While Elijah struggles with his own life, let's look into the lives of others. "Rohan, do you want to come over? I don't have much to do," asked Thandi, laying on her bed, chatting.
"Sure, I'll be there soon," he replied.
Many Years Ago...
Thandi and Rohan are best friends, in the same way as Elijah and Ally. It all started in middle school when Thandi was a new student after moving from South Africa. As usual, all eyes were on her for the time being. Nervous, Thandi decided to just leave the people alone and stick to herself, but Rohan being the extrovert he is, decided to make a good first introduction. "Hi, I'm Rohan Ross, and you are?"
"I'm Thandi Quentin. Nice to meet you," she replied awkwardly. Rohan put his lunch next to hers and sat down.
"What a cool name! What does it mean?" asked Rohan. Thandi means 'One who loves deeply'. Thandi didn't really know what that even meant but she just went with it. "Cool. Well, Thandi. I will see you soon. Goodbye."
That was the start of a beautiful friendship between the two. Ever since then, Thandi and Rohan got to know more about each other, growing the relationship even more. However, one had more intense feelings for the other. "If you like her, just tell her," said Dustin, uninterested.
"You don't understand Dustin. She is one of the best people in the world that I've ever met and our friendship has been smooth sailing. What if I ruin our friendship?" panicked Rohan.
"As if complaining to me will solve your problem," replied Dustin, irritated.
"Hey, you're my twin brother. You're supposed to help me out in problems like this," Rohan complained.
"How am I supposed to do that? I haven't been in a relationship before. What happened to the overly confident Rohan that everyone loves?"
"You're right. Everyone loves me. Thanks, bro. I'm going to ask her out right now," he replied, pulling out his phone
He dialed Thandi's number and took in a deep breath before calling her.
"Hey Thandi, how are you doing today?" he asked awkwardly.
"I'm doing okay, you?" she replied.
Dustin giggled as he watched his brother awkwardly ask someone out.
"Are you doing anything right now?" asked Rohan.
"No, why?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to get some food, or maybe watch a movie?" he asked, hoping for the best.
"Hmm. I'll ask my parents and I will see."
"Great. I'm going to hang up now."
Rohan fell on his bed in relief while Dustin just continued to scroll on his phone. "Aren't you going to congratulate me on this achievement?" asked Rohan.
"Why would I do that? You didn't even tell her your feelings, you just asked her out. Something that she does with you all the time," he replied.
"Well, I'm going to tell her. I just need the right moment."
"Okay sure."
Rohan went to the showers and prepared himself for the confession. He put on his best clothes as well as flooded himself with cologne. "How do I look, and be honest?" asked Rohan.
"The same as always. Maybe you should stop using so much cologne," Dustin replied.
"Great. I'm going to head out now, if mom asks where I am, just tell her I went out with Thandi, okay?"
"Sure thing."
Rohan went to where they agreed to hang out and waited for Thandi to arrive. "I like you a lot. Ever since we met, I always thought you were perfect for me. No, that's not it. You make me happy. No, that's even worse. Thandi, you—"
"Hey Rohan," said Thandi, scaring him.
"Oh, hey. You scared me," he replied.
"Sorry. So, what movie are we going to watch?" she asked.
"Umm, you choose and I'll buy the tickets."
"Okay. Hmm, maybe a horror movie could work. How about Revengers?" she asked.
"I'll buy the tickets right away."
After Rohan bought the tickets, they went to buy some food before the movie began. "Just so you know, I'm not holding your hand. I'm pretty sure you're going shit yourself," she said.
"As if. When have I ever been scared of a puny movie?"
He couldn't be any more wrong as he cowered behind the popcorn with every jump scare that came across the screen. Maybe he underestimated Thandi as when he turned his head, he just saw Thandi watching and laughing as the movie went on. He couldn't help but fall in love with her even more as the light of the big screen graced her face. His face turned red as he continued looking at her. "Is there something on my face?" she asked before Rohan rapidly turned his face.
"No there isn't," he awkwardly replied.
