Chapter 2: The Wishing Well (Clare Diane Edwards)
Dinner with Eli, Bullfrog, and Cece was strange tonight.
Eli barely touched his food and looked worried.
If he was worried we could be twins.
He and I walked up the soft orange soda stained stairs to my room.
I took his backpack of supplies and set it on my chair.
"Are you sick?" I looked into his eyes, his face was turning pale.
"What do you mean?" He replied shortly after thinking of what to say.
"You're acting weird, Eli. What are you hiding from me?" I stumbled across the room to my bed, not minding the mess making me trip.
I pat the sheets on the bed next to me, signaling for him to come.
He gulped and sat. I put my head on his shoulder while he placed a gentle hand on my arm.
"Julia's father died last night. I didn't know how to help her. She's not as easy to calm down as you."
For a worried Eli, that sounded very calm. I wondered if that was all.
"All I have to do to you is… Tickle you!" He jumped up and began to tickle my stomach.
I couldn't help but giggle, Eli had been with me so long he knew all my weaknesses.
"Eli," I kept on giggling, "Stop," I tried to kick his hands away with my feet, so he knew to stop.
That night Eli didn't sleep at all. I knew that simply because as I snuggled into him all I felt was a pair of eyes watching me, making sure I was alright.
I guess that since everything is crashing down slowly for Eli he wants to know I'll be alright.
I wake up to Eli kissing me on the cheek, dangerously close to my mouth. "Good morning sunshine!" he almost cheers. He was happy to know I woke.
I groaned. "Saturday morning bagels?" I asked. Eli tossed off the sheets and handed me my Puppy Slippers.
Morty wouldn't start that morning, so Eli and I walked holding hands to the Einstein Brothers Bagels down the street. People looked at us weird; they thought we were a couple. I began to think adults didn't have best friends.
I loved walking inside the glass door and hearing the bell ring. The hard part was choosing. Luckily though, one day our parents had given us $50 and we had a bagel tasting. My favorite was a blueberry bagel with cream cheese; Eli's was a strawberry bagel with peanut butter.
"I love Saturday bagels." I let a secret out to Eli who was sitting across from me in our booth.
"I can tell." He said taking a bite.
The news turned on, and since all Eli was doing was worrying about Julia, I decided to watch.
"Last night a 16 year old girl, Julia Kalipsi, was found dead in the streets. She had taken off on her bike to visit a friend when she was hit by a car."
I nudged Eli so he would turn his attention to the news. Shortly after I saw a tear roll down his cheek.
"Eli, it'll be alright. You're fine, safe with me," Trying to calm him from anger and sadness like this wouldn't work.
