Elly & Kent - The Complete Story: Includes Books 1-3 (6 page)

"Why, Elly? Are you jealous?" He canted his head as he turned it towards me. He pushed the glasses up the bridge of that nose again.

I blinked at him, frozen and then shook my head, my cheeks growing warm. "Pft, no. No, I'm not jealous. I just don't want to get left behind." I was though, of course I was. I wanted to be the one kissing Kent.

"I think you
are
jealous, you just don't want to tell me. What if I told you I did kiss a girl while you were gone?" He leaned on the bed a little closer to me. I moved further away, he was making me squirm and I was pretty sure he was doing it on purpose.

"I'm not jealous. And if you did it while I was gone, well, that's fine...I just...I'm just curious who you did it with!"

Kent raised his eyebrows. He scooted closer. "Oh, yeah? So if I said it was Lindsey Hall that would be okay?"

"Lindsey Hall??" I scooted some more but I wouldn't be able to move anymore, I was at the foot of the bed. I shrugged and looked away. "That's great. She's pretty and thin. I get that..."
 

"What if I'm lying? What if I didn't make out with Lindsey and I'm just testing you?" He moved a little closer again with a little smile, his face coming closer and closer to mine.

"Then..." I looked at him, "you'd be a jerk face. So have you or haven't you?" He was playing games with me and dammit, I didn't appreciate it. I leaned away but he followed.

"What do you think, Elly?"

I stopped moving away, my mind racing, wondering if this was it...the moment Kent would finally kiss me..."I think...I don't know...."

Kent stopped moving forward and shook his head. "No. I didn't kiss her. I haven't kissed anyone." He winked at me as he sat back on the bed away from me. I wanted to throttle him or pounce on him and get it over with. I wasn't sure.

I pressed my lips together and then released them slowly. "Oh, good. We're still even."

Chapter Five

KENT

I was still smiling about my successful Elly torment the other day. I'd gotten her so good. After climbing the old tree which so conveniently led to her window, I slipped into her room. I looked around her unoccupied bedroom as my feet touched the floor. Her light was on so I knew she must've been somewhere else in the house. It was then that I heard her muffled voice coming down the hall. I was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, and before I knew it my feet had taken me to the bathroom. I stood outside, my ear pressed against the door, listening to her in the shower. Her voice was beautiful. More beautiful than I'd realized. It had been drowned out by the radio every other time I'd heard it and it was nice then. But it didn't compare to what I was hearing now, which was pure Elly.

I stood out in the hallway for what felt like two seconds but was probably closer to ten minutes before I heard the shower switch off. Oh shit. If she caught me out here she'd think I was trying to peek at her or something. That was not my intent, not at all. She was my friend, not my computer porn. I looked left and then right before running back down the hallway to her bedroom.

I stared at her desk chair, quickly imagined me sitting there when she came in. No, she'd see me right away. I glanced at the closet and shook my head again. Me popping out of a closet would probably get Elly's fist in my face. Finally, my eyes landed on her bed which was tucked away against the wall. It wouldn't be in her immediate line of vision. I heard the door knob turning down the hall and quickly jumped onto her bed. I got settled in a lounging seated position and crossed my legs at the ankle. I tried to look very casual as I waited there, hands clasped on my chest.

I was giddy with excitement as she came into view. She had the towel clutched her chest and she was still humming softly as she made her way to her dresser. I shifted on the bed, my nerves starting to get the better of me. What if she didn't notice that I was sitting there and just dropped her towel and started to dress? Part of me liked the idea as my cheeks started to turn a little red and my pants started to get a little tighter. I shifted a little uncomfortably. I couldn't think about her that way, she was my friend. Not now, damnit!

I watched with a furrowed brow as she got a pair of black panties from her drawer and shimmied into them, without even dropping her towel. How the hell did she do that? I realized my head had tilted to the other side as I watched her put a bra on over the towel, securing it in place.
 

"What the hell are you doing?"
 

I hadn't realized I'd said it out loud until she screamed and turned around, the brush she'd grabbed was flying at my face. Luckily I saw it coming and held my arm up, deflecting it.

"Jesus Christ, Kent! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Sorry!" I countered as I rubbed my arm where the brush had bounced off. "I wanted to hang out so I snuck out of the house."

She put her hand to her chest before coming over to retrieve her weapon. I mean, her brush. She raked it through her hair roughly, causing me to wince. I would hate to be a hair on her head.
 

"So you thought you'd just come in my room unannounced?!"

I wasn't sure why she was getting so touchy. It's not like I hadn't snuck into her room a dozen times before. "What's the big deal?" I eyed the brush, wondering if she was going to launch it at me again.

"I know you haven't noticed but I have boobs now! I'm a woman, okay? And the things that used to be okay are not so okay anymore. Like sneaking into my room without calling or something first."

"You wouldn't have heard me anyway. Between the shower and your singing." the words left my mouth before my brain processed them. Oh shit.

"Kent! How long have you been in here?!" My fears were realized as the brush came flying at me again. "Get out!"

My arm came up as the brush bounced off almost the same exact spot. "Ow!" I let out as I sat up. "Elly! Calm down. I came in the window and couldn't find you, so I went looking. I heard you in the bathroom and I listened for a minute, then I came back here to wait." It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough to allow me to get away with lying to her without her knowing it.
 

"Fine, whatever. Just cover your eyes! I'm practically naked here." She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

I pulled my glasses off and put them on the bed beside me and covered my face. I could hear my muffled voice. It sounded funny. "Okay. I can't see a damn thing."

There was shuffling around her room as she moved. After a few minutes I heard her door close and her footsteps retreating down the hallway. I jumped a little as the bathroom door slammed and wondered if coming to see her had been such a good idea after all.

