Chapter Text
Sometimes, Eleanor wishes Jimmy hadn’t told Crabblesnitch that she was the most suitable candidate for the Head Girl position. She’s grateful that he thought of her in the moment, but man, he should’ve taken the spot instead.
Only a week into the new school year and Eleanor was already exhausted from the new role and responsibilities that were given to her. At least the prefects treated her with more respect than before even though she was younger than them.
The downside? Someone always wanted something. The nerds wanted protection from the bullies, thinking that her having the authority automatically put her on their side. The bullies wanted to stay out of detention permanently—which obviously wasn’t going to happen. The greasers wanted her to turn a blind eye from their usual bullshit, as well as the jocks. And the preps thought of her as a servant, telling her to do or get things for them; and of course, since she didn’t have a backbone, she did.
Despite it all, they still had zero respect for her. Even now that the truth was out.
When it came to secrets and rumors at Bullworth, they spread faster than the Plague, so it didn’t take long for everyone to find out that Eleanor is trans now—which was a good thing, right?
For her, it was. Sorta. It’s not exactly how she wanted to come out to the entire school, but at least the weight and anticipation of it was gone.
She didn’t even know how that information even got out, she just randomly started getting teased by people by being asked weird questions about her gender and sexuality—along with being called horrible names.
This was all expected, though. She knew many wouldn’t understand and she wasn’t about to waste her breath explaining it to them. So far, the only people who respected her were Jimmy, a few other students, and Zoe; Zoe saying it was “totally punk of her”. Whatever that meant.
It all never stopped the bullying jocks and bullies, if anything, it increased it. Which was also expected.
At least it wasn’t all physical, the worst she gotten so far was being shoved into a trash bin or locker which, at this point, was a routine.
Thanks to being a nobody, half of the school didn't really know her name before so they had no choice but to call her Eleanor—or, in some cases, femme boy.
Thanks Gary.
Speaking of Gary, he's been a pain in Eleanor’s ass the whole week; waking her up by pouring freezing cold water on her, purposely tripping her whenever they walked together, or just flat-out annoying her whenever he was nearby.
Just the usual.
He still hasn’t grasped the fact she had changed and no longer went by Pete or Petey, still calling her by that name and using the wrong labels. At this point, it was useless to keep correcting him.
In Gary's head, though, this was a win.
Having Gary around a lot more than he used to meant more fighting between him and Jimmy—Eleanor always being in the middle of it all for some odd reason.
Today was no different.
Eleanor was already in a foul mood, having just pulled herself out of a trash bin courtesy of the jocks, and wasn’t in the mood to deal with any of Gary’s antics. Or anyone for that matter.
As she made her way to the bathroom to hopefully clean herself off before her next class, Gary just so happened to spot her from down the hallway. He followed behind her, letting out a low whistle to catch her attention.
“Hey, Petey. Rough day?” Gary drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
“Not now, Gary.” Eleanor grumbled, not sparing him a single glance while she looked at herself through one of the bathroom mirrors.
The taller boy looked around the bathroom, checking the stalls as if he was making sure it was empty.
“You’ve become quite popular lately. Really moving up the food chain, huh?" He gestured vaguely at her uniform. “Though, you might wanna do something about the trash aesthetic. Not exactly a good look."
Wrinkling her nose, she grabbed a handful of paper towels from the dispenser to clean the garbage juice off of her. "Wow. Hilarious. You done?"
“Not even,” Gary leaned up against one of the sinks next to her, “I mean, you should be thanking me. If it wasn’t for me, no one would have known your name.”
Her jaw settled. “Femme boy isn’t my name, and you know that.”
“Same thing.”
Before Eleanor could tell him off, another voice cut in from the doorway, stealing her attention.
“Jesus, Gary. Don’t you have other hobbies? You picking on Elle is getting old.”
Jimmy stood a few feet away, arms crossed and expression unreadable like always.
“Ah, James,” Gary greeted, his smirk growing. “Picking on him is my hobby. My favorite waste of time.”
Jimmy ignored Gary, his attention on his friend now as scrubbed her vest, clearly annoyed. “The hell happened to you?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She grit her teeth, feeling a headache forming.
“Oh, this is just adorable,” Gary sneered, stepping between them. He jabbed a finger toward Jimmy. “You’re checking up on him? Really? You?” He laughed.
“Maybe it’s because I actually give a shit about her.”
