𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, euphoria

9. a walk on a short bridge.

elliot was used to skipping class.

milani, not so much.

as the two walk side by side, somewhere milani wasn't familiar with, they were reaching a certain bridge.

elliot had come here before, and even showed rue the place. it was somewhere he enjoyed years before he met any of the people he'd recently called his friends.

the boy didn't have to do much to convince milani to skip sixth period with him. she noticed him about to leave and chose to trail alongside him.

elliot didn't really want to get her in trouble, or let her get behind, but the girl reminded him that there was no way she'd ever get behind in her classes.

milani insisted on driving her car, but elliot assured her wherever they were going wasn't far.

usually, when elliot skipped class it was to do drugs. although he wouldn't admit it, he feared he was just as much as an addict as rue.

not that he'd ever let milani know that, though.

the past five years of her life she'd be haunted by the addiction of her mother, as well as the death of her parents. with rue as her cousin, elliot kind of assumed addiction ran in the family.

but elliot wouldn't dare do drugs in the sacred place he was taking milani. that just wasn't the kind of location he'd disrespect like that.

he resisted the urge to grab milani's hand as they approached the area.

"a bridge?"

"yeah," elliot smiled happily, finally settling down on the ledge.

milani looked down at her outfit, she didn't really wanna sit on the dirty bridge.

"don't be rude," the boy eyed her.

she rolled her eyes and sat.

"so what's special about here?"

elliot shrugged, "i used to come here all the time with my best friend."

"you? friends?" milani teased.

"ha, ha." he replied, sarcastically.

milani thought for a second, "but seriously, who are they and why don't you come here as much anymore?

elliot pouted his lip and she felt like she'd walked into a certain territory she didn't know was off limits.

"oh, you don't have to—"

"no it's fine," elliot interrupted. elliot placed his arms on the bar that separated them from the ledge of the bridge. "well, his name was carter."

milani caught the 'was' but allowed him to continue.

"we were friends from like kindergarten to eighth grade." he reminisced. "he didn't grow up in a lucky family, or even one put together, not that i can judge. he was always really close to his cousins, even though they were always in some deep shit."

elliot made sure to hide his face from milani. he never remembered being this emotional. or maybe he was just too high to think about it too much.

"one day, in the summer between eighth and ninth grade, him and his cousins drove on this bridge and got caught up by some guys who had been looking for them. his cousins, not him. but that didn't matter to them, y'know? he was there and that was enough for him to be collateral from their shit, anyway."

milani's was able to pick up on what he meant and her heart clenched as she found herself rubbing his back. elliot flinched but didn't stop her after a while.