one of them - j.flatters

xiv. je te laisserai des mots

JULY 2018 - HAWAII
Chaotic laughter could be heard miles away from the cast's table, their found family all enjoying one of their last dinner in Hawaii. The heat warming the kids' cheeks and the wine warming the adults' faces. Sam had offered Britain, Jamie and Eliana a glass despite the disapproval comments from Zoe, saying they still weren't old enough which he had responded with "Come on, kids start drinking at thirteen in Australia.". The trio exchanging amused looks, knowing well it wouldn't be their first time drinking together, a few memories of game night flashing before their eyes. Now that the sun had completely set and the wind became colder, Eliana sipped on her fifth glass of wine of the night, the alcoholic beverage causing her to be more agitated like everyone who remained around the table. The younger kids had gone up to their rooms, exhausted from the training day they had but Britain, Sam, Jamie, James, Zoe and Eliana were deprived from that sleep, probably because they had so many interesting discussions that made them want to stay awake.

"So-so, Jim... who's your favorite?" Britain said, stumbling on some of his words as he gulped the rest of his wine, his lips stained by the red of the liquid. Everyone chuckled to the boy's question, Sam leaning above the table to get the glass out of Britain's grip. "No, come on, Sam. You're the one who encouraged this." Eliana and Jamie snickered to Britain's drunken words, the shy and reserved boy they knew completely vanished and replaced by this extroverted version of him.

"Slow it down, champ. You'll thank me tomorrow morning." Sam grinned, his hand resting at the back of Britain's neck, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Guys," Zoe softly smiled to the younger two. "Maybe you should get him to his room, make sure he's hydrated." Britain groaned at his fake mother's words, he didn't need babysitters to look out for him so the boy quickly got up from his seat, chuckling as he stumbled his way out. Eliana and Jamie nodded, reassuring the adults before following closely behind their friend.

"We should stay behind. I don't want to upset him." Eliana said, her hand resting on Jamie's bicep, stopping him from going after Britain who zigzagged toward his hotel room. Eliana was worried about her friend who seemed way too drunk for what they had been drinking. Suddenly, realization struck her traits, her eyebrows slowly knitting together as her and Jamie kept walking side by side. Jamie noticed something bothered the girl, her face exposing her every thoughts.

"What's wrong?" He softly asked but the girl's gaze still rested on the struggling boy before them.

"Maybe we shouldn't have let him drink with his medication and all." Jamie's eyebrows confusedly furrowed to the Martin girl's words, clueless about the medication she was talking about. When Jamie stayed silent, that was when Eliana knew the boy had no idea about the severity of Britain's condition. "His anxiety, he's been taking pills for it. I thought he would have told you about it." Jamie's heart clenched when Eliana said her last words, hurt that one of his closest friend hadn't confided in him. He would have proudly helped him with whatever he was dealing with but Britain had only decided to told the Martin girl, knowing she would understood his situation as the two of them experienced similar feelings when it came to manage their stress and anxiety. They were like two towers leaning against each other to avoid from crumbling to dust. Eliana finally glanced at the boy beside her who seemed startle, her worriedness slowly fading once they were closer to Britain's room. Before Jamie could entered it, Eliana stopped him, a hand on his shoulder nearly touching his collarbone, as they interlocked their gaze. "Hey, he's okay. The pills help him."

Jamie nodded, her calm and soft whispers reassuring him before they both entered Britain's room to find the boy already passed out in his bed. Jamie sat on the edge of it, turning the boy's body to the side as Eliana grabbed the trash can in the bathroom and placed it on the floor, next to him. As they figured there wasn't much they could do anymore, the duo let their friend sleep the alcohol off and walked back down to the hotel's lobby. They found themselves wandering around the site, dreading the moment they would have to go back with their castmates as they wished they could just talk, the two of them, all night long.