Author's Note- Thanks for the reviews!
Chapter Five-Good Talks
Ellie took out her book, threw herself in one of the fancy chairs in Paige's house, and began reading. She didn't belong here. Paige and Spinner were snuggled up on the floor watching TV, Ashley and Craig were curled up under a blanket, while Jimmy shot jealous looks at the two, Marco and Dylan were getting food and drinks from the kitchen, Hazel and Terri were doing each others nails.
"Well, this sure is fun," Ellie mumbled under her breath, as Paige and Spinner innocently swapped saliva with one another.
"You CAN leave, hon," Paige said.
Rolling her eyes, Ellie turned the page in her book.
"Paige, I cannot believe your parents actually agreed to a co-ed sleepover," Terri said.
"Please, my mom was totally cool with it. It just took some thinking and strategizing," she replied.
"You did good," Craig joked, smiling at Ashley.
By the time it got dark, a few of them had already engaged themselves in a game of Truth Or Dare. Ellie watched, laughing as they made total asses of themselves. They saw a car pulling up into somebody's driveway and that's when they dared Spinner to strip down and go outside and sing the Nation Anthem to the poor unsuspecting neighbors. They began to crack up when they heard the neighbors shout, "what is your problem, young man?"
Ellie cracked a smile because of their complete idiocy.
Getting up, she mumbled a, "be right back," and walked into the kitchen. Marco and Dylan were still there, in what looked like a serious, but flirty, conversation.
"Pretend I'm not even here," Ellie said, and grabbed a glass from the cupboard.
"Hey, El, what's up?" Marco said.
"Oh, you know the usual. A great game of Truth or Dare and some sparkly pink nail polish," Ellie joked.
"Sounds fun."
She rolled her eyes. "As if," she mocked in a high-pitched, snobby voice. "What are you two up to?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive way.
Dylan laughed. "Not what you're thinking, I'm sure."
"Mmhmm. That's what you say now," she teased, and looked in the fridge for a coke.
She noticed Dylan smile at Marco, and still couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. She remembered her crush on him, and how happy she was when he asked her out. When he told her that he was gay, she remembered her heart being smashed into millions of pieces. She wanted him, but he didn't...couldn't want her. Now, although she envied what Dylan had, she was happy for him. She had always known he would make it. After all, he did deserve a good guy like Dylan.
Ellie poured the coke into the glass, and as she walked over to throw the can away, she heard someone burst through the swinging kitchen door.
"Hey, Jimmy," Marco greeted.
She heard him replying with a "hey" and then he walked over to the pantry, digging for food. He grabbed a bag of chips and then headed for the fridge.
"Hey, Jimmy, want to get me some ice?" Ellie asked.
"Sure," he responded, opening the freezer and plopping a handful of ice in her glass.
"Gracias, Senor," she said.
"De nada, Senorita," he joked back.
She looked at him, smiling, and then shook her head.
"So, what's going on out there?" she asked.
"Uh, they're about to watch another movie," Jimmy replied.
"Great," she mumbled sarcastically. She had made it a few hours, but the whole night? She doubted she'd be able to stay here without escaping.
"I can see why you two stayed in here the whole time," Jimmy said, referring to Dylan and Marco.
"Smart ones, aren't they?" Ellie agreed, and took a sip of her coke.
She noticed Marco giving her an odd look. When she finally met his gaze, he winked and slightly nodded in Jimmy's direction. She realized what he was implying, and she made a face at him. He shrugged, and went back to talking to Dylan. About two seconds later, Ellie could tell they were talking with their eyes, because Dylan said after a minute, "Hey, why don't you all come upstairs with me? I want to show you something."
Ellie reluctantly agreed. The four walked out of the kitchen, and saw the rest of them spread out on the floor. Ash was cuddled up with Craig, Spinner and Paige lied on their stomachs, his arm around her, Hazel was half asleep and Terri was cuddled on the couch, absorbed in the movie.
Nobody asked what they were doing as they headed up the stairs. They all followed Dylan into a room that Ellie guessed was the guest room.
"Okay...what did you want to show us?" Jimmy asked.
"Oh, right. Well, I have to go into my room to get it. Marco, come with me. We'll be right back," Dylan said, closing the door behind them. Ellie could hear them laughing. They were trying to hook her up...with Jimmy.
"Okay," Jimmy laughed slightly. "That was..."
"Awkward?" Ellie volunteered.
He nodded. "Exactly."
"I guess it's better than being downstairs with them," she said, and then realized that Jimmy WAS one of them. Smooth sailing, she thought to herself.
He gave her a half-smile. "Why are you so against everyone?" he asked her.
"No. I'm not against everyone. Only conformists with no brains or thoughts of their own," Ellie told him.
"And you aren't a conformist? I bet you aren't the only person in the world who mixes black and pink and wears dark makeup," he shot back.
Ouch.
"Maybe not, but I'm a free thinker. All of you are possessed by the thoughts of others."
"Now you're stereotyping," he said simply.
She felt a surge of anger run through her. He could tell.
"What? I'm just saying..."
She sighed. "I know, I know."
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure, why not?" she mumbled unenthusiastically.
"Why DO you wear all black?" he asked her.
She shrugged. "It's me, I guess. I'd rather dress like this than like Paige. I don't want people thinking there's no more to than my outer appearance. Besides, black goes both ways. It can be haunting, dark or...not."
He nodded.
Ellie threw herself on the guest bed and they continued their talking until they heard a banging on the door, two hours later.
