hey guys, sorry about the wait! life's busy haha. enjoy chapter 3(:

ELI POV

It didn't take long for Adam and Nora to become friends. After only a few weeks, the two seemed to be attached at the hip. Quite literally.

This was the reason as to why I haven't seen Adam in almost a month.

And also the reason I was sitting on his living room couch, without him. His dad was with me, sipping on a cup of tea. It wasn't horribly awkward. Adam's dad was cozy. The kind of guy you imagine walking around in sweats and socks with a hole in one toe.

We didn't talk. I was slightly surprised that he didn't ask me why I was in his house when neither of his sons were home…

I was broken out of my revere when I heard the front door creak open. I look over and see Adam, sweaty and red-faced from laughing. He locks the door behind him and turns around.

"Eli!" he says happily. We bro hug.

"Long time no see, machismo" I smirk and raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah" Adam laughs "Well, not being rude or anything" Adam says, leading us out of his living room and up the stairs "But why are you here? With my dad?"

"I came to enforce a guy's night" I say

"Righteous!"

"Yeah, well" I inquire.

"I know, dude. I've been busy" he laughs "But haven't you too? I'm sure you're taking advantage of full days with Cuh-lare"

"I suppose" I say. He gives me a questioning look, but doesn't say anything.

We get to his room a sit on the floor reading comics and talking. I finally ask the question I've had on my mind for a while…

"So, what's the deal with you and this Nora girl?" I ask, not looking up from my comic.

He laughs "She's amazing, Eli. You would love her"

"Well, are you two, like… together?"

He laughs again like I told a joke, but stops when he sees I'm serious. "Oh no, never" he thinks for a moment and then continues "She's like family to Drew and me. Like a sister, but then not so much. Nobody gets me like she does"

"Okay" I drawl out.

"Were soul mates!" he sings and then starts giggling. It's a sort of girly sound but he somehow manages to make it somewhat manly.

I raise an eyebrow at him. He jumps up. "Television" he declares and then leaves. I laugh and follow him.

We watch some wrestling match on TV, making dramatic 'ooooooh' sounds when ever somebody gets hit particularly hard.

It's about 10 pm when Adam's phone rings. He fumbles with his pocket and pulls the loud thing out.

"NOOOORA!" he bellows into the phone. His eyes don't leave the TV. After a brief answer on the other side of the phone, his smile drops and he looks to the side. "Again?" his voice cracks. "Nora-" he gets cut off. "Of course" he says. Pause. "Yeah" He gets up and walks a few steps away. I tune out the one-sided conversation and turn back to the match.

A few minutes later, the couch sinks next to me. He turns down the volume a bit.

"Eli" he says "Don't be mad" his face is guilty.

"She's coming over…" I guess.

"Yeah" he says after a short pause. He seems to be choosing his words carefully "She… has no where else to go. She can hang out with Andrew if it's a problem…"

I sigh. I guess it couldn't hurt to know the person who managed to put that expression on my best friends face. Plus, I kinda owe him after all the times I blew him off to be with Clare.

"No, Adam. It's cool. I'd like to get to know her" I smile. He absolutely beams at me, making me laugh.

He turns back to the TV, fidgeting.

It seems like an hour later when there's a light knock on the front door. Adam jumps and goes to open the door. I follow a few paces behind him. He opens the door, revealing a battered, struck version of the girl I met weeks before.

I'm speechless. I've never looked the bad after a fight. Before I get a good look at her damage, Adam reaches back and pushes me behind him.

"Nora" he chokes.

"We'll talk in a minute, okay? I'm sorry" the girls' voice rings out. Despite her beaten appearance, her voice is clear and hypnotic. She steps around Adam and I, and runs up the stairs. Into the bathroom, I presume.

"Adam?" I question. He turns around to look at me. His face looks grossly pained.

"Save it" he says. Adam walks back to the couch, turns off the TV and sits. I stand awkwardly in the doorway, watching my un-hinged friend glare down at his hands and jerk his knee up and down.

When Nora finally comes down the stairs, we still hadn't said anything. Adam gets up and wraps his arms around her tight. He mumbles something into her hair. As he pulls away, I see her face.

