What He Wouldn't Give (Unedited Version)

Chapter Fourteen: Ghosts of the Present

Ghosts of the Present

She looked over at the young gentleman sleeping on the floor in her brother's room and smiled before walking down stairs. Isabelle's parents weren't home as they went to work. Jeremy and Iz surprised everyone by coming home that Wednesday night instead of Friday night. Fixing herself a bowl of cereal she sat at the kitchen bar and turned on the tv to a criminal show about abuse and their victims. Immediately thinking of Eli she felt arms wrap around her and a head rest on her shoulder. Eli closed his eyes taking in the moment and then let go of her and fixed his own bowl of cereal watching the show along with Izzy.

"Do you want me to change the channel?" She asked in case he couldn't handle watching it.

"No watch whatever you want Iz it's your house."

    Looking at him as she ate Izzy noticed at certain points when the person hit the other person Eli would involuntarily flinch. Maybe he didn't notice. After breakfast the two came up with a devilish plan and got a bucket of water and set it up so once Jeremy opened the door he would be drenched with cold water. The two then proceeded to the next part of the plan and Izzy went back to her room to pretend to be asleep and Eli did the same after accidentally setting an alarm off on his phone as if he had to be up to go home.

    Confused, Jeremy got up and went to open the door to use the bathroom and the plan was put into action. Cold water soaked Jeremy from head to toe. Eli pretend to be asleep as he secretively recorded the whole thing. Jeremy ran off pissed knocking on Izzy's door. Eli got up and followed Jeremy to his sister's room pretending to not know about the whole water thing. Izzy came to the door in her pajamas yawning asking him what the hell did he want. The first mistake she made was laughing. The next was looking at Eli behind Jeremy and Jeremy's was not blocking the door way as the two took off with him on their tails.

    Eli laughed a genuine laugh and it wished they could stay here and not go back to college, but that was quite selfish of himself to want. Not noticing the small foot he tripped and allowed Izzy to get ahead and then it turned into a game of chase where Jeremy was chasing the both of them and Eli was chasing Izzy and their dog chasing everyone.

    After the past week this was exactly what Eli needed in his life; however, this was only temporary. The smile quickly faded. Looking around he felt surrounded by the happiness but he was only looking at it from the outside. Detachment slowly enclosed him causing him to get up and walk back to the porch and open the door. Iz looked at Eli not noticing the expression on his face. Pain painted across his face that he hid from the world. What he wouldn't give to go back to the way things were before the whole accident; the normalcy of everything was his contentment.

    Eli grabbed his guitar from the basement studio striking the once familiar chord placing his fingers on the fifth fret and seventh fret of the low E and A strings, then he put it back into the case and left not looking back. His truck was essentially running on empty and he only had ten dollars to his name since the rest was going to his lousy father's surgery. Walking out the door in a trance, he missed Jeremy and Iz calling his name wondering what the hell was going on with him.

    "(Yell the first profanity that comes to your mind when your pissed.), screw this!" He said after getting back to the house he was supposed to call home, Declan's car was there. Getting out of the truck he stormed up to Declan and threw caution to the wind.

    "WHERE WERE YOU. HOW COULD YOU LET ME GO BACK. THIS ISN'T HOW I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE. YOU HAD A CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING AND YOU LEFT ME TO THE WOLVES. AND FOR WHAT A GIRL NOW. I SAW THE RING WHEN YOU CAME OVER LAST TIME. THROW ME TO THE WOLVES AND I'LL COME BACK THE LEADER. I DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP SO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING AT MY SO CALLED HOUSE. YOU LOST ANY RIGHT OF CHECKING UP ON ME OR MAKING SURE I'M OKAY WHEN YOU HANDED ME BACK TO THE DEVIL."