Activists Align

Eli meandered around the table and sank back into his seat.

Octavia stared, unable to tear her eyes from him, a sudden flurry of memories bombarding her that she hadn’t spared a thought for years now. Yes, she knew him—she knew him from a time before her most recent friend group came around. She knew him from before her mother had moved away, from before she’d ever started working as a PCA or streaming online, and from long before the ETC was even a loose thought to her.

He was Eli Riley—one of the first five friends that she’d ever made in her life.

Jefferson began speaking again, and the tension in the room seemed to have faded away—but Octavia wasn’t listening, feeling entirely removed from the situation around her now, her thoughts only occupied by distant memories that she hadn’t entertained in a very long time. Faces began to flash through her mind, Mohinder, Eli, Samuel, Hailey…

She sat still in silence, her expression heavier, and she felt an ache in her chest as she pondered on her friends of the far-gone past. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about them in a fairly long time—as the memory of them always used to send her into a bout of sadness—but now, after all these years, one of them was right in front of her, suddenly back in her life somehow after disappearing from it for two long decades.

“All right,” Jefferson said, raising his gavel and snapping Octavia back out of her thoughts. “All in favor of banning the construction of new data centers with steeper penalties for those who conspire to do so?”

Eli and Misty both held up a hand, but Judas and Jefferson did not. They all looked at one another, and then, Jefferson shrugged and thumped the gavel to the sound block.

“Tie vote—the motion will not be moving forward at this time, but we can revisit it during our next meeting.”

“What?!” Octavia blurted without thinking.

Suddenly, everyone in the room turned and stared at her, making her heart make a nervous jump. Nevertheless—she stood and took in a breath, giving Jefferson a look.

“Why can’t we vote on that?” she asked.

“Because… you’re not a member of this board,” Jefferson replied. “You have to be a commissioner.”

“Yeah, okay, lemme rephrase that—how would one of us become a county commissioner so you don’t have any more tie votes?” Octavia clarified.

“You would have to meet the eligibility requirements, fill out the paperwork, have an election campaign, and get voted in during the next election, which will be this November,” Jefferson informed. “And you could only do that if there was a chair open… but all of them are currently occupied, so you wouldn’t be able to do this anytime soon.”

“Oh, no, no… I didn’t wanna replace any of you,” Octavia uttered, shaking her head. “I was thinking I’d become a fifth commissioner so you don’t have the problem of tie votes. That probably happens a lot with an even number of you being here… doesn’t it?”

The four of them traded glances again.

“Well… it does sometimes, but I’m afraid that’s just part of the process,” Jefferson said. “Albeit an admittedly annoying one, but… that’s just how it works when there are four chairs.”

“Adding a new person could fix that for you,” Octavia smirked.

There was another pause, everyone in the room seeming to stare at her or swap thoughtful glances with one another. Eli was gazing out from beneath the brim of his hat at Octavia now, his mouth curling into a faint half-smile.

“Well… you have to be a member of the board to propose the motion of adding a fifth chair,” Misty remarked, making a shrug and raising her thin eyebrows at her fellow commissioners.

“Then add it to the list, Jeff,” Eli said, waving a finger into the air and gesturing for him to make it so. “Motion to add a fifth chair to the board of commissioners, proposed by Eli Riley. And let’s just vote on that right now.”

Octavia grinned from ear to ear, feeling a bizarre mixture of excitement and anxiety.

Jefferson’s eyes shifted from person to person, his expression stoic and hesitant. His gaze landed on Octavia, huffing out a breath and eyeing her intently.

“Young lady,” he said, intertwining his fingers. “This is a position that requires a fairly unbiased person… and you came here today as part of an activist movement, did you not?”

“Yes, I did… but I started that movement purely out of concern for my community, and I have absolutely no financial or personal affiliations with any of the things that have been discussed here,” Octavia replied confidently. “My only concerns with the things that are voted on here have been moral ones, because I care a lot about this town, and I genuinely do just want what’s best for it. I work as a personal care assistant, and I don’t have any stake in data centers, or land, or anything else. I’ve never worked for any branch of the government, and I never had any financial reasons to care about these things. I’m not a felon, I’m over 21, and I have a clean record. I believe I meet the requirements perfectly well… and I really am just a concerned citizen, sir. Nothing more than that.”

