The Affair

Chapter 25.3

Friday, August 12, 2022, 2:04pm

Amy holds Fallon's hand as they snake their way through the buildings. Leading the way, she pulls Fallon through small crowds of people, doing her best to get to the parking garage quickly. Behind her, Fallon's cries fill the room, and draw peering eyes in each section they pass.

She keeps her head down as Amy pulls her along, but still she could feel the stares pricking her. In her mind, everyone was looking at her, judging her, laughing and making fun of her as Amy tugs her along. Wild emotions stir up painful memories like cave silt, leaving her feeling blinded by them.

Lost inside herself, she is taken back to high school. Back to the days of walking down the hall and enduring all the callous snickers from the girls, taunting choking noises from the boys, and disgusted glares from the teachers. And worse yet, somewhere in Georgia, her mother laughs at her as well.

A lengthy walk finally brings them to Amy's car. Sitting her in the passenger seat, Amy clicks Fallon's seatbelt before situating herself behind the wheel. Anticipating a simple 15-minute drive west, she hopes that it would be enough time to talk the crying girl down. They drive off, and half way through Fallon finally settles to a soft whimper. Despite multiple attempts to talk, Fallon remains silent and unresponsive to Amy's concern.

Pulling into the lot of Fallon's apartment building, Amy parks her car in a designated parking space meant for visitors that was just a short walk away from the building's entrance. Amy shuts off the engine and she leans back into her seat, letting out a deep breath before stowing her keys into her purse. She then removes her seatbelt and readies her purse on her lap as she leans over to Fallon's space to unbuckle her seatbelt. Feeling Amy disengage her seatbelt at her waist, Fallon finally says something.

"Wh-what're you doing?" she asks.

"I'm walking you to your apartment, Fallon. What do you think I'm doing?" Amy responds as she fixes her purse's strap on her shoulder.

"I don't want you to walk me..." she replies with a light sob.

"Well too bad." Amy fires back, opening her car door. "I'm taking you to your apartment and we're gonna talk—"

"I don't want you to walk me!" Fallon shouts, stomping her foot down onto the floor space of Amy's car. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Fallon... Please don't be like this..." Amy moans with one foot already out of her car.

Fallon again grows hysterical, breaking into yet another frenzied cry as she unzips her little backpack to pull out her apartment keys. She thrusts open Amy's car door and steps out in such a rush that her left heel gets caught on the lip of the door's frame, sending her and her belongings toppling onto the pavement of the empty parking space next to them. Fallon yelps as her knee scrapes against the asphalt. Since Fallon had left her backpack unzipped, various small items within it had fallen out and scattered about the area. Fallon positions herself on her butt as she attempts to gather the items that were ejected from her backpack. Feeling overwhelmed and flustered, she stops grabbing for her fallen objects and instead takes a firm grip on her hair as she screams uncontrollably.

"Oh my god, baby, hold on!" Amy calls out.

Rushing to Fallon, Amy leans down and tries to pull her up by her arms. But her touch only fuels Fallon's breakdown, and she feels Fallon's aggression as she thrashes her arm from her hold.