Call It Karma

“Well?” John asked, after what had seemed like an eternity in his mind, Elliot bit her lip. The thoughts were flooding her mind and she couldn’t even organize a clear sentence in her mind. After all, it seemed like she was five-years-old watching her father’s packed up SUV pull out of the driveway, Elliot clutching her little pink backpack with clothes thrown in.

“Papa, I want to go with you! I want- I want to go with you,” Elliot kept trying to get into the car, but her father’s strong hand kept peeling it away and her eyes began to water. She already knew that she couldn’t go with him, that nothing would ever be the same, but she didn’t want to believe it. Finally, her father sighed loudly and kneeled down to look into her eyes,

“Ma Cherie, your mama and I … we just don’t love each other anymore. I love you, never forget that,” His voice was soft, yet distant at the same time. Elliot’s tiny hand was tightening around the handle as tears streamed out of her eyes. She stared at him, he seemed so tall, but her mind couldn’t wrap around it.

“John, I-” Elliot began looking up at him until she stopped herself. He saw the fear in her eyes, sheer and absolute terror. His worry and nervousness immediately dissipated as he realized why she had been so quiet. This was a side he had never seen before, perhaps a glint of it the night before she left. The night before she went away. He wrapped her into his arms tightly and realized that no one else was watching them, there were no unwanted eyes on them. He grabbed her arm and pulled them to the front yard where everyone else definitely couldn’t watch this private conversation.

Once they were on the other side of the fence, all the noise died away and a painful silence overcame her. She looked up at him and realized that he was everything to her and that absolutely scared the bejeesus out of her. She bit her lip and inhaled sharply and took the plunge. When they were together both of them had messed things up, but Elliot felt something new. A courage and faith in herself and them; this was the only thing she wanted.

“John, I love you,” Elliot whispered softly, almost afraid of the words. As if they uttering them would cast a spell revealing terrible consequences. Instead, John’s lips curled into a smile and he leaned down to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and kissed him back, then she held him tighter than she had held onto anything else in her life. He held on to her, chuckling softly as he pulled away to look at her with fond eyes.

“I think I always loved you,” John whispered, leaning close as if this was just their little secret that no one else in the entire world would know. Elliot blushed as she looked down for a moment only to have her chin brought up by John’s hand. “I just can’t explain into words, how much I-” He began before getting cut off by Elliot softly kissing his lips. They both felt it; the feeling that people have written sonnets, novels and songs about, yet it remains inexplicable until one feels it. It was more than a physical response or an emotional want, it was something omnipresent, like the universe paired them together and nothing had felt so right.

“They’re kissing!” Someone whispered drunkenly, and probably louder than they meant to say, but both Elliot and John looked over to see Jared’s eyes and a puff of red hair peaking over the fence separating them. His eyes grew wide as he realized they could see them, “Scatter!” He whispered, immediately dropping out of sight. Elliot let out a small laugh and intertwined her fingers with John, smiling up at him.

He reciprocated the smile, both of them coming to an understanding that they were both in this for the long run. He guided her into the backyard where everyone was attempting to look around and act nonchalant. Elliot even heard Jared whistling, looking up at the sky with his arms behind his back and she let out a laugh. Finally the awkward moment was ended when Max started a slow clap, with a small smirk on his lips.

Everyone started joining in before they sped up and started laughing, Dahlia smiled, holding up a phone to Elliot, Elliot furrowed her brow and took the phone, “Hello?”

“Oh my goodness! This is so great! I was right and you were wrong, but that’s not important right now! I love you so much!” Madison’s still slightly drunk voice poured excitedly through the phone. Elliot laughed harder than she had ever laughed before.

“Why does everyone care so much about John and I?” Elliot finally asked once she could stifle the laughter enough to form words. The crowd still seemed to be silent, looking amongst each other wondering why they cared. Madison chuckled condescendingly, Elliot could envision her best friend shaking her little head.

“Because, you two love each other. Everyone wants to see the two kids who actually love each other work it out,” Madison explained, her voice was still kind despite being patronizing. Elliot’s eyes widened as she bit her lip to fight back tears, something about the fact their friends cared about each other so much.

“Well, cross your fingers for us,” Elliot whispered, wanting some privacy as she revealed something she wanted so deeply. John wrapped his arm around her waist and she cleared her throat. “I’m glad you’re up to date, say hi to David and Mom for me,” Elliot wrapped up quickly as Dahlia shifted awkwardly, still smiling.

“I love you, okay? I’m so happy for you,” Madison slurred slightly before hanging up the phone quickly. Elliot smiled and handed the phone back to Dahlia, they all stood around awkwardly, waiting for someone to say something.

“Margaritas for the happy couple!” Someone called out from the crowd and drunken cheers erupted from the crowd. Elliot clapped her hands and started walking towards the bar outside, but John pulled her back towards him and pressed his lips to hers again. Elliot blushed and felt her face grow sore from the giant smile on her lips. Elliot was about to tell him how happy she was, but before she could speak someone tugged on her hand.

“Come on, you have to be initiated into the club now that you’re with Johnny here,” Halvo tugged on her hand with a roguish grin on his lips. Elliot’s eyes widened with fear, wondering what the initiation entailed. She looked over her shoulder to see John laughing, tilting his head back slightly and she relaxed. Elliot knew that it would probably be stupid, but harmless.

“Okay, here is your Forty of Miller and ready, set, go!” Eric explained while putting a giant, forty-ounce bottle in her hand and grabbing one for himself, he tapped the top of the bottleneck with the bottom of his bottle causing the beer to overflow.

“Shit!” Elliot cursed quickly before bringing the bottle to her lip and felt the foam nearly suffocate her as she chugged at least half of it before bringing it down. Her eyes were watering as she frowned at Halvo.

“No, no, no. You have to chug all of it Elliot,” Halvo smiled smugly before taking a cool sip of his own beer. Elliot sighed looking over to the faces that had become friends over the past few weeks, all of them nodded officially. She shrugged before tipping the bottle back and chugging the rest until her stomach felt like it would explode, or she was going to throw up.

“Holy shit,” Elliot gasped once she had finished. Then she burped louder than she had ever burped in her life and her stomach felt relieved in a sense. If Elliot wasn’t drunk before then, she was drunk now. The boys that circled her, cheered before random hugs were given. She looked over at John and had to remind herself that something enlightening and beautiful had happened right before her frat boy experience.

“I definitely love you,” John smirked, kissing her cheek and taking the empty forty ounce bottle. Elliot felt sick from all the foam, but she rested her head on his chest and felt better. He stabilized her and brightened her life, even the fear of commitment she had as long as she could remember had dissipated.

“I definitely love you, too,” Elliot replied, looking up and smiling. Elliot had forgotten there were other people in the world, forgotten that four years ago they had left each other in shambles, forgotten that there was sadness or hurt. She was completely content in that moment.