The Now or Never promo, Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode, and me feeling fluffy resulted in this…
If you haven't seen the promo, this probably won't make much since; I don't know. This one-shot is set on the beach, taking place whenever the promo is taking place (which I assume is during spring break). Enjoy!
=]
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi; if I did EClare would've had 20+ little Eli's by now. Okay, maybe not, but you get the point.
"Feelings are intense. Words are trivial. Pleasures remain, so does the pain. Words are meaningless and forgettable."
It was hot, lit lowly by the bonfire that softly scorched in the distance.
He was content, as today had been the day the casts came off and he was more than delighted to be free- able to walk, able to grasp, and more than able of running away if he had to.
There were murmurs of teens, sparkles in eyes, and laughter, so much laughter fading in the distance. He sucked in a fresh breath of air, the salty sky pleasantly grating his throat. He licked his lips, enjoyably suffering from the fervor that lurked amongst his peers. But most importantly of it all, he was okay. For the first time since the dreaded night he'd crashed Morty, he felt more than alive.
However, he kept his distance. No, Eli Goldsworthy was not socializing with his classmates, but rather, spending his time standing and staring at the sea collecting the many whirlwind of memories he held close to his heart. They were all that was left of him, and they were the only thing he cared for. They were his passion.
He exhaled, his tongue tasting the salinity of the air as he inhaled another fresh breath of air. The sea was restless, wave after wave crashing loudly against the submissive rocks and roaring with a loud boom as they struck. It was more than uncanny how easily the sea correlated directly with his mood. He was ruthless, wild, and very much so alive. And like the sea, he wanted to let go; Eli wanted to rid himself of his demons, and every painful lie and excuse he'd ever lived behind. He'd lived, loved, and now it was time to only let go. This was his mission.
"Eli?" a voice from behind called. He turned, half expecting it to be Clare Edwards, who was somewhere within the mob of teens, but was only disappointed to find it was the new girl.
"What are you doing here Imogen?" He asked quickly, quite irritated for shattering himself with hope*. His eyes widened as he noticed she was sporting a new pair of cat eye glasses and a denim jacket. He'd come to know Imogen as a colorful person, a bit of a liar, as he'd assumed that was only because she was trying to make new friends. He'd needed friends, and Adam hardly talked to him since the break-up with Clare, thus it was easy to overlook the negative factors in becoming close to Imogen.
He had even told her of Clare once, but he'd never expected Imogen to try and imitate her. He was confused, and more than aggravated at the gall of this girl. Eli squinted his eyes, the sound of the crashing waves only adding to the intensity of his gaze. She only responded by giving him the most innocent look she could muster. "I was wondering why you didn't want to join everyone. They're making smores by the fire; don't you want to come?"
Eli snorted but quickly looked over the girls shoulder to examine a small gang of teens that were huddled around a fire; they were all happily gorging themselves with treats and laughter, as the rest of his peers danced and socialized in equally distributed cliques around the beach. He hadn't noticed how loud the party-goers music was as he was too preoccupied in enjoying the sounds of nature in his own secluded haven with the rocks.
But there was one particular pair of teens that caught his attention. The soft auburn curls and happy cerulean orbs were impossible to miss as his stomach could only lurch in agony. There was Clare Edwards, his beautiful, sweet, lovable Clare, dancing with sparklers around that new kid, Jake he hated soso much. She looked pleased, and he could only stare and wallow in self pity at the reality of it all. How he wished to be Jake, more than anything, he wanted to be that bastard. Eli frowned at the thought.
He could feel the bile making its way up his esophagus, and he clamped his hand over his mouth, violently turning away from his own personal hell before he started gagging. He couldn't really remember why he even chose to show up in the first place. Perhaps subconsciously he wanted to steal one glimpse at Clare just to suffer well**. He'd more than deserved it.
Eli quickly regained his composure.
"No." He told the expectant girl behind him, his tone, suddenly deeper, and more aggressive. "Are you sur-" Imogen began, "Yes!" He sharply interrupted. It wasn't but a few seconds later when he heard footsteps slowly dissipate behind him as she stalked away angrily. He was glad to be alone again, to suffer in the privacy of his little haven.
He was lost in thoughts once more, his anger slowly subsiding as he recalled happier times, returning to the peaceful contentment he'd discovered only minutes before. He'd even found himself chuckling aloud as he remembered the time he and Clare skipped English just to work on her assignment. He remembered how he'd almost kissed her that day. How he wished he had. He remembered the first kiss they ever shared, on the bench while filming that Romeo and Juliet project for English. He remembered how he'd left her lips beautifully swollen and red. He remembered everything.
And all he could think about is how he only wished he could go back and fix everything. He would do things right, for Clare. She'd had his heart from the beginning, call him a sap if you will, but he'd only wished she could trust him enough with the same.
He turned around once more, scanning the beach for the curls he loved so much. He spotted her quickly and watched silently as she plopped down beside Alli around the fire, ready to roast a marshmallow. And Jake, much to his delight, was gone. He basked in the beauty she radiated, feeling the burn of blush on his cheeks as he gazed in awe. The fire reflected in her eyes and the warmth it exerted onto her placed a beautiful pink across her cheeks. He felt a pang in his heart as he realized Clare Edwards was truly so beautiful, it hurt.
Never in Eli Goldsworthy's 17 years of life, had he ever wanted to kiss someone as much as he wanted to kiss Clare Edwards in that moment. And as if on cue, as if her thoughts were on the same wavelength as his, she looked up, her bright blue eyes boring into his green. Her head slowly cocked to the side, as if she was being thoughtful in the moment, and she softly smiled at him. Eli could only nod in understanding, and her cheeks burned into an even brighter red as she looked away shyly.
He'd swear that in that moment he saw a rush of hope flood desperately into her eyes. She wanted him to gain her trust back. She wanted him to come around. She wanted him to fight for her. She wanted him to be the Eli she'd counted on. The one she loved. She wanted him.
He smirked. He'd get her back one way or the other. One smile from Clare Edwards was all he'd ever wanted, all he'd ever needed.
Author's notes: So I totally finished this last night, but it was like 3:30 am and I didn't feel like posting it so late. But anyways, here it is and today's my birthday so I'm so excited. Woo!
Thoughts? Drop me a review! If you have any ideas for another one-shot feel free to express them to me! :)
* Shatter Me with Hope by HIM
** Suffer Well by Depeche Mode
Title and quote at the top comes from Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode.
Quote from the summary comes from Behind the Crimson Door by HIM.
