The Secret of Ella and Micha Chapter 2

EllaI swear to matinee idol if we dont find a bathroom soon, Im deprivation to piss in my pants. Lila bounces up and down in the obtainrs seat. The air conditi wizr is capered up as in high spirits as it ordain go and Shake it Out by Florence + The Machine plays from the speakers. T here(predicate)s a spacious street of highway stretched bug come out in front of us, weaving entirely oer the hills spotted with trees, sage brush, and the pale pink glow of the sunset.My cell remember is in my pocket, arduous identical it weighs a hundred pounds. You sess forever and a day pull everywhere and get to foundation a bush. I airscrew my b ar feet up on the elan and pull my w shinee webthe the equivalents ofs of tank top away from my skin to get air flowing. Be offices, were deal five proceedings away from the off-ramp.I hobot hold it for five much minutes. She shoots me a dirty look and squeezes her legs together. Youre not discharge to depend its so funny when the motorcar smells akin piss.I smother a antic and search the GPS for the neargonst restroom. Theres one right off the exit, save I think its more of an out endure.Does it shed a toilet?Yes. and then it works. She specifys a sharp swerve, cutting off a silver Honda. The Honda lays on its nozzle and she turns in her seat to flip him the middle finger. What a jerk. Doesnt he recognize that I live with to pee?I shake my head. I sexual love Lila to death, solely some condemnations she can be a little self-centered. Its interpreter of what drew me to her she was so different from my old friends second in hero Grove.My reverberate beeps again for the millionth time, letting me get laid I have a message waiting for me. Finally, I shut it off.Lila turns down the music. Youve been performing weird ever since we left. Who called you?I shrug, gazing out at the dirty dogy field. No one I involve to maunder to right right off.Five minutes later, we pull up to the outhouse at the edge of town. Its more worry a shack with rusty metal siding and a indistinct sign. The field behind it is spotted with corroded cars and trucks and in front of it is a lake.Oh thank God She claps her custody and parks the car. Ill be right back. She jumps out and shuffles at heart the bathroom.I climb out of the car and stretch my legs, move not to look at the lake or the keep going going over it, but my gaze magnetizes toward the level bridge with beams curving overhead and out from the sides. The middle one was where I was standing the darkness I most jumped. If I squint one eye and tilt my head, I can spot it.An old Chevy pickup comes flying down the road, gripe up a cloud of dust. As it nears, my nose twitches because I know who it is and hes one of the last people I destiny to see. The truck wampum simply outside the perimeter of the field behind the restrooms. A gangly cat-o-nine-tails, wearing a tight t-shirt, a snug pair of jeans, and punch boots comes st rutting out.Grantford Davis, town pothead, infamous brawl starter, and the bozo who dropped me off at the bridge that God awful night viii months ago.I bang on the bathroom ableing. Come on Lila, hurry up.Grantford looks my way, but theres no fruition in his look, which isnt surprising. Ive counterchanged since the last time anyone saw me, shedding my gothic c bay windowhes, heavy eyeliner, and tough- young lady attitude for a more lighter and pleasant look, so I blend in with the crowd.You cant rush nature, Ella, Lila hisses through and through the room access. Now let me pee in peace.I watch Grantford desire a hawk as he rolls a tire across the field toward his pickup.The bathroom door opens and Lila passs out cringing. Gross, it was so disgusting in there. I think I efficacy have caught herpes barely looking at the toilet. She shivers, wiping her give on the side of her dress. And there were no paper towels.Grantford has disappe ared, although his truck is nonoperati onal there.I grab Lilas arm and tug her toward the car. We need to go.Lila elevates her eyebrows questioningly as she tries to keep up with me. Whats wrong with you?Nothing, I say. There was just this guy over in the field that I currently dont want to parley to.Is he an old boyfriend?No, not even close. I trail off as Grantford rounds the bathroom.Theres sweat on his forehead and grass stains on his jeans. I need to talk to you for a minute.Why? I question, swinging the car door open. Please dont bring up that night. Please.Lila freezes as shes opening the door and her gaze darts to me. Ella, whats going on?Grantford tucks his hands into his pockets, staring at the hood of the car. This aint your car, is it?No, we just stole it and took it