"No way!"
"I'm not kidding. It was like barely two minutes." Elijah and me were currently sat at a bench near a forest, leading up to his house. And the guy is telling me a story that I honestly didn't understand but from what I got it definitely consisted of his brother, a circus clown and their neighbor's cat.
We were both pretty drunk of the vodka, and I was quite surprised to know that this wasn't his first time trying an alcoholic beverage. As our laughs died down, Elijah decided to ask me the question I desperately did not want to answer.
"So whom did you hook up with?" he asked with a teasing tone. "No one." with finality in my voice but even I knew he was going to find out somehow. "Oh, come one. Just tell me and I promise I won't tell anyone, I won't ever repeat this just please."
"Fine." I caved in. after taking a deep breath I told him the name "Ace." the boy all but screamed his name. "Oh my god, you hooked up with ace Alvarez. Oh dear lord you guys are gonna have the hottest babies ever."
"Shouldn't the baby be cute?" surprisingly that was the first question that came into my mind. "Nope, you're baby's gonna be liquid fire." he had that psychotic happy glint in his eyes, which to be honest was kind of concerning.
"So tell me everything." so I did, I told him everything, starting from me getting home to me being pissed at my brothers and then wanting to go to a club, getting drunk and almost sleeping with ace. Elijah was truly sad when he found out I didn't actually have sex with him, but the mention of the heated maekout session did kind of make up for it.
We soon were sat in silence passing the bottle from time to time. I finally decided to ask the question that has been bugging me for a long time. "How did you know about that place?" Elijah just shrugged in return "I stumbled upon it by accident." Nodding my head I took another sip of the vodka "How many times have you been here?"
"Everyday since I came here." I almost choked on my drink. "Everyday? That has to be like, almost a month. You really love music that much?" I did too loved music but I don't think I would sneak out of my house every day to come and play here.
Elijah chuckled slightly at my assumption "No. Actually it's kind of like an escape you know. From the shit show that is our home. No one knows who I am here. I can be whoever I want." that did make a lot of sense but the middle of the sentence stuck with me.
"Shit show at home?" "Yeah, things aren't really going great right now in almost every aspect, but like I said escape." he said waving hi hands around. I sat there for a moment thinking of what to say next. What should I say next 'I'm sorry?' instead of saying something comforting like any other normal person what I said was "You're weird."
Elijah turned to me, his face showing just how crazy he thought I was "Wow, that just tops everything that could have come out of your mouth."
"No. I mean not weird the way others say you are. Just, I don't think I could ever this open to someone about the shut that goes on in my house." I answered taking another swig of vodka.
Elijah didn't say anything for a while and I thought we moved on from the topic but after he few moments of silence, he spoke again "You're the reason I'm alive."
I scoffed at that, I have actually killed people, how can someone like me be the reason someone else is alive. "No I'm not."
He took the bottle out of my hand, took a generous sip and started a story.
"2010. I am six years old my older brother is 10. September 23rd, dad doesn't come home, we wait for a long time but he still didn't come home. A week later mom got a letter from our Father's new girl friend saying she should stop trying to contact him because he does not want to be found and he is happy where he is."
"It broke mom, she didn't have any other family, and we couldn't afford much. She was struggling to even put food on the table, she kept on a brave face for a long time but around the time I turned 10 it was like she had given up. She barely left bed didn't eat much. Harry (older brother) had taken up the responsibility of all three of us, working three jobs a day."
"Our home life was literal shit but school wasn't much better either, around the time I started middle school, the bullying got worse, now it wasn't just a shove or stealing lunch. They started leaving notes in my locker, all of them said such horrible things but I always knew not to let them get to me so I used to just tear them up and throw them away."
He chocked up near this part, my hand instinctively went up to his arm, rubbing it gently "You were doing right okay."
"Elijah looked up at me tears threatening to spill at any moment. "A year ago, September 23rd, we didn't speak at all before me and my brother left the house, no one could even bear to do anything, it just always hurt even thinking about that day. When I got to school, and opened my locker there was another note there. 'Kill yourself' and I guess I was way to vulnerable at the time to think rationally but I didn't throw it away this time."
