*Eli's POV*

"Any idea why I found this on my locker?" I asked Clare, handing her a piece of notebook paper covered with my name. She groaned. She recognized Adam's handwriting just as I had.

"Uhh-Wel-Well you see-" Clare stuttered. "Well it's a funny story actually."

Clare fidgeted with the bottom of her sweater she was wearing over a pink knee length dress. Her eyes remained locked to the floor as she mumbled out excuses.

"Clare just spit it out."

"Adam likes you." Clare told me quickly. "Oh god you can't tell him I told you!"

Adam liked me? He liked me? I didn't think that was possible. He was Adam. Adam, my best friend. He couldn't actually be interested in me. He was into girls. We both are. Atleast we both were. This was insane.

But I had been thinking about him a lot lately. And yesterday I did think he was cute. That didn't mean anything though. Then there was the dream.

"Damn it." I sat down against my locker, burying me face in my hands. This couldn't be happening.

"What is it?" Clare asked, standing above me.

"I think-" I didn't know how to say this. "I think I like him too."

I waited for Clare's reaction but she stayed silent. Eventually I looked up to see her grinning.

"You have to tell him." She was practically bouncing. "He'll be so happy."

"Clare, I'm not telling him." That should have been obvious. Did she not know me at all?

Clare continued to argue with me. I knew I should tell him but I just couldn't. I didn't know why but it just didn't seem like something I could do.

"Eli, do you realize how happy he would be if he knew you had feelings for him?" Clare asked. "His life is hard enough as it is. He could use any happiness he can get, and you could give it to him."

I didn't like it, but she was right. He needed me. And I needed him. I needed someone.

"How?" She knew what I meant.

"You'll figure something out." Clare smiled and walked away. Leaving me alone on the hallway floor.

I looked up at the clock, just five more minutes until lunch. Class was killing me. I was so tired and it was only Tuesday.

My phone went off in my pocket.

Clare: Don't wait for me at lunch = D

Me: Why?

Clare: You and Adam need some time alone

Fuck. She wasn't going to let this go. If I didn't tell him though, she would tell him for me. I couldn't let that happen.

The bell rang and I hurried out of class, nearly knocking over a girl walking next to me. I apologized but I didn't think she heard me.

I went straight to Adam's locker and leaned against it casually. I couldn't let him see how nervous I was. I fixed my hair as I saw him walking toward me. I had to admit, he was really hot.

"Hey Dude." I said. Hopefully that sounded normal.

"Hey." He said. I noticed he was keeping a distance from me. "Where's Clare?"

"Does it matter?" I snapped. I didn't realize how rude I sounded until he glared at me. He was so cute when he was mad. I smiled apologetically and made up a lie. I didn't have any idea where she was. "She had to make up a English test. So it's just you and me."

We walked out to the parking lot where my car was parked. It had broke down on the way to school this morning, I had to push it three blocks to get here. I needed to fix it, or I had no way to get it home.

"Ok go start it." I told Adam, tossing my keys to him.

He climbed into the driver's seat and smiled in accomplishment when the engine roared to life. I wondered if he could drive. If he couldn't, I could teach him. Oh I had to stop teasing myself. That would never happen.

We finished working on Morty and started walking back to school.

"So are we still hanging out Friday?" Adam asked me, breaking the silence.

"Don't we always?" I asked him. We hung out every Friday, he should have known that by now.

"Yeah I guess we do." Adam laughed. I loved his laugh. It was so feminine and he never tried to hide it.

"Blood Chains will be playing down on 30th, so I thought we could go check them out?" I knew he had never heard them, but they were awesome and if I liked them I knew he would too.

"Oh yeah! Cool." I tried to cover up the smile that was forming on my face. He was trying to impress me.

"So what's your favorite song?" I asked smirking.

"Oh. It's so hard to choose. They're all so great." Adam lied.

I spent the rest of the lunch period trying to corner him into admitting he didn't know them. Much to my surprise he was consistent and pretty convincing.

I walked Adam to class, hopefully he didn't remember that my class was on the other side of the building

One last chance to reverse this curse,
You stole my heart but I had it first.
And now I see you've got something to prove,
And nothing to lose

My phone sang on my bed next to me.

"Yeah?" I answered, not bothering to look at the caller ID. The only people who ever called me were Clare and Adam.

"Did you hear about Adam?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"What about him?"

"He got beat up at school. Again." Clare told me. No matter how often it happened to him, she never seemed to be able to get over it.

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah he's fine, but-"

"Okay good." I interrupted her, hanging up the phone.

How could people do this to him? It was disgusting. Why couldn't they just take the time to get to know him? He didn't deserve any of this.

Me: Are you okay?

I was worried about him. I had to admit it.

Adam: I'll survive

Eli: Ok . . . let me know if you want to talk about ANYTHING

If I could just get him to talk. I needed him to know how much he meant to me. There was no way I could tell him. I just couldn't.

Fuck.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! I've just been . . . Ugh. I'll try to update more regularly though. Just hang in there please! I actually think I know where this story is going. . .Oh and reviews would be lovely.