Coyotes and Wolves, Milo Manheim Original Story

Corroborate

Eric sat with Estella, while Milo went into the kitchen to call the police.

"How you doing?" Eric piped up.

"Peachy." She muttered.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You're right. Stupid question."

She sighed. "Sorry. Just don't know how much more drama I can take."

"You never said what happened to you a few weeks ago." He reminded her, carefully.

"Maybe, I didn't want to think about it." She replied, pointedly.

"Well, if you're letting me in or whatever, maybe knowing what's been going on would be helpful for me." He suggested.

"Fine." She huffed. "It sounds like a bad television show, but Julian and Bryan attacked me at the football game. They took me into the school, and tried to..." She trailed off losing her resolve.

"Did they...assault you?" He asked, in a careful tone.

She nodded. "But, they didn't get far. I fought back, and then Milo found me and called the police."

"I was thinking they might've been involved, since they've both been out of school." Said Eric. "I'm sorry, Estella. That's fucking horrible." He added, empathetically.

"And now, Doyle is probably back. I just... can't deal with all of this! When is it going to stop?" She mused aloud, in a low emotionless tone.

"That's the piece of shit's name?" Eric inferred, angrily.

"If it was him. Which, judging by the flowers, it probably was. He brought me that same bouquet the night he did what he did." Estella explained.

"So, I assume that he got further than Julian and Bryan?" Eric pressed inquisitively, while trying to remain sensitive.

She shifted her eyes up at him with a serious and fearful look. Which he took as confirmation that he had done the unthinkable, and he nodded sadly.

"I think, I finally get you and him now." Eric voiced, gesturing towards the other room.

"Oh good, because I was so worried about your opinion." She drawled, sarcastically.

"I guess I deserve that, a little." He added. "From the outside, it looks like he controls you, but it's actually the opposite."

"I don't control him!" She argued, in an offended tone.

"But, you call the shots, don't you? And, he... just does what you need him to?" Eric surmised.

Estella wouldn't completely put it that way, but he wasn't too far off. He was more insightful than she thought.

"It kind of goes both ways. We're both sort of fucked up." She muttered.

"I can see that, but I get why." He replied, in a tone of acceptance. "I'm sorry, I was such a dick. And, when I think about trying to kiss you...Jesus." He sighed, shaking his head guiltily. "That was really fucked up. I didn't know, and I just wanted to take a risk. I didn't mean to like, traumatize you or anything. I'm really sorry, Estella."

"That probably wasn't even the most traumatizing thing that happened to me that day." She scoffed, joking darkly. "Yeah, it pissed me off, but I wasn't scared of you."

Eric chuckled at that.

"And honestly, as psycho as I thought your boyfriend was, I'm actually impressed that he didn't try to like, kill me--or Julian and Bryan. He's a little more level than I thought." He admitted.