What He Wouldn't Give (Unedited Version)

Chapter Two: Nine Months Ago...

Nine months ago...

After waking up from another restless night of sleep Eli looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He looked like he'd been dragged through hell, his eyes were becoming duller, his hair was a mess, there were bags under his eyes, and he had lost like fifteen pounds during the last three months. He turned on the sink and placed his hands under the ice-cold water and waited for it to pool in his hands before splashing it onto his face to wake him from the nightmare he recently had. Eli's father was probably passed out in his truck or at some random bar for like the third night this week or whatever, the days just blurred together for him. Both of the Carter men had been devastated by her death.

Eli went back to his room and laid upon his bed staring at the ceiling with memories of his mother running through his head on replay. This time the nightmare grew more intense and realistic than the others. In the nightmare this time was Eli and his mother in Disney when they went as a family around the age of seven. Luke had gone back to the car to retrieve the camera while Stacy and Eli were waiting to go on Splash Mountain. He dreamt of the two of them laughing and getting onto the ride, until the scene drastically changed where he was alone in Disney on the ride with the body of his dead mother slouched over next to him. He screamed in the nightmare, but nothing came out and then he woke up.

Luke had been dealing with his wife's death by using alcohol as an escape by drinking until he was so drunk that he couldn't remember a single thing and couldn't feel a single emotion. He'd hit on young women at the bar and once the police was called on him, yet he was gone before the police arrived and the matter was dropped. Three months had passed since her death and for Mr. Carter it seemed like just days because days began to blur together.

The Carter's neighbor, Beth Stevensen a seventy-three year old widow, came over to check on both of the Carter men over the past months. She would cook Eli dinner most nights since Luke wasn't being a father at the moment, she'd clean the house and all the tasks Stacy usually did and she'd take Eli to therapy on Mondays. Eli was forced to go to therapy and he didn't like it at all. He'd be forced to go to a stranger, talk about his feelings, pretend to be strong and then leave; yet usually Eli sat staring at the cream colored walls, while the therapist tried to get him to open up. After two hours of nothing Eli was allowed to leave and Ms. Stevensen would drive him home.

Eli got home from therapy today, which was weird because he had to go on Thursday this week, and went straight to his room to lie on his bed. This was Eli's normal routine after any therapy session. About a month ago Eli had returned to school to begin his junior year of high school. Everyone had known about the tragic death in their family, yet no one really knew how Luke or Eli was. Eli was only a month behind in school and he had easy classes this year since last year he took harder classes. The teachers when first informed of the past event they gave less homework but still a good amount. Eli sat up and pulled his book bag towards him and began some catch up work.

"Who the.." he began to say before Beth walked into his room with a plate of cookies. Eli took one and then waited for her to leave before cursing and throwing the book and worksheet at the wall. Beth was just out side the door and cringed when she heard what Eli did and was slowly noticing Eli's anger becoming a problem over the past months. Eli fell asleep after giving up on his schoolwork, Beth had gone home, and Luke had come home drunk like always. He screamed Eli's name and didn't even give Eli a chance before he walked into his room and started to scream at him.

"You're a worthless piece of crap kid."

"You know this is all your fault."