"We can just go for a little while, then leave, okay?" Ruthie said encouragingly. She was carefully applying mascara, and needed most of her concentration for this task.

"If we're just going to leave, why go? Let's just spend the eveninghere at your house," Elliott responded, turning from the mirror. "Wouldn't you rather just stay in and play with Liam?"

Samairah and Liam had spent a very fun five days at Ruthie's, at her dads' insistence. They were leaving in two days to fly back to England, since there was nothing more to be done here. Elliott's grandparents wouldn't let him return to England, even if he would take her money and use it for school, which he said he wouldn't.

Elliott had begged his grandparents to let him go back to England, in a stormy meeting at Ruthie's kitchen table the day after Sam had arrived, but they had been immovable, implacably firm.

"Please, I'll go to church every week, I swear," Elliott had pleaded.

His grandmother shook her head. "It's not about attending church, it's about accepting the lord into your heart, as your savior," she said.

"Elliott, we're worried about your soul, don't you understand that?" his grandfather added, putting an arm around his wife. "If something happens to you and you aren't right with god, you could end up in hell."

"Why don't you go ahead and finish that sentence?" Elliott had said, his voice quiet with anger. "'Like your mother,' right? Isn't that what you mean?"

The Nicholsons had looked away then, and Elliott felt small to mock them in this way and throw their beliefs in their faces. It wasn't their fault they believed this, and that fact was probably causing them immense pain without him rubbing their noses in it.

He'd spent that night on Ruthie's sofa alone, though she'd snuck down in the night to cuddle with him by the light of the dying embers of the fire.

So, the only thing decided was that Elliott was remaining in Warren for now.

Ruthie was happy about this, though she knew she shouldn't show it.

Even now, nearly a week later, it was still on her mind, even as she tried to convince Elliott to go to a party being thrown by a drama club friend.

Maybe if he made more friends, he wouldn't want to leave.

"Elliott, I'm glad you and Sam made up, and I'm really glad you're getting close to her, and to Liam," Ruthie acknowledged, though "close" was hardly the word.

As if making up for the preceding, lost months, Liam and Elliott had really bonded, to the point that Elliott had begun to call him "baby bro," which she thought was absolutely adorable.

Elliott grinned at her. "Me too," he said, boosting himself up on the bathroom counter. "I never thought about having a sibling, but it's amazing."

"I know," Ruthie answered, unable to resist his enthusiasm. "But he's always up late, at least until midnight, so we'll come home early and you can still see him tonight, okay?"

Elliott sighed. "Fine," he said, giving in at last. "I'll go with you to the blasted party. But we leave no later than eleven, yeah?"

"Yeah," Ruthie said, mimicking his accent as she said the word.

"You look right incredible tonight, by the way," Elliott said, pulling her between his legs as he sat on the counter. "Though for the sake of my peace of mind I wish your dress were a bit, erm, looser, you know?"

Ruthie laughed. "Yeah, it's a little tight. That's what happens when Dad tries to 'help out' by doing a load of laundry. I almost cried when I saw it, because it's one of my favorites," she told Elliott, smoothing the soft, purple fabric around her hips. "But I can still pull it off, at least until swim season."

"What? Wouldn't all that swimming make you lose weight? Wouldn't the opposite be true?" Elliott asked as he jumped off the counter and followed her to her room.

Ruthie shook her head. "I'm already in pretty good shape, and I don't have any weight I need to lose, so I just build muscle," she explained. "I usually gain five to ten pounds during swim season, and my upper body? my shoulders and back and stuff? they usually get bigger."

"Well, I for one can't wait to see that, then," Elliott said, now following her down the stairs.

"Dad, we're going now, okay?" she called. "Pop? Anyone?"

"In here," Sam called from the family room.

They were all together, chatting.

"We'll be home early, because Elliott wants to be here to put Liam to bed," Ruthie told the gathered adults.

"Sounds brilliant," Sam said, smiling. She was probably happier than anyone about Elliott's change of heart. She certainly looked happier than when she'd arrived.

"See you later, Rosebud," her Pop said, hoisting his wine glass her way as her Dad blew her a kiss.

They got in the family SUV, with Elliott driving, and headed to the party.

🌜✨🌜✨🌝✨🌛✨🌛

It was already going full bore when they arrived, spilling out into the front and backyards of the Halvorsen twins' house. They lived in the country, with almond and peach orchards on all sides, so there was no one to complain about the noise.

Pepsi came to greet them, handing each a red cup filled with wine cooler. "Brett's here," she told them. "Just a friendly heads up, okay?"

Elliott nodded tensely.

Ruthie gave him a look of concern.

"I won't do anything if he doesn't," Elliott promised her.

Ruthie didn't consider this much of a promise, but it was the best he could do, she knew. She put an arm around him and gave him a squeeze.

"Okay, let's go mingle," she suggested, leading him away from the garage, which was where Pepsi had gestured when telling them bout Brett.

And later, when Ruthie was involved in what could only be called an epic round of beer pong, Elliott, who'd been drinking quite a bit, was too hot to remain indoors any longer.

