When I got up the next morning, I hurriedly got ready for school not wanting to cross my father if he was still home. I put on some jean shorts with a light purple long sleeve shirt. I then put on some black converse sneakers. I brushed my hair out and put on some eye liner and mascara. All of a sudden my phone vibrated, I looked at the caller I.D. and my heart leaped. It was Eli. "Hello?" I answered.
"Hey Blue Eyes." Eli said with a smile in his voice.
"Um, what do you want?" I asked him and blushed.
"You need a ride?"
"That would be nice." I replied and chewed on my bottom lip.
"I'll be there in five. 'Kay?" Eli said and I heard his car start up.
"See you in five." I said and hung up. Again, I could definitely get used to Eli driving me to school everyday; it was so nice, and we got to spend extra time together. I grabbed my bag and hurried downstairs. Good thing my dad wasn't up yet, instead, he was passed out on the couch, presumably from the amount of alcohol he had consumed the night before. I ran outside and Eli was already waiting for me. My heart practically jumped out of my chest.
"Morning!" Eli yelled jokingly when I got in Morty.
"Morning!" I yelled back and laughed.
"You're okay this morning?" Eli asked hesitantly, afraid to push too far.
"Yeah, it's kind of the norm for me." I said referring to the abuse.
"What about your mom?"
"She left a long time ago and took my older sister Darcy with her." I explained to Eli the best I could without tearing up. It had always been different since they left. I always wondered why my mom took Darcy and not me too, but it was something I tried not to think about a lot because it just made me upset. Ever since then, I had to deal with my father. He blamed my mom leaving on me, instead of himself.
"That's too awful Clare." Eli whispered. I nodded in agreement. "At least you have me!" Eli joked again, trying to make me feel better, then grinned. I smiled back at him. Finally we were at school. Eli walked me to my locker again. I had a feeling that this would become a regular thing now. Eli made me extremely happy. We sat by each other at lunch, then at the end of the day he drove me to the park and we hung out. We sat at a picnic table and talked. It seemed like time passed too quickly, I never wanted to say goodbye to this beautiful boy. "Are you ready to leave Blue Eyes?" Eli asked.
"No Eli, please don't make me go back so early." I said pleading.
"Alright Clare, we'll stay for just a little bit longer." He said in a gentle voice compromising with me. I didn't want to face the wrath of dad just yet, and no doubt I would considering I had been gone nearly all day. He pulled me into a hug and I snuggled into his chest. I loved the warmth, I loved the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. "Do I make you nervous?" He asked.
"Yeah, a little. Do I make you nervous?" I asked curiously, but it was only because I liked him so much. I wanted everything to go right.
"No." He smirked.
"Um. You know, you're the first boy I've ever felt close to?" I said going out on a limb, and putting my heart on my sleeve for once.
"And you're the first girl I've felt close to." He said as I felt his breath on my face. I smiled and bit my lip.
"Clare?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you be my girlfriend?" Eli whispered.
"Yes." I said in a trance as his green eyes bored into mine.
"Clare?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I kiss you?" Eli said as his face inched closer to mine every second, waiting for my okay.
"Yes." I whispered. Our lips then pressed together. The kiss was short and chaste, but it was enough to make goose bumps rise on my arms and make me shiver. Eli's lips were so warm and gentle, he was a great kisser. My face must've been cherry red. He then pulled away with that crooked smile on his face. I hoped that would be the first kiss of many, because God I loved the way it felt.
"I really have to take you home now." He whispered not wanting to ruin the blissful moment we had just created.
"Okay." I mumbled. Eli drove me home in comfortable silence holding my hand the whole way. When we arrived he helped me out of the hearse.
"So, since tomorrow is Saturday, you want to do something? We could get breakfast." Eli suggested.
"I would like that a lot." I said and smiled.
"Goodnight my Clare." Eli said. He then watched me walk into my house and drove away once I was inside. I walked into the family room and spotted my dad passed out on the couch once again. I quietly tried to walk upstairs but when I stepped on the first step, it squeaked. I flinched uncomfortably, knowing he would probably wake up.
"Is that you Clare?" My dad said. I flinched again at the sound of his rough, cracked voice. The room smelled of whiskey, a smell that I had grown to hate because of him.
"Yes daddy." I said feeling disgusted. I slowly tried to walk up the stairs more as my dad made his way over to me.
"Where have you been?" He asked putting his hand on my shoulder. I was trembling and I desperately wanted to get upstairs. I didn't answer him and hurried and bolted up the stairs. My dad grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled me back down the stairs. By then I was crying, something I felt like I did way too much anymore. I was lying on the ground holding my stomach as my dad kicked me continuously. My arms hurt and I was suddenly very sleepy and my body hurt. Finally my dad got tired of this, he pulled me up and slapped me. "Now get." He sneered at me. "Little bitch wants to stay out all night. You're a slut, just like your mom."
