A Friend For Ransom

Broken Without You

Elliot then sprang out of the bush. He climbed onto the porch.

"Okay, here it goes." He rang the doorbell and saw Margaret peeking out the window. Elliot typed something onto his phone and showed the type-written message:

Don't call Ellie. I can help you. I won't tell her anything about this.

Margaret hesitated and closed the curtains. The door then opened. "Okay, come in."

"Why were you two fighting?"

"Uh... b-because it was all her... y-yeah... and sh-she--"

"The truth." Mom taught us lie-detecting that I never had time to master.

She sighed. "I can't tell anyone!" She sat down, looking down at her bare feet.

He sat down beside her. "I know you care as much about Ellie as I do." She looked up at Elliot. "This'll help you get a big weight off your chest. Wait." He picked up one of the band-aids, stained with blood, in shock. "What's this?"

"It-it's... complicated."

"As I said before, I can help you." She stared at him silently, not fully convinced.

"Here." He pulled out his phone and showed him the video of me crying in my room. "She's broken without you."

Margaret's face crossed with guilt and pain. She was obviously shattered.

"I hate seeing any of my friends hurt." A tear slid down her cheek.

"Then why'd you fight?" He asked, still confused. "I won't tell Ellie. Not even my plan."

"Plan?"

"Yeah! I'll tell you the whole thing."

         -------------------------------

Dad's car then pulled over on the driveway. He unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Look who I found!"

"ELLIOT!" We screamed in unison as we ran to hug him.

"Why was he walking on the sidewalk alone?"

"He ran away!"

"What?!" Dad exclaimed. "That can't be true, can it?"

I expected a wave of excuses. But instead he said, "I ran away."

The room was dead silent for a moment.

"I'm gonna sleep now. I'm tired." He walked up the stairs.

"Okay, hun. Sweet dreams!"

I started to think that something wasn't right. I went up the stairs and knocked on his door.

"Elliot? Elliot?" I called. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." He answered plainly from inside.

"Sure you aren't sick or hurt?"
I can't believe what I just said-- no scratch that! I can't believe I actually cared.

"No." He repeated.

"Okay, then." I walked through the hallway and into my room. I sat down at my desk. I got a pack of markers, colored pencils, construction paper, pencil, eraser and scissors.

After about two hours, I was done with my sorry card for Margaret. I used yellow paper for borders and purple paper to write my message:

Dear Margaret,
   I am truly sorry about what I have done. I was concerned about you, yet not thinking about your feelings. I was blinded by my obsessive protection for you. I hope you would accept my sincere apology. We are and still will the best of friends. And you know that.

Your friend,
Ellie Gonzales

Below the message was a sticker of a seesaw, because that's how we met, and on each side there's a ladybug. I then put it in a red envelope and used a pizza sticker for a seal.

These things bring up so many memories.