Elly & Kent - The Complete Story: Includes Books 1-3

by Marie Cole

  I figured he was just losing interest so I did what any girl would do...; ask my male friend for advice.

  "Kent, I don't get it. What am I doing wrong? Will and I we were close, you know? And suddenly he just...stopped." I studied Kent's face, noted that his jaw was clenched tightly.

  "Elly, I love you, you know that but, I really don't want to talk about this stuff with you."

  I frowned and pouted. "Would you rather I talk to some other guy about it? How embarrassing would that be? Come on, Kent. I'm asking for your advice, as a dude. I value your opinion."

  He sighed and gripped the hair on the top of his head for a brief second before pounding the desk with his open palms. "Fine. If you want my opinion he's probably found another girl. College guys are notorious for being players."

  I felt my face fall and looked away.

  "So you don't think a college guy could fall in hopelessly in love with me and end up asking me to marry him?"

  "I didn't say that, Els. I said this particular guy isn't really sounding like he's very interested."

  I nodded and turned my body away from Kent's. Maybe he was the wrong person to ask. He was, after all, a guy who fell hard for the first girl who showed any interest in him at all. Well, for the first pretty, rich girl who had. I had shown interest way before that but he'd ignored me.

  "Well, let's say for the sake of the argument that he was interested in me, or at least that I wanted to try to surprise him with something special. Do you have any ideas or...?" I felt Kent's eyes on me but I didn't dare look up to meet his gaze. It was embarrassing enough without him seeing the desperation in my eyes.

  "I'm probably not the best guy to ask. I'd be happy enough just to have you at all. I wouldn't need anything extra." My head whipped towards him and he shook his head, putting his hands up defensively, "I mean, if I was into you. If you were more than a friend, you know."

  I nodded and looked away, my hopeful heart deflated once again. Yeah, that sounded about right.

  "Great. Well, thanks for nothing," I said.

  He groaned softly, "What do you want me to say, Elly? Show up at his door wearing sexy lingerie?" I thought about that for a moment before turning in my seat, a large smile on my lips.

  "You're a genius!" I was still smiling when the lights went down and the professor started the day's lecture.

  I tightened the tie at the waist of the ankle-length coat I wore and exhaled slowly, trying to get the courage to knock on Will's door. I could hear his TV playing on the other side of the door but not much else. He was probably studying. I turned to leave, I could just talk to him later.

  I shook my head and turned back around. I was here and in the new black lace teddy I'd bought between classes earlier. I lifted my hand and knocked loudly on his door. I waited a beat and the tried for the knob. It was unlocked so I went inside, maybe he was in the bathroom and I could surprise him with me on his bed.

  My eyes darted around the room and landed on the moving lumps under Will's comforter. Will's head popped out and I caught a glimpse of blonde hair beneath him. I cinched my waistband tighter, the blood leaving my face.

  "God, I guess we really are over."

  "Elly, baby. This ain't what it looks like."

  I laughed and held my hands up, shaking my head. "I'm not an idiot. I'll leave you two to your...philandering," I said loudly.

  Will didn't bother to get out of bed, he just lay there, protecting the girl from my view. Maybe he'd cheated on me with her. Maybe that's why he was trying so hard to keep her from seeing me.

  As I left I felt the sting of yet another rejection. What the hell was wrong with me? Or was it just the boys that I picked. I needed comfort and despite what my head was telling me I knew in my heart that I needed Kent.

  I found myself at Kent's dorm. I knocked on the door and looked around as I waited for an answer, my mascara had been running, and I'm sure I looked every bit as messy as I felt on the inside.

  The door opened and there was Kent wearing a tank top again and a pair of shorts. When he saw me a smile started to form, but it soon faded when he saw the condition I was in. "Elly, what's wrong?"

  "I..." I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to look behind him into the dorm. Despite how much I wanted him to hold me I didn't want to have Jen's hatred pointed at me and I didn't want his roommates to be seeing me in this state either. "Is Jen here? Or your roommates?" My voice was wavering and I was fighting back more tears.

  Kent shook his head slowly. "No, she went out a while ago. Said she had to meet her parents. And my roommates are at the game."

