Bad Habits | Herophine #1

XI

-Lies & Heartbreak-

After the night that Jax and I kissed and over the course of a week which was typically the time frame Riv and Lo fought for, all I knew was Jax, I'd wake up early and meet him in Malibu beach, by the time the weekend rolled around, what used to be Elijah and I, became Elijah, Jax, Hailey and I, we kept our budding romance on the hush for now, stealing kisses from each other when Hailey and Elijah weren't looking, until we figured things out.

He still maintained his ground on not being good for me, I insisted he couldn't be that bad, because he wasn't when we were alone together, his kisses were like kryptonite to me and he was slowly but surely becoming my weakness. Elijah of course didn't approve when I spilled the beans one night he came over to spend time with me.

"He's clearly having a blast leading you on Faith, I thought you were smarter than that babe." He replied, "He's not like that E, he's a completely different person when we're alone, you don't get to see that because you're banging his sister." I snapped looking up at him since my head was on his lap, he wasn't angry, but he let me know how much he didn't approve. "He hurts you and I'm gonna have to break something, you know that right?" He winked at me and smiled as we finished binge watching the current season of Lucifer. I loved Elijah, but this was something I had to live for myself, just like he was living his romance with Hailey.

I was sitting home that following Sunday waiting for Jax to call me for a spontaneous meet, I suppose he must've been busy because the only phone call I received was Elijah's. "Okay Fae, this is me Elijah Alexander Jr. Calling to formally apologize for dragging you along to most of my dates with Hailey and taking you nowhere but your couch to binge watch Netflix, so today I'm inviting you out, like old times, we can go to Pink's."

I could feel the sass about to come my way. "So shed the depression for one on one contact with your best friend because I'm picking you up in a few." He said making me laugh.

Just as I was about to agree, Jax texted me to drive to his house, I remembered I sent my car to be detailed the day before, so he agreed to come pick me up. "Eli..." I coughed into the phone. "I don't think I'll be able to go out with you tonight, River and Logan are still fighting and I might be coming down with something, how about next week?" I lied, I could feel the angel on my shoulder rolling its eyes at me.

I'll admit it hurt lying to him, but I was blinded by Jax's charm. "Oh, well that sucks..." Elijah answered. I could clearly hear the disappointment in his voice. "I guess I can take a rain check then, but I do have to make it up to you Fae..." He sounded sincerely sorry and my heart sank a little bit. "You will, as soon as I get better." I lied some more and felt myself sinking in a tangled web of lies. In less than an hour I was in a nice casual outfit, white shirt, light blue satin bomber jacket, and black cargo pants with matching Doc Marten's.

I paced from the couch, to the window aimed at the driveway, until a familiar Mustang pulled in, I almost ran out of the house and seated myself perfectly inside his car where he greeted me with a quick kiss on the lips. "What took you so long?" I asked curious. "There was massive traffic, but I'm here now." He smiled placing his bottom lip between his teeth, "Yeah, you are..." I looked at him shyly.

We went to an empty outdoor skateboarding ring, and just laid on the grooves, looking at the bright stars above, we spoke about life, a bit more about his father and how he could go without seeing him for months, my mind drifted to Elijah and his parents. I finally opened up about my own father's death. "I was lost for a long time, I ditched school to go to vintage car shops because I missed him."

I shrugged. "I still do sometimes, but I have our love for classic cars to keep me going." He smiled and kissed my lips. "You're braver than you think Faith. You have a strength in you that no other girl I've met possesses, that makes you special." How could he possibly be leading me on when he spoke to me like this? They were all wrong.

He glanced at his watch and it must've been late. "Let me take you home." He said. "You don't have a choice, I don't get my car back until tomorrow." I reminded him as we both laughed. I got a head start toward his car when he pulled me by my arm, planting a sweet kiss on me before opening the passenger door. He drove holding my hand, until we pulled into my driveway and my heart sank deeper than the concrete my driveway was made of. Elijah sat on the small stairs leading to my front door with a thermos in his hands and pain in his eyes when he saw me coming out of Jax's car.

He walked over to me, deflated. "I was worried, when you said you were feeling sick and that your sister and her girlfriend were still fighting, I knew for the life of me you'd try and make soup and miserably fail at it so I brought you some right after we hung up."

He said, his eyebrows pulled together and I felt tears brimming my eyes. "Eli..." He lifted a hand up leaving the thermos on my stoop. "You know Faith, I could do a lot of dumb shit, I can ignore your texts if I'm taking a test, miss your calls while I'm in the shower, bring you along to my dates because I'd rather have you third wheel than not spend time with you at all, I might even take Hailey to places we used to go to as friends before I was with her, but in my almost four years of friendship with you, would I ever ditch you for a girl."

He sank his fists in his jacket pockets and if there was a prize for the shittiest friend of the year, I was nominated in all categories. "Eli, I'm sorry." I tried to explain before he stopped me again shaking his head. "I would never fake being sick to get out of having to hang out with you, I trust enough in our bond that saying no, would suffice."

He walked toward his car, parked next to the side walk as I chased after him, I leaned into his window as he sat in it, we both had tears in our eyes. "Eventually he's going to tear your heart out." He pointed at the Mustang. "The shame of all of it is your sister, River and I are going to be left picking up the pieces of Faith. I hope it's worth it, because I don't know if I want to be around to witness it."

He turned his engine over, pointing at the thermos. "It's your favorite. Get better Faith." And just like that, Elijah's Impala disappeared into the night leaving me in tears in the middle of the street. I couldn't bear to look at Jax, so I dismissed him, his headlights pulled out and I bent over to pick up the thermos and the rest of my shame.

Upon walking inside, River and Logan were holding each other, they'd heard everything of course, that's what happens when the walls are paper thin, it seemed as if they patched things up between them, great. I held my hand up as Logan tried to speak. "Don't even dare." I walked by both my loving females shaking my head and locked myself in my room, intending to stay in it for the next seven days, possibly forever until I wasted away. I cried, I cried all night, hating myself for how I managed to lose my best friend and bruise his feelings at the same time.