There is a dark purple bruise around her right eye and a small gash underneath. Her bottom lip is busted. The whole thing looks less scary with the blood cleaned. She wore long sleeves and jeans, even though its summer, so I couldn't tell if those were hurt too.

"Uh, I'm really sorry about that" Nora says. She glances at me "You didn't tell me you had company…" her voice isn't rude, she sounds dejected.

"You wouldn't have come" Adam says.

Nora rolls her eyes. "Hey, Elijah. How's it going?" she smiles. I am in absolute awe. Here's this girl who just walked in here, bleeding and broken, and now she's walking around and laughing like it's perfectly normal. I think of Clare, who would be screaming and crying if it were her, I'm sure.

"Uh- I… Uhm" I stutter. "Good. Doing good" she laughs and walks over, hugging me. I can rest my chin on the top of her head. She's tiny; she could just about fit in your hand. "What's going on?" I blurt out

Adam and Nora share a knowing look. "I… got into a fight" Nora says.

I nod, but I can't shake the feeling that she is lying. What could it be, though, that she would have to lie about? A bad boyfriend? Could she be, like, part of a gang? I list the possibilities in my head before deciding to just mind my own business…

There's a bit of an awkward silence. Nora and Adam are looking at each other like they're having a silent conversation. I avert my eyes and hope this won't be happening all night.

Nora clears her throat. "Well" she says brightly "You boy's want food?"

Adam nods his head.

"Cool" Nora smiles. She turns around and walks into the kitchen. As soon as she's out of hearing distance, I look to Adam. He is staring at the ground with a look of confusion.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask him. His eyes snap to mine.

"Nothing" he coughs "Just what she said"

"Yeah, okay" I say, my words dripping with sarcasm. There's a moment of silence. I can hear stuff being moved around in the kitchen. "I've always told you everything" I say. It's not an accusation, just a reminder.

"I know, man. But this isn't mine to tell. Get to know her" He purses his lips.

I nod my head in understanding. We walk into the kitchen.

"We're playing a game" Adam announces. "20 questions?" Nora scoffs.

"What are we, in grade four?" she laughs. She's lining up ingredients on the counter.

Adam goes on as if he didn't hear her "Because Eli doesn't know one single thing about you except that you occasionally walk into people houses looking like you walked through a meat grinder" he accuses. Neither of us says anything. "Okay" Adam sighs. "I'll go first then" He pulls himself onto the counter-top, right next to where Nora is working. I move to a small table in the kitchen and sit there "Favorite… color"

"Malachite" Nora answers instantly, without looking up from the food. Adam looks at me and raises his eyebrows.

"Black…" I drawl out. Nora laughs. I smile, leaning back and resting my head on the table. The light is glaring down into my eyes, but I kind of like it.

"Nora?" Adam sings.

"Oh, uh. Favorite animal" she says.

"It's like an antelope? But with Zebra skin" Adam explains.

"You made that up" I laugh.

"Nah, dude"

"Okay, uhm" I say "I like turtles. They're really chill. They're all like 'Hey man, I wanna swim and maybe eat some lettuce. And I'm gonna take my time getting there. No rush. Because I'm a turtle." I smirk.

Adam coughs out a laugh. I sit up slightly, just in time to see Nora walk over to me with her fist held out. We fist bump and she turns to go back to whatever she was doing. I lean back again.

I feel like we've reached an understanding of sorts. At this thought, I laugh.

"Eli. Your turn" Adam says.

"Worst fear" I say, closing my eyes.

"WOMANLY… ness" Adams shouts in unison with Nora who says "Buried. Alive" Adam laughs like a maniac and Nora just shakes her head, a small smile on her lips.

"Okay, uhmm… Hardship" Adam says.

"Hardship?" Nora questions.

"Hardest hardship" Adam says with a laugh. Nora turns on the stove and sets a pot filled with water and hard noodles on it. She walks and pulls herself onto the table next to me.

"Julia" I say, my voice indifferent.

"Either Grego or my mother" Nora says. She looks right at Adam. "I don't know, do you think it's harder to be loosing something you've had forever or to never have had it at all?"

Adam shrugs and looks down. I sit up and give her a questioning look.

"Maybe I'll take you to meet Grego one day" she smiles. Adam smiles as well, he absolutely beams. I guess that means this is kind of a big deal… I smile too. "What happened to Julia?"

