The End of Scarf Boy

Hi everyone! I have finally finished Scarf Boy! It took a more time than I suspected and probably a lot of patience on your part. If you can't remember what exactly happened in Parts 1, 2, 3, click the little label Scarf Boy and it'll lead you to the very beginning. This is the end of that chapter. I honestly don't know how to end Coffee Shop. I thought I did but it's still an unfinished mess towering at 202 pages. I will eventually figure that out but until then, I shall start a new project and hopefully be able to release chapters WEEKLY! Wouldn't that be awesome... I don't know how I feel about the other story I was working on. I think that'll just remain unfinished for the time being. Heads up, I'm going to be sort of busy (OMG right? I'm ... busy? whaaat?) for the next few weeks hehe. I'm heading down to Los Angeles next Friday to see some old family friends that I haven't seen FOREVER (2.5 years). I'm only staying until Monday so I don't think that'll be too big of an issue. I'm going to South Korea for 2 weeks right after that so that'll be a little tough. One of my grandma's doesn't have internet (wifi) so I don't know how often I'll be able to post which is unfortunate. I'll be sure to take pictures (even though it feels so weird taking pictures in Korea because I don't feel like a tourist and I don't do touristy things..) to fill the void.

I have another state of union! I haven't done one in a really long time. I think I'm going to make this a monthly thing so maybe I should've posted this at the end of July but whatevs.

In:

The Bravest Warriors* 

The Big Bang Theory 

Chocolate sprinkles

Animal Crossing New Leaf 

Jean shorts! 

Summer diet

Jennifer Egan

Waffles with nutella and ice cream and fruit 

Kate Spade

New York

Boutiques 

Getting ready for SENIOR photos! 

Out:

Pretty Little Liars 

Strawberry topping 

Pokemon Diamond 

Jeans

Eating 2000 calories 

Sophie Kinsella 

Crepes with nutella and ice cream and fruit 

Lovcat 

San Francisco 

Shopping mall

Passport photos 

Music that I like: 

22 by Taylor Swift

Come and Get It by Selena Gomez

Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke 

The Wicked Playlist (yes the musical)

*The Bravest Warriors is a show on YouTube made by the same guy who created Adventure Time! Some of the episodes are really stupid and crude humor but some of them are really endearing and sweet. Definitely worth checking out! 

Installment four: The End   

Elle stood at the edge of the rink. Her face was pale from anxiety. The cold air around wasn’t helping either. Olivia was flashing around in her sparkly pink outfit. Elle stared down at her plain frock. It was a light blue and she had loved it. Maybe it wasn’t appropriate for this occasion. It was their last day of practice before the big competition. She was a ball of nerves. 

“Good luck,” Olivia sneered at the end of practice. Alyssa was blowing her whistle and Elle knew that practice was now over. She glanced at the square, unforgiving face of her digital watch. It was already ten o’clock. How in the world was she going to go home?

“Good practice,” Alyssa barked out and let all the girls leave the rink. Elle raced to the locker room and clumsily opened her locker. She powered on her phone and found five missed calls, all from her mother. Elle squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about it. This past week had been crazy. She had barely ever talked to her friends. She was always in the library trying to get her work done so that she wouldn’t be too behind. Practice had started at three and stretched on to ten. Her muscles were screaming as she unlaced her tights. She could barely even sit down. Elle peeled off her tights and uncoiled her hair from the tight bun. It would all be worth it. 

“Is Brian coming tomorrow?” Mandy asked. She was wiping off all her makeup. Elle tried not to listen. 

“Of course,” Olivia said in her piercing voice. Elle’s mind pulled up the image of Ryan’s heartbroken face. Why had she lied about her skating? Elle hadn’t even seen Ryan for that whole week. Their tutoring stopped with a tacit agreement. “He is such a great boyfriend.”

Elle called Nicole. She needed to get home somehow. Nicole picked up after three rings. Elle wondered what she was doing. Her sister was the punctual one that always picked up on the first ring. Elle held her phone close to her face and wished she had remembered her gloves. She was starving, tired, and exhausted. 

“Hello?” Was this her sister? She heard a girly giggle and other peoples’ voices in the background. Elle tried to remember if Nicole had said anything about a social gathering. 

“Hi, Nicole,” Elle said after a giant pause. The girl on the other end of the phone didn’t seem to notice. Elle checked the phone number quickly. Maybe she had just dialed the wrong person. There was a little flicker of disappointment. Maybe Nicole had lost her phone and this girl was shamelessly using it. 

“What do you want?” Her sister was back with that instinctive snapping. Elle felt some relief. Maybe Nicole had just been listening to music or something. 

