Elevated Read Online Free PDF

another rack,
    Her eyes purposely searching for sizes and price tags,
    Said, “You didn’t either.”
     
    My heart pounded.
    Did she know about me and Trav?
    Suspect anything?
     
    I felt like the buttons on every dress were watching,
    Recording my every move.
    The way I blinked too fast,
    The way I wouldn’t look up from the floor.
    My nervous energy was evident,
    Plain for everyone to see.
     
    “I just thought you were too busy.”
    My words sounded like half-truths to my own ears,
    Even if they were technically true.
    “And with the time difference…”
     
    “Next summer, you’ll have to come with me.”
    Honesty held a white dress against her body,
    Bit her lip.
    “You’d love France.”
     
    Just like that,
    The months apart melted away.
    If she suspected anything was going on between me and Trav,
    I wouldn’t be invited to France.
     
    We shopped,
    Tried on clothes,
    Gossiped,
    Sat down in the food court for lunch.
    My jumbled thoughts of Travis and Jesse lingered in the back of my mind,
    Far from me and Honesty.
     
    “Do you think I should go back and get that dress?”
    She licked strawberry yogurt from a plastic spoon,
    Locked her eyes on mine.
     
    “The pink one?”
     
    “No, the white one with the flowers along the bottom.
    Travis has this thing for flowers.
    I could wear it tonight.
    Maybe then he’ll finally make it past first base.”
    She twirled the spoon,
    Didn’t react when I started choking on my Diet Pepsi.
     
    I wasn’t sure if I was more shocked to learn that Trav had a “thing” for flowers,
    Or that he and Honesty hadn’t made it past first base.
     
    “What are you guys doing tonight?” I asked,
    Examined my soda like carbonation fascinated me,
    Glanced at her.
     
    The tiniest of frowns creased her mouth.
    “I don’t know. We haven’t talked much since I got back.”
    She gazed straight at me with those blue eyes,
    So clear,
    So trusting.
    “I’m super excited for tonight. How’s he been?”
     
    “Fine, I guess. I don’t see him all that much.”
    With that lie,
    A pure,
    Blatant,
    Outright lie,
    I imagined the weight the words carried.
     
    In my head, I saw her head snap back
    With the punch she hadn’t seen coming.
     
    My punch.
     
    Tears filled those lovely eyes,
    Blood dripped from her nose,
    Ruined the white flowered dress Travis would never see.
     
    “So what about the dress?”
    Honesty didn’t think anything was wrong,
    At least not with me,
    At least not then.
     
    I blinked,
    Erased the bleeding image of her,
    Cleared my throat.
    “Yeah, you should get it.”
     
    I followed her through the mall,
    Smiled when I felt like I should,
    Oohed and ahhed over the white dress with stitched sunflowers along the hem,
    Agreed that Trav wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself,
    Said she should definitely wear the push-up bra.
     
    But I couldn’t wait to get away from Honesty.
    Because all I could see was her blood coating
Her face,
Her dress,
That bra,
His hands,
With crimson,
Red,
Bleeding,
Weeping,
Smears of guilt.

THE ELEVATOR RELEASES MY SOBS,
    Which quieted a while ago.
    But Trav still holds me to his chest as if I’m his heart,
    And he’ll die without his most vital part.
     
    Funny, I think.
    That’s how I felt about him.
    How I still do.
     
    “Do you have a thing for flowers?”
    I’ve known him since he moved into the building when he was five.
    Our birthdays are four days apart.
    He has no idea who his dad is,
    And his mom’s worked at least ten jobs over the years,
    An off-again, on-again junkie for as long as I can remember.
     
    Our shared bond came because I live in the shadow of the twins,
    And he exists in streaks of complete darkness.
     
    He makes my life worth living.
    I’m a source of light when he has none.
     
    “Flowers?” he asks,
    A slight waver of uncertainty in his tone.
     
    “Yeah,” I sniffle.
    “Flowers.
    Someone told me you had a thing for flowers.
    I didn’t know that about you.”
    The unsaid words