  His hand came out and grasped one of mine, sending slow sizzles up my arm. I pushed it down, tried to ignore it. "Come in, Elly. It's all right. I'm not going to send you away upset. It's obvious you need someone." He pulled me inside even though I hesitated. Once inside he shut the door and lead me to his bed. "Have a seat. I'll get you some water."

  I sat down on the couch and wiped at my eyes, smearing the mascara sideways on my cheeks. I rubbed my fingers on the trench coat nervously. I stayed quiet, afraid that once I said something the tears would come bursting out right along with the words.

  Kent came back with a bottle of water in his hand, which he offered to me. I took the bottle as he sat down next to me. "Elly. You can tell me what happened if you want. I'll listen." Kent's hand reached out and came to rest on my knee. I ignored those little sparks too. And tried to ignore the fact that I was wearing nothing but trashy lingerie under the coat.

  I took unscrewed the cap and took a tiny sip of water, my eyes on the plastic as it came down to rest on my other knee. My voice was soft, a whisper as I voiced my internal thoughts aloud, "What is so wrong with me? Why can't I be enough?" I sniffled and wiped at my nose with the back of my hand, still not looking at him. I pretended he wasn't there. I didn't want to see the pity in his eyes for his old friend, but if anyone knew the answer it had to be him.

  I felt his hand cup my chin and let him lift my face, my eyes slowly meeting his gaze. I was surprised that I didn't see pity there, but rather something warmer, friendlier. "Elly. You're amazing." He said softly and his thumb rubbed a trail of a tear from my cheek. "Fuck that guy. He just didn't know what he had."

  I pulled my chin away from his grasp and laughed humorlessly, looking away from his gaze. It was a trick. Another trick, another lie. "Fucking that guy was the mistake. Now he's fucking some blonde whore. Am I...Am I just expecting too much from college boys? Maybe...maybe I shouldn't even be upset...Maybe it's just natural to fuck a girl one day and then fuck another girl the next day. It was stupid to think that I was special, that a guy could instantly fall in love with me now that I'm thin." I gripped the plastic tighter, and it crumpled slightly in my grasp.

  "You can't expect much. Most of them just want to get their rocks off with who ever will let them. Most aren't looking for a solid relationship and the ones who are tend to be tied down." Kent paused and I looked up enough to see that he seemed to be struggling with something but I couldn't tell what it was. "Elly, you know I...l-," his words were cut off by the sound of a knock on the door.

  Kent sighed as he got up and answered the door.

  I looked at the doorway, Jen was there and looked confused, untrusting as her eyes found me on Kent's bed. "What the hell is going on in here? Is she crying?"

  "She is going through some boy trouble."

  "Right, and so she came to cry on your shoulder? Hope that you'd feel bad for her and cop a feel?"

  I wasn't sure where all that was coming from. And I wasn't sure I wanted to be in the middle of it.

  "No, it's not like that, Jen. Come on, you should know that by now." Kent tried to block Jen as she tried to push past him to get to me.

  "I'm sorry, this was a mistake..." I whispered as I stood up. I should've known that by now too. It wasn't safe to be with Kent. He wasn't that guy anymore. Despite what we'd had in the past he wasn't the one I should be running to with my problems.


  Jen scoffed as she got around Kent. She looked at me and then poked Kent in his chest. "I know you wish it were like that. Especially now that she has a hot little body. Don't think I haven't noticed you checking her out. Don't think I haven't noticed you being snippier than usual with me after you ran into her at the party."

  Kent left Jen standing there and came back, pushing me back onto his bed. He looked down at me as he said with a frown, "No. You stay. You need someone to talk to, maybe a girl. I need to walk and clear my head. Maybe you two can bitch about how shitty the male population is." Kent turned on his heel and rushed to the door, slamming it behind him as he left the dorm.

  I looked at Jen who exhaled slowly and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Elly. I don't mean to drag you in the middle of our shit. It's been hard lately. He just drives me nuts most days...but you don't need to hear it, Elly. Did you get a look at that bimbo that boy of yours was fucking?"

