Coffee Shop | Elizabeth Olsen

16: Facade

"Is she still sleeping?" Ash asked when I came into the kitchen. "She's wiped out," I say as I go to the coffee maker. "What happened?" MK asked taking my mug from me. I sighed and got another one before waiting to make my coffee as MK cut in front of me. "She's a private person," I say simply. "We're her friends." "I know but it took a lot for her to tell me. She won't take too kindly to me telling you." "Well, how are we meant to support her if I don't know" She complained and I rolled my eyes as I pressed the buttons on my coffee maker for a latte. "Just leave it to me." "You two aren't even friends." "Actually we talked." "You did?" I nodded and turned to face them. "Last night." "And?" MK wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm not even sure I like her like that."

"What?" Ash exclaimed. "Maybe I just think I thought I liked her because of how nice she was and it was a huge contrast to Robbie," I explain. "But everything we talked about." I leant on the counter. "I'd rather have her as a friend. So let's just drop it okay." "But." "Drop it." I sang taking my mug and sitting at the Island with them. "When do you think she'll be up?" MK asked she was itching to spend time with her. "I honestly didn't realise how close the two of you were." She shrugged. "It's hard to find good friends that are lowkey. No one cares about her to write about her so when we hang out it's always chill and lowkey and she knows all the best spots in the city." "She's really funny too and she's actually so clever. And driven she puts everything into her work." I nodded knowing this already. When I was in New York and we'd hang out she'd show me these cool lowkey spots, paps never really found us unless we went out with Scarlett it's hard to stay hidden with two of us around. 

I held my hand up to tell them to be quiet and I heard a phone ringing. I waited to see if Nell picked up but she didn't. I went to the bedroom and her phone was ringing again it was her mum. I picked it up. "Hello, Annabella," I whispered as I slipped into the bathroom. "Who's this?" "Elizabeth." "Oh, hello sweetie. Did you fly back with Nell?" "No, she stayed with me. I kind of forced her." "Was she okay, I kind of dumped everything on her yesterday." "She's okay, she was tired but she's sleeping now." "Well, when she wakes up can you tell her to give me a call." "Is everything okay?" "Yeah. Yeah." "Is it Cassie?" "No, she's actually out of her bedroom today." I smiled. "That's good to hear." "Jr?" "No he turned up last night actually. He's okay." "So it's Tony?" "Yeah..." "What happened?" "This is a family matter if you don't mind." "Oh, of course not I didn't mean to intrude." I apologise quickly realising I was overstepping. 

"He's not always like that. He's never hurt the girls before." "Nell said." "Oh good. I didn't want you to think I just let him do that. Because he's not a bad man. He's just upset." "He needs help." "We know. Robert always dealt with it." I nodded despite her not seeing me. "How long is Nell staying in LA?" "Maybe a few more days. I'm trying to keep her from working she's exhausted." "That's Nell, she doesn't know when to take a break." "Oh, I know." "Well call me when she's awake." "Yeah of course." "Bye now sweetie." "Bye." We hang up and I place her phone back on the nightstand. "Morning." "Afternoon." I joked. She shot up in bed. "Hey, chill it's fine I literally got out of bed 20 minutes ago." "Coffee?" "I should go see Cassie." She mumbled waking herself up by stretching and rubbing her eyes. "She'll be okay for a few more hours." 

She slowly laid back down. I chuckled at her. "Your mum just called actually. Said Cassie is out of her room today." "Really?" She sounded shocked. "Yeah." "That's great." I nodded and sat on the bed by her legs facing her. "She asked me to get you to call her when you woke." "Did she say why?" "Something to do with Tony." She pulled the pillow to cover her face. She screamed into it and I pattered her leg. "Better?" I asked when she had her moment. "So much." She said and we chuckled. She called her mum and they spoke, she had a serious face but I couldn't decipher what was being said from her responses. When she hung up she sighed. "Everything okay?" "Fancy helping clean a coffee shop today?" She asked. I frowned. "Tony went to the coffee shop last night and smashed everything apparently." "My coffee shop?" "No, princess. The one in Malibu." "Why does he stuff like this?" She shrugged. "He's been like this since he was 16. He'd get upset drink get mad and just attack anything he could. They have him in a holding cell right now. Jr is going to pick him up." "Why do you guys bail him out all the time. He hurt you and Cassie." "Mum wanted me to go get him I refused. I'm not bailing him out. He hurt Cassie and that's crossing a line. He shouldn't have been near that line in the first place. "He hurt you he shouldn't have crossed that line." She shrugged. "No, he shouldn't have!" I say firmly. "You're just as important as Cassie." "She's a kid. None of it is acceptable but it happened and we have to deal with it." "And how are you going to do that?" "I don't know yet." She admitted. "I'm mad at him. But he's my brother and he needs help. We were all emotional yesterday. I closed the shop mid-shift. Mum didn't make it into work longer than a minute. Cassie couldn't get out of bed and Jr is God knows where." "He came home last night," I tell her. She smiled softly. "So clean up committee?" I asked her. "I might just lay here for like an hour." "MK is going to be up in a few minutes." I listen. Nell sat up quickly and pulled my body to lay down. "What are you?" "Shh." She told me. I lay on her chest and closed my eyes when the door opened. She was pretending to be asleep. Sneaky.