Uhhhhh! I'm so frustrated! I'm really sorry guys, I'm a liar. I promised that I'd post on thursdays and it's been a week! UGGGG! Well, I have an allaby. My aunt died, so things have been kinda crazy around my house, so I haven't had much time...sorry :( I know this chapter is a bit lame, but it explaines everything! Thanks for staying with me through this. :) Love you! I almost feel bad asking for reviews...but if you don't mind...it's appreciated. :)
"It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you." -unknown
"The best thing in life is finding someone who knows all your flaws, mistakes and weaknesses and still thinks you're completely amazing." -unknown
"If the only place I cansee that truly loved special someone is in my dreams then I want to sleep forever." -Danny Santagato
I'd just come face to face with a homeless Clare Edwards.
"So that's where she went," I whispered.
"Give me your wallet!" She said. I help my hands up in surrender. My brain was putty; I couldn't think. My tongue was tied, I couldn't speak. Everything I'd ever known suddenly came crashing down for the second time that morning.
The knife's blade sparkled in the sunlight. I had a sudden flashback to Vegas Night. Fitz's knife pointed at me. The smile he wore. The evil look in his eyes. The sound of the blade pounding into the wall behind me. The flood of relief and shock I felt, sinking down and hugging my knees when the cops appeared.
I stared into Clare's eyes. My wife is mugging me. The thought was so startling that I almost fell over. Looking into Clare's eyes, it occurred to me that she was ready to stab me if I didn't give her my wallet.
"Clare, it's me! It's Eli!" I yelled in surrender, holding my hands up. She threw me up against the wall and held the blade to my throat.
"What?" she growled. "Who are you and how do you know my name?" she demanded.
"Uh…I went to Degrassi. I worked with you on the newspaper." I rambled out a lie that seemed to suit the situation and seem believable. There were hundreds of kids at Degrassi and over 50 of them had worked on the newspaper.
"Really? How do I know you're not lying?" she demanded. The knife that she was holding to my throat was shaking and I was gulping for air.
"I know your favorite color is pink!" I said.
"Lucky guess," she growled.
"I know that your parents got divorced when you were 16!" I said. For a second, her eyes changed from fierce and angry to soft.
"What?" she asked.
"I know that you love vampire novels and that you're a great writer! You have an older sister named Darcy Edwards and a step brother named Jake Martin!" I said desperately. Her attitude suddenly cooled, however she still held the knife to my throat.
"What was your name?" she asked.
"Eli. Eli Goldsworthy." I answered.
"I don't remember you," she started, narrowing her eyes. That hurt.
"Nobody does. I was a loner…always blending into the background. I didn't fit in."
"Well that makes two of us," she said. She was about to say something else when I heard crying. "Shit," she mumbled.
She walked away from me, taking her knife with her, and disappeared into the nook she'd jumped out of. I walked down the sidewalk to find that she'd been hiding out in a nook in the brick wall. On the ground was the dirty blanket I saw earlier and along with the vampire novel. What else I saw shocked me.
Laying under the blankets were Alec and Will, my sons. I let out a small gasp and she eyed me. I ignored the daggers she shot at me as she scooped Will into her arms and bounced him on her hip, calming him down.
"I'm Clare Martin by the way," she said. I blinked.
"Come again?" I asked.
"Clare Martin," she repeated. I think I felt my chest fill with cement.
"Uh…you're married?" I guessed. She narrowed her eyes at me.
"What's it to you?" she asked.
"We used to be friends Clare. Katie had us work on a lot of articles together," I said, trying to use the few details I remembered from High School.
"Really?"
"Yes really. Are…are you homeless?" I asked.
"If you must know, we usually live in Jake's car. But, right now, he's working. So we've been here for two days." She said bitterly.
"Clare, do you want to come inside?" I asked, gesturing to the club. "Clean up…have a bite to eat? On the house?" I questioned. She hesitated before Alec starting whining.
"I'm hungry," he moaned.
"Fine." She said. I nodded.
"Good," I replied. She collected our children and her belongings and followed me into the club.
When I walked in, honestly, I was shocked. The club was huge and modern, with a large dance floor, DJ and flashing lights. All of the equipment, obviously, was turned off, but the place was still cool even with no music or lighting. I walked over to the bar and looked around, unsure of what to do.
