Authors note: It's an after chapter, and I only got like three reviews for the last after chapter, so I'm sure some of you don't enjoy these ones as much. I promise it will get better though. All right, anyway. Shout out to my lovely cousin for editing this crap fanfiction. Enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Degrassi because if I did, Eli would have been in the same grade as Clare so none of this cheating, long distance, breaking up stuff would happen
Summary: This is the story of two teenagers falling in love not once, but for the second time.
Can't Help Falling In Love
After
"Up! Up!" Kayden chants over and over again. I guess it's his way of telling me he wants to swing higher. I continued to push him but I don't comply with his pleading. I don't think it is very safe. Kayden can go hours on this thing if let him, but my arm gets tired and I hate seeing the look of disappointment on his little face when I have to stop.
"Mama!" he whines when I don't push him any higher, I keep at what I feel to be an acceptable height and he doesn't like that very much at all. I sigh, a long sigh of frustration as he starts throwing a fit in the baby swing, It's the worst thing when he does, especially in public. They are ten times more stressful than regular fits.
"Kayden, come on." I pick him up under his underarms and lift him out of the swing. He always seems heavier when he's upset, though it's possible I'm just imagining things. He starts crying in my arms and I feel absolutely horrible. I hate when he cries, it makes me feel like a horrible mother, but everyone I know claims I'm the best mother around my age. I usually tell them that they're crazy when they say such things.
"We'll get ice cream! Only if you stop." I tell him, though it doesn't seem to have an affect. "You can get chocolate flavor, baby." He starts to settle down, just like his father in that way, I swear. I set him down on the grass instead of putting him in his stroller. It is hot outside and when it's hot like this the stroller gets all sticky and gross. He doesn't like it so I don't make him sit in it while it's like that.
I hold his hand as we walk over to the bench where our stuff is sitting and I gather it all. Kayden reaches into the bottom of the stroller and grabs his Binky before putting it in to his mouth. Taking his hand again I start pushing the stroller as we walk. I should have decided to drive here. I thought it would be nice enough to walk to the park today, but it's boiling out.
Kayden walks beside me, jumping every now and again, he points at birds and tries to pick up rocks as we walked. I laugh lightly at my boy. As we near the cross walk I lean down and picked him up and hold him on my hip.
It used to bother me when people stared. It isn't as bad now as it was back when I had been pregnant with him. Now I don't have a huge pumpkin under my shirt with my belly button poking out. And I'm not in high school any longer. I have a hyper, adventurous toddler on my hands and most people just think I'm babysitting until they hear him call my mommy.
But people staring isn't something I worry about much any more. I just brush them off much like the way I have to now as an older woman beside me with a pregnant belly looks at us. I move Kayden to my other hip as he chatters in my ear. I can't understand his words talking most of the time, but today I understand without a problem.
"Dada." He keeps saying. I sigh and watch the sign, hoping for it to change soon it would change soon. I would think with his baby brain, he would have forgotten about Eli when we saw him last week. Or maybe he just remembers from the photos of Eli and I that I've showed him.
Then he points. He points at everything he thinks is exciting, and I pay no attention, thinking that perhaps he had spotted a bird or something interesting. It's not until he yanks on my hair that I see the sign above change, and the very thing that had caught Kayden's interest. I don't move.
Eli is sitting there on a bench on the other side of the road. People push past me but I still don't move, not right away. What if he sees us? What if he already has seen us? The ice cream shop is right there and I promised Kayden. I let out a breath then start walking across the street. He holds a book in his hands and he stares down reading it. Why would he be reading on a bust street like this? Then he looks up as I walked by. Our eyes meet for a second but I avert my eyes quickly.
I'm sure if Kayden weren't chanting dada loudly we would have been able to sneak past him no problem. I walk into the ice cream shop and escape the busy street. I put Kayden down and he runs over to the counter. He holds onto the countertop having to stand on his tip toes to touch it. He still can't see over it, and probably won't be able to for a long while still. And although he isn't very tall or big, he could eat a truck full of ice cream if I'd let him.
"Hi!" A girl says happily. "What can I get you today?"
I smile at her softly and look at the prices on the board behind her head. "Can I one scoop of chocolate in a bowl and… a banana milkshake please.?
"Sure, Ms." She says and starts to get the order.
Kayden walks away from the counter and tries to get up on a chair, he doesn't get very far with the task.
"Mama! Help." He says.
"Here you go, Ms." The red-haired girl says catching my attention.
"Thank you." I say taking the two items. "One second, let me get him on the chair."
She nods.
I set the two things on the round table and get Kayden on the chair. I make sure he's sitting on his bottom completely and securely before giving him his ice cream. I turn to go back to the counter, but I freeze as I see Eli standing there passing the girl some money.
"What are you doing?" I ask him.
"I'm paying for the ice cream, we all got." He answers showing me the ice cream he bought for himself. Cotton candy, his favourite. That never changed.
"I can pay for my own stuff." I spit at him and I see the girl behind the counter make a face and disappear to the back.
"I was just being nice."
I roll my eyes and go to sit back down with Kayden, who has already made a mess on his face with the ice cream. I wish he liked to use spoons.
"A thanks would be nice, you know." I hear Eli say.
"Thanks." I say quickly without looking up. I hear him make an annoyed noise and then the chair beside me moves and he sits down. I facepalm. He sits there, I sit there and Kayden sits there eating sloppily.
I sip on my shake and in the corner of my eye, I see Eli looking at me. "What?" I question while the straw is still in my mouth.
"Nothing, nothing."
Then I look at him with an expression that says I know you're lying, you shit. "Really?" I say. "If it wasn't anything you would have left already."
"I want to see him, Clare." He finally says. And I almost spit my drink out at him, almost.
"No." I tell him and stand up before he could say anything.
There was no way I am going to let Eli actually see Kayden, no way. He isn't fit to be a father, he doesn't deserve to be in Kayden life. Kayden doesn't need his father, he is fine without him. I am fine without him, there's no way, not a chance I will let Eli see Kayden.
I take the ice cream from Kayden since he was only playing in it now and throw it out. He lets out a wail when I went to get something to clean him off with. I don't want the bees after him, especially since he's allergic, just like his father. I hurry to get something, anything. I grab some paper towel from the counter and turn around to go back. I stop when I see that Kayden is no longer crying. Eli has him in his arms and is walking around the table with him, making him laugh. I smile. Then I shake me head, as if I were trying to erase the image like an etch a sketch, I don't want or need him in Kaydens life.
"Give him to me." I demand.
He obeys and passes him to me. I start to clean off Kaydens hands and face. When I'm done I throw away the paper towel and put Kayden in his stroller.
"Clare…"
"No, Eli." I know where this is going and I don't want to deal with it, or him.
"Why not!" He says getting upset now.
"You left! Elijah!" I almost shout. Then I rub my forehead and put my shake in the cup holder in the top of the stroller. "You left and I don't know if you're going to do that again, he doesn't deserve it" I say. "Nether do I." I walk past him to the door and press the button and the door opens by itself. Kayden finds this interesting, I can tell by the noise he makes.
Eli grabs my elbow once we're outside. "I didn't know." He starts. "I had no idea you were pregnant. You didn't tell me. No one told me."
"You left me before I could. You were the one who decided to leave and not tell anyone where or why you left."
"I sent you letters! He interrupts me.
"You didn't even have the decency to break up with me." I stop and shake my head. "I hate you." I yank my elbow out of his hold and start walking back home.