Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi.
Last chapter! :)
They all trailed after her like lost and excited puppies. She walked on foot and pulled her bike along. A broad smile was planted on her sweet lips. And somehow, she didn't feel exhausted. Even though, she had been hunting down clues for three hours and had cried too many times to count. Her spirits were high and wide. Her stomach was made of swirls and butterflies. Everything was okay. Everything would work out. And this was the first time in months that she felt like that. The first time in months that she felt hope.
Whispers were heard behind her and Clare giggled at their hushed voices. People of all ages followed her.
"I heard that they are engaged."
"Well, I heard that their love is forbidden, which is why the boy is doing this."
"How romantic…Why can't I have a boy like Elijah Goldsworthy?"
Clare continued to walk with that special smile. She passed by the man and woman house and glanced up at them. And she started to think that maybe, just maybe, being in love with Eli wasn't so bad. Maybe it was worth everything that they had gone through. Sure, parts of their relationship had been hell, but those things couldn't cancel out any of their good times. How they told each other everything in the darkness of the night and the coming of dawn. And how they shared that night where everything was set out and open and naked and so completely new.
With the thought of that night, the one where she gave everything to him, she stopped and jumped onto her bike. Her purity ring was glistening in the sun. The coffee and papers in the wicker basket was trembling and shaking. Adrenalin pumped through her almost on fire veins. A buzz and a spark zapped through her body. The bike seat was electric and she started to pedal; slow at first, but then, her speed increased. Her legs began to feel sore, that's how hard her legs were pumping. She heard the shouts from behind her.
"Clare Edwards! What are you doing?"
"Where's Elijah Goldsworthy?"
But Clare kept pedaling. The wind battled with force, but she continued to fight.
She would always fight to see Elijah Goldsworthy.
.
.
.
The wooden bench has many scratches on it. Many scribbles of phone numbers. Many crude words and faces and gestures. But one thing that always caught Clare's eye, was the little heart on the side. The little heart that has her name in it and it's written messily, but neat. It's almost cursive, but it's clear that it's not.
Well, she can see her name on the bench. It's written next to him.
Elijah Goldsworthy.
He has a book in his rugged hands and he doesn't even acknowledge Clare. He continues to read and flip through the pages, not even glancing up. And Clare stands in front of him, her bike next to her on its stand and looks at him, trying to get him to notice her.
"I have the clues." She speaks, and her voice is nervous and almost raw. Eli doesn't look up from his book and still doesn't speak to her. Clare huffs slightly and takes a seat next to him, "And I know that I'm a little bit late and I'm sorry, but-"
"Edwards?"
"Yeah?"
"Just let me finish the page."
She looks taken-aback, but stays quiet and still. It's a bit eerie, considering that they were the only ones on the street. she had left all of the racers and they were far behind. When she hears the book snap shut, Clare's head pops up and looks at his curious eyes.
"Nice day, isn't it, Edwards?"
Clare scoffs and rolls her eyes, but she can feel the blush reach the apples of her cheeks. "Can't we just cut to the chase? No small talk?" She says snarkily, her nose raising high in the air.
"Ouch!"And that word sets the mood. Clare feels her heart thump and pound, "Do you really want to get rid of me?"
Clare leans back into the wooden bench and lets her head rest on the rugged wood, "No. Not really," She picks off an invisible piece of lint from her shirt, "But I do want to know why I ran all around the city. Care to explain?"
Eli squints at the sun and smirks. "Nahhh," Clare's eyes widen, but before she says anything, he lets out a laugh, "I'm just joking, Edwards. ...But, first, I want you to explain to me what you think about this. And I'll tell you if you're right." Eli nods towards the wicker basket on the bike and clare jumps up to collect her treasures.
Once everything is in her hands, she stands in front of Eli with the coffee in her hand. "Alright. First, you sent me to your house for morty...because, well,...I actually don't know?"
"Eh. CeCe and Bullfrog love you, Edwards. I had to involve them in this plan somehow."
Clare lets out a little giggle and nods, "Okay. So. This coffee? I'm guessing it's because we were drinking it when we first sat here?" Eli gives her a nod of encouragement, "And the tattoo parlor? Our first date?"
Eli chuckled and leaned back, his arms beneath his head casually, "Yes. And because they absolutely love us."
Clare sets down the coffee and picks up the apple and the two papers. Even the one sopping with mud. Eli grimaces at it and tries to hide his smirk. Clare looks at him defensively, "What? I had a bit of a problem with the wind."
"Details, details."
Clare huffs. "Anyway, the apple. Um. You were eating an apple when we were sitting on this bench. And the two pieces of paper have our grades on it! Which, was what we were working on!"
"Yours was the bad grade."
"Thanks, Eli."
Clare settled back down to the spot next to him. She could feel the warmth of his flesh and she almost shivered with pleasure. She liked how he still smelled the same and smiled the same. She liked how he still squinted his eyes even when the sun wasn't even that bright. God, she missed him.
"Why here?" She asks suddenly, her gaze focused on her hands.
Eli shrugs and sighs, his shoulders falling dramatically, "This was the beginning. I mean, sure, we met when I ran over your glasses, but this is when I knew that i could easily fall in love with you. And I guess that I just wanted to show you that...my feelings haven't changed. I can still be the guy that you fell in love with."
"Oh, Eli-"
"I've been going to therapy. I've been slowly cleaning out my room, with help of my parents. I'm taking anti-anxiety pills. And, I'm not going to lie, some days are shit, but I feel better at the end of the day. And...I feel myself becoming stronger and letting things go. And I want to gain your trust back. I want to prove to you that I'm getting help. I want to prove to you that it won't ever be like that April night again."
"Eli. You don't have to prove anything! I messed up, too! And I should be the one gaining your trust." Clare wails and bites her lip, her sharp teeth digging deep into her sensitive flesh.
"We both did things wrong...but I want to fix that up. And okay. We'll...work up to how we 'll slowly get there. Slowly, but surely." He lets a large grin settle on his lips.
And Clare grins, her white teeth flashing. "One step at a time, right?"
Eli nods and glances at the bike, his eyes distant, "Hey...Can we practice the gaining of the trust back now?"
Oh, lord.
.
.
.
She is on the handle bars and her eyes are clenched shut. Her heart is beating and thumping and that's all she hears. Her grip on the bars tighten and her knuckles turn a pure white. And Clare tries to remember what Eli had said. He had said that she just had to trust him. He wouldn't let her go.
That seemed okay at the time, but now, every pebble seemed like a massive stone that would make her fall.
"Trust me, Edwards." His voice creeps up her neck and sets fire to her heart, "Just open your eyes."
And she does.
Everything is Ultraviolet. The wind and the trees and the screams and cheers of the people that they passed. (Even the men from the tattoo parlor watched them ride off, their pierced faces smiling with smiles that had only come out for this moment.)
Clare Edwards could feel the air moving and shifting around her. Everything was spreading and retracting. Everything was becoming clear and hazy. She couldn't even figure anything out. But when Eli laughed loudly behind her, she didn't want to figure anything out. And she let out a loud scream of joy that made everything even clearer and hazier. It was ultraviolet.
And these things would stay ultraviolet.
Always.
Attack of the fluff. ;) Haha.
Wow. I want to thank you all. This is the first story on here that I've finished and I wouldn't have finished it without your kind words. Thank you so much for reading this. :)