Compelled (a Hat Films Fanfic)

Tempest

"Wait," I said, tugging on her shoulders so I could bend down and look in her eyes, "Manda, what's wrong? What happened?"

"N...nothin-" she tried choking out, but more tears started to well in her eyes and even she gave up. I decided to pull her out of the entrance way and onto the bed, where she seemed to collapse and bury her head in her hands.

"Did he... do something to you?" I asked, my blood already boiling from seeing the state she had returned in. It was the first time I've seen her cry, but it was never as violent as this. I wrapped my arms around her and felt her silent sobs rack her body as she curled up into me.

"He... he fired me basically..." she said after a while, "He said with my new job and school and my..." She trailed off for a second, but then continued talking in hopes that I wouldn't notice her slip up. "He didn't want to add more stress of a second job," she continued, her shoulders drooping.

I remember what Sparkles* said about PTSD, and I read online that anorexia can develop or worsen in a high stress environment, and I knew instantly why Nick had done what he did. I relaxed, my anger ebbing, knowing that this was the best for Amanda. "Well," I started, trying to put it as lightly as possible, "Do you think... maybe working two jobs and going to uni is... too much?" I felt myself deflating as she looked up at me with sad, bloodshot eyes, and I quickly started rambling to justify my statement. "I mean, you work really late into the night, and you get up early to finish those things, and you skip meals..." We both seemed to flinch this time, and I only realized what I had said as it passed my lips and tumbled into the widening mental gap between us. I shut up, for I could see Amanda drawing in on herself with every word.

"Don't you understand," she moaned, "I need that money! I need the revenue that we split so I can pay for hospital bills and living and college!" She suddenly lept up, striding across the room away from me. She brought a hand up to her mouth as fresh tears spilled from her lashes, and she turned away from me. I could tell it wasn't actually the job and the money that was bothering her.

"Amanda..." I said as gently as I could, giving her space, "Is that all he said?"

I saw her shoulders give a violent shake, and then the bobbing of her curls as she shook her head no. "He... he brought something up from my past; something I didn't want to talk about," she said, giving me a sideways glance.

I got up and walked over to where she stood by the window. Small, scattered raindrops splattered against the window, and I knew it was going to rain soon. "Please," I begged, grabbing her hand and holding it loosely, "Just talk to me." Let me help you.

"I... I used to have..." she started, and I felt my heart speed up before she continued with, "bad habits in college..."

"What do you mean bad habits?" I asked skeptically.

"Ross Hornby, I don't want to talk about this," she said, looking away from me but keeping her hand in mine; I took this as a good sign.

"Were they bed eat-" I tried to say before she cut me off.

"They were just bad habits, okay!?" she snapped, her eyes wild and afraid.

"O... okay," I stuttered, afraid of these new emotions I had never seen coming from my partner.

She let out a huff of a breath. "But I'm better now," she said more calmly, though her voice shook, "I don't have those bad habits anymore..."

I knew I was on thin ice right now and a misstep could cost me the cracks in Amanda's constitution that made her begin to open up to me. "So you got better," I repeated, "...How?"