Chapter 4

    Can y’all stand it yet? Bear with me. This was my ex’s fav chapter for whatever reason, hopefully it’s yours, too x

           I shot up abruptly as I heard a knock on the glass of my window. My head whipped in that direction and I squinted my eyes, my hands fidgeting with the pages of my Bible, my eyes previously having been scanning over the Epistle of James. I couldn’t see from this angle so I sat the book down and stood up, my lips pursed. However, I had a pretty good idea of who it was already.

            As I peered out the glass I found that I had been right. Who else could it be? Those green eyes with a hint of brown looked into mine and I couldn’t help the grin that tugged at my lips. I slid open the window, giggling softly.

            “You are aware we have a door, correct?” I teased playfully as Ellie stepped inside, dusting herself off. A leaf or two from the old oak tree she had climbed to make it here clung to her shirt. She chuckled and ran a hand through her shaggy, brunette hair. “And you always scare me,” I scoffed.

            “I’m aware,” she breathed out with a charming smile. “But I prefer that way. Gotta get my workout and whatnot.” She said playfully.

             “Oh, I’m sure.” I laughed. “Then you’ve got to be jacked by now, huh?” I taunted her.
    She smirked and simply rolled up the sleeve of her t-shirt, flexing dramatically. I rolled my eyes and smiled larger, my cheeks burning but I couldn’t stop. I felt that way with her often. I could not stop a lot of things with her…

            “Always was, sweetheart.” Ellie snorted. She walked over as if she owned the place and flopped back onto my bed with an “oof.”

            “Ew, you’re all dirty. Get yourself off my clean sheets.” I joked as I shook her shoulder and sat down beside her. She simply smiled and looked over at me with her hazel eyes.

           “Where else do you expect me to sit then?” She snickered.

            “On the floor.”

            “Like a dog?”

             “Like a dog.”

         I giggled as Ellie gave me a light shove that sent me flying down onto the mattress. She chuckled and maneuvered herself on top of me, holding me down as she smirked.

         “You’re a real mean girl, Eve,” she murmured teasingly. “What would your mother think?” She gasped scandalously.

         “Oh, shush…your mouth.” I muttered. I held her by the shoulders, but I didn’t put up any fight for her weight on top of me. What fight was there to win? I couldn’t. Believe me, I’ve tried. This has occurred one too many times for me to not know by now.

            “Dirty mouth.” She whispered in a sing-song tone.

            “Get off me,” I scoffed, pushing at her broad shoulders. She laughed in amusement, climbing off of me only to once again lay on my bed beside me. “Brat….” I mumbled with a smirk.

            “Says you,” she scoffed.

            “Got any more music for me?” I asked softly, looking her way. I was practically addicted to music, but Father wouldn’t allow most of it inside the house. Much of the music I had been exposed to was either clean versions, records (mostly Dad’s blues,) or the choir at Dad’s church.

            Her eyebrows raised and she nodded as she pulled out her phone. Those fascinated me greatly. Before I met Ellie six years ago at church I had no idea what a phone was. She walked me through it completely in the back parking lot of the chapel and showed me all the cool features as she smoked a cigarette and I waved away the smoke. She had stopped smoking around me, or maybe she stopped altogether I wasn’t sure, when she noticed the permanent frown I had every time she did it.

            She clicked on the green app icon with the three stripes through it and glanced over at me.

              “I’ve got three new albums,” Ellie murmured as her thumb swiped over the screen. “Which one do you wanna hear?” She asked as she clicked on another icon called ‘Library’. “There’s…some jazz, I forget her name-” she rambled, listing off artists, and I immediately said my favorite while I hummed, leaning back into the array of pillows that lined my headboard. Mom always said it’s too many and unclassy, I thought it’s not enough.

                 Ellie nodded with a smirk, clicking something with her thumb. The beginning of a song began to play as her phone produced the sound. I listened intently to the instrumental and lyrics as the woman began to sing, a melodic voice with a strong beat. Ellie looked over and smiled a goofy grin as she watched me. She shook her head in amusement as she stared. If I was dumb, I’d say it was with love…but Ellie didn’t love. She just liked it. And she didn’t hate. She just didn’t like it.

