Take A Walk (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 5 of The Hardships Saga)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

❝lie (pronounced lʌɪ or lahy), noun
an intentionally false statement. 
e.g. he lied to her because he didn't have a choice.
also suicide tw❞

Drew heard shuddering sobs, and he opened his eyes tiredly. He glanced towards the clock. "Three am," he mumbled to himself. "Ellie?"

He sat up, rubbing his eyes and seeing Elle trying desperately to open the door to the balcony with her shaking hands. She was sobbing, her tank top hanging off one shoulder and her skinny legs knocking together, trembling harder than her hands. She was barely standing steady.

Drew stood up, the cold air of the night hitting his torso, and he slowly approached Elle. "My love?" he said hesitantly.

"N-No... n-need to get out... n-need to leave... w-why won't it open?"

"It's locked," he said. "Honey, what's wrong? Do you need some fresh air, is that it?"

"N-Need..."

"Amber?" he asked. Generally, when it was Amber, she'd start responding to him once he said her name.

But this time there was no response, which meant it wasn't Amber at all...

"N-Need... please, Drew..."

"Of course," he said, frowning slightly, and opened the door for her.

She ran to the balcony instantly, breathing in deep, calming breaths. Her mind was starting to become still now. She knew what she had to do. She looked ahead, resolutely, and pulled herself up, swinging a leg over the barrier. Her stomach dropped, and she would be soon after.

"Ellie?!" Drew raced to pull her back, and she screamed, "TOUCH ME, AND I SWEAR I'LL JUMP!"

He froze, staring her down. She looked deranged, and her eyes were... fluctuating. They went from their ordinary chocolate brown to a strange, cloudy look that he often saw in Amber. She was shaking violently, and Drew was terrified that she'd lose her grip. She was still holding on tightly to the balcony railing, but her foot was still over the edge, and should she choose to let go, she would be sent tumbling down.

He slowly moved towards her, so slowly that she didn't notice in her wild state. "Ellie, what's going on?" he asked softly. "Why are you doing this?"

"I.... remember..." She took a shuddering breath. "I remember everything... I-I remember... F-Frank... and A-Amber..."

"Remember?"

"I... saw... him... killed..." Fresh tears poured down her face, and Drew moved ever closer still. "I remember... Frank, he... walked in... oh f*ck, oh f*ck..."

"Breathe," he said very gently. He was so close... he could grab her if he just came one more step...

"I remember... every time... e-every time he..."

Suddenly, he grabbed her, and she screamed loudly, louder than he'd ever heard her. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO, F*CKING HELL, I JUST WANT- NO!"

"Ellie, you're not jumping!" he yelled over her screams, dragging her, kicking and screaming, back into the hotel room. She punched him, kicked him, bit his arm, but his grip on her didn't weaken as he pulled her back in, fighting against her to lock the door. She screamed loudly, hitting him, her eyes spilling with angry, terrified salt water.

"I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS, I CAN'T LIVE WITH THIS-" She broke down, screaming incoherently and fighting against Drew, who was struggling to hold her down, calm her. "LET ME GO!" she sobbed. "LET ME GO, YOU F*CKING BASTARD, LET ME GO!"

"I'm not letting you go," he breathed, his eyes filled with tears and his hands shaking. She escaped his grip and began pounding against the locked door again, before eventually giving up and bashing herself. She hit herself in the head over and over, sobbing each time, and he held her arms down, trying to calm her down, trying to make her stop. "Make it stop, make it s-stop," she begged the heavens, allowing herself to fall to the ground. Drew, crying as hard as she was at this point, sat beside her, pulling her into his chest and holding her tight, not letting her go. She was too weak to fight against him. They cried together, Elle letting out agonised screams and Drew hushing her gently.