The Hook-up

Chapter 72

You need to go to mom's house. This isn't going to end any time soon." Larissa told her sister.

"I know I do. I should..." she said looking at the open suit case she had pulled out of the closet to pack for her trip to New York.

"What are you doing?" Larissa asked her again.

"I'm thinking about it." Lauren contemplated stretching to see if she could reach the suit case.

"Stop thinking. I'm coming over there to pack for you." Larissa responded. "You are not living with him anymore. I don't care if you were the Duggars. I will not let my baby sister be close to someone who hurts the ones they should love the most. I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Riss! No! I'm fine. I know it's probably not the best....but we'll talk tomorrow and things will be better. He's just so stressed out with the album. He has no idea what he's doing right now." Lauren justified.

"But, Lauren. He was like this with the last one. He's going to have another album after this. And he's going to go on tour. And you're going to have two babies to think of keeping safe. You cannot jeopardize the safety of those babies. And with it being high risk....Elle...." Larissa trailed off distracted by something in the house.

Lauren listened to the silence of the house and the end of the phone line. She looked over at the clothing again starting to cry. "You're right." She half cried. "You're right...." She repeated again rolling over on her arm moaning in pain. "But I'll leave tomorrow. When he's in the studio. I can't do it now. I have to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid tonight."

"Lauren..I am getting in the car right now." Larissa said.

"No! Larissa! No! I'm fine. He's not going to do anything to me." She said to her sister. "Get out of the car!" as she screamed into the phone she heard the dogs start to bark.

"Larissa! No!" she exclaimed getting up stumbling to the door to open it seeing her sister standing at the door wearing pajama bottoms and a t-shirt with her hair up the same way Lauren had her hair up.

"Get your stuff...." Larissa said pulling her sister into the bedroom. Lauren stopped fighting sitting on the bed watching her sister throw clothing in the bag. As the things were flying they heard Bruno's feet hit the floor.

"What are you doing?" he asked them.

"She's coming home with me." Larissa told him very simply.

"Can I talk to you, please?" he asked from afar looking at Lauren.

"No." she said. "Let's go, Riss." She grabbed her bag, her purse and a pile of cords with her phone attached. "Gigi...come on, mama..." she watched the dog follow behind her with Geronimo right behind. Lauren bent down to kiss Geronimo on the head taking her dog's bright purple leash from her sister's hand. Her sister closed the door behind them hearing Geronimo whine and cry as they left the house. Larissa took the bags and dog from Lauren pushing it in her late 2000s Honda CRV. "But the dog...."

"He'll be fine, Lauren." Larissa said pulling out of the driveway.

"Shut up, Geronimo!" Bruno yelled after the door slammed. He reached into his pocket again pulling out another cigarette with one hand and with another he took the glass he had left on the table to finish his drink. "This is shit." He moaned after sitting down at the table. He finished his drink throwing the glass into the wall hearing it shatter against the painting he threw it towards. That's not bad. He thought to himself reaching for the bottle of vodka throwing it in the same direction seeing streaks of the drink dripping from the wall. He walked over to the kitchen reaching for another bottle opening it, chugging about half of the unidentified liquor throwing it in the same direction. Throw every bottle he heard the dog bark at him and run toward the shattered pieces. "Don't hurt yourself, G." he said to the dog as he stepped away from the glass feeling it against his soft puppy paws. "God. Fuck. Lauren. Quit it with all these games." He yelled hearing his phone vibrate. He looked down reading the name.Damaris.