The New Girl

Chapter 9

Elizabeth

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeease?!"

"Holy f**k why is it such a big deal, Nat?"

She forms her lips into a pout. "The big deal is that Homecoming is coming up and you don't want to go!"

"Why should I?"

"To mingle, to socialize, to have fun Liz!" I heave a sigh. I've never been to a school dance, and I thought I wouldn't have a problem staying away from them here.

"You know I don't socialize well." I whine. "besides, isn't Homecoming for the underclassmen?"

"No, everyone goes. Please, you know I won't stop bothering you until you say yes."

"Why don't you ask Jack to go with you?" I tease.

"No Way! Besides, I can't get ready with a guy."

"Wouldn't it be better if we just stayed home?"

"Absolutely not! Liz, we're Seniors, it's our last year to make the most out of high school."

I let out a long breath. This girl will be the death of me. "I'll think about it." I say. She gives me a pout and I laugh.

______

"Hey Elizabeth!" Tristan comes up to me waving.

"What's up?"

"You going to Homecoming?" I roll my eyes.

"I don't know yet. Nat is practically begging me, though.

"You should." Oh great, another person ganging up on me.

"Did Natalia ask you to persuade me?"

"No, I just want you to go. I mean, I'd like it if you were there."

Oh. I felt my insides melt. He wants me to be there?

"I'll think about it." I say giving a teasing smile before the bell rings.

______

I'm sitting at lunch with Nat when I see a familiar face walking towards me.

She slams her hand on the table causing heads to turn and mouths to drop. Could this girl get any more dramatic?

"What is it you don't understand when I say stay away from Tristan?" Really, this again?

People already have their phones out, recording our conversation. Nosy assholes.

""I don't know Gianna, what don't you understand when he said you were "a fun time" and nothing more?"

"I will be more to him than you ever will." she hisses.

"Thanks for your input, but his actions speak louder than your words, honey."

Then she does it. She screams. Her shrill screech fills the cafeteria and everything falls silent. I shake my head and stand up to walk away. I've had it with this chick.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, Elizabeth Scott!"

I turn to her. "Happy I've been promoted to a name, now." and proceed out of the room.

"Get back here!" she screeches. I flip her off and keep walking before I do something I know I'll regret.

______

"I'm so sorry." Tristan has been apologizing to me non-stop about Gianna.

"Tristan, I already told you, it's fine. You shouldn't be the one apologizing anyway. It's not like you did anything."

"I know, I just want to make sure that you know you mean a lot to me." He runs his hands through his hair and I feel my face go red. Internally I'm swooning, though.

"You mean a lot to me too, Tristan." and his mouth goes from a frown to a smile in milliseconds. I melt. Seriously, you could sell church to the devil with that smile of his.

"Aw, aren't you two so cute?" I turn to face Ryan making a love-sick face at us.

"Shut up." Tristan says, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, come on Tris, you're gonna be late if you don't get your ass moving."

He face me. "See you tonight?"

"Yeah." I've been helping him babysit Liliana on weekday nights when his parents are out.

______

I'm in the kitchen when I hear a car pull up. Thinking it's Tristan I wait for him to honk his horn. But it never happens. I hear the door open and I'm standing face to face with my mother.

"Hello." she says. It breaks me more than I'd like to have her speak to me as if we're strangers. It's actually the first real encounter I've had with her in years. She looks awful. Visibly disheveled and tired, she wears clothes fit for a prostitute.

"Where have you been?" I whisper back.

She shifts from one foot to another, and I can see she's thinking. "Out." is all she says. I nod and hear a horn beep outside the house.

"I have to go." I say and push past her.

"Lizzy" she pleads. 

"Don't call me that!" I yell, tears now streaming down my face. "You and dad gave up the right to be my parents 4 years ago when you guys started going "out" putting all the responsibility on a 13 year old!" She's crying now, and it only makes me angrier. "You don't get to cry! I'm the one who has the right to! You left me alone! You both did! And now, I don't even get an explanation? I provide for myself while him and you go out to do whatever the hell you do!" I shake my head in disgust. "You were my mother once, but now, I don't even know who you are. I don't know who either of you are. And as much as you want to deny it, you don't know the first thing about me." I leave the house and slam the door behind me.

