Poker Face || Z. Dempsey

Tape 2, Side B

   It was halloween season. When Amelia got home, having had to walk home for the Blue Spot, Millie and her mother were setting up decorations. Millie was laughing as their mom tossed a fake spider web on her in the fading light.

   She stood on the sidewalk outside their house watching for a minute, before her mother noticed her.

   "Elia, you're home." Her mother was the only person to call her Elia. Her mother, Amelia's grandmother was named Amelia and went by Elia. When she was younger her mom called her Lia, but when Grandma Elia passed, her mom began calling her Elia. Laura was very close to her mother, so her daughter's name meant a lot to her.

   "Yeah. I hung out with some friends, but I didn't want to miss out on helping set up for halloween. Mil, do you need help with that?" The younger girl was trying to cover their door in caution tape, but she wasn't tall enough. She surveyed her older sister with big eyes, trying to see if she was sincere, and nodded when she deduced that she was.

   "That was very nice, Elia," her mom smiled at her and Amelia dropped her bag on grass in front of the house and went to finish decorating the door while Millie started setting up the graveyard they always put out.

   "How was school, Mil?" Amelia asked.

   "Why are you being so nice?" Millie asked suspiciously, and Amelia just smiled.

   "I'm in a good mood."

   "Are you drunk?" she asked in shock, and Amelia rolled her eyes.

   "I don't drink, Mil. I just feel like being nice."

   "Speaking of being nice," their mother interrupted, "Elia, will you take your sister with you tomorrow and can Zach drop her off? I'm going to-- something at your school for a presentation, so I'll need you to get her to school."

   "What is the presentation?" Amelia heard her mother falter, obviously deciding against telling her what the presentation. It probably had to do with Hannah Baker, as that was what everything was about.

   "It's about preventing suicide with your own children," she sighed and Amelia's eyes flared with anger while Millie dropped the grave she was holding, worried that her mother was implying that Amelia was going to commit suicide.

   "Mom, I'm not going to kill myself. Jesus. Who else would bug Millie until the end of time?" she said, forcing a smile.

   "Just ask Zach, okay?" Amelia groaned, but pulled out her phone and called Zach.

   "What's up?" He had to speak up over the sound of a machine gun in a video game.

   "Can you drop Millie off at school tomorrow? My mom is going to a suicide prevention thing at school."

   "Sure," he said and she hung up.

***

   Zach's car was packed when it pulled up in the morning. Bryce was in shotgun and Justin was in the back with Jess on his lap. Bryce and Zach were Muff Divers and Jess and Justin were clearly punk rockers. Amelia laughed at Justin's wig, and he glared at her.

   "You have got to be kidding me," Millie said, glaring at Amelia.

   "The one day you actually pick other people up," Amelia rolled her eyes. "Jessica and Justin, keep the PDA to a minimum and Bryce, just don't talk. Millie, here is my phone and earbuds, don't take them out until we get to your school and only look and the screen and out the window." Zach let out a snort and Justin laughed. Bryce rolled his eyes at her comment, but didn't argue.