✓ | battle wounds, scott m.

chapter eleven.

Ella slowly stepped out of the bus, cringing at the sight of the creepiest motel ever. She bit her lip anxiously as she came to a stop, her brother and Scott stopping at either side of her. "I've seen worse," Scott shrugged. "Where have you seen worse?" Ella asked. Scott looked around then slid his hand into Ella's, Ella chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Listen up," Coach said loudly, "The meet's been pushed till tomorrow.  This is the closest motel with the most vacancies and least amount of good judgment when it comes to accepting a bunch of degenerates like yourselves. You'll be pairing up. Choose wisely," everyone began to grab the hotel keys from Coach.

Ella looked at her brother, "I'm not sharing with the girls." "You're sharing with us," Lydia said, dragging Ella away from Stiles. "And I'll have no sexual perversions perpetrated by you little deviants. Got that? Keep your dirty little hands to your dirty little selves!" Lydia then came to an abrupt stop, causing Ella and Allison to furrow their brows, "Lydia?"

"I don't like this place," Lydia stated. "I don't think the people who own this place like this place. It's just for a night," Allison assured. "A lot can happen in one night," Lydia said grimly, causing Ella to rub her arm up and down. "We'll be okay. Come on." The three girls walked up to the room and settled in, Ella walking into the restroom only to be overcome with the smell of cigarettes. She realized it was the towels and grabbed them, walking out and handing them to the girls, "Could you guys please go get new towels?"

"Why us?" Allison asked. "One, Lydia is terrified to go by herself. Two, I need a shower after being stuck in that moving hell for I don't know how long. And three, you can go see your boyfriend, Isaac," Ella winked. Allison bit her lip and turned, beginning to walk out of the room with Lydia asking questions on their way out. Ella chuckled and walked back into the bathroom, slipping off her clothing and taking off her glasses, setting her glasses on the sink counter then turning and hopping into the shower. She felt the warm water run down her back, and she giggled when she remembered the conversation about girls and showers that she had with the boys.

"Why do girls like to take freaking scorching hot showers?" Scott asked Stiles, Ella quirking an eyebrow up in curiosity, why hadn't Scott asked her? "Because they're from hell and they miss their home," Stiles replied.

Ella laughed to herself, careful not to get any soap in her eyes. She groaned, "God, I hate hotel shampoo and conditioner. It always leaves my hair weird. . and I'm talking to myself. That's great." When Ella heard a door shut, she pulled back the curtain, "Guys, did you get new towels?" She furrowed her brows then closed the curtain, washing out her conditioner. When she heard footsteps, she pulled them back again, "Guy–" she let out a gasp at the sight of Scott, immediately using the curtain to cover her body. Daniella was very insecure about her body, and so she tried her best to cover it all up, but she still left her collarbones and up revealed. "Sc–Scott. Wh- what are you doing?" Ella chuckled nervously, holding the curtain tight to her body.

"Looking for you," Scott said in a dark voice. Ella noticed that he didn't seem like himself, Scott wouldn't just barge into the bathroom and start talking to her while she was in the shower, completely naked. "Um, well, you found me. . in the shower. . completely bare, if you hadn't noticed all ready," Ella said, looking around the bathroom awkwardly. "It's not a bad thing," Scott replied. Ella swallowed a nonexistent lump in her throat, "Well, it kinda is. . you know, we're best friends and I'm also your best friends little sister so it's not right to see your best friends little sister naked, you know? My body is completely bare and–"

"Yeah, we're best friends, right? We could just be closer. . friends," Ella noticed that Scott was inching closer to her and reaching out for the curtain. Ella felt as if she wanted to cry, scared as to what Scott could do to her, but she also felt stupid; Scott would never harm her, and she knew that. "We could even start something between us," Scott said lowly, looking into her eyes. Ella felt a tear slip, "Scott!"

Her lip was quavering and her body was shaking out of fear, a couple tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. "Scott, What are you doing? . . are you okay?" Ella asked, noticing how he looked as if he had snapped out of a trance. "Yeah, I was, um," Scott looked up to see Ella's feared expression and his heart broke. He had made her scared of him in such a small amount of time. And he didn't even remember why he was there. "I'm sorry, I don't remember." And then he left the room.

Ella paused for a moment before shaking her head and turning off the water, walking out of the shower and drying her body, putting on a pair of black leggings and her sports bra then stopping so she could open the door for Allison and Lydia. She noticed they had terrified looks on their faces, "What's wrong?"

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"198?" Ella asked in disbelief. "Yes, and we're talking 40 years. On average, that's actually expected. But who commemorates that with a framed number? Who does that? Who?" Lydia asked. Ella shrugged on an oversized Five Seconds Of Summer sweatshirt that said, 'lol you're not Ashton Irwin.' Allison and Lydia would've laughed at the saying but didn't because of the ongoing conversation. "All suicides?" Ella asked, slipping on black socks. "Yes," Allison answered. "Hanging, throat-cutting, pill-popping, both-barrels-of-a-shotgun- in-the-mouth suicides. I don't know about you two, but me, I—"

Lydia paused, causing Ella and Allison to share a confused glance. "Did you guys hear that?" Lydia asked. "Hear what?" Allison and Ella asked simultaneously. Lydia turned her head slowly to look at the vent on the wall, slowly walking onto the bed and towards the wall. "Lydia?" Allison asked, Ella growing scared at Lydia's sudden jagged breathing. "Oh, my God, oh, my God," Lydia whispered. "Lydia, honey?" Ella asked, walking towards the bed. Lydia then suddenly jerked back, a hand over her mouth. "What is it, Lydia?" Allison asked. "What happened?" Ella asked.

"Did you hear that?" Lydia asked, turning around to face the girls. "Hear what?" They asked simultaneously. "The two people in the other room they shot each other," Lydia said before running out of the room. Ella's eyes widened in fear, Allison turning to Ella and placing her hands on Ella's shoulders, "Hey. Hey, you're okay. Stay with me, Okay?" Even if Ella did not like Allison, she nodded and followed right behind her. Daniella and Allison followed Lydia into an empty hotel room, the entire room dark. "Hello?" Lydia called before stepping in and feeling around the room. "Lydia, what are you doing?" Allison asked before she and Ella followed Lydia deeper into the room. "Hello?" Lydia called again.

Lydia then found a lamp and turned it on, revealing a room that seemed to be in the process of remodeling. "It had to be right here," Lydia said as she walked forward then stopped to turn to look at the other two girls, "It was a guy and a girl, and, I mean, they sounded younger, but they were here." Ella was shaking in fear, for the second time that night, as she walked closer to Allison, clinging onto her like a feared puppy. Allison understood, Ella was the youngest out of the group, and she was also the most pure.

Through everything they had been through, Ella still found a way to make the world seem a little less dark. She always was the shoulder that everyone would use if they needed one to cry on. She was always there for support. Always there for a smile, laugh, hug, anything. She was there. And everyone adored the way she always wanted to be with Stiles if she was ever in danger, or if she was scared, or if she just needed someone with her through something. And that's how she was feeling at that moment. "I want Stiles," she whispered to herself. "I believe you. After everything we've been through, I believe you," Allison said, stepping closer to Lydia, Ella right behind her.

Lydia turned, seeming to examine the walls around them. Allison turned to Ella, "How are you feeling?" Ella looked up from her shaking hands and replied, "I just want Stiles."