Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any songs I mention!
Author: Alleycat
Story: Roulette
Clare reluctantly agrees to go to Roulette with Alli and her new boyfriend Drew. There she meets the owner's son Eli, who is as mysterious and confusing as he is attractive. EC
Dedicated to: anon which I know is not your name but I LOVE CAPITAL LETTERS TOO
Chapter 3
"And every occasion
I'll be ready for the funeral"
~ Band of Horses "Funeral"
"I feel the secrets that you keep"
~ Romantics "Talking in your Sleep"
"You were out pretty late last night," Alli commented, blowing her steaming coffee.
Clare laughed at her friend's subtle attempts to get information and took a bite of her cereal. "I was with Adam last night."
She deflated, "Oh."
"And Eli," Clare finished with a bright smile.
Alli perked up, "Oh! Details sister!"
Clare sighed loudly as if it was the last thing she wanted to do which was completely untrue. "Well Adam and I were talking and Eli called and Adam acted like it was a date."
"No," Alli gasped, interrupting.
Clare nodded seriously and continued. "Yes and then not ten minutes later Eli appears looking like a dark knight in his hearse."
"Dreamy," Alli deadpanned with a smile.
Clare agreed not realizing she was joking. "I know. We all went to a diner and ate." She sighed heavily. "There is just something about him. I could sit and stare at him all day while he talked."
Alli looked surprised. "I've never seen you like this."
"It's weird isn't it," She asked self-consciously.
"For you yes," She admitted. "I go through this with every hot guy so…" She trailed off and they both began laughing.
"Well this is my first time and it's scary," Clare said covering her face with her hands
Alli took a sip and stared at her friend. "I noticed you were calling him Eli not Elijah. That was quick."
She smiled to herself. "He told me last night."
"Elijah?" He repeated, his face twisted in disgust. He threw his fry down as if it too sickened him now.
Adam concentrated on his food, trying not to laugh.
"That is your name," Clare said hotly, ignoring Adam.
He looked conflicted for a moment, the most human expression she had seen on him yet. "Call me Eli."
"I thought only your friends called you Elli." She smiled so wide her cheeks ached. "Does this mean we're friends?
He frowned at her. "No we're not friends."
Her smile wilted.
"Call me Eli," He told her and smirked at her when she smiled again.
"What do you think that means?" Clare asked as she repeated the conversation.
"It means he wants to be more than friends," Alli said in her 'patient' tone.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Clare cried throwing her spoon down. "There is no way he meant that."
"Uh yeah," She retorted. "If he said you were friends then you would be friendzoned." At her friend's blank look she continued. "It's a really horrible place where feelings are unrequited."
"You're crazy," She told her shaking her head and headed to the sink.
"So," Clare started, stabbing her salad with a plastic fork and avoiding Adam's eyes. "Are you going to Roulette this weekend?"
They were eating that following Wednesday and Clare had gathered all her courage to ask him. She had thought about going back since their impromptu meal but she couldn't get in on her own since she was underage. It was also too presumptuous to say she was a personal guest of the owner's son.
He'd probably laugh at her.
Adam looked amused. "Would this have to do with wanting to see a certain dark-haired guy?"
"What? No, no, definitely not, just no, not at all," She protested and then laughed. "Was that too much?"
Adam nodded, smiling. "Just a bit."
"So?" She prompted hopefully.
"He'll be there Saturday. The club has this thing on Friday and Eli hates crowds."
"I've noticed that," She hadn't but she was fishing for information and by the look on Adam's face he knew it too.
Adam sighed as if it vexed him to agree. "I'll pick you up at 10:30 but you have to help me with Fiona."
"Agreed," Clare said munching happily on her salad once again.
"Why am I not invited?" Alli pouted as she watched Clare put the finishing touches.
"Adam invited me. It's not my place to ask," She explained but mentally added and I'm hoping for some alone time with Eli. "How do I look?"
