7. Lost Mind

Clare's POV

Eli and I stood in line intertwining our fingers. I couldn't keep the feeling of love from hiding.

Finally Jenna and Sav moved away from the yellow slip to start a make out session. I knew their plan; they wanted to gross everyone out like always so people wouldn't sign up.

I had warned Eli about Jenna; she was the perfect looking cheerleader/soon to be prom queen type. He told me at his old school those girls had a reputation of getting pregnant, being able to sing and dance, and being the ultimate sluts.

He hadn't met any of the other cheerleaders. I took that as a good sign that telling him being a pervert was wrong all these years finally paid off.

When Anya, Riley, and Zane moved away us two were finally at the front, prepare to be embarrassed.

I took the pen swinging on a chain, swinging like it had hung itself. I signed my name and handed it to Eli. He was my role-model. He didn't care what people thought of his look, but besides his look, he could sing well!

He signed his name, but felt a hand over his. "Hey, how are you bad boy? I'm Jenna, by the way. Want to dump this bitch and go with me?" Her fragile voice was suddenly sex-crazed.

I slapped her. "Eli isn't going to be with a slut like you. His ex-girlfriend just died the other day! And you want to steal my best friend from me?"

I raised my voice on the last sentence, "I'm the only piece of his life he has left, Jenna!" I shouted at her.

Two tears fell from my eyes, each falling for a reason. The left because I remembered how horrible his old life was, the right because Jenna had stolen my old boyfriend, KC from me.

Eli gave an asking smile to the people in line and pulled me to a bench two feet away from the sign-up sheet.

"Everything is fine, please stop crying," He whispered to me. He wiped a tear off my cheek.

Just like that, tears stopped falling, but I felt horrible still.

My voice cracked as I started crying again, "I just don't want to lose you again." I put my head onto his shoulder.

"She ruined my life."

"I'm sorry. She seems like she's after you. But it's only because she's jealous of you. Now stop crying for me." He comforted me and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"I just. I think I'm ready." I nodded and folded my lips back into my mouth.

"Alright then should we have a coffee date at the Dot?" He asked.

"I'd like that." I spoke. Finally I could let the feelings out. I giggled as he started to tickle me and we walked out.

Adam's POV

I sat at the curved bench table at lunch with Fiona. "Clare's friend Eli, I think their dating."

She giggled at my opinion, "Don't be silly Adam. I've had best friends I kiss on the cheek, hold hands with, and protect too!"

I sighed, maybe I was wrong, but then again, Fi was talking about her girl-friends. Clare's "best friend" was Eli. Stop it, Adam! They're just friends!

"Adam, are you okay? You look kind of green." She reached over and put a hand on my forehead. "Your temperature is rising! Let's take you to the nurse." She grabbed my arm with her soft hands and put it at her side, clutching on it while staring at everyone nervous as we walked to the nurse.

"Is something wrong, Fi?" I asked as we arrived in the door way.

"I was looking for your friends." She replied, her voice so soft it almost sounded like a whisper.

"They went to lunch at the Dot. I think Clare's allergic to something, because her eyes were watering and she rushed out of here pretty quick if you ask me." My eyes went toward the ceiling when I said pretty.

"Or maybe they were on a date, and you were right." Fi said.

"Well this morning, she had her death grip on him and was screaming in Jenna's face." I sat down in the blue chairs; the nurse's office was a lot bigger and spinier than I remember.

Before I knew it, everything went black.

"Adam! Adam!" I heard a voice shout from the blackness.

"Fiona? Is that you?" Suddenly I had a body, my body, in my uniform. But the blackness still aquatinted me. I stepped onto the blackness, feeling no ground beneath my feet.

Fiona appeared out of the darkness, holding a knife. "Adam," tears fell from her eyes, "I thought you were gone. I cut myself." She showed me her shaking arm. Her pale skin covered by a red cloth.

"Fi, what is this?" I questioned concerning.

"I need you, Adam! I need you in my life!" She hugged me. I still had to ask her a final question, of which I'm sure she held the answer, deep, deep inside her soul.

"Where are we?" I asked, followed by a shiver of coldness. Her eyes grew black, her skin gray, she disintegrated right before my eyes.

The steak knife she held fell to the floor and bounced back up from a black trampoline. I knew the way out of here.

I knew that my only choice was my worst fear. I gently picked up the knife and placed it at my stomach.

"Don't do this, Adam!" A voice shouted.

A black figure of which I could identify directly from my mind stood a mile away from me, holding a candle.

"You know better, Adam. You know you don't want to hurt Clare, Eli, Fiona, and I." Drew shouted over the distance.

"I know my choice! I know my only way out! I don't know where I am, I only know the steps I've taken have lead me to this!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, Drew was gone too.

The candle he held fell to the ground. I ran with the knife to where the light flickered. The fire hit the ground, letting the black light up.

I was in the desert.