Chapter Five-Good Talks
Ellie took out her book, threw herself in one of the fancy chairs in Paige's house, and began reading. She didn't belong here. Paige and Spinner were snuggled up on the floor watching TV, Ashley and Craig were curled up under a blanket, while Jimmy shot jealous looks at the two, Marco and Dylan were getting food and drinks from the kitchen, Hazel and Terri were doing each others nails.
"Well, this sure is fun," Ellie mumbled under her breath, as Paige and Spinner innocently swapped saliva with one another.
"You CAN leave, hon," Paige said.
Rolling her eyes, Ellie turned the page in her book.
"Paige, I cannot believe your parents actually agreed to a co-ed sleepover," Terri said.
"Please, my mom was totally cool with it. It just took some thinking and strategizing," she replied.
"You did good," Craig joked, smiling at Ashley.
By the time it got dark, a few of them had already engaged themselves in a game of Truth Or Dare. Ellie watched, laughing as they made total asses of themselves. They saw a car pulling up into somebody's driveway and that's when they dared Spinner to strip down and go outside and sing the Nation Anthem to the poor unsuspecting neighbors. They began to crack up when they heard the neighbors shout, "what is your problem, young man?"
Ellie cracked a smile because of their complete idiocy.
Getting up, she mumbled a, "be right back," and walked into the kitchen. Marco and Dylan were still there, in what looked like a serious, but flirty, conversation.
"Pretend I'm not even here," Ellie said, and grabbed a glass from the cupboard.
"Hey, El, what's up?" Marco said.
"Oh, you know the usual. A great game of Truth or Dare and some sparkly pink nail polish," Ellie joked.
"Sounds fun."
She rolled her eyes. "As if," she mocked in a high-pitched, snobby voice. "What are you two up to?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive way.
Dylan laughed. "Not what you're thinking, I'm sure."
"Mmhmm. That's what you say now," she teased, and looked in the fridge for a coke.
She noticed Dylan smile at Marco, and still couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. She remembered her crush on him, and how happy she was when he asked her out. When he told her that he was gay, she remembered her heart being smashed into millions of pieces. She wanted him, but he didn't...couldn't want her. Now, although she envied what Dylan had, she was happy for him. She had always known he would make it. After all, he did deserve a good guy like Dylan.
Ellie poured the coke into the glass, and as she walked over to throw the can away, she heard someone burst through the swinging kitchen door.
"Hey, Jimmy," Marco greeted.
She heard him replying with a "hey" and then he walked over to the pantry, digging for food. He grabbed a bag of chips and then headed for the fridge.
"Hey, Jimmy, want to get me some ice?" Ellie asked.
"Sure," he responded, opening the freezer and plopping a handful of ice in her glass.
"Gracias, Senor," she said.
"De nada, Senorita," he joked back.
She looked at him, smiling, and then shook her head.
"So, what's going on out there?" she asked.
"Uh, they're about to watch another movie," Jimmy replied.
"Great," she mumbled sarcastically. She had made it a few hours, but the whole night? She doubted she'd be able to stay here without escaping.
"I can see why you two stayed in here the whole time," Jimmy said, referring to Dylan and Marco.
"Smart ones, aren't they?" Ellie agreed, and took a sip of her coke.
She noticed Marco giving her an odd look. When she finally met his gaze, he winked and slightly nodded in Jimmy's direction. She realized what he was implying, and she made a face at him. He shrugged, and went back to talking to Dylan. About two seconds later, Ellie could tell they were talking with their eyes, because Dylan said after a minute, "Hey, why don't you all come upstairs with me? I want to show you something."
Ellie reluctantly agreed. The four walked out of the kitchen, and saw the rest of them spread out on the floor. Ash was cuddled up with Craig, Spinner and Paige lied on their stomachs, his arm around her, Hazel was half asleep and Terri was cuddled on the couch, absorbed in the movie.
Nobody asked what they were doing as they headed up the stairs. They all followed Dylan into a room that Ellie guessed was the guest room.
"Okay...what did you want to show us?" Jimmy asked.
"Oh, right. Well, I have to go into my room to get it. Marco, come with me. We'll be right back," Dylan said, closing the door behind them. Ellie could hear them laughing. They were trying to hook her up...with Jimmy.
"Okay," Jimmy laughed slightly. "That was..."
"Awkward?" Ellie volunteered.
He nodded. "Exactly."
"I guess it's better than being downstairs with them," she said, and then realized that Jimmy WAS one of them. Smooth sailing, she thought to herself.
He gave her a half-smile. "Why are you so against everyone?" he asked her.
"No. I'm not against everyone. Only conformists with no brains or thoughts of their own," Ellie told him.
"And you aren't a conformist? I bet you aren't the only person in the world who mixes black and pink and wears dark makeup," he shot back.
Ouch.
"Maybe not, but I'm a free thinker. All of you are possessed by the thoughts of others."
"Now you're stereotyping," he said simply.
She felt a surge of anger run through her. He could tell.
"What? I'm just saying..."
She sighed. "I know, I know."
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure, why not?" she mumbled unenthusiastically.
"Why DO you wear all black?" he asked her.
She shrugged. "It's me, I guess. I'd rather dress like this than like Paige. I don't want people thinking there's no more to than my outer appearance. Besides, black goes both ways. It can be haunting, dark or...not."
He nodded.
Ellie threw herself on the guest bed and they continued their talking until they heard a banging on the door, two hours later.