this is kind of all over the place. I didn't edit it so there could be typos. I added in the mental illness storyline now it might seem rushed but I'm just adding the foundation for what's going to happen in the future chapters. Thanks for sticking with me. I hope this is semi okay

Julia had never been in a real relationship before and neither had Eli so it was a little weird for the two but a good weird. Julia just had one problem, she wasn't ready to fully trust, to be vulnerable, no one had seen that side to her and she was afraid that once Eli did he wouldn't want her any more. Eli looked over to her sensing she was lost in thought. "You're the one who picked the movie" he said assuming that's what she was taking issue with.

"I know and it's great but I think I should get home" she gave him a quick kiss and got up.

"I can walk you back if you want"

"I'm a big girl I can handle it" she said before walking out. Eli shut off the movie and decided to just get some sleep. Julia was so hard to read, she took complicated to a whole new level.

The next day she showed up at his house early, it was Cece who opened the door which she hadn't expected. "Is Eli here?" she asked awkwardly.

"We were just about to have breakfast"

"Oh can you just tell him I stopped by I'm Julia his...friend"

"You're Julia? I've heard all about you" she gently pulled her inside. "Stay for breakfast there's plenty to go around" Julia would have turned down the offer but Cece didn't look like she would take no for an answer. So Julia walked inside nervously, Eli was surprised but also happy to see her. She sat down next to him at the table, she instantly sensed their family dynamic, it was the kind she had always wanted. They were all happy and when Eli's parents looked at him they looked at him with love and compassion instead of the hatred and disappointment she was so used to seeing. She held Eli's hand under the table for some assurance and comfort but it didn't take her long to relax and get comfortable with them. They were just very easy to talk to and very relaxed about most things and she liked that. They ate and made small talk for awhile before her and Eli left the table.

"Are you okay?" he asked after the night before the way she had acted so weirdly and then showing up really early he thought maybe something was going on with her.

"I just wanted to say sorry about last night. I really like you but it hasn't been easy for me. That's not really fair to you" she bit her lip nervously. She suddenly felt vulnerable again and she hated that feeling.

"it's okay to be scared you know. You don't need to act like nothing ever hurts you. You're human at least last time I checked and that's just how this all works but if you're afraid of getting hurt all the time you're going to be missing out on life'

"You should be a motivational speaker" she said and playfully rolled her eyes to avoid getting too much into the conversation.

"What can I say it's a gift" he smirked. He knew not to continue the serious conversation because she clearly wasn't ready. Julia was grateful that he understood. It made her feel that much more comfortable with him. She knew she would have to open up to him sooner or later she felt she owed him that much.

What Julia didn't realise was Eli had some things to hide. He hadn't been himself lately, he was tired all the time, he didn't sleep well, he just felt really low but he wasn't the type to face his feelings he would rather pretend everything was fine. He tried to put all his focus into his relationship with Julia. As time went on the two had finally gotten close and Julia was finally starting to let her guard down. She spent more time with him to avoid her step mom and things were working for awhile but when her dad came home from a business trip and Eli became more depressed and started spending less time with her she started to feel alone again.

Her father wasn't much better than her step mom, he had loved her in the past but since her mom killed herself he blamed Julia, said it was all her fault and often resorted to taking his anger out on her. One night in particular things were really bad, her dad had been drinking and it scared her because when he was drunk it brought out an even darker side to him. When he started talking about her mother that's when she knew she had to leave. She didn't even take anything with her she just made her way to Eli's place. She knew where they hid the spare key and used it to unlock the door before quietly walking in. She gently knocked on Eli's door before stepping inside. He appeared to be asleep so she quietly took off her shoes and got in bed beside him. It was then that she realised something was wrong. He was hardly breathing and his body was shaking slightly. She shook him gently "Eli? Hey….can you hear me?" when he didn't answer she started to panic. She shook him harder "Eli! Wake up!" she started to panic it tool her right back to the moment she had found her mother. She got up and ran to where Bullfrog was recording the radio show. She burst in the door without even knocking. "Something's wrong with Eli" she was breathing heavily and tears streamed down her face. He instantly stopped what he was doing and rushed out of the room with her. All the commotion woke Cece who followed them to Eli's room. Bullfrog went to his side to see what was happening and Cece dialed 911 with shaking hands.

Paramedics rushed to the scene and drove Eli to the nearest hospital. Bullfrog followed close behind in his car with Cece and Bullfrog. When they arrived all the could do was wait Julia was crying uncontrollably, usually she would try not to but this was all too familiar to her. She remembered waiting here for news on her mom and that ended horribly. That was the day her life fell apart and it was happening all over again. She was going to lose the one person she had. Bullfrog went to find out if there was any news, Cece turned her attention to Julia. She gently took her hand in hers. "Don't worry. He's going to be alright" it seemed she was mostly trying to convince herself and not Julia.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting doctors gave them the news. Eli had overdosed on painkillers. They said he was going to be fine but a psychologist was going to have to evaluate him. Of course they were all relieved but Julia felt very unsettled. When Eli did wake he insisted it had been an accident. Julia let herself believe it because that's what she wanted to believe even though deep down she knew that wasn't true. It seemed to be good enough for doctors and her parents so it had to be good enough for her. That night she stayed by his side all night. When Eli had fallen back to sleep Julia did something she never thought she'd do. She opened up to Cece. "My mom killed herself a few years ago. She had been sick for a long time…I don't want to lose Eli too"

"It was just an accident. He's not going to hurt himself" although deep down Cece was doubtful about that. They had all convinced themselves that Eli was fine. He didn't seem depressed, he didn't seem to be self harming. You don't just randomly try to kill yourself. Of course the didn't realise he had been depressed for weeks. He was good at hiding it even now none of them even thought he was depressed. Not even the doctors. Of course they kept him under observation but he told them what they wanted to hear and that was enough for them.

When he got home things had shifted, the whole ordeal had brought Julia closer to his parents and now they were slightly more worried about him than before. He had to try and piece his life back together. He was just grateful that the sinking sadness had slowly passed. He decided it had just been a phase, maybe a crazy teenage hormone thing and he let it go and got on with his life and trying to adjust to subtle yet significant changes...