Bad At Love | Halsey

I Can't

"Ashley," I yell, knocking on the door rapidly. I just hope she'll come to the door. I can hear her moving around, but she doesn't answer the door. "Ashley!" I call again, but there's no answer. It now occurs to me that I probably shouldn't have yelled her name—now she knows it's me.

"Go away!" she yells back after a moment.

"I need to talk to you," I plead, touching the doorknob. It's probably open. Should I just go in?

"I don't want to hear it," she responds, and I let out a breath.

"I think you need to," I tell her before biting my lip. My hand feels hot on the doorknob. I'm scared, but I know I need to do this. She's already mad at me—what more could I do to make this worse?

She doesn't respond, so I finally say, "I'm coming in." I close my eyes, let out a breath, and turn the knob. The door opens, and I walk inside. She's not in sight, and I close the door.

Going down the hall, I look toward the living room, and she's sitting on the couch, her head in her hands. Her blue hair shields her face, so I can't tell if she's mad or crying. Or both.

"Ash?" I say softly, and she looks up. Both. Definitely both. Her eyes are red, but she's still glaring at me with ferocity.

"Get out," she hisses, but I shake my head.

"You need to see this."

"Get. Out."

"Ashley—"

"Lauren. Get the fuck out of my apartment," she snaps, and I narrow my eyes at her.

"I said those things because I fucking love you. Don't you think I was terrified? I didn't want to say anything, but I had to. I care about you too much." I let out a breath and cross my arms. "We've been best friends for over ten years. You owe it to me to hear me out."

She doesn't respond for a moment, and she stares at me, her eyes narrowed. We have a silent battle, willing the other to yield.

"Leave," she finally says, and my heart drops to my stomach. I feel my blood boil with anger, and I clench my fists.

"Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, you will fucking listen to me and watch this fucking video or so help me God, I will—"

"Video?" she cuts in, all signs of anger dissipating. When I use her full name, she knows I'm serious. I've probably only ever said it two or three times.

"Yes, video," I say, taking the chance and moving over to her side. I sit down, and she moves away slightly, but she doesn't get up.

I get out my phone before unlocking it. I open my camera roll before playing the video and turning up the volume. I hand her the phone, and she takes it. Looking at the screen intently, her eyes widen in shock.

"That motherfucker," she breathes. Her head practically snaps to the side as she looks to me. "When was this?"

"Just a few minutes ago," I reply, and she lets out a small growl.

Looking back to the phone, she continues watching. I see her expression change from mad to enraged, but then suddenly, her face falls. She bites her lip, and she blinks rapidly, as if she's trying to stop herself from crying. The video ends, and she wordlessly hands me my phone back.

I don't know if I should say something or not. I just watch her. She breathes slowly, closing her eyes and clenching her fists slightly.

"He doesn't love me," she finally says, opening her eyes. She looks to me, and her face is soft. She looks almost weak.

"Leave him," I whisper, and she bites her lip.

After a moment, she shakes her head. My face pales as she says, "I can't."

A/N

SO HOW DOES THIS SEEM SO FAR?? I'VE NEVER WRITTEN THIS KIND OF THING SO IDK WHAT I'M DOING LMAO