Because of me.
1562 Words
Elijah’s POV
“Eli, dear, wake up. Time to get ready for school, my love.”
Mom’s voice gently pulled me out of my beautiful sleep. I rubbed my eyes and squinted as sunlight poured in through the curtains she’d just opened.
My mom is so beautiful. I’m pretty sure that’s where I got my good looks from. I jumped out of bed and threw my arms around her.
“Mommy! You’re soooo beautiful!”
She laughed softly. “I know that. Now go get ready—and make sure you brush your teeth.”
I froze, my hand covering my mouth. “Wait… are you saying my breath stinks?”
She giggled. “I’m saying you shouldn’t talk to anyone before brushing, dear. That morning breath might kill someone.”
“Mom!”
“I’m kidding,” she teased, walking away with a grin.
Well, there goes my good mood. I grabbed my towel and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower and brushing, I got dressed in my favorite white jeans and blue shirt. Backpack slung over my shoulder, I went downstairs.
Dad sat glued to his phone, Grandpa hid behind his newspaper, and my sister Lia munched on toast. Mom was serving breakfast when I shouted,
“Good morning, family!”
They all replied in unison, “Good morning.”
Mom poured me tea and finally sat down across from me.
Breakfast was peaceful—until Dad spoke.
“Eli, did you go to Manchester?”
I choked mid-bite, coughing like I’d swallowed my fork. Mom quickly handed me a glass of water.
Once I could breathe again, Dad repeated, “Why did you go there?”
I froze. I didn’t even know why I’d gone myself. What was I supposed to say?
“Uh… Mrs. Cooper sent me,” I blurted out.
“Why?” Dad pressed.
“Uhh—to check on Mr. Cooper. No, wait—Noah came with me! He wanted to see how the meeting was going.”
Lia scoffed. “Noah was with me.”
Crap.
“Eli,” Dad said slowly, lowering his phone, “are you lying to me?”
“No, Dad!” I almost shouted. My heart was racing.
Finally, I sighed and said, “Okay, fine. Mrs. Cooper was worried because Mr. Cooper wasn’t answering her calls. She wanted to go, but I insisted I’d go instead. When I got there, I called her so she could talk to him herself.”
Dad exhaled heavily. “And why lie?”
“Because last time you fought with her about sending me around without your permission. I didn’t want another misunderstanding.”
He stared at me for a long second, then nodded. “I’ll take your word for it. But Eli—remember, I work for the Coopers. Not you. Don’t get involved in their matters. If anything happens again, call me. Understood?”
“Yes, Dad,” I said quietly.
He grabbed his briefcase and left. Lia gave me a smug little blink before following him. Ugh, that girl. She probably lied about Noah just to get back at me for telling Dad she brought a guy home last week.
After breakfast, I headed out. My school, Floors High, was a few kilometers away—just enough time for me to talk about me.
My name is Elijah Williams. One of the top ten students at Floors High. I’ve got an older sister, Lia, who’s in college studying business. Dad’s the secretary at the Coopers’ company—he earns well, but he says the title “secretary” makes people treat him like a maid. Mom’s a full-time housewife who takes care of Grandpa.
When I pulled into the school parking lot, the Coopers’ car was already there. Great, they beat me today.
The Cooper twins—Noah and Alexandra—are my childhood friends. Noah’s quiet and shy; Alex is the popular one. He’s so adored that me and Noah are popular because of him. In our circle, we’ve also got Ginger and Emily, the only girls who don’t faint when we say hi. The rest of the girls in Floors High would literally collapse if we asked them a math question.
Break time, during class I wasn’t paying that much attention, wanted to talk to Aria but my promise was stoping me.
In the cafeteria, I joined the gang. I wasn’t hungry, so I just ordered orange juice.
“Where’s Ginger?” I asked.
“She’s with her childhood friend,” Emily said.
“More like her next victim,” Alex muttered.
“What do you mean?” Noah frowned.
“You know how Ginger is,” Alex said. “She picks on new students. My gut says that new girl’s her next target. She’ll act nice, make her trust her, and boom—another girl gone.”
Emily and Noah laughed, but I didn’t. My stomach tightened.
Please, not Aria. She’s already been through too much. I need to talk to Ginger before she hurts her.
Class started. I walked in and froze—Ginger was sitting beside Aria.
Aria was smiling. Smiling. For the first time, I saw that pure, innocent smile. She looked… breathtaking.
Please, Ginger. Don’t hurt her. I need to talk to her, I walked over to them and called out, “Hey baby!” Lean in a placed a kiss on her cheek while staring at Aria who didn’t care about my existence. Does she hate me that much?
Ginger introduced us. I wish I could her hand and show her how badly I want to be friend her but I’m shy she doesn’t want to. She nodded her head like it’s the first time we meet each other.
I need to get an alone time with Ginger. I asked her about the Coopers, she didn’t meet them yet so we decided to meet after school.
I sat behind them, reminding myself to keep my distance. Because of me, Aria’s father hurt her that night. While staring at Aria, she looked back and I quickly looked elsewhere. I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.
That night still haunted me. After Aria begged me to leave, I did. But when I reached my car, I found her bag. I went back to return it, but no one answered the door. I peeked through the window—and my heart shattered. Her father was beating her.
I wanted to rush in, to help—but then he shouted, “Who was that boy?”
That’s when it hit me. He saw me. If I went in, he might kill her. So I left her bag at the doorstep and drove away with tears burning my eyes.
I didn’t sleep that night. I felt worthless. When I saw her the next day, she was wearing a scarf around her neck—and it made me feel even sicker. I tried to apologize, but she cried and ran off. So I wrote an apology note and slipped it into her book.
Hours later, it was lunch. Ginger and Aria were sitting together, laughing, sharing sandwiches.
Really? She takes sandwiches from Ginger but not me? How mean of her.
Aria’s eyes suddenly met mine. She froze, mid-bite. I looked away, embarrassed. I’d talk to Ginger later.
Classes ended, and as everyone left, I caught up to Ginger and Aria. Grabbing Ginger’s hand, I said, “Can we talk?”
She glanced at Aria, then nodded. “Okay, Aria. See you tomorrow.”
Once Aria was gone, I turned to Ginger. “What’s your intention with her?”
She blinked, annoyed. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, cut the act. We all know what you’re like.”
“Well, maybe you’re wrong, Eli,” she said coldly. “I’m not the same Ginger. Not with her. She’s my best friend, Elijah. We grew up together. And why do you care anyway?”
“Because she’s different,” I said, my voice shaking. “She’s the kind of person you don’t hurt. The kind you protect. Please, Ginger—don’t hurt her.”
“Are you in love with the new girl?”
The voice came from behind me. I didn’t have to turn to know it was Alex.
I sighed and said, “No, Alex. I’m just trying to help.”
“You never helped anyone else,” Emily mocked.
Noah chuckled. “Didn’t you hear him? She’s different.”
They all laughed. Except Ginger.
“She is different,” Ginger said, tears glinting in her eyes. “She’s changed so much. She barely pays attention in class. She’s fighting battles none of you see. She used to be so cheerful… so full of life.”
For once, the group went silent. Then Emily rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go home.”
We walked out quietly. After saying our goodbyes, I drove home, changed, and lay on my bed.
But Ginger’s words wouldn’t leave me:
She changed so much.
That means Ginger knows who Aria used to be.
Maybe she’s being abused. Maybe she needs help but doesn’t know who to ask.
And if that’s true… then I’ll break my promise of staying away from her.
I’m sorry, Aria.
But my heart won’t rest until I see that stubborn little I-don’t-care smile again.
- Writer
