The science lab was empty when Ellie arrived in it that morning. She was early so she just took her usual seat by the window. For awhile she just starred out at all of the kids coming and going. A heavy saddness came over her. They were all so normal and happy. Where did she go wrong? Her thoughts were interrupted by the noise of someone else walking in. It was Marco.
"Hey El, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere..." He said, taking his seat next to her.
"Hey Marco," She responded.
"Dylan gave me tickets to go watch his hockey game on Friday, you have to come with me." He pleaded.
Ellie raised her eyebrows and starred at him. "Hockey? I don't know the first thing about hockey." A smile creeped across her face as she shook her head.
"Come on..please..we haven't hung out in a long time...we're getting a lot of people to go. I really want you to come. Before we're all going to get pizza and then over to Ash's after." Marco gave her a pouty face.
"Well...who's all going?" Ellie tensed at the idea of a lot of people.
"Oh you know, me, Spinner, Craig, Jimmy, Paige, Ash, Hazel, and Terri. It wouldn't be any fun without you..."
"Marco..I never hang out with any of them besides you and Ash. Not even so much you two anymore.." Ellie looked shyly away.
He starred at her and shook his head. "Come on El...think about it at least, okay?" A few other students were now trickling into the class.
"Yeah...I'll think about it." She said, to make him stop. Ellie knew that going would only result in something bad. Paige had something against her, she always had. The whole situation would be rather uncomfortable. But, the other side of her mind told her this was what she had been wanting. She'd been wanting friends, and to be included and thought about. Plus...it meant that she could get out of the house for awhile with an excuse. Anything to get away from her mother.
"Ellie?" The teacher asked, bringing Ellie back to reality.
"What? Yes?" Her teacher shook her head.
"I asked you to read from page 452 in the book please." People around her snickered at the fact that she hadn't been paying attention. Ellie sighed, turning to the page in her book.
"This is going to be a long day," She thought to herself
--------
"Come on you guys....I really need the interview for the paper as soon as possible..." Liberty said, following Paige and Manny at lunch. "I mean you DO want it in there, right?"
The two cheerleaders spun around, semi-annoyed. "Does it absolutely HAVE to be right now?" Paige asked.
"Absolutely. Right now." Liberty answered, getting impatient.
Paige and Manny looked to each other, rolling their eyes. "Alright, I guess..."
Ashley walked into the lunch room to see that her usual table had dispersed throughout the lunchroom. Paige was with Liberty and Manny. Terri was with Jimmy and Craig, and Spinner was nowhere to be found. She noticed Ellie sitting alone at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria and made her way to her. "Ellie, hey!" She said from a few feet away. A look of surprise came on Ellie's face when Ash sat down at her table.
"Not sitting with your usual crowd today?" She questioned. Ash sighed.
"Come on Ellie, you make it seem like I don't talk to you at all anymore."
"Well..." Ellie said, motioning towards Paige.
"Look...it's just that lately...you've been pretty distant. It's like you don't want anything to do with anyone. And whenever I try asking you about it, you play it down like it's nothing."
"I have no idea what you're talking about Ashley," Ellie said, with edge in her voice.
"There you go again. Look, it's just, I don't know how to act around you anymore. I don't know if you want to be my friend, or if you hate me. I can't really tell the difference. You're just so far away." Ellie pushed her uneaten sandwich away from her. The cafeteria was getting rather full. "Come on El, help me out here...what's so wrong? Is it your dad being away and all?"
Her friend gave an exasperated sigh. "Ashley, there's nothing wrong. I promise." There was an akward silence.
A younger kid came up to them just then and handed them a sheet of paper each. "Surverys for the student council. Put them in the drop-box by the office when you've completed them." And with that he moved on to his next table. They both reached for the same paper, stopped, withdrew their hands and starred. Ellie motioned for Ash to take it and she grabbed the other.
"A dance in the parkway?" Ellie asked confused.
"I heard about this." Ashley informed her. "Apparently they want to organize a dance on the veranda in the parkway. They're trying to organize it with the other highschool," Ashley told her referring to the school on the other side of town.
"Isn't that kind of...pointless?"
"You never know, it could be fun. Just vote yes. I mean, you aren't obligated to go." Ellie shrugged and checked yes. "So you're coming with us on Friday, right?"
"I don't know...I mean-" Ashley cut her off.
"Ellie, you're coming."
"Fine, you talked me into it." Ellie grinned.
Paige walked up behind them, and made room for herself at their table. "Hey Paige..." Ashley started, recognizing that this was not the best mix.
"Hey hun," Paige smiled. She turned to Ellie, started to say something and then turned back to Ashley. "So we're on for Friday, right?"
Ashley nodded. "Ellie's going to be joining us."
Paige raised a questioning eyebrow. "Sorry, we only have 8 tickets." She smiled at Ellie. "Better luck next time hun."
Ellie grew red hot, feeling stupid and hated and everything Paige wanted her to feel. "Come on Paige, Marco already said Dylan told him he could get more."
She scoffed. "Whatever."
"I....I..have to go.." Ellie said, fumbling over her words. She got up, threw her garbage away and headed out of the cafeteria.
"Paige, lay off of her, will you?" Ashley shook her head and went off to find where Ellie had gone.