Gary folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head and clicking his tongue; feigning disappointment. “Still fueling his delusions, I see. That’s not very healthy."
“You should know.” Jimmy shot back.
“You wound me, Hopkins. Really. And here I thought we were friends. After everything we’ve been through? All that we shared?” Gary placed a hand over his heart like his words genuinely hurt.
“Friends? You and me?” Jimmy raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, right, you’d rather be friends with freakshows.” Gary’s expression darkened, gesturing to Eleanor with a simple head tilt.
Jimmy’s fists clenched, stepping closer to him. “I swear to God, Gary—”
“Ohhhh, violence! Classic Jimmy!” Gary clasped his hands together, grinning in amusement. “Because that’s all you know how to do, isn’t it? Punch your problems away, like a big dumb gorilla—”
By now, Eleanor had shuffled past them and left without a word. The longer she stuck around, the worse the headache. Instead, she headed to the dorms to change—and get ibuprofen—with her uniform still in gross from earlier. She could care less about who was looking now, she just needed to get away from them.
Whatever happened next between the two boys was going to be some other prefect’s problem.
Ever since Gary returned and Eleanor being assigned as his little guardian, both him and Jimmy had arguing left and right about almost anything and everything.
And since Eleanor hung out with Jimmy half of the time while also having Gary pretty much follow her around—he didn’t have to, he wants to—Eleanor had the greatest fortune of being the topic of every argument which also meant she had to keep Jimmy from beating the daylights out of him.
She gets that Jimmy is just being a good friend and being there for her, especially now considering the circumstances, but it was starting to irritate her. She didn’t need Jimmy to constantly stand up for her as if she was completely defenseless.
Was she weak? Yes. But she had a voice and knew how to use it even if it did get her into more mess.
She just needed some air. She needed space. She needed Ibuprofen. She needed—
THUD
She collided into someone as she turned a sharp corner, catching herself from falling back. Her head was pounding.
“Jeez, walk much?” A familiar voice scoffed.
Eleanor looked up to see Zoe standing there, arms crossed while she looked the her up and down. “The hell happened to you?” She asked with a raised brow.
Eleanor let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Gary being Gary. Jimmy being Jimmy.”
“Ah, so the usual.”
“Pretty much.”
Zoe stood there, studying her friend before coming up with a solution. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.”
Eleanor blinked. “What.”
“We’re ditching class, let’s go.” Zoe casually said like it was something they often did. Well, she did, not Eleanor.
“We?” Eleanor repeated.
“Yes *we.* We can go get some food and bitch about the idiots. Y’know, therapeutic stuff.”
The shorter girl hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the main building. “I… don’t know, Zoe..I mean, I’m the Head Girl now. I have responsibilities.”
The redhead rolled her eyes. “Please. Crabblesnitch barely does his own job. What’s the worst that can happen if you miss one class? You get detention?”
Eleanor opened her mouth to argue—only for nothing to come out. She’s never skipped school before, she’s actually the one who tried to stay out of trouble. But Zoe had a point, it wasn’t like anyone would notice she was gone.
Besides, after the week she’s had, what’s one afternoon away from Bullworth?
Eleanor scratched her neck while thinking over it. “Well… missing one class isn’t going to put the world to an end.”
Zoe grinned at her answer, clapping her hands together. “Awesome. But first, you need to go change.” She gestured to Eleanor’s uniform that was stilled stained with mystery trash liquid.”
Last year, when Jimmy tried to bring peace to the school while also fighting Gary, Eleanor had been alone 95% of the time.
Yeah, it sucked, especially since the two of them were her only friends at the time, but now she should have appreciated those moments.
Spending time with Zoe Taylor was a nice change of pace, though. She told Eleanor she knew the perfect place where they could chill out for a while but needed some form of transportation since the place was a bit far and neither of them felt like walking.
So she snagged Jimmy’s bike—borrowing, really. He wouldn’t mind. And since Eleanor didn’t have her own bike yet, she rode on the pegs while holding onto Zoe’s shoulders for balance.
They left campus using the back entrance, even though Eleanor was Head Girl now, she could still get caught by prefects or the teachers for rule breaking. It was definitely nerve-racking; sneaking around the policemen that were patrolling the streets of Bullworth Town, but it sure as hell gave Eleanor an adrenaline rush.
