Page 1 of Chasing Elliott
To those who have been told you always have to color inside the lines… you don’t
Keep it together,I repeated in my head for the fifteenth time, smoothing down the front of my dress as I stared at myself in the rustic floor length mirror.You need to keep it together.
I turned around, grabbing my jewelry off the dresser and placing the pearl strand around my neck. I took a deep breath, trying to stop myself from crying for the millionth time, knowing my mom would be mad if I ruined the make-up she had applied for me.
“You need to look the part,”she had said as I sat on my bed, an eyeshadow brush in her hand.“Remember, it’s important to keep up appearances.”
“Of course, that’s what means the most to you,”I told her, rolling my eyes.“Heaven forbid you actually do the right thing.”
Her hand came into contact with my cheek, causing my head to snap to the side and moretears to surface.“Unless you want to find yourself back at your father’s, I suggest keeping your mouth shut.”
I sat back down on my bed, reaching for the heels she had picked out and slowly slid my feet into them. This was the last thing I wanted to do, the last place I wanted to be, but I knew she needed me.
Kara needed me.
“Elliott, get your ass down here,” I heard my mother’s voice yell up the stairs. “We’regoing to be late.”
I forced myself up to my feet, steading my breath as I trudged towards my bedroom door. Pulling it open, I looked back at my nightstand that held my favorite picture before quickly slamming the door and running down the stairs.
My mother was standing by the front door when I reached the bottom and I slowed, coming to a stop on the last step. She hummed quietly, scanning me up and down before shecame up to me and grabbed the necklace between her fingers, spinning it gently.
“I’m counting on you, Elliott,” she told me softly, looking up at me through her lashes. “We need to be there for them. This isn’t about us, okay? I need you to remember that.”
“Funny, I should be saying that to you.”
I pushed past her before she could muster up a reply and stormed out of the house, heading straight for the car. I climbed into the passenger seat as she locked up the house, my head already resting against the window.
The drive to the church was quiet, neither of us wanting to get into another argument; her not wanting me to call her out and me not wanting to be torn apart.
Rain was making splashes against the windshield, the sky crying more tears than Karaand her mother could possibly muster. Despite the rain, the chill had retreated enough, deeming ajacket unnecessary.
Once my mom had parked the car, I didn’t hesitate as I climbed out and practically ran inside in search of my best friend. Hundreds of people huddled around, most of them making conversation, telling stories of Kara’s father, whether or not they actually knew him that well.
That’s the thing I learned about funerals that day; most people who show up are justtrying their best to fake it.
“Hey, honey,” I heard the familiar sound of Kara’s mothers voice say off to my left. Turning, I saw her red eyes and tear stained cheeks which made fresh ones spring to my own eyes. “Oh, El, come here.”
I ran into her arms, allowing her to hug me as we both cried silently. “I’m so sorry.”
“None of that now,” her mother said as she pulled me back just enough to keep her hands on my shoulders, brushing a loose piece of hair behind my ear. “He loved you as if you were his own. He wouldn’t want us to be sad, remember that. You were his moon and his stars; that won’t change just because he’s gone.”
“I should be the one comforting you,” I told her softly, letting out a breathy laugh as Iwiped at my tears.
Her mom cupped my cheek, a small smile resting on her face as she stared at meadoringly. “Nonsense. Even in my grief, I’ll always be a mother.”
I watched as she walked away towards my mom who was lingering close by, a fake, supportive look on her face as she hugged her supposed best friend. Her eyes narrowed on me as she looked over Kara’s mother’s shoulder, a silent reminder behind them.
“Keep your mouth shut.”
I turned my attention away from their exchange and started to scan the area once more, my eyes skimming over countless family members and friends, when, like a magnet, I found myself staring out the window and my breath hitched in my throat.
“Everett?” I mumbled in a barely audible whisper, those familiar blue eyes and blonde hair that mimicked my own staring back at me as a haunting reminder of what had been taken away from me.
I hastily walked towards the doors of the church, pushing past people before running outinto the light rain. The clouds had grown thicker, darker, since we had arrived, and I ignored the obvious meaning behind it. I darted down the sidewalk and around the side of the building, coming to a stop near the window where I thought I had seen him; instead, I was greeted with empty space.
“Don’t worry, Red,” his voice said from behind me, and I quickly spun around. “It’s really me.”
Tears sprung to my eyes as I quickly closed the gap between us, jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I forced out, my voice cracking.
