This story is rated M for language, suicidal actions, self harm, drinking & drugs, possible sexual themes, and overall some kinda dark stuff. Don't say I didn't warn you. Don't like it? Don't read, simple as that.
I was only fifteen years old when I met a boy who changed my life. He changed every single aspect of me, every opinion, every belief. He showed me that there is life outside of the rules and boundaries I had trapped myself in. He taught me how to love. He also taught me that not every love story has a happy ending.
Chapter 1; Never Too Late
It's 1:27 am. My tennis shoe clad feet are walking around, lost, and not caring about anything. Everything is falling apart. My parents are getting divorced, I just found out KC is cheating on me, and our family, if you can even call it that, just got a letter that Darcy passed away in Kenya. Something about the house she was building wasn't sturdy enough and collapsed on her. I didn't stick around long enough to hear everything. All I knew was that I needed to get out of my house.
Truthfully, I'd rather just cease to exist. I've been depressed for a while, without any real reason why, but now I have reasons. I sit down on the side of the road and look up at the sky. "God, I really think you stopped listening," I whisper, tears finally filling my eyes. I hear a car driving down the street, sputtering and riding along without a care in the world. Without giving myself time to think, I get up, with tears staining my cheeks, and run in front of it. I know I'm screaming, I know I'm crying, I know I'm probably doing something that I shouldn't, but I don't care. I just don't care.
0o0o0o
I wake up, and it's dark everywhere I look. I can distantly see a street light, but it's being blocked by a few trees. For a brief second I'm confused as to why I'm laying outside at night, and then I remember. I tried to kill myself. Tears instantly start falling from my eyes again, when I hear an awkward cough from behind me. I immediately stand and start backing up. I'm about to run when the person speaks.
"You, uh, I think you jumped in front of my car. I- I stopped before I hit you, but you fainted, so I, uh, carried you over here and sat with you until you woke up," the voice says. I can't see him in the darkness, but his voice says he's a guy.
My face immediately darkens as I realize that a stranger just saved me from my own suicide. "Yeah, thanks," I mutter, and turn to walk away, hot tears blurring my vision, from both anger, sadness, and embarrassment.
"Wait!" he calls. I turn around. "At least let me give you a ride home. It's way too dangerous to be walking alone outside at night. Especially since you're a girl."
I stare at him in dismay. "And it's much safer to drive home with a stranger? Look, it was kind of you to watch me, I guess, but I'll just walk." I turn and walk into the street, when I see his car. It has to be his car, considering it's the only one out here. Even worse, it's the car I almost used to kill myself. I just can't get over the fact that I attempted suicide. I stand there, just staring at the car, when something suddenly dawns on me. "Wait, you drive a hearse? Are you serious?"
He walks over and stands a few feet away, a small grin on his face. "Yeah, he even has a name. Morty." He sits down on the hood of "Morty" and pats the spot next to him, obviously inviting me to sit. I look at him nervously, wondering what I'm getting myself into, but sit with him nonetheless.
"So while we're talking about names," he says, "what's yours?"
I stare up at him. "How do I know you're not some creepy stalker?"
He laughs a little. "I guess you don't. But, hey, if it's any comfort, I'll tell you my name first. I'm Eli."
I crinkle my eyebrows a little bit. He could easily be lying. I finally decide that it doesn't really matter anyway, and tell him with a shrug, "I'm Clare."
"Nice name," he responds.
"Was that sarcasm?" I ask.
"No."
"I think it was."
"I guess you'll never know."
I glare at him, and prop myself up with my elbows on the hood of his car. "So, Eli, why were you driving around in a hearse in the dead of night anyway?"
He gives me a weird look and says, "I think the better question would be, 'Why were you attempting suicide in the dead of night?'"
My eyes instantly tear up and I say in a somewhat choked voice, "I don't want to talk about it."
He nods. "Okay, I get it. Not my business anyway, sorry," he apologizes.
I can't help it, I'm crying now. All this has happened too fast, too fast for any fifteen year old sophomore to handle. "Eli?" I manage to say.
"Yeah?"
"Will you drive me home?" I know it's a risky move, considering I barely know him, but at this point I don't even have enough strength to think, much less walk.
He hops off of Morty and helps me down. "Yeah, come on," he says, and he drives me straight home, neither of us saying much.
A/N: Okay, first chapter! What do you think? I wanted to do a fic where Eli and Clare are BOTH messed up. And yes, Eli will have his share of problems in this fic too. So, what will happen after this? Will they become total best friends? Will Eli stalk Clare? Will they never speak again? Of course not, that would make this story pointless! Review! xoxo