Dollface

Dying on the Inside

The next morning, Elenore booked a flight back to Washington. She couldn't bear to stay in the city where Prim had died and not apologize to her parents. For Elenore felt responsible for everything that had happened. Had she not moved here or dated Vine, her parents wouldn't have called Prim and Prim wouldn't have flown to New York. So she told Vine she needed a break from him, and took the next flight to Washington.
Elenore had offered to pay for the funeral expenses, but Prim's parents objected. They were just glad that Elenore had come to pay her respects, and didn't blame her for anything. But Elenore's parents...well, they were a different story. They almost forced their daughter to buy the most expensive gifts for Mr. and Mrs. Willson and weighed her with the blame of getting Prim killed. Elenore was depressed, so much so that she'd tried to call Vine, but her parents caught her. They told her that she was a stupid whore for trusting a low-life dollmaker and that they were embarrassed of her. From there, Elenore's self-esteem and self-worth only plummeted further and further.

Elenore spent less than a month in Washington, thanks to her parents, and left as soon as the funeral was settled. She would've gone home alone, but her parents sent some of her old friends, including an ex-boyfriend, to keep a close eye on her. Under their watch, she was forbidden to contact Vine or anyone who associated with him or even go near the doll shop. Lawrence, her ex-boyfriend, spent every night with her to keep her company, but it didn't help. Elenore's depression only grew worse and she turned to alcohol and smoking to make herself feel better. And her friends did nothing to help her; Kylie called her parents who told her to let Elenore waste away, Meghan started drinking with her, and Carol kept Elenore secluded in her apartment, not even letting her go to work.
As a result, over time Elenore began to change for the worst. She became irritated and grumpy all the time, she stopped paying her bills, forcing Lawrence to do it instead, and started trying to attack her friends whenever she was too drunk or wasted to think straight. She also lost most of her beauty over the months: her hair became dirty and clotted, her skin began to pale and wrinkle, her eyes turned gray and heartless, and her lips turned cracked and dry. She was no longer Elenore Glow, but a shadow of what she once was.
A year had passed since this all started, and Elenore had turned into a slob and a zombie-like creature. She was dead to the world and spoke only when she wanted more cigarettes or alcohol. She hadn't been in contact with Vine and had almost completely forgotten about him...until one night....