Since You Left Me

One Day Before

I walked to class slowly, dreading my first hour as I still rubbed sleep from my eyes. I sat in my usual seat all the way in the back next to my friends. "Hey babe." I rolled my eyes at Eli and Dax who had said it at the same exact time as they smirked. "Im not your babe dudes." "Well we are best friends so close enough." Eli said faking a laugh. "We are best friends." I said laughing. "So you finally decided to come to school." I said to Eli as he looked around. He seemed distance. He didn't look like he was paying much attention but he did seem happier. Maybe I was finally getting my Eli back. "Yeah I missed you Bella." "Awe thanks. I missed you too, so much, E." "Alright class." My teacher called stealing Eli's attention but not mine. I was too focused on my disappearing best friend.

But as class went on i noticed how easily he drew away from everyone.   He slowly stopped listening and paying attention until he wasn't listening or paying attention any longer. He stared out of the windows. This had been going on for a while and he had been missing school lately and sleeping over at Dax, Braxton, Ben, or Jordan's house. He even crashed at my house a few times. That memory came hunting back to my mind engulfing my mind momentarily.

He looked up at me from my floor. "Thanks Bel." I shook my head before shushing him and grinning. "You're going to wake everyone up. And I don't feel like trying to explain why you are in my room and knowing I'll get grounded in the end." I whispered as he leaned up on his elbows smirking. "Maybe we should wake them up so I can see you squirm." I rolled my eyes and bit my bottom lip as he smiled. "You can't do that Bels." He said pushing himself up on his hands. "I can do whatever i want. Now come up here you oaf. You are going to get some serious back pain if you sleep down there." I muttered as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "No. Im good. Thanks though." I picked up my blue blanket and gave him a stern look. "Come on Eli. Just get in the bed. No funny business." I said quietly as he chuckled. "No funny business. And I got my own blanket." He whispered laying on my bed next to me. We both stared at the ceiling for a while before turning to face each other. "Thanks Bels. Night Bella. Love you." He muttered  I sighed and bit my lip studying his facial features, which were now relaxed compared to how he has looked lately. On impulse his lips came crashing onto mine. Once we both pulled away he smiled up at me. "Don't do it again or I'll have to kiss you again. I warned you the first time Bels." I bit my lip again smirking as we kissed yet again before I settled my head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. "Love you too, E. Night bestie." I muttered wondering what this meant for our friendship.

I drug my thoughts away from the memory and focused on the him that sat in front of me. He barely was home anymore and he didn't seem like himself. We didn't talk much about what's going on in our lives anymore. Where did it go? Where did our friendship go? Did it go away when Eli disappeared not too long ago?

After school we all went over to Dax's house since he was the new kid and well we had never been there. "Hey mom." "Hey Daxter." A brown haired lady with gorgeous blue eyes appeared in the archway as I smiled. I could definitely tell Dax got his looks from good genetics.  "These are my friends Braxton, Ben, Eli, Jordan, and Bella." He looked and pointed at each one of us before turning back to his mom. "Hi im Mrs. R and." She went to begin but was cut off by a loud sound and the sound of little feet. "Daxxy!" A little girl squealed before being followed by two other girls. "Oh these are my sisters Ava is 6, Lexy is 13, and Miranda is 17 and these are my friends Braxton, Ben, Eli, Jordan, and Bella." He said pointing to everyone, yet again. "You brought a girl home in the first month?" Miranda asked raising an eyebrow. "Your a bigger player than I thought." The girl Lexy said before Dax shot her a glare and shushed her. "I think she's pretty." The little girl Ava said. I smiled down at her adoringly. "Thanks you're adorable." She batted her eyelashes and giggled before running off. "Lexy that is rude im not a player and you know it." Dax glared at her before she returned the glare with pointy blue eyes that resembled her mother's. "Tell that to the last three to five girls." She muttered as he

rolled his eyes. "I never dated them we just hung out." He sighed. "So is she just going to hang out with you too?" The younger girl smirked, obviously humored by how her older brother tried to wiggle his way out of this. "Not funny." She smirked before spreading into a smile as he rain his fingers through his hair, annoyed at her. "Uh actually I am. Just going to hang out with him that is." I said speaking up. "Oh im sorry. The teenage girl said sarcastically. "Be quiet Lexy, come on." Miranda said before pushing her out of the room and whispering a sorry. I nodded as Dax explained. "The last girl I hung out with was actually friends with Lexy but my age and she liked me so we started hanging out but i didn't really like her so I ended things. We never dated we just talked." I shrugged as all the guys looked bored.

Finally we went down to the hangout room, as Dax called it. It held a video game system a pool table a punching bag a weight set a microphone a piano two guitars and two sets of drums.  I ran my fingers over the ivory keys as I looked at each one admirably. They took good care of this piano despite the fact that it is down here. "You play?" Dax asked looking at me, my eyes immediately drew up to his hazel eyes. "Oh yall gotta show him." Jordan said. I looked over at Eli who smiled and shrugged a shoulder, nodding. "Okay." I said as Braxton turned to the distant Ben. "Come on." Me and Eli took a seat at the piano. "Okay what song?" I asked looking around. No suggestions rang out so Eli and I exchanged glances before looking at each other with knowing faces. I Will Return by Skylar Grey. "When you close your eyes. You can see the day rewind......."

I finished looking into Eli's eyes. That was our favorite song to sing together and I could never shake the feeling I got whenever we sang and played together. I exhaled smiling. "That was amazing guys." Dax said his eyes wide in amazement as the smile reached his eyes. "They are great together." Braxton said smirking and winking as I rolled my eyes. We all knew he meant as a couple but no one played into it. We just sat there enjoying each other's company.

Finally before Eli dropped me off back at my house he got serious and looked me in the eyes. "Hey Bella Grace listen okay I gotta call you later on." I searched his brown eyes but they revealed nothing. His voice sounded desperate so I nodded. "Okay. Love you, E." "Love you too Bels." He said as I climbed out saying bye and going inside. I locked the door behind me and showered. Then I went to my room and finished the 20 something pages I had left of "Night" by Elie Weisel. Great book. I cried for minutes on end. I stayed up doing other homework pages, waiting for Eli's call. By then it was five the next morning and still no call. I finally drifted off to sleep while trying to study for my upcoming English test.