They were back to their old stalemate--Ellie staring at the floor, speechless, and Sauve staring at Ellie, concerned. They'd been in the same position a year before, mind you Ellie's hair hadn't looked nearly as good, but it was an instant flashback for the two of them. Once again, it was Sauve who broke the silence.
"I need to see your arms, please, Ellie. We both know why you've been skipping out on me, but what I need to find out is just how close you are to doing something dangerous." Ellie couldn't look at her. She glared at her feet and tugged on her sleeve and revealed her latest handiwork. She'd given in the night before, which had actually been that morning, she supposed, and the wound was still oozing slightly. To anyone but Ellie, it wasn't a pretty sight.
Sauve sighed. "You need to take better care of those," she said. "Gauze and something to keep them clean at the very least. And if you're not going to get stitched up, at least keep some butterfly strips nearby to hold the deeper ones closed. This isn't good, Ellie"
She sighed again. "I'm not going put you in the hospital, at least not today. But I am going to insist that you come see me more often, and if you skip appointments again without a very good reason, I'm going to have to take action. I don't want you getting hurt. Your teachers have also informed me that you've been skipping school. Care to explain yourself?"
"I didn't feel like going," Ellie said. "It's not like the work is hard. I won't fail because I miss a few classes."
"It's been a week, Ellie." Ellie was mildly surprised at that statement. She had lost track of the days. "I know that you and Sean were close, and I know that his leaving is on your mind. But you have to move on at some point. He made his choice. You can't make it for him, and you shouldn't have to wait around. Go on other dates. Join the yearbook or something. Just don't mope around and spend your days miserable, and covered in scars. You've had a lot of unpleasentness; no one's denying that. But eventually, you're going to have to deal with it."
Ellie nodded, unconvinced, and Sauve sighed once more. She seemed particularly fond of that expression of exasperation. "Get to class," she said. "You get a one time note excusing you from not having your homework done. Use it wisely." She scribbled something onto her notepad, then tore off the sheet and handed it to Ellie. "Tomorrow, same time, I want to see you here."
Ellie rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Can I go now?" She didn't wait for confirmation.
------------------------
Lunch was even worse than usual. Ashley was nowhere to be found--and, Ellie suspected, that probably meant she was with Craig--and by the time Ellie had finished the inevitable lecture from her umpteenth teacher, most of the seats were filled. It was Spinner, and company, or a group of seventh graders. She chose Spinner.
"So, as I was saying," Spinner said, continuing his conversation with the guy next to him, "Manny and I were never anything. I mean, she's a total slut. And it was nice while it lasted--" here he grinned wickedly, "--but that's all it was." Ellie glanced at him with mild interest. She had never liked the guy, but he was about as far away from Sean as she could get, and right now, that was perfect.
Spinner finally noticed her. "Yo, freak girl," he said. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, you can," she said. "Have an extra dollar to lend to a hungry girl? I'd really owe you." She looked up at him through her lashes, and to her delight, he smiled back.
"And what's in it for me?" he asked. She was well aware that back in the ninth grade, he'd had more than a small crush on her. She just hoped that his interest hadn't waned.
"You," she said carefully, "get to take me out tonight. And since you have a job, and I don't, you get to pay for both of us." She forced a flirtatious grin, hoping he would bite. He did. He jumped up (as well as one can jump up from a cafeteria table) and soon returned with a hot plate and drink. She reached for it, but he held it just out of her grasp.
"Give me some incense," he said. "If you want this, that is." She didn't bother to correct him, at least not so obviously.
"Incentive, eh?" she said, pretending to think about it. She reached up and kissed his cheek, then grabbed the tray. "Pick me up at seven," she said. "Don't be late."
"Where are you goin'?" he asked, exaggerating a pout. "Aren't we good enough for you to eat lunch with?"
"You're nauseating," Ellie said. "Fries up noses are not appetizing. Besides, Ash finally decided to show her face. We'll find some place outside. If you learn to be human, you can join us, but the subject will more than likely be Craig." She rolled her eyes, but smiled, and left with a tiny wave. She had almost convinced herself to be happy.