I get into Tristan's car and he looks at me. "Elizabeth, what's wrong?" his voice is so gentle that the tears of anger turn into tears of sadness. He pulls me from the passenger seat to his lap and I bury my face in his chest as he strokes my hair. Once I've calmed down he lifts my chin up to meet his gaze, his blue eyes full of emotion. "Elizabeth, what happened?"

"My mom, she's back, and we're- we're like complete strangers. I don't even know the woman who was standing in front of me!" I'm crying again. "She's been gone for months now. And today were the first words I've spoken to her in 2 years."

"What about your dad, sweetie?"

I shake my head. "My fathers's just as bad. He's always drunk, out with the guys for weeks on end. Just gone, just like my mother." I hiccup. "It started when I was 13. I guess they thought that I was old enough to take care of myself. I started to do everything. I did the shopping, I did the cleaning, I everything the parents should do. And even though they were making the money, I was the one making sure the bills got payed every month."

"Baby..."

I sniffed. "I don't know what happened. It was so sudden. I don't know if I did anything wrong, I don't know what drove them to do what they're doing. All I know is that they left without anything." I take a deep breath. "And it's the worst when they're together. They scream, fight, destroy the house, and more. I-I." I start sobbing again.

He holds me tightly, shushing me, stroking my arms and hair. He makes me look at him again.

"Elizabeth, none of this is your fault. They're both adults. No matter the situation, they have no excuse for what they've done. They've left a child to raise them self. And you're incredible, Elizabeth. Not many children would have take on that responsibility, not many of them would be driven to succeed like you. You're an amazing girl, and you shouldn't question that."

His words are beautiful, but what does it for me is his face. I can tell that he's sincere. Snapping me out of my haze is the fact that our faces are so close, our noses almost touching. I want to kiss him so badly. Licking my lips I start to lean in slowly. I feel him tightening the grip on the nape of my neck as he moves towards me.

The first kiss is soft, sweet, and innocent. But I want more. I reach for the side of his face and kiss him harder and he instantly responds with just as much passion and hunger that I have. I'm suddenly straddled over his lap, one hand running through his hair and one at the side of his neck. I can feel his pulse racing underneath my fingertips, and I'm sure he can feel mine.

He bites down on my lower lip softly and I sigh allowing him to dip his tongue inside my mouth, deepening the kiss. He tastes of mint and male and my head is spinning and suddenly, I can't get close enough.

A few minutes later, I break the kiss, resting my forehead on his, both of us panting hard. When he regains his composure, he says, "You have no idea how long I've waited for that." My heart swells and I don't think I've been any happier. "Me either." I say as I go in for another.

___________________________

Tristan

"Hey Elizabeth!" I wave at her .

"What's up?"

"You going to Homecoming?" she rolls her eyes at me.

"I don't know yet. Nat is practically begging me, though.

"You should." So I can steal a dance.

"Did Natalia ask you to persuade me?"

"No, I just want you to go. I mean, I'd like it if you were there."

Oh wow I sound really needy.

"I'll think about it." the bell rings and she leaves me with a teasing smile, making me want more.

______

Why?

I really don't understand this girl. I stalk up to Gianna.

"Hey!" I call out to her, spotting her in the crowd.

"Tristan!" she runs to me, clearly not seeing the anger on my face.

"I will tell you this one more time. I don't like you. I never did. So stay away from me, and stay away from Elizabeth. Have I made myself clear, or do I have to say it a third time?"

"Crystal clear. But once you're tired of her, you know where to find me."

I snort. "Only in your dreams will I ever come back to you." And I walk away.

______

"Tristan, I already told you, it's fine. You shouldn't be the one apologizing anyway. It's not like you did anything."