“Hey, can you pick me up from the skating rink?” Elle knew her mother didn’t approve of her skating. In fact before this week, her mother said she wouldn’t be responsible for rides. It was supposed to deter Elle from this brutally intensive week. There was a nice girl, Marissa, who had given her rides for the past six days but she was oddly absent today. Alyssa had scorned that kind of behavior. Elle knew someone would replace Marissa’s spot by tomorrow. Marissa would soon find that there were no good parts in their spring or fall show for her and eventually quit. Elle was terrified of that and thus she showed up to every practice, usually early. 

“I’m at a party,” her sister said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Ask Mary or whatever her name is.” Was her sister drunk? Elle didn’t have the heart to ask. 

“Oh, okay. Erm Marissa isn’t here today. I wouldn’t have called you otherwise. I’ll call another friend.” Elle watched Olivia and Mandy slink out the doors. She knew neither of them would give her a ride home. There were only a couple girls left and all of them lived far away from her house. A sudden panic took hold of her stomach. She realized that Nicole had hung up on her. Elle sighed and made a mental note never to do Nicole another favor, ever. It was ten thirty. Elle dialed Amelia. 

“Hello?”

“Amelia!” Elle said so happy that she had picked up. 

“Hi Elle, what’s up?” She knew Amelia was flopped over her bed. She had probably dog eared a page of her book and shut it. Amelia was probably hugging a pillow while eagerly waiting for some news. 

“I’m stuck at the skating rink. . . could you give me a ride?” None of her friends knew that she was a serious skater. Elle could hear the confusion settling in. 

“At this time? What are you doing Elle?” Amelia sighed into the receiver. “I can’t go out right now.” What in the world did that mean? 

“Oh, okay,” Elle said and hung up without another word. She dialed Darcy and Liz but neither of them picked up. She scrolled through her contacts list and stumbled across Ryan’s name. What did she have to lose? 

“Noelle.” His voice sent shivers down her spine. Was he happy to hear from her? Was he upset? She couldn’t tell. She realized she hadn’t said anything at all. 

“Er, hi Ryan!”

“Do you need any- I mean something?” Why had she called him?

“I’m sorry to bother you, Ryan. I better just hang up.” 

“No, what is it? You already wasted this much of my time.” Elle could feel the sticky, hot tears ready to roll down her cheeks. She shoved her skates and her tights into the gym bag. 

“I’m just stranded somewhere and I needed a ride.” Was she this bad at arousing pity? 

“Where are you?” His voice sounded weary. 

“The skating rink . . .” her voice trailed off. He asked for directions and promised he’d be there soon. Elle was stunned. Why would he do something like that for her? She changed out of her skating dress and into a nondescript pair of jeans. Elle pulled a hoodie over her head and left the locker room. Everyone else had left anyways. She turned off the light and saw Alyssa getting into her car. 

“Elle! I thought you had left!” Alyssa shut the car door without getting in. Elle faintly smiled. Her gym bag was slung over her shoulder and her hands in her hoodie pocket. 

“Not yet, my ride is coming.” 

“Nicole?” 

“No, I asked a favor from a friend.” 

“You’re so responsible,” Alyssa said beaming up at her. Elle scrunched up her face. What? “I’m serious, Elle. I know I don’t say this at all to you but I really believe in you! Go kick some serious ass tomorrow.” Elle smiled. Alyssa believed in her! Alyssa stared down at her watch. “I have to go, but see you tomorrow!” Elle nodded and sat down on the bench outside. Where was Ryan? Elle felt her eyelids gently closing. A nap couldn’t hurt that much. 

***

Elle felt a sensation of warmth. What was this? She fluttered her eyelids open and saw someone hovering over her. Elle screamed. Maybe a nap had been a very bad idea. What would her mom say when she said she was kidnapped by some weird guy on the street? 

“Relax,” a familiar voice said. Elle shook her head, trying to rid herself of the drowsiness she felt. She looked up again to see Ryan’s face. He was smiling at her. She smiled back. Elle realized there was a jacket draped on her shoulders. Maybe that had been the warmth she felt. 

“Hi,” she whispered. 

“Let’s get you home.” There were no questions asked at all. There was no bitterness in his voice. She followed him to his car, a shiny new Audi. 

“I’m sorry,” Elle blurted out. He nodded once. Her gym bag rested by her feet. 

“Olivia told me a long time ago that you skated, professionally.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s professional.”

“What would you say it is? You’re at a freaking skating rink this late at night. Where’s your house?”

“Take a left turn,” Elle said. It was pitch black with only the taillights to guide them. “It’s the next exit.” He swerved to the next lane giving her time to process everything that had been said. “I’m not good enough to be professional.”

