Chapter XXX:

"How To Lose Friends And Piss People Off"

The sun was just beginning to set outside so the dusty room in the Bell tower was already getting dark. It was silent too, and had been for about half an hour. The only sounds were of the few students wandering around campus; the odd shrill yell here, the occasional vicious laughter there.

Elliott lay with her head on Gary's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart and watching the window as the last of the light faded. He had been gently stroking her hair for a while, but now his hand was still on her shoulder. Neither had spoken since they had done – not because it was awkward but because they were both so peaceful. Well, Elliott was anyway.

She was still trying to work out if that had just happened. It seemed like nothing but a kind of hazy dream now and for a while she tried to convince herself that was just what it was, but the pile of her clothes by the side of the bed said otherwise. She smiled slightly and pulled the thin sheet up to her chin. Her movement stirred Gary, setting his thumb into a gentle stroking motion on her shoulder and she figured that he must have fallen asleep. She put her hand around him and hooked one leg over his.

'What time is it?' she asked after spending ten minutes trying to think of something to break the silence.

Gary lifted his hand and glanced at his watch. 'Seven thirty.' He replied.

Elliott's eyebrows rose a little. 'Wow, I've lost an hour somewhere.'

'Time flies.' he said, removing his hand from her shoulder to stretch his arms above his head. 'Still, it's not like it's late or anything.'

Elliott cuddled into him. 'It would help if it wasn't so frigging cold up here.'

'You get used to it.'

'Yeah, well I'll never get used to it. You need a heater or something.'

'You saying you'll be coming back?'

Elliott laughed a little. 'Maybe.'

'Maybe we should avoid each other for another two weeks,' Gary suggested. 'Taking the effect separation has on you.'

Elliott sat up and pushed him. 'Oh yeah, I've been spending the last two weeks wondering how I could get you on your back. Like I had to try at all.'

Gary shrugged and smirked. 'I didn't have to try much either.'

She shot him a disapproving look and moved up the bed so she was sitting against the headboard. She had the sheet pulled over her chest and tucked under her arms. 'I hope you're not implying that I'm easy.' She glanced down at him. He had one hand behind his head and was grinning up at her. She couldn't help but laugh a little at him. 'You're such a jerk.'

'And you're so easy to wind up.' Gary chuckled. He pushed off the sheet and stood up. 'I'm going to pee.'

Elliott laughed as he groped around in the growing darkness for his trousers. 'There's a bathroom up here?'

'Sure there is. It's called a bucket.'

Oh, Gary, that's gross!'

'I'm kidding. There's a bathroom across the stairs.' He smirked as he headed towards the door. 'If you go in that drawer there's some matches to light the candles. Try not to burn the place down if you can help it.'

She waited until he had gone before she reached over to the bottom drawer and pulled it open. She hadn't been sure which one he had meant, but upon opening that drawer she realised she had gotten the wrong one. That, however, didn't make her shut it again. Frowning, she reached inside and pulled out one of the many small plastic orange tubs. She peered at the pills inside, and then looked at the label. It was dated a month ago, but the seal hadn't even been broken. Her frown deepening, she put it back and picked out another bottle. Exactly the same, just this one was dated two months ago. There must have been a dozen untouched pill bottles in there, all a different medication. Ritalin, Focalin, amphetamines… and not a single one had been opened since the end of September last year. She remembered that he had mentioned something about having ADD when they had first met and yeah, he did seem a little fidgety and impulsive at times, but she hadn't actually thought he was serious. She had no idea that he was so heavily medicated, but it was more unsettling to discover that he hadn't actually been taking any of his medication.

She reached in the top drawer for the matches and quickly lit the two candles, glancing to the door to make sure Gary wasn't coming back. Then she went back to the bottom drawer and went through the pills again, rechecking the names with the aid of the light. He had nearly every single kind of medication available for ADD. If the cops raided this room he would probably be charged with possession of narcotics.

'What are you doing?'