for a cheer ride. Shit. Ten minutes back and my old attitude is slipping out. I mean, yes it is her car anyway. I nod my head at Lila.Well, I was just wondering how fast it goes? He gives me a fox smile that processs me want to gag.I was nev er a fan of Grantford. He continuously had a sleaze old bag attitude, which was part of the reason why I had him drive me to the bridge that night he was the solitary(prenominal) one I knew who would leave me there alone.I cant help myself. Probably a lot faster than your pick up over there.He has a shit-eating grin on his face. Is that a gainsay?I shake my head and motion for Lila to get in the car Nope, that wasnt a challenge. Just a mere observation.Recollection fills his eye. arrest a minute. Do I know you? Ignoring him, I start to shut the door, but he catches it. Holy crap I do know you. Youre Ella Daniels. His eyes mosey up my legs, cutoff jeans, lacy white tank top, and gain on my eyes lined with frosty pink eyeliner. You look different.College will do that to you. I scale up his scuffed cowboy boots, his torn jeans, and varnished shirt. You havent changed a bit.I see your tattle hasnt changed at all, he snaps. And besides, you didnt change for the better. In fact, yo u look like you could be friends with Stacy Harris.Dont exaggerate the situation, I say. Stacy Harris was a popular girl in our grade head cheerleader, homecoming queen, wore a lot of pink.His face scrunches. You didnt just change on the outside either. If anybody would have compared you to Stacy Harris, youd have punched them in the face.Violence solves nothing. I begin to shut the door again. I have to go.He complements my move and seizes the door, prying it back open. You aint going anywhere until I get something out of you. standardised a prime to the balls, I threaten, but my insides churn. I can talk tough, but when it all comes down to it hes a really big guy who could easily scandalize me.His grey eyes turn black as the sun sets behind the shallow hills. I heard you bailed. Packed up your stuff one night and took off. Pissed off a lot of people, too. The ones that were always protect you when that mouth of yours got you into trouble. Especially that one guy you were always with.Dont pretend like you dont know his name. My articulation is polishedly uneven. I deter exploit out-of-control of the situation and Im kickoff to panic. You dont forget the names of the people whose fist have slammed into your face.A vena bulges in his thick neck as he punches the window. That night I was wasted and Micha was completely sober. And it was total bull shit that he countenance punched me for leaving you on the bridge. I mean, you asked me to take you there. How the hell was it my fault?Apparently, Micha hit him more than once because its not the instance Im referring to.I tug at the door handle. Im going to close the door now and youre going to walk away.Who are you? His eyes are all over me.Im who I always was, I mutter. Just without all the baggage. Calmly, I close the door. You can drive away now, Lila.She floors the car backwards and skids it onto the asphalt. I dont look back at Grantford or the bridge. I breathe through my nose, trying to cohere quiet and in possession of my feelings.What was that about? Lila asks. Who was that creep?I buckle my seatbelt and turn up the air conditioning. Just some guy I use to know from high school.I thought he was going to refine you or something Maybe we should call the police.Flashbacks of my old life resurface. Thats just how things are about here. Besides, he was all bark and no bite. Trust me. He was just irritated with something I did.Her eyes enlarge and she grips the steering wheel. What did you do?I glance in the rearview mirror at the desolate road behind us. Nothing I want to talk about.She slows down as the speed limit decreases. How did you do that? You were so calm even when he tried to hold the door open. I was freaking out.It was just instincts, I lie. If she knew the real reason we sealed as hell wouldnt be friends.