Okay, since lots of people wanted me to continue the story, here is a new chapter! Hope you all like it!
Clare
I was finally together with Eli! But it still killed me to lie to him. I hated being near my parents, and I still did hurt myself, but not as much.
I went to the Dot and saw Peter there. Strangely, he was the just guy I wanted to talk to.
"Hey, Peter!" I said. He turned around and looked surprised to see me.
"Hey, Clare! Feeling better?" He looked hopeful.
"Actually, I need to talk to you," I said.
"Shoot," He said, motioning for me to sit down.
"Okay, you know how you were emancipated?" I asked. He nodded. "Well, I was thinking of getting emancipated. I can't stay at my mom's house, or my dad's! It's too hard!" He looked at me sincerely.
"Clare, its hard. Can't you stay at a friends house?" He asked.
"No. I want to live on my own!"
"Clare! You need to be realistic. You need money to pay for your house. You need money for food, and all of that stuff. And they don't let people get emancipated just because they want to. You have two good homes, Clare!" I considered that. I did have two good homes. But it just made me too angry to know that I would only be with one parent.
"Fine!" I walked out of the Dot, breathing heavily. I went to my mom's house. Every time I went in there, I would get tense. I walked up to my bare room. There was nothing there, pretty much. Only a bed, dresser, vanity, and desk. The walls were an ugly brown, and we couldn't even paint them at all.
I sat down on my bed and started to cry. My laptop made a dinging noise, and I opened it, and saw that Eli had messaged me.
Eli Goldsworthy,
Want to hang out?
I sighed.
Clare Edwards,
Can't. I got lots of homework.
Eli Goldsworthy,
Want some help?
I sighed again. I hated lying to him.
Clare Edwards,
No thanks. I got it.
I signed out. Sooner or later, this lie was going to catch up to me, and bite me in the butt.
Eli
I knew she was lying. I thought she was done with all of this. How was I suppose to stop it? More counseling?
I went to the Dot to see if Peter was working. Thankfully, he was.
"She's lying," I said.
"I guess we let her heal by herself," Peter said.
"She is going to severely hurt herself. I thought she was done with it."
"Me too. What are we suppose to do?" Peter asked. I thought for a couple of minutes.
"Tell her parents?" I asked.
"I don't know. Well, there is a solution to her cutting," Peter said. "She puts a rubber band around her wrist, and when she feels the need to cut, she snaps the rubber band." I considered it.
"Okay. See you later," I said.
I walked over to Clare's. I knocked on the door, and she opened it, sighing when she saw me.
"I can help," I said. I handed her some rubber bands. She cocked her head. "Put them on your wrist, and when you feel the need to cut yourself, you snap them."
"I haven't been cutting myself, though. Remember? Counseling?"
"Clare, I know that you have been lying!" I said.
"Eli, how do you know?" She asked, snotty like.
"Roll up your sleeves," I said. She breathed in deeply, then turned around to walk away. I grabbed her wrist. "Clare, roll up your sleeves." She sighed and turned around. She rolled up her sleeves, and she had a few more cuts on her. I handed her the rubber bands, and she still denied them.
"I'm fine, Eli," She said.
"Clare, no your not. Please, take them," I pleaded.
"No!" She broke down in tears and fell to the ground, covering her face in her hands.
"Clare. Face it. You are having a problem, and you need help," I said. I tried the rubber bands again, and she took only one and put it on. "Well, it's a start."
Clare
I kept the rubber band around my wrist. It helped me a lot, but that didn't mean it could magically keep my parents together. I started to question who I really was.
I was at my dad's house and I went through Darcy's closet. I found a sleeveless shirt, and arm wraps for the cuts, and a tank top. I put it on, along with skinny jeans. I actually put some makeup on too.
I walked to school, snapping my rubber band every now and then. I went to my locker, getting many looks from the guys. Alli walked by me, mouth open and wide eyed. I smiled at her, and she walked away, taking a double look at me.
I opened my locker, and saw Eli walking towards me.
"What are you wearing?" He asked me.
"Like it?" I asked. He looked me up and down.
"Well, its… different. Is this an experiment or something?"
"Just trying to figure out who I am," I answered. Eli looked doubtful.
"Your Clare Edwards, the good girl." I looked at him with disgust.
"I don't want to be only the good girl!" I snapped my rubber band, and Eli watched as I did it multiple times. I looked back up at him.
"Fine. But Clare, be careful." I turned back to my locker, and Eli put his hands up in defense and walked away. I liked the new me. If only he did.
After school, I walked outside to start on my way home. I again got many looks from the guys. Especially Fitz. That sort of freaked me out, it being Fitz and all. I never knew he liked me.
The next day at school, I wore another strapless shirt, but in a different color, light skinny jeans, and a tank top. I liked how well the boys noticed me. But it seemed like it pushed Eli more and more away. He just didn't get it.
After school, I walked home, realizing that I felt like I was being followed. I was just outside of the student parking lot. I turned around and saw Fitz.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"How about we go to the Dot later?" He asked.
"No," I said. He walked closer to me and took my wrists.
"Oh come on. Or would you rather do this?" He leaned down to kiss me, but I shoved him away. "Playing hard to get? I like girls like that."
"Let me go!" I shouted. He squeezed my wrists tighter. "Stop!" I repeated that several times. He tried to kiss me again, but someone shoved him away. Fitz pushed me to the ground, hard. I sat forward a bit, watching Fitz get beaten up. My wrists ached.
Fitz walked away, and I saw the guy who had beaten him up.
It was Eli.
Hope you all liked the chapter! Don't forget to review, review, review! :)