Zoe peddled like hell down the road; dodging traffic and pedestrians like it was nothing. She seemed to be having a blast the way she laughed when swerving past a cop car.
“ZOE!” Eleanor shrieked, looking back to see if they were going to be chased.
“Relax, Elle! I doubt they care about a couple of kids on a bike.”
“This was a *horrible* idea—“ Eleanor said between laughter as Zoe sped up.
The wind rushed past her face, her heart pounding like crazy—not from fear, but from the thrill of it all.
Zoe eventually skidded to a stop in front of Dragon’s Wing Comics, Eleanor stumbling off breathless.
“This is the place you mentioned?” She huffed, looking around the place.
She knew this was where the nerds usually hung around besides the library. She never expected Zoe to like places like this as well—though she had mentioned that she enjoyed reading from time to time. But she never expected comic books.
“Yup,” Zoe kicked out the bike stand before heading toward the entrance, Eleanor following behind. “It’s one of Jimmy’s many hangout spots. Y’know, the one he took from the nerds?”
That made more sense.
Eleanor did recall a few of the nerds complaining about Jimmy doing something to them but, then again, what hasn’t he done to them.
Zoe pushed through the door and greeted the employee there who was too busy with his Gameboy to even acknowledge them.
“I’ve been here many times before so I’m sure he won’t care about us occupying the space for a few hours.” Zoe explained as they walked through another door behind the front counter, descending down some stairs that lead into a basement.
It was a dimly lit and partially empty room; furniture scattered everywhere, a Consumo arcade machine in the corner, and a soda machine in the other. It smelled faintly of old paper, soda, and wet socks.
Zoe made a beeline to a smaller room in the back, flopping down onto the old couch before booting up the computer that was set up on the table in the center of the room.
After a messing with the arcade game that was a lot harder than Eleanor had anticipated and snooping around, she met Zoe in the small room with a box of snacks she had found.
“Oh sweet, you found his stash.” Zoe grinned once she looked up from the computer screen. “He’s always changing the hiding spot so I don’t eat them.”
Eleanor chuckled and sat on the couch next to her, placing the box between them. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for music. Way too quiet in here.” Zoe scrolled through the computer files, clicking through the various music folders her and Jimmy had uploaded—settling on some rock and let it play through the built in speakers at a low volume.
Getting comfortable by kicking her feet up beside the computer, she looks through the box of snacks while she spoke. “Alright. Spill. What got you all pissed off earlier?”
Eleanor brought her knees up to her chest, almost forgetting that Zoe brought her here to rant about everything.
“Where do I even start?” She chuckled dryly. “Let’s see—oh, I got shoved into a trash bin again. That’s the sixth one this week. And it’s only Thursday.”
Zoe snorted, biting off a piece of licorice. “Sounds like a new record.”
“Lucky me.” Eleanor rolled her eyes, twirling the curls at the back of her head with her finger. “It’s like no matter how hard I try to get on people’s good side, they still treat me like some big joke.”
“It’s Bullworth. What’d you expect?”
“An ounce of respect for the Head Girl?”
Zoe raised a brow. “Have you seen the way they treat the adults around here?”
“…Yeah, that’s a fair point.”
Eleanor leaned her head back, looking up at the tattered ceiling and noticing a faint flicker in the light. “It’s not even the jerks in that school that’s been bothering me. It’s Gary.”
Zoe groaned. “That prick? Seriously? I barely even know the guy, but I know enough to tell that he needs serious help.”
“Knowing him, he hates being told what to do. Let alone the truth. He’s manipulative. So who knows what kind of "help* he got back in HV.”
Eleanor tilted her head to the side to look at Zoe, but not directly at her. More at her boots, watching them sway back and forth.
“He acts like nothing’s changed, like I’m still Pete no matter how many times I correct him. And honestly? It…hurts sometimes.”
She could see Zoe’s face contorting into frustration from her peripheral, but the redhead kept quiet, allowing Eleanor to continue.
“I know he’s doing it to get under my skin. To get into my head. It’s like every time something happens to me, he’s there to make things worse. It’s like he always knows how to make me feel pathetic.”
Eleanor paused, biting down on her lip. Her chest felt tight. The estrogen made her a lot more emotional than she ever was, and now, even just talking her eyes sting.
Zoe noticed, her expression softening.
Eleanor took a deep breather, changing her demeanor before Zoe could call her out on it. “And then there’s Jimmy.”
