We're all looking at a different picture through this new frame of mind. A thousand flowers could bloom. Portishead

Eli was walking home after yet another encounter with Holly J. An encounter that he had not only failed to rebuff, despite all of his resolve, but that he had escalated. Really, what the fuck was wrong with him?

And she glued his lock shut? Seriously, the girl was nuts. It was unbelievable and manipulative and…really awesome, he admitted to himself. It showed forward thinking, and strategic planning, and a level of sneakiness that he deeply admired. He chuckled again before he could stop himself. He had to admit that it was kind of flattering to have a girl put forth so much effort just to get his attention.

Then there was the way she looked at him when she told him she wasn't afraid of him. He knew as soon as she said it that he wouldn't be able to walk away like he intended to. Eli frowned when he realized the direction his thoughts had taken. He should be using his time to Clare back, not lusting after Holly J. He wanted Clare. Holly J was just a distraction. A really beautiful, sexy distraction. A distraction with really great… Okay, back on track. So, he was attracted to Holly J. It didn't make him a bad person. Just human. With a lot of pent up hormones.

Clare obviously didn't want him around right now. Maybe he'd give her some time to sort through her feelings and get over being angry at him for crashing his car. Eventually she'd get over it and realize that they were meant to be together. Meanwhile, Holly J obviously wanted him. While he might question her sanity, she didn't seem like she was going to take no for an answer, and he didn't feel especially inclined to tell her no. It couldn't hurt to spend a little time around her and see what happened. He and Clare were broken up, after all. And it wasn't like he was interested in a serious relationship with Holly J. He just needed to get this bizarre attraction out of his system and move on.

Suddenly, he laughed again. She'd superglued his lock closed. She hadn't even tried to hide it, just freely told him what she did. Holly J has quite a pair on her Eli thought admiringly and shook his head.

Holly J was literally glowing as she walked into school the next morning. She could not wait to see Eli. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy because of a boy. A long time, she decided. When she'd gotten to dialysis yesterday, she's been teased the whole session by the nurses and techs. She hadn't bothered to look in the mirror after she left the school and the staff immediately decided that her smeared make up and mussed hair were the result of a new boyfriend. She hadn't even been able to deny it, she'd just blushed like ad eight year old with a crush.

She was dying to tell Fiona and Anya, but she had decided last night that she couldn't. Well not yet, anyway. It wouldn't be fair to start blabbing about her and Eli without even talking to him about it first. They hadn't really settled anything yesterday. There was also Sav to consider. She had been lying in bed last night happily reliving her time with Eli when she had been struck with a horrifying thought. Eli and Sav were friends. She couldn't just let him find out through the Degrassi grapevine. She had to tell him herself. Just because they had broken up didn't mean she didn't care deeply about him as a friend. She really didn't want him to think that she broken up with him and then ran right out to hook up with one of his friends. Even though she sort of had.

So, she needed to have a long talk with Eli today about where they were going with this. Then she was going to tell Fi and Ayn every single detail. Holly J smiled and spun the dial on her lock. As she was opening the door a piece of white paper fell and started to drift to the floor. She caught it in mid air and read the words scribbled on it. Meet me after school in the parking lot. Eli. Holly J tucked the note in her history book. Obviously they were on the same page.

"Hey HJ," she looked up as Fiona and Anya walked over to her.

"Hey guys." Holly J beamed at them.

"Aren't we just the bright and cheery girl this morning," Fiona arched a brow. "So, wanna go to the movies after school today?"

"Oh, guys. Sorry. I can't." Holly J's buoyant mood evaporated and she felt a little nauseated. "I have…plans," she finished lamely, flushing guiltily at that last part.

"No prob. Maybe this weekend, then." Fiona looked closely at Holly J. She could see the blush creeping up her friend's neck. There was obviously more going on than Holly J was telling. "So, are you working?"

"What?" Holly J was trying to stall so she could figure out how to evade the truth without actually full out lying.

"Tonight? Are you working? Is that why you can't go out with us?" Fiona glanced over at Anya before fixing Holly J with a stare.

"Oh. No. Nope, not working. I just have some things to take care of. Gotta go. Morning announcements. Bye." Holly J felt like she practically sprinted down the hall. God, she was so not subtle. They had to know something was going on. Very smooth she thought to herself and groaned.

She didn't see the look that Fiona and Anya were exchanging back at her locker.

Holly J hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and looked up and down the hallway. Once she was sure the coast was clear she made a beeline for the main entrance.

"Hey Holly J. Off on your mysterious errands?" Holly J screamed loudly and embarrassingly as she almost cannoned into Anya.

