A/N: Ahem, heyyy, so it's been a while :) Sooo sorry for literally abandoning the story for... 2 years? All I remember is that it was a long time and literally the only reason is my lack of motivation and a minor glitch on The Sims 2 Legacy Edition leaving my screen all blue and making my computer useless since I couldn't even open Task Manager to close my game... I was literally meant to upload a chapter this weekend but better late than never? Again, I am SO sorry for leaving at all, but I will be back.

The night sky was illuminated with stars speckled around the blank space, usually being covered by clouds but was particularly clear this night. In fact, the whole week was accompanied with bright night skies that put many on their roofs for an intimate viewing of the stars that twinkle in the sky.

That night a particular pair of teens sat on a roof, viewing the sky with nothing to do. It was if time stopped for their convenience and their convenience only. The stargazers had pleasant smiles on their faces and leaned into the bright feeling inside as content as they could be.

Eli was reluctantly let out by her parents who were further ensured that she would make it home safe when Leah said she would walk her home. It was kind of her, in Eli's eyes and perhaps this would be a calm period in her life if she played her cards right. Maintained a steady diet, kept content for the most of her days, kept those creepy dreams of her cousin in the future away. It looked like she was finally letting go at this point, and her life in high school wouldn't be so strange because of the awkward layout she was faced with.

And now it was just her and Leah, looking up at the stars together like before. All was good, quiet, no interruptions. Of course there was a small "Look at that constellation over there!" every now and then, but no one was bothered by it.

Eli took in a deep breath, looking over to Leah as she noticed the prolonged stare and glanced back at Eli, smiling. "What time do your parents want you back? I've been wondering and meant to ask when I got to your house." Eli made a shrugging motion, looking back up at the stars like they would tell her the answer.

"I don't know, maybe by 8:30 if you're fine with that. I think I could stay out here forever…." Eli looked slightly dazed as her gaze at the dark sky continued. Leah let out a light giggle and sat up.

She pondered for a second while Eli was confused. "What time was it anyways?" she thought until Leah spoke. "Can I see the time on your phone? If it's wrong because of daylight savings I'm fixing it." Eli chuckled to herself, then realizing that daylight savings hadn't started yet. She handed her phone to Leah while shaking her head, watching the girl with a satisfied yet confused expression.

"Dude, why is your home screen so fancy? The font is like Times New Roman or something! You gotta teach me how to do this with my phone, it's so pretty!" Leah said and handed Eli her phone back, enthusiastically blinking at her like she was ready to go and get her phone from her room. But she didn't, instead looking up to the sky with that familiar smile that didn't falter.

The night was wavering, bold, quiet, and Leah was as pleasant as ever. "So, 8:30, huh?" Leah began, slowly preparing a long tangent with all the two could do before the clock even hit 8. It just dawned on her, they could go on the trampoline, walk to the gas station for snacks, anything fun that wasn't too far away was never off the board in her mind. "Or we could stay here. I like the sky tonight, anyways." Eli nodded, hoping the light conversation, the small talk, whatever it was, would never stop.

It was never cold outside, yet there was this breeze tonight, a warm breeze. Some weren't even aware of it because of how subtle it was, but Eli couldn't get enough of it.

Eli woke up, drool puddled all over her own arm and pooling onto her pillow by extension. She wiped her mouth and her arm on her blanket, leaving the pillow for a while before thinking about getting a wipe to clean it up. Instead, she was distracted by her father coming into her room and telling her she would go to school today. Bummer.

She hung her head and walked towards her dresser, picking out the "nice clothes" she had saved for the day she would return which was really just something coordinated for once.

It took an immensely large amount of time to even swallow her eggs let alone eat the toast she was given on her plate, yet she didn't know why her throat was just so scratchy and slimy at the same time. It burned, itchy like she would have to reach into her mouth and scratch the itch to get herself through the day. She burned the metal thought and left it on the backburner of her mind, now putting a spotlight on how she would catch up with normal classes. It would be near impossible, it'd been at least two weeks, and she was already tired with being in her home, it hurt to imagine how she would behave because of the whiplash.

Plus, all of the teachers giving her specialized work, the classmates wondering where she went, and just the overall smell of the cafeteria. They would poke and prod at her until she was forced to excuse herself to the bathroom and take some time to calm down. And even at the end of the day her streak of missing days would be brought up when walking back home. That would be the part that didn't bother Eli so much.

And it was the middle of the week, Tiffany from English probably took her seat back and everyone must have moved on because it had finally made it to Eli that she didn't really have any friends. Leah was the only person that avidly spoke to Eli, really that was her only friend in Strangerville. She had stopped talking to her friends from Brindleton Bay even though they were just a phone call away. Even when Eli stood in front of her house waiting to walk no one thought to say hi to her like they would back in Brindleton Bay, it was slightly depressing.

