8.

Kathy had sent him a note.

She wasn't calling the house anymore and had stopped trying to approach him in school, but there was no way around her now. One of his sisters came to his bedroom to deliver the note to him personally, so Kathy would be sure he'd gotten it. When he looked outside, he could just see Kathy turning the corner of his street on her bicycle. Elliot sat down hard on his bed and turned the small blue envelope over in his hands a few times before finally opening it. What could Kathy have written to him? The incident with Nick had been two weeks ago and Elliot was trying to move on, but apparently, Kathy wasn't giving up just yet. He looked at her neat handwriting, sighed, and then read the words.

Dear Elliot,

I don't blame you for not talking to me anymore but I just want you to know how sorry I am. I never ever meant to cheat on you. I hope you can believe that. It just happened that night and I don't know how to explain it.
I had a great time with you and this was not how I wanted us to end. I really want us to be friends again. I am not seeing anyone right now. I think I need to be single for a while to think about everything and to decide what I want. But if you want to hang out again, I would really like that. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I never set out to become a cheater and I hate myself for what I did to you. I miss being with you Elliot. I miss waking up next to you after a nap and feeling your arms around me. If you miss me too, maybe we can get together soon to talk.

Please forgive me.

Kathy

He read the note at least six times, and every time he got stuck on the same words, this was not how I wanted us to end. Meaning, she had wanted them to end differently. Meaning, she was never going to stay with him.

She really hadn't loved him. She was just having some fun; learning to have sex with a safe, dependable boy. With him. And now she had nothing, because it was obvious by now that Nick was never going near her again; so now she wanted him back? For what? To have sex with again until some other sports jock came along?

Elliot did miss her, more than he cared to admit, but he still had his pride. He wasn't going to be Kathy's play thing, no matter how much he missed her body. It had never been just sex for him. He loved her and had been thinking of a future with her by his side. She had destroyed that dream and he knew he couldn't get it back. The image of her with Nick in that bathroom was imprinted on his brain forever. He could never look at Kathy the same way again.

He tossed the note in the drawer of his nightstand and lay down on top of the covers of his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He'd talk to her, once. Just to make her understand that they were over for good, because he knew he would never be able to fully trust her again. They could have had it all. He thought he might have wanted to have children with Kathy one day. But not now. That was a timeline that had been cut off forever. He had no idea what the future would hold for him now. He'd talk to her but that was it.

…

Elliot could tell that Kathy was nervous when she walked up to him on Wednesday afternoon after school. They were meeting in front of the school, on neutral territory that didn't remind Elliot of their time together. He'd been leaning casually against the stone pillar at the entrance of the schoolyard, trying for a disinterested look. Kim and Vivian were staying behind at the other end of the school yard and Elliot had sent John and Brian off earlier, so it was just the two of them now, for the first time since that night.

"Hey," Kathy said quietly, stopping a few feet away from him.

Elliot pushed himself off of the pillar and nodded at her, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets.

"Hey."

"Thanks for meeting me."

"You wanted to talk, so talk," Elliot told her gruffly. He wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. It was hard enough for him to stand this close to Kathy. He didn't know what to feel.

"Elliot," Kathy sighed, reaching for his arm but then reconsidering and clasping her hands in front of her chest nervously instead. "I … I really want us to be normal again. I hate this … this tension hanging between us all the time."

"You should have thought of that before fucking another guy," Elliot fired back, and Kathy blinked, seemingly a little shocked at his language.

"But … that's just it," she stammered after a few moments. "I wasn't thinking. At all."

"Sure you were. With your pussy."

"Elliot!"

"Well, that's what girls always say about guys, right? That we think with our dicks?" Elliot spat. "Well, you were thinking with your pussy that night! You could have gotten it from me, but you had to have him. So what does that make me? A practice run?"

Guilt flashed across Kathy's face and he knew then that he'd been right. She had just used him so she would know how to please a guy once she found one she did want to be with.

"Don't give me that shocked look, Kath," Elliot barked. He was on a roll now. "You've been using me all along, knowing that I was really in love with you. You're sorry now because Nick doesn't want you. That's the only reason you're talking to me!"

"That's not true …" Kathy started, but Elliot didn't let her finish.

