ignoring my question. I pulled my seatbelt across my body and fumbled with it for a minute before it clicked in place.

  "I'm hungover. My head hurts. The normal feeling after drinking." I closed my eyes tightly. Talking hurt. Thinking hurt. Jen's voice hurt. The sun hurt.

  "I have some stuff in my purse if you want it."

  God, she was speaking so loud. I shook my head, putting my head backwards, resting it on the too firm headrest. "It'll be fine. Why is Elly not home?"

  Jen laughed, the noise caused me to wince.

  Elly's voice interrupted. "Because I'm in the car."

  I jumped at her voice and leaned forward and then to the side to check out the backseat. Elly was just a blob of black against the tan leather. "Hey..." I nodded in her general direction, "How did I get home last night?"

  "The limo took us home. After prom. Don't you remember?" Jen asked as I sat back. No point in getting car sick since I couldn't make out anything Elly was feeling from looking at her.

  "No, I don't." I said.

  She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. You must have blacked out at some point. You need to build up your alcohol tolerance. Three shots shouldn't black you out, Kenny. Do you even remember our special time in the hotel?"

  "I..." My cheeks were burning as I lied, "I thought it was a dream." I didn't remember a damn thing and that scared the shit out of me. Anything could've happened. What if I did something horrible to Elly?

  "Nope, not a dream," Elly muttered from the back seat, her voice not at all hiding the indifference she was feeling.

  "So you're probably wondering why I'm taking you both to lunch. I have huge news and I wanted to make sure I told you both at the same time."

  "Could we just skip lunch and you tell me now an
d take me home?" Elly said, kind of bitchily. Maybe she was hungover too.

  "O...kay." Jen seemed to be trying to be genuine and nice, and Elly was being, well, not so nice.

  I was massaging my temples with my fingers to alleviate some of the pain and to try and clear my thoughts for this. "I could use some more sleep as well." The two of them doing their tug of war was also making my head hurt.

  She pulled into the drive-thru and ordered three milkshakes. I grunted as we moved way too slow, my impatience to speak alone with Elly was wearing on me.

  Jen finally parked and she handed out the shakes, turning in her seat so she could see us both. "So, my parents spoke with Kenny's mom and ... right after graduation Kenny is coming with us for the summer to our vacation home in Hawaii! Isn't that exciting?"

  I blinked at Jen. I just sat there holding the milkshake, the sweet smell making my stomach churn uncomfortably. "Wait. When did I agree to that? How did you get my mom to sign off on that?"

  "It was easy! My dad is going to let you shadow him for the summer. You'll get a taste of business and see if it's what you want to do in college. And at night..." Jen's hand moved onto my thigh and squeezed gently, teasing me.

  I jumped slightly. "But... but...." I sat the milkshake down in the cup holder after a couple of failed attempts at finding it. "Business?" I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I considered what she'd just dropped on me. Hawaii would be great. Nights with Jen would be... fantastic, but business during the day with her dad?

  "Daddy makes a lot of money, he's good at what he does. I just thought you'd want to see if you might want to do that too."

  "It's a good idea, Kent. You should go." Elly said from the back seat.

  Jen and Elly exchanged a look that I couldn't quite make out.

  I turned my head to look at the blurred figure behind me. "Maybe... That's a long time to be away from my mom. I'm all she's got..."

  "She obviously isn't worried about it. I'll check in on her every day if that will make you feel better. You should go." Elly insisted. "How miserable would you be without Jen for the whole summer? And Hawaii? Come on. You can scratch it off your travel list."

  I couldn't believe that she was pushing me to go. I would have expected some yelling or screaming or cuss words or something. Complaints about how unfair it was. But instead she was unbelievably cool about it. I turned around in my seat and sat back again.

  "Okay..."

  Jen squealed loudly as I agreed and hugged me tightly, her noise blocking out the sound of Elly's door closing, but I felt the car move slightly as she got out. I pulled away from Jen to look out my window and I saw Elly's figure walking towards the sidewalk.

  I put my hand on the door handle but Jen grabbed the front of my shirt to keep me in.

  "Where do you think you're going?" Her voice was a soft purr and I could tell she wanted to make out and fool around. My pants tightened. My dick apparently remembered what happened last night. I tried to fight the urge.

  "I was going to talk to Elly. Something doesn't seem right."

  "I think she knows. About last night. And you know how she is about alcohol and stuff. And she's probably jealous about Hawaii."

  "Yeah. I guess..." I muttered.

  "What's the matter?" Jen asked, her hand moving down my chest, paying attention to the tent I was sporting.

  "I shouldn't have drank last night." I rubbed my head. "Ugh. Alcohol."

  "I'm sorry, baby." Her hand moved back up to my chest, trying to comfort me. "You sure you don't want a pill?"

