Time to Change

“Explain to me, just one more time, why are you going to UCLA?” Alex asked as he grabbed some of Eli's books from the box and set them on her bed.

Eli rolled her eyes and slapped his hand. She picked up the same stack of books and set them back in the box. “Because I got accepted.”

“That is a piss poor excuse and you know it,” Alex said. He picked up one of the boxes and turned it upside down, dumping the contents onto her bed.

“Gaskarth!” she sighed, running her hands over her face. “You are an infant.”

Alex smiled. “I just...don't see why you're going out to California,” he groaned.

She sent him a look.

“Okay, I get why,” he amended, “but I don't like it. You're my best friend and you're moving far, far away.”

“And that is precisely the point,” she told him. “It's far, far away from you,” she told him, a smile playing at her lips.

Alex frowned. “You're really funny, ginger. Really funny.”

Eli laughed and reached out for the box that Alex was holding. “I have to finish packing, Gaskarth.”

“Then you'll have to find new boxes because I'm taking all of these hostage,” he told her.

Eli rolled her eyes.

“You think I'm bluffing?”

“I know you, Alex,” she said simply. “I always know when you're bluffing.”

Alex scoffed. “Yeah, right. Name one time.”

“How about at graduation when you said you were going to go naked under your gown and flash the audience. You never did,” she said.

Alex bit his lip. “Okay, name two times.”

Eli smiled. “Jack's birthday, when—“

“Fine, name ten times!”

Eli laughed. “I probably could.”

Alex just stared at her for a minute. “Fine,” he repeated. He folded the box in his arms and reached for the other empty ones. He rose an eyebrow in her general direction before marching out of the room, at least ten boxes in his hands.

“Alex, what are you doing?!” she yelled before following him out of the door.

When Alex heard her swearing at him, he started running, miraculously managing to not trip over his own feet. He made it to his car in the driveway and threw the boxes in the trunk before sitting on the lid.

Eli walked out of the front door, glaring at Alex in a way that would have made him cringe if he didn't know her so well. “Gaskarth—“ she shook her head as she walked over to him, standing in front of him, hip cocked to the side.

“The whole last-name thing doesn't affect me anymore, Carter.”

“Come on! I need my boxes!”

Alex crossed his arms over his chest. “Find new ones. I'm staging a protest and a sit-in. I'm sure Lauren, Jack, Rian, and Zack would help me.”

Eli rolled her eyes. “Stand up.”

“No.”

“If you don't move, Gaskarth, I will make you move.”

“You and what army?”

Eli frowned. “I'm not joking.”

“I call your bluff, Eli. Just like you called mine,” he said sarcastically, his eyes challenging.

“Oh, snap, it's on,” Eli muttered before throwing all of her weight (okay, which wasn't much) towards her best friend. Alex let out a less-than-manly squeal as he was tackled to the ground (by a girl). “Give me back my boxes!” she yelled, slapping his chest and shoulder as hard as she could (which, really, just reminded him of the movie Just Friends).

“You're not the boss of me!” Alex screeched, arms covering his face.

Eli frowned and hit his arms, causing them to fall and hit his face. She laughed.

“You bitch!” Alex exclaimed through his laughter. “Not the money-maker!”

Eli laughed, momentarily forgetting that she had him pinned for a reason.

But that moment was all he needed to turn the tables. Alex flipped her over, pinning her against the driveway.

Eli stopped laughing instantly, a frown forming on her face. “You bitch!”

“Who's laughing now?” Alex asked smugly.

“I hate your face.”

“Weak comeback, Carter,” he told her.

“Let me go,” she whined before pouting. “Please?”

Alex paused, thinking it over for a minute (or, okay, he just wanted to make her squirm). “Only on one condition...” he said, trailing off.

Eli sighed. “Alex!”

He laughed. “I hold all the cards here, Eli. You might want to be nice to me.”

“You do realize I could hurt your favorite parts at any minute, right?”

“Bad move,” he told her before changing positions and sitting further back on her legs so she couldn't hit his second money-maker.

Eli groaned. “I hate you.”

“Liar.”

“Let me go.”

“I told you—on one condition.”

She sighed. “What is it?”

“Don't go to California.”

And this time, it wasn't Alex's words that surprised her—it was the tone in his voice and the intensity in his eyes. For the first time that she could remember, he sounded...unsure. And for some reason, that tugged at her heart. She'd seen the many facets of Alex's personality but she'd never encountered this one—he looked sad. And she had only seen him sad after he talked about Daniel.

“Alex...”

“You're my best friend, Eli. It won't be the same if you're not here. I won't get to see you every day.”

