These days, he was feeling distracted.

Eli forced himself to give a small smile with lackluster. Clare was seemingly bursting, grinning from ear to ear, happy, as always, just to be around him. Eli looked at Clare but his gaze was far away.

"So, do you want to go?" she asked, impatiently waiting for his response with a smile.

Her excitement seemed to be uncontainable, like any minute she would shoot off into the sky like a rocket. She rocked back and forth on her heels.

Eli squirmed, hesitating for just a moment.

"Yeahthat'dbegreat," he finally burst with a gasp of breath, making the whole sentence into one long breathless word. "Sure, if you want to."

Clare's eyes showed a twinkle and her nose scrunched ever so slightly. And at this, Eli gave a smile that was for real. He really did like Clare. That wasn't the problem.

"Wanna eat lunch with Alli and Drew?" Clare asked with that same surge of energy.

Eli admired her for that. She was happy, seemingly all the time. But what didn't she have to be happy about?

"I kinda said we would," Clare added mock guiltily with a sheepish smirk.

Eli breathed a murmur of a chuckle under his breath.

"Sure," he said.

With an apple in his left hand, he extended the other.

"My lady," he said poshly.

Clare smiled, balancing her yellow tray piled atop with carrots, milk and a tuna melt sandwich. She rearranged herself so that they could walk arm in arm toward the couple that from the outside appeared to have nothing in common with them.

Drew and Alli sat at an empty round table, wrapped in one another and kissing. Clare and Eli paused upon seeing this and exchanged glances. Eli looked away and Clare cleared her throat.

"Clare," Alli greeted enthusiastically.

Clare smiled and set her tray down. Eli mechanically settled down onto the seat, glancing around. The four must've looked like an odd grouping.

"I feel like it's been forever since we've hung out," Alli droned, grabbing Clare's hands.

Alli shifted her gaze to Elli and smiled.

"So, how are things," Alli asked in what she thought was a quiet and inaudible octave.

"Good," Clare smiled.

The girls giggled.

Whatever that meant, Eli thought, turning away. Drew sat across from him, just as out of the loop. He smiled nervously, flashing his three hundred perfect teeth.

"Girls," Drew said lightly, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as if to make small talk.

"Uh, yeah," Eli agreed uncertainly. "Girls"

Just then, Eli received a text. He gratefully opened it, welcoming the distraction.

Meet up in the library after school. –Adam

Eli put his phone away and Drew gave him yet another uncomfortable smile. Eli raised both his eyebrows, pretending to be playful, but what he really felt like being was gone.

_English_

"Hey, I missed you guys at lunch. Where were you?" Adam asked, setting his stuff down and taking his seat.

"We had lunch with Alli and your brother," Eli answered with a facetious grin.

Clare jovially pushed him forward.

"You can stop now!"

"I see..." Adam responded, nodding. "So did you get my message?"

Clare looked at Eli curiously.

"What message?" she implored.

"Uh, nothing. It was nothing."

Eli quickly took his seat and felt Clare's eyes burn into the back of his head. He knew she hated when he did that, and it was all the more reason to smile.

He had to admit, pushing Clare's buttons was probably the best, especially after making him spend his whole lunch hour listening to girl dribble and smiling awkwardly with Drew, someone he barely had anything in common with.

_Library_

Eli sat on top of one of the tables and scribbled into a notebook as Adam scanned the rows of books. Eli scratched his back in deep thought; he shook his head and hastily scribbled out the last lines he jotted down.

"Whatcha writing? Some poetry?" Adam smiled, pretending he was trying to peer over.

Eli slowly looked up, giving Adam a look.

"Yeah, got a problem?"

Adam looked somewhat stunned and backed away.

"Okay…"

"Look, here it is," Adam announced moments later. "This is the one I said I thought you would like. It's more your style."

Eli put down his writings and took the book Adam handed over.

"Is this the one about the headless superhero girl?"

"Yep," Adam confirmed.

"And this reminded you of me how?"

"It's good. Just read it."

Eli tossed it to the side and continued writing. Adam made a face.

"Someone's in a bad mood."

"Someone's just trying to concentrate," Eli corrected harshly.

Then he added, slightly more docile, "Have you ever thought of exactly what you wanted to say, you just didn't know how to say it?"

"Uh, sure. I guess. Is this about Clare?"

Eli got that same impatient, exasperated look.

"No, this has nothing to do with Clare."

"Eli, talk to me, man. What's up?"

"Clare and I are fine. Everything's great…"

Eli let his voice trail off and his eyes became far away again.

Adam looked weirded out.

"Okay, then," he said, heading back to the rows of books.

Eli looked at Adam for a moment, as if reaching out, but by then Adam was too distracted looking for more books to notice.

Eli looked up and took a deep breath.

When he finished his paper, he enclosed it-

To Julia