Chapter 20

I know it has been forever since I last updated this story but I have lost all inspiration for it. However since I hate getting into a story and finding it abandoned I am going to finish it. The story was originally going to have five more chapters but I am going to try and wrap it up with one or two.

TJ POV

There she is again.

I look out my window and down at Elli. Every morning around the same time she arrives at the neighbor's house and just stares at it like she's waiting for something to happen.

After the first day I saw her there I made a point of looking every day and almost everyday I catch her.

I watch as she begins her routine of standing looking at the house for a few seconds. She then begins to walk up the walk way and about half way there she freezes like a deer in headlights then she turns and high tails it out of there.

Right now she's in the walking up the walk way. I study each of her features as best as I can from where I am. I know that there is only a few more moments until she's gone again.

God why am I so fascinated by her? I admit that she's pretty but it's not like she's drop dead gorgeous. She just seems to have some kind of spark that Spin used to have.

I wonder if that's why I think she's Spinelli? Or am I just trying to see something that just isn't there?

I watch the last bit of her ritual of looking up at me for a moment and then turning and jogging away. Watching her until she is out of sight I let out a frustrated groan.

Last night we put our plan into action. Mike had arrived early with a couple of pictures of the old gang that we had gathered. We had placed the pictures around my room sporadically hoping that she might stop and look at them a little longer then strangers would and of course in the hope that it wouldn't look to planted. I had felt a little odd having so many pictures from elementary school in my room but a guy has to do what a guy has to do.

We had even gone so far as to turn my small TV on to wrestling hoping for some distinct Spinelli action for us to notice.

When she had arrived I was too shocked by her black eye to really pay attention to how long she looked at the pictures or if she acted like she had been there before. I had felt disgusted that someone could actually lay a hand on her and hurt her. When I had asked what had happened she had just shrugged it of and said she had been a little clumsy. An obvious lie but her tone had said she didn't want to talk about it and that was final.

Luckily Mike had been able to get over his surprise of seeing the black eye before me. While I was picturing pounding the shit out the person who had hurt her he had focused on how she was reacting to her surroundings. Apparently she did end up looking at the pictures a little longer then people normally do but not so much longer that it would be considered odd. However one picture did get her to grin unfortunately it was our old class picture of everyone covered in mud except for me making a grin from a stranger not that unusual.

She had then turned to Mike and I stating that by the looks of the picture we had known each other awhile. If she was Spinelli she had definitely learned how to act which was not one Spinelli's skills in elementary.

We had all watched wrestling for a little while and she had shown interest but not with the same enthusiasm that Spinelli used to watch it.

By the time we had started and finished our project we were no closer to figuring out if Elli was really Spinelli.

The plan had crashed and burned.

"TJ you up?" mom bellowed from down stairs.

Looking away from the window and at the clock I yelled back at her "Yeah I'm up" and proceeded to get ready for school.

At School Lunch

"Well did you get any reaction out of her to prove that she is Spinelli?" Gretchen asked excitedly as she sat across from me in the cafeteria.

"Nada" I groan in exasperation. This was driving me nuts. Was she or wasn't she our Spinelli.

"I do have an idea." Mike said softly getting all of our attention very quickly. We watched as he shifted in his chair slightly obviously uncomfortable under all of our stares.

"What is it Miky" Vincent asks trying to encourage him.

"Well… It's just that… Menlow does seem to know her and what if we went and asked him. Or if we somehow got him to show us her file so we could check her name on it." Mike finally spits out.

We all look at him then at each other. It is incredibly simple and it might just work. Don't I feel like an idiot for not thinking of that sooner.

"I don't think that Menlow will actually show us her file. It goes against all sorts of school regulations. It was one thing in elementary school to get him do things like that but it is completely different now. However asking him what Elli's last name is might work." Gretchen says.

I look around the cafeteria and wave back at a group of guys that pass by us. I can't seem to focus on the conversation. My mind keeps wandering to where Elli could be. This is the first lunch that she has been in our school that she hasn't been in the library getting help from Gretchen.

Our group had originally gone to the library to drag her out of there if necessary and had been slightly startled when she wasn't already there. We had all then made our way to the cafeteria and grabbed a table that had the perfect view to the library so that we could grab her when she was walking towards it. However she still hadn't come.

Where was she?

She hadn't been at the school long enough to actually have developed any habits other then going to the library for lunch.

What if Lawson was giving her trouble again? Pausing at that thought I begin to feel anger well up in me. What if Lawson was the one to give her the black eye? The whole school had heard that Elli had put Lawson in his place several times now and that Lawson was furious. It wouldn't be the first time that Lawson hit a girl.

Trying to act casual my eyes dart around the tables in the cafeteria for Lawson. I relax slightly when my eyes fall on him sitting with his typical buddies.

I am turning back to the gang when Menlow walks by. It is so rare that he isn't in the office that it takes me a minute to process that this would be a perfect time to ask him some questions about Elli.

"I'll be right back guys." I say even as I'm getting up to follow Menlow.

"Wait up T.J., I'll come with you" I hear Gretchen followed by the sound of three chairs being pushed away. Apparently I wasn't the only one who had seen our perfect opportunity walk by.

Walking out of the cafeteria we walk down the hallway that Menlow had just taken.

