Here's chapter 3, guys! Courtesy of our main man, Eli!
I don't own Degrassi or any characters affiliated with it.
Chapter 3
Eli flipped through the channels on Adam's TV restlessly, his head resting in one hand and the remote in the other, pointed in front of him. What could be taking Adam so long? The dot was just a few blocks down. Eli sat up straight, setting the remote down on the table in front of him, and then let himself sink back into the couch. Why didn't he go with Adam in the first place? Eli knew very well what he would think about while Adam was gone, despite the many horror movies they had rented on pay-per-view. He crossed his arms and heaved a sigh.
'You did this to yourself,' he thought. 'You let her leave, again, without saying anything. You're feeling this way because you suck.'
He looked around Adam's room, trying to find something, anything that could get his mind of Clare. He stood up and walked over to Adam's shelf of comics, noticing a few he hadn't read yet. He picked one of the smaller ones up and flipped through the pages. More fighting, more zombies, more gore, more…romance? He looked on quizzically as the main character kissed a woman he had never seen before. He went back a few pages, trying to figure out the reason for the sudden kiss. He read the dialogue, not even bothering to look at the pictures.
"We're surrounded, Jack!"
"We might be able to make it out of this yet, I have an idea."
"Wait-"
"Helen, we have to hurry or we might-"
"I know, but, in case we don't make it out alive…"
And they kissed.
Eli shut the book hard, nearly throwing it back onto its shelf.
'Good idea, Eli. Pick up the comic that reminds you of what a complete idiot you are for letting her walk away again.'
He moved from the shelf and made his way to the stack of movies Adam never seemed to put away. He knelt down next to the pile and began to pick them up, one by one, looking at the titles of his best friends favorite movies. He saw, 'The Warriors', 'Jaws', ' Halloween', 'Enter the Dragon', 'Master of the Flying Guillotine', and…-
He stopped, holding the next DVD in his hands. He let his shoulders sink as he let out a small sigh.
"Killer Clowns From Outer Space," he said allowed.
"I just can't seem to get away from you, can I Clare?"
He let the DVD fall back onto the messy stack and stood up. This was getting ridiculous. He grabbed his jacket from the desk chair and stormed out of the room. He decided to go find Adam, meet him halfway. They'd eventually cross paths, and taking a walk outside might be exactly what Eli needed.
Eli jaunted down the stairs to the sidewalk after locking Adam's front door. It was a bit cooler outside than it had been three hours ago, so Eli casually stuffed his hands halfway in his pockets. The wind tousled his hair a bit, pulling it out of his eyes.
He looked to the ground, kicking at the occasional small stone or pinecone. There was barely anyone on the sidewalks, but the insides of shops, stores, and café's were bustling. Eli could hear the loud chatter whenever he passed by an open door, catching a phrase or two of people's conversations. When he reached Clare's favorite bookstore, he couldn't help but gaze inside as he walked by, hoping she'd be there, in her spot by the window where he'd often catch her writing the next chapter of one of her vampire novels. He turned his gaze back to the ground as he saw the empty table, disappointed.
'Well, at least you'll get to see her tomorrow,' he reminded himself.
And just like that, he was back in a good mood. He let out a small smile and his shoulders lifted, like a weight had been taken off. Sure, he hadn't said anything about being ready to be with her, but at least he made a step towards it. It was just going to be the two of them, on a long five hour drive. Not to mention them getting there and actually finding the bookshop. Then of course, they'd have to stop for lunch, look around the town a bit, and then on the way back, grab dinner.
'So, basically,' Eli reasoned. 'I'll have an entire day with her…'
"Eli?"
He was knocked out of his thoughts as he heard his name from across the street. He stopped and crossed his arms, giving Adam a smirk.
"What are you doing here, Eli?" Adam asked, jogging across the street.
"Now that is a great question. Almost as great as the question: How is it possible to take forty minutes to grab coffee at a café that is only a ten minute walk from your house?"
Adam rolled his eyes, and sent Eli a glare as he handed him his coffee.
Eli let out a laugh and the two began to walk back to Adam's.
"So," Adam began. "What movie should we see first?"
Eli's brow furrowed in thought. "Well, we rented 'Nightmare on Elm Street', 'The Thing', 'Night of the Living Dead', and 'Friday the 13th'. So, out of those, which is your favorite?"
"I guess I'd have to say, 'The Thing'. It's a good gory one, you know?"
"Can't go wrong with that," Eli supposed. "So, what did take you so long?"
"Oh, sorry, man, I saw Clare."
"Clare?" Eli stopped walking, ready to turn around to grab 'the bagel he forgot to ask Adam for'.
"Yeah, I felt pretty bad, actually. I accidentally startled her, so she spilled her hot tea all over her hands."
Eli's eyes widened.
"It was an accident, jeeze."
"Well, is she ok?"
"Of course she's ok," Adam scoffed. "What kind of friend do you think I am?"
Eli shook his head and started to walk again, Adam following suit.
