I sighed as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. I maneuvered through the hallways until I reached my locker and finally relaxed for a few minutes. I rummaged through my locker, grabbing the books and binders that I would need for the night.
"Ellie," Quinn said as she walked up to me. "Practice got cancelled. Coach isn't feeling well or something." The blonde cheerleader smoothed out her uniform before looking back up at me. She looked tired and over worked, but she hid it well enough with her mask.
"Okay. Thanks," I said as I closed my locker. The girl had become a good friend since last year. She knew more about me than anyone and I was one of the few Cheerios that stuck by her side when Coach Sylvester kicked her off the squad after it was revealed that she was pregnant. I smiled at her and gave her a little wave before turning to leave the building.
I made my way to my car, stopping for a moment to talk to a football player before getting into my car. I smiled at the boys who were staring at me, tightened my ponytail, and then started my car, leaving them to talk about me.
"Hi, momma," I said as I made my way through the kitchen once I got home. I grabbed a bottle of juice and leaned against the counter.
"Hi, baby," she murmured to me before kissing my forehead. "Your brother will be here in a bit. I believe Jeff is coming with him, but I could be wrong." I nodded as I took a small drink of my juice and then grabbed my bag to go change out of my Cheerios uniform.
I changed into a pair of worn in skinny jeans and one of Nick's Dalton Academy shirts before flopping onto my bed with my Chemistry book. Soon the sounds of two boys could be heard through the whole house and I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get much more of my homework done.
"Hey Ellie," Jeff said as he leaned against my doorframe. I jerked my head back and glared at him a little before going back to my Chemistry problems.
"Hi, Jeff. Bye, Jeff," I said as worked through the problem. I had to keep up a certain GPA to stay on the Cheerios squad and Jeff always seemed to try to talk to me when I was in the middle of homework. You would think that Dalton would have taught those boys some sort of manners or something, but no, Jeff still tried his hardest to talk to me. I had the opportunity to go to Crawford when my mom sent Nick to Dalton, but I had my reasons for sticking around Lima. I didn't want to be around the super stuck up people and I doubted that I could have handled being away from home that much.
I sighed in relief when I heard the retreating footsteps of Jeff going towards Nick's room or downstairs. Nick only stayed here on the weekends and during the holidays. The rest of the school year he stayed with Jeff in an apartment a few minutes from Dalton. If I had gone to Crawford, I would be in that apartment with those boys, I shudder just at the thought…
My bed dipped and I looked back to see Nick sitting there and I sighed before looking back at my notebook. Nick was the smarter one of the two of us. I still got decent grades, but I couldn't have handled Crawford's standards like he can handle Dalton's.
"Can you look through my English essay," I asked when I realized he was still there. "It's due tomorrow and I doubt I can find all my mistakes." He nodded and grabbed for the green binder that held my essay.
"Jeff's the better one at English though," he said as he pulled the essay out of the pocket and scooted off my bed and onto the floor.
An hour later, after I had finished my Chemistry homework and had pulled my history textbook towards me, Jeff was in my doorway again. He was in an old apron and he had a few smudges of flour on his face. I smiled a little and then had an internal battle with myself over my thoughts of him looking cute.
"Dinners ready," he mumbled before disappearing back downstairs. I closed my history book, telling myself I'd read about The Great Depression after dinner.
"Really good essay, Ellie. All I found were a few places where punctuation were missing, but I'd still have Jeff look at it if I were you," Nick said as he handed me my essay. I nodded and placed it back in my binder, trying to figure out if I was actually going to ask for help from Jeff.
"Tell mom I'll be down in a few." Nick nodded before leaving my room. I started texting Quinn, grateful that she responded right away.
Q, major problem. - Ellie
What's wrong? - Q
You remember Jeff? My brothers annoying best friend… - Ellie
Oh no. You didn't? - Q
Nothing happened. He just looked super cute. - Ellie
Oh my. Well he was always kind of cute… I say go for it. He seems interested in you whenever I'm around. Plus those Dalton boys are super fine in their uniforms. - Q
He is cute. I just hope I haven't ran him off with how rude I've been to him. - Ellie
You shouldn't have. If all else fails, Mitchell keeps asking about you. But he's a little bit of a player, so go for Jeff first. Keep me updated. - Q
"Hey, you okay," someone asked and I jumped a little from being startled. I turned to see Jeff standing there and I gave him a small smile while pocketing my phone.
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," I said. I brushed past him, mentally yelling at myself for doing that and then made my way downstairs.
Dinner passed uneventfully and soon I was making my way back upstairs, Jeff following a few steps behind since I had asked him to look over my essay.
"This is really good, Ellie," Jeff said as he handed the essay back to me. "Just a few mistakes here and there." A few more red marks had shown up from his messy handwriting, but they wouldn't take long to correct. "Can I ask what's with the sudden change of heart towards me? Usually you're doing everything you can to get me away from you…"
"You're usually trying to talk to me when I'm super busy. Not completely my fault," I said as I opened up my laptop to correct my few mistakes.
"Well, alright then, you know where I'm at if you ever want to talk or hang out." With that he strutted out of my room and I sighed again.
A few hours later, I was hugging Nick and saying bye to both of them since they had to get back to Westerville.
"I left you something in your English binder, read it sometime, alright," Jeff said in a whisper as he pulled me into a small hug once Nick had left the house. "Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Duval!"