"I'm going outside for a bit, okay?" he told Ruthie, who was examining the table of beer-filled cups intently. "Feeling a bit wonky from the heat."

She nodded, turning for a fast kiss. "You're not going looking for--him, are you?" she asked.

Elliott shook his head.

"Okay. Don't go too far," she said with a smile.

"I'll be fine, back in a few," he promised, leaving her to her strategizing. Ruthie was an acknowledged expert at beer pong, having amazing aim.

So Elliott went outside, away from the heat, the smell of wine, the sweet aroma of the jello shots, breathing a huge lungful of fresh, cold, Central Valley February air.

"Elliott?"

He wondered at first if he was drunk, because the voice seemed to be coming from the dark orchard, but from really high.

"Yeah?" he tried cautiously, taking a few steps into the orchard.

"Up here," the voice continued, and Elliott followed the sound until he saw Amelia, perched in the upper branches of an almond tree,  a good ten feet from the ground.

"Join me?" she asked.

Elliott shook his head, not trusting himself to climb, so she came down, jumping nimbly to the ground.

"I really like you," Amelia murmured, hugging herself to his thin frame, and Elliott realized that he might not be the drunkest person present.

"I like you very much as well," Elliott responded, putting one arm around her and patting her shoulder. "You were one of the first people to reach out and be kind to me, so thank you for that, it's hard to make friends in a new place."

"But I don't mean as friends," Amelia said, emphasizing her words with a squeeze. "I really like you. You're so handsome, and your accent really turns me on, gets me going, you know?"

"Yeah, well, I'm seeing Ruthie, you know that, right?" Elliott said, trying to gently disengage her from his body. "And I'm monogamous."

"Really?"

Elliott nodded. "I'm in love with her," he said simply.

"But you're not having sex, so what is there to be monogamous to?" she asked, her voice sounding mystified.

While wondering how she could know that he and Ruthie weren't sleeping together, Elliott continued. "That doesn't matter, though, I love her, she loves me, we're committed to each other."

Amelia once again stepped close to him, and Elliott stepped away automatically. She looked up at him in the near-darkness of the orchard and sighed.

"How does this happen?" she asked rhetorically. "Ruthie won't sleep with anyone, and she has guys lined up to be in love with her? I put out because I think the guy loves me, then he throws me away like I'm a used tissue? And then I get passed around to his friends because I want to stay part of the group, and within a few months no one will even touch me..." she trailed off, shivering in the damp cold.

"Why don't you come with me, and we'll go back in the house and get warm," Elliott offered.

Amelia took another step toward him, reaching with her arms, and again he stepped carefully away.

"I'll be your friend, love, but no more than that, yeah? Not now, not ever, I don't use women like that," Elliott said, his voice soft, but firm with his convictions. "You're a very pretty girl, but you're not for me."

Amelia stared at him for a few beats, then turned away. "Wow," she murmured to the indifferent night. "Why does Ruthie always get so lucky?"

"Come on, let's go back to the house," Elliott tried again, but the blonde girl shook her head.

"Nah, I'll just stay here in my tree for a while," she responded as she grasped the branches and boosted herself up. "I was stupid to try," she concluded. "I knew Brett would be here, so I came to try to talk to him, but he won't touch me anymore, either.

I've become untouchable," she said, her voice nearly as soft as Elliott's was earlier. "Untouchable Amelia, sounds like a band, doesn't it?"

"Please come down," Elliott tried one last time. "You'll freeze to death out here."

"Go, Elliott. Take your accent and your eyes and your pure, pure heart back to Ruthie."

So Elliott turned and went in search of Ruthie, deeply disturbed. Had Amelia really been passed around to Brett's friends?

How awful.

Ruthie was playing a dancing game in front of the TV with Gordon, though she was far superior as a dancer than Gordo was.

Elliott watched until she won, and she stepped into his arms, warm from her gyrations.

"Did you see?" she gasped.

"I did, you look wonderful," Elliott acknowledged. He kissed her, loving the soft feel of her dress under his hands as he slid them up her back.

"Oohh, you're nice and cold, did you just come in?" she murmured into his mouth.

This reminded him of Amelia, and he gave Ruthie a paraphrased version of their conversation.

"I didn't know things were that bad with her," Ruthie admitted. "I haven't thought much about her in a while.

"Maybe I should try to talk to her? Take me to where you saw her," Ruthie requested.

Elliott nodded, and they headed out, after first putting their coats on.

"I think it was around here," Elliott said, looking up into the tree.

"Amelia?" Ruthie called, but got no response.

"Maybe she went in on her own," Elliott said hopefully.

"Oh my god, Elliott!"

He turned and ran into the orchard, toward the sound of Ruthie's voice.

She was kneeling next to Amelia, who was lying on the cold dirt of the orchard floor.

"Jesus, Mel, what did you do?" Ruthie said as she reached for her phone.

"What? What's happened? Did she fall?" Elliott asked, but as he, too, knelt, he could see the blood all over her clothes.

It was all over her forearms as well, and he could see a bloody piece of broken glass in her right hand.

Ruthie was already on her phone.

"Neill? We need an ambulance out at the Halvorsen's right now, please. It's Amelia Shaw."