She was wearing a high-waisted black skirt and black shirt with a large white bow on it. She was wearing the same plain heels as last time and she hoped he didn't notice. It would be weird, but flattering, if he paid that much attention to her shoes.
"Amazing," She told her before she went to answer the door.
Alli greeted Adam with enthusiasm that was shocking. He felt a little apprehensive next to the energetic girl who introduced herself as Drew's girlfriend. He had heard next to nothing about her from Drew except in Clare's introduction. He figured if she was close to Clare then maybe she wasn't so bad.
"You look very pretty," Adam told Clare once she saved him and shooed Alli away. He sent her a grateful look.
"So what's the game plan with Fiona?" He asked as he shifted gears. He drove a stick because it let him feel in control.
It also made him feel masculine.
"I have no idea. I thought you had a plan."
Adam groaned, "You fail at being a girl."
"I know," She replied sympathetically and patted his hand.
The rest of the car ride was in silence, she was lost in thought about Eli and Adam was trying to make a plan.
"Does Eli know I'm coming?" She asked as they walked into the club and headed to the bar. He asked if she wanted anything and she declined.
"I do now," He answered, standing directly behind them.
Clare jumped and Eli steadied her. "How do you keep doing that?"
He smirked down at her, "Nice bow."
"I wore it for you," She said coquettishly.
"Hi Eli," Adam interrupted and smiled when he glared and took a step back.
"You guys hang out a lot," He said suspiciously, his eyes darting between the two.
They looked at each other and laughed.
"We have lunch before class," Clare said not mentioning her reason.
"And how do you keep getting in?" Eli asked, his lips twitching.
"I promised the doorman a pay raise," Clare quipped. "So where can we start negotiations?"
His eyes widened jokingly. "My office is this way, Ms. Edwards."
Eli sent Adam a dark look when he saw him following them. Adam just ignored it because he felt bored and until Fiona showed up he had nothing to do with his time. He was lucky that she appeared an hour later with her clipboard. He straightened his clothes and ran a hand through his hair.
"That is not Mr. Goldsworthy," Fiona joked when she saw a curly-haired girl sitting in his metal throne. "You're prettier."
"And smarter," Clare added smiling at Eli who was sitting on his desk facing her. He half turned when Fiona walked in the room but his attention returned to her with that statement.
"Harsh Edwards," He complained, fighting a smile. "Very harsh."
"I'm Fiona Coyne," She introduced and offered a hand over the large wooden desk.
She leaned forward and shook her hand, trying not to seem too interested. This was the girl who Adam liked. She dressed in a smart black suit with pearls, the epitome of sophistication. Clare noticed with a frown that she didn't realize Adam was even in the room.
Maybe it was as hopeless as he thought.
"Hey Fiona," He greeted weakly from the corner.
"Adam," She returned, lighting up and walking to him.
Maybe Clare was too quick to judge her.
"You think it's reciprocated?" She asked quietly to Eli as they watched the two converse.
He looked at them for a moment longer. "No idea." His gaze returned to Clare's face. "Jealous?"
Her nose wrinkled, "Of course not."
He fought unsuccessfully against a smile. "Just a romantic then?"
She returned the smile, noting this was the first true smile she had ever seen. She wished she could take a picture to capture it because she was sure it was rare. He was beautiful.
"Seems like it," She confirmed and leaned toward him.
He cleared his throat and scooted back, "What are you studying?"
Clare looked at him for a moment, thrown off by the jump in topic and his need for space. "Um English and Journalism, I haven't decided completely yet."
He nodded and when he didn't say anymore she continued. When she tried to ask him questions he would redirect and if he answered them it was never complete. There was a lull in the conversation and she got the courage to ask about his rings.
"What about yours?" He asked and pointed to her 'True Love Waits' ring after he had told her the origins of his. Beyond the place or giver, she had very little information.
She tried desperately to control her blush and took it off to hand to him. "It's a purity ring."
He brought it closer and studied it. "So does that mean-"
"Yes," She interrupted, ready to treat it like a band-aid and rip it off. "I'm a virgin."
