Not many people at Degrassi had heard of Eli's attempt of destroying Morty except a few of his friends. For once, drama hadn't spread around Degrassi like a wildfire.
It didn't surprise Eli, though; he wasn't well known in his school. Yeah, the Fitzgerald incident was something that made some mad at him, but not worth caring for him.
Eli opened the door with a huff, grabbing his crutches from behind him. "Remember; you have to find a ride home." Bullfrog says, half humorously, from the driver's seat of the van. Eli rolled his eyes.
"Maybe I'll just wait until two in the morning for you to come." He sarcastically replies. He waits for a response but his father doesn't answer him. Eli looks back to see the pained expression on his face.
"Be careful." He quietly replies before Eli nods and closes the door. He couldn't seem to move away from where he stood, gripping on the top of his crutches as he gently placed his right foot on the ground. He winced in pain.
This is why Clare didn't come back, Eli reminds himself. You're too overwhelming. Too much to care for.
As if on queue, Clare walks at a fast pace with Alli to the school doors, laughing loudly. Eli turns to see that Clare hadn't seen him or was hiding it well. Alli looks at Eli for a minute from behind Clare's back before turning away, uninterested.
This is what Eli had wanted; for Clare to be happy. But he wanted to be with her, to be laughing with her, to be able to smell the floral scent that came off her.
The school bell rang, snapping Eli out of his train of thought. His only choice was to go to class, thinking of how he'd get home.
You'll Come For Me
English would be next once the bell rang. Five minutes and thirty one seconds was what Clare had left to recompose herself before having to see him.
At least she had Adam. She was sure that he wouldn't go back to Eli without getting a complete explanation, which was harder to receive with Eli than one could imagine.
Four minutes and twenty five seconds left of freedom. Clare had been happy all day; she was so busy with all the meetings for yearbook that she hadn't had a chance to think about Eli. Alli would keep her occupied while Clare would walk to class. The only problem was that Alli was only in three of her classes; she couldn't be busy all the time. Without permission her mind would think of Eli, whether it was a trigger from a word she would read or from seeing someone smirk. Everything about him taunted her.
Clare squinted her eyes shut. She deserved to be happy. Eli did what he was meant to do. God had chosen a road for both of them; one that Clare would never be able to touch.
Two minutes and three seconds left. Clare tapped her pencil on side of her binder, looking for something to interest her in the classroom. There wasn't anything that looked interesting. Everyone was working in partner groups except her.
Clare jumped as the bell rang. She glanced at the clock to see that she had been one minute off from her calculations. Her heart became harder to control as she automatically rose from her seat and to the door.
Everyone looked like they were new to the school, which wasn't true. Clare could recognize half of the students, but all of their faces were blurred together as her mind became hazed with possible scenarios that could happen during English.
Maybe he just won't come… She thought to herself as she reached the door. As much as she wanted him to disappear from the class, she couldn't help it—Eli sat facing the front of the classroom, oblivious to her entrance.
Mrs. Dawes looked up at her with a generous smile which she couldn't give back. He was here. The remembrance of Friday appeared in her mind again, making her wince. It was something that she wouldn't be able to forget.
Clare sat in a chair, farthest from the front of the classroom. Mrs. Dawes started class minutes later, giving them all an assignment. Clare listened to half of what she said, half of the time gazing at the dirty dark brown hair that she learned to love. It wasn't hers anymore as well as him.
"Do you understand, Miss Edwards?" Mrs. Dawes asks. Clare glanced quickly away from Eli's hair and into the eyes of her teacher. She sat up in her chair before replying.
"I sure do understand Mrs. Dawes." Clare says with the cheeriest tone she could create. She felt exhausted as she slumped back into her chair, thinking about what to write. She created flawless poems all throughout her life; this would be easy. But would it be as easy as it used to be?
Clare looked down at the blank piece of paper before her, oblivious to Eli staring back at her.
You'll Come For Me
The next day was as followed. Eli couldn't find the courage to talk to Clare or to confess his feelings to his therapist. He was now stuck under house guard with either Cece or Bullfrog by his side. He didn't want to talk to either of them though—he wanted to talk to Clare. Never once was he afraid to admit something to the love of his life, but now it was terrifying. Seeing the pain in her eyes was hard to look at, knowing that he had caused it.
Eli attempted to text Adam several times, only to be let down. He understood why his friends were ignoring him, but he needed someone his age to talk to. It was driving him insane to know that people saw his pain but wouldn't help.
Eli hobbled to the front of the high school, unconsciously listening to a group of boys talking about something. "You like Clare Edwards?" One of the boys yelled above the group. Eli's crutch fell from his grasp as his head shot towards the group of boys.
Before him he saw several people, most he didn't know. The boy being targeted lowered his head. "Kinda," he mumbled with a smile. Some of the boys cheered for the kid. Eli could feel himself losing control already if he didn't leave.
