Lift // Hamliza

• chapter 6 •

• Angelica •

I was.... worried about Eliza to say the least.

She's always struggled with anxiety type issues and I don't want her to get hurt from not addressing those problems. Nearing the end of the school year, finals are coming up, competition season is in swing and now she has Alex to deal with.

She claims she doesn't like him and hat she doesn't have time to focus on boys, but that's a lie. Now, if you asked me about a special guy, or girl, I'd say the same thing: I don't want anyone and I don't have time for anyone. But it's not like Eliza's case. I'm aromantic and asexual, so that's why.

Speak of the devil (Eliza), she knocked on my studio door as I stretched on the floor, doing my homework at the same time.

"Hey, Lizzie." I said, not looking up from my French homework.

"Angie." Is all she said. Her tone of voice made me look up almost immediately. She had tears streaming down her face although it looked like she was trying to hold it in, and her hands were trembling. Oh God. She's about to have a panic attack.

"E, come here, sweetie, what's wrong? Come here, it's okay. I'm right here." She collapsed into my arms, almost crushing my French homework and binder, which I pushed to the side at the last second. She shook and sobbed in my arms as I shushed her and stroked her hair. I heard Peggy's music turn off and the door connecting our rooms swing open as she rushed in.

"What happened?" She said softly, embracing Eliza as well. We sat on the floor, the two of us concerned as we comforted our sobbing sister. A pile of Schuylers on a dance studio floor.

"I c-c-can't d-do it-t Angie. I can't d-d-do the competition, I can't d-deal with sc-school, and I don't know w-what to do!" She wailed. I was still confused but comforted her anyways. She slowly began to calm down, until only a few years were falling almost silently, except for her occasional sniffles.

"Sweetheart, can you tell me what's wrong?" I asked gently. I had always been the sister to come to if you needed something. Being the oldest, I knew how to help out and calm people down.

"I'm having so much more trouble than usual with my choreography and it's not good. I don't like it and it's not gonna be good enough to get a high ranking in the competition. I don't understand my stupid physics homework and it's gonna make my grade drop. And I can't stop thinking about Alexander. I'm so stressed and I️- I just don't know what to do." Her voice began to crack as soon as she mentioned Alexander and continued to fall in her last sentence.

"Eliza, listen to me, ok?" I said soothingly, as Peggy hugged her and stroked her hair. I placed my hand on her shoulder to calm her down more.

"Ok. Tell you what. Why don't you run your choreo for the competition for us and Peggy and I can give you tips and help you tweak it. I took physics last year, so you can bring me the homework and I'll help explain that to you. And as for Alex, I think what you need to do is spend some more time with him. Maybe invite him to sit with us at lunch or ask if he wants to hang out with you sometime." I said the last bit with a cheeky smile. She nodded with a small smile on her face as well.

"Liza, have you been taking your anxiety meds lately?" Peggy asked gently. Eliza looked away and down at the floor, and shook her head. She was biting her lip, clearly trying not to cry.

I motioned for Peggy to stay there while I got up and walked out, striding through the long hallways of our mansion to Eliza's bathroom.

The walls were a gentle blue grey and the cabinets were a clean, stark white. She had a claw foot bathtub in one corner, and around another corner a glass encased tiled shower. She had a linen closet and a separate door in the bathroom for the toilet. I walked over to the big counter, and opened up the white cupboard that I knew her pills were in.

I snatched the orange bottle from its place in the cabinet and walked back, grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the dance hallway as I did so. Soon enough I was back in the room, handing Liza the pills and water and making sure she took them.

"Ok, let's get started now. Liza, why don't you turn on the music?"