A/N: Flashback throughout the chapter
"Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face. You told me how proud you were, but I walked away. If only I knew what I know today"
Pain. Pain is something everyone will feel in their life time. Physical and or emotional, and right now I felt both.
The phone dropped from my hand, clamoring to the floor with a thud. Niklaus was dead. I'd seen him almost two weeks ago and he was recovering just fine. But now he was dead. Dead as in not coming back, ever.
As the tears threatened to spill, I shuffled to my feet and began toward the school. My friends were calling after me, but I couldn't talk, not right now at least. Somehow Rafe had heard what Jas had said, and was telling the others.
The bathroom was the closest door to the entrance.
The minute the door slammed, the tears started. There was no stopping tears after they'd started to flow down your cheeks.
"Ellie?" A voice called softly. "Eleanor, are you alright?"
Blinking a few tears away, Mack's figure became clear.
"Oh, El, sweetheart." She took a step so that she stood in front of me. "Jasper, he.. um.. just text me. I'm so sorry." She pulled me into a tight embrace. "This shouldn't have happened." She whispered. "Not to you, and definitely not today."
I nod into her shoulder. "Light blue." I mumbled, casting a glance at her clothes. "Light blue for Phillip."
She wore a light blue sweater and skinny jeans. "Yeah, light blue for today." She pulled back a little bit. "We match." She then pulls me back to her as we slide to the floor.
It was true I was wearing a light blue long-sleeve and jeans.
"He liked it when we matched." I breathed out.
"Yeah.. yeah he did." Mack paused to wipe away a couple tears. "You know I bet Nikki and Phillip are together somewhere laughing and telling stories about how stupid we were or are."
I tried to smile but it faltered. "I bet so, Mack."
I couldn't help but notice we were sitting like we had in the nightmare, except this time our makeup was ruined. "I wish we could go back in time." I thought out loud.
"Back to when we were fourteen and the date March 10 didn't carry a burden unbearable for two girls." She agreed, her blue, teary eyes meeting mine and staying there. "Back to when he kept us together."
"Phillip liked us together it made him happy to-" I trailed off, looking to the floor.
"To have his best girls in the same room." She finished, bringing one hand up to my face to make me look at her. "You didn't do it, El, one matter what you think. You didn't cause his death."
" I would hold you in my arms, I would take the pain away"
"Tell me something, Phillip," I turned to watch him as he came up another step.
Phillip took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Anything, Princess." He stopped on the step with me.
"Why are climbing the old concrete steps leading to the ledge at ten at night?" I started up another step.
"Because it'll be fun, British girl, besides it's the best place to see the full moon." He took my hand in his and led me the rest of the way.
"Why don't you come home with me today." The brunette suggested, looking through the mirror.
After crying over our brothers and lover, we had pulled ourselves enough to talk.
"Why?" My throat was raw from crying.
"I don't know, I just feel like we should be in the same place." She shrugged. "Besides aren't you going to have dinner with his family?"
"Yeah, I'm supposed to meet Rafe at five. " It felt weird to say his name for some reason.
"You know he'd love Rafe. They'd get along well." Mack smiled. "Come on, I'll help you get ready." She led me out and to the exit, but my mind wouldn't leave that night.
"Thank you for all you've done. Forgive all your mistakes"
"Look at the view." I gasped.
"Not as pretty as what I see." He remarked.
"Cheesy, Phillip, real cheesy babe." I wrapped an arm around his neck. "Good thing I like you anyway." I kissed his cheek before sitting down.
"That's all I get?" He asked and sat next to me.
"For now," I leaned back against him. "Besides how am I suppose to kiss you with that thing between your lips." I looked up at him as he removed the cig.
"Shush," He hummed. "I happen to like it."
"I know ya do." I snatched it from his hand, took a puff, then handed it back. "I don't see why though."
"Why do you like doing bad?" He countered.
I shrugged against him. "I don't know, just do, I guess."
"See same reason I smoke."
I sat up a little. "To look cool?" I questioned softly.
"No, because I like it, dollface." He closed the space between us and pressed his lips to mine.
We stayed like that for a while until he pulled away.
"I love you, El." He spoke in a hushed voice.
"I love you too, Phil." I lead my head back on his chest. "Did you bring anything to drink?"
"Not anything your mama and daddy would like." He chuckled and took a bottle of something out of his backpack.
"Oh goody," I laughed, taking a quick sip. "Alcohol." I sputtered out. I hated the taste.
He took a sip. "Yep. Why would it be anything else."
I gigged. "I wouldn't expect anything less from my brother's number one student." I kissed him again.
"Here you don't want to wear anything over the top." Mack handed me a simple purple long sleeve with stars on it and a similar colored skirt.
I quickly changed, and went back out. "What do you think?" I asked, twirling around.
"I love it, and I think they will too." She clapped her hands together excitedly.
I frowned. "I have a date on the day the boy I loved died. What's wrong with me?"
"Ellie!"
"Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do, and I've hurt myself by hurting you."
"What do you think about me going to England to live with Mom's friend?" I asked, walking up to where he sat on the ledge.
