ELLIOT

It had been three days since Will and Rachel's break up and the whole school knew about it. I wasn't not sure about Will because I hadn't seen him around much, but Rachel had been extremely down the past three days we had studied together. She never yelled at me anymore and basically didn't talk at all. She studied with an emotionless expression, only nodding or shaking her head in reply to my questions.

I was currently reading on the couch in the library when a familiar voice made me look up from my book and I meet a pair of sky blue eyes.

"Aren't you suppose to be tutoring Rachel?" Will questioned, looking at me with an inquiring expression.

Dressed in grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, he stood before me in an exhausted state with dark circles under his eyes and a heartbroken expression. Sadness all over his face and eyes and he basically looked like a love sick puppy.

"I waited a whole hour, but she never showed up," I replied, flatly.

He sighed and bumps his fist against mine before plopping down next to me on the couch.

"That wasn't the old Rachel. She always showed up to everything on time. Too early but never too late," he informed, throwing his head back and gently massaging his temples while his eyes close.

"What happened between you two anyway?" I asked, gently.

For a brief moment, Will froze. I expected him to reject the question, but surprisingly he opened his eyes and looked at me with a sad smile.

"Well, when Rachel returned after being absent from school for three whole weeks, everyone had found out about her parents death on the 1st September of 2017. They were pretty rich and well known in the country so the news spread fast in the media. I knew she was still heartbroken so I went to her dorm the same evening she returned. I found her in her bathroom with wrists cut and her body shaking badly in the pond of blood. Her first suicide attempt. And I," he paused, tightening his fists and holding the tears back.

So her parents died on the 1st September of 2017. But there was something else. It had to be.

"And you?" My voice was quiet and gentle.

"And I just fled. I ran away," he whispered tightly through a clenched jaw.

He left her. I sat in complete silence while my stomach twisted and I swallowed hard as he continued.

"I didn't understand what was happening nor did Rachel when she cut herself. Anyway, Skylar was the one who happened to pass by and saw the blood on the floor in her dorm. She saved Rachel," he added while I was still trying to proceed his earlier words in my mind.

"Skylar saved her?" I asked, gently.

"Yeah," he mumbled, regret and guilt dominating in his eyes.

Skylar saved her. Is that why Rachel didn't like Skylar either? She saved her from dying. Something Rachel must've desired so badly during that moment.

"I made a cowardly mistake. And that one mistake cost me everything I had with Rachel," he whispered, sorrowed.

"Do, you...you still love her?" I asked, not quite sure where that came from.

She was his princess and he was her prince. Madelaine's words echoed in my ears like a reminder, because the words I assumed I would hear, left Will's mouth.

"Yeah, I do. I really do."

~

After many failed attempts, I figured out I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Will's words still echoed within the four walls around me.

"I just fled, leaving her broken and bleeding by herself."

Maybe what occurred on the 1st September of 2017 wasn't the only reason behind Rachel's depression. Could Will partly be the reason to why she was depressed?

I shook my head rapidly to snap out of the thoughts. I jumped off the bed and walked over to my study desk where I sat down on the chair and ran my hands roughy through my hair.

I had been thinking of Rachel too much the past days that it was getting harder to sleep. Sometimes I wanted to go to her dorm and ask if she was okay, but she hated that question. What do I do? How do I make it stop? I wondered

At the moment, I'm not sure what I wanted to stop. Stop Rachel's pain or stop thinking about her.

When I heard a weird sound outside my window, I leaped off the chair and towards it before my gaze slid across the view outside. It was dark, pitch dark.

However, apple red hair was surprisingly well visible in the dark.

I rolled my eyes. Was she sneaking out to go eat pizza? But it wasn't Friday today. She said herself that she only ate pizza on Fridays. But on the other days she left to get out of this so called hell. But where could she be going?

All I knew was that, I would've rather faced trouble by breaking the rules twice than to let Rachel try killing herself again or do anything else that could've been a danger to her life.

So with that thought, I, Elliot Waters, the good boy, sneaked out by free will to save the broken redhead snake.

When I had climbed down the building, I sprinted quietly after Rachel and it wasn't before I had ran out of the small path through the forest, I caught a glimpse of Rachel walking down the street. However it wasn't the direction towards the pizza shop.

Where could she be going?

I sighed and end up following her down the street, silent and careful as possible along with making sure to stay at least a few feet behind.

After casually walking past closed shops and other buildings for the next ten minutes, Rachel stopped before a shop that has displayed wedding gowns in its big window. As Rachel turned to face the gowns through the window, I instantly jumped to the side, hidden behind a wall.

What was she doing at a wedding gown store at this time of the night?

Carefully, I stuck my head out to take a small peek. My eyes stopped on Rachel who was still standing in front of the big window. Now her palms were placed on the glass as she gazed at the dresses with dreamy, yet heartbroken eyes.

And then all of a sudden, tears dwelled up in her eyes and slowly started to roll down her cheeks. I swallowed hard as I felt my heart sting.

