Alone

Chapter 13: Eliza's POV

Chapter 13: Eliza

@lxnelygirl: I was right, wasn't I? I said you two would end up together! You didn't believe me >.<

@lovelylucy: We aren't really official. We won't be for a while...

@lxnelygirl: Shush! I'm so happy for you! Now, I've got school so I'll message you after :)

I shut my phone off, spotting Elliot at our usual spot on the stairs. "How are you this fine day?" he asks me as I approach him.

I smile at him, sitting down next to him. "I'm okay, what about you?"

"Ditto. Now, can you help me with these last few questions on last night's homework?" I agree.

"Look, it's the fag and the freak!" A chorus of laughter surrounds us. I felt my face heat up as I avoided looking up. I didn't want to see that smirk on Elisa's face. The air around us became stuffy and tense. Her friends had formed a circle around us, preventing an escape route. They continued laughing deviously.

"Why don't you just back the hell off?" The fury in Elliot's voice scared me. He stood and stomped over to Elisa. "You are sick. You bring people pain and it makes you happy. You are sickening. Disgusting." With one last glare at the monster, he grabbed my arm, careful not to hurt me, and pulled me up. Elliot shoved his way through the crowd, bringing me along with him.

He was furious, livid to the point where I was afraid to say anything to him. Elliot didn't stop until we reached my locker. The halls were vacant with no sign of anyone. School didn't start for another ten minutes, so it was understandable.

Elliot dropped my hand and slammed his fists against the lockers. A loud clash sounded throughout the hall. I silently watched him, still petrified. He slid down, sitting against the wall. After a few seconds, I joined him. "Are you okay?" I asked him, my voice soft.

He glanced at me before answering. "I'll be fine. I'm sorry for doing that. I just blew up on your sister. It's just that after everything you've told me about her, I hate her with every fiber in me."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. It's the most anyone has done to help me. I'm really grateful for that, so thank you." I placed a hand on his arm, as he turned to look at me. Silently, he pulls me into a hug.

"You don't deserve that," he mumbles. The first bell shrilled loudly. "We should get to Bio," he comments, pulling away. I nod in agreement, standing to follow him.

>>>.<<<

At the end of class, we had agreed to meet at the pond after school. I waited, skipping rocks. I quietly counted to myself the smalls hops each rock made. One, two... One, two, three, four... I paused when I heard rustling behind me. My hand stopped in midair, cautiously looking around.

"I'm here." I looked to my right and saw Elliot limping towards me.

"What happened to you?" I stood and rushed to his side. Taking a look over him, besides his limping, his left eye was bruised and there was dry blood around his nose.

"It's nothing. Please don't worry about me, Eliza."

"Who did this?" I demanded to know.

He could tell I wasn't going to let this go. "It was her boyfriend, Steve, and his posse."

Rage filled my body. My hands formed tight fists. "They did this to you? You have to do something, tell someone!"

I spun on my heel, ready to go back to the school. Elliot grabbed my arm before I could get far. "You can't. If you do, they'll just come after you. Let's just leave it alone. Just forget about it, please..."

"Can you at least come home with me and get cleaned up before going home?" Lucky for us, I had brought my car today because it was raining earlier. Silently, we walked side by side back to the parking lot. I slowed down a bit to stay on pace with Elliot as he limped alongside me. This was low, even for Elisa. She never let anything get physically abusive.

In silence, we arrived at my house. Elliot's face was twisted into thought. I decided against bothering him, so I left him alone to his thoughts. The ride home was short, only about ten minutes, but the silence made it seem eternal. When we finally arrived, no words were spoken. No one was home, so I was relieved. After closing the door behind us, I finally spoke. "Are you okay?"

Elliot looked at me and nodded. I sighed and grabbed his arm to lead him upstairs and into the bathroom in my room. While I went through the cabinet under the sink in search of my first aid kit, Elliot sat on the toilet seat with the lid closed. From the corner of my eye, I noticed him staring at the floor in deep thought. I really wanted to know if he was honestly okay, but I was debating on whether to ask him about it or to just leave him alone.

With a cotton ball soaked in antiseptic, I cautiously wiped at his face. I removed all traces of dry blood. I worked quietly, focusing on my task rather than Elliot's silence. "I am furious." The three words he uttered were said with so much hatred and revulsion.

"Do you wanna go for a run?" I asked. "When I'm angry or upset, it helps me. If you're up for it, we can go."

Elliot quietly stood up, shaking everything off. By now, his limp was not that bad and he was able to walk almost normally. "Let me get changed and we can go," I told him. He exited my bathroom and I closed the door behind him.

I got dressed into my yoga shorts and a tank top. I tied my hair up and out of my face. When I came back to my room, Elliot was sprawled across my bed. His hair stuck up at odd angles from when he ran his hand through it. "C'mon," I said to catch his attention. "Catch me!" Not even a second after I had finished my sentence, I launched into a sprint. I ran down the stairs, through the living room, and out the front door. Behind me, the door slammed shut and was followed by a string of curses. I let my feet carry me away, away from my problems, my stress. Away from reality...