.x.x. Chapter Three .x.x.
Around six in the next morning, Marco and Ellie were both wide awake and standing in his bedroom. The air around them was very jarring but they didn't notice it. He said aloud bitterly, "I can't believe my Ma let him into our house, and was insane enough to let herself get pregnant. Is she crazy?" Ellie shrugged, looking down at her big black chunky boots.
"The police did say he was better-"
Marco interrupted, his voice raising, "No! People don't just change in a few years, El... people like that just don't change!"
He turned away from her and heard her voice say softly but dangerously, "People like what, Marco, people like me?"
She cross her arms rigidly and he said quickly, "Wait, I didn't mean-"
Her tone was sharp, "Well you did." Ellie got right up into his face, "Maybe your Dad did change and you're too close-minded to see it. Maybe he is better and you can't help but keep thinking that everyone's out to get you. Yeah, some people can't make amends but others can." Somehow, Ellie wasn't talking about anyone else or Mr. Del Rossi. Marco thought that she was directing it to herself.
He said coldly, "No. He will always be the same."
"Maybe. But I can change." Her eyes hardened, giving her a very scary look, and he felt himself wincing outwardly. She sat down on his bed, muttering, "Whatever." He joined her once Marco recovered from her speech and Ellie changed the subject. "You haven't talk to Dylan after all this time?" she asked.
"And why the hell would I go and do that?"
"Because he's your boyfriend."
He retorted, "Ex-boyfriend, and I'm not speaking to him because he's a two-timing liar who enjoys ripping your heart out through and stomping it on the cold hard floor then spitting all over it."
Ellie Nash merely stared at him, like she didn't even know who he was. "You really are an idiot, Marco Del Rossi. I don't know what's going on in that head of yours but you definitely have it all wrong. Dylan loves you, and probably still does. I wasn't suppose to tell you this but I had a talk with him the day after you got beat up near the Gay Village. We both needed to about your future and I told him what happened at the park, not all of it because I wanted you to say something. He did most of the talking, ranted on and on about you for hours. I could tell he was infatuated with you before he even knew you like I did. Even though jealousy was really ticking me off, I saw he could give you the happiness I couldn't. Now, you both are acting like morons of this stupid misunderstanding!"
Marco shook his head stubbornly. "Then why did he betray me? He's do the same thing again because when something like this happens, that person would do it again regardless."
"When you used me to make Dylan jealous, I forgave you and knew that you wouldn't pull that again because I trusted you. If I came around to your way of thinking, I couldn't trust you because you would pull something like that over again."
He said challengingly, "That's different, Ellie!"
"No, it isn't!" she shouted back.
"Yes!"
"NO!"
"YES, AND YOU KNOW IT!"
"NO! IT GODDAMN ISN'T!"
Soon, they were screaming at the top of their lungs at each other and Mrs. Del Rossi's voice drifted through the crack in the bedroom door, "Kids, what's going on?"
Marco let out an unsteady breath and tried to hide the rawness in his throat, "Nothing Ma, it's the TV." His Mother didn't bother them further and the teenagers became silent. The Italian boy was the first to speak, "It hasn't even been a day since you came to live here and we're already at each other's throats." Ellie couldn't help but let a slip of a smile reveal itself.
He gave up, apologizing, "I'm sorry for making it sound like I don't think you recovered, I think I do... because I want you to be." Marco took one of her hands, resting it between both of his. "And I'm sorry for using you at the party. There's no excuse for what I did." She nodded.
"You're right, you should be. I'm sorry for prying into your problems with Dylan. I just want you to be happy."
"I couldn't ask for a better friend Ellie Nash."
Ellie's face beamed at him and she looked out the window. The sky was becoming a soft pink. "Hey, I was going to go to Sean's to say hi. Do you want to come along?"
"Might as well, I'm not going to get any sleep anyway." They changed into some suitable outer clothes and stepped into the cool morning. Down several blocks was Sean's small knocked on the door and messed with her bright red hair as they stood waiting for someone to answer.
"Argh, I'm acting like Paige."
Marco snorted and the front screen door was opened by none other than… Craig? The tall brunet squinted his drowsy eyes. "Wh-What are you doing here?"
Ellie commented, "I'm Sean's girlfriend and I invited Marco to come with me. What are you doing here?" They walked in when Sean appeared and Craig stifled a yawn.
"I slept over…here. Got into a fight with Joey again."
"Oh gee, Craig, and I thought I had some competition."
Sean snickered and Craig made a face. "Gah... NO!" He then glanced at Marco apologetically. "Sorry man, I'm not into that sort of thing."
Marco patted his shoulder and Ellie turned to Sean, "I've missed you."
He pulled her into a snug embrace, "Same here, Nash," and leaned in for a kiss. After a minute or so of the other boys ignoring their welcome-back-session, everyone sat down in the family room.
Craig asked Ellie, across the room, "So, where are you living?"
"Marco's, um, for a little while."
Sean said to her with a frown, "You could stayed with me."
"It was already arranged."
Craig questioned, "Uh, where's your Mom?"
Marco and Sean keep their mouths shut and Ellie straightened up, saying, "Everyone already knows about how she's in rehab because of her drinking, but after spending my time in the hospital, my social worker got her to disown me. My Mom lives with her brother in Washington. She's only allowed to see me once every five months. She hasn't visit me. I really don't care. I'm glad to be away."
When she finished, Sean wrapped his arms around her waist and she laid her head down on his chest, sighing. A silence passed and Craig exclaimed, "Oh." Marco stepped in.
"Where were you guys last night?" Sean and Craig exchanged confused looks, Marco added, "Jimmy's party?"
Craig blurted out, eyes widening, "I thought it was tonight. Shit, is Jim mad?"
"No, there was plenty of other people that weren't seniors."
"Well, who did you see?"
Ellie pointedly looked at Marco as he murmured, "...No one I wanted to see." She mouthed to the rest of them: Dylan Michalchuk.
Sean had a similar question to Ellie's. "You aren't seeing him anymore?" Marco shook his head and Craig tried to cheer him up.
"Think of it like this, once we graduate you'll probably never see him again."
Ellie whispered solemnly, "Yeah, Craig's right."
Marco echoed as conversation stirred around him, "...Yeah, Craig's right."