The next day, Eli awoke feeling slightly better, if only because he could actually take a break for once. 

He didn't have to work or go to school and that was about as good as it got for him. For most of the day, he stayed at home, watching some TV and catching up with the shows that he missed during the week while cleaning. As sad as it sounded, folding laundry while watching Family Feud was a hell of a lot better than most days.

It wasn't until his phone rang later in the day—waking him up from a very nice nap—and he heard Tucker on the other end asking him where he was that he remembered the party he'd been looking forward to the previous day. Suddenly, Eli didn't feel like going out and attempting to socialize.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised to hear you've decided to keep on with your hermit lifestyle," Tucker said when Eli told him he wouldn't be going to the party with him and Collin.

"I'm not a hermit," Eli said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just not feeling like going out right now." 

"Are you sick or something?" Tucker asked. 

Even through the feigned nonchalance, Eli could hear a hint of concern. If he hadn't been feeling particularly generous that day, he would have made fun of Tucker for that.

"Yeah, kinda," he said. "Maybe I'm just tired, school's been a pain," he added. It was true enough for Tucker to be able to sympathize with. After all, he was always complaining about anything having to do with classes and schoolwork.

"Take a nap or something," Tucker advised, as if he’d not just woken Eli from doing that very thing. He paused and Eli could faintly hear Collin talking in the background. "Nevermind, Collin says you're just being anti-social," Tucker said, and Eli could just about hear him grinning.

"Well, that too," Eli admitted. If nothing else, he’d always been honest.

"Oh yeah, you're definitely not a hermit," Tucker said in a deadpan tone.

"Shut up," Eli said, getting up from his couch and walking to the fridge in search of something edible. "Go to your stupid party and stop harassing your poor, sick friend." He heard Tucker laugh on the other end as he stared at the unimpressive contents of his fridge. Or rather, at the lack of contents of his fridge.

"Alright, I'll tell Collin just how broken up you sound about having to stay home." Eli was sure Tucker would, just like he knew him and Collin would complain the next time he saw them.

Eli hung up and, after a quick look through his kitchen, decided he had to go out for food. Unless he wanted to eat expired ramen noodles with old bologna. He really needed to go out and get some groceries.

He pulled on his jacket, grabbed his keys and some money. As an afterthought, he grabbed the other phone that he'd tossed onto his coffee table—the one Matthew gave him—and ventured out into the chilly night in search of affordable food he wouldn’t have to cook. For a college student like Eli, who had a crappy job and too many expenses, that meant finding a place with a dollar menu. Fortunately for him, there was such a place just a couple of blocks from his apartment.

While the burgers weren't as good as the ones from the diner he usually visited, they were cheaper. Not to mention, Eli was hungry enough to not care about the questionable quality of the things on the dollar menu. 

It didn't take him long to walk down to the fast food joint. Something that Eli was very much glad for, mostly because of the cold, but also because just being out of his crappy little apartment had him on edge now that he knew someone might want to murder him. It explained the nagging voice that kept reminding him that Matthew had told him to stay home.

Stay home and starve or go out and get killed. Great choices, he thought bitterly. With a huff of annoyance, mostly at his brain for reminding himself of just how crappy his life was. If only he weren’t too broke to order delivery.

Matthew wouldn’t mind getting some food. And there went that horrible part of his mind that Eli liked to ignore.

If only he could swat it away for good. Eli scowled, pushing away any thoughts of contacting Matthew unless absolutely necessary. He didn’t even really want to think about him at the moment. Mostly because every time he did, he was forced to face more conflicting feelings than he could deal with.

Instead, Eli focused on the task at hand: getting food. He opened the doors to the fast food place and walked in. With ten bucks in his pocket and a sprawling menu of cheap junk food to choose from, Eli felt much better as he surveyed his options.

Less than ten minutes later he was leaving with a paper bag full of burgers and fries. Quite honestly, it made Eli wonder how many more burgers his poor heart could take. He supposed death by burger wouldn't be so bad.

Better than death by brutal murder, Eli thought as he walked down the street.

"I seriously hope that's not an actual bag full of burgers." The sudden voice nearly made Eli jump. Fortunately for him, he recognized that voice, and turned to face the speaker.

"If it makes you feel better, there's fries," he said. "They count as veggies, right?"

The young woman standing just a couple of feet behind him looked seriously unimpressed. She rolled her brown eyes, but looked amused. Her name was Vanessa, and she had been in the same class as Eli the previous year. They'd also had a thing—Eli thought two weeks couldn't be considered actually dating—and had managed to stay on good terms. Probably because they were both fairly straightforward people and it was easy to see things weren’t working between them.

Eli still liked her company enough, and she was somehow able to put up with him. That was rare enough that they remained friends. It also helped that Vanessa was all too willing to call Eli out on his shit.

"How are you not dead?" Vanessa asked, getting closer as she tried to hide a smile. Eli could still see it, even if it was just a small quirk of the lips. 

"Luck?" Even Eli didn't believe that. After all, he knew Matthew. That alone was proof enough that Eli had no luck at all. "What are you doing around here?" he asked, because he knew Vanessa was staying with her older sister in an apartment closer to school.

"I ditched my date," she said nonchalantly. Eli wasn't surprised, Vanessa wasn't the type to put up with guys that she didn't see as being worth her time. He sometimes wondered how he managed to get through one date with her without getting ditched.