My smile falters.

"She died."

There's a pause. "I'm sorry" she says.

I look up at her with a small smile. I don't say it's okay. I have a feeling she's the kind of person who knows it isn't.

She smiles and I look at her eyes. I look at them… and then I can't look away. She has ordinary eyes from afar. Blue, almost gray. Clear. Up close, her eyes are impossible. The same light gray, mixed with an impervious green and a bright blue that could rival Clare's.

I don't realize that I'm practically gaping at her until she blinks. Nora clears her throat and looks away. I suck in a breath that I didn't know I was holding and snap my eyes forward.

Adam is standing in front of us, his eyes shifting between the two of us, with an accusing look on his face. He opens his mouth to say something-

"Uh, significant other?" Nora says quickly. She smiles and pokes Adam in the stomach. He playfully glares at her.

"No comment" he says.

"Wuss" Nora laughs. Adam pinches her. She gets up, walks around him and starts to take the noodles off the stove. She dumps everything into a strainer.

"Eli's got this one. Don't you" Adam looks at me.

I hold up my hands in surrender. "Course" I smirk.

"Where is she?" Nora asks

"I don't know… home?"

"Let's go get her!" she says excitedly. She turns the stove off.

"Why?" Adam asks.

"Well… I don't know. Is she cool?"

"Clare dresses like a mom" Adam laughs. Nora and I both glare at him.

"I just feel bad. I walked all over your guy time" Nora sighs.

"Well, I mean it still kind of is… guy's night" Adam smirk. Nora narrows her eyes and throws a noodle at him. He pulls the macaroni out of his hair and pops it into his mouth.

"Anyways… field trip?"

"I'm down" I say.

Adam rolls his eyes. "Fine" he sighs dramatically and pouts "An official end to guy's night. Let's go"

Nora grabs her keys and heads towards the door. Adam and I rush after her.

Nora drives a little gray car. We pile inside, Adam in the front and I stretch out in the back.

I give her quick directions and we drive off. There's no talking because she's playing loud, upbeat music that I've never heard. Her and Adam dance animatedly up front.

When we pull up to Clare's house, she doesn't turn the music down.

"Hide" Nora says "This may be funny…"

Adam laughs and I see his head disappear. I duck down and fold myself under the seat, my back resting against the door.

Nora honks the horn. A long, persistent noise that doesn't end for about a minute.

I hear the window go down. "CUH-LAAARE" Nora sings. I don't hear her approach but I hear when she speaks.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are? Turn that down. It's late. Who are you?"

I hold in a chuckle. Nora turns down the volume.

"Sorry Clare-bear" I can practically see her cringe at the nickname.

"Do I know you?" That's my girl, all business.

"Not one bit" There's a smile in her voice. "I'm Nora. Adams comrade"

"Comrade?"

"Forget it…" Nora sighs. "Now, get in. We're gonna be late"

"Late for what?"

"We're having a SLEEPOVER!" Nora sings. "Its important. Why do you think they sent me all the way out here to Canadee-a to fetch you?"

"What?" Clare sounds confused… desperately so.

"Okay, all I can tell you is that you've been summoned" Nora says darkly "And since Elijah's death car is broken and Adam is still, you know, 'sleeping', you could say I pulled the short stick"

"I don't understand…"

"Get in, short stick"

"Eli would have called me if he wanted me to come"

"IN. THE. CAR"

Clare says nothing.

"Get in the car, Edwards!" I say. My voice is scratchy on account of my precarious position.

"Eli?" Clare screeches. I pop up and laugh as her eyes grow wide. She blushes. "What's going on? Who is she? Why are you alone with her?"

"He's not" Adam's voice rings out. I can't see, but I imagine he reveals himself too. "Now get in. Daddy's hungry"

"What's going on" Clare groans.

"Just get in the car, short stick! Get in the car!" Nora yells.

Clare looks skeptical, but goes to open the back door anyways.

"Oh, no no no no!" Nora says, louder than before. "Your sitting up front with me. I won't have you two defile my upholstery" she says. Clare blushes harder.

Adam smiles mischievously. "Nora, don't you know that sexual intercourse is a sin?"