Zoe blinked, deciding not to press forward. “What about him?”
”He’s been…a lot lately.” She runs her fingers through her dark curls. “I know he’s just trying to be a good friend and be there for me, but it’s like he’s made it his job to be my bodyguard.”
“Sounds like something he’d do.” Zoe finally spoke, shifting so she was facing Eleanor, pulling her feet up onto the couch.
“That’s not all.” Eleanor pinching the bridge of her nose. “Everyday is nothing but constant fighting. If I’m hanging with Jimmy, then Gary is there. If Gary’s with me, Jimmy’s there. And there I am, in the middle of it all. It’s like babysitting ten-year-olds.”
“Yeah, that definitely sounds like hell,” Zoe spoke, not sugarcoating it. “Look, I don’t have all the answers to your problems, but you don’t owe anyone anything.
“What?” Eleanor quirked an eyebrow at her.
“Well, first, you’re dealing with Bullworth kids, after all. And being Head Girl as well? It was never going to be easy.”
That’s something Eleanor should have expected in the first place when she was told the news, yet she still thought of it as an easy job.
“Being likable there isn’t worth it, so stop caring about wanting to get on people’s good side. It’s not good for your mental health.”
Eleanor nodded silently, listening to Zoe’s advice.
“Jimmy means well. He’s just a stubborn moron who does what he wants.”
“Yeah, but—if I just let him do what he wants, then I look a pathetic loser who constantly needs him to fight for me. If I wanted that, then I would’ve just joined the nerds.”
“Then tell him to back off. Hell, spell it out for him if you need to.” Zoe shrugged.
“Okay, but that still won’t stop them from constantly fighting.”
“And? That’s their problem. You’ve got enough on your plate already. If they wanna be idiots, let ‘em. Don’t waste your energy trying to stop them. You’ve got bigger things to deal with—like, I don’t know, your own damn life?”
Zoe was right. Eleanor had spent half of her time keeping the two of them from killing each other.
She let out a breath, nodding shortly. “Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Zoe. For—uh, listening. And the advice. Y’know, everything.”
“Of course, dude. It’s what friends are for.” She nudged her shoulder.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the music Zoe had playing. Eleanor subconsciously swayed, tapping her knee to the beat—something Zoe noticed with a chuckle.
“You like this song?”
“Surprisingly, yeah.” Eleanor stopped her movements, blushing softly out of embarrassment after realizing.
“Should I stay or Should I Go by The Clash. It’s a classic.” Zoe smirked. “They’ve got some good ass songs. Here, I’ll play another one.” Zoe sits up to play another one of their songs for her.
“Never heard of them. Until now.” Eleanor shook her head. She never listened to music on her own, only if someone else was playing it or if it played on the radio.
So, by default, she listened to all kinds of music.
“How about I make you a playlist of songs I think you’d might like?” Zoe offered, tilting her head, watching as Eleanor absentmindedly swayed to the music again.
“Really? Uh— yeah, that’ll be nice.” Eleanor bit the inside of her cheek to contain the little spark of excitement bubbling in her.
She never had anyone make something for her, let alone a playlist. It was stupid, but it made her feel… special. Like she mattered enough for someone to think about her beyond the expectations. Beyond the version of herself that everyone else still seemed stuck on.
She hugged her knees close to her chest, fighting the stupid smile threatening to spread across her face—only to end up looking even stupider.
Zoe stood up suddenly from the couch with a stretch, resting her hands on her hips as she looked at Eleanor with an eager glint in her eyes.
“Now, I hope you know how to play Grottos and Gremlins.”
Eleanor played Grottos and Gremlins probably once or twice with her dad years ago so she completely forgot how long a session could take.
Four hours later, the girls left the basement of the comic store and back out into town. Their eyes burning from the daylight.
By now, classes had ended which meant Zoe didn’t have to pedal back like a maniac to avoid authorities.
Which also meant there would be a short tempered boy waiting for them.
“Zoe! What the hell!?” Jimmy shouted once they came through the back entrance.
They—mostly Eleanor—hoped they could sneak his bike into the designated garage without him realizing.
Yeah. That didn’t happen.
“You stole my bike!?”
“Uhm—No?” Zoe corrected, planting her foot down to stop the bike in front of him. “I borrowed it. See, there’s a difference.”
“Elle, you let her take my bike?” Jimmy’s attention now towards her. Eleanor just shrugs as she got off the pegs cautiously.
