What He Wouldn't Give (Unedited Version)

Chapter Five: Present Day...

Present day...

"Eli you can call me if you need anything don't forget. If things get rough again you can crash in your room here." Declan was on the phone with Eli. Eli had to move back in his real house with his father. Earlier this week and Declan had to go out of state to help out with a major case. Eli wasn't ready to leave Declan's but the state reviewed there case and Luke looked like he had cleaned himself up and was in shape to receive custody back. Something never mentioned before, the state had temporarily signed Eli's custody over to Declan so Luke could have a chance of correcting anything that was wrong and not worry about taking care of his son. Eli wasn't ready to go back to public school either. Unavoidable were the two and they came sooner than Eli wanted and Monday morning Eli was up around six am getting ready for school and Luke was still asleep as he just got a new job and he didn't have to wake up until at least seven.

Eli still didn't trust Luke at all and when Eli returned home to his real house Luke and him sat down and had a conversation. It went a little like this...

"Hello Eli, you look good. How have you been?" Luke asked his son respectively.

"I'm good, I joined a band well they asked me too and I said yes." Eli responded quickly.

"Look Eli, we both know I was not the father I should have been when your mother passed away and I did some unforgettable things. I can't ask you to forgive me, nor can I ask you to trust me any time soon, but the one thing I ask of you is to let me try to be the father I should have been and used to be. I'm not saying forget last year, I want to learn from my mistakes and become a better person."

Eli stared at the man who is father in complete and utter shock of what he just said to Eli. Eli had no idea what to say, his mind and words escaped him. He struggled to think of something to say to Luke. Before Eli could say anything Luke stepped in again, "Just give me chance Eli, you don't have to say anything to me right now. With your school year starting back up shortly and I know we just got back settled in, I was maybe thinking to move out of this house and into a new one in your school district."

"Luke did you already find a place?' Is all Eli could think to ask.

Eli didn't even bother he didn't call him dad and his dad continued, "During the past few months it's were I had been living, living in this house brings back to many bad and horrible memories for me. I don't want to force you to move, but if you wouldn't mind we can move or not. I just need to know before the end of the week that's when I have to tell the owner if I'm going to actually buy the house or not."

Eli just ran up to his room feeling overwhelmed by everything. Eli's thoughts were racing all around his head as a fly buzzes about a room. They were fast and annoying. Eli began to have a mental conversation with himself.

"Why the hell is he doing this?"

I don't know, this house does bring a lot of bad memories back." He reasoned with himself.

"He couldn't have changed, how long will he play mister nice guy?"

"Eli hold yourself together, things will get better."

This went on for hours that night as Eli collapsed onto his bed in exhaustion and looked up at the blank ceiling. He was scared and afraid of what could happen at the same time he was hoping that his father had actually changed, however his worries replaced all his rational thoughts. Tonight was supposed to be a band practice for Anthem Falls but Eli told Jeremy that he couldn't make it tonight and he was sorry. Eli couldn't force himself to get out of bed at all after falling back onto it. The ceiling had a barely visible pattern that Eli noticed the longer and longer he continued to have his eyes directed at it. His mind kept playing that one night on the ceiling, the glass, blood, punches, pain, most hauntingly the opponent he faced that night; someone who he should never had to fight against for his life.