Eli's POV
The whole drive back to Degrassi Clare didn't say a word, she turned the music up and played with her phone. When we finally arrived to the school she gave me a shy smile, and got out of the car before I could say anything. Had I done something wrong? I sat there for a few moments contemplating weather or not to go inside myself, but in the end I went home. I spent hours thinking about that kiss, and then wondering why Clare ran off that way. I guess it made sense, I mean we don't really know each other at all. Despite that fact, I couldn't stop thinking about her. She was hard to figure out, but so easy to read at the same time. It was obvious she was putting up a front, she wasn't a bad girl, I could see that. What I couldn't figure out is why, what made her think she needed to pretend to be someone she wasn't. In my deep thought I hadn't noticed my phone had been going off, Adam had been texting me. Adam was my best friend, and since I was new to Degrassi, my only friend. I literally only met him four days prior at the Dot. I opened my phone, to see that he had sent the texts and hour and half ago.
Adam(5)
Eli, big party at my house. Come on over, my mom's out of town.
There are baaaabe's here :)
Hello?
Screw you too then.
I was just kidding man, but seriously everyone's here. This is the perfect way for us to meet new people.
I chuckled to myself after reading his texts, he was probably drunk texting me.
I'll be there Adam.
I didn't really want to go, I wasn't much of a people person, but Adam wanted me too so I felt obligated. I let Bullfrog know I was going out, and left. I pulled up to Adam's, and I could see that he wasn't kidding. There were car's everywhere, lined up down his whole street. I had to park on the next street over and walk the rest of the way, when I got to the back yard I could see Adam walking my way. He was quick.
"Eli! There you are, where the hell have you been!"
"I was sleeping, this is huge Adam. Are you sure your not gonna get caught?"
"Oh yeah, even if I do it's cool. I didn't really throw the party, my brother Drew did."
Adam was wasted. I gave him a questioning look, I was about to lecture him, but then I saw her. Clare was standing under a Tree a little distance from the crowd of people, I could see her face, she was angry. She had a black dress on, it sat right above her knee's. Her lips were painted red, and she black ballet shoes. I couldn't see who she was talking to, and I knew it wasn't my business, but I had to make sure she was ok. I didn't want to want to make sure she was ok, but I couldn't stop myself.
"Alright Adam, you be safe buddy. If you need anything I'll be around, have fun." I patted him on the back, then made my way through the crowd. I was pushing past people, but It seemed like they just kept multiplying. When I finally made my way through them, I could see who Clare was talking to. He was tall with blonde shaggy hair, and a basketball jacket on. Clare's face didn't look angry like it had before, it was blank. There was no expression on her face, but I could see tears rolling down her cheek. I didn't know what to do, it wasn't my business, she wasn't my business. I was trying to keep my feet glued to the floor, and just watch from a distance to make sure she was ok. That only lasted but ten seconds, the guy was raising his voice, and he appeared to be becoming frantic. I sprinted between them, but I didn't say anything. My mind went blank, what was I supposed to say? The boy went ahead and spoke, realizing I wasn't going to.
"Excuse you? We are kind of in the middle of something do you need something?"
The boy looked annoyed, and I still didn't have any Idea what to say. She wasn't my girlfriend, she wasn't my anything. I turned around to face Clare, it pained me to see the tears coming from her beautiful blue eyes.
"Clare, are you ok?"
She put her head down while talking to me. "I'm fine Eli, it's fine." The boy pulled my arm so that I wasn't in between them anymore.
"Who the hell is this guy Clare? You bitch about the thing with Jenna, but yet you're running around with other guy's?" That confirmed my suspicions that this was the ex boyfriend. "Clare I'm sorry, I love you. Can we go somewhere else to talk about this, I can fix this all. Jenna was a mistake, you're everything to me." Clare wiped away her tears, and looked back up at the boy.
"No K.C. I wont go anywhere to talk with you, not ever again." Clare walked away from the both of us, into the crowd of people. I felt useless, I didn't do anything but look like a fool, and Clare still walked away upset.
"Don't go after her."
I clenched my jaw and turned my face towards the boy. "K.C. is it?"
K.C. scoffed, "Yeah, who wants to know?"
"Eli, I'm Eli Goldsworthy. So, you're the ex?"
