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You're in and out of fashion In Hollywood of Hell
You bailed early. Did you at least make it home safely? Whatever Jake did, I can disown him for you. Distance doesn't separate people. Silence does. -Jeff Hood Hopping on a plane bound for Lollapalooza Chile. Didn't get to see the tortoises. Maybe next time. Come join us in Brazil.
Hey, it's Danny. I hope everything is going well. Josh is freaking out, so maybe give him a call back? Again, hope you're doing alright.
The boys are fighting. I'm scared. It's Sam, by the way. Samuel Kiszka.
Alexandra Becker was, in no uncertain terms, a fucking coward.
She'd never ventured back to the living room that night but, instead, had holed herself away in the upstairs bedroom until she could escape in the dark of night. Too early, or perhaps too late, for Josh to be up awaiting the sunset or for anyone else to be meandering about in an effort to hinder her retreat.
That had been nearly a month ago.
Every phone call and text message they'd sent her way since had been ignored in an impressive show of obstinacy.
And, despite her persistence in acting like a phantom, they still persevered in their attempts.
Well, not all of them. Jake seemed to follow her lead in committing to this unspoken ghost protocol she'd enacted.
During that time, Alex had convinced herself that it was all for the best. Sure, disappearing from their lives entirely lacked a certain decorum and maturity, but it provided a clean break from which they could all move forward.
But, the truth? The truth was that Jake had rattled her. His words had shaken her down to the very core, and she'd withdrawn like the wimp she was.
They'd eventually grow weary of her silence. Pack it in and proceed to the next fascination. They had to, right?
Alex was sitting at her work desk, one of the rare times she actually made it into the office, when her phone's intercom sounded. "Alex, there's a call for you on two. I'll forward it through."
"Thanks, Mary," she replied absentmindedly, continuing with her research. Offering the announcement no second thoughts.
The shrill noise of the line ringing demanded her attention seconds later, so she abandoned her laptop in favor of ceasing its incessant chiming. "Alexandra Becker," she drawled out her usual greeting.
"I see, so you do understand how phones function," quipped the voice on the other end.
Alex grimaced, though he wasn't there to witness her moue expression—so much for assuming he'd quit in the face of surmounting adversity.