“What are you doing tomorrow? Shouldn’t you be dress shopping or shoe shopping or getting your hair done?”

“You have a point,” Elle meekly said. She leaned her head against the seatbelt. “Why do you hate people who skate?”

“My sister skates. She lives with my dad in Boston and that’s all she does. I guess I sort of assumed all you skaters are like that. If you meet her in London, give her a little head-nod from me.” Her eyelids drooped down. She was terrible company this late at night. 

“We’re here,” he said after an indeterminable amount of time. She wondered how exactly he had found her house. “You live by the school,” Ryan said as he looked at her blank expression. Had he been asking for directions just to tease her? 

“Well, thanks so much. I don’t know what I would’ve done.” 

“Don’t sweat it. I was out anyways.” That was blatant lie. He didn’t move out of the car and she opened the door. Elle slung her bag over her shoulder and simply walked away. She had imagined more of a romantic end to that. Maybe he would’ve leaned over and given her a kiss on the forehead or maybe he would’ve hugged her as she was walking away. Her watch read 11 pm. She waved again and he drove off, no kisses or hugs. She had rejected him. What could more did she expect? Elle walked home, somehow with a heavy heart. She unlocked the door to find that Nicole was still not home and her mother was sleeping. Why wasn’t her mother drinking tea watching the late news? That’s what had always taken place before. Elle climbed up the stairs and fell asleep almost immediately. Maybe it would’ve been better to go to Winter Ball with Ryan. 

***

It was almost six pm when Ryan flicked on the television. The TV was still set to Channel 9 news. He was surprised to see Elle on the big screen in a fluttering mess of ruffles. She looked so different when she skated. The caption read: skating prodigy Noelle Howards competes in the last qualifying round for World Junior Championships in London. There was a glimpse of Olivia in the background. 

“Isn’t today Winter Ball?” His mom asked while applying lipstick. She peeked her head into the living room. They both missed Rena even if they never talked about her. Maybe Elle really would see Rena in London. 

“Yeah, I’m not going.” 

“Okay, well I’m heading out. Dinner is in the fridge.” He never asked about his mom’s life and she never asked about his. 

“That’s my girlfriend,” Ryan said impulsively. He wanted to talk the statement back the minute it left his mouth. 

“Really?” His mom sounded suddenly interested. She capped her lipstick and sat down on the couch with him. She was wearing a bright red dress that was a little tight on her for her age. Her hair was beautifully curled and he wanted to know where she was going; but that’d be breaking the code. “What’s her name?”

“Noelle.” 

“She’s pretty,” a little smile lit up his mom’s face. An awkward silence occupied the rest of the conversation. “Invite her to dinner sometime. I better go.” His mother waved and left. He heard the door lock on the other side. His hand was still gripping the remote control but he didn’t have the heart or desire to switch the channel. It was almost Noelle’s turn. He watched the other girls slightly stumble and even Olivia didn’t make a perfect triple jump. The news announcer tittered with excitement as Elle’s name flashed across the screen. He saw Elle’s nervousness as she stepped on to the ice. He could imagine her scanning the crowds and seeing no one there. This wasn’t even the huge tournament in London. Why was this being broadcasted? He glanced one last time. She was taking a deep breath and taking her first glide on to the ice. Ryan flicked the TV off and impulsively stood up. He slid on his jacket and grabbed his car keys. 

***

“How do you feel?” Reporters surrounded her. She looked out at the crowds of people she didn’t even know. Alyssa had been there with flowers and the only familiar face in a crowd of thousands. She felt like she was going to faint. She had a terrible taste in her mouth. 

“I’m just going to step outside,” she told Alyssa. Alyssa winked and started to answer more questions about coaching and what not. Glittering cars were everywhere. A couple people were outside. She saw the little lighters flicker and cigarette smoke float to the dark sky. The stars weren’t out and she took a deep breath. Elle had made it. She made it; but why wasn’t she happy? She could imagine her friends having the time of their lives at Winter Ball. It stung. 

“What are you doing out here?” Elle looked up. Her face was still heavy from the costume makeup. Ryan? What in the world was he doing here?

“I could ask you the same.” 

“I wanted to see you, Elle.” Was that the first time he had ever called her Elle? 

“Really?” She squeaked out. 

“Really. I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes.” She blindly followed him somewhere. Elle felt the bumpy pavement under her flip-flops. 

“I’m so proud of you,” he said holding her hand gingerly. “You can open your eyes now.” She was standing by his car. What was the surprise? “Wait here.” Elle stood outside in the cold while he was fidgeting inside with something. The car door was still open when he came out. Music was playing just loud enough for them to hear. 

“May I have this dance?” She nodded as his hands slid around her waist. This night was perfect.