by Jannat Bhat
The couple days passed in a similar fashion, and one afternoon found Eliana misplacing her copy of Fahrenheit 451 along with her notes which they were studying that semester. She was fatigued mentally and emotionally. Seeing Ms. Diaz coming over, she panicked and looked at Julian helplessly. He held her hand steady with his own and said, “I got this.” only for her ears and slid his own copy across the desk at her and said that he had lost his copy. Dr. Diaz gave him an earful that made Eliana’s cheek blaze guiltily. He was asked to prepare everything he had lost once again by tomorrow if he wanted to pass the semester.
Eliana said a soft, “Thank you.” Today wasn’t one of her proudest moments and she admonished herself mentally.
Julian acknowledged her with a nod. “I am sorry about the bet, Elly.” He said after class.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said, looking at the book in her hand. The bet was a sore subject for her. “I’m sorry. You got scolded because of me.”
He shook his head. “It’s fine. I can help you make the new notes if you want after school.”
“No, thank you.” She said. “You need not trouble yourself.”
“It’s no trouble.” He said coming forward. “I want to help.” She backed up. “I said no, Julian.”
“Is it so hard to forgive me?” He said with hurt clear in his eyes. “I’ve apologized a hundred times already.”
“Thank you so much for that.” She turned away.
“I’m not letting you do this alone. Do you want me to go back inside and tell Ms. Diaz the truth?”
“So now you’re a tattletale too. I’m not surprised.” She sneered.
“Eliana, I made a mistake making that bet, what else do you want me to do?” He said exasperated and took the book from her. “You get to use this only if you let me help you.”
“I could just get another copy from the library.” She argued.
“After you misplaced the last one, I doubt it.” Julian said. “And don’t even think about buying a new one, last time I checked, the bookstores were out of stock.” He didn’t know this for sure, but he needed some time alone with her to fix things.
Hesitantly, she nodded. “Fine, after school. Meet me at the Starbucks. Until then do not speak a word to me.” It was his book she was borrowing after all. “And don’t even look my way.”
“As you wish,” Julian mumbled.
As Eliana sat scribbling notes furiously, Julian sat across her stealing glances.
Eliana sighed in annoyance when she caught him several times. Julian helped her in writing whenever he could which wasn’t much because she barely said a word to him. Eliana increased her writing speed letting the latte turn cold and hours later finally stood up gathering her notes and left.
“Where are you going?” Julian picked up his book and followed her. “It’s chilly out there.”
“Mind your own business.” She snapped at him, walking towards her car and stumbled down.
Julian sighed heavily and went to her. “Give me your hand.”
“I don’t need your help. Neither do I want you touching me, so stay away!” Eliana was spiteful. It was more to protect herself because being alone and this close to Julian again was wreaking havoc on her heart. She needed this hatred so he wouldn’t shatter her heart into pieces once again.
Without hearing another word, He picked her up and carried her to her car in his arms.
“How dare you? Put me down!” She struggled. “I said put me down this instant, Julian!”
He’d had enough of her tantrums. He reached her car which was parked next to his and put her down. Julian looked up at the dark sky wondering if she would ever forgive him. Did he ruin the one good thing that had happened to him?
Eliana stood there fuming, with her green and white stole around her. He leaned forward to open the car door for her but she jerked away from him. “What the hell, Julian! Back off!” Julian leaned back, hurt at her reaction. “Have you lost your mind? GET AWAY FROM ME!” She yelled.
“Elly, I wasn’t . . .” He started.
“I know exactly what you were doing. I thought I told you not to touch me!” She fired. “But you southsiders are just incapable of following instructions, aren’t you?”
“Shut up!” Julian was mad now. “Stop it, Eliana! I just wanted you to get in the car so you wouldn’t freeze to death and you . . .” He took another step back. “Anyone in my shoes would slap you right now!” He blew out a breath trying to calm himself down.
“Then why don’t you?” She provoked him. Eliana wanted to hurt him as much as she’d been hurt.
“Because I love. . .” He stopped himself. This wasn’t the time or place.
“Because you what, Julian? Tell me. Because you love me?” She mocked. “Is that what you were going to say?” Julian turned and closed his eyes. She had hit a nerve and it took all his restraint to not break something. “You’ve got a funny way of showing it. You are the most awful person I’ve ever met!”
“Enough Eliana!” Julian burst out turned to hit his car window with enough force to shatter it and break the skin on his knuckles. “Enough.” He breathed out. “If that is all that you think of me, so be it. From this moment on we mean nothing to each other.”
“Fine by me.” She retorted.
He slammed her door shut and got into his car, cursing the universe with blood coming off his knuckles.
Chapter Eight
Next morning at school, the two avoided looking at each other. “Is everything okay with you two?” Mia noticed this when Julian left for his class without as much as a hello. She observed how unhappy and troubled they looked.