She put her stuff down in a booth and came to sit at the bar, helping Alec up onto a stool, then sat down holding Will.
"So…" I started. Then, my savior came. No, I'm not talking about J.T York.
"Eli? You here?" a familiar voice called. I turned to see my cousin, Zig Novak, walking into the club, then locking the door.
"Zig!" I called. At least one person was the same in my life. My 29 year old cousin smiled and came up next to me behind the bar.
"I'm here to work," he said. "Should I start washing glasses?"
"No, I promised I'd get these guys some food." I said. Zig stared blankly at Clare.
"Uh…the girl who sleeps outside is here?" he asked. I nodded.
"Yes, Zig, this is Clare. Clare, my cousin Zig." I introduced the two.
"Hey," Zig said coolly. "Why?" he asked, turning to me a second later.
"Clare is my friend from High School." I said. He stared blankly at me.
"Ok…"
"Look Zig, just get her something to eat." I said, now annoyed.
"That's not my job. I just make drinks. Go ask the chef," he said, pointing at the kitchen doors.
"And whose the cheff?" I asked sarcastically without thinking.
"Uh…Maya's the chef. Are you okay? You're acting weird." He said. Clare watched us.
"I'm fine, just tired." I lied.
"I'm here!" Someone called, coming into the club.
"Maya?" I asked. It took me a moment to place the blue-eyed-blonde that stood in front of me. "You're Zig's high school girlfriend!" I said. Zig walked over to her and put his arm around her.
"Eli, we've been married for four years…" he started. Maya was confused.
"Is he hung-over?" she asked.
"I'm FINE. I just need someone to get Clare and Will and Alec some food!" I said. Maya rushed into the kitchen and Zig followed. I sighed and leaned against the bar.
"How did you know my kid's names?" she asked.
"You told me them," I said. She blinked at me.
"Ok…" she started. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to get the aching in my head to go away.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Honestly? No." I said. She put her hand on my arm.
"Can I do anything to help?" she asked. A thought donned on me.
"Zig!" I yelled. No one came. "I'll be back," I said, walking into the kitchen.
I found Zig and Maya making out in front of a huge stove.
"Zig! Maya!" I said. They broke apart after one quick kiss.
"Sorry, I'm waiting for the stove to heat up," Maya explained, turning back to her work.
"Do we need any extra help around the club?" I asked. Zig stared at me. He was doing that a lot this morning.
"We've been looking for another waitress for months," he replied.
"Oh yeah!" I said, rushing back outside.
"He's loosing it…" I heard Zig mutter. However, I didn't care.
"Clare!" I said, coming back out.
"Yes?"
"Would you like a job as a waitress here?" I asked her.
"Uh…what?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm offering you a job!" I said.
"I accept." She said simply.
"That was fast." I replied.
"I'm desperate to find work. Work and a place to live." She told me.
"You can start tonight," I offered. She smiled.
"Thanks Eli,"
"No problem," I replied. For a second she stared into my eyes. Something passed between us. But Maya broke that when she came out with a tray of steaming food.
"Cheeseburgers okay?" she asked. Clare nodded and helped the boys eat.
"Thank you…for everything." She said. I smiled.
"No problem, Clare." I said again.
Well, it was already eight in the morning and I'd found Clare. Well, sorta.
"So…Jake…" I started.
"Yeah. Jake and I moved out of our parents' house right after graduation. We've been on the street for a while…" she started. I could tell that talking about her living situation made her uncomfortable.
"If you need a place to stay," I started.
"N0, Eli, I've already taken enough from you." she said.
"What's mine is yours," I said without thinking. I'd told Clare that same exact thing the day we bought our house. She'd felt bad about taking my money, and I explained to her that we shared everything now. We were married.
That no longer applied.
"What?" she asked.
"Uh…employee policy." I said quickly. "Yeah. If an employee is ever in trouble, we help them…" I said. She seemed to believe this and shrugged.
"I'm here!" someone called.
It was Julia.
Clare stared at Julia. Julia stared at Clare.
"Well this is awkward," I heard J.T's voice echoing in my head. And he was totally right.
A/N: Well, this coming week we have six days off, so I'll be sure to post! Maybe even two chapters! We'll see... :)