Her Words Destroyed My Planet

Artist: Motion City Soundtrack

"If we'd only stayed togther/ I might not have fallen apart/ But the words you served destroyed my planet/I'll stall before I start, I'll stall before I start anything at all"

Chapter 1

Eli

The final bell rang for the day and for the school year. I couldn't wait. I raced out of the door with the most amazing feeling. Summer vacation was here which meant never ending time with Clare. We could hang out all day and talk all night on the phone. There was nothing to get in the way of the upcoming two and a half months. Freedom, complete and utter freedom.

I sat on the steps of school, right by the Degrassi sign waiting for Clare. I could see her through the glass doors. She smiled at me and came outside.

"Hey there beautiful," I said wrapping her up in a hug.

"Hey yourself, are you excited for summer vacation?" she asked, giving me a quick kiss.

"Do you even have to ask? Of course! Nothing but free time on our hands, what can be better than that?"

"So how should we commence our break? Grab a bite to eat at the Dot? Maybe go for a ride?"

A lightbulb flicked on over my head. "Yeah, a ride would be awesome, come on let's get out of here." I took a hold of her hand and we walked quickly to the parking lot. It proved a difficult task as the whole area around the school was packed with students all hanging about enjoying their newfound break. We were able to navigate our way over to Morty.

"Oh come on!" I said slamming my hand down on the steering wheel. We were still stuck in the lot after five minutes. The place was crawling with bumper to bumper traffic. No one seemed to be in a rush at all.

"Calm down, Eli," she said softly. "There's no need to hurry."

I turned my head and looked at her. Her brilliant blue eyes were fixed on me. "Sorry, I just want to spend time with you."

She laughed a little. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just, that's all we ever do. We're always together." There was a slight edge to her voice, or so I thought. She smiled quickly. I wasn't sure what to make of her statement. I decided to let it drop.

"I guess, but I love spending time with you, Clare. I love being around you, I can't help it."

I have to admit I was mildy horrified when she didn't say it back and that horror got kicked up another notch when she didn't say anything at all.

"Are you okay?" I ventured. We had made it out of the lot and onto the road. The silence in the car was deafening. I didn't know if I should of been worried or upset that she wasn't speaking.

"What? Yeah, no I'm fine." Clearly something was on her mind that she wasn't willing to share.

I started to feel edgy, something was going on with her and for the first time, she wasn't able to communicate with me. I continued the drive to our special spot in the woods. The peace of the forest was simply beautiful. I cut the engine and got out. Clare unbuckled her seatbelt and got out as well.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Clare?" I was a few feet from her. She stood with her hands crossed over her chest looking up at the treetops.

"I told you I'm fine."

"Yeah, and I don't believe that. I know you well enough to know when something is up."

Her lips parted like she was about to say something. She closed them back quickly and walked over to me. She stood right in front of me. After six months of dating, her beauty still overwhelmed me.

"Everything is fine Eli, trust me." She leaned in and kissed me. All my defenses were shot down, I couldn't resist her. All the concern and worry I felt disappeared in an instance. The kiss took on a whole new urgency. She ran her fingers through my hair. I breathed it all in. It wasn't like her to be this forceful, but I didn't object. Her hands found their way to my neck and she glided her finger tips along my collarbone. My heart got kicked into overdrive. As quickly as the kiss started, it was over.

I tried to get my breathing in check. Clare turned and walked away from me. She stood at the edge of the clearing, looking at nothing but the green surroundings. I felt worried. This was very unlike her. In the silence that fell between us I could hear her sniffing. I raced to her side.

"Clare, please talk to me. Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Eli." Her eyebrows bunched together. I hated to see her like this. Clare is typically a strong girl. I was there for her the whole time her parents went through their divorce. So many nights I stayed up talking to her, helping her go through that difficult point. I felt like it was my duty to protect her. But it was clear that there was one thing I couldn't save her from.