Heartache ~ Justin Foley

1.0 The One With A Ton Of PDA

"You're not going to, Justin." Elizabeth smiled, taking his hands in hers. "I love you far too much to let you live the rest of your life without me here to boss you around." Justin chuckled before pressing his lips against hers.

"'Liza, are you decent?" The two lovers immediately moved apart as the voice of Elizabeth's mother came from behind the doorway.

"One second, mom!" Elizabeth returned as she frantically pushed Justin into her closet. "Okay!" She called to her mother, watching as the door to her bedroom opened.

Lainie Jensen entered the room with a kind smile plastered across her face. "Honey, you don't have to go to school if you don't want to." She made her way over to her daughter, placing a strand of Elizabeth's hair behind her ear.

"Why is everyone saying that today?" Elizabeth chuckled as she thought back to the conversation her and Justin had been having just moments before.

"Who is everyone?" Her mother raised an eyebrow, surprised by her daughter's response.

"Uh, Jessica." Elizabeth replied, her eyes darting to the closet in which her boyfriend had been hiding in. "She just called me to check in. She's been doing that lately. She's just concerned."

"Well, so are you're father and I." Elizabeth's mother sent a warning smile to her daughter. "I'll let you finish getting ready." Elizabeth nodded as her mother exited her room.

A smile flashed across Elizabeth's lips. "She's gone." She mumbled towards the door of her closet.

"Oh, thank god she's gone!" Justin exclaimed as he exited the closet. He pulled Elizabeth closer to him, and gazed into her eyes one again. "God, I love you so much."

"So, you keep telling me." Justin raised an eyebrow, causing Elizabeth to chuckle. "I love you, too, Justin,"

*

"So, there are a number of ways to get help if you need it, or if a friend does." Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she listened to her home room teacher ramble on about mental health. Why hadn't they been talking about this before Hannah died. "All of this information is on the board outside my room, or outside of the main office. It's on the Liberty High home page."

"Mrs. Bradley, is it possible we could be done with this?" A boy named Pratters spoke from the corner. "I mean, it's been over a week."

"A week and six days." Elizabeth spoke, sighing. Of course she had kept track of the days since one of her close friends died.

"Exactly." Pratters nodded, not taking her interjection the way she had meant it. "Isn't it healthy to move on with our lives?"

Multiple students in the classroom began to mumble agreements or disagreements. "Alright, everyone, thank you." Mrs. Bradley quieted the students down.

"Seriously, I know it's tragic, but I don't wanna keep being reminded of it all the time." Pratters continued. "It's depressing."

"We're never done with it, Mr. Pratters." Mrs. Bradley sighed as she spoke. "Which is why it's important to know the signs that someone you care for might need help." Elizabeth felt a hand touch her thigh. "I mean, are they withdrawing from friends and family?"