Waking up in a hospital was the worst. Eli knew something was wrong and he called for an ambulence as soon as he could. He had to wait all night to know what was wrong with Luke. He remembered in health that if you drank too much it could lead to alcohol posioning or failure of some internal organs. He wanted to scream at the person he was supposed to call his father.
The last few time he stepped into a hospital was because of something that Luke did. Now it was his own fault that he was in the hospital and Eli was only there because he found his 'dad' unresponsive on the floor. The doctor came around the corner into the waiting room as Eli sat up.
"Eli Carter." He called and Eli got up and followed the doctor into the elevator and wondered what was going on. The doctor brought him to the third floor and they walked to room number ten and walked in. Eli had a feeling that something bad was about to happen.
"Okay Luke your sons here and I'll tell you whats going on."
Luke and Eli avoided each other, but at the same time said, "What!" after the doctor informed them on Luke's condition.
Eli was murmering to hiself that this couldn't be happening while Luke was mutter about how he didn't have the money to do the proceedure, yet alone know anyone who would be willing to donate a kidney. The doctor left and that's when the yelling started.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT ELI!"
"MY FAULT HOW YOU ARE A FUCKKNG ALCOHOLIC THAT DESERVES THIS."
"EVERY TIME I LOOK AT YOU YOUR MOM, MY WIFE IS STARING BACK AT ME AND TO KNOW THAT I'M NOT EVEN YOUR FATHER HAUNTS ME. I TOOK YOU AS MY OWN KID, BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE MY SON."
Eli's jaw fell to the floor at the words Luke screamed back at him. The man in front of him wasn't even his real dad.
"You lost the privilege of being my father a long fucking time ago and you will never get it back." He said calmly before walking out of the room shutting the door with a force that made the nurses jump. Pissed was an understatement with Eli at the moment. Everything he knew, how much of it was actually true. Wandering the hall ways until he found the stairs Eli grabbed the door and yanked it open. Walking down the three flights of stairs and out of the door Eli told himself that he was never going back to a hospital again. Little did he know is that he would find himself back there soon.
A week passed by and nothing felt the same to Eli anymore. He called Declan and told him that he needed to talk. It was Eli's personal therapist kind of. Declan wished he could do more to help Eli out, but he could not do anything without breaking laws. However every night for the next week Declan ate dinner with Eli until the night Luke could come home from the hospital. That was the night Eli was majorly dreading. Who knows what would happen. Eli hadn't been going to band practices anymore and Izzy was worried and he told her that he was going through some family things so he couldn't make it for the next few weeks. In his mind it tore him apart not going, it was the one thing that he still had left.
Luke was coming home today, yet Eli had school so that was a plus for him. The day went by way to fast for Eli though. The drive home wasn't long enough and he was at the door way to fast.
"Breathe, in and out." He whispered quietly to himself.
Nerves mades his breathes shallow as he gripped the doorknob and twisted it. Silence, was it good or bad, who knew? Eli ran up to his room and started his pre-calulus homework. After a few hours of homework he got a call from Jeremy asking if he could come over and they'd have a band practice. Eli immediately said yes wanting to get out of the house. Eli grabbed his song binder and shoved it into his book bag and ran downstairs.
"Where the hell do you think you're going mister?"
"Jeremy's." He said quietly before the silence after a defeatening crack struck.
"Tell them you tripped and caught the corner of the table if they ask about your face." Luke spat and walked away leaving Eli alone.
Eli ran down the porch steps tripping on the last step falling on the pavemeng and cutting up his knees and hands. Ignoring the pain and blood that was now on his steering wheel he drove over to Jeremy's as fast as he could, which mean that he sped the whole way there. Luckily no cops where out on the roads that Eli was on. He grabbed his bag and rang the King's doorbell to see an excited Izzy. She looked him up and down before pulling him into the house dragging him by the shirt into the kitchen telling him to sit on the counter. She grabbed an icepack out of the freezer and handed it to Eli before he could say anything and ran off to find the first aid kit.
Jeremy walked into the kitchen, "Woah did you get hit by a bus?" He joked, and Eli did not find it funny.
"I tripped over my shoes by the kitchen table earlier today after school and I was running down the porch steps and stepped on a shoelace wiping out on the pavement." Eli said dryly.
Jeremy asked him if he wanted to eat dinner with his family and Eli's stomach growled answering him. Actually Eli couldn't remember the last time he ate today. He knew that skipping meals wasn't good for him, however he kept on doing it like it was a habit that he couldn't break. The moment Jeremy walked out of the kitchen Izzy walked in and finished taking care of him.
"All done, how do you feel now?" She asked him. Eli replied and Izzy did something crazy before she could think and put her lips on his, kissing him. Eli didn't know what to do so he kissed her back then pulled away when he realized what he was doing.