Jefferson gave her a long, thorough stare, appearing to be deep in thought. Misty found herself smirking at Octavia, and Eli’s smile seemed to grow, Judas looking as unmoved as ever.

After what felt like an hour of silence, Jefferson sighed and nodded, raising the gavel once more. “All right… all in favor of adding a fifth chair to the board of county commissioners?”

Misty and Eli raised their hands, and Judas merely looked away, folding his arms on the table.

“Come on, Jeff,” Misty murmured over to Jefferson, gently nudging her arm to his. “All other things aside… you’re sick and tired of getting held up on tie votes all the time, and I know that is the one thing that we can all agree on.”

Jefferson turned and met her eyes for a moment, then nodded sideways and held up his hand as well.

Octavia beamed, resisting the urge to clap and jump with joy.

“All right… there it is,” Jefferson disclosed, tapping the gavel to the sound block. “Three to one… the motion passes. A fifth chair will be added to the board of commissioners for Wallace County, starting during the November election. You will still have to go through the proper channels and run in the election, young lady… but… congratulations. You have a clear shot at becoming a county commissioner now.”

“Thank you,” Octavia said genuinely, clasping her hands together and sinking back into her seat.

“Okay, does anyone else have anything they want to say before the meeting is adjourned?” Jefferson asked the room.

Nobody responded to him, though Sheryl and the other members of the ETC were staring over at Octavia now, all of them smiling and looking delighted.

“All right. Meeting adjourned,” Jefferson concluded, thumping the gavel one last time. “The next meeting will be held on the first of December at ten o’clock A.M. Dismissed. Drive safe.”

People began to stand and prepare to leave, though most of the ETC members were shuffling over to the other side of the room now, all crowding around Octavia and grinning at her. Judas left the room through a side door, and Jefferson walked out shortly after him, Misty moving over toward the crowd, and Eli standing and lingering by his chair for a moment, grasping his cane and gazing over at the rest from a distance.

“Dude… I can’t believe you did that,” Steve laughed breathlessly, giving Octavia a surprised sort of smirk. “did you plan on doing that before you came here…?”

“No,” Octavia sniggered. “But he said that data center vote was gonna be put off until the next meeting, so… hopefully I’ll be on the board by then, and I can break the tie next time.”

“Ooo, yeah, quick thinking! Awesome plan! Damn, and you thought of that right on the spot! Nice!” Steve complimented, raising his hand and trading a high-five with her. “Oh my God, dude… you’re gonna be a hero to people today.”

“No, she already is,” Sheryl corrected, blowing her amber-colored bangs from her eyes and raising her phone, displaying the quickly-moving chat room of her current livestream. “Do you know how many people are watching you right now? Do you know how much praise you’re getting? I think you just won the votes of half the town before you even left this room.”

“Yeah… being an influencer has its benefits,” Steve chuckled. “You just kick-started your whole campaign.”

“You do good work, girlie pop,” the skinny bearded man said, standing behind Steve and giving her a smirk of approval.

“Hey… hey,” Misty said, maneuvering through the crowd and facing Octavia. “You did a very good job today. I cannot wait to have you on the team. We need some more young blood in here… especially somebody like you.”

Octavia glanced around at everyone showering her with praise, blushing and feeling more flattered than she ever had. She wasn’t at all used to getting this much attention; the most attention she ever got was online during her streams or during video meetings on the ETC website, but this was a whole other thing entirely. She’d never done anything like this before, simply barging into a meeting within the local government and impulsively deciding to become a part of it, just to fight harder for the wishes of the Wallace townspeople to become fulfilled. It was an incredible feeling, an enrapturing and victorious one like nothing she’d ever felt before.

She cleared her throat and began thanking everyone for their kind words, and then, she pulled her phone out and announced the end of her stream to everybody who was currently watching it, feeling almost overwhelmed with emotion as she thanked everyone profusely for their support. Then, she hit the END STREAM button on her livestreaming app, slipped her phone back into her pocket, and faced the others again, finally removing the camera-equipped sunglasses from her face and stuffing them into her jacket.

Octavia let out a massive breath, running both hands down her face and feeling incredibly relieved that the issue of the day had been given a fantastic potential solution. It was certainly a happier ending than she envisioned when she impulsively planned a protest at the courthouse today.