  "No. I don't like taking meds. I'll just suffer. Hopefully learn my lesson for next time."

  I glanced at Elly's form again but she was too far away for me to make out anything except a little spot of black.

  "Okay, baby." Jen sat back into her seat and smiled at me, her hand clasped mine gently, pulling my attention back to her.

  "Want to come over and cuddle?"

  I should've gone after Elly but I wasn't sure I'd be able to put coherent thoughts together. "I..." I paused for a moment and then turned to look at my girlfriend. "Sure." I figured I could always go hang out with Elly later on when I was feeling better.

  Chapter Twenty

  ELLY

  Elly: So, I'm sure you'll be shocked...

  Prom was a big disaster.

  Jake: I told you so!

  Elly: Whatever. You told me that saying that you were my boyfriend was a bad idea. It wasn't. Jen has been totally civil.

  Jake: But now things are a little awkward aren't they? You know I'm not talking about Jen.

  Elly: That wasn't ever going to happen! Me and Kent are never going to happen. I'm not stupid.

  Jake: If you give up now, then there'll never be a chance.

  Elly: Give up? I'm not even in the race. I was barred from the race to start with.

  Jake: So you're telling me that you're just going to let her win?

  Elly: He isn't a prize, Jake. He's a person.

  Jake: A smart person.

  Elly: Yes... Btw, if I get into Texas State, can I room with you?

  Jake: Um, no.

  Elly: *whines* Jake. Come on.

  Jake: You want to be a third wheel with me and Candice?

  Elly: *gasp* She's moving in with you?

  Jake: :-) Yep!

  Elly: Alright, so Texas State is out too.

  Jake: No. You can come down here but you can't room with me. I'd love to meet you in person and Candice would too. And Texas boys have Southern accents and they open doors for their ladies. And everything is bigger in Texas. ;-)

  Elly: Jake!! Totally inappropriate.

  Jake: Elly, you perv. I was talking about everything but that.

  Elly: Sure you were. ;-)

  Jake: I gotta go. Candice and I are going out for dinner. Write him a letter or sing him a song or something.

  Elly: Lame. I'll just wallow in my self-pity.

  Jake: Super lame. *hugs* ttyl.

  I checked my email and raised my eyebrows in surprise to see one from Kent.

  To: Elly

  From: Kent

  Date: Saturday May 15th, 2000 04:04am

  Subject: [None]

  Els,

  I was going to call you but it's 3 in the morning and I didn't think your mom would appreciate that very much.

  I can't believe graduation is in five days and that I'm going to Hawaii in seven days to study business. Business.

  I'm super excited and utterly terrified all at the same time. I'm having second thoughts about it. It could very well be our last summer together. And I wasn't planning on that. If I knew that would be the case I would've made last summer a whole lot better. Less video-gaming. Maybe more video-gaming.

  My mom said she was going to get together with your mother tomorrow (today? whatever, Saturday night!) and have a ladies night. She actually put the idea in my head about us doing the same. Even if it's just hanging out for a few hours.

  No Jen. Just you and me like old times. I'll even paint your toenails. And let you paint mine.

  We'll have a girls night in. *wink!*

  So I guess that's all I have to say. It's taken me 45 mins to figure out how to put my thoughts into words and somehow not feel like a creeper. I just know that I'm going to miss you a lot. Specially if you get into Texas State.

  Anyway, an hour now with lots of deleted things and now I'm just yapping in a damn email. Put me out of my misery. Email me back and agree to come over tonight.

  Shit. My mom left an hour ago for her lady date. I quickly pushed back from the chair and ran upstairs. There was desperation in my gut. It felt like my last chance to say goodbye.

  I picked up my pink cordless phone and quickly dialed his house. The phone rang like fifty times before he finally picked up.

  "Hello. Lytle Residence."

  "Kent! I just got your email! Are you... I mean..." I put my hand over the phone to take a minute to catch my breath and calm m
yself down so I didn't sound like a lunatic.

  I cleared my throat and spoke calmly. "You should come over here. I have a lot more nail polish colors to choose from."

  I heard Kent laugh on the line before he spoke. "Alright, Els. Give me a few minutes and I'll head that way. Anything you want me to bring?"

  "An extra ticket to Hawaii?"

  Silence greeted me on the other end of the phone.

  "You're not making these second thoughts easier, Els." I heard him say before he cleared his throat. "I'll be over in a bit."

  Before I could say anything else he hung up the phone. I pulled it away from my ear and sighed. I was kidding, obviously. I didn't want to go to Hawaii...with Jen.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  KENT

  Maybe it was going to be a mistake to go over to Elly's. Maybe she was just going to give me shit about everything. When did I start dreading seeing her? Oh, right, I started dreading seeing her after she told me under no uncertain terms that she wanted me to go to Hawaii for our last summer together before college.