Smoke And Steel

• Ten - Tears, Shouting, and Shirtless Boys •

Avery       

        Ebony was lying on Tate's family's couch, having just been checked over by Fran, who works as a nurse. Since I obviously don't have a car I'd called Tate to come, picking Fran as the best person to be able to help her. I realise now I could've called the ambulance, but I don't really like strangers all that much.

I was worried about her. She'd just collapsed on the side of the road and I hate to think what would've happened if I hadn't been driving past. She could still be lying there, or someone could've-

No. I told myself, pushing the thought from my mind. She was alright, just dehydrated and exhausted, and would be fine once she had rested. I was curious as to what she was doing out there, stumbling along and clearly upset, but I could wait to find out.

She just looked so fragile, like a little bird with a broken wing, and I couldn't help but feel bad for her.

* 

It had been two hours since I'd brought her here, and the clock was edging on eleven before she woke up.

"Water," she said in a cracked voice so quiet I almost didn't hear her.

I grabbed the jug of water Tash had put there and poured her a glass.

"Here," I placed it in her shaking hands. I was sitting on the floor next to the sofa and jumped up to help her.

She drained the glass in no time and I poured her a second one.

"Thanks," she said, less groggy already. She surveyed the room around her, taking in the grey carpet and the wooden walls, her eyes lingering on the deer head mounted on the wall. Her eyes then rested on me, "where am I?"

"My friend Tate's house," I replied, "his mum's a nurse. You collapsed on the side of the road."

She studied me, trying to see if I was telling the truth, "Why?"

I was confused, "why what?"

"Why did I collapse?"

"You were dehydrated, and exhausted. You were crying your eyes out when I saw you."

"Why would I be cry-" she choked on her words, stopping mid sentence. She said something under her breath that was too hard to hear betwwen the sobs. She pulled her knees up to her chin, hugging them so hard her fingers were leaving marks. She had this look in her eyes that was so hurt and pained, that the shards of glass that were my heart cracked just a little bit more.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, unsure of her reaction.

She shook her head, but answered any way, "my mother, sh- she"

She burst into another round of tears, and I poured her another glass of water, wondering if you could get dehydrated from crying too much.

I smoothed the hair on her head and pulled her into my chest. I couldn't stand to see her in pain like this.

After a while, her sobs subsided and she calmed down, "I'm sorry," she said as I wiped the tears from her cheeks, "you probably think I'm this annoying girl who cries too much."

"Don't be sorry, sometimes we just need to cry to get rid of all of the sadness," I said, surprising even myself.

"It's just that, I'm so upset. I got home from school and then there's -" she put her hands on her chest, taking a deep breath "there's this man there and there's my mother, and, well I think you can figure out the rest."

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I spied Fran walking past the door way and she gave me a reassuring smile.

"Do you think she loves my dad?" she asked, "do you think that I was maybe just too blind to see their fading love? Why would she cheat if she loved him?"