  Ever since Jen turned eighteen she felt like she could and should use any dirty word that she could think of. On Kent's eighteenth birthday she yelled, "Happy Fucking Birthday, Pussylicker!" in front of his few close friends and his mother. And mine. She was a little inebriated at the time, but it wasn't really a good excuse. I think she lost brownie points with his mom for that. I certainly would have if I had said it.

  I shook my head. "Not really, just saw some blonde hair..."

  Jen just shook her head and took a seat next to me. "What a bitch. I can't believe some women." Jen was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Elly, thank you for being my friend." Jen put her arms around my shoulders.

  I gave her a polite hug in return but my mind was churning. I hated these false moments with her. She hated me, clearly, and I didn't like her very much either. I pulled away and then chuckled, "God, I probably look a hot mess. I'm gonna go." I stood up and left Jen sitting there, waiting for Kent who ran into me in the downstairs lobby.

  "Elly, hey. Sorry about that. I just...had to get out of there."

  He still looked kind of pissed and I was glad he wasn't pissed at me. At least I hoped he wasn't. Maybe I'd interrupted a romantic evening with him and Jen. No, he'd said she was out with her mom.

  "It's okay. It was pretty tense in there. Your dorm room is way too small."

  He chuckled and it made my belly feel warm.

  "Yeah, tell me about it."

  "No time for cru--" Oh no, maybe I'd interrupted his private boy time. "Oh god, did I come stop by at the worst time? I'm sure you don't get alone time very often and--"

  He stopped me with his hand as he placed it on my shoulder. "Elly. Stop. You didn't interrupt anything. I was playing a video game, that's all. I'm sorry I can't keep talking about how awesome you are."

  I rolled my eyes, totally not believing him. "Whatever." I nodded and smiled, not feeling it in my heart but I needed to show it for his sake. "Better go up there and patch things up with your girlfriend."

  "Yeah, I'd better or she won't play with me." I blinked at him and he shook his head, stuttering with embarrassment, "N-no! I m-meant video games!"

  I nodded a couple of times slowly. "Right. Okay. Not my business." I held my hands up innocently and side stepped around him.

  He raked his fingers through his hair as he watched me go. "Elly! That's not what I meant!"

  "Go on. Go play with your girlfriend." I shuddered as I walked out of his dorm. I didn't want that image in my head. I closed my eyes as I walked a few steps. Rainbows. The beach. Crabs. CRABS! I opened my eyes and shook my head. I needed to go work out and sap the self-pity from my body.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I sat down next to Kent. "Hey." I opened my notebook and uncapped my pen.

  Kent didn't look like himself. It looked like he hasn't slept well in days. He had his notebook out like always, but he didn't have his pencil in hand. He turned his eyes towards me and offered a little smile. "Hey, Elly."

  I looked him over and bent over slightly so I could get a better look at him. The bags under his eyes were huge. "What-are you okay?"

  Kent rubbed his eyes and looked back at his notebook. "Yeah, just not been sleeping well is all."

  "Oh, right," I sat back in my seat and stared down at my notebook. "Too many late nights with Jen lately, huh?"

  Kent shook his head and picked up his pencil. He started doodling on the cover of his notebook. That was one of his pissed off tells. "No. I've been sleeping on her couch."

  "And why is that?" I glanced between his face and his doodles. "I thought you and Jen made up."

  The professor turned down the lights which signified he was ready to speak.

  I wrote a note on his clean page as he opened his notebook.

  I can get that coffee after class today.

  When Kent started taking notes I did as well, the professor wasted no time getting down to business. At class's end I stood up, notebook in hand. "So do you have time?"

  Kent stood up he nodded his head. "I thought you'd never ask."

  I smiled and walked with him down the stairs. "Why don't you break up with her?"

  "It's not that easy. Sometimes she doesn't take no for an answer. There are sometimes she's really sweet, but as of late it's like she's a totally different person."

  I chewed on my lower lip softly. "But you love her, right?"

  "That's a very complicated question, Elly. One I'm not sure I even know the answer to. Ever since prom night I thought so. I mean she didn't just leave me there after I passed out. She said we had sex, but I can't really remember."

