Disclaimer: I'm so poor you would probably lose money if you sued me.

The pair talked until it became too dark to see the woods for the trees, the city seemingly falling asleep around them, and yet, they stayed, sharing the comfort of that hand. Eli was still in disbelief at how easily he could share with her and Holly J was just thankful that she didn't have to say anything to be understood.

They joined hands and used their cell phones as crude flashlights, being careful to not trip on any stray roots. They laughed as the sounds of traffic slowly replaced the sounds of the crickets and they blinked as the orange buzz of the streetlight polluted the beauty of the moonlight. The drive home was comfortable and relaxing, both agreeing that they should "do this again sometime" but making no solid plans for where or when.

Eli slept better than he had since Clare left, and the realization scared him a little. He liked having an actual conversation with someone, rather than just the little status updates that seemed to be how everyone communicated these days. He just told himself that it was just because he was lonely, that if Adam were there then he wouldn't feel any sort of attachment, or fondness, or whatever this was towards Holly J. It wasn't like he was developing romantic feelings for her, far from it, but there was a certain amount of pleasure gained from being around her.

Holly J didn't sleep at all, nights like that becoming more and more frequent since graduation. She had just opened up to a total stranger and he didn't run away. He didn't think she was crazy for loving Declan but not wanting to be with him. He showed a genuine interest in her and he didn't want to get under her skirt. But, he wasn't exactly the type that she could invite to hang out on a Friday night. Not that Holly J was ashamed to be seen with him or anything, but they were from total opposite ends of the spectrum. He drove a hearse, for Christ's sake.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I can't believe your parents gave you a car for graduation…" Eli started as he leaned over the side, his hands elbow deep in the engine.

"Hey, it's partly a birthday present too. And it's not like it's new, obviously," Sav defended. A few days after the night with Holly J, he had texted Eli asking him to come take a look at the car and see if he could do some general maintenance on it. After how well Eli repaired his dad's truck, Sav knew that he could trust his new baby in Eli's hands.

"Well, you got a good deal. It's in good shape for having 85,000 miles on it. No obvious body damage, only thing that really needs replacing is a hose. Just, uh, make sure you don't speed," Eli joked as he wiped off his hands on a towel.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'm not doing anything to risk getting this thing taken away," and he lovingly patted the roof. Eli could only chuckle, knowing how much Morty meant to him. "Hey, so you're coming to my party, right?"

"What party?"

"My birthday/graduation party in two weeks, first weekend of July. It's going to be pandemic, dude."

"Um, sure. Send me the details on FaceRange or something and I'll be there," Eli said with a smile as the two entered the house. A party. Now that was something to look forward to.

"I'll do that tonight. Want something to drink?"

"Yeah, thanks. Do you have anyplace I could wash my hands?" Eli asked.

"Go up the stairs, first door on the left, right across from my sister's room," Sav answered as he poured two glasses of lemonade. Eli nodded and jogged up the stairs, finding the bathroom easily. Even though the door was closed, he could hear Alli's ringtone. Backstreet Boys. Typical. He shook his head and chuckled, lathering the soap in his hands, washing the remaining grease off.

"So, was it a good kiss?" Eli heard through the door. He found it amusing that girls were way worse than guys when it came to kissing and telling. Guys always got the bad rap that all they ever did was talk about sex, but you could be sure that if a girl got some, her friends knew every detail. Eli couldn't help but listen.

"You guys broke up?... It's only been a week and a half… Well, I'm proud of you…" there were many giggles in between sentences and Eli could only shake his head. He would never understand girls. He opened the bathroom door, getting bored of eavesdropping until he heard, "Saint Clare, only you could pick up a guy at Jesus camp…"

It was like the wind had been knocked out of him. He couldn't breathe. He felt nauseous. He had to have heard wrong. Yeah, that was it. Too much loud music in the car. The door made it hard to hear anything correctly. There was no way that Clare Edwards, his Clare, would do that to him. They didn't break up; they were on a break. There was a difference, a big difference.

"I'm sure your mom will be happy though. After Eli, anyone would make your mom happy," he heard filtered through the wood. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing to keep from hyperventilating. She was cheating on him. She was cheating on him at bible camp, of all places. And, the worst part was that she didn't think she was cheating on him, since, to her, they had broken up after the funeral. His stomach turned and he ran back into the bathroom, releasing its contents into the toilet. His whole world was crashing down around him and there was nothing he could do.

Eli sat on the cool tile floor, wiping the saliva off his lip. A pair of pink flip-flops stood in front of him as he opened his eyes. He slowly looked up at the messenger, still with her phone in her hand.

"Clare? Maybe… maybe you should call Eli tonight. I don't think he knew that you guys were over."

A/N: As always, thanks for reading and review! Love you!