Elliott glanced around to see that Gary had returned. She forgot how quietly he moved sometimes. He was frowning at her, eyes flicking between the open drawer and the bottle in her hand. She thought she would have panicked when he returned, but instead she found herself quite calm.

'What's all this?' she asked, picking another bottle out of the drawer. 'Gary… there's hundreds of pills here.'

'I told you the matches were in the top drawer.' He said, his frown deepening.

Elliott shook her head and stood up, holding the bed sheet around her. 'How long have you been on these? Or not on these, as the case may seem. The dates on the bottles go back to the end of September but…' She was cut off when Gary suddenly appeared in front of her and snatched the bottles out of her hands, throwing them back in the drawer.

'I said the top drawer.' He repeated firmly. He slammed the drawer shut and turned to her, looking furious.

Elliott blinked at him, completely taken aback by his anger. 'I didn't know which drawer you meant,' she replied, moving back a little. 'And that's not really the point, is it? You can't just stop taking pills like that Gary…'

'I don't need medication,' Gary told her, pointing at his chest. 'Geniuses don't need medication.' He moved away from her, rubbing the sides of his head. 'I stopped taking that stuff because it was turning me into a vegetable. I can think much clearer without it and the only way I can stop that little scumbag Jimmy is if I can think without any distractions…'

Elliott frowned warily and watched him as he began his jerky, fidgety pace backwards and forwards across the room. 'Don't you think that maybe you hate Jimmy so much because you're not thinking clearly? I thought those kind of pills were supposed to prevent you from getting distracted. They're like, smart pills or something.'

Gary shot her another annoyed look. 'Yeah, and I bet you would know all about it. I read your permanent record. You used to sell that kind of stuff at your old school, didn't you? Right before you sold some crap to a kid who ended up in hospital. Maybe I should count up the bottles in case you took any for yourself.'

Elliott stared at him incredulously. She couldn't believe he had just said that. Yeah, she had gone through a phase a year ago when she got in with the wrong crowd but she had only actually sold stuff once or twice. 'You bastard.' She managed, finally. 'You complete… I can't believe you just said that.'

He glanced at her and she thought for a moment he looked guilty, but then he looked away again frowning. 'I should have known you would have found them,' he said. 'I bet you can sniff them out.'

Elliott moved towards him and shoved him hard in his shoulder. He stumbled a little and then looked at her. Despite the fact his eyes said he was regretting every word that came out of his mouth, he laughed.

'What was that? I guess you don't have any energy left after all that exercise in the sheets.'

She shoved him again. 'You bastard!' she yelled. 'I should have fucking known.' She turned and gathered up her clothes from the floor and then looked back at him, trying to regain control of her wavering voice. It wasn't wavering because she was upset; it was because she was furious. 'You know, Gary, I thought you were different. I actually liked you. I should have known you're just another fucking scum bag.' She headed for the door, clothes bundled in her arms and sheet still around her. 'You keep chasing around Jimmy like the loser that you are. Don't bother speaking to me again, got that?'

Gary's shoulders slumped. 'Elliott, come on…'

She turned on him angrily. 'Don't Elliott me, right? You've made it perfectly clear what you think of me.'

He quickly moved to the door as she tried to leave and pushed his hand against it. 'I'm sorry, okay? I… I just get a little excited sometimes. I forget what I'm saying…'

Elliott kept her hand on the handle and didn't look at him. 'Get off the door, Gary.'

'You're right, I shouldn't have just stopped taking them like that, but you don't know what it's like being on that crap. They rot away at you. Drive me insane. I'm better without them, I'm thinking clearer than I have in ages…'

'Gary, get off the door.'

'And you… I don't need medication when you're around. You keep me on the ball. Every time I see you I think of new things and way that we can get to the top of this dump together, and I don't normally even like looking at other people. Elliott, I think I-'

She turned her head to him and shoved him in the chest. 'I said get off the door!' she yelled.

He looked at her for a moment, taken aback, then he stepped back and lowered his head. Elliott hauled the door open and stormed out.

'I'm sorry.' He called after her, but she had already gone into the bathroom and closed the door to change.