(Formerly known as "When Our Paths Crossed")
****
A tale of two lost souls brought together by pain, grief and trauma.
Atlas tries to find a place in a world he's worked so hard to escape. Elijah struggles to balance the life he's building and the...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
WORK USUALLY PROVIDES the perfect distraction. I wouldn't say I enjoy working at American Eagle, but the perks are decent. And a discount on clothes? I'll take it. Besides, Caleb works there. We're less friends by choice and more out of circumstances, but we get along alright.
"What are you doing after work tonight?" Caleb asks.
He folds the men's t-shirts at the table with ease. It amazed me to see how quick and easy he made it look. I still struggled, and I've been here for about four months.
"I have a Science quiz to study for and an English paper, so probably just home to study," I sigh, tucking a pair of jeans under the table. A girl wanders by and flashes Caleb a teasing smirk. Biting her glossed bottom lip and everything. Caleb smiles politely back, but I feel the amusement radiating off him.
If only she knew which team Caleb batted for.
He really is a frat boy stereotype. He works for American Eagle, but he dresses in Armani, Gucci, the whole works. Supposedly, his parents are super rich but didn't want him to become one of those spoiled, trust fund kids. So, they forced him to get a job. The job he landed happens to be the same company his uncle works for, so it's not hard to guess how he got it. Not that it matters. Caleb is treated like the rest of us, and, as far as I know, he gets paid the same wage. Mommy and daddy are happy and keep filling his bank account, so it's not like he cares too much about the wage.
I think he likes working at a retail store because of all the attention he gets. Even though he's gay, he adores the winks and lip-biting smirks that the girls give him as they saunter by. It makes me want to gag, but it keeps the attention off me.
"You should come by." Caleb rests on the stack of shirts he folded with a raised eyebrow. It was his look of appeal as if a smoulder made a difference. "I'm having a party, and everyone from the store's going to be there."
Caleb throws "legendary" parties. If the cops aren't called at least once a night, it's not worth it. He's been trying to get me out to a party since we've met. I've yet to attend one, and this one will be no exception. I've seen what excessive partying did to a person, what it did to my brother. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about it happening to me. We were identical twins. I just found a different outlet.
Besides, leaving Dan alone for a few hours is one thing. Leaving him alone for a whole day is another.
"I can't," I mutter, staring at the piles of jeans.
Caleb let out a strangled sigh and pushed away from the table. "You, Elijah Diggs, are one boring dude. You need to get out and let loose, you know that, right? Maybe get fucked at some point too to let out all that angst you carry around."
I roll my eyes and grab a pair of jeans. "It's not that, okay? I have schoolwork and other shit going on right now. I need to be at home to..."
To what, Eli? Take care of your deadbeat brother? To be the safe and smart one? Caleb's right about one thing, I'm way too sheltered, but how can I go out and party when I know my brother's suffering at my apartment. It feels too selfish to have fun when Dan needs me.
