Sweet Illusions

    "No arguments, you are coming with us!" Kennedy said pushing Elliot into her room, she looked over her shoulder and jutted out her lip. "Nope, no puppy dog look, come on Elle, this is our group's little tradition and you're in the group now!" Kennedy said shutting the door, Elliot smiled realizing that it was actually really sweet despite the fact she was being forced into going on the trip.

    "Don't forget to pack a swim suit!" Madison called out through the door.

    "Fine! I know how to pack for the lake, you know!" Elliot shouted so she could be heard through the door. She grabbed her duffle bag and started throwing things, she pulled out her bikinis and shoved them in along with random shorts and a couple tank tops and shirts. She figured it wouldn't really matter what she looked like, but the she remembered that she was John going and grabbed a slinky dress and pajamas.

    She pulled her duffle bag out towards the bathroom to pack her toiletries and saw Kennedy and Madison sitting at the bottom of the stairs with their own bags whispering and giggle. Elliot smiled to herself, the reason Madison was even back here was a four letter word involving her step-brother. But there were a lot of four letter words she didn't want to think about, and scrunched her nosed. Love, love was the four letter word, she thought. Then she withdrew from her mind, realizing it was better if she didn't let her mind run in circles.

    She threw in her makeup bag and her bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body was before zipping up the canvas duffle bag and pulling her hair into a ballet bun at the top of her head. She sighed, checking her outfit quickly in the mirror, breezing out her blouse over her denim shorts. She threw her duffle bag over her shoulder and walked down the stairs.

    "Finally dude! We're gonna be late, the other car already left," Kennedy groaned with a joking smile on his lips. He held up Madison's bag and his own before they started walking out towards Madion's black SUV.

    "Ugh, how come I don't have a boyfriend to carry my heavy bag," Elliot moaned, after pulling a pair of black sunglasses over her eyes. She realized she may have over packed for a weekend getaway, but still.

    "Because you're a bitter old shrew?" Madison looked over her shoulder, playing with her side braid, her curly bangs still hanging in her face. Elliot raised an eyebrow before giving her a bona fide stink eye and Madison dropped her smirk and gave a bright innocent smile. "I mean, because you're far too beautiful to have a boyfriend?"

    "Yeah, I'm gonna go with the latter," Elliot laughed as she tossed her duffle bag into the trunk.
She slammed down the trunk and saw Kennedy opening the passenger seat. "SHOTGUN!" Elliot called out before snaking into the front seat before he knew what happened.

    "What the hell?" Kennedy said before closing the door for her as Elliot placed her purse on her lap digging out her iPod and waving as Kennedy got into the back seat. "That was actually impressive so I'm surprisingly not pissed," Kennedy said still in awe. Elliot thanked him before the drive began.

    "NO TURN LEFT BACK THERE!" Kennedy shrieked, leaning over the center console to give Madison directions to John's lake house. Elliot hit her head against the window, wanting someone in the car to comprehend the meaning of inside voice.

    "WHY WOULD YOU TELL ME AFTER THE FUCKING TURN?!" Madison screamed right back, before flicking the turn signal violently and getting into the left lane to make a U-turn.

    "If you weren't so busy texting people while you were driving you would've actually heard me when I told you the turn is coming up," Kennedy seethed at her, holding up the MapQuest pages to hide his face. Elliot tried turning up the volume of her iPod, but the argument could still be heard. Back and forth and back and forth, and somehow they began arguing about something completely unrelated to the driving matter.

    "WELL AT LEAST I DON'T SOUND LIKE A MOCKINGBIRD WHEN I ORGASM!" Madison retorted as they reached the gravel drive way and Elliot could see the light at the end of the table.

    "Oh my God! Both of you for the love of God stop shouting! We are in a car! This is an enclosed space and there's another person there! Jesus fucking Christ!" Elliot finally released the storm brewing, as she tried to keep her mouth shut, but a person can only take so much. Elliot thanked her lucky stars as they pulled to a stop and Elliot jumped out of the car.

    "Wow, Elliot, you shouldn't lose your head," Madison said raising her eyebrows at her friend. Elliot felt her eye start to twitch with anger, she grabbed her duffle bag before walking into the house. A couple of the guys started coming out onto the front porch, waving and cheering brightly and all she did was groan loudly.

    "Wow, what happened to you?" Jared laughed, raising his eyebrow at her. He leaned down to take her duffle bag and they all looked avoiding giving hugs at the risk she might verbally abuse them.

    "Have you ever spent four hours in an enclosed space with those two?" Elliot explained with a smile. All the guys looked over her shoulder to see Kennedy and Madison kissing and making up in the literal sense. "If you can ever avoid it, do. I need a very, very strong drink," She laughed hugging the guys hello.

    "YES! And the party begins now!" Garrett called out, with his arm still around her as they walked into the house. John was standing in the kitchen with a girl she had never seen before holding a beer up, shirtless.

    "Hells yeah the party just got here," Elliot laughed, gesturing to herself as she lifted the sunglasses out other eye. She followed Jared into the room at the end of the hall where there were bunk beds lining the wall. "Thanks for getting my bag, by the way. Oh so we're all sharing the room?" She was slightly disappointed.

    "Yeah this is the kids room, there's only one master bedroom and one guest bedroom, John got the master and Mallory got the guest," Jared explained, and Elliot figured that Mallory was the mystery girl she saw with John in the kitchen, an involuntary tinge of jealous hit her. She scoffed at the notion before Jared noticed, scrunching his nose curiously.

    "Oh, I'm just surprised that they have separate bedrooms, if it was up to John I'm pretty sure it'd be a different sleeping situation," She explained, rolling her eyes as they started walking to rejoin the rest of the group.

    "Uh, well, no because Mallory is John's cousin, she's only here for tonight until her boyfriend gets here and the two of them are going off on their own little thing, then you and Madison get the guest bedroom," Jared clarified, laughing at Elliot's reaction as he spoke, which consisted of a bright blush and her jaw dropping simultaneously.

    "Oh, well sweet. Not that I don't love sleeping in a room filled with guys, but you know," Elliot laughed playing it off. She noticed all the guys ran outside and were splashing around in the pool backyard.

    "Elliot, it's alright if you like him... that warning I gave you before, I think you're changing him in a good way," Jared bumped her shoulder, nodding towards the boy her eyes found automatically. Elliot was taken back in two ways, first of all why would Jared think she liked John? She was pretending to like him, but come on. Secondly, she realized that was the first good sign she'd had in a while, that meant the plan was coming to fruition.

    "I'll keep that in mind," Elliot smiled before changing into her swim suit, she grabbed a towel from her bag and met up with everyone outside.
 
   "Elliot! Get in here!" Madison called out, floating around in the cerulean pool with her clothes still on. Elliot laughed and nodded before peeling her towel off revealing her black bikini and almost like clockwork she felt someone staring. She looked and caught John in the act, he looked down abashed. She felt sheepish for some reason, her cheeks tinting pink. This weekend would be interesting.