He started to wonder if Clare knew the boy, or if they were already friends. Could she replace him that easily?
Eli hoped not, but couldn't know for sure. He'd have to find out somehow.
You'll Come For Me
Mrs. Dawes sat at her desk, busily grading her class work. Eli stumbled over to his desk, seeing if his teacher noticed his appearance. Throwing his bag down, he partially hopped to the front of her desk.
Mrs. Dawes looked up with a small smile. "Yes, Eli?" She asked in a kind voice.
"I wanted to say that you were right, Mrs. Dawes." Eli muttered under his breath. "I guess my writing was a cry for help."
His teacher sighed, falling into the back of her chair. "It happens to the best of us," she genuinely replied. "But at least you were able to get help. Many don't nowadays."
Eli nodded his head. "It's just that now, I feel like no one can save me. Like everyone has given up on me."
Mrs. Dawes leaned forward in her chair, looking Eli sternly in the eyes. "Life can be hard at times, but remember, that you are never alone. People will help you if you ask. You are just battling your life head on at the moment; the storm will pass."
Eli, unsatisfied, half smiled at his teacher before wobbling to his chair. "And remember Eli," Mrs. Dawes said, waiting for Eli to turn around. "Clare will come back; it's just a phase of life." Eli nodded in response, feeling his throat tighten. Her name was too much to handle right now.
You'll Come For Me
Class started in less than three minutes. Clare had quietly appeared in the back of room, trying to ignore Eli as much as possible. It wasn't that she wanted to; she still loved him. It would've never worked out it she had stayed, though.
Forbidden love. Clare now knew what it was like for Romeo and Juliet.
Eli suddenly moved out of his chair and over to Adam, who was two seats in front of Clare. Clare curiously watched as Eli whispered something to Adam, who merely nodded at the information. Were they friends again?
Clare jumped when she felt someone sit next to her. She turned to see that it was a boy she had known long ago.
"Reese?" She asked. Reese nodded next to her, smiling away. "What are you doing here—aren't you supposed to be in jail until the end of the school year?"
Reese frowned. "Don't think so highly of me, Clare." He sarcastically replied. "I was good; therefore, I was taken out of prison."
Clare grimaced. "Can't you sit somewhere else?" She asked. Reese raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm… Let me think—no." Clare rolled her eyes at Reese, placing a hand on the left side of her face. Reese chuckled.
"Trying to make me disappear?" He amusingly asked. Clare nodded.
You'll Come For Me
When the bell rung, Clare hesitated to reach for her bag. She looked to her left to see Adam staring at her with knowing eyes.
She jumped, placing a hand to her heart. "Thank God you weren't Reese." She exasperatedly stated. Adam rolled his eyes.
"You need to talk to Eli."
"What? No!" She exclaimed. Adam gave her a stern stare.
"You have to and you know it; you need to clear things between you two. Sooner is better. He's in pain; he needs to be heard."
"But I don't want to feel bad for him right now," Clare mutters under her breath while grabbing her bag. Adam looks at her with a befuddled expression. "What?" She asks him.
Adam rolls his eyes. "This isn't the Clare I know," he mutters before walking over to the door. "You're a good person; this is a good thing to face. Trust me on it."
Clare nods her head even though she doesn't agree. She waits in the back of the room for Eli, watching as he struggles getting up.
Clare walks over to where he sat, holding out her hand. Eli gladly takes it.
"Thank you," he softly speaks to her, surprised that she was actually waiting for him. Clare shrugged.
"It's nothing." She replies dully. Clare can tell the pain that she is already putting back on Eli and can't help but feel guilty. "You want to talk?" She asks in a better tone.
Eli partially smiles at her before agreeing. "On the way out of school," he responds. "To your mom's car or something like that."
"Sure." Clare agrees, not knowing what to say. Eli is the first to speak.
"I would just like to say that I'm sorry for all the trouble I have caused. I know that I sound like a broken record, but I am done with all this. I am over the Julia phase, I'm getting help, and I'm getting better." Eli grunts once before returning to the conversation. "I wanted to thank you for staying with me after everything, and even though I ruined it in the ending, I still am happy that I had you in my life. It meant a lot."
Clare feels a pang in her heart. "It was good for the both of us." She replies. "You helped me with some of my issues also."
Eli checks her over for a second before saying, "I guess I'll see you around then." Clare notices that they are already outside after the incredibly short walk.
"Yeah," Clare stutters, hearing her mother honk at her. "Bye." She mutters under her breath, watching Eli in the side mirror.
She knew that this was the best, to not date, but she still wanted him.
She wanted him to come back for her.
I rewrote parts of this chapter so it's somewhat different.
Please REVIEW (5 for the next chapter) if you want to see what happens.