"Yeah. How do you know Clare?"
"Just from around."
K.C. closed his eyes for a moment, as if rethinking what he was going to say. "Listen, I don't want to be that dick ex boyfriend that stakes his claim, but you really need to not come between Clare and I again like that."
"I don't want to be that disrespectful outsider, but you really need to not make Clare cry anymore. She said she didn't want to talk to you anymore, that should tell you all you need to know." K.C. took a step closer to me, our faces inches from each other now.
"You don't know shit about my relationship, emo boy."
I chuckled, "Emo boy? Oh, that was real Original. I'll tell you what I do know, I do know that you cheated on her, and that she doesn't deserve that. If you don't back off-"
"You'll what?" I didn't know what my response was going to be, he was way more athletic than I was, and to my luck we both became distracted. There was a bunch of commotion by the pool, some girls were crowded around in a circle, and they seemed to be panicked. I saw Adam run over to them, and it seemed that K.C. and I had the same thought. Clare. We both ran over to the group of girls, pushing them aside. A girl with dark skin, and dark hair was holding Clare up, trying to get her to stand up. She asked K.C. for help. "K.C., Clare has been drinking all night, and she took some pills a few minutes ago. I don't know what they were, she's just really messed up. She was unconscious a second ago." Clare kept chiming in that she was fine, the girl was ignoring her. "I think we need to take her somewhere K.C., what do we do." The girl was crying, looking at K.C. with pleading eyes.
"Don't worry Alli, I'll take care of her." K.C. took Clare into his arms.
"Put me down! Now, K.C.!" Clare squirmed out of his arm's stumbling onto the floor. K.C. stood her back up, he looked sad.
"What has happened to you? This isn't you Clare. Please let me take you home, I love you. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, you know that. Just please, you need to go home now." Clare turned in a circle looking at everyone when she caught sight of me, she stopped.
"I'll leave, but only if it's with Eli." She smiled a goofy smile at me and put her head on my chest, my cheeks burned red. I usually didn't get nervous like that, but she made me so damn nervous.
"Hell no you're not going with that prick Clare." K.C. was red faced with anger.
Alli intervened, "If it will get her out of here, then yes she is K.C. This isn't about you."
His face dropped in acceptance. "Alright Alli." Alii smiled satisfied, and then looked back to me. "Please take care of her, she hasn't been the same lately. I'm worried about her." I nodded, and she then turned attention to Clare. "Be good for your friend Eli, get some rest ok Clare?"
Clare smiled wide, "Don't worry Alli, Eli is the nicest ever." Clare put her arms around my waist, and K.C. twisted his face in pain. Alli walked away from us, along with her posy of girls. I picked Clare up in my arms, and carried her to Morty. She was humming the whole way to the car, and K.C. was following close behind. I turned the car on, and set her in the passenger's seat. I shut the door, and turned around to face K.C.
"Eli, I know what you may think of me, but I do love Clare. I love her so much, and I regret ever hurting her. I'm not a bad guy, I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. You're obviously a good friend of Clare's, thank you for taking her home."
I didn't want to be nice to this guy, but It was hard not to be when he was being so polite. "Yeah, I'll make sure she's ok." I turned back around to walk to the drivers side, when I felt a tug on my arm. I turned my head around to face K.C.
"Eli, you are just friends with Clare. Right?"
"I'm not sure that's any concern of yours."
"Like I said, I love Clare. That girl in there, is mine. Always has been, always will be. If you think you're going to just steal her away quietly without a word from me, you're sadly mistaken Eli Goldsworthy. You'd be starting a war."
I jerked my arm away from K.C., "Then, I guess it's war." I walked away to the drivers side, leaving K.C. in the dust. I didn't know what made me say that, who was I kidding? How could I fight for Clare, when I didn't even know how she felt about me. She loved K.C., not me. I couldn't help it though, I wanted her for some reason that I couldn't understand. My feelings for her were taking control of all reason.
We were half way to her house and she seemed to have fell asleep, "Clare, are you awake?"
She opened her eyes and smiled at me, "Yeah, I'm awake. Just resting my eyes."
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine Eli, I feel a lot better."
"Clare, what did you take? You shouldn't be doing things like that, it's dangerous."
