Stalk Her

Chapter 11: Autumn and Lily

"Lily!" Autumn ran down the stairway after Lily.

Eli grabbed his jacket as well as Autumn's and ran after them. He took a quick moment to lock the door on his way down and was sure to have the key in his pocket.

Lily ran out of the building and stumbled on the sidewalk. The air was chilly and icy cold air rushed against her pale skin and made her shiver. Cars sped past and hit into the watery puddles in the gutter, while people avoided Lily with weary expressions on their faces.

Lily staggered to her feet but just as she did Autumn gripped her arm. Lily gasped as she turned to look at Autumn with wide eyes.

Autumn just gripped her arm and looked in her eyes. She was breathing hard along with Lily. Both of their gusts of air swirled around them into white smoke that dissolved into nothing.

"Autumn...I...I am sorry--" she started but before she could say anything Autumn pulled her in for a hug.

Lily remained still and tried to hold in the tears but they came regardless of her efforts. She closed her eyes and held onto Autumn as she sobbed into her neck.

Eli remained at the entrance of the building and simply held Autumn's jacket. He smiled and kept his distance.

~~~~~~~~~

Aside from doing it so Autumn and Lily could have a private conversation, Eli didn't mind sitting outside in the cold air. It had started sprinkling and he found the water to be relaxing. Whatever the two girls were talking about inside, he'd let them have their space.

He needed sleep, he needed to do homework, but a part of him felt that he knew Autumn still needed him around for this. Even if it meant he was supporting from a distance and a whole wall. He could see them talking in the diner, from what he could see, Autumn wasn't about to let Lily go home without the full story...and he was sure whatever it was, he wasn't going to hear it.

Lily breathed in slowly and began slowly. "It was my first semester at college and I finally got out of the foster system..." tears pricked her eyes. "I think I was just lonely." She stared at the coffee cup in her hands, neither her or Autumn had taken a sip of the drinks they'd ordered from the quiet restaurant.

Autumn tried to seem calm, Lily could tell that she was ready for her to hurry and get to the point. She could see that Autumn was ready to kill the motherfucker! But Lily wasn't ready to get to that point...and she wasn't sure how much she should tell her.

Lily couldn't hear her own voice as the words came out one after another. "I was wearing a short skirt and a pink blouse." she didn't know why these details were the important ones to lead with, but it was what her mouth decided to say. Perhaps to procrastinate from what she really needed to tell her. "I was so scared...I didn't know anyone, no one knew me. No one cared about me. No one noticed me...and then, he did."

A muscle in Autumn's jaw ticked and she did her best to remain calm in her seat. Lily needed to get it all out, that much she could tell. She was trying not to rile up her fragile state.

Lily cleared her throat and stared at the white mug for a while. "I sat behind him. He didn't say a word to me." She thought of the lecture and what the teacher had been saying, that part she couldn't remember, even though that was the whole point of going to school. "Then, in the middle of the lecture, he passed me a note." It was sick to her how her stomach flopped with how adorable and flattering it was. Now she knew how little she'd known.

Autumn was too antsy to listen but she knew she couldn't start spatting how disgusting boys could be. So she said in a softer voice than she was comfortable with, "what did it say?"

Lily glanced at Autumn and then looked back down at her cup. "It said nice smile."

Autumn scoffed. "Of course it did." she saw how Lily recoiled from the remark and she mentally slapped herself. Of course Lily would be beating herself up over how obviously stupid the remark was, while in another situation it might have been something sweet.

Autumn spoke gentler. "What happened then?"

Lily's eyes became hollow, distant. "He gave me another note."

Autumn leaned forward. "What did the second one say?"

"It said his first name...and his phone number." her voice became even quieter. "I remember smiling when I heard the paper rip for another note," she felt tears appear in her eyes but they weren't enough to burst quite yet. 

Autumn stared. "Did you send him a note?"

"No...he sent me another note," her voice was nearly inaudible now.

Autumn's own voice matched Lily's whisper. "What did this one say?"

Lily shook her head. "It just had a yes and a no."

Autumn's brows drew together. "What did that mean?"

Lily looked up and Autumn could see the grave look in her eyes and the paleness of her face. "It probably meant for a date..."

Autumn knew what the probably in that sentence really meant.

Lily looked down and Autumn could tell by the sick look on her face that she was dreading the next part of her story.