"I know, I just want to make sure that you know you mean a lot to me." I run my hands through my hair. s**t, I can't believe I just said that. She's not ready for this.

"You mean a lot to me too, Tristan." I can't help but smile. It's crazy how a couple words from this girl can make me smile uncontrollably like an i***t.

"Aw, aren't you two so cute?" I see Ryan making puppy dog eyes at us.

"Shut up." I say, but I can't wipe the smile off my face.

"Yeah, yeah, come on Tris, you're gonna be late if you don't get your ass moving."

"See you tonight?"

"Yeah." I nod and head out.

______

It was hard to concentrate on practice when all I could think about was Elizabeth's words to me. She didn't cower away, she looked me in the eye and confirmed we mean a lot to each other. And that made me the happiest person alive.

I shower and change in the locker room so we can focus on taking care of Lily and I race to Elizabeth's house.

______

I honk the horn outside before I see the car in the driveway. Dang, she's going to kill me.

She takes another minute to come out, but before I made a smart comment, I see tears spilling out of her eyes.

She gets in and I ask, "Elizabeth, what's wrong?" She looks so defeated, so broken. She's a totally different person than she was only a few hours ago. I don't know what to do, so I pull her onto my lap and coddle her in my arms, stroking her hair, and letting her cry into my shirt. It f*****g kills me to see her like this. I hear her stop crying and I lift her face up to mine. "Elizabeth, what happened?"

Looking back at me with shining eyes she says, "My mom, she's back, and we're- we're like complete strangers. I don't even know the woman who was standing in front of me!" I'm crying again. "She's been gone for months now. And today were the first words I've spoken to her in 2 years."

"What about your dad, sweetie?"

I shake my head. "My fathers's just as bad. He's always drunk, out with the guys for weeks on end. Just gone, just like my mother." I hiccup. "It started when I was 13. I guess they thought that I was old enough to take care of myself. I started to do everything. I did the shopping, I did the cleaning, I everything the parents should do. And even though they were making the money, I was the one making sure the bills got payed every month."

"Baby..." My heart was aching for her.

"I don't know what happened. It was so sudden. I don't know if I did anything wrong, I don't know what drove them to do what they're doing. All I know is that they left without anything." I take a deep breath. "And it's the worst when they're together. They scream, fight, destroy the house, and more. I-I." She begins to cry again.

I hold her against me again. So this is why she climbs out the window, why she spends her time after school in the library, why she works her ass off on weekends instead of having fun, and why she's so freaking tough. I make her look at me.

"Elizabeth, none of this is your fault. They're both adults. No matter the situation, they have no excuse for what they've done. They've left a child to raise them self. And you're incredible, Elizabeth. Not many children would have take on that responsibility, not many of them would be driven to succeed like you. You're an amazing girl, and you shouldn't question that."

It sounded like a sappy movie quote, but I meant every word. She shouldn't have to spend her life wondering what she did wrong or suffering from her parent's actions. She deserves the world. I only hoped she believed what I said.

I see her eyes flicker to my lips and I swallow hard. God I want to kiss her, but is she ready? After all of this?

My internal questions were answered when she initiates by leaning forward, slowly and uncertain. I grip her firmly on the neck and swoop down to kiss her softly. I felt a knot in my stomach. f**k, when did kissing a girl make me so nervous?

But I knew. She wasn't just some girl I lusted after. She was so much more.

My thoughts were interrupted when she grabs my cheek and pulls me down for another kiss. This one more hungry, more certain than the first. I tangle my hand in her hair while the other presses against her lower back as she moves to straddle me.

I bite her lip and she gasps, giving me enough time to slip my tongue inside. She tastes so sweet, I almost can't get enough. I could tell you confidently that I am drunk on Elizabeth.

A few minutes later, she pulls back and we're both breathing hard, trying to catch our breath. I finally manage out, "You have no idea how long I've waited for that."

"Me either." she says and let me tell you. I'm over the f*****g moon.