The tears were coming steadily now and I ran upstairs as fast as my legs would carry me. I sat on my bed and kept crying. I had bruises all over my arms, a purple shadow across my face, and my stomach was red and purple. I walked into my bathroom and opened up my bathroom cabinet. I pulled out a pair of new scissors and a clean towel. I lifted up my shirt and slowly drug the scissors across my flat stomach. Blood started to ooze out, I grabbed the towel and placed it over the cut. It was something I did to cope with the abuse, something I knew that Eli could never figure out. I changed into pajamas and cried myself to sleep once again.
In the morning when I woke up my dad was gone, thank God. Then I remembered I was going to have breakfast with Eli today! My heart jumped. I got into the shower, I had purple spots everywhere and it was too warm to wear long sleeves. What would Eli say? After I finished my shower I put on some denim shorts with black converse then slipped on a blue tank top with matching arm warmers. My phone buzzed. "Hello?" I answered.
"Morning Clare. Ready for breakfast?" He asked. It felt so great to hear his voice.
"Yup! All set." I said excited.
"Okay I'll see you in a bit." Eli said and hung up. I then brushed my hair and put on little make-up. I went outside and Eli was there. I walked to his hearse and got in. Eli was wearing a short sleeve dark red v-neck with black skinny jeans and converse. He looked at me and frowned, no doubt noticing every single that my father had put me through last night.
"What?" I asked confused. Eli then ever so gently ghosted his fingers across my bruised cheek. I blushed ten shades of red.
"Your dad hit you again." He stated. I gently took off my arm warmers and showed him all the bruises. Eli grabbed my arm and traced his finger around every bruise. "Clare, you need to tell someone about this." He said sincerely.
"No! I don't want to leave. They'll take me away!"
"We'll figure something out, you can't keep going through this. You don't deserve this." Eli said then started to drive away, no doubt trying to conjure up a plan in that pretty little head of his.
"Where are we going?" I asked honestly curious.
"To my house. My mom is cooking breakfast." He said simply. I nodded and the rest of the car ride was comfortable silence. When we finally arrived I put my arm warmers back on and Eli helped me out of the hearse. I couldn't believe I was already going to meet his parents, but for some reason, it didn't feel too fast to me. I felt comfortable and safe, and I knew that if I was meeting Eli's parents, that had to have meant he really, truly liked me.
"Are they going to like me?" I asked.
"What's not to like Clare?" Eli said and smiled. I blushed as we walked through the door. We were greeted by Eli's parents. They definitely all shared the same sense of style, and his mom was radiant with happiness. It was a loving household, something I wished I had every single day.
"Hi! I'm CeCe, and that's Bullfrog." CeCe said and smiled.
"I'm Clare." I said a bit shy.
"Well come over here!" CeCe yelled as she pulled me into a loving, yet forceful, hug.
"Come sit down Clarabelle!" Bullfrog said as he pulled a chair out for me, already giving me a nickname. Eli grabbed my hand and we sat beside each other. I looked over and he gave me a reassuring smile. We ate breakfast and I learned a lot about Eli's family. After breakfast Eli showed me the house. He showed me the bathroom, the empty room in the hallway, and finally his room across from the empty room. Eli's room was painted in dark colors and he had a queen size bed with black sheets, and a comforter to match. He had big black nightstands on either side of the bed, and he also had a desk with an office chair. Eli went to sit on the edge of his bed and I stood in the doorway and looked around.
"Something wrong Clare?" He asked. I blushed realizing I had zoned out. Eli patted the spot next to him on the bed and I went to sit down beside him. Eli then pulled off my arm warmers and began to place tiny butterfly kisses on each bruise. His lips were so soft, it felt like an electric shock was being sent through my body each time his lips touched my skin. "Is this okay?" He asked hesitantly. I nodded. "Oh, Clare likes it huh?" Eli teased. I laughed at him. He kept kissing my arms, my cheeks, then our lips brushed against each other. How did a girl like me end up with a guy like Eli? I think I loved him, but we'd only known each other for a short time. I'd have to wait and see if he loved me first. "What do you want to do now?" He asked me pulling me out of my thoughts.
"You could take me home. My dad isn't there." I said.
"Alright, let's go." He said then we walked out to Morty and drove to my house in comfortable bliss. When we got there I got out and Eli turned the hearse off. "Can I come in?"
"Um, yeah." I said. He then got out, grabbed my hand and we walked into my house together.