A/N
I'm still alive! Even if you may not believe it! But yeah, this isn't really that great a chapter, but the next one will be. Also; read the question at the end of the chapter, 'cause it's important. I'm gonna stop talking and get on with it.
Enjoy!
I wake up and for a moment, I don't know where I am. Then I remember; I'm at Haylee's house. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I glance around the room. Gigi's still fast asleep next to me, but I don't see Haylee anywhere. My first thought was that she hadn't come home with us last night, which wasn't uncommon. But then I heard the sound of a teapot boiling, and I headed warily out to the kitchen. Sure enough, she was pouring herself a cup of tea.
"Hey," I say quietly. She nods back at me.
"Ella..." she begins, then cuts herself off. "Do you ever feel like you're in a perfectly normal scenario, and you have no reason to feel bad or anything like that, but your situation just feels so wrong?"
I smile. "You have no idea. So, what's the issue?" She took a seat on one of the bar stools, and I perched on the next one over.
"You know how I always joke about flirting with people all the time?" I nod. "And how I said I might like Luke," she continued, and I nod once again. "You know how drunk I can get. But...I kissed him, and...something about it just didn't feel right, y'know?" That surprises me. Haylee doesn't talk about a kiss as a potentially bad thing. It's not how she rolls.
"Maybe it's because he went to Garde," I joke, but I realize she's completely serious.
"El...I'm worried, because I'm feeling so out of it lately and that just proves that something's wrong with me, because it's just so unlike me," she sighs. "I'm just confused." I don't know how I can help her. I'm used to Haylee being a bit of an airhead, but now I think she's starting to outgrow it.
"I think you need something to take your mind off it. I suggest a trip this weekend," I say, coming around to the idea in my head. "No boys, just me, you and Gigi. Whaddaya say?" She nods, a smile gracing her features.
"Why not? Let's do a road trip. My dad has that old caravan he never uses. And hey, maybe we can even skip school on Monday, have an extra day. You have good ideas."
"Maybe not Monday," I reply. Drake had told me it was the end of his exchange on Monday, and he was going back to Garde. I wasn't sure if Luke was going too, because he was on an exchange, but I decide to file that thought away for another day.
"You wanna wake up Gigi?"
"Yeah, okay. Be back in a sec."
We were driving down the road with the windows down, and the radio blaring. I'm lounging in the back while the other two ride up front. We'd decided earlier to take a trip to Gigi's batch near the beach, since no one was renting it at the moment. And hey, who doesn't like the beach?
The other two are screaming along to the end of the current song, and I smile. When I'm with these two, I always feel free, like I can do whatever I want and have no repercussions. The song changes, and I hum the intro out of habit. I stop short when I realize what song it is.
I'm feeling tip top, not gonna stop tapping my shoes
I ain't got a clue got nothing to lose, so watch me move
Inadvertently, I grin, remembering the time in the hospital when Nolan sang this while I tried to talk to him. That was the day I'd discovered his secret love for The Vamps. Then I push the thought out of my head, trying to focus on something else. Quit it, Ella, I think irritably. It's not like you'll ever see him again.
Apparently, I don't need to think up a distraction, because just then, I hear a loud creak and the caravan stops with a jolt that throws me off my chair.
"Hey!" I yell. "What's wrong with you?"
"I think you mean, what's wrong with the van. We've broken down," Haylee says solemnly. No one says anything for a moment. Then:
"You're not joking, are you?"
"Since when do I ever joke?" She pouts in response. I stick out my tongue at her, and climb out of the van to inspect the damage.
I kick one of the tires in frustration. "Oh my god, we're literally in the middle of nowhere!" Well, there is a building complex about half a mile down the road, but aside from that, nada. Nein. Zilch.
"Okay!" Haylee says brightly, clapping her hands together. "I don't suppose either of you are aspiring mechanics?" Gigi and I exchange a glance as if to say 'is she serious?' "So that means we'll have to walk back to that bunch of buildings."
"Complex," I say absentmindedly.
I look up at her. "The bunch of buildings, it's called a complex." At her blank look, I shrug. "Never mind."
"So, Haylee and I can walk back because we haven't suffered any life-threatening injuries lately-" I open my mouth to protest, but Gigi keeps on going. "Please, Ra. I don't want you fainting on me halfway there. Besides, someone might just happen to drive down this abandoned road! And we'll need you to try and get them to help us."
