A/N: Hi everybody! I hope you liked the last chapter and hopefully this one as well. I think I like the pace this story is going at but I want to get to the drama already! And don't think I forgot about Bianca's diet pills from the first two chapters, you'll see where I'm going with that. Anyway, enjoy and leave reviews please! By the way, feel free to follow me on twitter or tumblr (the links are in my profile). Thanks!
"Wake up," Bianca muttered as she jabbed Eli's ribcage with her index finger. The dark haired boy groaned as he opened his eyes. It was far too dark to be morning yet, but in seconds he was suddenly alert and memories of the previous hours flooded his head. His pounding headache made it impossible to focus on anything, and he was sure he could blame it on whatever he decided to drink.
"What time is it?" Eli croaked. He turned to the brunette girl and noticed she was getting dressed and for the first time he realized they were inside the back of a van. How they'd gotten there, he couldn't quite remember, but it seemed quite familiar to him. Maybe he'd remember things better when he got over his horrible hangover.
"Well, are you going to get dressed Goldsworthy?" Bianca stated. Eli was stunned for a second before he turned and noticed his clothes were sloppily tossed off in one dark corner of the van. His gaze traveled to amber eyed girl, who was nothing more than a dark outline to him. Silently, Eli slipped back into his school uniform, which he was sure was nothing more than a huge mess of wrinkles from being so carelessly discarded.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"No clue," Bianca replied. "My phone died sometime after midnight."
"After midnight? How long have we been here?" Eli asked. Bianca chuckled and he could faintly see her bright white teeth, even in the dark.
"Why? Are you gonna brag to all your loser friends about it?" she taunted.
"That's not my style," Eli replied. Bianca was silent, but slightly impressed. She didn't care whether or not Eli told someone about them getting drunk and hooking up, but she was surprised to see that he wasn't a kiss and tell kind of person. Not wanting to inflate his ego, Bianca retreated back to her snarky self.
"Good for you Goldsworthy. Want a cookie?" she asked sarcastically. Eli snorted as he finished dressing himself.
"Nice one Bianca," he said insincerely as he crawled to the side of the van to pry to door open. She pouted for a second before she followed after him and quickly clutching onto him to keep her balance.
"Whoa..." she muttered as she pushed her hair out of her face. "My head is killing me..."
"Mine too," Eli said. "Let's go find my car so I can drive you home." Bianca froze as she stared up at the boy she was clinging on to. Eli was sure he saw fear in her eyes for a split second, but he was certain he was seeing things when she looked away.
"Thanks," she said quietly. Bianca tried to be inconspicuous about holding onto Eli's arm, but he couldn't help but smirk. She was so proud; she'd never admit whether or not she liked being near him but Eli found it kind of cute. The two wandered around the ravine for a while in almost total darkness until they finally found Eli's hearse parked by the entrance.
"I thought everyone said you crashed this thing," Bianca noted as she climbed into the passenger seat. Eli shrugged as he got into the driver's seat and put his key into the ignition, before speeding away from the ravine.
"I didn't completely wreck Morty," Eli stated. "I know a guy, and he owed me a favor. I got him fixed, good as new."
"Oh," she said. The rest of the car ride was silent for a few moments. Bianca was genuinely surprised. Usually, she'd wake up after a hook up and have to stumble her way back home, but Eli was giving her a free ride home, despite the fact that home was the last place she wanted to be. She stared out the window of the hearse and smiled slightly as the dim street lights and starry sky became a blurry mess as they sped throughToronto. It was then that Eli finally pulled her out of her dream when he reminded her exactly what she was trying to forget.
"What's your address?" Eli asked. Bianca groaned.
"I live a few blocks away from The Dot," she stated tiredly.
"You don't sound too anxious to get home," he noted.
"You could say that," Bianca said. Actually, that was an understatement. She hadn't felt welcome in her home in a long time and she had been trying her best to stay out of it as long she possibly could.
"Family troubles?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation alive. Bianca chewed on her lip.
"Yeah." Eli didn't question her any further, noticing how uncomfortable she seemed talking about it.
"If you need a place to stay, you could stay with me," Eli offered.
"Sure," Bianca said. "Like I really want to be in Dr. Doom's 'House of Horrors'."
"It was just a suggestion," he said. Silence fell over them again and eventually Bianca dozed off until she felt the car come to a stop. Bianca realized they had arrived and cringed at the sight of it. Indignantly, she huffed and gave him an apologetic look, which he knew was the closest he would get to an apology from her.
"I can't stay here..." she admitted. "Just let me run in and get my stuff, and I'll be right back."
"You don't want me to come with you?" Eli offered. Bianca debated it in her head for a few seconds before she finally nodded her head.
"Just keep your mouth shut, alright? I don't want to wake anybody up," she said sternly. Eli nodded and the pair left his hearse before walking up the front steps of Bianca's house. She reached under the welcome mat and pulled put a spare key, which she used to quickly open the front door before she placed it back where she found it.
"Hurry up and get what you need so we can get out of here," Eli said. Bianca nodded and ran upstairs, returning within two minutes with a small bag full of everything she would need.
"Come on," she said urgently as she flung her front door open and grabbed Eli by the hand, leading him back to his hearse. The pair hopped in and he drove off, though Eli noticed a light from the first floor of Bianca's house turn on. When she didn't seem to want to inform him about what was going on, he kept his mouth shut and focused on the road. They continued riding through the dark night until he finally reached his own home. Eli couldn't remember the last time he had gotten home so late. In fact, he hadn't been out so late since he and Julia were together. As he parked his car, he motioned for Bianca to get out and follow him into his house.
"Aren't your parents gonna freak out?" Bianca asked. "It's like 3 in the morning."
"They're fine," he assured her as he led her inside and up to his room. At first he was worried, but then he remembered his room was cleaner than it had ever been. Most of his unnecessary junk had been thrown out thanks to Clare, and any remaining things were in boxes in the attic. His parents were proud of him for moving forward and Eli was in the clear for once.
"You can sleep here," Eli said as he pointed to his bed.
"Where are you going?" Bianca asked. "You don't expect to leave me here by myself in your creepy ass bedroom." Eli held back a laugh. He never thought he'd hear Bianca admit that she was afraid, but it wasn't like normal fear. It was like she was just stating a fact and he was supposed to know it.
"You don't mind sharing a bed with me?" Eli asked.
"Are you really asking me that after we just hooked up?" Without waiting for a reply, she took off her shoes and hopped onto Eli's large bed before snuggling under the covers and comfortably going to sleep. Eli shook his head in disbelief. When he had woken up that morning, he hadn't expected to end up hooking up with Bianca and then bringing her to his house after learning she had problems at home. Life was so strange sometimes.
He stared at her for a few moments silently and took note of every detail about her; her perfect creamy skin, her thick messy curls that engulfed his pillow, her two pink lips that he had been kissing not too long ago that were now slightly parted to allow her the ability to breathe. Then there was her overall look. She looked frail and exhausted, things he never thought he'd see in Bianca. It was then that Eli made up his mind; no matter what, he had to keep Bianca safe.
"Goodnight Bianca," he muttered as he climbed into the other side of the bed, turning his back to her. He was nearly asleep by the time his head hit the pillow but he was almost certain he heard her whisper a soft "Thank you" before drifting off to sleep.