She wept for a while, just staring at the wedding gown through the glass as if all her magical dreams and hopes died right in front her eyes. Meanwhile, I fought the sudden urge to sprint to her and embrace her. Hold her tight till her broken heart mended, but not even Elliot Waters, the winner could do that.

I felt the slightest of proudness over her as she managed to pull herself together and wipe her tears. When she took a stumbling step back and turns away before continuing down the street, I carefully followed her.

A few minutes she entered a small cafe at the end of the street and I followed her inside. As the door closed behind me, I was met by instant warmth and took a look at my surroundings. The place was warm, cozy and very comfortable with soothing music playing in the background and a few people seated here and there. Other than that, the place was pretty much empty of customers. However, it seemed like a place where you could take a break from...life.

"No way! You brought the hot shithead with you?! I heard an unfamiliar girl's voice behind the counter cutting through my ears and Rachel's.

After taking off her coat, a puzzled Rachel slowly turned around and her eyes went wide as her gaze froze on me.

I offered a big smirk while waving to her, but she glared at me with anger igniting in her hazel eyes.

"What the hell? Did you follow me all the way here?!"

"Suicide watch, remember? Haven't been fired yet. On the contrary, I recently got a key to your dorm to use whenever I wish so I'm not going anywhere for the time being," I said, proudly.

"You're so fucking annoying," she muttered as we walked towards the counter and sat up on the tall chairs next to each other.

A tall girl smiled to us from across the counter and extended her hand to me. Her light chocolate brown skin went well with her brown hair resting on her shoulders and the big smile on her face made her brown eyes sparkle of excitement. Additionally, her big glasses were crookedly placed over her little brown eyes and she wore jeans and an old gray sweater.

"Victoria Roman. Call me Vici."

I smiled. "Elliot Waters. Call me winner," I replied, kindly shaking her hand.

"So this is the famous hot shithead," she said, grinning amusingly as she wiggled her eyebrows in Rachel's direction.

Smirking, I glanced sideways to Rachel. "You think I'm hot?"

"Fuck you," she muttered under her breath before tapping her fingers on the edge of the counter, her black nail polish neatly applied on her nails.

"Where's my milkshake?" She asked, impatiently.

Vici smiled before grabbing a big glass of strawberry milkshake and placing it in front of Rachel. She grabbed another big glass and poured strawberry milkshake into it and placed it in front of me. Afterwards, she grabbed a whipped cream can and skillfully topped the milkshake glasses with it and in the end placed a cherry on top of both milkshakes.

I smiled as water filled my mouth and it wasn't not long before I took a big sip of the milkshake after eating up the cherry on top and licking off some of the whipped cream.

"It's delicious. Thanks, Vici," I said, eagerly taking another sip.

Vici smiled before grabbing a cup of tea and stirred it with a tea spoon while it's cinnamon scent entered my nostrils.

While I took another sip, Rachel took the cherry on top of her milkshake and threw it in the trash can by her feet. I furrowed my brows and gazes at her as she took a big sip of her tasty milkshake.

"You don't like cherries?" I questioned.

She shrugged in reply without making eye contact and not removing her mouth from the edge of her glass.

I smiled. "The glass is you. The milkshake is your life. The whipped cream is how you live life. And the cherry symbolizes loving your life," I informed, saying out loud the words I just had made up in my head.

And when that was said, Vici looked at me with a surprised, yet amazed expression across her face while Rachel sat still, staring at me with an unreadable expression.

And then Rachel forced a fake smile. "Nice logic."

"I like it," Vici admitted , grinning.

"You know what, Elliot Waters? I like you. We're going to be good buddies," she added before taking a sip of her tea.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side!" Rachel bickered, only to receive an amused and wide grin from Vici.

"Just warning you. He's the human version of a headache," she muttered before taking another sip of her milkshake.

I couldn't help but crack a short laugh along with Vici as Rachel occasionally kept throwing deathly glares in our direction.

"You must be used to the insults she throws at you by now. Not to mention the awful swearing," Vici said, glancing at me with a goofy grin.

"Yeah, I'm used it, but she's my cute little idiot," I said, patting her head as if she was my cat.

"What?! No!" She exclaimed, angrily smacking my hand away.

Vici tipped her head back, laughing and I couldn't help grin when I caught a glimpse of a brief, yet genuine smile across Rachel's face when she gazed at the happy and amused Vici. Even though it was only for a moment, I continued to admire that genuine smile as they both continued talk.

Maybe my milkshake logic was the recipe to a good life. Maybe Rachel Adams just needed to follow that recipe. Maybe stupid milkshake logics were part of the magic of life and not to mention the scent of strawberries from Rachel, which I had found out today that she got from this place.

The scent of strawberries with a hint of cinnamon left a fuzzy feeling inside of me, a feeling Rachel came here for and to take a break from...life.

She sneaked out every night to come here for a break, but I guess breaking the rules every night was better than death. Better than suicide. Better than pitch darkness.

*****

Sorry for another late update:(

Anyone fan of milkshakes?

This book won 1st place (teen fiction) in the Choco Awards! Here are my prizes.

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