My last chapter got a lot of great feedback. I hope to make each chapter that fulfilling.
Life
"To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing." ~Unknown
Eli was out the door before Clare could say another word. How could they do that to her? She was their daughter! They were supposed to care for her through the good and the bad. They were supposed to accept her even when she made mistakes, even one this big.
"Where are you?" he asked, already in the front seat of the hearse. He started it up and pulled out, anxiously awaiting her answer.
"Um…I don't know..." she cried into the phone, hugging herself tighter.
"I'll find you," Eli replied and hung up. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, gritting his teeth. He was fuming with anger. If he didn't need to help Clare, he would go and show her parents what he thought of their reason.
But he couldn't think of that right now. He had to focus on finding Clare. He drove passed her house and slowed looking out the window, which he'd rolled down. He called out her name a few times, his pulse thudding in his ears. He had to find her. He had to make sure she was safe.
He eventually saw a figure slumped against the wall of an apartment building. He saw from the silhouette that it was Clare. He immediately stopped the car and ran out. She was bawling and curled in on herself. She looked so terrified, so alone.
He closed his eyes for a second before sprinting over to her. "Clare?" he said, kneeling next to her. She looked up, her eyes filled with tears. Her cheeks were red and lined with mascara. Eli swiped his fingers across them, trying to hold himself together.
"You're freezing," he commented, a tiny smile on his lips. She returned it bitter-sweetly and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace and picked her up, holding her in his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder as he carried her to the passenger side of the car. He set her down in there and hurried over to his side.
Once he got in, she looked over at him. "Thanks Eli," she mumbled.
Eli opened the door to the small apartment his family shared and gestured for Clare to go in. She obliged and looked around. The place looked old and lived in. It also looked like some creative minds lived there.
A woman with long, graying blond hair came out of the visible kitchenette, wiping her hands on a cloth. Behind her followed a younger girl with long brown hair and blue eyes, rimmed with heavy eyeliner.
"Who's this?" the elder of the two girls asked, setting the towel down on the couch in the living room. Clare could see that her hands were covered with blue paint.
"This is Clare, mom," Eli said, looking over at the girl next to him, "Her parents kicked her out."
Eli's mother looked the blond up and down, her face curious, while the brunette behind her mouthed something to Eli. "Well…she can stay here as long as she wants," his mother answered, grinning slightly. She looked over at Eli and gave him a stern look however. With that, she disappeared back into the kitchen.
That was when the brown haired girl stepped forward. "So you're Clare?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with realization, "Eli talks about you so much."
Eli gave the girl a look and then turned to Clare. "This is my sister Eva. And she was just going back to help mom," he said the last part to his sister, who held up her hands, which were also covered with paint. She turned and walked away.
"You're family seems nice," Clare commented. He merely nodded and gestured for her to follow him. He led her to a room that was painted bright red and had various band posters hanging on the walls.
"You're going to have to share my room for now," he looked around and led her further into the room. "You can borrow clothes from Eva. And anything here is yours too."
She looked around and smiled. "Thanks so much, Eli," she said again, sitting on the bed. He shrugged.
"Least I could do," he distracted himself by throwing random things around, straightening up. Clare smiled brighter.
"Here," she patted the seat next to her. He turned and sat, unsure. She looked at him with shining eyes and grabbed his hand. She played around with his fingers for a while before taking it and placing it on her stomach, in the center of her baby bump.
Eli looked up at her, his heart racing. She put her hand over his.
"Our son," she said.