A/N: Hey there! Sorry this update took so long, it's just that I had a bit of writer's block but I finally got some inspiration. Hope you enjoy!
Eli stared at Bianca for a moment speechless. It only took a second for her to regain her composure, and she gave him her usual death stare that was the only flaw to her face. Sure, Eli didn't really know her, but Bianca was pretty. He would have called her beautiful, but her constant frown had a way of detracting from her looks.
"If you know what's good for you, you won't say anything about this," Bianca warned him. Her voice was quiet and wavering, but there was still some of her menacing aggressiveness that made her threat seem legitimate. Eli shook his head. Sure, after he and Clare broke up, he started to lose interest in things he used to love, but he'd never do anything to hurt himself. After his break up with Clare, his parents insisted on making him attend therapy every weekend, though he was sure it had something to do with crashing Morty than it did with the actual break up itself. Sure, it was a bit tedious but at least it helped him keep his sanity.
"How long have you been taking these?" Eli whispered.
"Doesn't matter," she snapped back. As Bianca was about to shut her locker, Eli grabbed her wrists in one hand and took the bottle of pills from her locker with the other. He hadn't noticed from looking at her, but holding onto her wrists made Eli realize just how bony Bianca really was. "Put those back!"
"What are you going to do?" Eli asked. "Tell Mr. Simpson I stole your diet pills?"
"Shut up idiot," Bianca said. "Now let go of me." She squirmed uncomfortably in his grasp but couldn't quite break free. Eli was surprised. Everything he thought about Bianca was wrong. He thought she was strong but really, she was too weak to fight him. She could barely take care of herself and she was trying to mask it behind her bad girl reputation.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Eli demanded. She seemed to be caught off guard by his questioning. It was odd for him to see her like that. He had never seen her miss a beat before but now she was slipping. Was everything he thought about Bianca a lie?
"You don't know me, okay?" she stated bitterly. Eli sighed and finally let go of her wrists, though he held the bottle of pills in his hand still, griping it tightly. He barely knew the girl standing in front of him, but suddenly he felt the urge to protect her. Even though she would never let anyone take care of her, Eli wanted to. He was terrified beyond belief for her. How long had she been taking those pills? How much weight had she lost? What if he hadn't caught her with them; would she still be popping pills and telling everyone that they were "asprin"?
"You can't have these back," Eli finally said. Bianca stared up at him, though not with the usual emotion her eyes always had. Her amber eyes were blank and empty. It was obvious that something was wrong with her if anyone took the time to really look at her, but he knew no one did. He was one of those people that believed the facade she had.
"You don't get to run my life," she said.
"Bianca, you could really hurt yourself..." his voice trailed off.
"I know that. Maybe I don't give a shit," she retorted. She started coughing and attempted to walk away from Eli, but he refused to let her go yet again.
"I can't let you have these pills back. I'm going to tell someone about this."
"No!" Bianca shouted quickly. "You can't do that... If my parents found out they'd kill me." Eli was about to argue with her, but after seeing the fear in her eyes, he felt a pang of sympathy move through him. He knew letting her get away scot-free wouldn't help her at all, but how could he just ignore how shaken up she seemed? He could only assume her parents would be just as annoying, if not more, than his parents were.
"You have to promise me you'll stop taking these," Eli said sternly. Bianca bit her lip wearily before she finally nodded her head and gave in.
"Hey! Goldsworthy! Wait up!" Eli turned his head and was surprised to see Bianca running up to his locker. After their little meeting that morning, he was sure she wouldn't want anything to do with him. Bianca apparently, was full of surprises.
"Hey Bianca... Um, what's up?" Eli asked, trying to act casual.
"I wanted to say... thanks or whatever. For not telling anyone," she explained.
"Oh. No problem I guess..." Eli said. Something about the conversation was incredibly awkward. After taking a good look at Bianca, Eli was a bit shocked. It was as if that morning had never happened; her curly hair looked brushed, her lips were perfectly glossed, and he could smell the minty bubblegum she was chewing. The only thing that gave it away were her eyes. They looked pink and puffy from crying, something Eli was sure he'd never see.
"I'll see you around," Bianca said as she started to walk off. The green eyed boy turned to watch her leave before he called after her.
"Wait, I can drive you home if you want," he offered. "I know you're having a bad day and all..."
"I'm not that pathetic," she said with a slight laugh. "Besides, I'm not going home... I'm going to the ravine. I need to get my mind cleared."
"The ravine?" he repeated.
"Yeah. You could come if you want," she offered. Eli was about to decline when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Clare walk by with some boy he couldn't quite identify. Of course she had moved on already. He hadn't meant that much to her, he was just another boy to her. It tore him apart inside. Could she really just forget about everything they had? Was it that easy for her to eliminate him from her life? How could Clare do that? She promised him; she said she'd always be there for him. Was everything she told him a lie? Eli hated how much she hurt him, and he couldn't let her have the power over him anymore. He had to prove that he could have fun without her in his life the way she seemed to. Eli turned back to Bianca and nodded his head with a fake smile plastered on his face.
"I'd love to."