“Well’p… I’ve still gotta go to work today,” Misty said, giving Octavia’s hand a brief shake. “It was nice meeting you, sweetheart. Look forward to seeing you here again.”

“Thank you. Have a good one,” Octavia replied with a wave.

“Yeah… I’ve actually got a lot to do too, before my husband gets home from work,” Sheryl mumbled, checking her phone for the time, then she pocketed it and pulled Octavia into a hug. “You did so good today. See? I told you not to doubt yourself.”

Octavia laughed and gave her a goodbye, then watched as Misty, Sheryl, and most of the ETC members began marching out the mahogany double-doors.

The room was mostly empty now, and Steve lingered behind, staring at Octavia and looking as if he wanted to say something, but it took him a moment to force any words out.

“Okay, so… we’ve only hung out in person like… what… three times? Or four now?” he said, combing his hairs out of his eyes. “I have to go to my mom’s and do some things for her right now… but before I go, I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out… like… not during an ETC thing.”

Octavia stared, her brows raising, suddenly feeling spotlighted.

And the only other person remaining in the room now—Eli—still stood beside the commissioner’s table, his hand atop his cane, and sunglasses held by his side, merely watching the two of them and waiting politely for them to be finished speaking before he stepped forward.

Octavia glimpsed over at Eli, then back at Steve, swallowing and trying to assess her words before they escaped her.

“Um… yeah, we can do that,” she told him. “We’d have to figure out when, and talk about work schedules and all that… but… yeah. I’d like that.”

Steve smiled and nodded. “Okay… okay, cool. Well, I’ve got your number, so… we’ll talk later?”

“Yup,” Octavia nodded, giving him a wave. “Seeya.”

“Seeya,” Steve grinned, giving her a two-fingered salute before turning and marching out the double-doors.

Octavia continued staring at the doors for a moment after he was gone, releasing a heavy breath and feeling scantly able to process everything that was going on today.

Then—she turned to face Eli, who was now striding coolly toward her, his subtle smirk emerging along his face once again.

Octavia met his eyes—shiny black eyes filled with feeling and fire, just as she remembered, no longer covered by dark lenses, and the moment she stared into them, she knew for certain that she would have recognized him at first sight if he hadn’t been wearing his sunglasses when she first laid eyes upon him again.

“Oh my God,” she choked, covering her mouth as her eyes began to water.

She stepped forward—and she snapped her arms around him in a viselike embrace.

Eli blinked and breathed out a laugh, returning the hug and sighing with contentment.

The two of them were still the exact same height, just as they had been two decades ago, and he got a heavy whiff of her rose-scented perfume as he held onto her tightly, pausing simply to savor the moment.

Then, when the two finally separated, Octavia sputtered out a broken sort of laugh, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“I can’t believe… holy crap, I haven’t seen you since…” she stammered, gulping and wiping her face.

“Ye’ap,” Eli nodded, still wearing his calm, contented half-smile. “I told ya’ I’d make it… and here I am. How do I look? Don’t look the same to you, do I…?”

“You… look… like… a… pimp, ” Octavia snickered.

“I am a pimp,” Eli proclaimed, his voice hitting the same high note it always had whenever he’d raise it, making her choke out yet another laugh.

Then, she suddenly fell silent and shot him a look.

“Ohmigod—you’re not actually a pimp, are you?”

“ No , girl, gat’dayum,” Eli chortled and shook his head, planting both hands atop his cane. “There are certain glorious and Godly proclivities that I would very much like to keep intimate and holy , thank you very much.”

Octavia giggled at him.

“I pimp money , girl,” Eli added. “I make money, and make that money make more money. I pimp that money out for even more money, and I never stop makin’ that money.”

Octavia began to snigger even more. “Okay… I’m not… I don’t even… what? ”

Eli huffed out a laugh, raising his fist to her. “It’s good to seeya again, OC… and good to see you ain’t changed.”

Octavia thumped her fist to his, squinting curiously at him.

“So, what… happened? ” she asked him. “My friend Steve said you were like… a landlord, and a business owner, and… apparently you’re a county commissioner too… so like… what happened? How did you do all this…?”

Eli chuckled. “Well… that’s a long damn story. How much time you got?”

Octavia hesitated, then pulled out her phone and checked the time, running all of her errands through her mind.

