Galaxies

He had hoped that Melissa would come home in the morning, but another part of him was happy that she didn't. Sitting up in bed he looked around his studio apartment and without even thinking about it, he called Allison.

"Hey," he breathed.

"Hi, did you just get up?"

He cleared his throat, "Yeah."

"You didn't go to work did you?" she asked putting her earpiece in so she could continue scrubbing down the kitchen counters.

"No, I called in telling them I couldn't make it. My great grandmother died." He deadpanned.

"Again?"

"Yep." He replied sitting down at his desk in the 'office' area of his apartment.

"So have you called Melissa?"

He clicked on the email from his boss, "No."

"And why not?" she asked as she grabbed the old tooth brush she uses to scrub at the grout of the tile covered counter.

"Because, she texted me last night telling me that she was going to call me in the morning. She never did, so didn't call her." He stated simply.

"That has got to be one of the most stupidest reasons I have ever heard. Why do you guys insist on being and doing things that are so stupid? Is it like in their genes or something?"

"Hey, I'm right here you know." He was staring at his computer screen wondering if Ellie really thought that way about him. He knew he'd done some pretty dumb things in his life. (Like trying to steal the giant doughnut that sat on the roof of Ernie's bakery, but that was dare.)

"Oh, I know, and you need to listen. Are you listening?" She paused in her scrubbing to listen for his response.

He sighed and started to write out a letter to a Mrs. Gabrielle Gardner, "Yeah."

"Okay, good. Now what you need to do is, call Melissa and tell her that you're sorry-"

"But I'm not sorry! I didn't do anything wrong!" He exclaimed as he deleted the last few sentences he typed. He didn't think a seventy-year-old women wanted, "This is so stupid, I don't know why I took this job. I'm a writer, not a messenger for the elderly who want to remember affairs they had in the 1920's. This is ridiculous."

"It doesn't matter if you did anything wrong! In guy language 'I'm sorry' means something completely different than it does in girl language."

"Apparently."

"So you need to call her and tell her that you are sorry, and don't say it like, 'I'm sorry, I don't know what I did, 'cause I still don't think that I did anything wrong, but I'm sorry.'" She said in what-she-tried-to-make-sound-like a manly voice.

"Was that supposed to be me you were imitating?"

"Yes, but that's not the point-"

"Do I seriously sound like that?" he inquired.

"Well, no, because I can't really do it, my voice is too high. But again, that's not the point." She said and then started wiping down all dirt she'd scrubbed from the counter. "The point is, are you listening?"

"Yes, Ellie, I'm listening, it's not like I really have a choice." He didn't mean to sound so harsh and immediately felt guilty about it.

"Hey, you called me. I'm just trying to help you. Do you want help?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's perfectly okay, I'm sure your stressed about this problem with you and Melissa."

More like Melissa who has the problem, Cole thought to himself.

"Okay," Allison continued. "So you tell her that you are sorry and all you need to say is this: I'm sorry that talking to Ellie so much upsets you. If it really does bother you that much then I can talk to her less-"

"El! I don't want to do that! I feel like we just started talking again and I haven't seen you in eight years!" He deleted another useless sentence from the letter he was trying to write. He obviously could not properly work while on the phone with Ellie.

"I know, and I don't want to stop talking to you, but if it really bothers her then I think you should honor her wishes." She paused and then said, "Do you love her?

That had Cole come to a standstill, or rather a sitstill. "Well... yeah, but-"

"No, no buts. It's either a yes or no answer, do you love her?"

"Yeah, I guess, I mean-"

"No, Cole. Either, yes? Or no?"

"Then, yes-"

"Then that's all you need to know. If you love her, you will honor her and try to fix any problems you guys are having."

"I know, but-"

"Hey, listen I have to go, but I'll call you back later tonight okay?"

"Yeah, okay," he sighed yet again. "I love you El."

"Love you too, bye!"

Cole hung up his phone sighing loudly as he finished off the letter with a: Sincerely, Harold Goldman, and sent it to his boss. Getting up from his chair he made his way to his small but open kitchen to make himself a cup of Starbucks hazelnut instant coffee. When it was done brewing he sat down at his island and sighed once again.

He missed Ellie so much.

So much that it kind of scared him. He knew that he cared about her when he was kid, but what surprised him was the emptiness he felt after hanging up the phone. When he couldn't hear her voice anymore - except in his mind where it repeated everything she said over and over. The void he felt, that's what scared him.

He and Ellie weren't that great of friends in school. Closer to acquaintances than friends, the kind of friends that barely saw each other outside of school - well, Ellie seeing Cole that is - but would call one another if they needed help studying or needed notes from a class they missed. Ellie called Cole for those kind of things more than he called her, but he was always just happy that she was actually talking to him.

It wasn't until the middle - but closer to the end - of seventh grade that Cole learned why Ellie never had parties at her house, or invited friends over.



Cole heard from Josie Hartman that she heard from Donnie Campbell, that he heard from Sam, that he heard from April, that she heard from Stacy, that she heard from Hayleigh, that Ellie was sick. Really, really sick.