With a sigh I stood from the bed. I didn't like it when Elly got mad at me. I had to say I was sorry or something. I moved out of her bedroom and down the hall towards the bathroom. I stood outside of it and listened. I could hear the water running and as I inched a little closer I also heard some muffled noises. Was she crying? I stood there for a moment unsure of what to do. Finally I raised my hand and knocked. Despite the fact that I didn't want it there, my mother's voice was ringing through my head,
A woman is a sensitive creature, Kenny
.
When in doubt always say you're sorry
.
 

"Elly. I'm sorry. I should have been more considerate."

The water ran for another thirty seconds before turning off. "I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." She didn't sound fine. I knew that as soon as I saw her I'd know if she'd been crying or not. Had I made her cry? Shit. I ducked my head and shuffled down the hallway back towards her room. Girls were getting more and more complicated, especially Elly. Ever since... Ah-ha! I grinned to myself as I sat down on her bed. I knew the reason she was being so
irrational,
and
emotional.
She was on her period. And I knew exactly what would make her feel better: cookie dough ice cream and a pedicure. I looked at my watch. I had twenty minutes to get down to the corner store. I jumped up and grabbed a piece of paper and scrawled a quick note which I left on her bed. Back out the window I went and jogged down to the store. About halfway I was breathing heavy because I was video game nerd, not a gym rat.

The door chimed as I pushed it open. I was trying to catch my breath as the guy behind the counter raised his eyebrow curiously at me. I gave him a nod and coughed as I moved over to the freezer and grabbed a tub of cookie dough ice cream. I paid at the counter and my hand moved up to push the glasses up my nose. Now it made sense why things were blurry and I couldn't see. Duh. They were still on Elly's bed.

I started to jog out of the store but ended up walking briskly not long after until I was back at her house. I'd used the window to leave but now I moved to the front door and hit the doorbell. Just as the door opened I heard a voice behind me that made me cringe.

"Kent Matthew Lytle. Get your butt into this car right now or you'll be grounded for three more weeks."

I groaned and turned back to look at the blurry figure in the doorway. Elly. I held out the ice cream and she took it. "Sorry, I'm busted."

"Yeah. You better go. She looks pretty pissed." Her arm reached out and her fingers touched the back of my left hand. "I have your glasses."

Why did it feel like there were butterflies in my stomach?

"It's okay. Just bring them tomorrow. I think it'll hurt less if I can't actually see the look on my mother's face."

I held my breath as I felt her fingers on the front pocket of my jeans as she slipped my glasses in there. "You can't go to school half blind. Don't crush them. Goodnight, Kent."
 

Her fingers moved away as quickly as they'd come and before I could respond I heard the blaring of my mother's horn behind me. I saw the light fade as Elly closed the door and I sighed. It was not going to be a pleasant car ride.

Chapter Six

ELLY

 
It was the first day of Senior Year and everything was pretty much as it always was.
 

And yet different. Kent and I were seniors this year, no longer on the bottom of the social ladder.
 

 
Kent pulled his hatchback into a parking spot nearest to the parking lot exit. The car sputtered when he turned it off and he got out first. He slammed the door, the creaking sound almost as bad as nails on a chalkboard.
 

 
I got out of the passenger's side and winced as I noted the car lift an inch higher. All the ice cream trips with Kent this summer had packed a few...well, several pounds onto my petite and already plump frame. I wondered how in the hell I was going to get a boyfriend with a body like this.

 
I pulled my black backpack onto my shoulder and heaved a heavy sigh as I scanned the lemmings, also known as my fellow students, making their way towards the open front doors as if today weren't the worst day of the year. "Do we really have to go back in there?"

 
Kent swung his backpack onto his shoulder and held onto the strap as he chuckled at me. "Yeah, El, we do, unless you want to get us both grounded...again."
 

 
I grumbled to myself as we started the slow walk towards the front door like all the other sleep deprived kids.
 

 
Kent was walking slightly in front of me and I saw the car with the out of state plates barreling towards him and he seemed not to notice. I gasped and grabbed his backpack, yanking with all my might. He stumbled backwards and the car's tires screeched as it realized too late it was about to hit another human being.
 

 
I glanced over Kent to make sure he was still in one piece and then turned to the car. The first thing I noticed were the black Doc Marten boots, new-shoe shiny. My eyes moved up super-model length legs barely covered by a short Easter pink pleated skirt. Her midriff was showing just enough for people to witness that she was cool enough for a naval piercing. Her white lacey top was covered with a light pink jean sleeveless vest.
 

 
Instantly I wanted to hate her. She was everything I wasn't. She rushed over to Kent and put her pretty fingers on Kent's bicep as her eyes scanned his thin body.

 
"Oh my God, are you alright?" Her voice was sweet and had a Southern twang. I hated her even more but tried to stamp down those feelings as I watched the scene unfolding before me. Kent's cheeks were pink, flushed from his near death experience or the girl contact, I wasn't sure.

 
He stammered slightly. His voice had stopped squeaking a couple of summers ago and it was now a deep baritone and it made me nearly melt almost every time he spoke. "Y-yeah, I-I'm fine."
 

She nodded and her golden blonde locks bounced. "Okay, good. I'm so sorry about that. I was too busy looking for a parking spot. This is not the right way to start off at a new school."
 

 
She turned her sapphire eyes on me and gave me a seemingly genuine smile. I felt my lips returning it even though I still felt that hot burn of jealousy deep in my gut. She needed to get her claws off of my ... Kent.
 

 
"I'm Jen Derby. I just moved here from Georgia with my parents."