-----------
Sorry for the delay! Thanks again for the reviews. Here's a longer chapter for you...tell me what you think!
"Hey El, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere..." He said, taking his seat next to her.
"Hey Marco," She responded.
"Dylan gave me tickets to go watch his hockey game on Friday, you have to come with me." He pleaded.
Ellie raised her eyebrows and starred at him. "Hockey? I don't know the first thing about hockey." A smile creeped across her face as she shook her head.
"Come on..please..we haven't hung out in a long time...we're getting a lot of people to go. I really want you to come. Before we're all going to get pizza and then over to Ash's after." Marco gave her a pouty face.
"Well...who's all going?" Ellie tensed at the idea of a lot of people.
"Oh you know, me, Spinner, Craig, Jimmy, Paige, Ash, Hazel, and Terri. It wouldn't be any fun without you..."
"Marco..I never hang out with any of them besides you and Ash. Not even so much you two anymore.." Ellie looked shyly away.
He starred at her and shook his head. "Come on El...think about it at least, okay?" A few other students were now trickling into the class.
"Yeah...I'll think about it." She said, to make him stop. Ellie knew that going would only result in something bad. Paige had something against her, she always had. The whole situation would be rather uncomfortable. But, the other side of her mind told her this was what she had been wanting. She'd been wanting friends, and to be included and thought about. Plus...it meant that she could get out of the house for awhile with an excuse. Anything to get away from her mother.
"Ellie?" The teacher asked, bringing Ellie back to reality.
"What? Yes?" Her teacher shook her head.
"I asked you to read from page 452 in the book please." People around her snickered at the fact that she hadn't been paying attention. Ellie sighed, turning to the page in her book.
"This is going to be a long day," She thought to herself
--------
"Come on you guys....I really need the interview for the paper as soon as possible..." Liberty said, following Paige and Manny at lunch. "I mean you DO want it in there, right?"
The two cheerleaders spun around, semi-annoyed. "Does it absolutely HAVE to be right now?" Paige asked.
"Absolutely. Right now." Liberty answered, getting impatient.
Paige and Manny looked to each other, rolling their eyes. "Alright, I guess..."
Ashley walked into the lunch room to see that her usual table had dispersed throughout the lunchroom. Paige was with Liberty and Manny. Terri was with Jimmy and Craig, and Spinner was nowhere to be found. She noticed Ellie sitting alone at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria and made her way to her. "Ellie, hey!" She said from a few feet away. A look of surprise came on Ellie's face when Ash sat down at her table.
"Not sitting with your usual crowd today?" She questioned. Ash sighed.
"Come on Ellie, you make it seem like I don't talk to you at all anymore."
"Well..." Ellie said, motioning towards Paige.
"Look...it's just that lately...you've been pretty distant. It's like you don't want anything to do with anyone. And whenever I try asking you about it, you play it down like it's nothing."
"I have no idea what you're talking about Ashley," Ellie said, with edge in her voice.
"There you go again. Look, it's just, I don't know how to act around you anymore. I don't know if you want to be my friend, or if you hate me. I can't really tell the difference. You're just so far away." Ellie pushed her uneaten sandwich away from her. The cafeteria was getting rather full. "Come on El, help me out here...what's so wrong? Is it your dad being away and all?"
Her friend gave an exasperated sigh. "Ashley, there's nothing wrong. I promise." There was an akward silence.
A younger kid came up to them just then and handed them a sheet of paper each. "Surverys for the student council. Put them in the drop-box by the office when you've completed them." And with that he moved on to his next table. They both reached for the same paper, stopped, withdrew their hands and starred. Ellie motioned for Ash to take it and she grabbed the other.
"A dance in the parkway?" Ellie asked confused.
"I heard about this." Ashley informed her. "Apparently they want to organize a dance on the veranda in the parkway. They're trying to organize it with the other highschool," Ashley told her referring to the school on the other side of town.
"Isn't that kind of...pointless?"
"You never know, it could be fun. Just vote yes. I mean, you aren't obligated to go." Ellie shrugged and checked yes. "So you're coming with us on Friday, right?"
"I don't know...I mean-" Ashley cut her off.
"Ellie, you're coming."
"Fine, you talked me into it." Ellie grinned.
Paige walked up behind them, and made room for herself at their table. "Hey Paige..." Ashley started, recognizing that this was not the best mix.
"Hey hun," Paige smiled. She turned to Ellie, started to say something and then turned back to Ashley. "So we're on for Friday, right?"
Ashley nodded. "Ellie's going to be joining us."
Paige raised a questioning eyebrow. "Sorry, we only have 8 tickets." She smiled at Ellie. "Better luck next time hun."
Ellie grew red hot, feeling stupid and hated and everything Paige wanted her to feel. "Come on Paige, Marco already said Dylan told him he could get more."
She scoffed. "Whatever."
"I....I..have to go.." Ellie said, fumbling over her words. She got up, threw her garbage away and headed out of the cafeteria.
"Paige, lay off of her, will you?" Ashley shook her head and went off to find where Ellie had gone.
-----------
Sorry for the delay! Thanks again for the reviews. Here's a longer chapter for you...tell me what you think!