Elijah's POV

Elijah stopped a few steps away from Sal's turning to look at Carter.

"This is my stop." He gestured to the bar.

Her face looked thoughtful. "How old are you?"

"Why do you care?" He was quick to answer.

"Well you look my age. And I'm not legal yet." She explained, as she eyed the bar.

"How old are you?" He looked her up and down. She was short. But curvy.

"I asked first." She said, pouting her lips at him. It distracted him for a second, but his scowl remained present.

"Well, I'm not telling you until you tell me." He crosses his arms, slightly smirking stubbornly.

"That's not fair."

He shrugged, as they had a staring contest over who would answer first. He knew it wouldn't be him; he was as stubborn as a mule.

Only thirty seconds passed, before Carter blinked, glancing away with a defeated, but comedic expression.

"I'm nineteen." She answered him.

"That's nice." He turned to leave to the bar, turning to find her open-mouthed.

He almost let out a chuckle at her expression, turning back. "I'm just playing you. I'm nineteen too."

"So... how are you going to get in?" She questioned.

He pulled a card out of his front pocket, flashing it at her. "Fake ID." He was nonchalant. Porter had his connections so Eli only had to pay a reasonable price to be twenty-three year old Jimmy Clyde for nights like this.

She frowned. "I want one."

"Then get one." He turned to leave her behind when he saw two very familiar figures stumble out of the bar, a dark brunette with her arm slung over the shoulder of a goofy looking red-haired guy.

Elijah recognized them instantly, rushing forwards to support Della on his own shoulders since he was soberer than Porter.

"Hiiiii!" She yelled in his ear, as he carried the upper half of her body. Porter skipped behind them singing a random song. He was a musician so he was always dancing or singing something. Elijah repeatedly told him how annoying it was.  Yet, he hadn't missed a single one of Porter's gigs, since they were sixteen.

"Who's that?" Della slurred, as she suddenly noticed Carter still following him.

"Dunno. I'm being stalked." He shrugged, speaking loud enough for Carter to hear, as she perked up at the mention of her.

"Eliiijaaaahhhh Wessstttt!" Porter sang, pushing his head in between Della and Eli, throwing both arms around each of their shoulders.

Fuck. Eli turned to his side to see Carter with a smug smile on her face. Great. Now she knew his full name. He was going to replace Porter's shampoo with hair dye.

She opened her mouth to say something when the song 'Pocket Full of Sunshine' suddenly blared from the pocket of her pants.

She pulled out a sleek white iPhone. Of course that was her ringtone. She eyed the screen for a minute, sighing before looking up.

"I have to go. Nice to meet you, Mr. Elijah West!" She winked, turning and disappearing into the dark alleyway behind the bar.

Eli shook his head, dragging his friends to his car. He thought about Carter the whole way home. What a weird girl.

As he pulled into the parking lot of the worn-down apartment building, he pulled his friends out of the car, into the elevator.

Porter was playing Candy Crush on his phone, while Della had her head on Eli's shoulder, with her eyes closed

Porter and himself lived together on the fourth floor. They had been roommates since starting university together the previous year. They moved here together after high school. Porter had always been one of his best friends.

Della lived in a dorm with other girls, but she had become part of an unlikely trio with them in their freshman year, becoming inseparable since.

So, she sometimes slept over after late movie nights or nights like these when it was easier for her to crash at their place.

Eli took off her shoes, tucking her into his bed, on her side.

He did the same for Porter in his own bed, making sure they were both sound asleep, before bringing a blanket and pillows to the couch, getting settled in for the night.

Elijah was a fast sleeper; he was knocked out within a few minutes.

*_*

The smell of pancakes was the first thing that entered Elijah's senses the next morning.

He opened his eyes, getting up off the couch and stretching his arms above his head.

His back hurt from the position he slept at. He ignored the delicious smells coming from the kitchen, walking into his own room to change into comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt. Della was no longer in his room. He went to the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth while staring at the mirror.

He frowned as he eyed his messy hair. The front was slightly long, falling over his eyes gently if he didn't push it back constantly. It did stick out all over the place at the top. He flattened it down with his hands. Why did he suddenly care what his hair looked like?

As he was walking out, he almost tripped over a black ball of fluff. His cat. She was black with a white patch at the very end of her tail. They had adopted her when they moved in.

"Good morning, May," Eli whispered as he crouched down picking her up and snuggling her small body into his chest. She was a mean cat, but for some reason she had a soft spot for Eli, always wanting to be around him.

Elijah stalked into the kitchen, seeing Della taking bacon out of a frying pan and placing them in a plate that was already half full of pancakes. This is why he loved when she slept over. She was studying culinary arts and her cooking was to die for.

Porter was still asleep. He never woke up before noon, even if he had classes.

"Hey, sleepyhead." Della teased when she spotted him.

He sat on the counter in their kitchen, not bothering to reply. Della was used to him being quiet.

She set the plate of breakfast in between them, handing him a plate and sitting across from him. May jumped down on the floor.

"You any got classes today?" Della heaped bacon and three pancakes on each of their plates, reserving the rest for Porter.

"Yeah. In an hour. You?" He coated his pancakes in syrup.

"Me too, can you drive me home?" She asked as he handed her the syrup.

"Of course." He smiled at her slightly. He was the only one with a car. They ate silently for a few minutes before she spoke.

"So? Who was that girl yesterday? You don't usually give girls the time of your day." Della spoke, her eyebrows scrunched in thought. She knew Eli had had girlfriends in the past, but he always seemed a little ... bored. He didn't look bored the previous night.

He shrugged, taking a bite of the crispy bacon. He was almost finished his breakfast, as was she.

"I helped her get away from cops, and she wouldn't leave me alone after." He informed Della.

She raised her eyebrows. She knew how cold Eli usually was to strangers. "Why was she running from the police?"

"She didn't tell me." He got up, grabbing his bomber jacket off the hook by the door, and putting it on.

"What if she's a serial killer?" She got up too, placing their dishes in the sink for Porter to wash. He always did the dishes.

"Never gonna see her again. So it's fine." He shrugged. "You ready?"

"Yeah." She put her shoes on, a piece of bacon still in her mouth as they took the elevator down.

They reached her dorm in ten minutes; Eli was a fast driver.

'"Thanks for driving me, dickhead." She smiled, opening the car to leave.

"Thanks for breakfast, dumbass!" He tossed back, as she closed the door with a laugh. He waited until she unlocked the front door and entered her dorm before driving off to get ready for his class.

hi! remember, if youre with a friend who drank too much, stay with them! and if they pass out after drinking do not leave them alone, call 911 :)