Off to Neverland

Off to Neverland (48)

“We should get ready for school now,” I gulped, scooting away from Eli and off the bed. “My clothes are downstairs, so I’ll just go down there…”

“I’m not going to school today,” Eli informed me once I was almost out the door.

My eyebrows furrowed at him. “Why?”

He merely shrugged. “I just don’t feel like it.”

Something wasn’t right with him, and it bothered me a little. But he was a Lost Boy, which meant he could get away with skipping school as if it was no big deal at all. No one would even question his absence, probably...

So I asked no questions as Simon and I left the room so I could hurriedly change and go to school. Looking at the clock, I knew that there was no way we were going to be able to get to school in time, so there was no point in going as fast as possible.

But still, we pretty much burst in through the front doors of the school, only to see an empty hallway since everyone else was in class. Neither Simon nor I were a Lost Boy, so I didn’t know if we were going to be able to pull of being late or not. Everyone did know that I was close to the Lost Boys though, so that might give me a pass…

“I still can’t believe you hooked up with Eli,” Simon said as we walked into the empty halls. "I always thought you hated that guy. I remember you telling me that you couldn't stand him."

“We didn’t hook up,” I snapped, even though I wasn’t so sure if I was telling the truth. “We just made out, Simon. That’s all. And I used to not be able to stand him, but he's changed. People can change.”

“So, are you guys a couple now or something?” he asked, and I still couldn’t help but notice that he was totally jealous. It sure was going to take a while until things finally went back to normal to normal between Simon and me.

All I could do was blink at first, because I honestly didn’t even know the answer to that. Were Eli and I a couple after what we had done the night before? All we had done was make out, and it wasn’t like either of us had told the other that we loved, or even liked, them. It wasn’t like it had been with Jack, where we had both told each other we loved one another before we ever did anything big.

“I don’t know,” I answered simply now with a shrug. “We better get to class, Simon. We’re already as late as it is.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“You didn’t have to come pick me up, you know.”

Simon clutched onto my arm before I could walk too far away. “So… what about Jack?”

He just had to bring everything up, didn’t he? I honestly didn’t even want to think about Jack right then, because I didn’t know if we were friends or not. He said that he still loved me, but he wasn’t exactly the most believable person to me right then. So I didn’t know exactly how I felt about Jack right then.

"No way. You couldn't..." Simon’s eyes widened when I didn’t answer him right away. “Do you still love Jack after everything he did to you?”

“No!” I shouted, not wanting anyone to think that I was in love with Jack anymore. Sure, I loved him still, but just not like that… “I love Eli!”

I clamped my mouth shut at this, not even meaning to say it. I looked around quickly, hoping that no one was somehow around to hear us, and luckily the halls appeared empty. So I was safe for the moment.

“You… love Eli?” Simon asked, and he looked more shocked than jealous.

“I love him,” I admitted now, feeling weird about saying it out loud. “I really do. I didn’t think I would ever be able to fall in love with someone again after Jack, but I was wrong. Eli makes me feel really happy, Simon. He didn’t at first, but he changed. I think he might really like me back.”