Will You Love Me Then?

Chapter 8 - Elijah

"Come on, Addy! You're going to be late!" I shouted up the stairs only to be met with silence.

"Addy?"

There was still no response.

I sighed and quickly ran up the stairs, avoiding looking to the right. I reached Addy's door and softly knocked and when she still didn't respond, I cracked the door. When I saw her sitting on her floor, surrounded by her notes, with her hands fisted in her hair as tears streamed down her face, I was at her side in an instant.

Wordlessly, I pulled her into me and cradled her as she sobbed into my shirt.

"Shhh, you are okay. I am right here. Breathe."

I slowly untangled her hands from her hair and when they were freed, she wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her head into my chest. Her body shook with the intensity of her sobs, and I slowly rubbed my hands up and down her back, trying to relax and comfort her. At least she isn't hyperventilating right now.

"I am right here, Addy. Try to take a deep breath. Calm your body."

I know the best thing I can do for her is to just hold her until she is calm. When she is ready, she will put some space between us but until then, I will keep my arms wrapped around her. I know she said she had a test today and it's her time of the month so maybe the test combined with teenage hormones is why she is feeling so overwhelmed. She seemed fine last night but I guess not so much this morning.

After probably fifteen minutes or so, her sobs subsided enough for me to try to ask her what she is feeling.

"What's going on? Hmm?"

She sighed and removed her arms from my neck and slid herself off my lap but stayed pressed against my side. She opened her mouth to say something, but it just made the tears start again.

"Addy...what's going on? Talk to me."

In between her sniffles, she managed to croak out, "I'm gonna fail..."

Okay, it's just the test. I can deal with that.

"You're not gonna fail."

"Yes, I am!" she whined, with fresh tears springing to her eyes again.

I took a deep breath to calm myself so I could change tactics, "I am sorry you are feeling overwhelmed. What can I do to help?"

She dropped her head into her hands, and whined again, "I don't know! Can I just stay home today?"

"I know you are feeling upset. Take ten more minutes and then pack your backpack. You have to go to school."

"Eli!" she cried but I kept my voice gentle and firm, "You have to go to school. If you do fail your exam, we'll figure it out later. I'll write an excuse for the attendance office since you will be late, but you are going to school. You can't miss more days this week."

I stood up and reminded her, "Ten minutes, Addy and then you need to be downstairs. If you aren't, I will carry you to the truck and put you in there myself."

She already missed Monday because we were remembering dad, and I didn't feel like making her go to school when I called off work for it. And she missed two days last month because she was sick. The school year just started five weeks ago; she can't just skip school when she feels upset. But as I walked out of her room and closed her door behind me, I choked back my own tears.

These are the times I just wish I could just be her brother because as her brother, I vote we stay home and watch movies and eat junk food. But I am her parent too. And a parent makes their kid go to school; even when they don't want to go.