Chosen: A Selection Fanfiction

The Boy I Love

I barely make it out of the room before I burst into tears for maybe the hundredth time today. I wipe under my eyes quickly before heading back to my room.

None of my maids are in the room. I walk over to the closet, biting my lip. I know what I have to do.

In little over five hours, I find myself standing outside my home. My home in Carolina. And I didn't know if I was here to stay or not. 
I walk up to the front door slowly, unsure. I pause. Why am I uncertain? This is my family. Mom and Dad, Beckham and Juliet. I tuck my hair behind my ear, nervous and guilty. I hadn't written! I hadn't written in the approximate two months I'd been at the palace with Adrian. What if they don't want to see me?

I knock, and wait a few moments before knocking again, impatient. Finally, I hear the door being unlocked and it swings open to show Harlow standing there.

"Elliot?" She asks, after a couple beats. "What are you doing here?"
I bite my lip, trying not to cry. Even though Harlow was never my favourite person, she's familiar.

She sees my eyes filling with tears. "Ell, come on in. Beck and Juliet are in the living room, and they'll want to see you."

I nod wordlessly, and she leads me in, shutting the door softly behind me. Her auburn hair has grown out from the last time I saw her – it reaches her shoulder blades. She glances over her shoulder at me, her large brown doe eyes filled with concern.

"Must be weird being back here." She attempts to make small talk with me, and I'm grateful for the effort. "Yeah, it is." I comment quietly. I can hear Juliet playing her recorder. She's improved.

Harlow enters the living room first. "Who was it?" I hear Beckham ask her.

"See for yourself."

I enter the living room and pause. Beckham's jaw drops. He's sitting on the couch next to Juliet. His hair has grown out as well – the black locks are tickling his jawline. His deep blue eyes are wide and he looks much tanner than I remember. Juliet is next to him, and unlike Harlow and Beck, she got a haircut. Her black hair used to reach the small of her back, and now the curls reach her chin, making her resemble a little doll.

"Elliot?" Juliet exclaims. "You're home!"
She leaps off the couch and throws herself at me. I hug her tightly – I missed her. I tell her that.
"I missed you too. So much!" She giggles.

Beckham walks over and envelopes us into his arms. "Ell, what are you doing here?"

"Aren't you happy to see me?" I tease.
"Of course I am. But are you..." He trails off, running his fingers through his hair, and I know what he's trying to ask me.

"No. I mean, I'm not sure yet. Maybe."
"Maybe what?" Juliet pipes up.

"Maybe I'm home for good. I'm not sure yet." I chew on my lower lip nervously.
Beckham steps away. "How are you not sure? Did Prince Adrian not tell you anything?"
"I don't like talking about this, Beck." I admit, wringing my wrists.
"Elliot, come on."
"It was my choice." I finally relent. "It was my choice to come home."
"Why?" Juliet and Harlow shriek in unison.
"Yeah, tell us." Beckham persuades me. "I mean, it's not like we've heard anything about your luxurious palace life for the past two months. No big deal."
"Yeah, why didn't you write me?" Juliet asks, a hurt expression fleeting over her face.

"I was just busy, Jules." I explain vaguely. She pouts.
"You were too busy for me?"
"That's not what I meant, Juli."
"I didn't know being treated like royalty meant your family wasn't a priority anymore." My little sister turns on her heel and stomps angrily out of the room. I hear her bedroom door slam.