Unforgiven

Shut Up, Blondie

Eli rocks back and forth on Carasolla's chair, a glare fixed on his face. He's mad.
"Look, I'm sorry," I whisper. "I didn't know she was going to be absent,"
"Shut up," He hisses. I no longer hear the chatter of my classmates, but the thumping of my heart as the cruel words sink in. I gaze at the ground, obviously unhappy.
"Hey, blondie, aren't you supposed to protect her, not make her cry?" My head shifts up to the direction of the voice.
"Dominick..." I murmur.
"Treat her with some respect, OK blondie?" The thumping turns from a marathon, into a fast paced race. I don't know how to complete my task. I know I can't become best friends with Dominick, but, I guess we could be friends and nothing more. Good friends would be pushing it a bit.
"You have no idea what she's going through, Eyekon," Eli explains, anger and frustration rising. Dominick looks at me confused.
"What's going on with her? I want to know, now,"

He was so angry. He yelled at Dominick. He made me frightened. He made me angry. He watched in horror as I stood up for Dominick. He wants an explanation.

Eli shoves me into the janitors closet, following and closing the door.
"What the hell Stephania?! Do you not value your survival at all?!?" Eli screams frustrated. What's going on? Why can nothing go right for me? Why do I have such a hard time with making friends? Why am I an idiot? My eyes widen.
Why am I an idiot?!
Eli glares angrily. He's really mad. My heart sinks deeply, pulling my whole mood down with it. I close my eyes and open them as a tear slides down my cheeks. Cold and clear. Eli is at first, confused, then shocked, then soothing. Tears come like a downpour.

I'm not angry, or mad, or sad. I'm shocked, confused and... happy. It's just a friendly hug. That's all.
"Sorry..." Eli whispers guiltily. He lets go and reveals his bright red face. He's blushing. I smile, wiping the tears off my face.
"C'mon, let's go back to Above," I suggest.
"yeah..okay..." Then, we hear it.