Summertime Sleuths

chapter two: eli

"See ya, Isaac!" Eli called as his friend pedaled into his driveway. Isaac waved as he went into his house, leaving Eli walking his bike by himself. He wheeled it into the garage, leaning it against the wall, then jogged into the house. Almost immediately, he bumped into his older sister, Harriet.

"God, watch where you're going," she said, exasperated. She pushed past him and ran up the stairs.

"Good to see you too, Harry." Eli replied quietly. He made his way to the kitchen, where his two younger siblings, Annie and Joanna sat.

"Eli!" Joanna said excitedly, jumping to her feet and running to him. "Can you draw me today? Huh? Please?"

Eli laughed. "I've drawn you every day for the past week."

"Yeah, but you make me look so pretty! I wanna look pretty!"

Eli crouched to Joanna's level and ruffled her hair. "Who are you kidding, Jo? You're the prettiest girl in town!"

"Not as pretty as Veronica," Annie teased from the table.

Eli shot her a glare. Joanna pouted. "Do you really think I'm not as pretty as Ronnie?"

"I think you and Ronnie are both beautiful," Eli reassured his sister. "You still want me to draw you?"

Joanna clapped. "Yes!"

"Let me grab my sketchbook," Eli said, going to the stairs.

"Eli!"

Eli turned to see his mother standing at the base of the stairs.

"Where'd you put that cooler?" She asked.

Eli paused. "Shoot, I think Ronnie still has it, mom. I'll call her and see if she can drop it off."

"You'll call her and go get it yourself, you're not going to make her come give you something you forgot," Eli's mom said, turning to go back to the front room.

Eli rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom."

Eli proceeded to his room, grabbing his sketchbook off his desk and flipping through it to find a blank page. He smiled as he looked at all the sketches he'd done of his friends, mostly Isaac and Ronnie, and walked out into the hallway.

"Out of the way," someone said shortly behind him. Eli groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Why are you such an asshole?" He said, turning to face Harry.

"You'd be one of you had to deal with you every day," Harry replied, pushing past him to go to the bathroom.

Eli stared at the door after Harry slammed it shut. Something about Harry had changed. Just a year ago she would hang out with Eli and his friends, but now it almost seemed like she was disgusted with them.

Joanna called desperately from the kitchen. "Eli, you're taking so long!"

"Coming, Jo!" Eli replied, jogging down the stairs and entering the kitchen.

"Draw me as a princess!" Joanna said as Eli sat down at the table.

"Okay," Eli laughed. "But you have to promise to sit totally still this time."

"I promise, I promise! Just draw me!"

"What do you say, Joanna?" Eli's mom said, entering the room.

"Please?" Joanna said, smiling sweetly.

"I never could resist that smile." Eli flipped open his sketchbook to a fresh page and began to draw.

The back door banged open and Eli's dad shuffled in.

"Hey, E," He said, walking over to Eli and putting a hand on his shoulder. "How was the lake?"