"Yes, it is and you know it. All this crap about 'needing to be single for a while'," he said mockingly, making air quotes as he spoke. "You're here to get me in the sack again aren't you, Miss Insatiable. Well, guess what? I don't want you either. Not anymore. So just go and be single or find some other guy to do you, and don't bother me again!"

Tears welled up in Kathy's eyes but Elliot was done with her. He had no idea where his little speech had come from but it felt good to blurt it all out without a filter. He had to stop pining after Kathy and get on with his life. He would never really trust her again so there was no point in wanting her anymore. And so he was determined to end things here and now, once and for all.

"Do you … really mean that, Elliot?" Kathy asked with a trembling voice.

Elliot's reply was short but firm.

"Yes."

It took Kathy another moment to let reality sink in and then she turned on her heels, huffing "Well fine. Have it your way," before marching off across the schoolyard to where Kim and Vivian were waiting for her.

...

Elliot was breathing hard but it had felt good to yell at Kathy and let some of his pain and disappointment out instead of bottling it all up inside. He watched the blonde walk away to the far left of the school yard and then saw someone approaching him from the right. He turned to look who it was and saw that it was Olivia Benson, who was headed straight for him. He felt something shift inside him in that moment. He was really done with Kathy and he felt proud of himself for telling her off, and he was happy to see Olivia. The brunette walked up to him with genuine concern in her eyes and he felt himself relax when she stopped in front of him. She glanced at Kathy's retreating form and then asked him,

"Are you okay?"

Elliot took a deep breath and blew it out before responding,

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Olivia chuckled.

"Sounds like something I'd say," she said with a smile. "What did she want?"

She gestured at the three blondes who were now huddled together at the far end of the schoolyard, where Kathy was no doubt giving a colorful account of their little talk. Elliot shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. I'm not her play thing anymore."

"Play thing? Sounds interesting," Olivia joked, and Elliot finally smiled as well.

"Well, I'm not," he repeated, then tilted his head. "You wanna go get a drink somewhere?"

"Sure!" Olivia said, looping her arm through his.

They walked away from the school together, arm in arm. Elliot suspected that Olivia was aware that the three blondes were watching them and he liked her style. Olivia wasn't a girly girl but she was obviously very attractive. And right now she was using her femininity to make a statement and help him to put some more distance between him and his ex. There were other fish in the sea for him and Kathy needed to understand that she'd blown her chance for good. Elliot was grateful and he squeezed Olivia's arm as they strode across the street to a nearby diner.

Olivia just smiled softly and suppressed the urge to look behind them to see if the blondes were still watching. She knew they were. She hated that Kathy had hurt such a nice boy like Elliot and she wanted to help him somehow. Maybe they could help each other to get over their broken hearts.

Every day that she didn't hear from Michael made it clearer to her that he probably wasn't coming back. If he was waiting for her to turn seventeen, he would have let her know somehow but she hadn't heard from him at all. It was time to let that dream go, but it was hard because he had been her ticket out of harm's way, away from her mother. Without Michael, there would be no way out until she was at least eighteen and had a job that paid enough to get her own place. And that was going to take a while.

When they scooted into a booth at the diner, Olivia focused on Elliot again. He looked alright for a guy who had just sent his ex packing, almost relieved. John had told her the whole story about a week ago so she knew he had still cared for this girl Kathy even after she'd cheated on him. She could only imagine how hurt he must have been.

Elliot grinned at her and she liked how his eyes lit up just a little when he asked what she wanted to drink. She asked for a coke and Elliot placed their order when the waiter popped up at their table. Their drinks arrived quickly and they both relaxed, glad to be away from home. Olivia's mother had her bi-weekly teachers meeting after work so she wasn't going to know that she hadn't gone straight home. Olivia was counting the days until she would no longer be grounded. She had another ten days to go.

"Weren't you supposed to go straight home after school?" Elliot suddenly asked her, and she wondered if he could somehow read her mind.

"Yeah, but it's Wednesday. Teacher's meeting every other week, remember? So I have some time. That's why I was still around."

Well, that and the fact that John had told her about Elliot meeting Kathy today.

Elliot nodded, swirling his drink in his glass before asking her cautiously,

"Are you ever gonna tell us what you're grounded for?"

…

Will she tell him? This could be a first bonding moment, right? Your reviews are always appreciated!