He took his eyes off the ring and looked at her in a way that made her skin feel like it was on fire.
"Interesting," He said finally, amused. "I was just going to ask if you were a Christian. As an atheist, it's a real deal breaker."
She pushed him playfully and laughed with him when he started to chuckle. After that Eli seemed more open or at least responsive to the conversation. Maybe it took her revealing something extremely personal for him to feel more comfortable. If that was true, she would tell him everything.
That was one thing that frightened her though and that he would get to know her and find out she was nothing special.
Because there was very little remarkable about her.
He had to leave the office a couple of times and Clare felt weird interrupting Adam and Fiona so she explored other parts of his office. There were very little personal items beyond a couple of pictures. One she assumed was his parents. The other one was him and a girl.
A very pretty girl with dark shiny hair (in a way her hair would never be) in black with a perturbed expression on her face.
She was everything that Clare wasn't and consequently perfect for Eli.
"Are you okay?" Adam asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. He saw her looking at the same picture for a couple of minutes and started to get worried. Fiona had nudged him forward and left them alone citing some made up excuse.
She couldn't look away. "I think we should go."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded and tore her eyes away, "It's getting late."
They met Eli when he they were walking out of the door. He grabbed Clare's arm to stop her from continuing out.
He looked hurt, "Were you just going to leave?"
She smiled thinly, unable to concentrate on anything but her own feelings. "I think that's best."
His head jerked back and his eyes narrowed at the response. "Okay then. See you later Adam." He said with his eyes still on Clare and then released her.
Without waiting for a response, he stormed away.
She stared at the place his hand been on her arms, captivated by the goosebumps that appeared until Adam drug her out.
XXXXXXX
"Excuse me," A dark-haired girl asked with a paper in her hand.
Clare looked up from the cart where she was alphabetizing and nodded for the girl to continue. She immediately thought of the girl in the picture but pushed it away.
"I'm trying to find this book," She continued and held out the paper.
Clare took it as she tried to place the face. She looked familiar but she couldn't remember exactly where. Maybe she just noticed her around the campus. She focused on getting her the book instead of placing her face.
"You're Jake's friend right?" She asked as she grabbed the offered book.
Clare wasn't sure if that was accurate description of their relationship (more classmates than anything) but nodded anyway. She suddenly remembered that lunch that seemed forever ago. "You're Katie right?"
She nodded and smiled.
The silence was uncomfortable and when it looked like she wasn't about to walk away, Clare blurted, "So are you and Jake together?"
She shook her head, her black bangs swishing. "We're just friends. We had an environmental science class together and clicked. Plus I just got out of a serious relationship and I'm not ready for anything new."
"Sometimes you're never ready ," Clare muttered to herself.
Katie looked at her appraisingly. "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"
If she was male, Clare would think she was hitting on her. "No," She replied tightly, wishing she could walk away. "I'm fine."
Katie nodded, not quite believing her. It wasn't her place to lecture someone on opening up. "Well, if you have time sometime soon I would love to have another girl's opinion on my situation. Marisol is always with her boyfriend and I don't have any other female friends."
Clare looked at her, really looked at her, and realized this girl was hurting. Her situation was probably worse than hers and she could never deny the chance to help someone.
Maybe she could really help.
Plus avoiding Alli and Adam made her lonely too.
Having an unrelated friend might give her some clarity or at least some distraction.
"I get off in an hour," She told her with a smile.
"I'll be back then," Katie agreed, returning the smile.
There is the next installment! Clare kinda over reacted there, at least that's what i think. Clare always did think too much.
Tell me what you think! And leave it a review!
I love reading what you're writing:
SilverWind, superfresh, kibao, arascoe17, ZebraDolphin, onceuponavirgo, DerassiLuva, HopelesslyInLove13, ohGeorgeCraigsayyoudontwanti t, Roffogoble1225, xBooKittyx, RomioneJamMimi, anon, and Eclurrr.
I'll update the ither fic by tomorrow in case youre wondering.
