Elodie and Heloise (20 page)

Gazing out at the crowd, she looked back on all the years she spent becoming popular. Getting in with the right people. Following what everyone else did. Getting back at all the people who had made fun of her when she was a bespectacled, stringy haired waif. Stepping on other people, even her own friend, to get ahead so that she could feel good about herself. Taking interest in things that deep down really didn’t interest her very much at all. Having to pretend to be a bubble-headed ditz because it was expected of her. Always doing what everyone else wanted. Having to hide her real feelings and passions.

And what exactly had she gotten out of being so popular anyway? Sure she’d been Student Council president and been well-liked by her peers, but what did it all really mean? As soon as the graduation ceremony ended, so would her entire high school career. She would be starting over completely from scratch as a college student in a new environment where her social standing didn’t matter. 

Elodie simply couldn’t take it anymore. She’d spent so long doing what everyone expected her to do that she more than ever wanted to do something for herself. And she knew just what to do.

As the excitement from the Prom Court selections died down, Elodie felt a surge of confidence like nothing she’d ever known before. She and Quentin were allowed to stay on their thrones for one song, then they could join the rest of the crowd and carry on as normal. For the entire duration of that one song where they were both required to watch over the proceedings, she thought her heart would come out of her chest with it beating so hard. 

Almost as soon as the song died down, Quentin rose from his seat and held out his hand for Elodie. Without letting on that anything was about to happen, she smiled as she took his hand, letting him lead her down the steps and into the crowd. When they reached their friends’ table, she took an inventory of all her belongings as everyone congratulated them. Fortunately there was just her purse to worry about. 

She grabbed her purse and making eyes at Quentin, she told him that she needed to go to the bathroom and touch up her makeup and she would be returning in a few minutes. “You know how us girls are with our makeup.”

“But of course!” he responded. “Have fun. And when you come back, I’d like one dance if you don’t mind.”

“Certainly.”

With that said, she turned and headed toward the ballroom doors in the general direction of the bathrooms just outside the exit. She wanted to make sure he could see her going toward the bathroom so that he wouldn’t worry too much. At least he couldn’t hear her heart pounding and see the sweat forming in beads on her forehead as she strode toward the exit. She could see the glowing bathroom signs as she walked out of the ballroom, except that she walked right past the bathrooms and straight for the front doors of the hotel. 

I’m coming..

The warm June air filled her lungs as Elodie practically ran out of the hotel. She was finally free. She realized though that she had almost no idea how to get to his house from the hotel. She glanced around at her surroundings and realized that she was actually closer to his house than she thought. Elodie took a right and crossed the street, then went down a few more blocks. Her shoes were almost killing her feet, but she didn’t care. She only hoped it wasn’t too late.

Except that there was no need to go on to his house. Off in the distance at the edge of the town park across from the hotel, she could see a figure moving, tall and lanky, walking a small dog whose bark carried far into the distance. It was none other than Sprocket’s enthusiastic bark, so she knew that figure could only be Duncan. She just knew it. Since it was only 9:00 on a warm early June night, it made sense that Duncan would be out and about. His house was only a few blocks away from the park, as he had told her during one of their chats before their disastrous date.

Her shoes hurt more and more as the shoe straps dug into her feet, but she needed to make it over to where he stood there in the park before he got away. She couldn’t let him get away. With a mouth as dry as the desert and the feeling of a bowling ball in her stomach, Elodie ran across the street from the hotel to the park. Her heels resonated on the silent pavement and she was sure that Duncan could hear her coming. She hoped to God that he would listen to her. 

I have to do this.

She reached the central fountain, continuing to follow Duncan. Her shoes sounded even louder on the concrete and stones of the park walkways and without warning, he turned around, probably to see where the noise was coming from. His eyes locked onto hers and Elodie stopped in her tracks, not realizing how heavy her breathing had become and how sweaty her face was. She didn’t even care that her makeup was probably running all over her face from the sweat. Besides, running in heels was not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do, especially for someone as inept at athletics as Elodie was. At long last, tired of her shoes digging into her delicate feet, she removed her shoes and held them by the heel straps, their silver glittery heels dangling from her hands. 