And still there was some part of Eli that said she would find more friends that would come over to her house in the Summer and sort puzzles together, make smoothies for a movie day that would come before school started, and just talk to each other every time they saw each other. Maybe Leah was like that, not seeing whether or not she was fine with not seeing Eli all throughout the Summer.

Whichever it was, Eli would find out when Summer came. She stood up from her crouched position and started walking past the shade of her porch. She was back out in the world after being out of commission for so long, and it felt cooler. It was Autumn after all, the seasons were being grateful to change faster than she thought they were. Before Eli even made it to the bus stop she was already attracting looks from kids she barely knew. Some of them would make an effort to walk while eyeing her from the side, and the others would blankly stare at her like she was blind.

And she wasn't which made the situation so much more demeaning. At least if she couldn't see them then the walk to the bus stop would be easier. But she could still feel their stares on her, prickling at her skin and giving her goosebumps. Then she saw a familiar blonde bopping around, possibly talking to one of the other kids at the stop.

She turned around and, with a full smile on her face, screamed Eli's name at full volume. It wasn't long until Leah rushed to envelop Eli in the tightest hug she's ever received. Eli had to weasel herself out of the hug, patting Leah on the shoulder, just to breathe. Leah began talking Eli's head off about how she was back and that school was going to be so much better."... Almost as good as the time they started handing out themed t-shirts!" She finished and Eli chuckled in response.

"What? Is my return not worth much to a t-shirt?" She joked, seeing the bus arrive from afar. Eli took a seat near the front of the bus, it seemed to be the seat she sat in on the first day. Leah sat right next to Eli, though Eli knew that Leah was more of a window seat person.

The bus ride to the school was hectic to say the least with people literally jumping from seat to seat, yelling about whatever they thought of, and dropping food and wrappers on the floor. Eli remained stone faced through it while Leah was sitting on her knees, facing back at the seat behind her just talking to someone else. "Maybe staying home wasn't the worst thing ever."

When the bus ride was over people were practically competing to leave, almost crashing into Eli's back as a result. Then there was the event of going to class. She found it weird to go back after being gone for so long, but she didn't really know enough people for anyone to care, right?

It was what she thought, but the whole class jumped when she came into the room like she was a ghost. Eli only shook her head and followed Leah to the empty seat she occupied from her first day. It looked like a certain someone had reclaimed their rightful seat and instead settled somewhere else, but she was far away from her original placement.

Eli sat down and tried her best to block out the voices of the people whispering to themselves and their friends. Instead she focused on her surroundings, some things changed around the room, people sat in different places and items that Eli remembered were moved around, that was to be expected. What wasn't to be expected was people coming up to her asking why she was out for so long.

She didn't have to tell the truth, did she? With a slow breath, Eli only lightly elaborated on what happened. "I was out on sick leave." She said, checking her nails so she wouldn't have to face the people looking at her with obvious stares. And they weren't stares of concern or anything like that, no, they were more like the look a child would give you if you looked slightly different.

"Yeah, but what type of sickness? Is it contagious?" One of the students prodded. Eli looked up to see that it was Tiffany, the girl she stole the chair from. Eli winced, considering telling them it is contagious just to get them to go away.

"Nah." Was all Eli said, already noticing some people were going back to their seats from that response alone. She thought, then looked around. Slowly leaning towards Tiffany and only Tiffany, she whispered "It is contagious, and I might still have it." And with a hum, Tiffany sprinted away from the desk to her own, commencing the start of Eli's first day back at school.

Things weren't so bad, since she had so much work to make up, most of her teachers made tiny exceptions for assignments that weren't completely necessary. Her science teacher even offered to get her a tutor so she could catch up on everything going on. She openly accepted the help with a strained smile on her face, only casting a thumbs up to her teacher as she went to sit down.

Sure, she needed the help, but how much time would this take up in her day? The teacher said he would go over the further details with her the next day, calling her to his room sometime during lunch, so there was a part of her answer.

The rest of her answer came when she was at lunch, sitting next to Leah who sat with a very loud selection of people. One of the girls was a tutor, and the sessions she held were usually one hour in study hall. It was basically a class to replace free time during school. So that was all the information Eli needed to not freak out, she had no idea why, but she greatly valued her time, it just felt like it would slip away from her hands one day.

At the end of the day, Eli and Leah walked to the bus lot like Leah swore they all would. It wasn't as hot outside as it was the last time Eli was here, and she felt like all eyes were on her. She frantically passed the spot she was where she had her first seizure, breathing a sigh of relief.

No one was hit, no one needed to call the ambulance, and her first day back had officially started. It wasn't something joyous, just a regular school day that she had to attend for once. Leah held onto her hand as she walked her home, humming lightly before the two reached the house and said their goodbyes.

Once Eli opened the front door with her key, stepping into her empty house she almost shivered. It was too cold; she hugged her arms close to her and took off her shoes.

