An Outsider's Call

19

SAWYER

"Heard Freemind's having a party tonight. You wanna go?" asks Eli from the bathroom.

"I don't know..." I say as I lay on the bed. "What would be fun about it? All I'd get is dirty looks."

"They probably wouldn't even notice you. They'd be focusing on how fun the party is. If they were to notice you, it's probably just because you're the belle of the ball." jokes Eli. I giggle, rolling my eyes.

"You sound like Laura." I say. Eli walks out of the bathroom, giving me a look.

"All I'm saying is that it might be a good distraction. Having fun, dancing, talking, it might take your mind off the worries." he says, walking up to me.

"It's... kind of hard to do that when I'd be surrounded by the people who are triggering the worries themselves." I say standing up and crossing my arms. Eli sighs.

"When was the last time you recall being at a party?" he asks. I think I can answer that pretty quickly, but then I realize, I totally can't. "See? You have a chance to be at a party this one time."

"I thought you didn't trust them." I say. Eli looks at me, looking surprised that I mention that.

"Not all of my trust is in them... but what would they do at a party? They're there to have fun. I think you can take this chance to have a great night. I know you have worries, but you're seriously, the bravest person I know," he says. I give a soft smile. "I know you're capable of walking into a party and not be scared. Don't you think?" he says, with adorable eyes, and grabbing my hands.

Ugh... how can I say no to that face? I clench my teeth reluctantly.

"...Fine..." I say, barely able to make a smile. Eli smiles, kissing me on the forehead.

"Thanks, Marble. Looking forward to it." he says. He slides his hands out of mine, and walks back into the bathroom. I don't know if I'll regret this or not... despite the fact that America told that to my face. But I just want Eli to be happy, and I know he wants that for me too. I guess he thinks this is the way both of us can be joyful. I just hope he's right.

* * *

"I still can't believe you didn't go to a single party when you were at the campus." says Laura, doing my hair as we prepare for the dance.

"Went to one when I was sixteen, got bored fifteen minutes in, left and crashed on my bed." I say. Laura snickers.

"Well, I'm sure it won't be like that with Eli." says Laura. I shrug.

"Probably," I say. "He convinced me, so we'll see."

I feel Laura put one more bobby pin in my hair, and she turns to face the mirror.

"We're done," she says softly, putting her hands on my shoulders and her head next to mine. She's put my hair up in a high ponytail, hair covering my ears, very little strands hanging at the sides of my face. She's given me gold eyeshadow, intense black mascara, and faint pink lipstick. "You like it?"

I nod, smiling. "Yeah. I love it."

"Eli's gonna love it." says Laura. Laura gets up, going to the back of the bathroom.