Two Steps Behind

Part 11

 Elizabeth had spent the whole afternoon curled up in her bed, cocooned in the blanket, trying to convince herself that she was okay. She'd had to work through a panic attack after she got herself in the house, not sure she would be able to. She had been unable to catch her breath, her body covered in sweat, her heart hammering inside her chest, her vision blurry. She laid on the floor of the entryway, desperately trying to relax her breathing, sure she would pass out but finally it had eased and the vice around her heart slowly eased its grip.

She had stumbled up the stairs and laid in the bed, wrapping herself up to try to keep the monsters away while listening for any sounds that might indicate they were near. The house was too quiet but she couldn't turn on anything because then she might not hear him if he came. She laid, too scared to move but also terrified to stay, wondering if she should have some kind of weapon. Her mom had to have some sharp kitchen knives at least.

Looking over at the clock, she knew she needed to get up. Eddie was going to be picking her up in a little over an hour for his show tonight and she needed to get ready. For a moment, Elizabeth considered canceling on him, but she didn't want to disappoint him. And honestly, after today, the desire to see him and be around him was strong. But she couldn't have him seeing her like this. She couldn't have him finding her like this, not when she was trying to conceal the truth from him.

Pulling herself from the bed, she cringed at how the comforter stuck to her skin from the sweat that clung to her after her panic attack. She dragged herself into the bathroom and grimaced at the sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair was a rat's nest from rubbing against the blanket, her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying and looked like a startled deer, and her skin was all mottled and blotchy.

She turned on the shower as she went back to her room to grab clothes. She pulled out some flared jeans and a long sleeved GnR tee. It was warm out still but she needed to hide the scar on her arm. Eddie would not let it go if he caught sight of that jagged, angry looking mark.

After showering, blow drying, applying make-up, and fluffing up her hair, she at least looked presentable again. She didn't look like she had been on the brink of a nervous breakdown just a couple of hours ago and that was the most important thing. She heard the front door open and about jumped out of her skin, but then she heard her mom calling out to her.

"Jesus..." she muttered to herself, her hands gripping the edge of the bathroom counter. "Get a hold of yourself."

"Eddie's here!" her mom called as she came down the stairs. "We pulled in at almost the same exact time. He's out waiting in his van."

"Okay. Hi mom and bye mom then," she laughed, kissing her cheek.

"Eddie said you'll probably just crash at his place after the show?" her mom asked.

"Oh, I guess we didn't actually talk about it," Elizabeth shrugged. "But it might be a late night and I might have a few drinks so it's probably not a bad idea."

"Okay, no problem. Aww. It feels like we've just flashed back fifteen years, you two having sleepovers. Be safe and have fun. I will see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow."

Elizabeth headed out the door, hopping into Eddie's passenger seat. He glanced over at her, his eyes falling on the sleeves of her shirt.

"Aren't you going to be warm?" he asked.

"So says the guy who rocked a denim vest over his tee in the middle of summer," Elizabeth teased.

"I was being metal...but, that's fair. Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

They drove to the club, and she filled him in on her chat with Angie. He was surprised to hear Elizabeth had sought her out, but he understood. He also seemed to have some sympathy for Angie's situation. It appeared her mom had been right and that everyone knew what Jake was doing behind her back.