"Subtle, Gigi. Real subtle."
"Not really," she replies. "Since I told you my intentions."
I wave a hand. "Fine, go. I'll stay on car watch." At their uneasy glances, I snap a salute and sit down in front of the caravan. "Honest. Go."
"See you soon, then." And then I'm alone. On a near-deserted road. Yay.
My old social studies teacher at Garde had a brown pin that said 'YAY!' It was the stupidest thing I ever saw.
...Wow, I'm kinda getting sidetracked here. I start to drift off when I hear an engine, and I look up to see a car approaching. I leap up and wave my arms, stick out my thumb, anything to get them to try and stop. Luckily, they do. I try to repress a maniac grin as the window rolls down. And then my jaw drops. I actually kick the car in surprise.
"Hey, hey," Nolan winces. "I like my ride without dents, thanks." I really needed to stop kicking things today.
"What...why...what're you doing here?"
He raises an eyebrow at me. "I could ask you the same thing." True. I kind of am standing on the side of the road on my own like a loser. I scowl.
"I asked you first."
"Which means you should answer first."
"You're impossible."
"And immortal, apparently, seeing as I'm still alive and talking to you right now," he adds, looking at me pointedly.
I'm slightly confused about how I should act around Nolan. Everything was confusing when it came to him. But the fact remains that he doesn't remember anything about where our relationship stood before, so I'm not sure what to do.
"Um...if you don't mind me asking, why are you here? As in, driving down this road?" I ask awkwardly, trying not to make direct eye contact with him. But he seems determined to meet my eyes, even if it's to no avail. He sighs, and points to his knee.
"Physio. You know what for."
"I'm surprised they let you drive," I say in surprise.
He shrugs. "Yeah, I can be pretty persuasive."
I consider whether I should ask him to help us out. We need a mechanic, and none of us know how to contact one, but maybe Nolan does. I decide to give it a shot. "Hey, would you know how to get hold of a mechanic?"
"Why? Car not working?" He asks, nodding to the van behind me. I nod. "I can take a look. I know a bit about cars." He starts to get out of his car.
"Oh, no, that's okay. You're injured." He pauses in the act of opening his door and looks at me.
"Ella. Just let me look at your damn car, okay?" I don't protest any more, and watch as he hobbles over to the hood of the van. Using his good arm, he props it up and leans over it, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. Then he glances up at me, shaking his head.
"When d'you last get this thing warranted?"
I shrug. "Dunno. It's my friend's." He gestures for me to come over, and I go to stand beside him. "If you're gonna lecture me on how engines work, I think I'll pass.
He narrows his eyes at me. "Do you wanna know what's wrong with this thing or not?" I don't reply. "Okay. So, did it stall?" I nod again. "Right. I think," he begins, bending over the engine again. "that you're low on coolant. Either it's leaked or just used up, but either way you'll need a top up."
"Right. So, I don't suppose you happen to have any of that, do you?"
"Nope. You're outta luck."
"I'll call Haylee and tell her to find some." During my conversation on the phone, Nolan doesn't make a move to get back in his car. Which means that he wants to talk to me about something. Great.
"So, El," he begins, looking right at me as he leans against the van. I don't really want to talk to him, don't feel like having a weird flirty conversation OR a serious one about me leaving Garde. And judging by the tone of how we've been talking so far, it's gonna be the latter.
"So, how're the Mogs? They behaving?" He asks casually. I shuffle awkwardly. It feels like something has changed between us, but I'm not sure what. But he seems to know that, too.
"Yeah. It's fine," I reply halfheartedly. He raises an eyebrow at my unenthusiastic response, and I look down the road and almost wilt with relief when I saw my two friends.
"Woah, Ella, did you-uh, hi," Haylee trails off awkwardly when she spots Nolan, leaning on his crutches. "Do I know you?"
"Uh, no. We've never met," Nolan replies warily, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. He's probably annoyed he didn't get to talk to me properly. Well, too bad. I don't want to talk to him.
"This is Nolan," I say quickly. "And these two are Gigi and Haylee."
"Right. I suppose they're Mogs?" Our nickname for anyone at Mogadore.
"Yeah."
"I recognize you from somewhere. But where..." Haylee trails off and holds up a finger. "The photo! You were in the photo Ella showed me!"