“Yeah, it’s all good.” Eliana bit her inner cheek, suddenly feeling the urge to wrap herself around Mia and cry. But she resisted because she didn’t want to burden the girl with her problems. She was old enough to deal with them herself.
After Lit class was over, Eliana called out Julian’s name outside class and he tensed at her voice. She passed him his copy of the book she had borrowed and the librarian had found Eliana’s along with her notes on one of the shelves. Julian snatched the book from her roughly and left without a look at her. There was no mischief, no stolen glances between them today. Eliana was an emotional wreck. She knew she had succeeded in hurting him, but instead of feeling better, she felt worse. At the end of break, Eliana was despairing at her locker when Julian came to her.
“The warning bell rung already.” He said to her. “You should get to class.”
“I know what to do.” She said tersely looking blankly inside her locker.
Julian stared at her unaware of Mia’s eyes on them. “Fine.” He said lastly and left.
Mia intercepted him. “Julian, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” She asked kindly.
“What do you mean?” He tensed.
“Between you and Eliana. I’ve seen you both laughing and fighting, but there was also a sense of friendship underneath all the teasing. But not today. Something’s changed. You’re both acting as if you can’t stand each other. Why is that? Eliana said everything was okay, but I don’t believe her.” Mia said bluntly.
“Maybe everything is not okay.” He couldn’t hide the pain in his eyes. Julian gave her a small smile. “I should get going.” She gave him a half hug and before he left.
“You know that he’s gone right?” Mia asked Eliana who was watching Julian walk away.
“I know. I asked him to leave.” She said quietly.
“Eliana, I don’t want to pry but you both seem upset. You don’t want to talk about it and I respect that. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
I hope I know what I’m doing too, Mia. Eliana thought sadly. She had overreacted with Julian last night. She knew he would never do anything unwillingly with her but she responded like that anyway just to hurt him.
Days passed but the two never spoke except about their projects. That night when Eliana was in her room trying to get some sleep, she received a
text from Julian saying he was outside if she could spare a few minutes. Looking out her window, there he stood getting drenched in the rain. She texted him to leave and that she wasn’t coming out, but Julian was persistent and said that he won’t leave until she spoke to him. Thankfully, neither her father nor Jax had come home when she checked the time. She was aware that both the Bennett men were having a guy’s night out. So unwantedly, Eliana took an umbrella and went to Julian. “What do you want?” She shouted against the wind in the rain.
“I need to speak to you. Explain. The bet . . .” He wanted to tell Eliana that he was in love with her long before the bet. She just failed to see it.
“I already told you that I don’t want to talk about it. Go home, Julian. This changes nothing.” She left the umbrella with him and went back inside without another look. As was to be expected, Julian had caught a cold the next day and it bothered Eliana to see him sick. Ms. Diaz scolded him over his sickness and asked to take a half-day off to recover. Eliana found him in the cafeteria during her break and passed him some Tylenol.
“Is it so hard to take medication?” She asked without sitting down.
“How do you know I didn’t?” Julian looked up at her through his lashes and sniffed. He hated it when he caught a cold. His head ached, his nose ran and his eyes burned.
“I just do.” She was right, he hadn’t.
“I’m fine, Elly. I don’t need it.” He sipped a cup of hot tea.
“Can you for one second stop acting like a child and take it.” She snapped, holding out her hand and passing him the medicine.
“At least you still care.” He smiled a little to himself and took the medicine from her.
“I don’t. I just . . . don’t want to get sick either.” She excused.
“Keep telling yourself that. Maybe you should stop lying.” Julian said.
“I’m not lying. I used to care about you, Julian. But hearing about the bet, it broke my heart.” She said. It was the first time she’s mentioned it on her own.
“Elly . . .” Julian said her name quietly.
“And broken hearts, Julian, they don’t feel anything.” She sighed after that. “You should head on home after you finish eating. And don’t forget to take your dosage.” She pointed to the Tylenol.
The next afternoon, Eliana was trying to open her locker which seemed stuck when she heard Naomi and Ethan behind her. “Stay the hell away from me, Clark,” Ethan said.
“I’m not the one who asked to be paired with you! If you come any closer I swear I’ll hit you!” Naomi said jerking open her locker.
“No normal person wants to get close to you.” Ethan provoked.
“Get lost before I scratch your face off.” She threatened him.
Is it true that redheads have a fiery temper? Eliana wondered looking at Naomi. But she was quite calm before Ethan had joined them. Maybe he affected her more than others, just like a grey-eyed guy, affected her.
Julian came in going straight to his locker when he stumbled next to Ethan. “Dude, watch where you’re going,” Ethan grumbled.
“Sorry, my bad,” Julian muttered. He looked and felt much better thanks to the medicine.