“It’s not like she was gonna listen to me either way so—“
“Relax, Jimmy. I gave it back in good condition, didn’t I?” Zoe cut in, rolling her eyes as she placed the BMX back in its spot.
“You could have at least asked.” The shorter boy crossed his arms, his usual annoyed, squinty look on his face.
“You would have said no either way.”
That was true.
Zoe nudged Eleanor with her elbow, shooting her a knowing look. “Well, I had my fun today. I’ll catch you later, Elle.” She then shot Jimmy a quick smirk before heading off.
Leaning against the bike garage, Eleanor watched Zoe walk off before turning back to Jimmy. “You’re being weird.”
“I’m being weird?” Jimmy raised a eyebrow, arms crossed. “You’re the one who snuck off with Zoe. Since when did you do that?”
“Guess I just felt like trying something new. Wild, huh?” She fidgets with the curls at the back of her head, a habit she picked up. ”But that’s not what I meant. You’ve been… weird towards me lately. Like, you're always there more than usual now.”
“I’m just looking out for you.” Jimmy let out a sharp breath through his nose, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“And I’m thankful for that, really. But you’re treating me like I’m made of glass. Like I can’t stand up for myself.”
Eleanor studied him, watching his expression carefully. “I just don’t get why you care so much. You didn’t so much last year.” She mumbled the last bits, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the other.
Jimmy shifted uncomfortably. “That’s because it was different then.”
“Because I was Pete?”
Jimmy’s shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean, Jimmy?” Eleanor said quickly, her gaze never leaving his, “Because to me, it seems like you don't think I can't stand up for myself.”
"It's not that, Elle. It's just—" Jimmy hesitated for a moment, dragging a hand down his face. "It's just worse now."
Eleanor blinked. "Worse?"
"Before, people picked on you 'cause you're weak and a dork, but now? People pick on you 'cause they think you shouldn't exist." Jimmy explained, his voice laced with frustration. Not at her—but at the situation.
Eleanor felt a sharp sting in her chest, her expression wavering. It was the hard truth, but hearing it come from Jimmy felt....different.
"So you think I need saving from you?" Her voice was quieter now, but still firm.
Jimmy groaned "No. I know you can stand up for yourself, but I'm not gonna sit and watch people treat you like shit."
"But you aren't letting me." Eleanor shot back as calm as she could. "Every time something happens to me, you step in and don't let me handle it myself. It's humiliating."
Jimmy opened his mouth—only to close it again.
“I spent so long trying to prove to everyone that I’m not some weak pushover, that I can hold my own. And now, every time you throw a punch or step in when someone so much as looks at me wrong, it just makes them think I need you to do it. Like I can’t do it myself.”
His jaw settled. "That's not what I'm tryna do."
"But that's what's happening."
Silence fell between them for a moment, neither of them looking at each other but instead the ground which Jimmy kicked at.
As much as he dislikes being wrong, she was right. He had been hanging around her much more that he did last year, trying to keep her from getting hurt by others. She was growing as a person, and she couldn't grow if he kept getting in the way.
“All I’m asking for, Jimmy, is for you to stop treating me like I’m incapable of dealing with things myself.” Eleanor glanced up at him. “Please.”
And for once, Jimmy avoided her gaze, looking off to the side with a short nod. “Yeah, alright.”
Eleanor sighed, a soft smile forming on her lips as she pushed herself off the garage door.
Things began to feel lighter.
The rest of the day was surprisingly peaceful; no one bothered Eleanor she hadn't been called to Crabblesnitch's office for skipping class—thank god. It almost felt like she was forgetting something important, but she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Eleanor was currently sitting on the couch in the common room, her back against the armrest, sketchbook in lap. She haven't been able to do any doodling lately and now seemed like the perfect time to do so; her muse was Zoe.
She was all she could think about at the moment and realized how pretty she looked during the time she spent with her. It was a little awkward for her though since she tried her hardest not to stare too much. She could have asked if she could draw her, but felt too embarrassed even thinking about it.
At least now Elle could also practice drawing things from memory. At least until she found the courage to go up and ask people if she could draw them.
Chewing the top of her pencil, she stared at the sketches. The more she looked at them the more something started looking off. They weren't bad, just that something was missing....but what?
"Is that supposed to be the punk girl?" Gary spoke from behind Eleanor, startling her bad. She nearly jumped out of her skin.
