out of the blue | gracie abrams

LI

li - late night drives, late night drinks.

2nd of July, 2023, Los Angeles

-7:21pm-

"Welcome home, Penelope," Charlotte greeted.

It sounded a lot more like a threat than a nicety.

She hadn't even had a chance to switch on the light before a chill made itself known down Pippa's spine, and she was too scared to turn around. It would be better thinking her mind was playing tricks on her.

"What, not even a hello?" Charlotte stated, stepping further inside Pippa's bedroom and playing with the rope in her hands, "When did you lose all your manners, my little flower? Hm?"

It's a nightmare.

It's just a nightmare.

"Oh, how I've missed you, dear Penelope," Charlotte inhaled sharply, so close to Pippa the younger girl could feel her breath on her neck, "So... very... much..."

Charlotte spoke so close to Pippa's ear she swore she could feel the outline of her words on her skin.

It's just a nightmare.

Wake up.

Fucking hell, why couldn't she wake up?!

"Cat got your tongue, baby?" Charlotte whispered, dropping the tape from one of her hands onto the floor and toying with the rope using both, "Why the silent treatment?"

Pippa pinched herself. Once, twice, then a couple dozen times.

It's just a nightmare.

It's just a nightmare.

It's just a nightmare.

Maybe if she told herself that enough times she could start to believe it.

"So innocent, so naive, so precious," Charlotte drawled, and before Pippa could even react, she felt the rope being tightened around her waist, her arms fastened to the sides of her body, "So, so careless."

"Stop! Let go of me!" She fought against the confines, finally snapping out of her catatonic state, but Charlotte had put a hand over Pippa's mouth and the other on her throat.

Pippa's pleas could only be heard as muffles, and Charlotte only beamed at the sight of her being completely at her mercy.

"Shh, shh, my sweet flower," Charlotte hummed, "Didn't you miss me, babygirl? It's been so long..."

Pippa had never been more scared in her life.

Not even when her father tried to push her out of a window.

Not even when she told Gracie how she felt.

"You must be so tired, being dragged around on plane rides all the time. You know I'd never do that to you, right?" Charlotte spoke into her neck, it made the worst kind of goosebumps arise all over Pippa's body, "Why don't you take a little nap, hm, baby? I'm gonna take you on a little drive. Don't worry, we won't be going far."

Before Pippa could protest once again, Charlotte had promptly pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and covered her mouth and nose with it. The thrashing of her limbs stopped, and her breathing slowed. And if Pippa didn't feel drugged before, she certainly did now.

-7:42pm-

Gracie had pulled out her phone as soon as she sat back down in Taylor's car, the most shit eating grin on her face refused to disappear. She felt like cloud nine did an injustice to how floaty she was feeling in that moment.