This Is Not the End

Jacky’s POV

I watched Elise out of the corner of my eye as I drove towards the house. She looked thrilled to be out of her apartment. I guess she wasn’t kidding when she told me that Max kept her locked in there like a child. I was thinking more along the lines of a prison warden. Max was a nice guy, and I liked him. I didn’t mind him too much, but what really got on my nerves was the fact that every time I went near Elise in the hospital, he’d give me a dirty look. What did he think? That I was a rapist or something? All I really wanted to do was get to know her. I was thankful that Max wasn’t there today. I had driven by every other day, only to see Max’s car in the parking lot of the complex. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw that Max wasn’t there. I drove passed her place, and went to the nearby florist and purchased a potted plant. I had always known it to be custom to bring a plant to someone who had just moved into a new home. I felt really stupid standing at her door holding it.

“Oh! I love this song!” Elise cried, putting her hand on the volume dial. “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns ‘N’ Roses had started playing. Elise sang along to the music as I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

“Do you mind if I smoke?” she asked me.

“Just roll the window down,” I said, stopping at the light. Elise rolled down the window and lit her cigarette. She looked at me.

“Hey, was it hard adjusting to driving in this country? I mean, you British folk drive on the other side of the street.” She asked with her head tilted and her arm hanging out the window.

“Well, it was a major adjustment for me. But I managed. It was either learn the American way, or walk everywhere.” I said, putting the car in drive. We were almost there. I pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. Elise put out her cigarette and got out. I saw as I got out of the car that Nasty and Derek were here. It looked like it was going to be a full house, which only meant that this was going to be a very interesting evening. Elise followed me inside. I was glad that we had replaced the carpet at the front door. I didn’t want Elise to relive that night by seeing the massive bloodstain she had left behind. I thought I saw her shudder as we walked in.

Ronnie was sitting on the couch next to Nasty. They were each holding video game controllers and nudging each other playfully as they played. I glanced at the TV. They were playing Mario Carts.

“Hey guys, remember Elise?” I said, moving aside so they could see her. Ronnie glanced up and made a grunting noise indicating recognition and continued his lead on the game. I took Elise around the house and introduced her to the rest of the guys one by one. Then I took her back into the living room. We sat on the couch away from Nasty and Ronnie and watched their game.

“DAMMIT! Nasty, you fucking cheated!” Ronnie cried out when the game was over.

“Hey, you win some. You lose some.” Nasty laughed. Then his attention turned to Elise. “Hi, how are you?” he asked.

“I’m Elise Green.” She said, holding out her hand. “Jacky’s friend,”

“And Max’s cousin. Don’t forget that detail, Missy.” Ronnie laughed.

“Hey! Don’t call me ‘Missy’, Mister!” she shouted. I laughed.

“Want to play? I’ll go easy on you.” Nasty asked.

“No! Don’t play with him, he cheats!” Ronnie shouted. “Play with me!”

Nasty punched Ronnie on the arm. “No! You just suck at this game.” He said.

“I’m game.” Elise said, getting up and taking the controller from Ronnie. “I’ll play against Nasty, and then Ronnie can play against Jacky, and the winners of each game can go against each other.” She suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” I said, getting up and going to the kitchen. “Anyone want anything?” I called.

“Water for me,” Ronnie shouted.

“Coke for me, bro,” Nasty said. “HEY! You can’t do that!” he added to Elise. I heard Elise and Ronnie laughing as I got everyone their drinks. I grabbed Elise a soda as well. I came back into the living room to see that Elise was winning, and that Mika had joined the party. He was sitting on the couch beside Elise. I scowled. I handed everyone their drinks and sat down on the floor in front of Elise. After a while, she had claimed victory against Nasty. Nasty accused her of cheating as he handed Ronnie the controller. Elise was still laughing by the time Ronnie and I had begun our game.

“Hey Ellie,” Mika said.

“What?” She replied, running her fingers through my hair. It was a very relaxing gesture.

“Can I style your hair? I can cut hair really good.” He replied.

“I think about it...” She said. “Use the banana peel!” She added to me.

“Hey! No coaching! That's cheating!” Ronnie protested. I rolled my eyes.

“Ronnie, you really do suck at this game.” Elise mused, taking a sip from her soda, and placing it on the table in front of me. She continued stroking my hair as the game continued. At last, I had succeeded in taking victory against Ronnie.