"I'm sorry Iz." He said and jumped off the counter walking towards Jeremy's room. Izzy stood there blushing because he kissed her back and she did just embarrass herself by doing that. Eli knew Izzy was a good girl and would be a perfect girlfriend for him, but he couldn't put in her that position with the shit he had to deal with at the moment. He sighed and he walked into Jeremy's room and collasped into the beanbag chair.
"Why are your cheeks red dude?"
Eli got up and looked in the mirror. Did he tell Jeremy that he kissed his sister back or what?
"Well Iz kissed me and I kissed her back, but then I pulled away because I can't have a girlfriend no." He blurted out before he could lie.
"Just whatever you do with my sister is fine with me, unless you break her heart or hurt her."
Then that was the end of that conversation and Eli knew he had to talk to Izzy before he left and tell her that this wasn't the right time.
They talked about what songs they wanted on the album and Jeremy had recently gotten a call from the record company.
They said that sometime next week they wanted to start recording. Eli said that it should work and he couldn't wait.
Before dinner Eli walked over to Izzy's door and knocked on her door.
"Come in Jeremy." She said thinking it was her brother.
"Wrong person." Eli said with a half laugh.
She blushed and told him he could sit on the bed next to her.
"So," The two both started to say and Eli backed out and said she could speak first.
"I'm sorry I like threw myself at you."
"It's okay Iz. I just came in here to clear somethings up. I don't regret kissing you back, but I can't have a girlfriend at the moment, I have things going on and I wouldn't want to put you through that. I'd like us to still be friends and maybe when things settle for me I could take you on a date, but until then be my friend?" He asked and Iz kissed his cheek and said that she would love to be friends until then.
They walked downstairs together and met Jeremy and there parents and sat down to eat. They had chicken alfredo, one of Eli's favorite meals. He couldn't remember the last time he had this to eat.
"So hows school Eli?" Mrs. King asked him. Eli gave the usual response that everything was fine. The rest of dinner went on like normal for the Kings and Eli was on his second plate.
"What does your dad not feed you enough?" Jeremy's dad asked jokingly.
Eli sat there frozen unsure of what to say so he went to a safe answer and said, "He was in the hospital and I forgot to eat lunch since I forgot my wallet in my house and I haven't had this meal in forever. It's my favorite."
The Kings smiled at him and then addressed their children asking them about school and sports with Izzy. Eli sat there listening while eating. After dinner Jeremy and Eli went downstairs to play fifa and his phone vibrated. It was a text from Zack.
"Party at Nicoles you in? -Zwest"
Eli asked Jeremy if he wanted to go and Eli got a reply sure let's gather up the other members and bring everything incase.
It would be the first performance for Anthem Falls in a little while. Jeremy texted everyone Nicoles address and then Eli drove Izzy and her brother to the party. The first friday night in a bit that Eli did something besides sitting in his room alone with his thoughts.
Eli was driving and a deer ran out in front of the truck, slammed on the brakes ans spared the deer its life and its little fawns life too as they crossed the street. Accelerating they arrived at Nicoles in about half an hour. Once Eli, Jeremy, and Izzy walked into the door everyone stopped and someone yelled out, "Anthem Falls." Nicole came out of the crowd and asked Jeremy if they could perform.
Jeremy said sure and by ten o'clock Anthem Falls was performing. "Want to perform an orginal?" Jeremy asked Eli and he asked if the company would let us and Jeremy nodded. They chose an original and Eli sang the line he created the song around, "At night she asks me to sing her one of my melodies, mel-o-dies." They performed a few more covers then they were done. Izzy of course was recording performance as usual.
Eli was the only one who didn't drink that night. He wouldn't touch alcohol with how it impacted his life. He saw it as something that just ruined lives, especially his. He sat on the couch with Izzg asleep on his arm watching his band memebers try to dance as they shamelessly flirt with Nicoles "clique." He chuckled to himself and Jeremy sat down on the couch on the other side of Eli. He picked up Izzy and walked her out to the truck then went back inside and helped Jeremy walk to the passenger side of the truck.
He locked the other band memebers in a bedroom and then left dropping the Kings off at there house and then collasping onto the bed in their guest bedroom. He heard a soft knock on door and then someone walked in and slipped into bed next to him. He was too tired to complain. That night he dreamed for what seemed like the first time in forever.
He was skating along the sidewalk and a red dyed hair girl walked over to him, "Hey." She said and he said hey back unlike how he actually did when he met her. The dream ended and his eyes opened seeing blackness. Looking over Izzy was laying on his arm. He knew he had to leave before she woke up. He grabbed his shirt off the floor and put his shoes on and walked out of the room and out the door. Getting into his truck he pull out of the driveway. He slipped into his house and into his room.
The next morning he groaned and climbed out of bed. He walked into his bathroom and turned on the shower and brushed his hair out of his face, he needed another hair cut soon. It wasn'r that long like shoulders but it was still longer than most guys hair. He got into the shower and go out after doing his daily routine. Changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black band shirt, "Foo Fighters, 100% organic." The shirt itself was a joke. After that he walked downstairs and was greeted with someone who he did not want to see let alone talk about.