"Hey Menlow! Wait up" Vince calls out causing most of the people to look at him oddly. It is very rare that anyone wants to talk to Menlow let alone the star basketball player.

As we walk by the various students in the hall they all give us odd looks. I guess we do make a rather odd group although at one time it wouldn't have been odd at all to see us all together.

Menlow turns to look at us and raises an eyebrow in question.

"Hi Menlow" Gretchen starts as we catch up with him. She pauses unsure of what to say now that we are talking to Menlow.

"Hello Gretchen, can I help you with something?" Menlow asks after an awkward silence.

Looking at Gretchen I feel my own eyebrow raise as she blushes slightly. Well well well. I'll have to file that away for a little later.

Seeing that she isn't going to be able to form a question any time soon I turn back to Menlow.

"Menlow we were wondering what you knew about Elli. You two seem to know each other and we were just wondering what you could tell me… us about her." I wince inwardly at how stupid that probably sounded.

Real smooth T.J. Real smooth.

Trying to fight back my own blush as I hear Vince snicker along with Mike I stare determinedly at Menlow. Who is looking at me as if I'm crazy.

I watch as he turns red and snorts then after a moment of snorting bursts out laughing.

I look at the others and see that they look just as confused as I feel.

"uh… Menlow are you alright?" Mike asks as he steps forward cautiously.

"Oh that's a good one" Menlow manages to say between his laughter now doubled over.

I am becoming more confused by the moment as well as a little annoyed I finally yell to get Menlow's attention.

"Menlow snap out of it"

He looks at me more than a little startled through tears in his eyes. I look around and notice more then a few people are looking at me puzzled. Opps I might of said that a little loud.

"You really don't know do you?" Menlow finally says after he studies each of us thoroughly.

"Listen we just want to know a little bit about her. She doesn't really talk about herself at all. And well there is just something about her." Gretchen finally pipes up breaking out of her stupor.

Menlow turns to stare at her before he shakes his head.

"I can't tell you anything. I won't break her confidence but I would suggest that you go and talk to her. And when I say talk to her I mean TALK to her." He says and is turning away from us ending the conversation.

Desperation runs through me as I see another chance of getting to the bottom of this turning away. Before I even realize what I am doing I reach out and grab Menlow by the arm to stop him from leaving.

"Come on Menlow. Don't you think that we have tried talking to her? Asking her questions? She never answers. Not to mention we don't even know where to look for her. She wasn't in the library." I try to keep the desperation out of my voice but some how I think I failed when I seen Vince giving me an odd look.

Menlow once again studies me before sighing.

"Look, Elli has been nothing but nice to me and I am not going to break that confidence. However if I were trying to find her it wouldn't be in the library that isn't really her place. Try the art room she has full use of the room at any time." Menlow said as he turned away once more.

Without thinking I turned and headed to the art room.

"Um T.J. what exactly are you going to say to her?" Mike asks as he stepped into pace with me.

I paused for moment unsure of what I would actually say. How do you ask someone if they have been lying to you about who they are? Before I can think of a response a loud commotion down the hall catches my attention.

"Fight! Fight! It's Lawson and the new girl" Someone yells as they run by.

Without another thought I take off after everyone else who heard the call. I vaguely take notice that the others are right behind me. The only thing on my mind is getting to Elli before Lawson can hurt her.

I am going to tare him apart piece by piece if he has hurt even one hair on her head.

I start to push through the crowd that has gathered in a circle to watch the match. I scowl at them mentally cursing each and every one of them for not jumping in to help Elli. When I finally break through the crowd my mouth drops in shock.

Little Elli who looks like she could be knocked over by a strong breeze has Lawson backed into a corner and is pounding him.

"Holly hell" I distantly hear Vince even as I start forward to end the fight.

Lawson is obviously trying to fight back but every time he goes for an opening Elli blokes him and hits him again.

"If you ever try that again I swear I'll" I can hear Elli start to say but whatever she was going to say is lost by the crowd groaning as I catch her around the waste and pull her off Lawson.

I lift her slightly off the ground as she kicks and bucks trying to win her freedom to pound Lawson some more. But it's like an old dance that I had thought I had forgotten. I react with instincts that came from lifting Spinelli off of kids on the playground. I no longer have any doubts about who Elli is. Looking down at her I see that her shirt is ripped and I almost let her go to go after Lawson myself when I realize what most likely happened to start the fight.

Looking up I see that Lawson looks like he is about to try and hurt Elli as I'm holding her off him. Meeting his eyes I glare letting him know if he tries anything I will kill him myself without a second thought.

"Back away Lawson or I will let her go" I say in a tone that lets him know that if I do let her go it wont be her that he will have to worry about.

Vince is suddenly in-front of us and pushing Lawson away with Mike's help.

Elli jerks in my arms and I almost loss her before tightening my grip. She elbows backwards which I dodge barely but I can't help but grin. This is a routine that that I am remembering slowly but still it is coming back and if I am right then I can calm her down.

"Spin, calm down" still grinning I say in to her ear while I begin to carry and drag the struggling girl away.

"Let me go Teej, let me at him."

"Spinelli I'm not going to let you go" and like magic the girl in my arms stops fighting and turns to look at me in surprise.