When the movie finished, Thandi and Rohan exited the cinema. "That movie was so not scary," said Rohan, picking popcorn off his shirt.
"Says the one was hiding behind the popcorn bowl. We could've changed the movie if you didn't want to watch it," she suggested.
"No, it was fine, really." Just as they were about to walk, Rohan pulled her gently by the arm.
"Is something wrong?"
"I just wanted to say that—"
Thandi looked at Rohan confused, as he struggled to finish his sentence. "I—"
As much as he wanted to tell her how he truly felt, it was as if some sort of barrier was keeping him from expressing himself. "I just wanted to tell you that I am happy we are friends."
"Oh. I'm happy too. To more years of this successful and happy friendship," she said as they high-fived.
On his way home, Rohan couldn't help but feel disappointed in himself. "Uh. Why am I so pathetic?"
"So you didn't tell her. I knew it," Dustin replied as Rohan sulked.
Meanwhile...
"I seriously don't understand you Rohan Ross, but I will wait."
In the Steins Residence, Elijah continued writing the first chapter of Midnight, trying to express and introduce the main character in the best way possible. Hours went by, and Elijah felt irritated. "Ugh. Why can't do this simple thing?" he said, banging his hand against the desk. Elijah walked outside and sat on the porch, trying to get some fresh air to clear his mind.
"I have everything right in front of me but I can't get myself to do it. Is this the burnout people were talking about?" Elijah thought as the sunlight shined on his face. A few minutes later, Elijah went back inside and made him some tea before watching some TV. "Hey, I'm going to meet with Evelyn. I won't be back until nine," said Luke.
"Okay."
Elijah sat cross-legged on the couch as he started getting bored. No one was home and he didn't want to type anything too. He took out his phone and called his best friend Ally. "Sup," she greeted.
"Hey Ally, are you busy?"
"Not really. Just doing some homework," she replied.
"I was going to ask if you would like to come—"
"I'll be there in a second," she interrupted before hanging up. Elijah laughed as this was something Ally would do. While he waited for her, he made some snacks for them to munch on.
Thirty minutes later, Elijah heard a knock on the door and assumed it was Ally. He rushed to the door only to be surprised by Matthew, wearing a cap. "You have a bunch of newspapers and letters outside and I thought I should bring it to you. Here," he said, passing the mail.
"Thanks."
Elijah couldn't help but notice his eyes illuminate in the sun, totally mesmerizing. "I'm going to go now, see you Monday."
"Bye."
Elijah's heart started beating fast and he knew this was just an effect of puberty, but could it be something more? He washed his face and continued to wait for Ally. In a few more minutes, Ally arrived. "You're looking good today."
"Of course, I have to look good for my best friend," she replied.
"You can just sit on the couch and I'm going to fetch the art set."
"You still have it."
"Of course I do."
While having playdates, Elijah and Ally would always enjoy painting and drawing with the art set their parents bought for them. Their projects were always put in a scrapbook that Elijah also kept after all these years. "I still can't believe you kept all of this," she said, amazed.
"These are some of the best memories of my childhood. I wouldn't mind creating some more," he replied, sharing the paintbrush.
Elijah set up the canvas and the two tried painting each other. "So, what have you been up to?" she asked.
"I decided on writing a book," Elijah replied.
"Really. I didn't know I was best friends with a future author."
"I haven't really finished, plus I don't know if I'm even going to be successful. I'm just hoping."
"If you need help with anything, ask me. I'm just a few taps away okay," she offered, smiling right at him.
"Umm, what about you?"
"I decided to join the Givers club. A club that helps the less fortunate. I thought since I had so much free time, I could help our town. We are actually holding a clothing and food drive, and then we are going to visit all the shelters and give it out," she said, continuing to paint.
"That's amazing. I didn't know my friend was so kind," Elijah replied.
"What does that mean?"
"Sorry, what I meant was that I never knew you would do this. I'm very proud of you," he said.
"Thanks," she said, blushing behind the canvas.
Ally and Elijah took a short break to eat and watch some classic drama TV. "I never understood why you liked this but now I know."
