I'm sitting in Spanish when my mind starts to wander from the vocabulary on the board to Eli. I've been doing this for a while. I don't necessarily mean for my mind to wander, but I never try to pay attention to anything else once I have Eli on my mind. 

Suddenly, I feel a hum in my ear and this strange tingle rush through my body. I look up from my pleasant daydreaming, to find the room empty. That's weird, where did everyone go? 

I get up from my seat, and walk out the door, hoping to find out whats going on. Is this some sort of prank the whole school is playing on me? Did Dan and Alex set this up? Eli would know. Eli should know. Eli knows everything. 

Alright, I'll go find Eli then. 

I turn the corner towards the gym and see myself staring back at me. Then I see another one of myself walk towards me. What the hell? 

When I push open the gym doors there is an entire class of me. My heart starts to pound in my chest. One of the Steves walks up to me. "You know, you're a complete failure, right." His smile stretches endlessly across his face. My own clone, knows how much of a failure I am. How depressing. 

I start running. Eli isn't here anymore, there's no reason I should stay with this weird joke.

I'm running back to Spanish. Is this some sort of punishment for daydreaming in class? If so, what a weird punishment. 

When I look into the Spanish classroom there are more of me there. All sitting in desks. In unison, like creepy dolls, they look at me with that to wide smile. 

I slam the door shut and sprint outside, sitting on the concrete just outside of the doorway. If this is a joke they should know to stop by now.

I pull my head into my knees, wanting this to be over. There's a pounding on the door behind me and the glass on the door shatters, raining glass down on me. This can't be a prank.  

The endless river of Steves flows from the door and surround me. They kick me to the pavement and it feels like a thousand fists are pounding on me at once. Then they all start to say every hard truth I've found out over the years. 

"Your friends will never see you as an equal."

"Every person you come into contact with gets hurt."

"You'll never be forgiven for everything you've done"

"Enjoy hell."

"Your parents wont love you after they find out who you really are."

"Eli will never love you." 

The last two hit me straight in my heart, right where it hurts the most. It hurts because it's true. The Steves around me keep hitting me with truths I never wanted to acknowledge. All the while it feels like there's more of them, and I'm drowning in a sea of myself. 

I sink to my knees. 

"Eli." I say, quietly almost to myself. Where is he? Amoung the sea of myself there has to be one person who will know what's going on.

"Eli!" I say, louder this time. 

"Please! I can't do this without you!" I'm shouting and crying, trying desperately to claw my way out of all the arms and legs punching and kicking me. 

"You're a terrible boyfriend." A Steve says right before punching me in the face. 

I'm yelling at the top of my lungs, as if saying it louder will make it more true. "I know I'm a really crap boyfriend but I love you too much to let you go!" 

The tears are starting to come faster and faster. Then, suddenly, all the truths stop and I hear crying, but not my own. It's Eli, He's sitting over me with his head in his hands crying. I reach up and hug him like my life depends on it, tears soaking his shirt. God, I'm so glad he's here. 

"Don't ever leave me again!" I sob. 

"I promise." His voice is soft but interrupted with hiccups. 

My heart throbs with longing, never have I loved Eli Pepperjack more than this moment. I'll try to be a better boyfriend. I wont let anything hurt him. He doesn't need to love me. I can love him and that has to be enough.