A corner of Nolan's mouth lifts. "Did she say anything about me?"
Gigi and Haylee look at each other and start talking in rapid-fire.
"Did she talk about him?"
"Yeah, which one was he?"
"I dunno, that's why I'm asking you!"
"She talked about four guys, so you've got a twenty five percent chance of guessing right."
"Since when do you know math?"
"He's...the amnesiac! Right?" Gigi turns to me to confirm it. I run a hand over my face in exasperation and gave them a brief nod. A smirk is starting to form on Nolan's face. I don't even want to know what he's thinking.
"So," he begins casually. "What'd Ella say about me?" I give them both a hard stare, which Gigi catches, but of course Haylee misses it.
"Oh! You're one of the ones-" I know what she's about to say before she says it, and I cough loudly.
"Yes, he's one of those two," I say, glaring at Haylee pointedly. She closes her mouth sheepishly.
"I'm one of what two?" Nolan questions, peering at me curiously. I try to think of a cover up before Haylee can say anything else.
Um, um... "One of the...Vamps fans!" I exclaim, then mentally slap myself. What kind of cover was that? Nolan apparently agrees, because his eyebrows lift and his smirk grows wider.
"Oh my god, you like them too?" Gigi asks excitedly. Well, I guess my topic change isn't a complete fail. Phewsh.
Nolan looks alarmed. I stifle a laugh. "Oh, no, I'm not a big fan, trust me."
"Don't lie," I say absentmindedly, and he blinks in my direction.
"I don't suppose you'd know, though, since you moved and all," he points out nonchalantly, and even though it's casual enough, I sense the deeper undertones in his words.
"Yeah, well," I reply lightly. "Sometimes you can't control things. That's life."
"Like you can't control your friends leaping off of buildings because you didn't look before you jumped?"
Gigi and Haylee's heads are whipping back and forth between Nolan and I, but I don't really process that. That one question makes me freeze, and I lock eyes with him. We'd talked this all through before, and he had specifically told me that I shouldn't beat myself up over it. That suppressed some of my guilt at the time, but now that he's talking about it as if it's my fault (which it is), I suddenly feel a lot worse. But then I feel angry, because yes, it WAS my fault, but we had been over it many, many times and we'd come to a mutual agreement that we were each responsible for our own injuries, and no one else's. That agreement had held, until now.
"I thought we had an agreement," I reply tersely, holding his gaze. He shrugs noncommittally, which makes my eye twitch."What's happened to you?"
"What do you mean, what's happened to me?" He barks out a laugh. "God, Ella. What's happened? Where do I even begin? With the shattered knee? The amnesia? How about the fact that I'll never be able to even run again without needing surgery?" He drops his head, breaking our eye contact, and then adds in a quieter voice, "I think that pretty much explains everything." My heart breaks with those seven mumbled words. I didn't know about the last thing, and I can't believe it's that bad.
"Nolan, I didn't know-"
"Just drop it. Whatever. Go live a happy life, so I didn't nearly die in vain. Cool?" He says flatly, then turns and limps back to his car. "See you later."
I watch him drive away with wide eyes, and Haylee laughs nervously.
"So. The beach is waiting!"
Gigi elbows her. "Are you serious?"
The former raises her hands. "Hey, just trying to use a distraction! Don't hate me for trying!" I shake my head, and force a smile at their antics.
"Let's just go. I think I'll be fine once we reach the beach." I climb back aboard the van and lay down on a bench near the back. Maybe a nap would help me feel better. Turns out, my day was going to get a whole lot more interesting. I drift off as Gigi drives towards the beach, and Haylee practically screams in my ear to wake me up.
"ELLA! WE'RE HERE!"
I sit up, rubbing my eyes. "And I'm deaf. Jeez, Haylee."
"Sorry," she says, not sounding sorry at all.
"Whatever." I jump out of the caravan and look over the beach. And my heart drops. I could've guessed, with Nolan heading out this way.
I make eye contact with Damien, and he waves. I frown.
And he's not the only one. The entire Garde High junior class is there with him.
I know, it's not amazing or anything, but I've got some serious drama planned for the next chapter. Anyway, I wanna know if you guys want me to write heaps about Ella's time at Mogadore. Because I could realistically end this in a few chapters, but I could draw it out and have some drama with the Mogs. So, your choice.
Until later (probably a few years while I hibernate),
HV