ON THE TV
"Bitch, don't you—"
*POW*
"Why you—"
Ally was always a fan of people fighting on live TV. Shows like Jerry Springer and the Maury Show fueled this. "Hey, it's funny to see people fight over other people who aren't even worth their time."
"What do you mean?" asked Elijah, confused with her statement.
"Every time a person comes onto the show, they either turn out to be cheaters or are being cheated on. It's dumb but the fights are interesting," she explained. They continued to watch before the sun began setting. "I guess that's my cue. I'll see you on Monday."
"Bye, Ally," he said before she left.
Elijah cleaned up after her leave before Monique came back from work. "Who was that?"
"It was Ally. She spent the afternoon here," Elijah replied, sweeping.
"Aww, man. I wish I was here in time to see her. After her family moved, I haven't seen much of them," she said, putting on her bag.
"Why don't you invite her and her family over for a Sunday lunch?"
"That is a great idea. You should ask them," she said.
"Sure. I'll do that now," he said, pulling out his phone.
*ring* *ring* *ring*
"Y'ello."
"Hey, Ally. My mom just came home and wanted to know if your parents could come over tomorrow for Lunch?" Elijah asked.
"Let me ask... Sure. We will see you after church," she answered.
"Great, I'll tell her."
After Elijah informed his mother, he showered and went to sleep. The next day Elijah and Monique woke up extra early to start the food and the dessert. Luke, on the other hand, was quite confused. "What's with the noise?" he asked, as the blender churned.
"We're making food," Elijah replied.
"No shit. I can see that. Why are you making food this early? It's 7 AM," he said, sitting down.
"Language, Luke. We have visitors today so I'm making food for our lunch," Monique replied.
"Ugh. Can I leave for this one? I really don't want to be here," he complained.
"Why not? Don't you like them?" asked Monique.
"It's not that. I just don't enjoy visitors," he replied.
"Fine. You can stick this one out," she agreed.
The day continued as Monique and Elijah cooked up a storm in the kitchen. The Brooke family was about to arrive, making the two panic. "You set the table and clean the pots. I'm going to go shower before they arrive," said Monique, rushing to the bathroom. Elijah did as he was told and cleaned the kitchen before setting the tables. With his tasks complete, Elijah continued to make himself look clean and proper, wearing a plain white shirt with a knitted jersey and skinny jeans. Just before the Brooke family arrived, Monique warmed up all the food. "Welcome. It's been so long," Monique said enthusiastically.
"Afternoon Monique, hello Elijah. I'm so glad you invited us here," said Ally's father, Jacob Brooke.
"Monique, it has been so long. Oh my. Look at you, you've grown. Come hug your aunt," said Ally's mother, Elaine Brooke. Elijah walked up to her and she squeezed him tightly.
"Umm— I—can't – breathe!" he said, struggling to catch air.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied, letting him go.
Behind them was Ally, wearing a yellow floral dress with white high heels. "How do you always look so good?" he said, walking up to hug her.
"I could say the same for you. You look so handsome," she replied.
"I don't think so. This is my normal attire."
"So. You always look good," she replied.
"Let's eat," said Monique.
They gathered by the table, sitting down and dishing the different foods made by the Stein family. Before eating, Ally's father initiated a prayer. 'Dear God. Thanks for being us together again after moving successfully. We meet here because of you and thank you also for the food. Amen."
"Amen," they replied. The Steins and Brookes have always gone to church together before they moved and Monique was promoted. After the prayer, they dug in as the adult spoke about their lives while Elijah and Ally spoke upon themselves. When they finished, the adults continued speaking while the children went outside. "It feels just like when we were kids. God, I miss this," she said, sitting on the bench.
"We used to have sleepovers all the time, sometimes I wish you moved back here," Elijah replied, sitting next to her.
"Uhm, Eli, can I tell you something?"
"Sure. My ears are open."
Ally looked at him, face reddening as the time went on. Elijah felt the atmosphere get awkward, while Ally squinted to herself. "I—I," she stuttered, struggling to speak up, as Elijah waited.