  "No, she did...I, um...I walked in on you guys. It was the worst night of my life." I avoided his gaze as the night replayed in my memory.

  That night I had tried to be a good sport, for Kent's sake, but prom blew big chunks. The only person I'd wanted to dance with had abandoned me. Come to prom with us, Elly, he'd said. It'll be fun, he'd said. He had lied. It hadn't been fun. It hadn't been fun at all.

  I started my walk to the hotel lobby when I saw a group of guys crowded around a half open door. Curiosity got the better of me and I pushed my way to the front, ready to close the door on whatever the jerks were staring at. But that was before I saw Jen, her short mini-dress pushed all the way up, revealing her whole perfect naked body. The guys were staring at it, soaking up the memory for the spank bank. And I couldn't look away. I should have but I couldn't. I saw Kent, on the floor of the Pine Room, his hands on Jen's waist as she bounced on top of his half naked body.

  I didn't stay to see more than thirty seconds before I ran off. I could faintly hear their comments and their laughter. "Aww, poor Elly-phant."

  His voice was soft, bringing me back to the present, "I'm sorry you had to see that, Elly."

  "I am too, but it's done now." I shook my head to try to get rid of the memory. It only ever worked temporarily.

  Kent shook his head as they came to the little coffee shop on campus. "You going to let me buy your coffee?" Kent no doubt switched the subject since we were getting close to other people.

  "Um, no." I looked down at my feet. "Sorry, sorry I brought that up. I forget that I can't talk to you about everything."

  Kent shook his head. "I just don't remember it at all. It's one of those things that I wished I could remember. Your first time is supposed to be special. At least memorable. Jen never told me exact details. Pretty much like now, she only tells me half of the things she's doing. Sometimes it just doesn't seem to add up or something." It seemed Kent was opening up a little more, getting more comfortable with himself. I was glad to see it. It was a nice change from his self-conscious high school self.

  "I..." I shook my head, wondering if I should tell him anything at all about my social life. Of course I should. He's my friend. I sighed, feeling stupid for even thinking of keeping him isolated from the rest of my life. "So, I'm uh...I'm singing at open mic night tomorrow. I figured I'd invite you and Jen to come see me. You know, if you want to."

  I shrugged softly as I stepped up to the coffee counter and
ordered my chai tea. I paid in cash and then stepped aside so Kent could order. I figured changing the subject would be easier than telling my friend that he needed to get his head out of his ass and pay attention to his feelings. I wasn't very good at it either so I couldn't really fault him.

  Kent nodded his head. "I'd like that. I'm sure I can convince Jen to go."

  I doubted it very much but I nodded politely anyway. "Good luck with that." I poked his side with my free hand. I shook my finger and winced, "Ouch. You're like a rock these days."

  Kent chuckled as he ordered his drink. He lifted up his shirt to show his abs. "Not bad for a dorky kid, huh?" He let the shirt drop. His drink came up and he took it in hand.

  I tried not to stare so I looked around instead. "Oh god, Kent. You're drawing the wolves' attention. They're going to come maul you if you do that again." I grinned. "I'd show you my abs but then you'd just be super emasculated."

  Kent laughed as he put his arm around my shoulder and walked us to a table. I didn't embrace him back but just walked casually as if it were no big thing that my high school crush turned super hottie had his arm around me. And that he smelled like a nighttime forest. And that I wanted to smack the coffee out of his hand and have my way with him on every table in the joint. "You laugh, but that's only because you haven't seen them. And you probably never will. I don't like seeing grown men cry."

  "Right, right. Maybe we'll have to go to the gym sometime and see who's better at what. Or maybe just work out together. Mike would love it if you'd join in. He'd get to stare at you. It would be a nice change. It's pretty creepy when he stares at me." Kent led them to a table where he took a seat.

  I sat down across from him and chuckled, "I'm sure you'd have no trouble finding a girl to work out with you two. There are lots of PYT's dying for attention from two strapping college men like yourselves."

  Kent shook his head. "I don't want to do that. It's enough dealing with Jen when I have a hot friend, much less more girls trying to force their way in."