Coffee Shop | Elizabeth Olsen

27: Keys

SCARLETT'S POV

Dinner was weird. There was clearly something wrong between the couple sitting across from me but they both insisted they were fine. Lizzie looked sad and Nell seemed distracted. We'd have to repeat ourselves or say her name repeatedly to get her attention.

"Do you guys want to go to that cocktail bar?" Colin asked clearly not reading the room. "Yeah, sound good." Lizzie agreed easily which surprised me. "Nell, that okay with you?" "What?" "Cocktail bar?" I say, something wasn't right with her, her eyes were glazed over and she looked like she was going to burst into tears any second. "When?" She hadn't been listening. "Now." "Oh, um." She looked at Lizzie. "I'm going to head back..." "I'm meant to be staying with you tonight." Lizzie reminded her. "Just stay with MK or Scar." She says going into her purse. "But." "Just enjoy yourself, Bug." She put her card on the table. "Bring it home with you. Enjoy." And she rushed out like she had to leave that second otherwise her dress would turn to rags and her car a pumpkin."

"I'm sorry," Lizzie says sighing. "Is she okay?" "Yeah, she's fine." "You're lying," I say standing up and going to talk to her. I wanted Lizzie to tell me what was up with her because getting information out of Nell is like getting information from a wall. It just doesn't happen.

"Hey wait up." I manage to catch up with her before she made it to the doors. "What's up?" She asked casually turning to face me, she was crying. "What's going on? Have you and Liz fought?" "Something like that." "What about?" "It's private." "I'm both of your friends, if you don't crack she will." "Then talk to her." "I want to talk to you, you're the one who is crying right now." I point out.

"It's complicated." "Then explain." She rolled her eyes. "Nell." I pushed. "Lizzie said something to my brother, Tony told mum and now she's worried about me." "Okay, mothers do that." "Mine doesn't. I am the strong one in that family, my brothers a pussy's." She joked her eyes getting watery again. "So you and Lizzie argued." "She argued with herself." I tilted my head. "She did, I kept telling her it was okay. It was fine but she kept telling me it wasn't. She didn't even say anything that bad. She just said I have stuff on. And Tony told mum and now mum is worried about me." "Should she?" "What?" "Be worried?" "No, I'm fine." "You're always magically fine but here you are crying." "I'm not crying." "You're crying." She rolled her eyes at me. "Take Lizzie home talk to her." "She won't listen to me. I've tried." "Try again you know how she can get." She nodded. "But are you okay?" She nodded. "You've been distracted tonight." "Working out how I can convince mum I'm fine without her making me go home or her coming here." "Is that all?" She nodded. "You sure?" "Scarlett it's private." I sighed. "Everything is private with you." "Because it's my life!"

Lizzie appeared and hooked her arm in Nell's immediately. "You want to go home?" Nell asked. "MK's." "I think we should talk first." "No." "Okay." "We'll see you around," Nell said leading them out, Lizzie waved as they walked away.

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NELL'S POV

"I'm not mad at you," I tell her when we get in the car. "I messed up." "No you didn't, Princess." "But you're mad at something. I caused it." "I'm mad at my brother for being anywhere near you! That's what I'm mad at. I should have been there." "But your mum." "It's okay." I hold her hand trying to give her some comfort, it's been awful between us for almost three days now. She has convinced herself that I was mad at her for telling Tony I had things to deal with myself. I was annoyed but not mad. I deal with things on myself she knows that I don't talk about things she knows that. But I wasn't mad at her.

I was pissed at Tony, he upset her, he called her pathetic. He disrespected her. He's lucky we're 3000 miles apart because I would have killed him by now. "Please come home," I asked when she rested her head on my shoulder. She nodded. I told the driver the change of plans which wasn't a big deal because we haven't even left little Italy yet.