"I don't like it, Eleanor, you'd be too far away from me." He said, standing. "If tonight was the last" His voice took a serious turn. "you had to live, who would you want to spent it with?" He asked.
"I haven't the foggiest. Do you?" I took a step closer to the ledge and looked down.
The ledge overlooked a park where during the day children played. But below the cliff was a river. The river had been closed since the 70's due to some chemicals getting spilled, the water was toxic still to this day.
"I'd want to spend it with the person I loved most in this world." He replied finally.
"And who would that be, Phillip." I asked.
"That would be you, my British girl." He pulled me into a hug. "Because I love you more then you could ever know." With that he let go of me, but what neither of us knew was some time during the hug we'd moved. So when he stepped back he stumbled and I couldn't catch him in time. Phillip fell off the ledge into the toxic water.
Rafe stood on the corner outside the diner.
"Hello, Rafe." I smiled.
"Ellie, you look pretty." Rafe complimented.
"Thank you."
The minute we walked through the door his dad was there.
"Ellie." Rafe's dad hugged me. "How are you?"
"I'm good, Mr. Turner." I answered slowly.
"Well come on then Alice is over here waiting on us." Mr. Turner lead us over to the booth where the brunette waitress from earlier sat.
"Hello, Rafe, Eleanor, please sit." Alice motioned for us to sit across from her.
"So you live with Jack and his family?" She asked.
I nodded. "Yes Ma'am."
"You're not any relation to a Rebekah and Greg Bates, are you?"
How'd she know my parents? "They're my parents." I told her.
Alice's eyes widened. "Can't be Bekah's girl went to a juvenile center about a year ago."
"Yes, Ma'am, she did." I took a deep breath. "I went to juvi for six months, and when I got out they sent me to live with the Jones' to get me straight. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"I told you she was no good, Leo, but no you wouldn't believe me. I knew she was Rebekah's kid." The brunette said accusingly.
"You know what... if you excuse me I forgot that I have to be home in ten minutes." I slid out of the booth. "Good day." With that I pushed open the diner door, going out into the warm March air.
"Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit. Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss.... Are you looking down upon me? Are you proud of who I am?"
"Phillip!" I'd reached the water's edge. I could see him since it wasn't a deep ravine.
I pulled him out of the water, laying his head in my lap softly. "Phillip! Phillip, wake up!" I shook him. "Come on, please, open your eyes."
'Breathe, Ellie, think what do you do.'
He wasn't breathing, but he had a very faint pulse. I quickly called the police, then started doing chest compression. 1...2....3
I breathe into his mouth. 1....2...3
This continued until he coughed. "Oh, thank the Lord, you're alive."
"Ellie." He whispered.
"Yeah, I'm here, baby."
"Ellie, it hurts so much." He groaned.
"What hurts, honey." I asked rather quickly.
"My stomach. I think I'm bleeding." He coughed again.
I glance down only to notice the front of my white shirt and the side of his covered in blood. He'd cut himself on the rocks at the bottom of the river. The toxic river at that.
"You're cut pretty bad, Phillip, but the para-" He cut me off.
"I'm not going to make it, princess, I'm real sorry about that. But you listen to me. I don't want this to be the.... end... of .... you.... I want.... you to live.... a long happy life..... marry some guy and start a family..... don't you..... die alone because of me,.... my British girl, I love... you." His breathing had become labored.
"I love you too." I kissed his head.
By the time the ambulance arrived he was already dead.
"Miss," One of them led me away from his body and to the van. "Miss, if you could just sit here for a sec. Someone will come talk to you."
I nod too shocked to speak.
A kind looking young lady walked up not long after. "Can you tell me your name?"
"El-Eleanor B-Bates." I shakily got out.
"Can you tell me why you two were out here?" She asked.
"We came out to see..... to see the full moon and he slipped." I broke into a cry toward the end.
"Thank you, Miss Bates, your parents should be here soon." Having said that she walked away.
"Eleanor, wait!" Rafe called.
I stopped to find Rafe not even five feet away. "What?" I continued to walk.
"Talk to me!" He grabbed my arm stopping me.
"Let go of me." I demand. "I have to go."
"Go? Go where, El?!" He shouted. "Where are you going, because I know you're not going home." He stated. "Talk to me, please."
After thinking it over, I followed him over to a bench. "Okay what do you want to hear, Rafe?"
"You went to jail?" He questioned. "Tell me why."
"I went to jail because I did some really bad stuff, and went a little to far off the handles." I sighed. "But I've changed. I'm not that Ellie anymore."
"What'd you-"
I cut him off. "Not now, but maybe some day I'll tell you what I did wrong, okay?"
"Promise?"
"Promise."
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Hello, did I make you cry? I hope not.
The lyrics throughout this chapter are out of Hurt by Christina Aguilera.
Got any ideas what Ellie did to get thrown in juvi? I think there may be a chapter just on that, actually.
The place where Ellie and Phillip were is a real place in Tennessee. I know because I've been there.
Cast clear up:
Hugh Jackman as Leo Turner,
Olivia Wilde as Alice Owens,
Finn Wolfhard as Phillip
That's it folks. Have a nice night (or day depending on where you are) - Izzy