Chapter 1

I sat on the steps of the old cathedral that Eli and I had come to so many times before. It's our year anniversary today and he brought me here, so we could talk and have dinner underneath the glow of the stars. The wind blew and my auburn curls danced in the wind, the hem of my dress floated about gracefully in the breeze. I could feel prickly Goosebumps form on my bare forearms; I really should have brought a jacket or something. Eli noticed me trying to keep warm and he slipped off his black blazer, leaving him with only a black t shirt on.

"Take it Blue Eyes." He said as he held the jacket out to me.

I didn't want him to freeze or catch a cold! I shook my head stubbornly and he sighed, I could tell he expected this.

"Come on Clare…take it…" he coaxed, staring me straight in the eyes.

"You'll freeze!" I insisted.

"If I don't give this to you then you'll freeze." He told me. He grinned suddenly, "Come on Clare…I'll be your best friend."

I giggled and stuck my tongue out at him, "I'm telling Adam that I'm your best friend!"

"Fine then, I'll just take it back." He shrugged as he slipped it back on.

I smiled triumphantly knowing that I had won, but my teeth chattered reminding me that I felt like a Popsicle.

I rubbed my arms faster and he smiled. "You know Clare, Penguins in Antarctica huddle together to stay warm…Be my Penguin?" he asked me innocently.

I blushed and stared at the ground, what a un-Eli thing of him to say. I nodded quietly.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his lap, pulling his arms tightly across my arms to keep them warm.

"I'm so glad I met you Blue Eyes" he whispered into my ear and I turned to face him. I smiled as I remembered that day when the new kid ran over my glasses with his hearse. I remembered how the new kid had been the first one out of all the kids in my school (besides Ali) that noticed I had gotten my glasses off. He told me I had pretty eyes and it was at that exact moment I had begun to fall for him.

"I started to fall for you the minute I met you Eli…"I whispered, staring up at the stars.

Eli smiled up at the stars and seemed to be in a dazed sort of trance. I grinned widely at the boy that had saved me from my darkness. I will forever hold him close to me, even if we break up Elijah Goldsworthy will always hold a special place in my heart.

"I love you Eli…" I whispered, staring at his smiling face that was still gazing up at the glowing stars.

"I love you too…Julia." He whispered.

I froze immediately. Julia? I jumped out of his lap and I could feel tears begin to form in my eyes. Eli's emerald eyes were wide and apologetic.

"N-no! C-Clare! I-I'm sorry…" he choked out.

I shook my head viciously. "You-you called me…you called me Julia…" I choked in a pained whisper that I myself could barely hear.

"You don't love me! It's always been Julia! Always!" I was screaming now but my voice was still hoarse, threatening to break at any second.

"No no no! I-I love you Clare! Believe me Clare! I love you…" he begged desperately but the words didn't even register in my mind, they had no meaning. They were just words.

I began laughing slightly psychotically as hot tears began streaming down my face.

"A-and to think…To think I Loved you! You don't love me! Nobody does!" I screamed.

I watched as tears began rolling down Eli's cheeks as well he ran up to me and pulled at my wrist softly, but he kept a firm grip.

"Clare…no Clare please don't leave me…" he shouted, his voice cracking slowly like someone was applying pressure to a clay pot.

I pulled away from his touch and began sobbing hysterically.

"Don't touch me!" I spat at him. His eyes widened again before he burst into tears again, his face buried in his hands.

"You were the only reason I had left for living Eli! My parents are too busy with their own separate lives, enjoying their freedom now that they're divorced! Ali is all the way across town! Jenna is busy with Tyson! Darcy's in Kenya! A-Adam's always with Fiona or you! We never talk anymore! The only thing I had left was you Eli! And now! Now… Now you're gone too." I screamed as I furiously began to wipe tears from my eyes, I turned to run, run far away.

Eli, Eli doesn't love me. I have no one…No one…No one wants me, Clare Diane Edwards, the prude Christian girl. As I ran, I paid no attention to Eli's shout behind me.

"Clare watch out!" I looked behind me, to see Eli frantically running towards me, his eyes practically bulging out of his head. I was about to scream back when I heard the tires skidding to a stop but it was too late.

The front of the car hit me and I flew to the ground, I was breathing heavily. I attempted to get up but I collapsed onto the street again. I weakly turned my head up to see Eli sobbing as he called my name, "Clare! No Clare no!" he screamed.

I watched the car driver come out slowly, trembling violently, she was a middle aged woman with long brown hair, she began sobbing at the sight of me.

"I'm so sorry." She told me as she kneeled next to me. I watched her pull out her phone and stutter as she called 911.

"It's alright Clare…I-I'm right here Clare everything is going to be alright." Eli told me as he stroked my auburn curls. I saw his hand, splattered with my blood, as he kept whispering to me soothingly but I could hear the panic, the fear, the sadness in his voice.

"Clare Diane Edwards. I love you…" he whispered, tears began falling down my cheeks once again and his Emerald green eyes were the last things I saw before slipping into darkness.