_Imogen's POV_
I finally gave up on Eli. I still love him of course, but he doesn't re-turn the favor. I decided to go to Clare, god I hate Clare. I found her sitting in the J.T York memorial garden. She was eating and reading, alone. (SHOCKER!). I decided to confront her on the subject of Eli. "Hello, Clare-Bear!" She was so surprised of me yelling at her, she spilled her milk. "What do you want, Moreno?" "I need to talk to you Clare, please, it's about Eli." Clare's face turned from angriness to concern and a worrying look. "Is he ok? What happened? How can you just stand there ?" "Relax, Clare, He's ok but I mean I need to tell you something." "What?" "Clare, he still loves you." "Really? Your lying, your so fony, Imogen." "I'm not lying Clare, he really loves you." "I love Elijah Goldsworthy, and he doesn't even know." I began to sob. "I'm so sorry Imogen, I really am." I sat down as Clare rubbed my back comfortingly. The girl who caused my breakdown, comforting me. "Everything in my life has come crashing down because of Eli and you. My agenda each day was: I got up, cut my arm or any body part that was hideable with a razorblade, got in the shower and then put my stupid uniform on. I walked to school or sometimes Eli would ride by on my way there so I would get in. When I got to school, I hung out with Eli then got to class. In study hall I cried myself to sleep over the whole situation. My grades have been dropping ever since I auditioned for Eli's play. He always talks about you. Clare this and I miss Clare and all that. I ended the day by going home, doing my homework, and then I took a bath usually and cut there. I always saw my blood filling and turning the clear water to an orangey color." Clare just sat there with her jaw dropped and eyes watering. Why were HER eyes watering? Stupid Clare. "Imogen, I'm so sorry. I don't hope you mind me asking but, why are you talking to me?" my mind wandered. Why was I telling her all this? Oh right, Eli. I need to tell her. "Clare, I need to ask you something." "Ok… tell me." "Well, you know that saying if you love something let it free? Well I love Eli with all my heart and I'm not going to tell him but I want you to take Eli back please will you?" "Imoge-" "Please Clare! I need him to be happy, because when he's not happy, I'm not." "You really love him, don't you?" Clare asked with a yawn. Imogen broke down as the bell rang. "Please don't go Clare, I need you." "Ok, I won't leave. Do you really love Eli?" "Yes Clare of course I do but please don't tell him, he can't know, not now. Can you please give him a chance at least one date, you belong together, forever and there is nothing I can do about it but be there for you two and try to make amends or even friends." I cried in Clare's shoulder trying to get myself together.
_Eli's POV_
I was skipping class to go to Adam's for video games when I heard sobbing. I saw Clare comforting Imogen at the J.T York memorial. I kept walking until it processed in my mind. "What the fuck?" I looked down. "And why the hell is there milk on the floor?" Clare started to whisper in Imogen's ear something I could not mouth. Then Clare walked up to me and grabbed my hand and said "Eli, can we go on a date tomorrow?" I thought I was hallucinating when Clare kissed my cheek and whispered to me "How about you pick me up at 8 and we go to Little Miss Steaks?" I got mad because it was kind of obvious that Imogen liked me. "Clare come on that is just rude!" Clare's face went to surprise. "You don't want to go out to eat?" I pulled her to the side where Imogen could not see us. "Of course I do but can't you see Imogen has a small crush on me?" "Yes Eli she set the idea up for us to get back together." I was so surprised. "Eli, she didn't want me to tell you but, she loves you a lot. She told me that everything in her life has come crashing down because of me and you. Her agenda each day was: Get up, cut her arm or any body part that was hideable with a razorblade, got in the shower and then put her uniform on. She walked to school or sometimes you would ride by on the way there so she would catch a ride. When she got to school, she hung out with you then got to class. In study hall she cried to sleep over the whole situation. Her grades have been dropping ever since she auditioned for your play. She said and I quote 'He always talks about you. Clare this and I miss Clare and all that.' She said she ended the day by going home, doing homework, and then taking a bath usually and cut there. She said she always saw her blood flowing and turning the clear water to an orangey color." My face froze when she said that. "Oh my god poor Imogen, she had to listen to me ramble about you." Oh god she knows I love her. "She also said some other things like 'I'm in love with Elijah Goldsworthy, and he doesn't even know it.' Stuff like that I'm so sorry Eli. She wants you to be happy. She said something to the term if you love something, let it free and then she started to say something like this 'I love Eli with all my heart and want him to be happy so I want you to give him a second chance even just a date .' so I said I might so when you came she was getting over crying about you. " My face fell and Clare looked at me with her gorgeous eyes and said "Eli don't worry about It she said we belong together and that even she was going to try and make amends or even friends. She really wants us to be happy, she's a really good person." I smirked. "I know. That's really cool of her go comfort her. I got to go to Adam's. You and Imogen are welcome to come if you want. " Clare started to smile. Clare grabbed my arm and dragged me to Adam's house, I knew because Adam and I were great friends over the summer, after the prom shit. "Why are we going Clare?" She smiled. I wanted to slap that smile off her little pure face, I really have to get over him. "Because Adam wants to see Eli, are we going to stop him?" She was right, poor Adam. "Ok." Eli smirked.
