This is the first fanfic I've posted on my account, but not the first fanfic I've written. Hopefully you all like it!

(PS- this was written over the summer before we knew about Eli's home life and all that jazz)

I'm laying in my bed feeling like complete shit. My whole body aches, I've puked four times and my fever is hotter than the Mojave desert. Sleep has been coming and going and when I'm awake it feels like I'm in a daze, everything still a dream.

My phone beeps next to me and I manage to read the text message.

Adam told me you're sick. hang in there and feel better soon. :) – Clare

I can't help but smile a bit. I finally admitted to her two weeks ago that I liked her after we kissed for a school project. Actually I gave her the cold shoulder first, but after explaining how guilty I felt that I could be happy when my dead girlfriend was… well, dead, things seemed to be okay. We're on friends who know they like each other terms now. It's a little awkward sometimes, but she's been great about giving me some more time to grieve over Julia. I hear a knock on my bedroom door that brings me out of my thoughts of Clare.

"How are you holding up Elijah?" my grandmother asks in her soft, caring voice. I moan in pain as a response.

"There's someone here to see you," she tells me, stepping aside to let my visitor in. I blink in surprise when I see who it is.

"Hey Eli," Clare says in a soft voice. She gives me a small smile and comes to sit on the edge of my bed. God I wish I'd cleaned up my room when grandma asked me to last week. But no, I had to be stubborn and leave dirty clothes and CDs scattered around the room.

"Blue Eyes," I say hoarsely. She gazes at me with those ocean blue eyes of hers and somehow I feel better. I hear the door to my room close and I know my grandma's giving us some space. It's not like there's much we could do in a room alone with me in my current condition.

"You look like crap," she states.

I chuckle, "Thanks Captain Obvious."

"You know, at first I thought you were just using the sick day excuse to ditch class," she says as she tucks a strand of her short auburn hair behind her ear.

"Speaking of class, why aren't you in it?" I manage to say. Her hand goes to my forehead and pushes my dark hair away from my sweaty skin in a soothing way. I close my eyes for a minute to give into the sensation.

"Study hall and lunch back to back today. I figured I had better things to do than listen to Alli go on about Drew. Adam ditched to go get some comic or something. I brought you soup and herbal tea too." Clare grabs two thermoses out of a bag I hadn't seen her carrying.

"I haven't been able to keep anything down," I admit.

"At least drink the tea," She says. I look at her skeptically, but she just says, "It'll help. Don't you trust me Eli?"

Clare hands me the thermos of tea and I prop myself up in bed, my body protesting with every move. My head starts to spin for a minute and I absentmindedly grab Clare's hand as I try to right my dizziness. She doesn't pull away.

I drink some of the tea and cringe at it's bitter taste. I wait a few minutes to see if it was going to make a reappearance, but when it doesn't I figure that no matter how bad it tasted, I needed liquid.

I drank about half of the tea before handing it back to her. She put the bottle on my nightstand and went back to stroking my hair.

"Do you need anything?' Clare asks me after a while. I shake my head then change my mind and nod.

"Tell me a story."

She's a little taken aback by my request but she willingly obliges. I am on my sick bed aren't I?

"Once upon a time there was this hearse driving, all black wearing, obsessed with death boy named Eliot. He met this girl who was his opposite, Clara and—" I cut her off.

"I didn't mean talk about us. I meant tell me something about before I met you."

Clare is quiet for a moment as she processes my request. I can tell she's digging through her memories.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I went to Vancouver?" she asks me.

I shake my head, "You were in my home town and didn't come stop by? I'm hurt Clare." I feign sadness, clutching my chest.

"I didn't know you yet idiot," Clare glares at me. I put my hands up in front of my chest, laughing slightly.

"Don't hurt on the sick guy."

She sticks her tongue out at me. I realize how much her being here has made me feel better. Or at least has made me forget about being so sick.

"If you're going to be this way then story time's over,' Clare decides. She gets up off the bed and I frown at the warmth of her body leaving a cold space by my legs.

I reach for her arm before she can walk away from the bed completely. My fingers grasp her warm skin and I know she's giving in when she lets herself be pulled towards me. I'm not exactly that strong at the moment.

"Thanks," I tell Clare. She smiles at me and nods. I add, "You didn't have to come, you know."

"I was just being a good friend," Clare says quietly.

"Adam is a good friend and he didn't come to help me out." I point out. I know I'm being a smart ass, but I can't help it. I see her start to blush and even in my depleted state I can't help but smirk.

"Get over yourself Goldsworthy." She smiles so I know she's not mad. Another dizzy spell takes me and I can feel my stomach starting to churn. I hear the door open and my grandmother enters again.

"I think Elijah needs to rest some more, honey," she says to Clare. She nods in agreement and smiles at my grandma. I'm on the verge between consciousness and unconsciousness now. I don't know what I'm imagining and what's real.

"Feel better Eli," Clare tells me. She kisses my forehead and as she walks out my bedroom door with a final glace back, I can't help but hope this wasn't all a fever dream.

So what do you think? Yes, no, maybe? Let me know and watch for more updates :]