“Looks like we have our finalists.” Nasty said. Ronnie grunted and handed the controller to Elise, then he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest like a child and leaned back into the couch. Elise pushed Mika over and patted the space next to her for me to sit down. It was a close game, but Elise got the best of me and won. Elise stood up with her phone in her hand.

“Goddammit Max! Can't you leave me alone for five minutes?!” She shouted. “Fuck it. I'm turning my phone off. I'm not dealing with him right now.” She pushed the button and returned the phone to her pocket. “So, Mika, what exactly did you have in mind for my hair?” She asked.

“I was think about layering it and dying the tips red. I have left over dye.” He said.

“Sounds good to me.” Elise said. Mika stood and grabbed her arm, leading her down the hallway toward the bathroom.

“What's the deal with Max?” Nasty asked. “She looked annoyed.”

“Max is very protective. He doesn't know that she's left the house. And the thing is, he doesn't live there.” I explained.

“From what you've said, he practically does.” Ronnie added. “He's over there all the time. So, how did you get her away from Max's clutches in the first place.”

“Easy. He wasn't there, and I knew that she would be dying to leave the house. I don't think she's been out since she got home from the hospital.” I said.

“Do you like her?” Nasty asked.

“No, what makes you think that?” I said in a more defensive tone then I had meant.

“No reason. Just a question.” Nasty shrugged.

“He does. Don't let him fool you. He's had the hots for her since he first talked to her in the hospital. Or maybe before then.” Ronnie scoffed. “I wouldn't try anything with her. Max'll probably have your head on a spike if you go near her.”

“Come off it, mate. I just want to be friends with the girl. I am allowed to have female friends, aren't I?” I argued. With that said, I stood up and walked back to my bedroom to be away from Ronnie. I wasn't mad at him for saying what he said. I was pissed because he was right. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get Elise out of my mind. No matter where I was or what I was doing, I wish that she were with me. I wished I had her number or something so I could talk to her. I wished that Max weren't being an over protective prick. I wanted to get to know Elise on a more exclusive level. To graduate from friend to more than that.

I flopped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. My thoughts faded in and out around Elise. There was a knock at my door frame. I turned my head and saw Elise standing in the doorway. Her hair looked amazing. It had been down her back, and was now cut neatly to shoulder length and was dyed black and the tips were red. It contrasted her skin beautifully.

“Can I come in, or did you want to be alone?” She asked.

“No, no. Come in, I'm not busy.” I said.

“The other guys are going out some place and invited you and I along.” She said.

“If you want to go that's fine. I'm not really in the mood to go anywhere.” I said.

“Neither am I. I want to spend time with you.” She smiled, coming further into the room. I sat up.

“Really? Why? I'm really boring.” I said nervously.
“Not to me, you aren't. And besides, I'm your guest. You invited me over.” Elise said, standing beside my bed. In the distance, I heard the muffled sound of the front door being shut. We were now completely alone once again.

“Well what would you like to do then?” I asked.

Elise shrugged. “We could watch a movie? It's really your choice. It's your house.” She said.

“Yeah, and we could order pizza.” I said, standing up and heading for the door. Elise followed me into the living room. I turned the game off and told Elise to choose a movie while I dialed out for pizza. I ordered a large pepperoni and a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

“What did you pick out?” I asked as I put the phone back on its holder.

“'Let Me In',” she said. “It's one of my favorites.” Elise put the DVD in and went and sat down on the couch. She slid off her shoes and got comfortable. I sat down beside her with the remote and pressed play on the menu. As the movie started, Elise rested her head on my shoulder and placed her hand on my arm. I smiled and leaned over and turned off the lamp. It was dark outside, so the only light in the room was coming from the TV. After a while the delivery man came knocking and we ate in silence. We drank the soda straight from the bottle and didn't even bother with plates. After the movie was over, the pizza was gone. And I got up to select another movie. I chose “The Hangover”, seeing as I wanted to be able to laugh with her. I sat back down on the couch and started the movie.

“Oooh good choice!” She smiled, resting her head on my shoulder again. I felt comfortable enough to slide my arm around her waist as the movie began. After a while, we found ourselves in a laying down position on the couch. My heart was beating so fast. Elise didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she made no indication of it. Soon enough, as the movie was almost over, I could hear begin to snore softly, indicating that she had fallen asleep. I wrapped my arm around her and close my eyes. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.