"Julia?" Clare screamed. Hot tears were running down her face, as she felt her heart shatter into a gazillion pieces. "Cla…" was all Eli had pled out, before she was out of the car, running as far away as her little body would take her. Meanwhile, Eli was reclined in the back of Morty, thinking to himself:

"God dammit Eli, what did you get yourself into? Why would you lie to Clare? What would make you want to crush a sweet St., like Clare? You messed up big time. I will be surprised if she ever takes you back…"

Clare sprinted almost a mile before her knees got weak, and she collapsed, collapsed in the middle of nowhere. The world started getting foggy, while also spinning. She asked herself "Why me?" Before blacking out.

Three hours passed, and Clare was gaining consciousness, she sat up oh so slowly. It was dark, and Clare knew where she was; she was, give or take, about a mile from her house.

BuZzZzZzZzZz…..

She felt her pants vibrate. She took her cell phone out of her pocket, seeing Mom, flash across the bright screen. She pressed the green button on the phone, "Hello?" Clare mumbled in a hazy tone. "Clare, sweetie, are you okay? Where are you? I'm worried about you, please come home." Helen said in a frantic tone. "Um, I'm coming mom, I just was watching a move with Alli. I guess I fell asleep." Clare said, nailing a lie. "Okay hunny. Come home soon." Helen added, quickly hanging up.

Clare started to mozie home, while thinking to herself….

"Why would Eli lie to me? Should I break up with him?" Clare sighed. "No, no I can't. I love him too much. And I will just get the story out of him, I mean if he ever talks to me again…wait…what am I saying…of course he will talk to me…right?

Eventually…a day passed….

"Oh bug spit, it's Monday, our anniversary! I'm going to slowly kick the bucket." Clare thought to herself, slowly shaking. "Clare, Clare Edwards, breathe, deep breaths. You can do this chica, be strong. You still love him, right? Don't try to change that." Clare contemplated to herself, while putting on her cute flower dress.

She finally accomplished the task of getting to school that morning. Clare pulled her English book out of her locker. Suddenly, she felt someone or something breathing warm air down her neck. Clare turned around, expecting to see Eli; "Oh goodness gracious Adam. You scared the willies out of me." Clare said in a timid voice. "What? Why? What happened?" Adam asked curiously. "I don't want to talk about it." Clare stated, while walking briskly down the hallway, turning into Mrs. Dawes classroom.

Clare sat down in her usual seat, before a way too familiar face walked in the door; Eli. Eli took his seat in front of Clare. "PLEASE, Please, pleaseee lord. Don't let him talk to me." Clare thought to herself. Secretly crossing her fingers in her lap. "Hey Clare." Eli nervously said. "Oh lordy." Clare thought to herself, secretly happy that Eli talked to her. "Hey…" Clare bluntly answered. Ending the rest of the conversation until after school….

After school….

Clare was meandering home, until she turned around to someone hollering her name. What a surprise, it was her prince charming; Elijah Goldsworthy. "Clare, Clare, stop…please. We need to talk." Eli said without hesitation. "About us, about Julia, about everything really." "Why?" Clare snapped. "So you can break up with me, for a dead person? Or so I thought she was dead! Apparently she's a zombie now…from what I recently found out." Clare said with a sharp tongue, while hot tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"No, just…no…" Eli said with hurt in his voice. "Clare, please, can you at least talk to me for a while?"

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, I just need to get something across to you." "Okay." Clare roared.

Her and Eli strolled to the park. They stopped; sitting on a bench in the park nearby. "Relax Clare…." Eli paused. "This is going to be a long speech." "Okay." was all that came out of Clare's mouth.

"Clare, I love you. You are my only reason for my existence. And if you don't already know that…then…yea." Eli expressed with feeling. "Second, happy anniversary, I mean if we are still together…."

A little smile tricked across Clare's face.

"Third, I'm an awful person, but sometimes I lie, to protect the people that I love." Eli said in a serious tone. "Lastly, I'm not going to promise to change….. I'm actually going to, because, I love you; and only you. No one else could get in the way of that." Eli paused, pondering for a moment. "Well besides my parents. I love them…" Eli pointed out, playfully snickering.

Clare socked Eli in the arm…HaRd.

"Ouchhh Clare. That hurt my feelings." Eli said flirtatiously. "That serves you right." Clare remarked, feeling her cheeks turn rosy. "You know blue eyes, you aren't getting away that easy. You know you have to kiss it better." Eli said jokingly, while not joking at the same time. "Okay…" was all Clare said, before leaning into a well waited kiss. "Feel any better?" Clare antagonized, pulling away from Elis warm and moist lips. Eli was an amazing kisser, Clare had to admit; almost as if his lips had a gravitational pull, that she couldn't stay away from.

"Wait!" Clare said, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Please tell me why you lied to me, I mean really!" She asserted in a demanding tone.

"DAMN." Eli thought.

Eli started. "Well you see.. I thought Julia was cheating on me, because I smelt an unfamiliar cologne on her…she never denied cheating on me though…." Eli paused. "So I thought for sure she was cheating. I soon told her it was over." "One year passed and we didn't make any contact what-so-ever. So I was happy for once in my life." "Me believing that she was dead…also made my memory of her die as well." Eli said in a crackly voice. "Oh Eli…" Clare paused… "Why didn't you tell me that at first?" "Because, I was just scared…" Eli said in a hushed tone. "Scared my memory of her would flood my brain once again.…"

"Then why were you texting her…." Clare questioned in a baffled tone….

"Because I still really like her." Eli said bluntly and too the point.

"Like?" Clare said, knowing he was BSing.

"Okay, okay… love…" Elis voice trailed off….

"Love?" Clare stated, feeling steamy tears well up in her eyes. Clare regretted ever giving him a chance to talk…

"Clare! Listen to me! The only reason I still love her, is because…well because, I'm the father to Julia's 12 month old child….

That last sentence Eli emphasized trailed off into a silence; a silence that seemed to last an eternity….