"Who was she there with? Alli?"
Adam glanced at Eli, a nervous smile on his face.
"Not exactly."
Eli stopped walking again, concern and confusion playing on his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Adam started to walk again, Eli following close behind.
"She was there by herself."
"What?" Eli grabbed Adam by the arm, turning him back around.
"And you left her there?"
"I asked her to come to guys night, but she wouldn't."
"Well, I can't just leave her there alone-" Eli started to turn back around, but he felt something tug on his jacket. He looked over his shoulder at Adam, frustrated.
"Yes, you can."
Eli pulled away from Adam, backing away from him. "Adam, she's alone and-"
"Eli, you're not her boyfriend. You can't go around acting like one."
Eli gave Adam a hard sideways glance, but slowly, his face softened and he let out a soft sigh. Adam walked over to him, feeling a little guilty. 'I'm sorry man, but it's the truth,' he thought.
"Dude, I still don't understand why you haven't told her anything yet. I mean, she's really been patient, Eli…how much longer are you going to keep her waiting?"
Eli looked back towards the dot, worried over Clare being there alone. Adam nudged him. "She's a big girl, Eli. She can ride a bike back to her house."
After one last glance, Eli began to walk again, his eyes on the sidewalk. "It's complicated, Adam…"
"I know it is, but if you don't figure out what you want soon-"
"I know what I want. It's Clare. It's always been Clare."
Adam threw his hands up into the air, frustrated from being stuck in the middle of a problem that, for once, could easily be fixed.
"Great! Guess what, Eli? She wants you to! So please, for the sanity of all three of us, ask the girl on a date."
"I did."
Now Adam was the one who stopped walking.
"…what? When?"
"Earlier today."
Adam looked at Eli for a moment, opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it again. He narrowed his eyes, looking at Eli like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.
"Ok, you're going to have to explain this one to me. You're moping about because you haven't told Clare that you're completely in love with her, yet you're telling me now that you asked her on a date earlier…"
"Kind of."
"Explain."
Eli took a deep breath and turned back towards Adam's house. The two began to walk again, Adam watching Eli's every expression.
"I asked her to go on a drive with me tomorrow, and she said yes."
Adam continued to watch Eli, waiting for him to continue.
"But I don't think she thinks of it as a date."
"Well, did you tell her it was a date?"
"…no."
"Then she definitely doesn't think it's a date, Eli!" Adam growled. "Why do you continue to do this to yourself? And to Clare? If you think she's going to wait around for you to get some guts, you're wrong."
Eli looked away from Adam, not sure what he was supposed to say next. He knew Clare wouldn't wait forever. He never expected her to. He half believed she'd eventually fall for someone more deserving, and maybe that's why he kept putting off telling her anything. Maybe he thought she'd find someone better than him.
Adam sighed and punched Eli's arm playfully. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped. I just hate seeing my two best friends like this."
He gave Eli a sideways glance. "Plus, it sucks hearing the same things twice over. 'Eli this,' 'Clare that'."
Eli let out a small laugh, and Adam let out a silent sigh of relief. At least he was able to get Eli out of that rut for the moment.
"So, Clare and you are going on a drive tomorrow…"
Eli smiled as they came to Adam's front door.
"Yeah. We're going to pick up that comic I found." Eli walked around Adam as they entered the house, hanging a sharp right to Adam's room.
"The one that's two and a half hours away? Dude, that's brilliant! You'll have all the time in the world with Clare."
Eli took off his jacket and threw it over Adam's desk chair before letting himself fall onto the couch. He looked up at the ceiling as Adam began to get the movie ready on his TV. 'Adam is right. I have to tell Clare everything. I can't keep hiding behind Julia like this.' He brought a hand up to rest under his neck as he let out a loud sigh. 'I already regret everything I said to Julia, I'm not going to regret keeping my mouth shut.' Eli sat up halfway and smiled. 'Tomorrow, I'm telling Clare I love her.'
He jumped up from the couch and looked at Adam, who was leaning over his pile of movies.
"Adam, I'm telling her tomorrow. I'm going to tell her everything."
Adam slowly turned his head to look at Eli, his eyes sad and sorry.
"I don't think you'll get the chance."
Adam slowly brought Eli's phone into view. He must have accidentally dropped it when he was looking at the movies earlier. Eli reached for his phone, suspicious of Adam's words.
Eli's heart sank into his chest as he read the text. His hand dropped to his side and he fell back onto the couch, defeated.
What is Eli going to do now that Clare isn't going with him tomorrow? Will Clare decide to tell Eli and Adam she's leaving, or will she just give Eli a fake excuse? What lengths will Eli go to to tell Clare the truth? Read the next chapters to find out! As always, thanks for reading!
PS: You have no idea how hard it is to write from Eli's point of view. He's a very complicated guy! ;)
PSS: Remember, guys! I'm in college, so I have a lot of work that needs getting done! But I won't leave you hanging for TOO long, promise! :)
