SOS

Twenty-One

⚠️ TW// Low ⚠️

Elodie slides into the vinyl booth, hearing the red plastic groan under her as she settles herself into the seat. The harsh fluorescent lighting isn't comparable to the moonlight on a rooftop, but it will suffice. Putting distance between herself and Luke had proven harder than she had imagined, but she was determined to keep the promise she'd made to herself at fifteen. Unfortunately she'd misjudged him earlier in the tour and it had been slightly soul crushing when the truth found her with her guard down. Flipping her notebook open she sighs, clicking her pen and pressing it to the paper, feeling overwhelmed and full of thoughts that need to escape her mind.

"Can I get you anything tonight?" She lifts her eyes from her page only two sentences in as a young woman in a uniform approaches.

"A coke and some fries." Elodie smiles, turning back to her notebook as soon as she answers, hoping there are no more interruptions in her writing process. The other downside to being at a 24-hour diner is the fact that she isn't actually alone, and that there is a chance that anyone could walk in at any point and interrupt her. The mental exercise it had taken just to be able to calmly tell the waitress what she would want was proof enough that she did not want to be interrupted tonight.

Her drink and fries arrive after a few minutes and Elodie slips her headphones into her ears, trying to ignore the world around her as she lets her thoughts flow onto the paper, glancing at her watch every now and again to keep track of the time, knowing they have bus call in the morning and she can't miss that. Also knowing Peter may worry if she doesn't get back to the hotel room before morning.

"Five more minutes." She mumbles to herself as her watch reads 2:24am, knowing she needs some sleep and her mind has been somewhat calmed, though not as much as she was hoping it would tonight.

Less than two minutes later her eyes snap to something moving in front of her, eyes catching on the black hoodie worn by the person sliding into the bench across from her, eight pink words over the left breast catching her eye before she manages to finish lifting her head to meet the eyes watching her.

"Funny running into you here." She pulls her headphones out, having barely heard the statement over the sound of her own music, not speaking but also not moving her eyes from the person who had decided to interrupt her night.

"Still don't talk then? Good, I can talk for both of us." Elodie naturally sits back into her bench, sliding her notebook off the table and into her bag without letting her eyes leave Amy's face.

"Did you know this is my hometown? I've been visiting family but with Luke in town tonight I knew I had to surprise him, and wow was I rewarded for that." Amy smirks, "Didn't figure I'd run into you after though, I mean, I know why I need a midnight snack, I had quite the workout, if you know what I mean. But you, poor, lonely, loser, guitar girl, you don't have anyone or anything, so why be out in the middle of the night at a diner?"

Elodie swallows hard but keeps a straight face, Amy does not deserve any kind of reaction from her, and she will not give one.

"Oh, is it because everyone went out to a party and you were too quiet to be invited, because nobody likes the quiet girl who had to get a job through her brother." Amy smirks, "That's what it is isn't it, guitar girl. You're just a silent little freak and no one actually wants to hang out with you."

The words Amy is using stings deep, cutting like knives into Elodie as they hit her. Her shoulders tightening, and her throat swelling as her stomach churns suddenly. Her instinct for so long had been to fight, but therapy had pushed her to the point that she knew she could simply leave, and so she forces herself out of the booth, walking across the diner to hand the waitress some cash before turning and heading to the door.