Of course she was anxious to get hit again, trigger another seizure, start the process over again. She would miss so much school, miss so many fundamentals, and God would she miss Leah. Seeing her was the highlight of Eli's day, even just being by her calmed her down, of course she was always with her when she could be. Even holding her hand proved to calm her, bring warmth to her soul, and also tripped her up a bit from how sudden it was. And still, even when thinking about Leah, Eli was restless, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

Why in the world was it so hard to calm down? Through trying to change the subject of her mind, she almost tripped while going up the stairs and fell onto her hands on the last step. The fall was harsh, she got back up to check her palms that had turned pink as she left the corridor and entered her room.

The sun shined through the window over Eli's bed as she opened the mini curtains, then she took her bookbag off and slumped into her desk chair. The day was over, she could rest and get a little snack, and everything wrong would end.

On the phone with Leah, Eli mentioned she would be able to walk home with Leah every day, saying it was a good thing. "You could come over sometimes when we walk home together and we could also take the bus sometimes when it manages to come."

"It doesn't usually?" A smirk formed on Eli's face. "I didn't realize on my first day with you dragging me everywhere."

"Nah, we have a different bus driver in the afternoon so it's super annoying to wait and see if he shows up- oh! We could go by a store on the way home to get candy, you have money, right?" Leah paused to hear Eli's answer, finding it weird she didn't do so often.

Eli thought for a moment. "I do have money, but I'll have to ask my mom to use it, she's usually dicey about that sort of stuff."

"Man, I was thinking we could go to the store now!"

"You wouldn't pay for me?

Leah paused. "Ehhh…" Her tone was laced with doubt.

Eli chuckled, slowly getting up and off of her bed to stand up next to it. "We can go, I mean, I care about these adventures that you take me on. They're really fun. Makes me feel like a kid again.

"Really? I'll get ready then!"

"I'm already walking down my stairs, we can meet on the way I go to find your house, sound good?"

"It sounds perfect. Bye!" Leah hung up the phone and Eli placed her phone in her pocket, walking to her front door to put her shoes on and leave out.

Walking down the hill was easy and as soon as Eli noticed the blonde coming up with a bag in her hand, she eased her relatively stiff expression and even smiled a little. It was just something about seeing her, she couldn't tell why she felt better. Life felt easier once she was walking next to Leah and asking about the small bag in her hand.

"It's my money." She responded with a plain smile on her face. Eli grimaced, trying to imagine somebody trying to find the right bills in the mess of simoleons.

"You don't have a wallet?"

"Well, yeah, but I have a bunch of small bills in here, I wouldn't want to overcrowd it."

Eli shrugged. "I would've used extra fabric to make a bigger wallet."

"Sure, c'mon we have to get there before everyone else!" Leah says, grabbing Eli's wrist and pulling her along to jog beside her. Eli chuckled, feeling warmer than before as the two cascaded the sidewalk.

The walk down the plateau was pleasant, Leah even told Eli obscure facts about the other locations around the convenience store like this one abandoned house that was used as a test of courage for kids and teens on Halloween. Every town had at least one. Once they were inside of the cold convenience store, Leah picked out assortments of candy, mostly asking for Eli's input.

"You like the regular gummies? Mine absolutely have to be coated in sugar or I'll pass out from, like, a sugar deficiency- don't laugh at me!

Leah had caught Eli giggling while she was talking, immediately Eli apologized while still laughing. "This is how you're so energized? You put extra sugar onto your candy or they just come like that from the supplier?" Actually looking at it in her mind, Eli could see how everyone in the town was so rowdy. This convenience store's most desolate aisle was the candy aisle, maybe that was because so many people come in and buy candy on a daily basis. It was a logical conclusion to come to. "The regular gummy worms are a nice treat, though, and they don't make me go insane. Now that I think about it, you're probably so used to the excess sugar."

Hauling the candy in the bag of money she had brought to the store, Leah nodded with a prideful smile. "I used to not be able to stomach the sugar gummies, but now I can have as much sugar as I want. You see, it's all about building a tolerance-"

"Okay, okay, let's just take this and go. You said that we would have to hurry up before 'everyone else' gets here, is there just a group of people who like to raid this store for candy?"

"Exactly, it's mostly little kids that live far away from this store, they have one in their neighborhood but then insist on going here. Guess that just means that we have the better products over here." Leah walked towards the door, Eli following close behind her.

The two made their way to Leah's house, immediately heading up to Leah's room to start sorting the candy on the floor. Halfway into getting everything straight, someone walked into Leah's room. At first, Eli didn't mind whoever it was because Leah also didn't mind, but then she started talking.

She had recognized this girl's voice, commanding yet soothing at the same time, and by the time Eli focused on her surroundings, Leah had been calling her name.

Leah shot Eli a concerned look but Eli simply shook her head. For what reason, she wasn't sure, but then the girl spoke again and Eli figured out who exactly it was that she was remembering. "So you're Leah's friend?" Eli managed to nod her head, immediately ducking it after to hide the sudden flush of her cheeks.

After all, the Second Deputy of the student council at her school was someone she rarely saw in the halls, so what if Eli was vaguely attracted to her?