Chasing Air // Billie Eilish

Chapter 43

ELLIOT'S P.O.V

"Is Claudia home?" I asked, keeping my eyes trained on the ground. I wasn't expecting to see Billie as soon as I got back.

"Y-Yeah." I watched her feet shuffle to the side. "Claudia," she called.

In only a few seconds Claudia appeared in the doorway, pulling me into a hug. "Elliot, where have you been and why haven't you been answering me?"

"I called you a few days ago. You didn't answer."

"I didn't get it." She sighed. "Whatever, come in. Who's this?"

"This is my mom, Elizab—"

"Natalia," my mom interrupted me.

"Wait, I thought you—" Billie started talking and then it was my turn to interrupt.

"Natalia. Her name is Natalia." I forced a smile. I couldn't have them making her mad.

"Nice to meet you, Natalia," Claudia said, holding her hand out with a smile. My mom ignored her, walking off.

"I'm sorry. We'll leave, I just—I figured you were worried."

"Stay for a few minutes at least. Please." Claudia pulled me to sit down on the couch next to her. "I thought your mom was dead, Elliot."

"She was... MIA." I glanced up at Billie briefly to see if she was gonna say anything. She didn't, and for that, I was grateful.

"Is your grandma okay?"

I bit my lip, shaking my head. "No. She, uh—she passed."

"Fuck," Billie mumbled, sitting down in a chair across from Elliot.

"I'm so sorry."

I shrugged, popping my fingers anxiously before standing up. "I'm gonna go."

"Elliot," Billie said quickly, "I know that I've been an idiot and this is bad timing, but can we please talk?"

"I don't want to talk to you right now, Billie."

"Mom," I called out, and she ignored me. "Natalia." She turned around at that. "Come on." Claudia gave me a confused look and I sighed. "She won't answer to 'Mom.'" I shrugged, grabbing my mom's hand and pulling her out of the house. "Are you hungry?" I asked.

"There's bees, and there's horns, and they're not horns but they're pointy," she explained.

"A stinger?"

"Don't be rude, Elliot."

"Sorry." I shook my head and pulled my phone out of my pocket to call an Uber.

-

"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, bomp. Dead." My mom laughed, throwing her head back against the wall of our hotel room, her eyes skipping around. I was on edge. It scared me when I could tell that she was more out of it than normal. It scared me when I could actually tell that she was seeing things, but the fact of the matter was that she existed in this world but she damn sure didn't live in it.

"Be careful," I mumbled, drying my hair. "I can't afford to pay to fix the wall if you mess it up."

"You can't afford anything, can you?"

"I can afford to put you back in the damn mental hospital if you don't shut the fuck up. I don't have to have you here. Stop being a bitch about everything." I pulled a hoodie over my head before turning the lights off. "Go to sleep."

"Might I remind you that because of you, my mom is dead."

I clenched my jaw, pulling the blankets up over my body. "That's not my fault," I replied. "And might I remind you that you're so exhaustingly embarrassing that all of my friends think you're dead."

"If you wouldn't have left, she would've been fine. You realize that, right? If you would've never left she would still be alive."

I squeezed my eyes shut as tears threatened to spill. "I had to leave. I didn't want to."

"You didn't have to do anything."

"You tried to kill me!" I yelled.

She held her hands over her ears and screamed, making me jump. I quickly pulled her hands away from her ears, shushing her. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. You're gonna get us in trouble."

"I'm going to slit your throat if you don't shut up."

I let out a sigh, dragging my hands down my face. It was going to be a long night.