"What was wrong with this one?" he asked, as he started on his way home with Vanessa at his side. He was almost amused that he had to look up at her a bit thanks to the heels she was wearing.

"The guy wore a shitton of cologne," she said. "It was giving me a damn headache." Eli couldn't help but laugh at that. It was just like Vanessa to be irritated by something so petty. Granted, Eli felt for her. He had allergies so he could imagine how miserable her date was making her.

"Jesus, you're picky," he said, knowing all too well that it probably wasn't the only reason Vanessa left her date. She just found it easier to use a crappy excuse. Still, it was his job as her terrible friend to pick on her.

"Am not, I dated you," she countered, and okay, fair point. Eli still rolled his eyes.

“And I will be forever grateful that you deemed me worthy of your attention,” Eli deadpanned. Vanessa snorted. Then she patted him on the head which had Eli smacking her hand away with a scowl. 

“I like to think the time and effort I spent was worth it to give you something to look back on fondly in your old age.”

“How magnanimous of you.” Eli wasn’t sure he could keep up such a dry tone for much longer.

“Well, look at you busting out a big word.” 

“Why are you so surprised I know stuff? We’re in college. Both of us. Meaning I know some shit.”

“You know how to coupon and where to get the best burgers. That’s it. That’s the extent of the knowledge you’ve gathered during your time on Earth.” 

“That’s not true!” It was true. 

Vanessa actually cackled at that, but Eli just ignored her as they walked together, the bus stop visible just down the block. Once they reached it, Vanessa didn't bother to sit on the cold, metal bench. Instead, she stood beneath the overhang and glanced down the street. There was no sign of the bus.

"Weren't you going home?" she asked Eli.

"I'll wait with you for a while," he said, sitting on the bench and setting his dinner down at his side.

"Really?" Vanessa asked, trying and failing to hide a grin. "Should I be touched that I'm more important than food?"

"Oh, haha," Eli said, glaring. "Next time I'll leave you alone in the cold, empty bus stop."

"Glad to see you're still as snarky as always," said Vanessa. "Even if you look like crap."

"I do not!" Eli said, sounding indignant. Not that he wasn't perfectly aware of how true Vanessa's words were. 

It wasn’t like it was his fault. He was exhausted—which wasn’t new, actually. What was new was having some shady assholes wanting to hurt him, at best. And then there was the whole thing with Matthew. The less said about that the better.

"You keep telling yourself that," Vanessa said with a roll of her eyes, as the bus approached, bright lights visible in the distance. She pulled out her bus card, paused, and turned to Eli. "Seriously though, take care of yourself," she said, casting a wary glance at the dark circles under her friend's eyes and his paler than usual complexion—which was worth noting on Eli of all people.

As the bus pulled to a stop in front of them, she leaned closer to Eli and left a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later," she said, and climbed into the bus. Eli could see her waving at him as the bus drove past. He waved in a daze, trying not to think of who came to mind when he felt lips touch his skin.

Scowling to himself—and cursing his mind for wandering into places he did not want to visit—Eli picked up his bag of food and resumed his walk home. He stopped at the corner to wait for the light to change, still caught up in the mess that was his thought process at the moment. He liked to think that it wouldn't be half as bad if it weren't for a certain person that he remained to name even in his thoughts.

The light changed and Eli stepped off the sidewalk, his footsteps seeming to echo against the pavement. It was just a moment later that he realized that wasn't an echo. Without turning his head more than was necessary, Eli glanced behind him. He could just make out someone walking a couple of feet behind him. He’d been too distracted to notice when the stranger appeared behind him. Now, however, his thoughts were fairly focused on whoever was walking behind him.

Please don't be a crazy stalker. Please don't be a crazy stalker, Eli thought over and over in his mind. He wasn't really confident that—for once in his life—his luck would actually be good, but he thought hoping wouldn't hurt.

Nervously, his free hand slipped into his pocket, grasping the phone he hoped he wouldn't need to use. He sped up and thought of the best possible way to defend himself with a bag of fast food. His options were painfully limited.

As much as he was trying not to panic, the moment he felt a hand grasp his shoulder with a tight grip, Eli felt as though his heart would burst from how quickly it was beating. Not knowing what else to do—and not stopping to think about what would happen if it was just some poor idiot with no social skills to tell him it was a bad idea to follow people—Eli turned and literally beat the man on the head with a bag full of burgers. And sure, Eli didn't expect to cause much damage, but at least it’d do something.

To his surprise, the man actually let out a displeased grunt and released Eli, stumbling back. It was probably more out of surprise than anything else. Eli was stunned for only a moment.

Holy crap, it worked! he thought as he turned, meaning to get away while the guy was distracted.

His victory was short lived as he felt the guy pulling on his coat, practically tossing him back onto the pavement. He hit his head hard enough to feel his vision swim. Something that didn't improve when the other man's fist slammed onto his cheek, knocking his head back against the pavement. Eli caught a glimpse of a vaguely familiar—and very blurry—face beneath the hood of a jacket as a bright light flashed across them.

He was only vaguely aware of the sound of a car pulling up. HIs mind was in a daze and he was finding it hard to stay conscious.

"You're late—!" Eli made out part of a complaint as his brain struggled to work. He thought he heard a car door open and then footsteps. A moment later there was another sharp flash of pain to the side of his head and his brain shut down.