"Geeze," Fiona rubbed her ear and looked at her friend as if she had lost her mind. "Are you trying to deafen us so you can go all Miracle Worker for your community service?"

"God. Sorry." Holly J pressed a hand to her racing heart. "I didn't see you guys there."

"Clearly." Anya started to snicker. "I felt like I was in Looney Tunes for a minute about to get run over by Wiley Coyote."

"Yes, well. I have been thinking about going out for the track team." Holly J took a deep breath and smiled. "I thought you guys would be at the movies by now."

"We thought we'd stick around and see if you wanted some company. We can go to the movies anytime." Fiona watched Holly J's face closely and didn't miss the slightly panicked look that appeared.

"What? No, really. It's fine. Go enjoy the movie. See you tomorrow." Holly J skirted around her friends and ran down the hall. She tried to push down the sick feeling in her stomach as she ran. She hated this feeling. The minute she got things straightened out with Eli, she was calling her friends and coming clean.

Fiona and Anya walked over to the window, watching their friend run out into the parking lot and walk over to Eli who was leaning against his hearse.

"What the hell?" Fiona frowned and practically pressed her face to the glass for a better look.

"Maybe he's just giving her a ride?" Anya squinted and moved closer to the window. She saw Eli push himself away from the car and grab Holly J's waist before dropping his head and kissing her. For a very long time. "Um, did you just see what I saw or am I hallucinating?"

"If so, I ate the same 'shrooms you did." Fiona pulled back as the pair in the parking lot broke apart and got into the car. "Curiouser and curiousier."

"Do you think they're, you know, having sex? That kiss was pretty hot." Anya bit her lip and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

"I don't know, but I am so finding out. No way is she keeping a juicy secret like this from us." Fiona shook her head then smiled. "It is going to be so much fun fucking with her about this one."

Holly J glanced over at Eli and smiled. He was so sexy. She couldn't believe she had never noticed it before. Thank God I came to my senses, Holly J thought.

"What?" Eli glanced over, cocked an eyebrow and looked back at the road.

"What what?" Holly J smiled again.

"You're staring." Eli gave her that smirk that she found so distracting.

"I was just wondering where we were going."

"Nowhere, anywhere. Driving." Eli shrugged.

"Wow, could you be vaguer?" Holly J laughed.

"Sorry for the cryptic. I'm just happy to have by boy back." Eli patted the steering wheel lovingly. "I can't believe that my parents actually fixed Morty and then let me have him back."

"Why? What happened?" She leaned her head back against the seat and looked over at him again.

"I crashed him the night of the dance." Holly J could tell by the look on his face that he didn't want to talk about it, so she let it drop.

"I'm glad you wanted to meet me today. I kind of wanted to talk to you about some stuff." She bit her lip and looked down at hands, suddenly nervous.

"That sounds serious."

"Sort of. Eli, what are we doing?" She glanced up at him from under her lashes.

"Driving." Eli's face was impassive as he stared at the road ahead.

"No, I mean us." She dropped her eyes again. That wasn't exactly the response she had been hoping for. Great, I'm about to get rejected, she thought and swallowed the huge lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

"I don't know," Eli looked over at her and sighed. "I know that I think you are sexy as hell. You turn me on like no other girl that I've ever met. I like that you're not afraid of me and that you don't take my shit. Other than that…"

"Oh." Holly J was afraid to look at him. She couldn't remember the last time that she had wanted something this much. She didn't want to look up and realize that she wasn't going to get it.

"What do you want Holly J?" Eli's voice was hesitant.

Holly J shrugged and looked out the window. "I just know that I want you. But if we're going to be together, there's something that I have to do first." She held her breath and waited for him to shoot her down, but instead he sighed again.

"Like?"

"I just broke up with Sav. I realized that I couldn't be his girlfriend anymore, but I still want to be his friend. So I need to tell him about this myself before he finds out through the Degrassi grapevine. I don't want to hurt him." She finally looked over at him, but found his expression unreadable.

"Shit. I didn't even think about Sav. I really suck at this friend thing" Eli frowned at the road and shook his head. "I kind of know what you mean though. I wouldn't want Clare to find out about this from someone else, either."

"So, what are we going to do?" So he wasn't going to flat out reject her. Holly J breathed a little sigh of relief.

"Maybe…" Eli hesitated for a second, then continued, "Maybe we should just let it go for a while before we tell anyone."

"You don't want to tell anyone?" Holly J felt her breath hitch and her voice cracked. "Are you embarrassed to admit that you might like me?"

