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“I’ve looked, Aria. I’ve looked a lot, but I didn’t think you’d go for a guy like me.”
“Why?” she asked, glancing over at him.
“Look at me. I’m not exactly a good guy.”
“Eli, you’re one of my best friends. I care about you a lot.”
He sighed, and pulled his cell phone out, handing it to her. He leaned over, and clicked on the pictures. “You were the one that kept me going. You’re the reason I promised to be a good boy, so that I could spend time with you. I came back to be with you.”
She scrolled through the pictures. Many of them were with friends, and there were a couple of videos as well. She didn’t press play as they were private, shared together.
When she finished, she handed him back his cell phone. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything.”
“Do the others know? Chris, Branson, Rachel, and Mary?”
“They all know, and offered to help me win you over.”
Staring into his blue eyes, she closed hers. Over the years there had been feelings. Of course there had. He was Eli Waters. He was this sexy guy that was over six foot, and his arms were covered in the tribal ink he’d gotten when he paid a tattoo artist to ink him up. She had a little tattoo herself on the base of her back that she kept covered.
They all had a tattoo because of some stupid dare that they’d all lost on. She couldn’t even remember why, only that whenever she saw it, it made her smile.
Eli had been in her life for so long that the year he was gone, a small part of her felt like she was dying. She’d hung out with friends, and made the right noises, but whenever they were together, it only served to remind her that Eli was missing.
His hand was resting palm facing up, and she placed hers against his, locking their fingers together like they had been doing so often recently.
“What kind of deal did you strike with your dad?” she asked.
“I promised to be a good boy, get good grades, and the offer of studying was for the both of us.”
“Did you beg?” she asked.
“Yeah, I did. I started out as the problem child, and when I spoke to the sergeant in charge, he told me how I could get out of there. What I needed to do and how he would be willing to help.”
“You did all of that for me?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Before they could say anything more, their teacher was in, and to start off health class, it began with a diagram of both male and female bodies, with inner organs showing, and such.
There were several chuckles, and some jokes.
Everything faded into the background as she focused on Eli’s touch. His thumb stroked over her hand. At that moment, she didn’t know if she could believe what had happened between them.
Were they dating?
She wasn’t sure.
Instead, she sat, and did her hardest to listen. She had to have good grades, and if what Wayne said was true, she needed a miracle.
Af
ter class, they waited until everyone had gone before leaving the room. “Skip last period with me. I want some time alone with you without our friends listening in.”
“But—”
“I didn’t want to tell you all of this at gym, or in the beginning of health class. I actually wanted to show you how I felt. Please.”