We arrived at Adam's house very quickly. But then, Eli was too scared to hold Clare's hand so I went between them and pulled them together, making them hold hands. Drew came to the door and saw them together. "Finally! You have no idea how long Adam has been complaining about you two! Oh, hey Immy, Eli why are you holding hands with Clare RIGHT NOW?" I sighed. "I did it Drew, now, do still have those little cute bottles of coke?" He nodded and smiled at Clare and Eli. "We were all playing Left 4 Dead in the Base place, as Adam calls it." I smiled. "Cool, can I play, you know how I love left for dead!" he gave me an I'm sorry face. "Sorry Immy, we just started a new round and Jake started to play with Adam and I." My face fell. "Oh, as long as I can get my mini coke, I'll be as happy as a kid with a go-cart!" He winked and smiled at me. "Jake is here? When did you guys start hanging out?" Clare asked Eli, Drew and I. "Um, after the cabin accident, we were closer." I might have not been there that night but I know everything, Adam, Bianca, Drew, and Katie told me. "Oh, who else is here?" Clare asked. "Uh, Clare, maybe you shouldn't be here. Katie, Marisol, Fiona, Adam, Bianca, and Alli will be in there." She was dumbfounded. "Oh, well, I'll just go then, don't want to disturb your guys hanging out time." I grabbed her arm first, What the hell am I doing? "Clare, just try and ignore her, if that fails, I'll kick her ass, personally." She smiled, were we going to become friends? "Ok, fine. I'll stay if Eli is?" I sighed "Even if I'm not chasing after Eli, I still have feelings for him, could you be a bit less love like?" I asked nicely. "Sure, sorry Imogen." I smiled. "No problem." We went into the Torres house, it has been so long since the school year started that me and Adam have stopped talking. "Go down stairs, I'll get your mini coke, Immy." "Thanks Drew!" I love that boy, he was like a brother to me. "Hey everyone!" I said as we came down. "Hey guys, are you back together, how sweet!" Marisol said, Eli told everyone about how much he missed Clare. "Yeah, cool." Katie said while waiting for something eagerly, probably Drew. "You did?" Jake asked. "Yeah." Clare replied. Drew came down with my mini coke, YAY! I love those things. "Did you want ice?" Drew asked me, I did but I didn't want to ask him, so I asked Jake. "Uh, yeah, don't sweat it, Jake, Will you please get me some ice?" I asked ever so innocently. "Playing game, sorry." I frowned. "I'll play." He sighed. "Fine!" He yelled. "Thank you, Jake- O- Lantern." I said as he got up. He came back with a cup of ice. He shoved it at me. "Here, take it." I grabbed it from him as he grabbed the controller. "Hey you ass, I was playing!" he shrugged, I was so going to beat his ass. "Sorry, but I was here first, Imo." He said sarcastically. I was so mad at him. I pulled him into the kitchen. "Listen Jake, I know you like still Clare, and I still like Eli, but they are toge-" He kissed me, I was so surprised as you can tell. I ended up kissing back. We broke apart, I was oddly sad. "Sorry, I, um, bye!" he was going to run, but I got a hold of his shirt. "Don't be sorry." I said fast before I kissed him back, he was a bit surprised but he drifted into it. He had just settled his big hands on my small hips. As I put my arms on his shoulders and my hands holding his face, Eli walked in. "What the hell?" Eli asked as Jake and I broke apart. "Hey, Eli, Jake and I were just, hugging and settling our differences." His jaw was still hanging. "Ok, I won't tell the others, if, you give me fifty bucks. Twenty five from Jake and twenty five from you, Imogen." He smirked, what an ass. "Fine, Elijah W. Goldsworthy, since you have to such an arse, I'll pay for it fully, ok?" He shook his little ugly head. "Nope, both of you. Cough it up, now." He put that god awful smirk on his face and stuck his hand out. "It's ok Imogen, some people are just asses." Jake said to me, so sweet. We got out our wallets and I handed Eli a twenty dollar bill and a crisp five bill too. Jake handed Eli two floppy bills, one a five and the other being the twenty. "Cool, see you guys out there…." Man Eli is NOT as awesome as I thought he was, he's just an over conceded jerk, with MY twenty- five bucks. "Whatever," Jake said.
_One Month Later_
Jake and I have been keeping a secret relationship behind all our friends' back. And even ELI doesn't know. I went to see him during lunch, he was sitting on a picnic table outside school.
"Hey Jake, what's up?" I asked him as I sat down next to him. "Math, boring, you?" I shook my head. "You want to come see a movie with me Eli Clare and Adam?" I asked Jake. "Sure, what is it?" " It's the new movie with Daniel Radcliffe in it. I think it's called woman in black." I said to him. "But what if you get scared and jump on my lap?" He asked me, with his eyebrows furrowed, and winking at me. "Oh yeah, dream on Jakey- boy. But we can just sit away from each other." I said seriously. "You're so smart!" He exclaimed. "But, I'd rather show them how much we, like each other." I was so confused. "Huh?" As I said that, he got down on one knee and pulled out a little box and looked at me with puppy dog eyes. To be honest, I was scared. "Imogen Alex Moreno, will you be my PUBLIC girlfriend?" He asked me as he pulled out a ring from the box. "You got it engraved?" I asked him, he just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, so what- do you say?" "Yes Jake, of course!" He sled the ring on my finger. "Immy and Jake. That's so simple and so sweet. I love you, Jake Martin." I said, he smiled and kissed me ever so passionately. Wow, that sounded so fucking sappy, sorry. Well we went to the movies and all of our friends were shitting their pants and, oddly, giving us 'congrats'. We sat down and watched the woman in black. I could tell Eli wasn't surprised, well, not at least at us together. He was STUNNED at my ring. "Why the hell do you have a huge ass ring?" Eli asked me, and I just smiled. "Well, I thought Jake was purposing, and I was fucking scared, but then he asked to be my PUBLIC girlfriend and I said yes. We kissed like in those horrible romance- comedies and what do you know? If felt so cheesy, yet so sweet. There's your romance story, get outta here." He laughed and then kissed Clare, I actually didn't mind. They were kind of cute together. Well there's YOUR sappy story, now leave me the fuck alone, meaning, GO AWAY!
~FIN~