The sad, sad story of Eli.

I had een wearinrg some shirt that a couple people at a restaurant commented on.  after holdin the door for someone as they came in they commented polietly to me as they lef.  I responded in my usual way of being awkward and slightly obnoxious, confusing the woman greatly after I had been kind earlier.  As i was in the building there was some hispanic kid Eli who the o ther kids liked but was starting to et into trouble.  I borrowed some card from him, and he was in a hurry to get it back so he could head hoem to a party.   i pulled him aside and started talking to him, trying to make sure he didn’t do anything to fuck up his life since he’s one of the few cool kids i’d met.  I don’t know how far it was sinkin in, and he had a problem with his foot causing him to limp.  I picked him up and carried him as we talked, and he suddenly sprang out of my arms and under a bookshelf in terror.  I didn’t know why, but I grabbed some towels from another shelf and threw them to the floor to cover him, and started acting like i was sorting and folding some of the laundry there.  some older guy came around the corner, looking around the uiilding.  Eli kept shovin his ars and legs out of te blacnkets and i kicked him repeatedly to try and get him to calm down and shut up before blowing his cover.  The owner of the building came by and talked to the older man for a few minutes, and then came by and asked if I had seen the boy.  I said no, and the owner gave me a note from the woman earlier, which said something along the lines of how I’m not supposed to answer a compliment so rudely.  I laughed and thanked him, and they both left.  I grabbed Eli, covered in towels and carried him outside, but the guy was near his truck, so we went across the street to a store.  I went upstairs and saw some girls carryin laundry baskets around, and tossed him into one to carry him a bit more inconspicuously.  I asked around if they had those big rubber balls, the size of a torso, and was told they were downstairs.  Going downstairs, I didn’t see any there, and asked a guy about them.  He turned behind him, grabbing one, and threw it at my face, asking if I meant one of those.  I excitedly said yes, as he threw the ball at my face a few more times, grabbed one and shoved Eli into it.  I woke up before getting him to his car.