Coffee Shop | Elizabeth Olsen

45: Carrying My Shit

I held my hands behind my back standing a step down from Lizzie as she rang the bell. We were on the outskirts of New York we were in the car forever and I hate every second of it. Lizzie was a nervous wreck I wasn't doing much better so was zero help to her. I spun my dad's ring around my finger a few times as we waited for the door to open.

"Elizabeth." He greeted her formally. He looked at me and I smiled. "Wheres your boyfriend?" He didn't even say hello, what a prick. "Daddy, I'm in a relationship with, Eleanor." I had to get used to my proper name being used tonight, David seemed rather formal and I didn't want to do anything to piss him off. He's already going to hate me. "Nonsense." He said letting Lizzie in. "I'm serious Dad." She says reaching for my arm to pull me inside too. I stood beside Lizzie not knowing if I should talk or not. He doesn't seem like the joking type so it was probably best I kept my mouth shut tight. "Eleanor is a girl." "I know dad." "Girls don't date girls. My girls especially." He said in a warning tone waving his finger at her. I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying anything.

"She's my girlfriend, Dad." "I knew you were a disappointment Elizabeth but this, this is on another level." Ouch. "She's really good to me, she respects me and she makes me happy." "A puppy could make you happy Elizabeth, Ice-cream even... Have that instead." He turned to me. "You corrupted my little girl you, evil, faggot." "DAD!" "In the dining hall now." He pointed. "You can leave." "She's not leaving." Lizzie pulled me with her but I wanted to leave, I wanted to leave to avoid kicking this man's stupid head against a wall repeatedly.

"NELLY!" MK darted across the room and jumped on me. I caught her as always. "Your dad hates me," I whispered to her. "He's testing you. Head held high, kiddo." I nodded and set her down as David asked me to. "Dinner will be served soon, take a seat all of you." I sat in between Lizzie and MK. Jarnie, Ashley and her boyfriend sat facing us and David sat at the head of the table. I looked at Lizzie and she looked like she was ready to burst into tears any second now. "Your sister seems to think this dinner was a joke tonight." He began. "David leave the poor girl alone." Jarnie tried. "She is a woman she is meant to be with a man. Robbie. She was engaged to Robbie and left him for that." He gestured towards me. "'That' treats her much better than he ever did," Mary-Kate spoke up. "Are you swinging for the other team too now? All of you just fucking her. The whore. The fag." "Daddy, please. Stop." "Don't start, Elizabeth. You are ruining your life. I've seen the picture of you both in the coffee shop. All over each other. Is it for attention like those pathetic panic attacks are?" "Don't do that," I say looking at him. "Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Don't belittle her like that. Don't minimise her problems because you don't understand them." "She pulls these stunts for attention. Heck, she called off her engagement to a perfectly good man for attention." "She called off her engagement because he hurt her." "Nothing she didn't deserve she was probably." "She didn't deserve to be treated the way Robbie treated her so never say that to her or anyone. She is your daughter you are meant to protect her and want what is best for her." I cut him off. "And that's you? Her being gay will ruin her image, she'll have no sex appeal." "She is your daughter," Jarnie spoke up again surprised at his words. "She'll ruin her image her career will be over. Do you want that Elizabeth? You will call Robbie in the morning and pray to the Gods tonight that he hasn't found someone to replace you in his life, though it wouldn't be hard." Everyone was shocked at his words, he hasn't done this publically or to this degree before. We hadn't even started dinner yet. "Do you understand me?" He asked her and she didn't respond she didn't even blink. He banged on the table beside her. "Do you understand me?" He repeated louder causing her to flinch. I pushed her chair and stood up.

"What are you doing?" He asked me. "taking my girlfriend home." "You will do no such thing." She was frozen in fear, petrified of this man. The twins looked scared too. "Lizzie baby." "I can't... I can't breathe." "And her she goes again." He complained. "Focus on me okay." I take both her hands and rest our foreheads against each other. Her father kept shouting and everyone else was too but defending Lizzie, though right now she just needed quiet.