So Cole decided that he would stop by the store on his way home and get a couple of things for her and take them to her house himself. So when school was over he made his way to the student parking lot to find Hayleigh.

The look she gave him made his teeth hurt from clenching his jaw so tight. "Hey, have you heard from Ellie?"

She stared at him for a little longer and then finally spoke, "Yes, but why does it concern you?"

That made Cole pause, "Um, b-because we're friends..." He said closer to the form of question than statement which made him want to gouge his own eyes out.

Hayleigh laughed, or rather she snorted and then started giggling quite loudly.

Cole looked around where they where standing in the middle of the parking lot to make sure no one was watching. The lot was pretty empty allowing Cole to sigh in some relief. When Hayleigh still didn't stop laughing Cole decided he had to say something to get her attention.

"Listen, I know you don't like me," he said with resolve. "But, I care about Ellie as much as that might surprise you. And it's not just because she is the most gorgeous girl here, I actually like her for her, for her wit, and sharp mind. For her kindness, and generosity. I think she's a lot more beautiful than you, inside and out. So, please, save me the snide remarks and the excessive and obnoxious giggling. And tell me if Ellie is still sick or if she is feeling any better." Cole was glad he didn't crack and end up saying the last part as question, he smiled inside, quite proud of himself.

While Hayleigh stood that staring at him, Cole realized that it didn't matter what she told him. Whether Ellie was still sick or not he was still going to stop by her house.

"Oh, I bet you think you're so smart with your developed vocabulary and spiel about your young love for precious Ellie, but it's not going to go anywhere and you need to learn something quick." She paused for dramatic effect, making Cole roll his eyes, "She's never going to go for you, she'sway above your league, okay honey?"

Cole didn't appreciate the condescending tone in her voice as he stared down at her. But he couldn't do anything about it as much as he hated his Grams right now, she taught him right, even if he did feel like punching her in her perfectly-applied-make-up-covered face He knew he couldn't do anything to harm a girl. If Hayleigh was even girl at all, she had Cole debating if she were a demon-spawn pretty often.

Instead of taking his anger out on her, Cole sighed once again and just started walking away. He knew that it would take a while to walk all the way to the store and then to Ellie's. As he was making his way from the school grounds he heard Hayleigh yelling something at him but he ignored it, he had more important things on his mind.

When he got home he thought about riding his skateboard to the store but then realized that it might be kind of hard to skate to Ellie's with grocery bags in his hands. So he just took the money his parents left on the counter for pizza - they were both working late, which happens a lot - and headed for the store.

- - -

As he walked up to Ellie's front door he started notice how nervous he was. He took a few deep breaths trying to get up enough courage to knock on the door. Immediately after his knuckles did hit the door there was loud barking coming from inside making Cole almost jump out of his skin.

After a few moments he heard someone's soft voice speaking to the vicious sounding animal who seemed to have quieted some. When the door started to open, Cole felt like his heart was in his throat and he didn't know if he was going to be able to speak.

"H-hullo?" a woman's rough voice greeted him.

Cole had to stop himself from gasped in surprise not expecting what him assumed was Ellie's mother answering the door. Taking another deep breath, he smiled politely, "Hi, I'm C-cole."

She stared at him. And when she didn't say anything Cole swallowed and said, "I-I heard that Ellie was s-sick?"

The woman yawned and stared at him some more. After a few more seconds she finally spoke, but what said was nothing close to what Cole was expecting. "If ya here for sex ya can leave now boy, I don't got time for lowlifes like that. My baby's sick and I need more..." She trailed off as Cole stood there in shock.

"No, no, no! I'm not, I... I'm not here for anything like that."

"Then what do ya want?" she asked as her small body swayed making her have to grasp the door frame so she wouldn't fall.

Cole, being out of his element stood staring again for a seconds trying to figure out what to do. Knowing he couldn't just leave he said, "I'm here to give these to Ellie and see how she's doing. I heard that she wasn't feeling well and thought she might like somethings." He motioned to the bags he was still carrying.

The woman stared at him with a weird look on her face, "Do ya have somethin' for me? Do ya have anythin' with a kick?"

Not really understanding what she was asking he shook his head no. "Well, come in if ya want. She's upstairs in her room sleepin'. And don't ya two bother me, okay boy?"

Cole nodded and walked inside. He watched nervously as the small, frail looking woman made her way down a hallway where he guessed was her bedroom. When she opened the door Cole saw what looked like clouds of smoke coming out, but he couldn't be sure what he saw in the dark. So he just ignored it and made his way up the stairs, hoping Ellie wasn't going to get mad at him for coming.



Boy was Ellie mad at him about that, Cole laughed at he remembered her yelling at him. She wouldn't talk to him for few days, which was torture for him, but going through that helped them become closer as friends. Cole was the only one who knew about Ellie's mother, and as much as he tried not to, Cole couldn't help letting that make him feel special in a way.