Twenty
Eli
I did schoolwork for three hours straight.
It was genuine torture, but I forced myself because it needed to be done.
If I started slacking, then my grades would start slacking and then I would have no chance at becoming valedictorian.
That would mean that Javier would beat me and I could not have that, not again.
I would study until I couldn't anymore if that meant securing the title.
Unfortunately, my studying was cut short when my sister entered the room, her curly hair bouncing with each stride she took.
Emerson needed assistance with her homework, and because I was in no mood to fight, I agreed.
By ‘assistance’ she meant that I do the homework for her.
It was how my helping her with homework always ended.
Emerson was two math classes behind me. She wasn’t the best at math, so she ended up failing it twice.
In my opinion, it was because she never tried hard enough.
Neither of my siblings were dumb, they simply chose to be.
With a little effort and concentration, they could have been just as smart as I was.
My sister was on her phone texting who I assumed to be Benji while I did her math for her. We would normally sit in silence while I tackled her assignments for her, but this time she had something on her mind.
Emerson blew a bubble with the gum of her mouth and then popped it. "You know that Gabriela girl?"
"Gabriela Cortez?" I inquired. "The girl I asked you to help prepare to try out for the cheer team and instead of telling me ‘yes,’ you called me a bozo?"
That was exactly what happened when I brought it up to her a while ago, but I blamed myself for choosing such a bad time to ask.
She and Benji were arguing, and I showed up in the middle of it with a question about her helping train some random girl she had never met.
She didn’t waste a lot of energy on me, simply saying, ‘No, bozo. Stop asking me stupid questions.’
I knew better than to test my sister's short patience. I had told Javier that she wasn’t going to agree, and I was right.
"Yep, that's that one!" Emerson let out a light laugh as she reminisced about the time. "She's actually so sweet and will a hundred percent be making the cheer team next year. She’s a natural. It sucks because I won't be on the team with her since I'll have graduated."
"It's optimistic of you to think that you will graduate on time," I muttered to myself.
I thought I spoke low enough, but my sister heard me. She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just because I'm not as smart as Albert Newton like you are doesn't mean I'm stupid."
I raised an eyebrow. "Not as smart as who?"
Emerson stared at me without a thought behind her eyes. "Albert Newton..."
I was a few seconds away from bursting out into laughter. My jaw was hanging from a mix of humor and disbelief. "You mean Albert Einstein? Issac Newton?"
Emerson’s lips pressed into a thin line, embarrassed by me calling her out. She flipped me off with a pout. "That's my point, idiot. Not everyone is as smart as you are."
"I'm not saying that–-"
“Anyway, I wish you would have gotten me to talk to her sooner. She’s literally the best.” Emerson beamed. “And it turns out we have a class together. That’s how I met her and then I was like, ‘Oh, this is the girl my brother was telling me about.’”
"I'm so glad that worked out for you," I said dryly, putting my pencil down because I had finished the last problem of her homework. “If you would have listened to what I had to say in the first place then—”
Emerson paid no attention to my words. “It’s refreshing to talk to her because she’s so different from all of my friends, and she’s a nice change from being around all of you boys.
I live with you and Easton, and then I go to spend time with Benji only for him to talk about Easton all the entire time. ”
“Benji talks about Easton?”
Emerson pursed her lips. “Gosh, does he? He spends all our time together talking about the next greatest thing Easton did. Does Benji seriously think I want to listen to my boyfriend talk about my brother all day?
Odd. I understood Easton was his closest friend and all, but it was weird that he was constantly speaking about him to Emerson.
“Anyway, that’s enough conversation between us.” She took the homework off the table with swiftness and then left. When Emerson wanted the conversation to be over, she cut it off instantly.
I was glad that Javier's sister ended up getting the cheer coaching she needed despite my failed effort at first.
I had been thinking about Javier all day. When I was beating Ricky’s ass in Call of Duty I was simultaneously thinking about Javier. Hell, even hyper-focusing on studying couldn't stop my mind from wandering into thoughts about Javi. It was truly aggravating.
