⚠️ TW// Low ⚠️
Elodie slides into the vinyl booth, hearing the red plastic groan under her as she settles herself into the seat. The harsh fluorescent lighting isn't comparable to the moonlight on a rooftop, but it will suffice. Putting distance between herself and Luke had proven harder than she had imagined, but she was determined to keep the promise she'd made to herself at fifteen. Unfortunately she'd misjudged him earlier in the tour and it had been slightly soul crushing when the truth found her with her guard down. Flipping her notebook open she sighs, clicking her pen and pressing it to the paper, feeling overwhelmed and full of thoughts that need to escape her mind.
"Can I get you anything tonight?" She lifts her eyes from her page only two sentences in as a young woman in a uniform approaches.
"A coke and some fries." Elodie smiles, turning back to her notebook as soon as she answers, hoping there are no more interruptions in her writing process. The other downside to being at a 24-hour diner is the fact that she isn't actually alone, and that there is a chance that anyone could walk in at any point and interrupt her. The mental exercise it had taken just to be able to calmly tell the waitress what she would want was proof enough that she did not want to be interrupted tonight.
Her drink and fries arrive after a few minutes and Elodie slips her headphones into her ears, trying to ignore the world around her as she lets her thoughts flow onto the paper, glancing at her watch every now and again to keep track of the time, knowing they have bus call in the morning and she can't miss that. Also knowing Peter may worry if she doesn't get back to the hotel room before morning.
"Five more minutes." She mumbles to herself as her watch reads 2:24am, knowing she needs some sleep and her mind has been somewhat calmed, though not as much as she was hoping it would tonight.
Less than two minutes later her eyes snap to something moving in front of her, eyes catching on the black hoodie worn by the person sliding into the bench across from her, eight pink words over the left breast catching her eye before she manages to finish lifting her head to meet the eyes watching her.
"Funny running into you here." She pulls her headphones out, having barely heard the statement over the sound of her own music, not speaking but also not moving her eyes from the person who had decided to interrupt her night.
"Still don't talk then? Good, I can talk for both of us." Elodie naturally sits back into her bench, sliding her notebook off the table and into her bag without letting her eyes leave Amy's face.
"Did you know this is my hometown? I've been visiting family but with Luke in town tonight I knew I had to surprise him, and wow was I rewarded for that." Amy smirks, "Didn't figure I'd run into you after though, I mean, I know why I need a midnight snack, I had quite the workout, if you know what I mean. But you, poor, lonely, loser, guitar girl, you don't have anyone or anything, so why be out in the middle of the night at a diner?"
Elodie swallows hard but keeps a straight face, Amy does not deserve any kind of reaction from her, and she will not give one.
"Oh, is it because everyone went out to a party and you were too quiet to be invited, because nobody likes the quiet girl who had to get a job through her brother." Amy smirks, "That's what it is isn't it, guitar girl. You're just a silent little freak and no one actually wants to hang out with you."
The words Amy is using stings deep, cutting like knives into Elodie as they hit her. Her shoulders tightening, and her throat swelling as her stomach churns suddenly. Her instinct for so long had been to fight, but therapy had pushed her to the point that she knew she could simply leave, and so she forces herself out of the booth, walking across the diner to hand the waitress some cash before turning and heading to the door.
"Excuse me, I wasn't done talking to you." She cringes when Amy's voice comes from behind her as she heads for the crosswalk, needing to cross to reach the hotel they are staying at.
"You really need to find your voice, it's freaky that you don't talk ever." Amy grabs her arm from behind, a flash of something passing Elodie's mind's eye so fast it wouldn't have made sense to anyone else, but for Elodie it is a switch that is flipped, triggering her instantly into a past she has worked so hard to leave behind.
Taking a deep breath she turns around, Amy stumbling backwards in surprise, "I have a voice, but I spent too many years using it to fight a bitch like you and only ever hurting myself in the process. Leave me the hell alone, whatever Luke does with or without you is none of my business, and if he can't seem to realize that he is worth so much more than you, that is not my business or my problem either. I've hurt myself fighting for too many people that weren't me, and I am not going to do it for anyone else. Now, leave me the hell alone."
The shock of Elodie speaking seems to have worked, Amy staying on the sidewalk as Elodie steps into the street once it is safe to, crossing quickly and hurrying into the hotel. Hiding her panic as best as possible until she's in the elevator, leaning against the wall as she lets out a very shaky breath, grateful when the the small ding rings through the space, stepping out into the hallway of the ninth floor, heading for the room she and Peter are sharing for the night and quietly letting herself through the door.
"On the roof again for a secret date with the lead singer?" She jumps hard as Peter's voice rings through the room, having expected that he would be asleep. "What's wrong?" His tone changes suddenly as she steps into the light of the tv he has on. He quickly turns on the lamp, stepping out of his bed and hugging her tightly to his chest as soon as he is close enough.
"Just, I got triggered." She whispers, hugging him tightly.
"In Seattle? In the middle of the night?" Peter frowns.
"Ya..." She sighs, pulling away to set her bag down, kicking off her shoes as well.
"Do you want or need to talk about anything?"
"I wasn't with Luke. I haven't talked to him since Mexico. I actually don't plan on talking to him again honestly." She sighs, pacing the small space as she talks. "Just after we got back to LA, I went out to get a smoothie, and I saw him at a coffee shop with Amy... He had told me he was done with her, we had sort of bonded over living through abuse, not that he knows any of my traumas, he just knows I have lived through some. It was like a slap in the face to see him sitting with her at that cafe, and I didn't know what to do, so I just turned and walked away. But then I let it fester in me, and now I don't even know how to talk to him. I can't put myself in a place like that again, Pete, I can't be hurting myself to fight for someone else again."
"Hey, hey!" Peter stops her pacing by grabbing her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Is that what has been causing your bad mood?" She simply nods, a tear leaking from her eye as she does. "What happened tonight?"
"Amy found me. I was at the 24-hour diner across the road and then suddenly she was there, and she was calling me names, and she was yelling at me and degrading me, and– and she followed me out of the diner when it occurred to me that I could just leave. She grabbed my arm when she caught up to me, I just snapped at that point. I yelled at her, and luckily it surprised her enough that she didn't follow me the rest of the way. But, but, when she grabbed my arm, it was like I was eight again, or twelve, or fifteen, or anywhere in between. When she grabbed me my mind pictured someone I have worked so hard to push away and keep out, and I panicked." Tears are running heavily down her face at this point.
"Hey," Peter pulls her close again, rubbing his hands over her back trying to comfort her, "Amy and Carly are not here anymore, El. You're safe here, El. Shhh." He coos.
"Can I tech for Michael for a few shows? I don't think I can be Luke's tech for a bit after this?" She asks quietly into his chest.
"Do you feel up to it? Teching for him is a lot bigger responsibility than Luke's."
"Please?" She nearly begs.
"Okay. Starting at the next show you'll tech for Michael, until you tell me you want to switch back. I'll always be here to take care of you, Elodie, I promise."
"Thank you, Pete. I'm going to take a shower and then try to sleep."
"I think that's a great plan." Peter brushes his thumbs under her eyes, cleaning the tears from them before more bead from her lower lashes, "I love you, sis." He adds, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I love you too, and thank you for literally everything."
"It's no problem at all."
—-------------------------------------
Well? What now? Any questions, thoughts, or comments to share after that one?
Vote and comment!
I love you guys!!!
~M =)