A/N: Gotta give props to a girl in my group therapy for the general idea for this. 4 for you, Ashley! Anyways, happy Eclare time~ Um, so Jake is still step-siblings with Clare, but she has no feelings for him. Still haven't decided whether he will for her. If you want to know how they act/look, I'm thinking around When Loves Takes Over and/or Love Lockdown (part 1). I dunno, just a general idea. The only difference would be that Clare's mad at her mom for divorcing and marrying, blah blah blah, so she likes to be rebellious…a lot. Ha. So, yeah. Review, blah blah blah, if I owned Degrassi I wouldn't be writing this (I would be writing an Eclare make-out scene), blah blah blah, enjoy, blah blah blah, (in the spirit of the Ferb to my Phineas, Aaron) MY GAZELLE IS POLKA-DOTTED.
It all started from a map, dart board, and a lazy Sunday.
I had spent the night at Eli's and didn't wake up in time for church. My mom was plenty mad, but I was so comfortable with Eli that I didn't really care. After as much lazing around as we could possibly do, Eli suggested we go for a drive just to pass the time. "Where're we going?" I asked curiously as I slid into one of his (surprisingly) comfy leather jackets.
"You'll see," he told me, grinning. Something told me he didn't even know himself. Eli was always one for spontaneity, adventure, and mystery. It was a quality that made him so intriguing. He led me to his ever-trusty hearse, Morty; like a gentleman, he opened the door for me.
"How chivalrous," I noted, semi-sarcastically, but really I enjoyed the gesture. It made me feel cared for.
Eli shrugged, "I try," before jogging around the car to his side. We drove for a while, passing the Dot, Degrassi, and many other familiar things before all of the landmarks became unrecognized.
"Uh, Hughes? Where are we?" I asked, squeezing Eli's hand as the places around me became even stranger, with dark trees and wild animals almost running in front of Morty.
"Honestly? I have no idea." Eli smirked. He noticed my discomfort and glanced at me quickly before turning his eyes back on the road. "We can turn around if you want." he told me, concern in his voice.
"No, I'm fine. Honestly. It's just…I've never seen this part of town. It's a bit…eerie." I explained. Eli nodded. "But I guess that's your style, huh? Shouldn't be surprised." I teased. Eli rolled his eyes and turned up his radio.
After a while, Eli slowed to a stop in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. "We're here," he announced, stepping out of the car. He opened the door for me, and when I got out he put his arm around me. "I know you're probably going to ask where we are," Eli told me, looking down at me. I raised my eyebrows, as if to say well, tell me where we are! "We're going to a yard sale." he stated simply, pointing to a barely-there sign that said, "Yard sale today!"
"A yard sale?" I asked, exasperated. "You came miles and miles for a yard sale? Plus, I don't even see a house. I see woods," I told him. He smirked, not saying a word. He led me up a dirt path that was barely visible. After what seemed like a mile-long trudge up the driveway, we got to a table and an old man. He stuck out his hand, taking his pipe from his mouth.
"Pleased to see ya, folks. You're the first ones here," he told me, with a wink that told me he didn't expect anyone else to show. "Tell me if you have any questions, and please buy anything. I want to get enough stuff outta here before I move."
"Thanks," Eli smiled and led me to another table. "Ready?" he asked. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Ready for what, exactly, Dr. Doom?"
"Well, I thought lazy Sunday could use some excitement. I used to do this all the time with Julia," he told me, eyes glazing over for a moment before he shook himself out of it. "Close your eyes, point to an object, and we buy it." He smirked.
"What? Eli, that's crazy. It's like…wasting money."
"It could be. But whatever, its CeCe's money anyways." he told me, which just made me feel worse. "C'mon, it could be the key to your future!" he told me, to which I scoffed.
"Suuure," I nodded sarcastically. But it was nice to say Eli so energetic, especially on a Sunday, so I did as was told. I closed my eyes, and Eli put his hands over them. 'No peaking' he told me when I giggled. He spun me around a few times, and it felt like we were dancing. I imagined me in a purple sparkly gown and Eli in a black tux, spotlight on us, dancing…
"Clare!" Eli yelled, right in my ear.
"Hmm? Oh, right. Object. Mhm," I said, trying to snap out of my trance. Eli laughed shortly.
"You're so cute," he mumbled, kissing the side of my neck. I blushed, fumbling hands grasping a random object. It crumpled in my hand. What the…
"It's a map," stated Eli, his voice excited. Although, I don't see what was so nice about a map. Then again, Eli tended to do that: get excited over the littlest things, and not really care about the bigger ones.
"Ah, that map was mine and my wife's," as Eli's hands slid off my face, I saw the man who had greeted us standing a few feet away. He was grinning toothily, and his eyes were cast up as if reliving a great memory. "We says we was gonna throw a dart at that map and wherever it landed, that's where we was gonna go." He laughed, more to himself to anything. "I really wish we could'a done that,"
"What happened?" asked Eli, obviously absorbed in the man's story.
"Ah, she died before we was even married," he said sorrowfully, tears glimmering at the brims of his eyes. "Said that she didn't care about no legal marriage, I was 'er husband, and she loved me. I swore then I would never marry another woman, never."
"Oh," Eli closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he told the man sincerely. The man just nodded.
"I tell ya what, you kids are 16? 15? Ah, it don't matter whether y'all 16 or 46. Can one of ya drive?"
"I can," Eli spoke up.
"Ya want an adventure?" he asked mischievously, raising his bushy eyebrows.
"Why not?" Eli gave me a side-glance and nodded at the man.
"I'mma give y'all this dartboard and the map for free, and y'all gotta promise me y'all gonna go on an adventure. I don't care whether ya want to go damn 5 miles from here, just use it. I don't care whether you use the dartboard; just go on an adventure while y'all is young. Live your youth." He walked over to another table, grabbed a dusty dartboard with colorful darts all over it; it looked like it had been used plenty of times before. He handed it to us with a smile,
"I've used this many times, be careful with it," he told us. And although he said it was free, I insisted on giving the man 5 dollars.
"Good luck with everything, sir," I told him before we left, my hand intertwined with Eli's. His other hand held the map and dartboard.
"Glad we came?" Eli grinned, his voice slightly mocking. I pushed him lightly.
"Shut up," I told him. "But we have to go on this adventure. Eli, we can't disappoint this old man, he was so sweet."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Edwards. Are you ready for an adventure?"