Six

It was a mournful day in the small town. The news broke that Mildred Hampton had pass away. The blow head sent her into critical conditions. Her husband was heart stricken with grief when she didn't wake up from her slumber during her two days in the hospital.

Elijah didn't know the lovely woman named Mildred but the news still made his heart struck with grief. To think the ruthless bunch with nothing better to do would rob from an elderly couple, maybe they thought it was easier or they just wanted to score that night. Whatever the reason was Elijah couldn't help but feel that the scums of this town should be swept off the streets.

It was no longer time to turn a blind eye when it wasn't more than just petty crimes like stealing booze from the convenient store. They killed an innocent woman for crying out loud. But what could a guy who attends poetry groups and can't even get a spark of inspiration to put his pen to the work do?

Elijah sighed as he looked around the cafe. The morning was slow, most of who knew Mildred and her husband when to give their condolences. Elijah thought he could also stop by and offer a few words of comfort to the grieving family.

Elijah ordered a cup of coffee, opening another one of the poetry books he picked up at the bookstore recently. He thought reading through some popular and interesting ones could give him the feeling he felt on the first day he walked through the doors of the community center on a Friday night.

He thanked the waiter as he took his coffee, sipping the hot liquid as he skipped through the pages. He got distracted by the murmuring of two people who sat behind his booth. They were talking about Mildred and the gang that walked freely on the streets.

"To think they would succumbed to killing" the woman said, her words laced with disbelief. "Their getting out of hand and the police aren't doing anything"

"Anyone could be next" the other woman said, Elijah could hear the fear in her voice. "I fear something might happen to my daughter, to my family if this keeps up"

Elijah could understand their fear. They were known for their constant drug dealings and minor robbing at the convenient store. Just a group of guys addicted to the dangers they offered on the street, even then there wasn't any killing being notified. Just addicts who died from overdose and a few ending up in jail. Drugs and alcohol were their thing; at least that's what it was before.

"Cliché scene" a familiar voice said to Elijah. "A boy reading in a cafe while drinking a cup of coffee. I like the sight"

Elijah looked up to see Carly Huston smiling at him. He gestured for her to take a seat in which she did. Elijah met the journalist durning her recent invest in the poetry group. They earned a small column in the local newspaper; it was better than not having any exposure at all.

Carly was of fair height, tan skin and blonde hair cut to shoulder length. She also wore glasses much like Elijah but she would switch them out for contacts sometimes, something Elijah found uncomfortable.

"I haven't seen you in awhile" Elijah said, closing his book and putting it to the side.

"I've been busy" Carly replied after thanking the waiter for her latte she ordered earlier. "And with the recent news I can't say I'm not interested in finding out more about the gang and their recent motives"

"I saw your headline in the paper" Elijah held the warm cup of coffee to his lips, the aroma tangling him into coffee heaven. "I still find it hard to believe"

"Things are slowly changing" Carly frowned. "It might be bad of me but this change might get me the promotion I need. Get me a good story"

"I can never understand you journalist. Always hawking up the gossip like a slice of cake, wondering into the most dangerous of territories just to get a story"

"You wouldn't understand" Carly said, pointing to the poetry book to the side of Elijah. "Think of it as what you're doing now. You'll go through any lengths, reading these boring books just so you can write up a poem. I go through all the trouble to write a good story, give the people the things that are left hovering in the dark; give them the answers they need"

Carly was the only person Elijah told that he was in a rut after she persistently requested that he wrote a poem to be displayed in the newspaper. "I get your point but at least wait until things have settled" Elijah said, referring to the recent death.

"I'm not that heartless Elijah" Carly said, waving around the poetry book in her hand. "I even just got back from Joe's house, gave him my condolences" Elijah figured Mildred's husbands name was Joe.

"They both use to come to the baseball games. I remember Mildred used to bake cookies for the team whether they lost or not" Carly reminisced.

Elijah had been to a few of the baseball games but he doesn't have any recollection of ever meeting Mrs. Hampton and her husband.

"She was a wonderful woman" she smiled at the the memory. "I remember that one time Scott hit a --"

"Scott?" Elijah furrowed his brow, he didn't mean to interrupt Carly but the name made him remember the guy from the bookstore who didn't show up to the poetry group.

"Yeah, Scott Finnegan" Carly looked at him confused. "Do you know him....well of course you do; everyone knew Scott"

"I met a Scott at the bookstore recently" Elijah remembered his face perfectly. Thinking back he does resemble the home runner Scott Finnegan just older and a lot more handsome. "It was him!" Elijah confirmed, how could he not have noticed.

"He's back in town" Carly slammed her latte on the table due to shock. "How the hell didn't I know that!?"

Which was shocking since she knew everything. "I didn't even realize" Elijah smiled. He remembered how fond he was of him back in middle school. Scott was only a year above him and the game where he hit the home run made Elijah looked up to him even more.