"Hello Eli."
"Morning." He replied sounding slightly British.
"So what time did you get home last night?"
"Does it matter and did you take the medication the doctor prescribed you?"
"Yes it matters and why no thank you for fucking caring son."
Eli just kept his mouth shut and walked out of the house.
"Eli Taylor Carter!!! Where the hell are you going?!?"
"Football game, it's football season and they are playing Jeremy's school so I have to go and support my friends."
With that he left Luke standing on the porch flipping the bird to his 'asshole' of a son, as he thought Eli of. Eli caught the sight that was directed at him and yelled out the window before he took off. "AT LEAST I DON'T FLIP OF MY OWN SON LUKE!" Eli hated him with a burning passion. Driving up to his highschool Izzy was waiting in the parking lot for him. They walked over to the football field and sat in the bleachers. Football was not really Eli's thing but he told Izzy and Jeremy that he would come so he couldn't just ditch his friends. Everything seemed normal between Iz and him that made Eli happy because he needed a friend at the moment not a girlfriend.
Half time could not have come any sooner for Eli his stomach was growling. Izzy offered to buy him pizza slices and he handed her the money and told her to get him a drink too.
Jeremy waved at Izzy before she walked over to the concession stand to buy the food and candy she was going to get. Zack was on the football team he was number 14. Eli cheered for both of his friends during the first half which earned him some weird glances from near spectators. He told them that he had a friend on both teams so he would cheer for both and if that bothered them oh well he didn't care what they thought since he came to support his friends.
About five minutes later Iz returned with four pizza slices stacked on each other two cheeses and two pepperoni, two mountain dews and two bags of candy which Eli couldnt tell what they exactly were. He took the two slices of cheese and grabbed his drink helping Izzy out and before they both knew the game was starting up again and Eli's school was losing by a touchdown and a field goal.
Eli started to zone out at the end of the third quater and into the start of the fourth. By that time Izzy's school was up by two touchdowns and a field goal. Eli got lost in a day dream wondering who his real father could be since the words that Luke screamed at him were engraved into his head and would play on a continual loop in his mind. Was he rich, poor, famous, etc. Did he get any of his looks from the mysterious man and also was he even American or as the stupid rednecks called 'Murica or something like that.
What brought Eli back to reality was when Izzy was standing cheering for his schools team telling Eli to stand up and not look like a fool not cheering for his own team. He stood up quickly and asked Izzy what happened.
"In the last ten seconds your friens Zack caught a pass from the guy who is number 78 and made a touch down which leaves them tied with my school and if your team makes the field goal they win."
Eli just nodded and pretended to understand everything, seriously football was the hardest thing ever for him to understand. Making him look weird to other guys who pick it up right away and were always watching it. Eli didn't really understand how people liked to watch sports, he'd rather go play them.
"Hey Iz, why are you cheering for my school?"
"You're cheering for mine so I thought I'd cheer for urs too."
"Makes sense now that you mention it. Good thing you were watching football is such a bore to me."
She laughed at him and they walked down and Eli introduces Zack West to Isabelle and Jeremy King. Zack invited everyone to go bowling after and Eli declined after noticing many calls from Luke.
"Good game and I wish I could stay, but I have to go." And with that Eli was walking back to the schools parking lot and getting into his truck. Eli never liked having to go back to his house if he knew the man he was supposed to call his dad was home. The smell of alcohol was noticable as Eli walked into the house.
"Son you're finally home." The words came out as a drunken slur from Luke.
"You shouldn't be drinking Luke." Eli stated and looked at the bottle of vodka in Luke's hand.
"You are not the boss of me you little manwhore, what the girls name Izzy your friends sister."
Eli punched Luke square in the face, "I am not the one who should be called a manwhore, and Isabelle and I are just friends leave her the fuck out of this whole mess!"
"Beating up your old man what a cowardly thing to do." He said as he took another swig from the bottle.
"At least I can stand up for what right and be a man about it unlike you."
Luke took one last swig from the bottle and threw it at Eli. Eli managed to duck as the glass shattered behind him.
"I'm done picking up the messes you make Luke."
"Oh are you?" He replied and grabbed Eli's arm and pushed him towards the broken glass screaming, "PICK IT UP (you choose the best swear word for this part)."
Eli refused and something in his brain wouldn't let him just obey, that causes Eli's face to meet the floor and glass.
"Pick it up now!" This time Eli obeyed and Luke disappeared. Sighing and glad that he only got one cut from the glass he picked the rest up. His upper arm was starting to bruise up and he was glad the colder weather was coming and it would be easier to hide the bruises without having to lie. Once the glass was all picked up he ran the vacuumed the area incase there were any slivers of glass he couldn't pick up. Shattered and broken seemed to be the only thing he ever knew just like the bottle that used to lay before him.