Lift // Hamliza

• chapter 9 •

• Alexander •

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday passed at school and Eliza wasn't there. I saw Angelica and Peggy, but never Eliza. In all honesty, the two sisters looked a mess and kind of lost, like not having Eliza there was a terrible thing. On Thursday I finally approached them in the courtyard.

I jogged over to the bench they were sitting at and they looked up at me.

"Hey guys. Uh, I um, noticed Eliza hasn't been here the whole week so far and you guys look upset, so I was wondering, is she alright? Did something happen?" They shared a glance with each other then Angelic began.

"Our mother died from lung cancer about a week ago. Eliza was unbelievably close to her and is taking the death really bad. Me and Pegs weren't very close to her, we're still quite upset but not as much as Eliza. We can't get her out of bed. She's always sleeping or crying. We don't know what to do. She hasn't eaten since Sunday." My face paled as all the information hit me. I began to thing of my own mothers passing and how painful it was for me. I pretty much did the same thing as Eliza.

"I'm so sorry for your guys' loss. I lost my mom a few years ago and it really, really sucks. Um, do you think I could maybe visit her? I wonder if seeing someone from school or something might help." I suggested. Angie liked ready to say no but Peggy spoke up.

"Of course. I thinks she'd appreciate that a lot." She smiles at me gently and I smiled back.

"We can go now if you want." She said, standing up and pulling Angie with her.

"Ok. I have a car so I'll just follow you guys so I don't have to navigate. Is that good?" I asked. After receiving a yes, we began to drive.

When we arrived at the mansion, they directed me to Eliza's room then promptly left. I decided to just walk into the room.

I pushed the door open silently and was shocked at what I saw. Plates of day old food, probably about ten of them, sat untouched on her desk. The lights were off and the curtains were tightly closed. Tissues covered in tears and mascara overflowed out of the trash can and there were at least four empty tissue boxes.

And then Eliza.

When I last saw her she looked happy and bright. Now, she was asleep, all curled up, with very old mascara stains on her eyes and her hair a tangled mess. Her eyelids looked pink, so I assumed she had cried very recently. Taking a leap of faith, I walked to her bed and sat down next to her, moving the mattress a little as I did so. I rested my hand on her shoulder and whispered her name gently until she woke up.

"Mom?" She said quietly, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. She looked more closely at me before putting on a pair of black glasses from her bedside table. I knew she wore contacts but I don't think I've ever seen her in glasses. Even in her messy state, it was cute.

"Alexander?" She realized. She seemed freaked out, suddenly tugging harshly at her long sleeves and scooting away from me, getting off the bed.

"What are you doing here?" She began to breathe heavily and her eyes filled with tears, which she tried to quickly scrub away with her hands.

"Eliza, it's alright. Angie and Peggy told me what happened and how you were really struggling and I wanted to help." She still seemed panicked so I walked over to her and hugged her carefully, as if she was glass that could break at any moment.

"Shhh. It's ok. It's ok." She sobbed into my shoulder, pulling the glasses off and tossing them to the bed. She hugged me so tight it almost hurt, but I knew how she was feeling. I went through the same thing.

I picked her up and set her on the bed, cradling her and making sure she was good.

"I️-I just miss her so much. We were s-so close." She cried. I held her closer.

"I know how it feels. My mom died when I was twelve and I still struggle with it. You have all the right to cry." Hearing about my story she seemed to stop crying. Now, only an occasional tear would slip out rather than the earlier flood.

"Sorry for this. I'm really sorry you had to come help me. And everything's a mess and I just," I didn't want her to cry again so I held her and wiped away her tears.

"Tell you what. I'll help you clean up your room and you can get dressed and take a shower, and then we'll go somewhere to get food, yeah?" I asked, moving her so she could look at me.

She glanced down and looked hesitant for a moment, but eventually I heard a small,

"Alright." And with that she climbed out of my arms.

In that moment I made a vow to myself. I would always protect Eliza and help her through these things, no matter what. Whatever it takes, I'd help.