Une Fleure Fanée

Week 9 Part 7 (Saturday)

     I start rubbing her back and she desperately grips my arm tightly, like she's trying to find something to ground her to reality.

      "S-She's g-gonna fi-find me," she weakly mumbles, her face full of fear and panic, breaking me internally.

***lilly***

      Shoot. I let it slip. Brady looks at me in confusion. You're making Brady worried, Lilliana. You're such a bad person. You're so mean for making your teammate worried.

      "There was a nurse when I went to the hospital. Sh-she did bad things. Like p-put me in a s-straitjacket and all I-I could he-hear was h-her voice for h-hours until another person f-found me, and-" I confess to him, and he crouches down to my level.

     "You know that's illegal, right?" he asks me, and I nod.

     "Mom f-filed a lawsuit, but it was denied. But I don't like hospitals. So, please don't put me in one," I plead with him, and after a few minutes, he nods before the alarm goes off in the tent.

     "Brady? Lilly?" I hear Pressley's voice ring as she comes outside.

     "Here. We just needed some fresh air," Brady fabricates, and Pressley hugs him and then hugs me.

      "Your secret is safe with me, Lils. But please, try to eat. I don't want you to die," Pressley begs as the sleepyheads start making their way out of the fort.

     "I won't," I promise before I start disassembling the fort with the other girls.

     "Last night was... something else," Gia says, and we all glare at her.

     "Gia! Shut up!" Pressley barks at her through clenched teeth, and Gia shuts up.

      Once all the blankets and sleeping bags are folded, Sarah and I grab the keys that our mothers provided for us and my stuffed llama. Since there's only one elevator, we all have to fit into one tiny elevator that can barely fit four people. Try seven people plus sleeping bags plus blankets. Screeching and screaming are heard as Hannah keeps having to hold the button to keep the elevator doors open, and I'm flung about, being the shortest one in the group.

     Eventually, after a painstaking two minutes, my back is painfully pressed on the cold metal wall of the elevator and I'm squished in front by Gia. I fight my way out when it becomes my stop with Elliana, Gia, and Sarah.

     "Time for competition," Sarah mutters as I give her a warning look.

     She looks unwilling and hesitant, reluctant to keep the secret, but puts a finger up to her lips and winks. I smile gratefully as I unlock the door. Sarah's going to snitch, Lilliana. You can't trust anybody.

     "Girls, go get your clothes on and your hair done. We have to leave for the studio in fifteen minutes. I don't know why we're even getting a coach bus for a venue thirty minutes anyway, but go! Now!" Mom orders as Sarah and I rush to my room to retrieve our clothes.

     We grab our yellow and black ALDC outfits, and Sarah puts her hair in a high side ponytail. Just like JoJo's. Mom quickly and messily teases my hair for my solo. We even get to put JoJo bows in our hair. Mom discreetly hands me my medicine, and I swallow them.

     "You know, these pills don't even work," I whisper to Sarah, who in return, giggles sadly.

     "Let's go!" Ms. Michelle shouts and we grab our suitcases, our parents grabbing our costumes.

     We go in Ms. Michelle's car and make it to the studio right on time. We don't even have to enter the studio, we just enter the bus. JoJo is already on the bus and gives each of us hugs as we enter on the bus. JoJo is so nice.