“Um, are you serious?” she said. “Because I definitely wanna catch up if you have time, but I kinda have some things to do today. Are you busy tonight?”

“No,” Eli replied. “I was just gonna chill at the club tonight.”

“Okay… what club?”

“ My club. Endzone.”

Octavia blinked, staring at him in slight astonishment again.

Eli read her expression, letting slip another smirk. “Hard to believe I’m the same person, ain’t it?”

“Yeah… yeah, it really fuckin’ is,” Octavia agreed. “Okay… I have to go do my laundry, go to a doctor’s appointment, and grab some stuff from the store… and I kinda have to go feed my little girl, too…”

Eli blinked and shot her a double-take. “Your lil’ girl…?”

“Yeah,” Octavia muttered.

Eli stared, titling his head a bit and eyeing her rather intently now. Then, he leaned a little closer, his eyes locked with hers, muttering to her in a soft, serpentine tone.

“Is the father still in the picture…?” Eli asked. “Because if he ran out on you… then you just give me a name, and I’ll rain some hell down on his ass.”

Octavia’s mouth drifted open, then she choked out a laugh and shook her head. “No… no, my little girl is… my puppy.”

Eli took slightly back, raising his head and gently biting his lip, making an understanding nod.

“Oooh… ‘kay,” he mumbled. “Then… never mind.”

Octavia stared, merely smiling and feeling delighted to be here talking to him again. He was still just as expressive and hilarious as he always used to be, despite how much change had obviously undergone since twenty years ago.

“Well…” Eli slipped one hand off his cane, sliding it into his pocket and sighing. “If we gonna do some catching up tonight, then… we can do it wherever. The club… my place… or your place. Whatever you wanna do.”

“Ahm… well, it can’t be my place,” Octavia replied. “I’m okay with just meeting you at Endzone.”

“A’ight… and hey, just so ya’ know,” Eli smirked, raising a finger. “The top floor is my place. One of ‘em, anyway.”

Octavia narrowed her eyes at him. “What, you have like a house up there or something…?”

“More like a nice-ass hotel suite,” Eli answered. “It’s just easier that way so I can have some drinks and crash there at the club sometimes instead of having to drag my drunk ass all the way back to my actual house.”

“Holy crap, dude,” Octavia laughed. “That’s awesome.”

“You know it, baby,” Eli smirked.

They both paused for a second.

“Well… I don’t wanna hold you up from all you gotta do,” Eli said with a sigh. “But I do wanna get your number before you take off.”

“Oh yeah, yeah…” Octavia nodded and pulled her phone out.

Eli did the same, and the two of them took a moment to trade phone numbers and save them to their contacts before putting their phones away again.

“Can’t be losing touch again,” Eli said, meeting her eyes.

Octavia gazed into him, releasing a heavy cloud of breath.

He returned her stare, his expression seeming a bit more serious now.

“There are so many people now who come to me, and cling to me, and try really damn hard to give a damn about me,” Eli said softly, giving her a deep, profound look. “They do that all the time… now that I’m somebody. But… there were only five people on this planet who gave a damn about me before I was somebody. And I ain’t never forgot.”

Octavia flashed a smile, feeling warmed by his words. Then, she made a face and squinted curtly at him.

“What about your mom…?” she asked.

Eli opened his mouth, then scoffed and nodded. “Yeah, okay, fine… six people… whatever.”

Octavia let out a laugh.

Eli paused again, staring at her thoughtfully.

“I ain’t forgot what you did, either,” he said softly. “And I’mma make it right with you now.”

“Oh… come on… you don’t have to do that,” Octavia told him. “You don’t owe me anything…”

“OC,” Eli said, his eyebrows raising, giving her a serious look. “I owe you every damn thing.”

Octavia swallowed, feeling several things rising up inside.

Eli cracked a smirk once more, reaching up and gently tapping the side of her nose. “Now… I’ll meetcha at the club tonight. You hit me up when you’re on your way, a’ight?”

“Okay,” Octavia nodded, giving him another smile. “I’ll seeya there, Eli.”

Eli revealed a smile, a kinder and warmer one than he usually ever wore. Then, he turned and marched out of the meeting room with his overcoat shifting along at his heels, vanishing from the room and leaving Octavia standing alone in a whirlwind of thoughts, memories, emotions, and more.

Eventually—she broke into a walk and left the place as well.