“Oh, is that why you were dragging your knuckles on the ground outside?”
I hit him once more and start laughing again.
“What are you looking at?” He asks, trying to peek over my shoulder at the checkout lines.
“Nothing. Nothing,” I say, pushing him towards Dairy.
“Uh, huh.”
“Seriously Sawyer. Stop.”
“Alright, alright.”
“My early man poses are just between you and me. Agreed?”
“Alright but it’ll cost ya’.”
“Yeah, yeah. Put it on my tab.”
“Where’s your bell pepper?” He asks studying my empty hands.
“Uh, I haven’t gotten it yet,” I say, shoving my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.
“Where’s your list?”
I square my shoulders, “In my pocket.”
He raises an eyebrow, “Alright, let me see it.”
I sigh in frustration and slump down in defeat.
“Okay, there’s no list. I was trying to avoid someone.”
He raises another eyebrow, “The same someone you were trying to avoid in French?”
I don’t answer.
“You do know that to avoid someone you must steer away from them right? Following them around is clearly not avoiding them, just thought you should be aware of the rules of avoidance because I’m pretty sure you’re doing it wrong.”
“Okay. You’ve had your fun. Now scoot.”
“See you around Julia Jacobs!” He yells as loud as he can.
“Sawyer!” I grit through teeth and push him further away from Elliott. “Shut up. He’ll hear you.”
“He? Well, well. It’ll cost ya’ indeed! See you tomorrow stalker.”
“Bye Tut.”
He frowns but I can’t tell if he’s angry, hurt, or playing around. Either way I don’t have time for it because I’ve been gone half an hour for a simple bell pepper and my mom is going to flip when I walk through the door. Her dish will be ruined now. Yikes.
The next day, I spot Elliott on my street after school. While passing my living room window I am pulled back into my previous step. Elliott Gray is standing in Ezra Colston’s yard just staring in my direction. I hit the floor like a soldier and belly crawl to the window, peeling two blades of the shutter open. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Wait, chill Julia. I lean into the window. What is he doing? Does he even know Ezra? I pause, noticing Elliott in all his glory. My God he is a fine specimen. Hooah! He wore a pair of faded jeans and a long sleeved black t-shirt with the sleeves pushed up. The wind picked up his hair and dragged it across his perfect face. He ran both his hands through his hair to control it and the muscles in his forearms flexed, sending me into a frenzy. Jeez. Get a grip Julia.
Elliott turned toward the Colston's front door. Ezra Colston got into an auto accident his senior year and broke his back. He barely finished high school and has been confined to a wheel chair for the past two years. His friends used to come around a lot but when they all went their separate ways to college, Ezra was sort of left on his own. He attends classes at the local community college and plans on transferring to university as soon as his lengthy rehabilitation is over. He can’t live on his own right now because of it and is forced to bide his time at home until then. At first, Ezra was sort of lonely I think, but then last year nineteen year old Delphine moved across the street and now I’m not so sure he regrets living at home.
He loves her. She loves him. But she’s stupid and won’t take a chance, too scared to let him make the first move. Dunce.
Hypocrite.
What? Who said that?
I visit Ezra once a week but he’s never mentioned Elliott to me. I start to think he’s using Ezra as an excuse to see me but when Ezra opens his door Elliott hugs him and they do this secret handshake thing that makes me think otherwise. Hmm. They stand on his porch and joke and laugh for what seems like forever.
Ezra points my direction and Elliott drags his hand back down which sends a secret thrill through me, though I'd never say it out loud. Ezra starts laughing and Elliott jokingly wheels Ezra’s chair into the house. You surprise me Elliott Gray. I still suspect that Elliott is using Ezra for information despite their obvious friendship and decide to wait him out but I fall asleep on my mom’s stiff sofa instead. My dad wakes me for dinner.
“What are you doing sweetheart?”
“I’m on a stake out.”
“Oh, okay,” he says, comfortable with my idiosyncrasies.
I gaze out the window and Elliott’s truck is still there. Huh. I decide I’m going to go to Ezra’s after dinner only if Elliott’s out of there. I stuff my face much to the dismay of my mother and run back to the window to see Elliott’s truck gone. Yes! And no? Get it together Julia. I dash out the front door and march up Ezra’s porch.
I pound on the frame of the screen door, “Ezra! Open up Ez!”
“What the bloody heck are you doing creature?”
Ezra’s like the brother I never had. I annoy him, he annoys me, but we'd do anything for each other.
“Why was Elliott Gray at your house all afternoon?”
“Because he’s my friend,” he says, a small smile twists up the side of his mouth.
“How come I’ve never seen him here before?”
“Maybe because you’re blind? I don’t know. He comes here like twice a week Julia. We hang out and stuff. He’s cool. Why? You like him?” An eyebrow raised.