“Don’t apologize, Julian. He’s the one at fault, standing in the way.” Naomi said.
“Do not make me mad, Clark, I will murder you.” Ethan warned her.
“Yeah? I dare you.” Naomi aggravated him further. “Now clear my path, freak.” She said going towards the washroom.
“You both are starting to remind me of Eliana and Julian when they first met,” Carter said standing next to Ethan. Eliana gave Julian a hesitant look at the comment but he kept gazing distantly into his locker lost in thoughts.
“Why won’t it open?” She muttered trying to open hers to no avail.
Julian stepped towards her and said, “Please step back.” She did and he gave the locker one hard push before it flew open.
“Thank you.” She said but he had already backed away to his spot.
“Ethan, whatever happened to that racing challenge tomorrow evening that you’d told me about?” Carter asked.
“Yeah, I was going to invite you all,” Ethan said. “Sure, I’d love to come,” Carter said.
“Yeah, sounds like fun,” Naomi said coming back and banged opened her locker. “Please promise me you’ll fall off and die!”
“I was thinking of competing with Julian.” He said looking up to see his nemesis.
“Now that is a race I want to attend,” Naomi said folding her hands across her chest.
“I’m not interested,” Julian said curtly. He wasn’t in the mood for anything lately.
“It’s okay to say you don’t want to lose, Rivera. Unless you cheat of course since cheating is in your blood.” Ethan couldn’t help but poke him for old time’s sake. He and Julian didn’t mess with each other that much. They had an unspoken peace treaty between them now.
“Do not speak about my blood, Bailey,” Julian said darkly.
“I know for a fact that my hero is going to win,” Naomi said, encircling her arm around Julian and tried to reduce the tension which had suddenly filled up the air.
“I’m not your hero,” Ethan said promptly.
“I was talking about Julian.” She made a face at him.
“So, are we on?” Ethan asked Julian. “Or you too scared to get a little scratch?”
Eliana glanced at Julian to see him watching her. “It’s on.” He said finally.
During break the friends gathered around the table at the cafeteria, and all picked sides. Carter said, “Of course, I’m on my brother’s side. Julian will make us all proud.”
“Naomi is also supporting him so that leaves, Jax, Mia, and Eliana,” Carter said looking at them.
“I’ll support Ethan,” Jax said munching on a baby carrot. “But I can’t make it to the race. I have to meet up with someone. But may the best man win.”
“And I can’t either, I have a date with Andrew after he begged me for two weeks and promised not to bail this time, but I’ll support Ethan too,” Mia said. “No offense, Julian.” She wishes them luck.
“None taken,” Carter said on Julian’s behalf. “My bro is cool like that.”
“Well Eliana, it’s your vote now,” Naomi said. Julian was seated quietly until then but at Eliana’s name, he glanced up at her wanting her on his side more than ever. Even though it was just a race and shouldn’t have mattered, it did. She mattered to him. Eliana’s phone buzzed, saving her from an answer and she left them to debate it among themselves.
They reached the racing track on the south side but Julian couldn’t care less about it. They waited a while until he and Ethan were up next and the guys readied themselves on their bikes. When Julian looked out at the crowd cheering for him, he saw the faces of his friends except one. The face he wanted to see wasn’t there. The race began with a loud shot in the air and Julian rode forward at full speed as did Ethan.
Eliana was in her room at home pacing at the impending outcome of the race. She didn’t want to be there and cheer for anyone. It wouldn’t make sense. She didn’t support these kinds of sports where one could get hurt. And she was mad at Julian, it wouldn’t do to see him anywhere except school. He was smart enough and could take care of himself. She hoped.
Carter called Eliana wondering where she was. The race had begun and she was nowhere to be seen. Naomi cheered for Julian beside him.
“Eliana! Where are you? You have to be here to support Julian.” He said, while eagerly watching the race.
“Carter, I won’t be coming.” She said, looking out the window of the room.
“What? Why not?” Carter asked.
“I’m not interested in this.”
“Oh. Well at least tell us whose side you’re on? Julian wanted to know.” Carter asked as the racers made a sharp turn.
“I . . . uh . . .” She hesitated.
“Oh no! JULIAN!” Carter’s shout rung loudly in her ear that she had to je
rk the phone away.
“Carter, what happened?” She was instantly on alert.
“JULIAN NO!” She heard Naomi’s scream in the background.
“Carter? What happened to Julian?” Her heartbeat accelerated. She heard a rustling over the phone. “Carter!”
“Shit! He’s bleeding. We need to get him to the hospital.” She heard his muffled voice. “Now!”
“CARTER?” She grabbed her jacket and put on her shoes before running out.
“Sorry, Eliana. Julian’s had an accident. He crashed and hurt himself pretty bad. We’re bringing him to Kindred Care Hospital right away.” Carter finally said into the phone.