one of them - j.flatters

xxi. the end of us

MAY 2019 - LOS ANGELES
Eighteen year old Eliana finished zipping up her suitcases with difficulty. Over the last two years since she first arrived back in 2017, her wardrobe had changed, upgraded and multiplied. Maybe, she should have accepted her mother's offer to buy another suitcase but with the divorce, the brunette knew that money was even tighter than before. Eliana still couldn't wrapped her mind about the fact that in twenty four hours, she would leave Los Angeles. Today was the last day of filming and everyone was either on edge or emotional. And Eliana was no exception, she was a wreck. It was only after being forcedly kicked out of her bed by Annie that she had gotten up, dread and exhaustion keeping her from starting this final day. All morning, the brunette was hurried by her way too excited mother to get ready so they could leave for the studio on time. She didn't knew how long she sat in the shower, the hot water burning her skin and the steam opening up her lungs as this familiar overwhelming feeling clutched at her heart. It must had been a long time because eventually, she ran out of hot water. She didn't brush her teeth nor her hair, Eliana only put on her father's grey sweatshirt and some sport shorts.

"About time." Annie sighed when spotting her daughter coming downstairs to the building's lobby. "Did you got your father's text? I knew he wanted to wish you good luck." Eliana shook her head. "Well, look at it while we're walking toward the studio." Annie opened the door, letting her daughter pass by her first as they both started heading for one last time toward the studio. Eliana held her phone tight in her hand, a feeling of deja-vu suddenly hitting her as she remembered her first day in Los Angeles, at the table read. Now that Annie was back living with her, it truly felt like any of her early days on set, constantly being watched and mistaken for her imperfections.

Dad:
Good luck honey. I wish I could be here with you and celebrate. I am so proud of you, I can't believe how much you've grown into such a beautiful and inspiring woman.
I love you

Eliana:
Wish you were here too, love you xxx

She must had stared at her cellphone for some time because when she put it away in her pocket, Eliana stood inside the studio. And all morning, it felt like she was sleepwalking through her scenes, not acting. Yet, nobody had seemed to take notice that she wasn't truly herself or at least, that was what she thought. At lunch, when they were all eating their final meal together as a crew, Eliana silently ate hers while on the other end of the table, there were three worried friends staring at her.

"She's been like this ever since the holidays." Jamie whispered to Britain and Bailey, both of them sitting across him. "I don't know what to do."
"Is it because of her parents' divorce?" Bailey asked. Of course, it had played a part but there was something inexplicable to why Eliana had been so down lately, something Jamie couldn't figure out.
"It's more than that."

Britain looked over at the girl who was picking at her food with her fork, completely ignoring what her mother was saying to her. Her eyes were barely opened, her hands were slightly shaking and her nostrils constantly flared as if she was always breathless. "She's sitting right in front of her." Britain angrily whispered, causing Jamie and Bailey to look in the same direction as their friend. "How could her own mother not notice how bad she looks."

"I don't know." Jamie painfully sighed. "Annie is..."
"A robot." Bailey answered.
"A bitch." Britain replied at the same time which made them all chuckle, silently agreeing with the boy's choice of word. No one could deny Annie's love for her daughter but she showed it poorly, always being too hard on her.

"Guys," Jamie softly spoke. "I always knew that leaving her was gonna be hard but now, I just don't think I'm going to be able to do it." He admitted.
"We won't leave her like that." Bailey said, reaching for Jamie's hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. "Remember that promise we made to each other in Hawaii." She looked both at Britain and Jamie before continuing. "Well, I don't care how far we are from each other, I will always be there for you guys." Bailey glances over to Eliana. "She's not alone. No matter what's going on, we will be there for her and I just think we need to remind her that."
"What are you thinking?" Britain questioned, arching one of his eyebrow.
"Tonight. When everyone's asleep, let's do us one last time." Bailey smiled, bringing the two boys with her, all eager to pass one more night with the whole gang.
"I'll text it in the group chat." Britain said, pulling out his cellphone and tapping on it.