Pippa
I close my book and glance up at my phone, displaying the time.
"Jazzy?" I call out.
"Yeah?" She asks, coming around the corner and into our dressing room. "No, Pip. I have not heard from her." She says, knowing what I'm gonna ask. She sits down in her seat and turns to me. "I'm sure we will. She's a strong girl. She's okay. And I'm sure she's just busy with her benefit concert and all." I'm so proud of her for being one of the heads in putting this even together. I really wanna see it but I think it's during the show.
"Doing anything fun tomorrow?"
"No. Stephens got somewhere to be in the morning and I think I'm just gonna read this book and organize and stuff. Relax before the last show of the week."
"Well, have a good time. I'll see you later." She says, picking her bag up and standing. She pushes in her chair and says goodbye to me. I finally get ready to leave a few minutes later and Carleigh walks straight into me when rubbing her eyes.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. Long day, huh?"
"Two shows. I've gotta get my stuff." She says, turning around and walking in that direction.
"Carleigh."
"Yeah." She asks, looking back. I point the other way and she laughs.
"Right." She says, turning around and starting back in the correct direction. It's been an exhausting day. I'm surprised that I still have as much energy in me that I do. My phone start buzzing in my pocket and I immediately slide and put it to me ear.
"Elena." I say. Only a moment later, Lin peaks out of the stairway. "Hey."
"Pippa." She says, her voice weak and tired. She sounds so small and lost and all she said was my name.
"Elle, are you alright?"
"I just don't know who to call." She says quietly.
"Elena, where are you?"
"I'm- I'm-um..."
"Are you lost, hun?" It sounds like she tries to answer but I just hear a muffled sob and then three beeps, telling me that she's hung up. I immediately go to my calls and press on her name.
"Pick up! Pick up!"
"Pippa, what's going on?" Carleigh asks, appearing in the hall. I shake my head, hang up, and call again.
"It's Ellie, leave a message." Ellie. She never told me that.
"I can't get ahold of Elena."
"I'm sure she's just busy. She's probably at a classmates place studying her ass off or putting together a huge project." I shake my head. "Or dance or a concert or a performance."
"She called me crying." Are you okay? I type and press send.
I'm fine.
I press call again, Carleigh watching me nervously, awake again.
"Elena!" I say the second that she picks up. "What's going on?"
"I got lost. I found my way."
"Why didn't you pick up?"
"I was on the phone. I'm sorry. Someone helped me and now I'm fine."
"No. You're not fine. Where are you?"
"I'm getting in the subway in Union square."
"Come straight here."
"I'm gonna have to go to Lexington Avenue and then back. That's gonna take a while." She complains.
"Just go to the closest station for-"
"Pippa. I'm already down here."
"I hate the subway. Tell them you're sleeping at a friends and I'll be there by the time you are. No further discussion."
"I'll change trains." She says.
"Get off at this one. I'll meet you down there."
"Okay." She relents.
-
"Hey." I say, sitting next to the young girl in a uniform sitting on a bench. "Been here long?"
"Just long enough to get a bench." I'm completely aware of the fact that she is thinner and paler than the last time that I saw her. The train pulls up and she stands, wobbling. I grab her to stop her from falling. We start forward, my arm on her back to keep her sturdy as I dig into my bag for a granola bar.
"Here." I say, holding one out. She looks a it and then shakes her head, mumbling a 'no thank you,' looking down and flattening her skirt.
"What other names do you have that I don't know."
"What?"
"Ellie."
"Oh. Um, El, Lee, Lane. Laney. Basically anything you can think of." She's distracted and nervous. "How was the show?"
"Fine." I say, stepping on. I rip open the wrapper and press the bar into her palm. She fiddles with it, trying to pull back the wrapping when it's pulled out if her hand by a man who is only a blur as he disappears out of the cart.
"I'm sure he needed it more." Elena says, quietly.
"He didn't look starving."
"Well, McDonalds is way less expensive than food from the grocery store, especially the healthier foods."
"Unfortunately."