"Ally! Elijah! Come here!" shouted Monique. Elijah stood up as Ally looked down, disappointed. "I'm going to head inside, are you coming?"
"Yeah."
They entered the house as their parents called them to the table. "We have a very special announcement that we think you'll be very excited about," said Elaine.
"What is it?" asked Elijah.
"We have decided that we are going to Mauritius for the Summer Holiday," Monique announced. Their face glowed with that announcement, excited just as their parents said.
"Really?" Ally asked, excited.
"Of course. I don't think we've been out for a very long and this lunch showed us that we should spend more time together," said Jacob.
With this, the Steins and Brookes were going to spend their holiday in beautiful Mauritius. They went home after a very successful lunch with Luke, reappearing in the night. On the drive home, Ally felt angry and disappointed with herself. "Why was I so pathetic? I just needed to say something. Ugh, I'm such an idiot."
Back in the Steins household, Elijah cleaned up before realizing something. "Wait, Ally wanted to tell me something. It seemed important, maybe I should message her," he thought before taking out his phone and messaging her.
"No, it's fine. It wasn't really important," she replied.
The next day, at school, Elijah met up with Dustin, looking very exhausted. "Whoa. You don't look so well."
"Don't worry. I'm fine, I studied for too long and forgot to sleep," Dustin replied.
Wow, he was really bad at lying, even Elijah knew this. He didn't know why he did this but Elijah knew that when he was ready, he would tell him. That afternoon, while everyone went to their clubs, Dustin found himself in a bit of a sticky situation. "Shit. I need to fetch my sketchbook but he's there. I need to avoid him."
That is Luther Palmer, a member of the school's football team. Dustin waited for him to move away to fetch his equipment for the Art club. Soon, he left and Dustin walked to his locker, relieved. He fetched all his necessities before the smell of strong cologne hit his face. He closed his locker to find him standing right there.
"Hello, fag."
"I have your homework, just take it and leave me alone before I report you. He shoved the homework against his chest before walking away. However, Luther pulled him from his hoodie and shoved him against the locker.
"Don't ever fucking talk to me like that again or I'll break that hand of yours even more, d'you hear that?" he threatened.
"Yes."
"Good little boy. I got more homework for you. I'm going to need it by tomorrow morning. Make sure it is done or else," he said, hitting him on the back before walking away.
Overwhelmed, Dustin fled to the bathroom, crying, out of frustration. "Why do I always find myself in these situations?" he thought. As he continued crying, he reached into his pocket and took out a razor blade. He wiped his eyes before slitting his arm. Although the tears made the wounds sting, he continued to sit in the stall, waiting for the feeling to go away. The blood-soaked into his hoodie as his tears rolled down his face. Many minutes later, the sound of footsteps filled the hallways. Dustin took his bandages out of his backpack and wrapped his arms, covering his wounds. He washed his face, reapplied the same makeup, and walked to his transport, going home.
"Oh, there's Dustin," Elijah mentioned.
"Why does he have a bandage?" asked Matthew.
"Hmm, I don't know. I feel like he is lying to me about something but I don't know how to let him know to confide in me," Elijah explained.
"Don't worry. I'm sure the truth will come out soon, it always does. Anyway, I'll see you around."
Elijah knew Matthew was right but he also felt like something needed to happen. Elijah knew he needed to do something but how? How does he help his friend with his problems?
At home, Dustin sat at the desk before Rohan joined him but was curious as to why he had so much homework. "My friend asked me if I could do their homework and I agreed because I am a nice person," he replied.
"Okay, I'm just going to do my homework."
By the time he finished all of Luther's homework, it was 1 AM. Tired, Dustin went to bed before waking up a few hours after. At school, Dustin walked up to him and handed him the homework, gaining the attention of the other members. "I'm done with your homework. If you have more just give it to me now, please," he said. All eyes were on Dustin and then Luther, who just giggled before pulling him aside to an empty classroom.
"What the fuck was that?" he asked, slamming him against the wall.
