Forever and Always

~9~

Hey guys!!! Not going to lie I meant to post this like.....2 weeks ago? I can't remember really. I just started college and it's already kicking my ass. But I'm kinda starting to settle I guess. It was crazy for a while because due to covid my exam results were delayed. Which meant I started college later than every other year. So basically I was on my first week of college while everyone else was on week 4. But yeah it's here! Also this chapter was meant to be longer but I broke it up into 2. Purely because in the old book I was really strict on my word count pure chapter. I don't want to do that anymore. With this book I'm hoping for shorter chapters. Because one it's less stress on me to get to a certain word count and two I'm hoping with a smaller word count it means more regular posting. Especially with college going on. Anyways sorry for the long rant. Just wanted to update you guys a bit why I've been dark for a while and why I'll probably be going dark more in the future. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy. Until next time, bye!!!

"Elliot........"

There was a tense silence between the two sides. The only thing filling the silence was the soft music flowing out from the ballroom. After all the talk and planning of finding her, the team and Jessie never really planned what to say once they actually found her.

Well that was half true

Jessie had dreamed many times of finding Elliot. But now standing across from her, with her wearing a dazzling form fitting black dress had caused Jessie's brain to go haywire and just go blank in that moment. Her physical presence just....made her malfunction.

"Elliot..." Jessie breaths out with a slight smile on her face as she takes a step forward which immediately disappears as Elliot takes an obvious step back making sure to keep the distance between them. And while Elliot's heart does pang at the look of hurt dashed across Jessie's face, she keeps her face neutral with an air of caution about it.

"We just want to talk Ellie" Christen let's out in an almost whimper. Tears filling her eyes as her voice trembles.

For a split second Elliot's face softens before becoming hard again as she scoffs. "Now you want to talk? Well guess what, we had two months to talk but you didn't think it was a good idea then huh?" Elliot could have laughed at how the entire group of women instantly looked guilty, as if they were children caught with their hand in the cookie jar and she would have, if it wasn't for the fact she was so furious at them.

"Elliot-" Jessie tries again but is once more shut down immediately.

"No!" Elliot exclaims so powerful that it has the group backpedaling a bit as she points her golden mask at them. "You don't get to do that!" Her chest heaves as her breathing is heavy. Just a sign of how angry she is before she calms herself down as she presses her hand to her chest trying to regulate both her breathing and heart rate.

Once she is calm once more she gives them a saddened look her shoulders slumping slightly. "Do you have any idea what it's like?" She searches all their faces before landing on Jessie's. "For two months...I waited for my parents to walk through the door. For two months" Elliot cried out.

Jessie's eyes started to gloss over with unshed tears. She went to reach out to Elliot but quickly pulled her hands back and instead clasped them over her mouth thinking better of it.

How could everything go so bad?

"Please Elliot just let me explain" Jessie started as she fought to keep her voice steady. "I promise if you just-"

But Elliot just shook her head. "You let me think for two months that they were going to come". She threw her hands up, "And then I find out that you weren't even going to tell me about my shitty past".