"No. It's just… I don't really know you Holly J. I want to have some time with you before any drama starts. You know?"

"Yeah, I guess." Holly J cleared her throat and nodded.

"Look, if you're not cool with it, then we'll tell everyone. I'll hijack morning announcements tomorrow."

She laughed under her breath and replied, "No, I guess we should figure out what this is before we tell anyone." She couldn't help but smile when Eli reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Okay." Eli nodded and let out a breath. "Do you mind if we stop by my place for a few minutes? I need to change my clothes. This uniform is giving me an allergic reaction."

Holly J sat down on the couch to wait for Eli. She looked around and couldn't help but smile. It was obvious from the décor that his parents were just as eccentric as Eli himself. Her gaze swept over the coffee table and then zeroed in on a particular magazine. Gothic Tales. Excellent. She had read a few issues in the past, but hadn't seen this one yet. She paged through the magazine until a familiar name caught her eye. Stalker Angel by Eli Goldsworthy and Clare Edwards. She tucked her hair behind her ear and began to read. When she was done she flipped the pages back to read it a second time. She was so caught up in the story that she didn't hear Eli come into the room.

"Okay, you ready to…" Eli's voice trailed off as he saw what she was reading.

Holly J looked up at him, "Eli, you wrote this?"

"Um. Yes?" He shifted his weight uncomfortably and crossed his arms.

"Oh, my god." Holly J shook her head and looked back down at the magazine. "This is amazing. It's so beautiful. I can' believe I know someone who can write like this," she let out a half laugh and looked back at him again.

"Wait," Eli held up one hand and looked closely at her, "you like it?"

"No," Holly J shook her head, "I love it."

"You don't think it's creepy?" Eli was frowning, now.

"Why would I think it's creepy?" Holly J frowned back.

"Well, that's a first." Eli huffed out a breath and shook his head.

"What do you mean?"

"That story caused several people to question my mental stability." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the carpet. "Even Clare freaked out over the ending."

"Why? It's about soul mates, right?" Eli jerked his head up suddenly and looked at her sharply. "Taking part of the person that you love and making it a part of you. Forever. It's really poetic." She stopped talking when she realized that he was starting at her. "What?"

Instead of answering he walked over to the couch, pushed her back and kissed her.

"What was that for?" Holly J let out a shaky breath.

"You are the only one that has gotten that story. Really gotten it." Eli was looking at her like he'd never seen her before.

"Oh. You seem kind of surprised." She smiled, but the searching look he was giving her was tying her stomach into knots.

"Well, you don't seem like the type of girl that would read much horror fiction."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Eli. I read a lot of things."

"Oh, yeah?" He stretched out on the couch next to her. "Like what?"

"Jonathan Carroll is one of my favorites. His writing is like a beautiful mind fuck." She struggled to keep her voice even because he was giving her that sexy smirk again.

"Hmm…what else?" He whispered seductively into her ear.

"Um, Stephen King, Kafka, Faulkner…" she gasped a he bit down lightly on her earlobe.

"Go on, I'm listening." He began trailing a line of kisses across her jaw. "What do you think about Poe?"

"I think that he's really…." Her voice gave out on her when he began to leave a trail of open mouthed kisses down her neck. Holly J groaned and gasped out, "How am I supposed to talk about books if you're going to do that?"

"I can't help it, it's so sexy when you talk all literary." He pulled away from her a bit and smiled.

They continued this way for quite awhile: alternately discussing books and driving each other crazy. At the moment Holly J was ready to explode. He was kissing her slowly, exploring every inch of her mouth with his tongue and slowly, so slowly sliding his hand up the back of her leg and under her skirt.

"Eli, please…" she moaned against his lips when she heard someone clear their throat. Holly J's eyes flew open and she saw a man standing in the doorway with his eyebrows raised.

Eli broke away from her and turned his head toward the doorway, then let out an impatient sigh. He sat up, pulling her up with him.

"Hey dad." He ran his hands through his hair and let out a long breath before continuing. "This is Holly J. Holly J, this is my dad Bullfrog."

Holly J was trying, unsuccessfully, to speak through her mortification when the man in the doorway let out a chuckle.

"Holly J. How nice to meet you. Well, I'll just be heading upstairs now. Have fun kids," he grinned mischievously and left the room.

"Buzz kill," Eli muttered at his retreating back. "Come on. Let's get out of here." Eli stood and held out his hand to her. Holly J just nodded and took his hand. She could still feel herself blushing as they walked out the front door and got into the car.