"GAH!— G-GARY!" She shrieked as she whipped around to see him leaning above her. She shut her sketchbook closed, face flushed from the embarrassing voice crack. "I—uhm—" she cleared her throat, "How long have you been standing there?"
Gary smirked, clearly enjoying her embarrassment. "Long enough." He sauntered around the couch to plop down beside her. "I didn't know you had a thing for the townie chick. Makes sense to why you snuck off with her."
"I don't—" Eleanor blinked rapidly, realizing what he just said. "Wait—you knew?"
"I know everything, little Petey." Gary grinned, tapping a finger on his temple. "Nothing ever goes unnoticed by me. Especially someone like you."
"What does that mea—"
"Don't worry, sweetheart." Gary interrupted.
He's gotta stop doing that.
"Your little crush secret is safe with me." He crossed his heart, even though they both knew he was lying.
Eleanor shifted in her spot uncomfortably. "I don't have a crush on her. She's just a friend."
"Sure. And I'm mentally stable."
Eleanor laughed dryly, rolling her eyes.
...
Then it clicked.
Eleanor's expression dropped to something more serious. "Gary..." She turns to look at him. "Have you been taking your medication?"
Gary's smirk faltered for a second, coming back sharper than before. "What kind of dumb question is that?"
"A serious one." Elle's eyes narrowed.
Gary looked off the side, his leg beginning to bounce. That was something Eleanor had caught on a few times when she had visited him those few months.
It was a way she could tell he was hiding something.
"Of course I have." He mumbled.
"Gary...." She pushed again, hoping he would be honest this time.
After no response, she shot up from the couch and made a beeline for their shared room; Gary following after her.
She pushed her way through the door and immediately started rummaging through his stuff on his side of the room.
“Woah, hey—excuse you?” Gary’s face contorted into a mix of surprise and irritation, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth twisted into a sneer.
Eleanor ignored him searching through his desk drawers and wardrobe closet. “No wonder you’ve been acting like this the entire week. You haven’t been taking your meds.”
“Acting like what, exactly.” Gary’s jaw settled, his tone sharp and defensive as he watched her.
“Like…you. A manipulative, self-absorbed jackass.”
His eye twitched. Before he could snap at her, she froze, something catching her eye.
There—in the little trash bin beside his desk were the orange prescription bottles still filled with pills. It looked like he attempted to hide them under crumbled up paper.
“Don’t you think you had enough trash for the day?” At that moment, Gary had wished he flushed them down the toilet instead.
Four orange bottles in hand, she looked at Gary with a softened expression. “Why?”
“Because I don’t need them.” Gary shrugged, crossing his arms like it was no big deal. It very much was.
“If you didn’t need them they wouldn’t have prescribed them to you.” Eleanor’s grip tightened around the bottles, reading the labels. Some of the names she couldn’t even pronounce in her head.
“Oh, please.” Gary scoffed. “I feel great.”
“Yeah, last time you felt “great” put you in the nut house.” She took a step forward, holding the pill bottles towards him.
“Take them.”
Gary just looked at her, *really* looked at her. The corner of his mouth and fingers twitched. “It’s not like you care.”
“What—“
“I can see right through you, Pete.” Gary began to take large steps forward, causing Eleanor to step back to create some distance between them. “You’re only pretending to care so you don’t lose your little title as Head Boy.”
Eleanor’s back hit the wall, forcing her to stop—Gary towering over her with a dark, unreadable expression.
Her grip around the bottles tightened, her pulse quickening. “That’s bullshit, and you know that.”
“Do I?”
“Who else visited you while you were in Happy Volts, huh?”
His expression flickered—only slightly. For once he didn’t have a snarky response, leaving an opening for Eleanor.
“I was there for you every week, when no one else was—even if you didn’t want me there. Not because someone told me to. I wanted to.”
She watched his expression carefully before continuing.
“You can call me Pete, make fun of me, and push me around all you want—but it won’t change the fact that I care about you.”
She held the medication out one last time, Gary’s eyes finally landing on them.
After a while of uncomfortable silence and closeness, Gary exhaled from his nose and snatched the bottles from her hand.
“You’re so annoying.” He murmured to himself, opening the bottles and taking his required nightly dose, swallowing them dryly with no reaction.
“There, Happy?”
A small, relieved smile tugged at Eleanor’s lips, shaking her head. “Not yet.”