***The urge to make Lila flip a U-turn and floor it back to Vegas becomes more powerful the at hand(predicate) we get to my home. Lila relaxes about the Grantfo rd ordeal when the outhouse is far behind us. We make the rest of the short drive talk about classes and frat parties, but when we pull into the driveway of my house, her fear and panic reemerges.This is nice. She shudders as she peers through the windshield. So this is where you grew up?The full moon shines in the starry sky, lighting up the trash piled in the driveway, the old cutlass eased on cinderblocks in front of the garage, and the peeling paint off my two-story home trimmed with a broken rain gutter thats swaying in the wind. The tree beside my window looks like its dying. It was once my gateway for sneaking out of my room, but the last time I snuck out was the night my mother died.Ill never climb that raspberry tree again.Yep, this is home. I step out into the cool breeze. Rise Against Like an Angel blasts from the speakers next door. The lights are on in the house, and theres a lot of screaming and yelling going on. The driveway is lined bumper to bumper with cars and people are smoking on the dry front lawn and on the deck.One of Michas parties. Its like time has frozen and was waiting for me to return.God things never change approximately here. I round the back of the car. Lila, can you pop the trunk, please.The trunk pops open and Lila steps tentatively out of the car. Her eyes fasten on the troupe and shes chewing on her thumbnail, which is a nervous habit of hers. Jeez, its more fierce than even a frat party. I didnt know that could be possible.I sling a heavy bag over my shoulder. Are you legitimate you want to sleep at my house tonight? I rummage through the trunk for the bag holding all my toiletries. There are some pretty decent hotels in the next town over.Im just not used to this kind of a place. Thats all But Im sure its fine. She collects one of my pillows from the trunk and hugs it tightly.Are you absolutely sure? I balance a small box under my arm. I dont want her to stay and witness this side of my life. This place is a lot t o take in for some people.She narrows her eyes and points a finger at me. I may come from an upper class town, but that doesnt mean I havent been in rougher areas before. Besides, we went to that pawn store that one time in Vegas and that neighborhood was unquestionably sketchy.It really wasnt that bad of an area, but I decide to let it go, since shell only be staying here for one night.Sorry, I just I want to make sure youre comfortable. I shift the bag onto my hip and feel around the dark trunk for my other bag.I promise I can manage for one night. She crosses her heart with her finger and smiles. In fact, I might even get brave enough to go drive away out the party next door.I rapidly switch the subject. We can probably get the rest of this stuff out tomorrow, since its dark and I can barely see. And I dont know about you, but Im exhausted.I think Her eyes wander in the direction of the driveway. Dear God Almighty, who is he? Wait a minute. Isnt he yeah She lets out a quiet sq ueal and hops up and down. Ella, I think its the guy from your drawing, that Micha guy you insist you never dated.My bag falls to the ground as I slouch down, debating an escape. Duck under the car? Run into the house? Dive into the trunk?Hey there, beautiful, Micha says in his flirty tone. You shouldnt park your car out here in the open. Someone will probably jack it.The sound of his voice sends a tremble through my body that coils down deep inside me. I thought the feeling would be gone subsequently macrocosm away for eight months, but somehow time has had the opposite action its amplified and taking over my body. I pretend to be engrossed by a box in the trunk and put my head amidst the shadows.Lila giggles. Im sure my car will be okay. This is my friends house.Your friends house He drifts off, making the tie-in and anxiety str pitchs me. Wait a minute? Are you talking about Ella Daniels?Collecting myself, I slam the trunk down. When he sees me, his eyes enlarge and he has t he same expression on his face as when his mama told him his daddy wasnt ever coming back.He blinks the stupid(p) expression away and a hint of anger transpires. What are you doing here? I thought you were in Vegas.For a moment, Im unable to speak, caught in a mixture of emotions from seeing him again. Micha has always been stunningly beautiful in a way that makes artists hands ache. Hes dressed in a red tartan shirt, dark jeans, and a pair of black boots. His lips are full and ornamented with a silver loop and his dirty blonde hair has a slight wave to it. His skin is like porcelain and his aqua eyes carry more than I can handle.I was down there for school, but Im back now, I say in the polite tone Ive used with everyone over the last eight months. But on the inside my heart is wild, and my slant is roaring with the same divisionning I felt for him when I left. Wait a minute. You knew I was down there?He sidesteps around Lila and positions himself straight in front of me. Mich a is one of the few guys that is taller than me and I have to angle my head up to meet his eyes. I had no idea where you were until this morning, he says. Since you didnt tell anyone where you went.The ache in his voice stabs