"Jeff, you know it's Lydia. But you're welcome, dear," my mom said as she walked back into the entrance to kiss Jeff's cheeks. He smiled at her and then waved at me before retreating towards the waiting car. "What was that all about, Ellington?""I'm not quite sure," I mumbled as we watched Nick's car leave the driveway. Once I was sure the boys were gone, I race back upstairs and grabbed my English binder. There in the front pocket was an envelope with my name scrawled upon the front in Jeff's messy handwriting.
The envelope wasn't think, maybe just a page or two, but I still smiled at the fact that this boy, who I had been mean and rude to for years now, still thought enough of me to write me a letter. I shoved the envelope under a book as my door opened and my mom poked her head in.
"I'm heading to bed. Don't stay up to late," she said as she opened the door a little more.
"I won't. I just have a little bit of history to read and then I'm heading to bed," I said as I gestured to my textbook. She nodded and then closed my door after a soft goodnight escaped her lips. I pulled the envelope back out once I knew she would be in her room and started to tear at the opening.
Ellington,
I've had this letter for some time now, just waiting for the time when you'll finally break a little and let me in. It's changed a few times, mostly because I never really know what to say to you, but really, it's the same thing every time.
The thing I've tried to come to terms with about you, and really still am, is that things have to go according to your schedule. So while I'm not exactly thrilled about that, I'll go with it. You might laugh at this, but I like you Elle. And maybe Nick or your mom has told you it before and you didn't believe them, but I do. I'm willing to wait for to let that wall you've built fall and finally let me in. But it's tough and I may make a few mistakes here and there that push me away from you again. I'm willing to risk it for me to get to know you. To really know you, Ellie. Not just that perfect Cheerios you portray to everyone. The real you.
I want us to get to know each other. That means you getting to know me as well. I'm not just that prep school boy who sings, you know. So if you're willing to read this for awhile, I'd like to tell you a little bit about me.
I was adopted a few months after I turned six. My dad died when I was two and soon after my mom turned to drugs and alcohol to get through the day. I was in and out of foster homes until I got to the Sterling's. It was a battle for them to actually adopt me like they wanted to. My mom had finally sobered up and was trying to get me back. But by the court date she slipped back into her routine of cocaine and beer. And she was sent to rehab. Since then I haven't heard much from her, other than a birthday and Christmas present every year.
I started school in the fall and I made a few friends, but none that really stuck through. Most thought I was weird for being adopted and then the teasing started. The kids were cruel and I was alone for a few years until sixth grade, when I met Nick. It was science class and we bonded over laughing at the girls squirming over having to hike later in the year.
We became best friends that day. We were inseparable. And a few months later, I stayed over at your house and I met you. I didn't expect anything to happen. Back then, Nick had always described you as his annoying little sister. And granted you were a little annoying at the time, but you just wanted to be included. I started to like you back then and as the years passed and Nick realized that I was quite serious about liking you, he started threatening my life if I ever tried to date you.
By freshman year, Nick and I were going to Dalton and I kept hoping you would change your mind about McKinley and go to Crawford. But you didn't and I had to live with seeing you the few times I came to your house with Nick.
And then during sophomore year, after I started living with Nick in this apartment and you got onto the Cheerios, you started dating that Andy kid. I never did like him. I complained about him all the time to Nick while you dated him. But when he cheated on you after that football game, I helped Nick pick up the pieces of your broken heart. You were still in that Cheerios uniform as you broke down in Nick's arms and I sat silently on your bed. A few hours later, after a box of tissues had been used and a pint of chocolate ice cream was half eaten, you finally smiled at us. I helped clean up the tissues after you passed out with that ice cream still in your hand.
Nick caught me placing a kiss to your forehead and moving some hair out of your face that night and he finally stopped threatening my life for liking you.
That's only just a bit of it, but I want you to know more and I hope you'll let me into your head.
Write me sometime or text me and we can meet up and talk. Just anything, I just want us to get to know each other.
Jeff.
I wiped away the few tears that were streaming down my face from being remind of Andy and pulled out my phone. I hovered over Jeff's name for a moment before deciding against it and texting Quinn.
He wrote me a letter… - Ellie
Oh my. That is too adorable. Tell me you texted him or something. - Q
No, I haven't. I started to, but I don't know what to say. He should be at the game on Friday. - Ellie
Text him. Make sure. And then after the game, talk to him. Ignore Mitchell and all those other boys and talk to Jeff. - Q
Yeah. Okay. I'll tell you everything in the morning. - Ellie
Good luck. And you better. - Q
I sighed again for probably the tenth time that night as I pulled up Jeff's contact information. I paced the length of my room a few times before I started texting the boy who had written me a letter.
Hey. Are you still coming to the game on Friday? - Ellie
Yeah. I'll be there with Nick and your mom like I always am. Why? - Jeff
I want to talk after the game. - Ellie
Lima Bean for coffee? - Jeff
That's fine. Find me on the field once the game is over. - Ellie
Of course. Night, Ellie. - Jeff
Goodnight. - Ellie
I exited out of the conversation and changed out of my jeans for a pair of shorts. I moved my books and papers that were on my bed before climbing into it and letting myself relax and go to sleep.
So, um, yeah. I decided to write this Jeff story. And I really never intended to, at least not for awhile... But last night, or maybe it was this morning, I started typing and this is what came out. It was suppose to be my Sam story, but it ended up being this and I really don't know how that happened.
So I'm going to work on this sometimes, while I try to find some inspiration for Give My Life Direction.
This is before Christmas, so before Quinn, Santana, and Brittany quit the Cheerios.
I really wish I owned Glee, because I would feature a lot more of the Warblers and give Jeff some solos, but sadly I do not. I do own Ellington though.
