Lift // Hamliza

• chapter 45 •

• Alexander •

Eliza left the room and I felt my hands tremble. How could she? Was I just not enough for her?

I choked on my breath as I recalled all the times she had told my she loved me in the past few weeks. How she had been saying the same thing to Maria.

I didn't mind the fact that Maria was a girl. But I damn well minded that first off, Eliza cheated, and second, she didn't even tell me she liked girls and guys. She knew everything about me; apparently I knew nothing about her.

But I did. I remember ever little thing she ever told me. Like how her moms favorite body wash was orange scented and she always bought the same kind, no matter what. Or how she told me that when Peggy was born, she was hoping it would be a boy but her little two year old self was still ecstatic that she had a little sister.

Peggy and John. That's who I needed right now. I made a group chat with just them and texted them to say that I needed them to come over as fast as they could because I had to tell them something.

A few minutes later they came dashing in and found me with my nails digging into my palms, biting my lip so hard that it was bleeding, and staring out the winding in a useless attempt to keep what seemed like the millionth set of tears this week from falling. John went to one side of my bed and Peggy the other, and they pried my nails away from my hands and asked me what was going on.

"Eliza cheated on me." I whispered, not wanting to say it out loud because then it would be real.

"WHAT?!" They screamed in unison, staring at me in angry shock.

"She came to apologize for not answering me and then I asked if she was cheating, and I asked to see her phone and she was. She had been meeting up with Maria to make out and have sex and that's why she left last night." I said in a quiet voice. Both of them looked like they could kill Eliza.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Peggy said, pulling out her phone. I shook my head and John came to sit next to me, his eyes full of rage as he hugged me. The quiet moment was interrupted with Peggy's screaming as I assumed Eliza answered her phone.

"ELIZABETH SCHUYLER, HOW COULD YOU?" She screeched. I heard crying on the other end of the line and felt bad for a moment but pushed that away. She cheated.

"I'm so sorry." I could hear Eliza say. Peggy cut her off before she could continue.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVER EVEN DREAM OF CHEATING ON HIM! AND WITH ALL THIS HAPPENING TO HIM, DO YOU KNOW HOW HORRIBLE THAT IS? HOW COULD YOU BE SUCH A SELFISH BITCH? HE HAS CANCER FOR GODS SAKE, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN WHINING ABOUT HOW HE DIDN'T WANT TO KISS YOU AND THEN RUN OFF WITH, OH YEAH! THE GIRL I HAD A GODDAMN CRUSH ON, UP UNTIL NOW! DO NOT TALK TO ME OR ALEX FOR AT LEAST THREE DAYS. DON'T EVEN TRY. I CANT BELIEVE YOU." And with that, she hung up before Eliza could even say anything back. She took in a deep, long breath before looking at me, slightly less upset than before but still angry.

"I can't believe her. I'm sorry." She said, hugging me. That's when I let the tears fall.

"How- how could she? I-I love her so much and she ch-cheated. And she s-said in the texts that M-Maria made her feel l-like all her pr-problems disappear. Am- am I a problem to y-you guys? Because if I am, t-tell me now so it won't h-hurt as much later. You don't have to s-stay." I sobbed into John's chest as Peggy rubbed my back.

"No. You are nowhere near being a problem. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me and the absolute best friend anyone could ever have. I know you feel like you're a burden, you've told me that so many times since you've got here, but you aren't. We're willing to stay here by your side through it all: cancer, cutting, being cheated on. I know your life seems like the lowest it can be at this point, but we're gonna help you change that, ok?" John said. I could hear Peggy whispering to him so I knew he was speaking for both of them.

"Th-thanks you guys, I couldn't ask for better best friends. I just feel so s-stupid." I muttered. Peggy spoke up this time.

"You aren't stupid either. Eliza's the stupid one, cheating on you. I still can't believe her." She said, wrapping her arms around me.

Slowly, I started to feel okay as the three of us laid there. John and Peggy were hugging me from both sides and everytime I'd remember something about Eliza and start to get upset, they'd comfort me and calm me down. I still had a gaping hole in my heart that felt like it was miles wide, and I knew forgiveness would come slowly, but I also knew John and Peggy were going to help stitch the hole up and maybe someday, I could have Eliza back in my life.

• Eliza •

I sprinted into the house and up the stairs, still crying, trying desperately to avoid Angelica. She would absolutely murder me for this, and I knew she already knew. Peggy had called me, screaming at the top of her lungs while I drove home and I knew I deserved it. I didn't want more of that from Angie but I knew it was coming.

I made it to my room and closed the door, tumbling into my bed to cry over my own stupidity. I had just lost the best thing in my life and it was all my own doing.

"Angelica?" I said quietly as I heard the door open and the lights flick on.

"Elizabeth... congratulations." She said, fire in her eyes. I gave her a confused look and she started speaking again.

"You have invented a new kind of stupid, a 'damage-you-can-never-undo' kind of stupid, an 'opened-all-the-cages-in-the-zoo' kind of stupid, a 'truly, you-didn't-think-this-through' kind of stupid." She hissed at me. I shrunk into myself as I listened to her words, which felt like they were rocks being thrown at me. She began to pace around the room, yelling about how I shouldn't have cheated and how Alex was the best thing in all of our lives. I nodded in shame as she said that.

"Congratulations! For the rest of your life, ever "sacrifice" you make is for Alexander, you'd better treat him right!" She yelled, walking to the door.

"Congratulations!" She yelled once more, slamming the door shut so hard I thought it would fall off the hinges.

Now, the only thing I could do was sob and wait for forgiveness.