“Yeah,” I murmured, uncertainty creeping into my voice. I shrank into myself. “Um…how did you know that would work?”
“My mom used to have panic attacks after my dad left.”
“Oh.” I swallowed. “That must’ve been hard for both of you guys. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. I felt so useless, like there was nothing I could do to help.”
I withdrew my hand from his. “I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. I just…Meredith was…I don’t know. I guess I just overreacted.”
“No, you underreacted.” Elliot laughed wearily. “I was about to toss her skinny ass into the trash can, but Andrew ‘accidently’ dropped a few of those cupcakes on her shirt before I got the chance.”
“You guys are crazy.” I chuckled, my laugh coming out strained. “Why would you even do that for me?”
“Because we’re your friends.” He shrugged. “And friends always have each other’s backs.”
Friends.Nothing more.Yeah.
“Thanks for…helping me with all this. I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
“Don’t apologize. Shit happens. I’m just glad I could help. I learned a few tricks after my mom, so yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck timidly. “Was that your first?”
“No. They started after Jessie died. I haven’t had one in a few years.”
“The trigger…was it Meredith?”
“She really knows how to make someone feel like they’rethisbig.” I squeezed my thumb and forefinger together. “She’s such a fucking bitch.”
“Sooo,is this a bad time to say I told you so?” he teased, a smirk playing on his lips.
With that one question, his playful nature surfaced once more. Soft laughter echoed through the hollow stall, easing my stress as the two of us locked eyes. It was a rare moment of calm, something I hadn’t realized I needed.
For a minute, it was as if the world outside didn’t matter. Elliot had been my escape from panic. He pulled me away from Meredith, he shielded me from Ryan, and oddly enough, he kept me from getting suspended.
I guess hewasmy white knight.
I cringed at the thought of needing saving—especially the idea of being saved by aboy—but I guess everyone needs a hand sometimes, no matter who it’s from. As our laughs faded, so did my smile. My gaze drifted downward. I could hear Dani’s words like a broken record repeating the same line.
Do you like him enough to show him who you are underneath all the cheerleading and Prom Queen shit?
My voice cracked as I admitted, “I think I have social anxiety.”
“You’re literally running for Prom Queen.”
“Ironic, right?”
“You always seem so…confident.”
“Yeah. I don’t know how I haven’t won an Academy Award yet.”
“So, wait…” He looked at me, scrunching his eyebrows closer together. “With Meredith, and Kendra, and Andrew, and Dani, and all the cheerleaders, and the football players, and the band nerds, and theater kids—talking to them makes you anxious?”
“Justseeingpeople makes me anxious. Doesn’t matter if I’m talking to them. It’s worse if they see me, too.”
“What about strangers?”
“It could be my parents, and I’d be anxious.”
The sides of his mouth pointed down as he visibly gulped, his throat bobbing. “And me?”
