Eli saw Serena again at lunch, she had her iPod in, bobbing her head to some song while she sat with a boy at a table, her brother. She looked to be ignoring him; he looked more annoyed by the moment. He pulled out one of her ear buds and started talking again.
Eli watched them have a heated discussion, then the brother quickly stood and walked away. Serena put her earbuds back in, her jaw obviously clenched.
“I thought you weren’t interested?” Adam said, coming up behind Eli.
“She . . . she read a poem today in class and now . . . I don’t know,” Eli attempted to explain.
“Do you wanna sit with her?” Adam asked, looking at Eli look at Serena.
“I . . . uh,” Eli stuttered.
Adam began to walk over to Serena’s table. “Adam, no!” Adam smiled at Serena and said something. Serena smiled and nodded. Adam turned to wave over Eli, Eli walked over awkwardly, sitting in the seat next to Adam, on the other side of Serena.
Serena smiled when she noticed Eli. “Green Eyes, how nice to see you again.”
Eli nodded back at her. “Serena.”
Adam smiled. “Serena, where are you from?”
“Georgia.”
“Why did you come all the way to Canada? Why are you at Degrassi?”
“My mother died and we moved.”
“I’m so –” Adam began.
“Please don’t,” she said, kind of angry. "There’s no reason to be sorry, you didn’t kill her. Listen, I gotta go. Bye, Adam. Bye, Green Eyes.” She smiled and the boys watched her walk away, until they could no longer see her disappearing figure.
“I didn’t mean to offend her,” Adam said, looking around nervously.
“Don’t worry, I just think it’s a raw topic,” Eli said, still looking in the direction Serena had left.
She had experienced the death of a loved one. She knew what it was like.
For the second time that day, Eli wondered when he’d see Serena again.
*
After the incident with the van and Claire, Eli was forced to go to grief counseling after school twice a week. He trudged to the classroom where the meeting was being held, frowning all the while.
Just imagine his surprise when he saw Serena there, with her brother.
The room was arranged in a circle of seats. Sadly, there were no seats next to Serena so he sat across from her. The guidance counselor, Mrs. Walters, ran the meeting.
“Hello,” she said, taking a seat towards the front of the classroom. “Let’s begin. Ok, so we all lost someone recently or further in the past, but we all feel the pain of a lost one, right?”
There were nods and “yeah’s” throughout the classroom.
“Why don’t we go around the circle and say who we lost and how?”
“I’ll start,” Serena’s brother offered.
Serena turned to glare. “Why do you always have to be first for everything, you stupid overachiever! Just sit back and chill! Goodness! I wanna karate chop you in the throat sometimes.”
“Is there a problem?” Mrs. Walters asked.
“I don’t wanna be here! My father knows I don’t like to talk about feelings to strangers. That’s why therapy doesn’t work,” Serena said, angrily.
“My names is Kendall,” Serena’s brother cut them off. “My real mother left us when we were young, my father got remarried and we had an awesome stepmother. She cared for us and loved us as if we were her own kids. I lost her to a house fire about two months back.”
“Go ahead, Kendall, why don’t you tell them the rest?” Serena said.
“Serena, don’t,” Kendall began.
Serena turned to the circle. “You wanna know so bad? I started the fire. They blame me for it.” Serena grabbed her bag and stood. “They hate me for it, but are to punk to admit it.” Serena left, Eli was probably the only one who saw the tears in her eyes.
ESTÁ A LER
Eli Goldsworthy Moving On
FanficThe students are back from summer break. Eli is excited to see his ex-girlfriend, Claire, who he thinks is still with him, she just needed some space. After a stunning wake up call and a meeting with a strange, new girl. Eli realizes he needs to mov...
