All In | ✓

Seven

Monday comes and goes and Troy has yet to open my message. 
   
“Why are you talking to me about it?” Elisica doesn’t look up from her phone. “He doesn’t like you. Actually, that’s an understatement. Why would he read anything you send him?”
   
“I was wondering if you could tell him that it’s nothing bad.”
   
Now that makes Elisica look up from her phone. I offer her a half-smile and she rolls her eyes in response.
   
“I’ll do nothing of the sort.” She sets her phone down on the table. “This is your problem to solve. Now fuck off, I’m busy.”
   
“You’re not doing-”
   
“I said I’m busy, Jack.”
   
“You’ve said my name twice now.”
   
“Wow, let’s throw a party.” Elisica’s hands go up and shake. “Look at how excited I am.”
   
“Your jazz hands are very lackluster.”
   
“That’s the point, dickweed.”
   
“You’re not very nice.”
   
“Yo, what’s goin’ on?” Chase jumps onto the table and crosses his legs. 
   
“He won’t leave me alone.” Elisica points at me while looking at Chase. “Can you get him to fuck off for me?”
   
“You’re on your own.” Chase pats Elisica’s shoulder. “Bye, lovebirds!”
   
“I will kill you!”
   
Chase walks away, flapping a hand at us and laughing. Elisica’s head drops into her hands and I hear her sigh.
   
“Hey you two.” Hudson pulls out the chair next to Elisica and sits down, smiling at the girl. “You guys ready to give your speeches tomorrow?”
   
Elisica nods, glancing down at her phone. “What’d you do yours over, Hudson?”
   
“Just something about words and how their meanings have been changed into jokes.” Hudson shrugs. “Nothing major. It was actually pretty easy to write. What about you, Jack?”
   
“I did mine over, uh, religion and homophobia.”
   
Elisica’s head whips up and our eyes lock. I offer her a smile, only to be met with a blank stare.
   
“Let me get this straight,” she finally says. “You wrote a speech about homophobia in religion?”
   
“Yep.”
   
“You.”
   
“Yeah.”
   
“About homophobia.”
   
“Indeed.”
   
Elisica blinks once, twice, then looks down at the table.
   
“What the fuck,” she whispers, resting her chin in one hand. Hudson pats her shoulder but she completely ignores him, lost in her thoughts.
   
“Are you ready to actually give your speech?” Hudson looks up at me. I nod in response and Elisica snaps back into reality.
   
“We’ve got to actually give the speech,” she mutters. Hudson and I exchange a look before nodding at her. “Shit. Shit, shit shit-”
   
“Chase?” I call, taking a step back, watching as her hands go from still to shaky. “Chase, it’s Elisica.”
   
“What?” Chase looks up at me. I gesture towards Elisica and he’s on his feet, rushing to get next to her.
   
“Chase, you need to get her out of the room,” Hudson states, standing up. “I don’t- if you can’t get her to avoid it then she needs to get out of here.”
   
“Eli.” Chase crouches down and looks into Elisica’s eyes, reaching out and grabbing her wrist. “Hey. Look at me.”
   
Tears begin to slowly roll down her cheeks, her entire body vibrating.
   
“Jack, I need a water bottle.” Chase gestures towards where he was sitting as he walks around to Elisica’s side of the table. “Grab mine and follow me.”
   
I jog over to Chase’s bag and grab his water bottle before turning and following the trio out of the room.
   
“Hudson, what’s happening to her?”
   
“Panic attack,” Chase answers, his arm wrapped firmly around Elisica’s waist. “Right her, set her down here.”
   
Hudson and Chase move Elisica until she’s in a sitting position, her back pressed against the wall. She moves on her own, pulling her legs up to her chest. Her arms wrap around them as she stares blankly ahead.
   
“What can we do?”
   
“I don’t know!” Chase exclaims, crouching down. He takes one of Elisica’s hands in his own and traces a small circle over and over again. “It’s never gotten to this point before, I’m usually able to pull her out of it before it fully hits.”
   
“She’ll be okay, right?” I glance back and forth between Chase and Hudson.
   
“Go back to classroom, Jack,” Chase instructs. “Please. I don’t want her to see you when it’s over.”
   
I nod mutely and walk backwards into the classroom, keeping my eyes trained on Elisica.
   
“Hey, Jack.”
   
I turn and smile at the girl, trying desperately to keep my composure. “Hey Natasha.”
   
“I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me sometime?” An index finger reaches out and touches my forearm before slowly making its way down to my hand.
   
“I’m sorry.” I yank my arm away. “I’m going to have to decline.”
   
“But why?” Natasha takes a step closer. I take a step back and look out the window in the door, and there’s Elisica.
   
I swallow the lump in my throat before looking back at Natasha.
   
“Because I’m in love with someone else,” I reply. “Now please go.”
   
“Who is it?” Natasha cocks her head.
   
“It’s Elisica.” I look back out the door window.
   
“Her? Really?” Natasha takes another step forward, pressing me against the wall. “But I like you, and she doesn’t. In fact, she-”
   
“Hates me?” I chuckle. “Yeah. I’m well aware.”
   
“Why would you want to be with someone you don’t have a chance with?”
   
“Because unlike the rest of the folk in this school, Elisica is caring and passionate about things other than her grades,” I snap. “Unlike the rest of the school, she doesn’t hate on people for something they can’t control. Unlike you, she knows how to respect boundaries. Now will you please back the hell up?”
   
Natasha’s jaw drops open and she stomps away. I let out a sigh of relief before turning my full focus back onto Elisica.
   
Hudson notices me staring and shakes his head, then whips his head towards Elisica, who coughs.
   
She blinks a few times before reaching up with a trembling hand to wipe away her tears. Chase smiles and hands her his water bottle, then helps her take a few drinks.
   
Hudson crouches down and says something to her which she answers with a nod.
   
I turn away and sit back down at my seat. She’s fine. She’s okay. She’s fine. She’s okay.
   
Right?
   
The sound of Elisica’s voice draws my attention from nothing to the doorway. She walks into the room, Chase supporting her with an arm around her waist.
   
I wave Hudson over. He walks over to me, ignoring everyone’s eyes on him.
   
“Is she okay?” I tug on his sleeve, pulling him down. He pulls my hand off and nods, straightening up.
   
“Eli is fine.”
   
“You’re close enough to her to call her Eli?” I feel myself wilting slowly. Hudson sighs and closes his eyes, shaking his head.
   
“I wouldn’t call myself a close friend. She asked me to call her Eli,” he explains. “You’ll get to that point eventually though. I believe in you.”
   
“Thanks Hudson.”
   
“Of course.”
   
“Hey.” Chase jumps onto the table next to me and rests a hand on my shoulder. “I just wanted to make sure you won’t tell anyone about that.”
   
“Of course I won’t!” I exclaim. “Why would I?”
   
“Well, I heard some things about what you did back in middle school.” Chase rubs the back of his neck and looks away. “I know you’re different now, but-”
   
“I swear on my life I won’t tell anyone about it.”
   
“Good.” He nods at me and smiles. “Thank you.”
   
“You might win this bet after all.” Hudson nudges my shoulder. “Look at you and your good guy streak.”
   
I don’t want the bet anymore.
   
I don’t want it, I don’t want the money I don’t want the prize, the satisfaction.
   
I want her to be happy.