“You're going to be in New York recording anyway, Alex,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even. “You're pursing your dream.”

“Well, yeah, but New York is a lot closer to Baltimore than UC of Way Too Far Away.”

“Alex...” she trailed off. She didn't have a reply for that. In fact, she didn't have a reply at all. She leaned up on her elbows—she no longer cared about being released, she only cared about wiping the sad panda look off of his face.

“I just...” he paused, only momentarily losing his rain of thought when he realized just how close they were. He was instantly reminded of Gabe's funeral, realizing if the situation were to arise again, that he wouldn't have the self-control to push her away.

And what scared him the most was the voice inside his head that was telling him that he wouldn't want to push her away.

Thankfully (or regrettably) he was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He wasn't sure what flashed through Eli's eyes—he couldn't quite place it. His phone rang again and he pulled it out of his pocket, hitting the 'ignore' button.

“I don't think you should be ignoring your girlfriend's calls.”

Alex shrugged. “Lisa will get over it.”

“She'll think we're having sex,” she said bitterly.

“Wait, we're not?” Alex joked, raising his eyebrows.

Eli wasn't sure if she envied his ability to switch moods so quickly or if it annoyed her more than anything. “She hates me, Alex.”

“She hates everyone. Including me from time to time,” he told her.

“Sounds like a perfect relationship,” she muttered. “Can you move?”

Alex nodded before standing up and reaching for her hand, pulling her up as well. “Are...Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “Um... I'll just get you the boxes, then...”

“Thanks,” Eli said. She hated how awkward their conversations became whenever Lisa was brought into the picture. She had no reason to dislike the girl, she really didn't. The only reason she did was, well, because Lisa hated her first. She walked around Alex and back into her house and up into her room.

Her stomach dropped, a feeling she was used to, every time she passed Gabe's room. She wasn't ready to leave the house because she still felt close to her brother. But another part of her was ready to be far away from the constant reminder that she would never see him again. The days got easier but it was still hard.

And then there was Alex. The boy who had gotten her through the tragedy more than she would care to admit. He had quickly become her best friend and support system. He was the one to make her laugh when she was crying and call her out when a smile wasn't genuine. If she was being completely honest, she would admit that he was the one thing she would miss the most.

She would miss the three am phone calls when Alex couldn't sleep. She would miss the Coke Icees he always brought for her whenever he fucked something up. She would miss the escape his voice provided when the world became too much to handle.

She'd just...miss him.

“Eli, I'm sorry,” Alex said, walking into the room and setting the boxes on her bed.

“For what?” she asked, opening one of the boxes and setting some of her books back into it.

“For bringing up Lisa.”

She shrugged. “It doesn't matter.”

“It does matter,” Alex said. “She hates you and you've been nothing but nice to her.”

“People hate blindly. It happens.”

“I don't want her to put a wedge between us, you know?”

“She's not. My going to college is,” she told him.

Alex sighed. “Dammit, Elinski.”

Eli threw the rest of the books into the box and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to face him. “What?”

“Don't do this. Don't play that game,” Alex told her.

“What game? I don't play games.”

“You're playing one now. I don't understand why you can't just stay here.”

“Because I don't want to be in Baltimore anymore,” Eli told him. “You guys are recording and Lauren is going with you on tour. There's just...nothing left for me here.”

Alex sighed. “What about me?”

Eli bit her lip. “Don't do that to me, Alex. You know you're my best friend.”

“So stay, please,” Alex said. “I'm not above begging. Do you want me to get down on my knees?”

“Alex—“

“Because I will,” he said before kneeling down on the ground.

Eli laughed then cursed under her breath. It was that exact behavior that made Alex so important to her. She reached for his elbows, trying to pull him back up. “Alex...”

“I need you to stay, Eli,” Alex said, standing up and lacing their fingers together. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. “Please. You're my best friend.”

“I wish I could, Alex, but—“

“Just do it.”

“I can't.”

“Why not?”

“Because, I—“

Alex didn't let her finish—instead, he pressed his lips against hers. He remembered that she tasted the same way, it was something he'd never forget. Eli froze in her spot—she didn't know how to react. Her mind had momentarily stopped working. And when she snapped to, she pushed him away lightly, not wanting to reject him completely.

“Alex,” she whispered, her forehead leaning against his.

“Stay,” he urged. “Please.”

“I can't.”

Alex sighed and took a step back, running his hands over his face. He avoided her eyes because he knew she could read him like an open book. One look and she could practically read his mind.

“Alex, I'm sorry.”

He shook his head and shrugged. “Don't worry about it. Let's just forget it ever happened, yeah?”