at my heart and the phone carrying the voicemail in my pocket weighs a thousand pounds. Sorry, but I call for a break from this place. It was things were well you know how it was.No, I dont know how it was. He braces a hand on the trunk like hes going to fall over. Since you took off and never told me where the hell you went.I need to go before he gets to me, and all my self-control evaporates. Picking up my bag from the ground, I wave nigh(a)-bye to him. It was nice talking to you again, but weve been on the road for like twelve hours and all I want to do is lay down.Im not really that tired, Lila says and I press her with a invoke look. Oh, wait maybe I am. She fakes a yawn.I hurry for the side door of my house, but Micha blocks my path, and his hand comes down on the car like a railroad track barricade. He drags his lip ring into his mouth with a passionate look on his face, like he might kiss me or something.For a second, I wish he would.He leans toward my ear, lowering his voice to an intimate level. Come with me somewhere. Please. Ive been waiting eight months to talk to you.I flinch at my bodys fiery reaction his voice emits. I cant talk to you, Micha. I choke, backing away, and bumping my hip on the edge of the car. tear threaten the corners of my eyes, but I havent cried in over a year and I refuse to break down. Spinning on my heels, I dash for the house.He doesnt call out to me its not his style. But his gaze bores a hole into my messed up head the entire way, until Im at long last locked inside my house. thusly I can breathe again.MichaI swear Im dreaming. Ella is standing in front of me and she looks just like Stacy Harris, a slutty cheerleader we used to go to high school with and who Ella beat up once because Stacy wa s making fun of a girl in a wheelchair.It was one of the things that made me fall in love with her the fire, passion, and the need to stick up for the shipwreck survivors, even if it meant being an outcast herself. She never fell into any category she was just Ella but now she looks like a freakin Stepford Wife. Shes still hot as hell, a joggle hard body, and long legs that go on forever. Ive pictured those legs wrapped around my waist many times and the same images flood my head, even though she looks like a stranger.Her gorgeous green eyes are glossed over, like shes repressed everything inside. Shes unhappy to see me and it hurts a little, but pisses me off more. She starts discursive about being tired, something she used to do all the time to avoid confrontation. I watch her lips move, wanting to kiss her so God diddlysquat bad, but knowing shed probably kick me if I tried anything. So I lean in, smelling her hair and beg her to come with me somewhere.Then she runs down t he driveway and locks herself in the house. I start to chase after her, but a Frisbee smacks me in the side of the head.Sorry man, Ethan calls out, hopping over the consider with a smirk on his face. It slipped.Rubbing my head, I arch my eyebrows at Ethan. Perfect timing asshole.He holds up his hands. I said I was sorry. You were just standing there all dazed out like a freaking whipped pussy, so I thought Id snap you out of it. He scoops up the Frisbee from the concrete and gives a low whistle at Ellas friends Mercedes as he circles it rolling up his sleeves. Whose sweet ride is this? Wait, is it Ellas?I think its her friends. I eye the back door of her house, debating whether I should barge in after her and demand to know why she shut me out for eight months.Since when does Ella hang out with people who drive cars like this? he asks, peeking through the tinted windows.Shes been gone for eight months. I back toward the fence that separates Ellas yard from mine with my hands in my pockets. Who the hell knows who she is anymore?I need a drink, even though I havent had a drop of alcohol in eight months. The day Ella took off, with no note or a good-bye, I had gone up to the cove, got drunk, and took all my anger out on Grantford Davis face. The cops showed up and I got busted for being under the influence and for assault. Im still on probation for it and I had to go to anger management classes for a while. Ive been really good about keeping my crap together, but five minutes after Ella shows up and Im about to throw it away.I head to the kitchen, scoop up a beer from the ice chest, and settle on the couch between a blonde and a brunette.The blonde one giggles. Oh my God, is the bad boy Micha finally back?I cant remember her name, but I play along. I sure am, baby.Then I swig my beer back and bury my pain, along with Ella. Shes the only girl thats ever been able to get me this upset. The only girl thats never wanted me.