Nora barks out a laugh "A sin to who?" she says sarcastically. Adam lets out a dramatic gasp.

"Why, to the lord, Jesus Christ, our savior!"

"Your funny, Adam. A real jest. But its not April Fools day… so stop telling jokes" Nora laughs.

"What EVER do you mean?" he blinks at her suggestively.

"Beat it, kid"

"Yes, master" Adam says, throwing himself through the small space between the seats and into the space next to me.

Clare walks around the front of the car and gets in next to Nora. Her back is straight as a board and she looks incredibly uncomfortable.

Adam is silently laughing. I smirk at him. There's an awkward silence.

Nora clears her throat and turns the music back up. Clare flinches when the song starts booming. Adam starts dancing immediately and Nora hops in her seat.

When we get back to Adam's, Nora gets out of the car and runs into the house. I step out and hug Clare, dropping a kiss under her eye, then take her hand and walk into the house. She doesn't say anything.

Adam is back in the kitchen when we get into the house.

"Where's Nora?" I ask. Adam raises an eyebrow.

"Changing" he says, monotone. His face shifts "Still confused, Clare?" he laughs.

She shifts awkwardly next to me. "Incredibly" she says.

Adam gets up on the counter again. "Were having a get together" he says politely. "Nora is our house keeper" I laugh. He glares at me. "Who, by the way, needs to HURRY UP AND FEED ME" he cranes his head and yells the last part.

I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Nora's voice rings out "Adam, I don't know why you're always trying to fight me" She appears then, having changes into a pair of large Degrassi basketball shorts. They go past her knees. Her dark hair is up in a loose bun on the top of her head. She's holding a small radio. "Plug this in for me?" she smiles at Adam.

He rolls his eyes and hops off the counter. He walks back to the counter and sets the radio on the counter.

Nora turns to us. "Hey Clare" she walks over and wraps her arms around Clare, who awkwardly pats her back with her free hand. "It's cool to meet you" she says before pulling away.

"You… too" Clare stutters.

"Well… I gotta go…" Nora says "I'm not really going anywhere but neither is this conversation" she beams and walks past us. Clare blushes.

Adam gets the music working and get back on the counter.

"Do you have to sit there?" Nora groans.

"Well, yeah"

"You're getting your juices all over my workspace" Nora deadpans.

"Nice visual" I say. I smile at Clare and pull her towards where I was sitting earlier.

"Let's keep playing!" Adam bursts. Next to me, Clare knits her eyebrows together.

"What were we on, again?" I ask.

"Loooovers" Adam winks at Clare.

"Ah-ha" I say and squeeze her shoulder lightly. "Nora?"

"Oh" she says "Uhm, single now. My last boyfriends name was Emerson" she laughs "Like the writer. He was a musician" she raises her eyebrows suggestively, looking at me.

"That must have been cool" Clare says. "You know, songs written just for you on anniversaries and whatnot" she explains.

"Well you should know" Nora says with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Clare sputters.

"Elijah?" Nora looks at me, I shake my head, feeling my cheeks get hot. "He's gotta be at least a singer. Listen to his speaking voice… And let me see" she walks toward me and grabs my hand, running her fingers over the tips of mine. "Just as I thought" she said "Guitar player. See? Calluses on his finger tips from pressing on the strings"

Clare's eyes are wide and Adam is cracking up.

"What the hell, dude" Adam says. "Are you blushing?"

"I never knew you were… musical" Clare says. I smile nervously at her.

"I'm not… really" I try to cover up.

"Oh!" Nora gasps "Did I just get you in trouble?" she laughs. "Sorry"

"Its impossible to keep things from Nora. She's a wizard" Adam jokes, still laughing.

Clare is about to say something when the front door opens. I hear a familiar deep voice sing "Honey, I'm home!"

"Whatchu talking bout, Willis?" Nora yells back.

"Is that my little Reese Cup?" Drew shouts. Nora laughs and runs out of the kitchen.

"Frency!" she squeals. She throws her arms around his neck dramatically.

They walk back into the kitchen. Clare glares hole into his head when he enters. He and Nora both give her looks.

"Well… what's up guys?" Drew says. He walks over and pounds my fist then claps Adam on the back.

"Nothin until now" Nora jokes. "Now it's a party" she laughs.

-TBC-

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