Lift // Hamliza

• chapter 8 •

• Eliza •

"Your mother got really sick, sweetheart. When we were overseas I thought it was just travel sickness but it got very bad and we took her to a doctor. He said she," He drew in a shaky breath as did I. Oh God, was my mom going to be ok? I started breathing heavier and beginning to panic again. For the second time in one day. Great.

Sensing my panic, my dad put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me into his chest, holding me until I was calmer.

"He said she had lung cancer. She passed in the middle of the night three days ago." I stood completely still for a moment, not moving at all, not even breathing. It was like the world stopped.

My mother has always been there for me. Her and I are much closer than her and Angie or Peggy. She was the one who helped me with the anxiety in the first place. And now she wasn't going to see me graduate next year.

It all hit me at once. She left me, she'd never see me go on my first date. Go to prom. Go to college. Get engaged. Have kids. She's miss all of it.

I finally broke. There were no tears but I broke. I fell to my knees and shook, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth." My father said. He never knew how to help me. He left, probably to go tell my sisters.

What I did next I almost immediately regretted. I snuck off to my room, pretending not to hear Angelica and Peggy scouting the house for me, automatically sensing I needed comfort.

I slipped into my light blue room and locked the door silently. Rummaging through my drawers, I found what I had been looking for. Guess I was just going to have to wear long sleeved leotards for a while.

The red lines appeared and little beads of red slid down my wrists as I layed on my bed, cradling my stinging arms. I heard a knock at the door.

"Eliza, I know you're in there. Let us in?" I heard Peggy's soft voice.

"P-please leave me alone. I'll talk later." I said coldly, my voice breaking at every word.

"Liza, please." She said.

"No! Just leave. Please, just- just leave." I cried out, tears slipping down my face and mixing with the blood on my arms.

"Alright." Peggy said gently. I felt bad that I was rude to her but they can't find out. Not like this. I also knew she didn't leave because I didn't hear footsteps. She's probably waiting outside the door, hoping I'd change my mind.

But I didn't.

I put on an old long sleeved black shirt that I knew the blood wouldn't go through and decided I'd just clean the cuts later or something. I didn't care anymore. I held myself as I slipped under the covers and rocked myself to sleep.