On seeing her standing there with about five hundred feet between them, Sprocket began barking and he started pulling Duncan toward her, much to his dislike. The only sources of light in the park were lampposts set about a hundred feet apart on either side of the walkways. In their light, Elodie could see Duncan’s face as he regarded her with a look of disdain that soon turned to surprise. She sauntered toward him, completely barefoot and trying not to shiver from the slight cold of the stones on her  feet, still soft from the lotion put on her feet from that afternoon’s pedicure with her girl friends in preparation for prom. 

All the while, Duncan stood there looking at her, dressed far more casually than Elodie at that moment. She thought over everything she wanted to say to him, her heart pounding like a drum inside her chest. Meanwhile Sprocket, ever the eager and sociable dog, kept yanking on his leash in an effort to run toward Elodie and greet her, almost choking himself on his collar in his efforts to reach her.

“Heel, Sprocket! Heel!” Duncan bellowed as Elodie approached him. With a little whine, Sprocket sat next to his master, his eyes going back and forth between his master and Elodie. When there was about ten feet between them, Elodie could see his face even clearer. It has softened a little, but not much. Instead, he appeared lost in thought and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Don’t speak, please just listen.” Elodie couldn’t hold back the flood any longer. “To answer your question, no, I wasn’t really happy. I realized that everything I had worked for was superficial and in the end, I wanted nothing more than to just be who I really am. I don’t want to be with them anymore. What I want is you. And it all came back to me when I saw you again for the first time in seven years. Duncan, you were the first boy I was ever interested in. I liked your quirky nature and your warm personality, and how you were such a good friend to me at a time when I didn’t have any. And I thought you would never like me because of how dorky I was. When you moved away, I changed because I wanted to be someone different, someone you might like. But now I see that you really did like me before I became popular, and I would completely understand if you don’t ever want to talk to me again, but I just wanted to tell you how I felt and still feel. 

And I came from the prom. That’s why I’m dressed like this. I went to the prom with someone that I don’t even like anymore because he liked the stupid girl that I had to be and because it was expected of me to go with another popular person. But I was so damn miserable, you have no idea. The entire time, all I could think about was how much I wanted to be with you. And I knew that I’d blown it.”

She stepped a little closer to him, paused in her thoughts and tears coming down her face so hard that she knew her makeup was being ruined. But she didn’t care. Duncan wouldn’t care, she knew that. Duncan stood there with Sprocket at his feet, listening intently to her but still not looking her in the eye.

“You told me that you didn’t want to be around me because of how superficial I acted. Well I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that I don’t want to be that stupid girl anymore. That’s not who I am. It’s not who I ever was. What I want to do is play guitar and sing my songs, I want to share my passion with the world, and I want to be with you. I want to be with you because you like me for who I am. I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not. And you like what’s underneath. Sorry, I meant ‘liked.’”

“No, like is correct,” he interjected. He lifted his eyes to Elodie and finally looked upon her for the first time that evening.

“Anyway.... I’m sorry for barging in like this, but I just wanted you to know. And if you don’t believe me and don’t want to give me another chance, then I’ll have to just let you go. It will hurt like hell for a while, but I’ll let you go. But if you do want me, you will make me the happiest girl in the world. You’re a wonderful guy, Duncan, and I would be so lucky to have you in my life as something more than a friend. If you’ll please give me another chance.”

A long while passed as Duncan regarded Elodie with a thoughtful gaze, his eyes searching through hers for something that she didn’t know. She could see that he wasn’t angry at her, but he was definitely thinking about something.

“You know what, I’ll just leave then. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.” 