I had been itching to tell someone about him.
I wanted to tell someone how we hung out at a party and then I woke up cuddled up with him in his bed the very next morning.
I needed to say out loud that the hatred I had for my rival was dwindling down as time went by.
I couldn’t wrap my head around it, so maybe someone else could.
I didn’t bring any of that up to Ricky because I was constantly making things about myself. He was in no mood to have an Eli-Pity-Party with me. I figured that Bella was with Kailey, and she too would not be in the mood to hear about anything that I had to say.
Well, there goes my only options.
That was when I got a text from Alex—the guy from the park with the cute niece.
He wanted to see if I wanted to hang out.
Should I have been studying? Yes, but I wasn’t being proactive because all my thoughts were about him.
Maybe talking about my rival would finally get him off my mind so that I could focus on school.
I wanted a peaceful walk to clear my head, so I didn’t bother asking them for a ride to their place.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed until I got there, my earbuds being in my ears for the entirety of the walk making me lose a sense of time.
When I finally did make it, I was greeted with open arms and wide smiles.
"Eli!" screeched a high-pitched voice belonging to none-other than Millie. She hopped up from the couch and skipped toward me.
I crouched down and opened my arms wide before she practically flung into me.
I almost fell backwards when I caught her, but I managed to keep my balance.
Millie squeezed my neck as tightly as she could and refused to let go.
Accepting that she was stuck to me, I wrapped my arms around her as I stood us up.
"Mills, don’t squeeze him too hard," Alex said gently. He gave me a questioning look, one that asked whether I was okay with Millie’s affection.
Millie buried her head in my shoulder and shook her head. She didn't want me to put her down. "She's fine, I don't mind."
Alex nodded and took a step back. Who could have a problem with this sweet bundle of joy’s affection? I knew I didn’t.
Millie was a child, she probably latched onto every stranger that she didn’t really know.
Children do things like that because they're kids. It had nothing to do with me personally. Still, Alex and Killian had no idea how happy it made me that Millie was so excited to see me. I didn’t think she’d remember my name, let alone jump for joy when I entered the room.
After a couple more seconds Millie decided that I was allowed to put her down. Once I set her down, she grabbed my wrist and led me over to the table. On the table was an entire nail polish kit. It had a bunch of different colors, a dryer, stickers, and a nail file. It was a whole nail salon.
"I'm doing your nails," the six-year-old stated. Based on her tone I knew I couldn’t object. "What color?"
Killian folded his arms to his chest. “I’m not sure Eli wants his nails painted.”
"Purple," I responded as I flashed a smile toward Killian and Alex to let them know it was alright. It wasn’t that I wanted my nails done, I just wanted the kid to be happy.
I would have to take it off the moment I got home because I would never hear the end of it if anyone saw, but for the time being it was fine.
As Millie got to work, the rest of us fell into conversation about what we had been up to lately. I had been dying to tell someone else about all the shit that had been going on between my rival and me. I wanted to hear a different perspective and it was finally my chance.
I started from the very beginning. For them to understand everything that I was going to say they needed to get the background information.
I started from freshman year when Javier first came to the school.
He got stellar grades on tests, he bonded with the teachers, and everyone knew his name within the first two weeks.
It wasn’t until he started to show me up that I began to hate him and everything he did.
I had to despise the guy that was crumbling all of the hard work I had put in since I had started elementary school.
Javier never tried to be perfect, he just was.
He completed the tests faster than anyone else and then scored the highest out of the entire class.
It pissed me off, and he would rub it in my face because he knew it pissed me off.
The entire thing was a game to him. Maybe he didn’t realize that it wasn't a game for me.
Then I explained to them how things started changing this year.
I told them about the nights he took care of me, the times he picked me up and brought me home, as well as the times I ended up in his house.
I didn’t mention the last time where I woke up with his dick pressed against me, but I sure thought about it.
Suddenly, it was oddly warm in the apartment.