Page 4 of Chasing Elliott
I brushed out my blonde hair, throwing it up into a messy bun and pulling out the loose hairs to frame my face. I touched up my makeup, adding a new base of eyeshadow and putting some liner to my lower lid before attaching my natural looking fake lashes.
Putting on my white slip ons that sat outside my closet, I gave myself a once over in my floor length mirror before heading over into Kara’s room without knocking.
I didn’t bother to cover my laugh as I took in the state of Kara and her bedroom; she was on the floor in her undergarments with at least twenty articles of clothing scattered around her. Her makeup bag was on the plush grey rug that sat near her desk, its contents spilled out.
“So, when I said not to stress till I got home, you heard empty the contents of your closet and have a mental breakdown on the floor.”
Kara slowly sat up, staring upwards at me with narrowed eyes. “Now is not the time, El. Now is not the time.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied with a chuckle as I began to pick up her clothes, trying to pick out something worth wearing. “Didn’t get your makeup done either, I see.”
“Do you want me to cry?” She snapped as she quickly stood, spinning around in a circle before facing me again and placing her hands on her hips. “Do you want to see me cry?”
I rolled my eyes at her dramatics as I grabbed the dark orange corduroy skirt and creamcolored sweater, shoving them into her arms. Kara eyed the outfit suspiciously but quickly put iton when she saw the look on my face.
Once she was dressed, I pulled her towards me and tucked the front of the sweater into the skirt before I forced her down into the chair at her desk which was her makeshift vanity. Ibraided her hair into a crown, making a bun at the base of her neck. Reaching for two gold necklaces, I placed them around her neck and made a move to pick up her makeup from thefloor.
I put on a simple nude eye accompanied by a thin line of liner which ended in a wing at the corner of her eye. Allowing her to apply her own mascara, I finished off the look with somefoundation and light blush.
“There,” I whispered as I pulled her to her feet and led her into the bathroom so she could see herself in the mirror. “Beautiful.”
“I hate you,” Kara mumbled under her breath even though a dazzling smile covered her face.
I smiled in content before I stepped away, heading out of her room as she followed me down the stairs and towards the front door. Turning towards her as she slipped into her Birkenstocks, I gave her a gentle grin.
“Are you ready?” I asked as I watched her fidget with her hands.
“No,” Kara mumbled as she pulled her sleeves down to cover her hands, looking everywhere but at me. “What if he’s already talking to another girl or what if I can’t grab his attention? Better yet, what if I embarrass myself?”
“Don’t worry so much,” I said as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’ll be right there the whole time if you need me, okay?”
“No guy for you tonight?” She asked with a raised brow, surprise evident in her voice.
“Nope,” I replied with a shake of my head, grabbing the keys off the kitchen counterwhere I had thrown them when I got back. “Tonight, it is my turn to be mom. It wouldn’t be fair for me to ditch my girl on such an important night.”
Kara threw her arms around my waist and gave me a tight hug before pulling back.Smiling, she grabbed my hand and began to drag me out the front door, clearly trying to leavebefore she changed her mind and locked herself in her room for the night.
“Uber is here,” I told her as I checked my phone and saw the notification. “Ready, honey?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
I walked along the wet sand, the tide coming in and dampening my feet while I carried my shoes in one hand and a red solo cup in the other. The sound of laughter reached my ears, at least one hundred and fifty college kids mingling as music blared out of some speakers that a few partygoers had synched together.
As the tide went out, I took a deep breath in and didn’t release until it returned. It was calming, something that Kara’s father had taught me over a decade ago to do whenever I became overwhelmed. He first showed me this breathing exercise when he witnessed my first panic attack at the age of eight.
“Look at me, Elli,” he said as he gripped my shoulders to stop me from shaking and get me to look him in the eye. “Follow my lead, alright?”
I watched as he breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, motioning for me to do the same. I nodded, my breathing still ragged as I mimicked his actions and soon enough my breath had evened out.
“That’s my girl,” he whispered, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Whenever you feel overwhelmed, just think of the ocean. Match your breath with the tide and you’ll start to feel better. I promise, love, this will pass. It’ll always pass.”
“Hey,” I heard a familiar, somewhat scratchy, voice say behind me. “Happy to see you here. I have a proposition for you.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed, looking longingly out at the ocean before turning around to face Marcus. “You know, something tells me I won’t be interested.”
“Any girl would be,” he tried to say in a way that I knew he thought was seductive. There’s no way that really works on other women. “Just one more night, baby.”
“I already told you I don’t sleep with the same guy twice and I seem to recall you weremore than okay with that. What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” I snapped, trying to walk past him but his hand shot out and grabbed my bicep, keeping me put.
