When a beaten and lost, near-dead girl walks up upon the gates of Jackson unannounced, people are bound to be suspicious of why she's shown up. But, when she reveals that she knows something about an organization in Seattle planning to come to Jacks...
"Wishing I'd stayed, look at how my tears ricochet."
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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE The Aftermath
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Ellie swirled a drink in her hand, pressing her back against the bar. The party was bustling around her, everybody in Jackson dancing to their heart's content. She watched as Willow smiled, spinning herself across the floor. She obviously had never been to something quite like a Jackson dance, so Ellie wanted to let her have fun, even if that meant standing near the back. She rubbed her stomach, feeling the scar from Robin all those months ago.
Jesse stood beside her, forcing her to turn her head over to him. "I hate these things." He remarked, making Ellie nod in agreement and gaze back at Willow.
"Tell me about it." She scoffed.
"Your old man really laid into me today." He claimed, making Ellie tense up. She still hadn't talked to Joel since everything went down at the hospital. Even though Willow had tried to convince her, nothing was going to break her. At least- nothing soon. She didn't want to forgive him just yet. He needed to face the consequences of keeping something like that from her. Ellie turned back to Jesse, pretending to have not spaced out. "He had another lecture about my patrols. Don't go here, don't go there. It's funny how involved he gets whenever you're scheduled to go out."
Ellie sighed, looking down at her drink. In honesty, she did appreciate how much Joel cared about her, but sometimes it got to a point where it was ridiculous. "Yeah." She replied softly, turning back to Willow. She beamed as she danced, still having not noticed that Ellie had even shown up to the party in the first place. Nothing could replace Willow's smile in Ellie's eyes. Over the time they had spent together, they truly cared for each other.
Jesse coughed, interrupting her train of thought. "She's putting on quite the show." He remarked, gesturing to Willow.
The girl smiled in return, her lips upturning as she gazed over Willow. "You can't blame her. She's never had this kind of experience." She replied whole-heartedly.
"I guess you're right."
Willow finally seemed to take notice of Ellie, smiling widely in her direction and walking over. "What took you so long?" She asked kindly, tilting her head slightly. Blonde hair brushed against her cheek as she beamed towards her almost-girlfriend.
"I'm here now, aren't I?" Ellie replied sarcastically.
The girl only rolled her eyes, grabbing onto Ellie's arm and pulling her out onto the dance floor. She was stunned for a moment as she gazed into Willow's eyes. It was a sight that she would never get bored of, especially not when she was wearing a party-like outfit. Well, it was classed as a party-look in the world they were in. It was a simple black leggings and a white button-up shirt. Ellie believed that she looked beautiful.
