Chapter One:
"The Name's Tommy Eaton. But You Can Call Me Anytime."
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Eden huffed, crossing her legs as she adjusted her position in the booth. She inhaled sharply, raking her hands through her blonde hair and leaning her head against the window. An uneaten plate of food sat in front of her, still warm as it had only been there for a few minutes.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to avoid any tears falling. She didn't like to cry in front of people, and especially not in public.

She missed Elias. She missed him so much it hurt to even think about him.

He had disappeared on their family's annual trip just over a week ago. So far, there were absolutely no clues on who took him and where he was. She didn't even know if her brother was alive.

They had stopped at a rest stop because Eden had to go to the bathroom. Before she went into the building, she saw her brother running over to the tree to climb it.

He had always been so athletic. That's probably why he was the favorite.

She definitely wasn't the favorite. She had a health problem that required continuous surgeries just to keep the scar tissue from taking over her lungs completely.

That stopped her from doing a lot of things she wished she could do. Things like cheer, dance, volleyball. Any sports, really.

It was already hard enough for her to breathe. There was no way her doctor would clear her for any sort of physical activity like that.

Eden hoped that Elias was still alive. That he was somewhere out there.. Waiting for the police to find them. Even if she had always been secretly jealous of him and how their parents favored him.

Sometimes she wondered if he just ran away. She hoped so. If he had run away, then that would mean he's still out there. Alive and okay.

Eden closed her eyes, trying to force the tears down. "He's okay. He's okay. He's okay."

Eden wiped the tears away from her eyes with her sweater sleeve. She watched the trees blow in the chilly October wind.

Meanwhile, a group of boys sat at the counter, all eyes on her.

"Who do you think did it?" Davey asked, biting into his burger. "Do you think we know them or-"

"This isn't a conspiracy, Davey." Farraday shook his head, taking a sip of his soda. "She lost her brother."

"Do think he's dead?"

"Woody!" Farraday scolded, scrunching his face up.

"She looks really sad." Tommy commented, his eyes trailing over her slouching figure.

"I wonder why." Farraday said sarcastically, causing Tommy to scoff.

Tommy rolled his eyes, shooting Farraday a dirty look as he stood up. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"What? Are you insane?" Woody's voice rang out in Tommy's ears, but the raven haired boy didn't respond.

"She's vulnerable man, gotta get in there before anyone else does." Tommy shrugged, sliding out of the seat. "If you know what I mean."

Davey rolled his eyes, looking exasperated as Tommy backed up slowly, puffing out his leather jacket as he spun around to walk towards her table.

Eden frowned as a figure sat in front of her. She turned her head from staring out the window. She trailed her eyes down his face before flickering them back up to connect with his stare.

"The name's Tommy Eaton, but you can call me anytime." He started, leaning back and folding his hands behind his head.

"I know your name." Eden cut him off, her voice quiet and gentle."You're in my math class. You always flirt with that one girl."

"Paying attention to me, are we?" Tommy smirked, winking at Eden.

Eden shoulders fell and she rolled her eyes as she looked around the diner. "No.."

A smirk found its way onto his face as he trailed his eyes down her face, stopping at her lips for a split second. He licked his teeth, flickering his eyes back up to hers.

"So.. not to be rude, but can I help you?" Eden continued, leaning on her palm.

"Nope. Just thought a pretty girl like you might need some company." He flirted, leaning forward on his elbows and taking a fry from her plate.  "Saw you all alone.. and just thought I should join you."

Eden rolled her eyes, but her face turned a deep red shade, causing Tommy to smirk to himself.

"So.. do you actually need something.. because, I'm sorry, but I'm just not in the mood." Eden's tone was quiet and sad as she turned her head and stared out the window.

As a waitress passed by, Tommy waved her over. "Uh, yeah, can I get.. one strawberry milkshake for this pretty little thing?"

The waitress nodded, her ponytail bouncing before she walked away. Eden rolled her eyes, silently watching him.

Tommy turned his attention back to her, "So, let's talk."

~~

"Where have you been?" Eden sighed at the sound of her father's voice.

"Just out, dad." Eden said tiredly, fiddling with the end of her jacket. "I was at the diner.

"It's eight PM." Her mother continued.

"Which is well past curfew. You know this."

"Sorry, dad.."

"Hope you weren't hanging around with any hooligans." Her mother's voice was filled with disappointment as she looked up from the book she was reading. The fire illuminated her face, which showed clear disdain.

"N-No, mom." Eden stammered, Tommy flashing in her mind for a split second. "I-I would never."

Her father rose an eyebrow, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. She had always been bad at lying.

He pursed his lips, "You've always been a terrible liar, dear."

Eden coughed, squeezing her eyes shut as her lungs contracted. "S-Sorry, dad."

"Go to bed, dear. We'll discuss this in the morning."

"Yes, mom.."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

{ Word Count: 1

{ A/n: Eden and Tommy? owning my heart? more likely than you think }

{ Edited: No }