Chapter 10: When You're Ready

Clare walked up Eli's steps after school, her feet as heavy as bricks. Clare hadn't seen Eli at school at all since the fight, so she assumed that Principal Simpson had sent him home. She knew that she needed to fix what she had broken. Clare couldn't live with herself knowing that she hurt Eli. He didn't deserve to be hurt, especially when Clare's actions were the cause.

Slowly, Clare lifted her arm and knocked on the door. She waited a few seconds, but there was no answer. She looked at the driveway, and there was Morty. She touched the hood, noticing that it was cold, giving away that Eli had been here a while. So he's not even gonna answer the door. Wonderful, Clare thought, scoffing. She knew she was in the wrong, but he had to be descent enough to let her explain.

"I know you're home, Eli!" Clare yelled at the house. "It's kinda hard hiding when your car is in the driveway!" Clare waited a couple minutes, and came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to answer the door. She called his cell phone a few times, but still no answer. "Fine, I'll just wait!" she yelled, planting herself on his front porch. He had to come out eventually.

A half hour later, Clare heard Eli's front door click open, and she quickly spun around.

"You're not going away, are you?" Eli asked, a frown plastered on his pale face. His eyes were red. Had he been crying, Clare wondered, wanting so badly to just hold him. She noticed a bruise on Eli's cheekbone, obviously from the fight.

Clare stood her ground, unyielding. "Nope. Not until you hear me out Eli." Clare took a step toward him, but he took one step back. "This isn't like you. The Eli I know would give me a chance to explain." She crossed her arms.

"And the Clare I know wouldn't cheat," Eli retorted, starting to close the door. Clare jumped forward, shoving the door open with all her strength. She forced her way through the door, closing it behind her. This tactic worked for KC, Clare might as well try it.

"Would you stop being such a hard-ass?" Clare asked, shocking Eli. He wasn't used to Clare talking in this manner. "What happened with Simpson?"

"Gave me a two day suspension. Zero tolerance, remember?" Eli answered, his hands in his blazer's pockets, staring Clare down.

"Well, fighting is never the answer, Eli. Sorry you had to learn the hard way."

"Yeah, and you don't have to worry about your precious KC. I fessed up that I started the fight, so he wasn't suspended. Just got a few detentions. The justice system fails yet again," he scoffed, looking down at his scuffed up shoes.

Clare rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm sick of this. I have absolutely no feelings for KC!" she exclaimed, lifting her arms in exasperation. "Come on," she said, walking towards the couch in his living room. She looked up at him, her eyes asking him to sit down next to her. Eli simply leaned against the banister.

"Talk," was all Eli said.

This is my chance, Clare thought. My chance to make things right, so don't mess up. "KC was my first boyfriend, which is special. When he left me for Jenna, it hurt. A lot." Tears began to form in Clare's eyes again, but not because of KC. They were tears of desperation to get Eli back. "When you get dumped, you don't really get closure. And, I thought I was fine. I lied to myself that I didn't want him back, but you don't stop loving someone just because they ask you to." Upon hearing this Eli breathed loudly, shaking his head in protest.

Before he could throw a counter-argument at her, Clare continued, her voice softened. "But then, you came into my life, and I knew that I could have a fresh start." Clare thought back to when they first met, and Eli had accidentally run over her glasses. "You saved me, Eli," Clare confessed, looking intently at him. She knew she'd lose if she didn't show that she had control.

When she said that, Eli looked up, his eyes growing softer.

Clare stood up and walked towards Eli. "When KC kissed me, it hit a nerve. It crossed some wires, and my old feelings came back, but that was only cause I never had closure. We talked this morning, and we worked things out. He only thought he wanted me back, but he really needed me for comfort. He's going through a really tough time. I want you to know, that I am truly, deeply sorry for hurting you. You're the last person that I would ever want to hurt, Eli, and I'm begging you to forgive me." Clare paused. "You showed me that there is love after love. And I taught you that too." Clare grabbed Eli's hand, squeezing it tight. Eli gave her a small smile, and then he looked down at his hand. In it was the jewelry case. He thought he had lost it during the fight. He looked at Clare, confused.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, opening the lid. There was the bracelet.

"I found it in the hallway. It's beautiful," she commented, searching his face for an emotion. He simply stared at the bracelet, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was thinking. "You can give it to me when you're ready," Clare chided, kissing Eli on the cheek and heading for the door. As she walked out the door, she waited for Eli to say something, but nothing left his mouth. He simply stared at the bracelet, and then watched Clare leave. He needed time to mull things over.

Clare closed the door behind her, and walked towards her bike. There, she had done it. She confessed everything. Now, the rest was up to Eli. If he wanted to give her a second chance, she would take him in with open arms. If he didn't, she wasn't going to force anything upon him. Clare prayed that Eli would come back to her. She needed him, more than he could know.