"I don't know what I took, I just took them from some guy. I'm sorry, I know that's really dumb, and that I'm smarter than that." She looked out the window, ashamed.
"So then why did you do it?" My voice came out a little harsher then I had meant for it to, "I'm sorry Clare, I didn't mean it like that."
"No, it's ok. I was already drunk, and talking to K.C. just really upset me. I wanted it to go away."
"So what was he saying? Before I interrupted."
"He wants to get back together, he say's Jenna was a mistake."
That caused a pain in my chest, a pain I'd never experienced before, "Oh I see, and do you want to?"
"I love him, but I can't be with him. I don't think I'll ever trust him again. I mean what did I do to deserve that?"
Clare started to cry, and I felt that same pain in my chest. I turned to look at her, our eyes were locked. "Nothing. There is nothing you could ever do to deserve that, like I said before, he's an idiot."
Clare looked away from me, "Eli where are you going?"
"Your house? Alli texted me directions don't worry, I know where I'm going."
Clare looked back at me with wide eyes, "No, no. I cant go home like this. My mom will flip out, she thinks I'm staying with Alli. Please Eli, I cant go home. Anywhere but there."
"Ok, where does Alli live?"
"I don't have a key to her house, her and I were supposed to stay at Adam's."
"You can stay at my house Clare, don't worry."
"Thank you Eli. If I had another option I'd take it, I really don't want to impose."
"It's not a problem." Clare was silent the rest of the way to my house, every now and then I'd steal a glance at her, she was breath taking. I was so mesmerized by her, so drawn to her, and I couldn't understand why. I felt like I'd know her my whole life, but it had only been one day. You couldn't fall in love in a day, it just wasn't possible.
"Clare, we're here." She mumbled a "Mhhm" but didn't move. I sighed and walked around to open her door, I picked her up and carried her to my room. When we reached my room I put her on my bed, and made sure she was still breathing. I tucked her in, and then made myself a pallet on the floor. After a few minutes I began to doze off, my mind had had a long confusing day, when I heard my name.
"Eli."
Hearing her say my name made my heart melt. "Yes, Clare?"
"Can you lay with me, I don't want to be alone. I hate the rain." I hadn't noticed it was raining, so I walked over to my window. The sky was lit up with lightning, and the roads were becoming flooded.
"Are you sure Clare, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."
"Eli, it's ok. I trust you." I walked over to my bed and slid under the covers. I lye there with my arms at my side, I didn't know what I was supposed to do, what she wanted me to do. Clare scooted closer to me, and my body stiffened, she wrapped her arm around my waist. I relaxed my body putting my arm around her, and she nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck. My heart was racing, along with my mind.
"Are you ok Blue Eyes?"
"I am now, thank you. Thank you for this, for this day. It's been strange, and long, but it's been one of the better day's I've had in a while."
"Really? I thought you were upset with me because you left so quickly when we got back to Degrassi today, and then I interrupted you and K.C..."
"I was having the best time, even when you were driving like a maniac, I just didn't want to show it. As far as K.C., you saved me. Along you came Eli, and everything bad went away. I shouldn't rebel when good things happen to me, you're a great thing, and I have been rebelling all day." Her voice was soft, and unsure.
"Clare, you don't need to rebel, or put up a front for me. I see you Clare, for exactly who you are. And you know what? I wouldn't change a god damn thing about you, you're perfect. I cant tell you what to do, but K.C. doesn't deserve you. He really doesn't. "
"I know it may sound crazy, but I feel so connected to you, like I've always known you Eli. I've never felt more comfortable, or safe than I do right now. I mean that, it's not the beer."
I instinctively found Clare's face in the dark, and I brought her lips to mine. The kiss was soft and gentle, and I pulled away after a few seconds. I don't think it's possible to explain what I felt when I pulled away, everything was pulling me back to her. It was like before her I had been wondering around with no purpose, she was my purpose, she was everything. I would do everything in my power to protect her, and keep her safe.
With a shaky voice Clare spoke, "Eli, what does this mean?"
"It means that after one day Clare Edwards, you came along and made me fall in love."
Probably going to make this a short story, I haven't messed with it in a while. I didn't want to leave it unfinished though, my focus is just mainly on my story Forever, so I don't have much time for this one. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter :)