Nothingness won't change it

 "So what are you going to do?" Eli looked at his best friend out of concern. He thought Darry was hanging out with Junnie's doppleganger way too much lately. "Will you get back together with Junie?"

"You know, we broke up." By that look, it seemed to Eli that Darry was afraid to even talk to Junie. Little alone, make amends. "She just needs time, and well, she's home now, and I'm sure she just needs to adjust."

Eli thought Darry made it seem Junie was getting out of rehab. Just what had this Connor guy done to her?

"Well, I am trying to get Amy to come around, and you know, talk to her, but I still feel Amy would say all the wrong things," Eli shrugged about the matter as they walked down the crowded hallway of the school on their way home. 

"Probably," Darry agreed. They just needed to give Junie space.

"But..but it's just I don't want her to forget about us, you know." Eli looked at him blankly. Maybe he was at fault, but he didn't like change. He liked that they were all friends at one time. At least, Eli didn't have to rely on Darry for a ride anymore. He finally got his driver's license and his dad's old Civic. Of course, he had to admit, it felt like traveling around in a rocket. He knew he could zoom around in the thing, but he was being careful. He had to stay on his Dad's good side.

"Look, there is a lot she can't remember yet. Don't even think about seeing her." Darry's words sounded like a dare to Eli. 

He soon let it go, but actually not. He knew Amy was off running with her her afterschool club. He stopped by Dollar Tree for some cheap snacks. But not that cheap. The store was selling stuff a lot more than a dollar and a quarter these days. 

Anyway, he took his time, and picked up some stationary and girly notebooks along with cheap reads. He thought of Junie and always talking about horror films, movies Amy would never want to see, but Eli enjoyed them.

So he finally, got him self a Mountain Dew to nurse on and took the basket of goodies to Junie's house.

Of course, she was alone which made Eli furious. How could her parents do something  like that. It was too soon he thought for her to be on her own, but then again, Eli didn't think he'd ever met her mother.

"Hi, It's me Eli?" He told her he remembered her from school. She let him in. Of course, he suddenly imagined her letting anyone in.

"I know who you are."

"Oh." Eli nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." She looked quite sad.

"Maybe, its just a bad case of spring fever?" Eli did his best to perk her up with an impish grin.

"Yeah, let's say that's what it is." She looked through the gift basket and thanked him. "I know I should start writing again. I haven't really tired, you know."

She mentioned they'd done a few exercises with her in the hospital, but it was minimal. Eli nodded.

"Amy-" he felt he needed to say her name. Although, he didn't know what to say about her. Not once had she really said anything good about Junie's situation, other than it being her fault. He didn't want to speak badly of her.

"She's just being Amy, isn't she?" She looked at him out of the corner if her eye, as if she knew.

Eli nodded.

"Have you met anybody new?" Eli felt the need to change the subject. It wasn't that he was stuck with Amy, but they both knew how she could be.

"Yeah," Junie nodded. "But he's kind of a mystery."

"A mystery?" Eli wanted to know more.

"Yeah, he's the one who saved me." 

Junie smile as if there was a certain bond. "I keep wanting him to be Connor, but I know he isn't. I just can't seem to remember his name."

It was quiet then. 

"I'm..I'm sorry about Connor," Eli said.

She looked at him, surprised. "Do you know something?"

"No. No I don't even know what he looks like. But I just hope he didn't take anything away from you. You are sweet. You've always been so good to all of your friends. I just want you to be good to yourself, too."

Eli couldn't help but tear up. It was like a new chapter in her life had started, and he hadn't really known her like he'd wanted to.