He heard that he moved after high school and not once heard of him until now. "For a small town you expect for everyone to know everything and everyone" Carly said, leaning back in her seat as she drank the remaining of her latte. "Or is it that we simply ignore the things we see and hear"

**

Later that day Elijah met up with Molly. She said it was an emergency and went right over to her house after talking with Carly. Molly was like a little sister to Elijah, she would spend most of her time with him instead of kids her age. According to her they didn't understand her and mostly because Elijah was the only person she talked to about poetry and her chocolate obsession, not leaving out the fact that Elijah always pays for meals when they went to pops.

"Bye mom" Molly waved goodbye as she ran down the driveway to Elijah's car.

She jumped into the back seat with her bag clenched in her arms. "What's that?" Elijah questioned as they drove down the street.

"My guilty pleasure" Carly replied, Elijah could imagine her drooling over the bag of chocolate.

"I'm not assisting you in your scheme of leaving your house just to eat chocolate" Elijah informed her. Molly's mother was trying to limit the amount of chocolate intake Molly gets everyday and if she's with Elijah she requested the same and Molly wanting to eat a whole bag of chocolate wasn't going to happen on his watch.

"Who says I'm eating anything?" Molly replied, smirking playfully as she started to unzip the bag.

"I heard that" Elijah said, referring to sound of the zipper being undone.

"I'm just kidding" Molly laughed, closing the bag of chocolate. "My mom just wants me to get rid of all the chocolates and I wasn't going to throw them away so I decided on giving them away"

"Going around the neighbourhood giving out chocolate" Elijah raised a brow.

"Think of it as a way of cheering up people after the recent events" Elijah turned and gave Molly a quick glance then turned back to look at the road. At this point everyone would know. "Plus my babies won't have to end up in the trash"

"Where should we start?" Elijah asked.

Molly handed him a piece of paper with an address written on it. "Here"

**

How did you know he lived there?" Elijah asked as they walked out of Mr. Hamptons house.

Turned out the address Molly gave him was to the Hamptons home. With no turning back and Elijah wanting to give his condolences they both went to knock on his door. He could tell just how heartbroken Mr. Hampton was, he had lost his loving wife of many years, the light of his days was now gone.

His daughter had come home after hearing the dreadful news. Elijah's heart was dropped into a pit of sadness. He couldn't understand, this shouldn't have happened to Mrs. Hampton and it shouldn't happen to any one else.

"I asked around" Molly said, putting her bag on her back. She left a few bars of chocolate back at the Hamptons household. "Mom definitely wasn't going to let me go so I called you"

Her mother could be very overprotective. "We should get rid of some more chocolate before you start saying that it was a pity you didn't get to give them all away just so you could snatch a few of them for yourself"

"You know me so well" Molly laughed.

The continued to the house next door to the Hamptons. Molly knocked on the door a few times. "No ones home let's go"

"Hold it right there" Elijah grabbed her by the arm.

He knocked a few times for himself, hearing movements from behind the door then it opened. Elijah eyes widen at sight, it was Scott with a baby in his arms. He was also shocked to see Elijah was the one at the door.

"Trick or treat" Molly beamed, pulling them away from the sudden stare off.

Scott turned to look at Molly confused. Here she was saying trick or treat and October was so far away. He then looked back at Elijah for answers.

"We're giving away chocolate" He informed Scott. "We were hoping you could take a few"

"I'm not really a fan" Scott tried to deny in the best way possible. "But I could take a few for my sister" he added.

Molly began taking out the chocolates, only giving Scott two then pouting taking out a few more after Elijah gave her a look telling her to give him more. Elijah looked up to see Scott still looking at him, only looking away to take the chocolates.

"You didn't show up to the poetry group" Elijah said. "After I went through the trouble of inviting you" he joked, laughing lightly. He wasn't going to admit he felt rejected when Scott didn't show up.

"S-Sorry about that" Scott apologized. Elijah could tell he was really sorry.

"If you feel up to it, I was thinking if you would want to have a milkshake with me sometime" Elijah asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

His attitude towards Scott was slowly changing, this was the Scott Finnegan who he looked up to back in middle school. Elijah still couldn't believe he was back and he didn't even realize it was him.

"Umm..." Scott said, not sure how to reply to the request. He placed the chocolates beside a vase on a table next to the front door.

"He's desperate" Molly replied, leaning in towards Scott as if Elijah couldn't hear her.

"OK, I can do that" Scott said, looking at Elijah who grinned from ear to ear.

"Tomorrow at 12" Elijah smiled in which Scott nodded.

They parted soon after, Elijah feeling a boost in his mood as they walked to his car. "Since when do you invite people to the poetry group" Molly said as she went into the car.

"I don't" Elijah replied. "He's just different"