"I thought I was supposed to finish your homework and give it to you in the morning. I'm sorry," Dustin apologized. Luther covered his mouth, rapidly breathing in and out. Dustin stayed in the corner before Luther turned and suddenly punched Dustin in the abdomen, falling to the floor. "You are so fucking annoying, you know that. DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" he shouted. Dustin coughed, trying to get air. Luther picked up the homework and shoved it into his bag before walking to the door.
"From now. Give it to me earlier before anyone gets to school," he said, shutting the door behind him. The pain Dustin felt both emotionally and physically overwhelmed him and he passed out.
Minutes later...
"Dustin. Wake up. WAKE UP!"
He opened his eyes to Elijah and the rest of the group, standing around him. Elijah lifted him as he struggled to lift himself. "Dustin, what is going on, and don't lie?" Rohan asked.
"I was up doing that homework and forgot to eat. That's it," he replied, rubbing his face.
"We asked you not to lie," Elijah said.
"If something is wrong, you should tell us," Ally advised. His friends tried comforting him, but Dustin didn't listen and instead got angry. "I am sick of you guys acting like some therapists. Just leave me alone if you're going to keep treating me like a baby," he said, frustrated to the shock of the others.
"Dustin, we're just trying to help you because you clearly have problems," Elijah replied.
"Oh god, Elijah just keep quiet. You need to know when to mind your own business. You are not my mother or father; you are my friend. If you want to keep it like that, just mind your business."
Elijah was shocked that Dustin spoke to him like that. Dustin picked up his backpack and walked out. "Did that really just happen?" asked Thandi.
"It did."
"Why doesn't he just tell us what's wrong? We can help," Ally said, sitting on one of the tables.
"He won't just tell us. We have to find out what is making him like this."
The group came up with their plan to spy on Dustin but that plan quickly failed when he stopped showing up. They couldn't find him anywhere. He didn't show up to Lunch, the only time he was seen is in class but he remained quiet the entire time. At the end of the day, before going to his group, Elijah stumbled into Matthew. "Hey."
"Hey," he replied.
"I heard you found Dustin unconscious in one of the classrooms."
"Yep, and he doesn't want to tell us how it happened."
Just as Elijah continued to ramble on about the situation, he saw Dustin in the corner of his eye, but he wasn't alone. "Who is that?"
"That is Luther Palmer, he is on the football team. Why is he with Dustin?" wondered Matthew.
The two observed as Luther put his arm around him with Dustin clearly looking uncomfortable. After a few minutes, Luther left Dustin before going home. "You don't think he's the reason Dustin is acting like this right?"
"I don't know but it wouldn't hurt to do a little investigation."
"You're right, Let's go before Inga gets angry again."
Elijah and Matthew made their way to the auditorium where rehearsals were taking place. Behind the curtains, lights and the stage controls were being managed by Matthew. "So, what are these buttons?" Elijah asked.
"You see that stage lights up there. These control the colors, the dim levels, and even patterns," he demonstrated.
"Okay, and those levers?"
"This controls the positions of the stage lights. I can move it left or right," he said, moving it.
"HEY! STOP PLAYING WITH THE LIGHTS!" shouted Inga as the two laughed.
Elijah and Matthew took a break watching the rehearsals before it was time to head home. "Goodbye," said Elijah before Matthew grabbed his hand, catching him off caught. The feeling of touch made his heart skip a beat. "Come on Elijah, now is not the time for this, he thought.
"Yes, Matthew?"
"I bought tickets to a concert for my friends and I, but they bailed on me. You're the only one I could think of to invite, do you want to join me?" he asked.
"Of course, I would love to. When is this?"
"It's next week Saturday. It's by the bay so I'll pick you up then, alright."
"Great, I'll be waiting."
The two parted with Elijah feeling extra special about himself. At home, Elijah continued his story before falling on his bed, euphoric. "Why is he so good?" He turned to his side and fell asleep.
"Your body is so tasty."
"I need you, I need your body, your luscious... delicious body."
*HNGH*
Elijah opened his eyes, smiling before looking down, seeing a bulge in his wet pants.
TO BE CONTINUED...