Tears burned her eyes as she turned away and looked out at the empty park. She saw the empty bench where she and Duncan talked on that first day together for the first time in seven years and felt like she was a million miles away from that moment. Her heart was so hopeful after that day that there could be something more between her and Duncan. But those hopes were now completely dashed. There was no doubt in her mind that he really didn’t care for her anymore and didn’t believe a single word she’d said. He’d stood there and said nothing after she’d just poured out her heart to him.

“No. Don’t go anywhere.”

Duncan grabbed Elodie’s arm and turned her around to face him. As she gazed upon him, she noticed that his thoughtful eyes had turned to something far more passionate. “First of all, I believe you. And secondly, and most importantly, there’s something I’ve been waiting seven years to do.”

With that, he pulled her close and kissed Elodie full on the mouth, her first ever truly passionate kiss. 

"Are you ready?"

"Are you kidding, Duncan? I've been ready for this forever it seems. All those hours playing in my study with no one else to listen except for my mom. I've got this. I just know it. Wait..... I don't know...." 

"Elodie, you'll do wonderfully. Besides, it's only an open mic night. Two songs and you're done. And you can do this."

She took a large breath that seemed to fill every corner of her lungs. "I'm surprised at myself, you know. All those years of being popular and having to be in front of people, you would have thought that would have taught me something about being confident. Even if it all was fake."

"Come here. You'll do fine. I've loved listening to you play and I know as soon as you get up on that stage, the audience will love you too. Here, you look like you need a hug."

"You know me too well."

"It's all in your face. And that's part of why I like you so much."

Elodie laughed as she got up from her chair and fell into Duncan's open arms. They wrapped their arms around each other and she rested her head on his chest, taking in the surroundings. Rockin' Coffee buzzed with excitement and anticipation as people came in and took their seats at the tables in front of the stage. This was the first time Elodie had ever come here and she already liked the atmosphere of it.

Elodie and Duncan had been here for at least an hour beforehand since she wanted to get something to eat before going on stage. He came to pick her up in his car and they drove across town in the still warm September evening and on arriving at the venue, they grabbed themselves a table near the wall with a side view of the stage. However, anxiety soon took over and Elodie could barely eat anything, so her chicken wrap lay half-eaten on her plate. Meanwhile, she had gone through at least two hot chocolates in an effort to stop her throat from drying up. And it wasn't working.

The open mic was schedule to start at 7 PM sharp. It was at least five minutes before the hour and every second that passed seemed to worsen her nervousness. She had only ever played to an audience of three: her mother, herself, and more recently, Duncan. What if something went wrong? What if she cracked on a note, especially one in her head voice? All of these thoughts ran in circles around her head.

Duncan and Elodie let go of each other and Elodie sat back in her seat, still as nervous as ever. She was supposed to be the second person to play that night and she only hoped that it would come quicker than expected. As if he could read into her mind, Duncan reached across the table and took Elodie's hand in his, giving it a couple of reassuring squeezes.

"Here, why don't you warm up a little bit? That might help."

Elodie nodded and started vocalizing to herself, singing various vowels from the lower depths of her range up to her head voice until her head buzzed with sound. Then she reviewed the lyrics for the two songs she was going to sing that night: "Happiest Girl" and another new song. She had never actually played the former song to Duncan, but tonight, she wanted him to hear it. At least when singing it to a crowd, she didn't have to only focus on Duncan.

The first act came on stage promptly at 7 PM, a forty-something woman dressed in a long black skirt and a white peasant top that looked like it was homemade and her hair hanging down almost to her waist. Anna Maria was her name, and that was all that Elodie cared to remember about her.

Anna Maria ascended to the stage with a brown guitar hanging over her shoulder, looking lost in reveries that only she could comprehend as she adjusted the mikes to fit her short stature. She muttered into the microphone, "Hi everyone, I'm Anna Maria and this is my song 'Stop Dragging My Bird Around.' It was inspired by a true story."