Strawberry. [J.J]

43.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
"A fucking car?"

It's been a few days since they covered up Chic's murder. Marley sat cross legged on her bed with her dog on her lap when there was a light knock on the door.

"Come in!" Marley shouted and the door opened and Elijah walked in to the room and Marley's raised an eyebrow at him.

"Your Aunt Rhea let me in twenty minutes ago and she just kept on touching my hair while telling me how cute I am," Elijah said with a slight chuckle and Marley just looked at him.

"You over your hissy fit and ready to apologise to me?" Marley asked and Elijah sighed before pacing the room.

"I'm here to apologise. And too explain why I was acting in such a way and who beat me up," Elijah said and Marley sat up straight.

"Who-" Marley began before Elijah interrupted her.

"It's better if you don't ask questions, just hear me out," Elijah said and Marley nodded and Elijah took a deep breath before continuing.

"If I had known I wouldn't have done it. He told me do it, he said he will provide my mom with a permanent job and he provided me with a mustang," Elijah said while running a hand through his hair stressfully.

"Marley, I promise you if I had known you I wouldn't have. It's my biggest regret. And if I had known how wonderful you are and how you are one of the greatest people to ever walk the earth I wouldn't have," Elijah continued and Marley looked at him in confusion.

"At first I was thinking about my family. Then I was thinking about myself, I like hanging out with you, you're amazing you're funny, you're beautiful. Me hanging out with you was for me. I'm selfish, I wanted you, I like being with you, if that makes sense. Not even in that way, I like sitting next to you, laughing with you..." Elijah said trailing off as he paced and Marley looked at him in confusion.

"Eli, you're not making any sense," Marley said and Elijah sighed before facing her.

"So, I'm done thinking about myself. I'm thinking about you. So this is why, I'm doing this even if it means you'll never speak to me again," Elijah said while pulling out a folder from his bag and handing it to Marley.

"You're step dad, told me to keep an eye on you, take photos. He told me that uh, he needs to know what you're doing at all times to ensure you're minding your own business. That is why I  took pictures, My mother will have a permanent job and that, uh, my family will have a place to live," Elijah said as Marley looked through the photos.

Marley's jaw dropped and her hands started to shake as she looked at the pictures he took of us unaware, pictures of her with her friends, pictures of her sketching, pictures of her at school, in PE and at lunch.

"He, uh, told me that he wanted all the pictures I took yesterday, and instead of giving it to him I'm giving them to you, because I care about you. When I told him that I wasn't doing it anymore Tommy beat me up," Elijah said and Marley just looked at the pictures and picked one of up her shouting at Chuck and Jughead's party.

"Why? You thought it would give you brownie points? It's too fucking late for brownie points," Marley said while getting angry and Elijah flinched at the tone of her voice.

"You fucking stalked me, for what? A mustang?! A fucking car," Marley said and Elijah sighed.

"For my family actually, the car was unexpected," Elijah said and Marley scoffed before standing up from her bed.