"Oh no" it left my mouth as a bare whisper. I don't even know how I ended up caring so much for this guy but I don't think I can imagine him killing himself. God I want to hurt to fucking high school bullies so bad.
"Yeah so, the next thing I know, I'm standing at the roof of our school, on the ledge just one more step and this would all be over. I was so close to ending it all. But just as I'm about to take the step I someone trying to open the door. I panicked not wanting to be caught there. I picked up my bag and hid behind the water tanks. And when I peeked out, I saw you."
I remembered that day; I remembered what had happened that morning. I also remembered how I had been on the roof for the same reason as him. But I let him continue.
"You came up on the roof, and even from afar I could tell you were angry and sad. You too were on the ledge and you stayed there for a long time, I heard you cry and scream but you didn't jump. And that really made me think, if you can keep on going why cant I. I mean I have reasons to live right, my mom, and my brother. No matter what happens or what people say to me. They would always be there."
"I knew you were going through something but you didn't try and take your own life and that made me want to be strong like you." Elijah was smiling at me, a few tears had slipped from his eyes yet he was still smiling, and it was the kind I didn't see very often it was one filled with admiration. He admired me for the strength I had but I just couldn't let him think that.
I shake my head, trying to hold back my own tears as I start to tell him the truth. "No, you don't. You don't want to be strong like me. That day on the roof, I did try to jump I was so tired what had been happening that just couldn't bare it but I thought of someone, how he would be devastated if I did die and then I just couldn't." I waited for Elijah to say something, to mock me for pretending to be this strong person, to tell me that I wasn't the person who inspired him to live anymore.
But he didn't say any of that, he just put his hand on my shoulder squeezed it reassuringly and just said that it's okay. And asked me who I thought about. "Eren, that is what we were to each other, what we still are. We were there for the other through the literal worst of times and even at the lowest points of our lives we are each others reason to live."
"Wow, I sure do hope I'll get a friend like that someday." I look up to him as he said that. And without a second thought I extended my hand towards him "You do now." his eyes travel to the hand in front of him then to my face, scanning it as if to look for the sign I was lying, when he found none he just leaped into my arms and wrapped me into a tight hug. I almost fell of the bench. I would never admit it but this was one of the best hugs I have had in a long time.
We talked a little more and around 3 we decided to head home. I helped him sneak back into his house before going to mine.
The next day at school, I saw Elijah waiting for me near the front door, I smiled at him and we started heading towards our first class but stopped in my tracks when I saw the one and only bitch Jennifer in the halls, chatting it up with some senior.
"What's the matter? Why did you... holy shit!" Elijah exclaimed as he followed my line of sight. "You know what, we don't need to engage ourselves with-." "Elijah get me a milkshake." I cut him off. "You really shouldn't. I mean the cafeteria isn't even-." "Elijah!" I cut him of again.
The scurried of to get me a milkshake my hands were shaking with anger. I marched towards her, tapping her shoulder and as she turned to look at me I threw a punch at her. Pinning her to the lockers and screaming at her, "You really thought I wouldn't fight back huh?" the girl tried to squirm away but I had a firm grip on her.
I threw another punch "It was broken nose last time right? Why don't I eve that out this time." With that I threw another punch to her jaw, so hard that I heard the ever so satisfying crack.
I kept on throwing attacks at her so fast; she didn't even have the time to retaliate. With a final kick to the knees I got up, leaving her on the floor moaning in pain, I turned to see Elijah standing with a swarm of students, milkshake in his hands, I took the glass from his hands taking of the lid I poured the contents on to Jennifer's head, watching as it dripped down her face.
I turned to the group gathered around us. "Anyone of you tells the Marinos or the teachers I was here something way worse will happen to you. Got it?" the kids hastily shook their heads and ran of from there.
"Come on." I gestured for Elijah to follow me as we walked towards our geography class. "Things like these are just gonna be another regular Tuesday for me now aren't they?"
I snorted out a laugh at that "Yup."
Heyoo!! Sorry I didn't update last week but here you go!
I hope you all liked this chapter and Elijah's backstory. Just a side note I'm thinking of writing a fanfic and I'll be updating you guys about it if/ when it happens.
Love you all!! 💕💕✨✨