            “What?” I inquired, raising a teasing brow. She didn’t lower her gaze or avoid my eyes as she continued to simply stare. “You’re weird.” I teased. She smiled, and I smiled back as I stared, too. I’d say it was with love but I couldn’t love a girl. Not like that, at least. Not like that…

         “You’re weird.” She retorted plainly. Her voice held no menace or tease, though.

            “We’re both weird.”

            “Mhm….Yeah.”

           “DINNERS READY!” My father’s voice boomed. Ellie groaned dramatically, but as always, she exited from my window and down the old Oak tree again. My eyes followed her exit as I sighed and reluctantly pushed myself up from my mattress. My hand absentmindedly brushed over the warm spot where Ellie had previously laid, pausing a moment, and then heading to my bedroom door.

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         “So girls, how was your day?” Father questioned in his gruff voice. We were all sitting at the dinner table where we gathered every night and ate what Mom cooked. “If ya don’t like it, ya don’t eat,” Dad would say. It was Saturday, and as usual, it contained a lot of cleaning. That was our ritual. Everyone did something and helped out. “Ivy, college?” He added.

            Ivy answered first, lifting her gaze from her plate as she sat on my right side. Mom sat on my left and Kaylee beside Dad.

            “Good,” she murmured as she moved her fork around her plate mindlessly. “My bio teacher canceled the class and then my psychology teacher dismissed early.”

            “I thought you dropped out of psychology.” Father raised a brow.

            “Uh, no,” Ivy added emphasis to the word as she said it, sticking her neck out for effect. Dad didn’t like psychology. Said it obstructed our brains and our faith in God. Whatever he meant by that, I wasn’t sure.

            “I told you to,” Father grunted, his lips pulling into a tight line.

            “You did,” Ivy said simply. Her expression was cool and composed as it always was so as to not let any emotion slip. She would get into this exact argument with Father at this exact table over the same thing just months prior before she started college.

            “So then why did you not drop the class, Ivy.” He muttered.

            “Because I didn’t want to, Father.” She spat back, dropping her fork onto the white plate with a clatter. He growled, his lip pulling back as his nose scrunched.

         “Alright, darlings, could we-” Mom tried to interrupt but Dad cut her off with a dismissive wave of his hand.

            “Stop it, Beth.” He sighed as he stood from the table. His chair slammed against the wall behind him, causing Mom, Kaylee, and I to flinch at the noise. Ivy, however, kept her stoic face and demeanor as she stared at Dad without wavering.

            Mother sighed and hung her head as she clasped her hands together, pressing her lips together. Ivy was beside me, scowling as she watched him storm away, and muttered “dickwad” under her breath. I glanced her way nervously, fiddling with my hands in my lap. Kaylee’s eyes widened at our sister language and she shot a look at Ivy who rolled her eyes in response. Mother did not say anything, only closed her eyes and muttered a prayer under her breath. My shoulders were tense as I looked around cluelessly.

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            As I lay in bed later that night I simply stared at the white, popcorn ceiling. The covers were up to my chin and I shivered slightly, the cold reaching me through the fabric. Since Father had stormed away so angrily during dinner and went to his and Mother’s room, there had been no fire started that night. No one complained, but no one else knew how to start one either.

            I gasped and froze as I heard a tapping coming from my window. It had to be a branch, I reminded myself. It was far too late to worry about something so silly. I just needed to sleep.

            I closed my eyes and took a deep breath but I froze up again when the tapping sounded again. I held my breath, my body tensing. My eyes snapped open when I heard a whispered “Evie…” and my gaze snapped to the window with wide, worried eyes as I hesitantly sat up in bed. From outside there was a figure illuminated by the moonlight in the dark sky. I slowly tiptoed my way to the window and drew back the curtains an inch or two so I could peek through.
My breathing sped up and caught….and then I exhaled a long breath.

            “Ellie,” I muttered.