Hey guys! Thank you so much for the reviews/subscriptions/alerts. They mean a lot to me, and the feedback gives you more updates. Also, school is winding down, so forgive me if updates come a bit slower than usual. Please enjoy the fourth chapter of "Magic Eli"...
Twitter: TheCliffyG
No Beta Reader, so ignore mistakes if any :)
PLEASE NOTE: At the end of the last chapter, Eli was "purging"!
Magic Eli
CLARE
"Hey...are you okay?" I asked softly, trying not to startle him, but failing miserably when his entire body jerked backwards. I analyzed his face, his jaw bone weak, as he wiped away some substance off the side of his chapped lips.
"I'm fine. What are you going out here?" his tone was harsh, but I decided to disregard his slight attitude, "I'm a diner girl...and diner girls have to take out the two hundred pound bag of garbage after a shift."
He eyed the bag that was beside me, then whispered, "I'm sorry for the smell...the food must've gotten to me."
"It's funny, how you managed to look perfectly fine two minutes ago...but now, your shirt had tiny pieces of thrown up burger on it," I pointed to his shirt, and then hauled the heavy bag over my shoulder into the garbage.
"You're strong for a petite girl like yourself," I smiled, "I live on my own, I have to be strong to defend myself."
An awkward tension arose between us, as his hands were dug into his pockets, and his face grew paler as each second passed. His once strong, radiant green eyes were turning dull, "Are you alright? You really don't look too well. Do you need me to walk you home or something?"
He coughed loudly, walking by me, as he mumbled through hacks, "I'm fine. No thank you. Have a good one."
And just like that, he was gone.
ELI
"I'll pay you extra for two hours in my car..."
"I'm sorry, I'm not exactly feeling well."
"You're fine, let's go. I paid my money, I want my prize."
"Seriously m'am, any other night...I just don't feel good."
"Dazed and delirious is what I'm looking for. Let's go hot shot, you've got a long two hours ahead of you."
That's the last thing I remember before waking up in a parking lot, face down with my stomach in knots and only my pants on. I groaned into the cement, a wave of nausea overpowering my senses as I eyed my body through half-lidded eyes.
The strangers fingernail marks had successfully covered my bare chest, some blood oozing out of the ones on my side. My lips were chapped to a grotesque extent, and my lower region was throbbing from intense soreness.
"Hey man! You have a long night?" The voice was strong, and overbearingly powerful in my ears.
A cold hand touched my shoulder, and I hissed, "Don't touch me!"
"Hey buddy, it's just me...it's Jake. Hey, stop!" When I kept walking, Jake gripped my shoulder blade and I gasped, pushing him away with a rough shove. He looked at me with a worried gaze, and tears formed in my eyes, "It was a rough night, that's all."
Jake pushed his hand on my shoulder, forcing my eyes to look at him, "Dude, man what happened? You're all upset too, I can see it in your eyes."
Tears streamed down my cheeks, as I managed to hold back a sob, "She was all over me man...my stomach was killing me...but she just kept touching and touching and touching...and touching! I couldn't stop her. I-I can't do this anymore Jake, I can't."
I leaned against the silver lining of the fence, and breathed out, "I can't take the touching, the scratching, the constant assault. I used to think this job was for me, that women being all over me would never be a problem...but this, what I have to go through, is just downright wrong."
"Maybe you just need a day off?" I chuckled darkly, "No Jake, I need to get my life together. I'm just a person, I'm easily broken...can't you see that!"
I pointed to my chest, and Jake groaned, as he unbuttoned his flannel shirt. He turned it to me, and said, "You need it more than me. Here, put this on and I'll drive you home. I'll cover you tonight, and I'll tell Ted that your grandma's dog's pet fish that has a gerbil died..."
A smirk curled up on my lips, as I slipped the flannel shirt on. I wrapped my arms around Jake, burying my head into his neck, and my body began to shake. The shaking was always an occurrence after a night like last night. But I forced a smile, even though the tears were streaming down my cheeks, because I knew that I'd always have my best friend...
CLARE
"He didn't even give me a chance to give him back the money Fi. He just stormed off," I sat down at an empty table, letting out a small huff, as Fiona touched my hand, forcing my eyes to look into hers, "Honey, love doesn't come at a cheap price. If you really like him, you have to push, and you have to find out if he likes you back. The dude obviously likes you somewhat, he left those hickeys all over your neck."
"That's his job," I mumbled, glaring down at the table.
"Did he moan?" Fiona asked, and I looked up at her, "Are you seriously asking-."
"It's a simple question Clare, did he moan or not?" she persisted, pushing her question, "I guess so...I mean, I felt the vibration coming from his throat on my chest so I guess-."
She jumped up, squealing, "He obviously is 'in-like' with you Clare! He was probably just sick last night. Zig doesn't make the best food around, and plus, he did down those plates in less than an hour."
"That is true..."
"Clare, you need to get out there! I mean, what's the worst that could happen? So you get rejected, you cry for a day and then get over it. It's just a day of crying, but at least you'll know," she smiled encouragingly, as I threw a dish rag playfully at her, "It's not fair, you have a girlfriend who loves you...but I'm just here, stuck at home plate with a male stripper."
"He'll come around Clare," she patted my shoulder, as Spin shouted, "Let's go Clare, table six requested you."
I walked over to table six, seeing my usual, Joe Hegel. He's a seventy two year old widow, with one of the most interesting pasts I've heard of before. One night, about a year ago, he came into the diner, and told me about his life over a beer. At first I was creeped out, I must admit, but then as his story went on, I actually grew captivated by his life. When I was originally supposed to close down the Dot at midnight, I ended up walking out side by side with Joe at four in the morning.
"Clare, I told Spinner over there I wanted you as my waitress. I hope you don't mind," he smiled softly, and I grinned, "Of course I don't Joe, how have you been doing? Did you flush the new fish down the toilet by accident again?"
He laughed, "Hey, I told you that one was an accident...the little guy slipped right in from the fish bowl."
"Sure he did Joe, sure he did," I teased, jotting down Joe's "regular", before jogging into the kitchen, to see Zig, with a bright, shinny smile on his face. He wasn't even doing anything fun, just flipping greasy burgers, and nodding his head to a beat that was nonexistent.
"What's got you so happy and giddy-like?" I asked, approaching Zig as he flopped a burger onto a patty, and made a smiley face out of ketchup on it. I grinned awkwardly, as he handed me the dish, "Well, if you must know...Clare Edwards, I started talking to a girl. A girl that I know will never break my heart, and my hopes are high up in the air. I'm happy because she's funny, quirky, and completely different than me. Opposites attract and thank God they do."
"I'm glad you found someone Zig. But just, just make sure you don't break her heart," I placed a hand on his arm, and he smiled, "I wouldn't do any such thing. I'd never break a girl's heart, they're fragile creatures...who need to be treated with love, care, and given the ability to trust."
"It's sad that a teenage boy knows more about what women want than actual men," he pushed another plate at me, and stuck his tongue out, "If I didn't know Edwards, I'd say you were flirting with me."
"Dream on boy," I walked out of the doors, placing the dishes on their rightful tables.
Tonight, I'll go look for Eli at the club...and if he isn't there, then I know, it wasn't meant to be.
END OF CHAPTER 4
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