The North American Champion 🛑

Back to School

Eli thought of school like any other deadbeat that wasn't going to get much from society thought, it sucked. Especially when the bus to school had all the Juniors and Seniors whispering and pointing at him, or when you find Rocket (or Claire) waiting at the entrance like a hound. Butch was right though, she did 'mellow out'. 

She had kept her short purple and black ombre hair, nose piercing, and combat boots. Though she wasn't wearing her usual goth punk clothes but rather a mixture of a her old stuff with hints of the trends that Butch had explained the night before. She wore deep red short-shorts over black leggings and a black lose shirt with a copper-purple skull.

"Hey, uh, Claire." The area froze as people turned to see what she would do to her runaway friend who had ditched her without a word (Butch had talked about how she had been teased for her only friend ditching her among other things, and how she decided to focus more on studying to get her mind off things. And Eli did feel bad for leaving without a word but he needed to go and still doesn't regret that).

She turned and looked at Eli, not knowing what to do he stood there as she brought him into a bear hug. It surprised Eli, he thought he was a pancake, but she seemed to miss him more than be mad. 

"C-can't. Breath," as a cry to get free he called, but she held on for a minute more before releasing him, dazed by the hug he stumbled. "Thank you for not killing me? But wow Claire, you changed a little."

"Oh no Shane you are so dead," Claire was smiling from ear to ear, "What do you think you were doing running away for a whole year? And not so much as a goodbye? What the hell was that important?" You could see the anger flare in her eyes but kept the smile that said she wanted to be amused by his answers.

"Can we please do this later?" Eli had noticed his audience and motioned to it. Claire dragged him towards the school mumbling about stupid people and having to get Eli back to normal under her breath. 

The rest of the day was Claire dragging Eli around getting him used to school again and helping avoiding the swarms asking where he had disappeared for a whole year without any contact or trail to find him (not to mention how Butch found him). And Eli got the chance to tell Claire some made up excuse of getting into family troubles and needing to get away. Otherwise Eli started to adjust slowly, but he  kept some habits, like saying 'floppers' instead of swearing and going for his blaster when he was nervous (though he didn't have it on him).

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For Claire, having Eli back made her really happy. When he had disappeared it seemed like his family wasn't too worried, and that had made her extremely mad, she searched the hardest of anyone and couldn't find him. But she was unsettled by the way he got back. She was asked half a month ago if she could help Eli adjust to school when he got back, after that Butch disappeared to. When she asked all she could find out was he was going to get Eli from where ever he had gone. Weirder still she could see Eli had new habits he was trying to hide, such as reaching for something at his side, shoulder, or chest, turning to talk like there was something on his shoulder, and refusing to swear (she was unsure of what 'floppers' ment exactly but that seemed to be how he has started to talk). Otherwise he seemed like good old Eli so she let it slide since her friend was back.