Rum and Coke

“Well, I heard it, so spill.” Val said, her arms crossed and leaning against the door frame.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone?” Ellie asked, admitting defeat. Ellie knew that there was no way that she could beat around the bush with Val. The truth would come out. It was time.

“I promise.” She said after thinking about it. She stepped into the room, closing and locking the door behind her before making her way over to Ellie. Val sat down next to Ellie on the empty cushion of the couch. “So, what happened?”

“Momdiedfromapanicattackthreemonthsago,” Ellie said in one breath.

Val looked at her funny. “I meant at a normal pace where human beings can pick out the words.”

“Sorry. It’s just really…hard. I haven’t spoken about it…ever…”

Val wrapped her arm around Ellie’s shoulder maternally. Ellie snuggled into the older woman’s warm embrace. “I’m sorry to hear that. How about you start from the beginning? Like, how did it happen? Only, say it slower this time.”

Ellie stared at the wall in front of her as she spoke mechanically. “My mom was sick…kind of. She had this thing in her brain that made her do crazy things. It made her really paranoid, too. It really messed up her body. One night we got into this big fight. I left to go to Bailey’s…and then Uncle Jared came, saying that she died.”

Val tightened her hold on the young woman. “Oh my God.”

“Yea, I’m a horrible daughter. If we didn’t fight, then I know she’ll still be alive. She died, still thinking that I was mad at her.”

If it was possible, Val pulled Ellie even closer to her, so that now, Ellie was practically sitting on her lap. She wiped away the tears that Ellie didn’t notice that she had shed. “Ellie, you’re not a horrible daughter. Things like this happen, and it’s no one’s fault. I bet she knew in her heart that you loved her,” she said softly, rocking the girl from side to side. “I just- I can’t believe that she’s gone, ya know? Danni and I were really good friends…and, damn, she was only two years younger than me…It really puts life into perspective.”

Ellie moved around in Ellie’s lap so that she was looking straight in her eyes. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

“No, of course not. It’s not my news to deliver. But, Ellie, when are you going to tell them? Brian, especially?”

Ellie’s silence only confirmed Val’s suspicion.

“You…you weren’t going to tell them, were you?”

Ellie untangled herself from Val’s arms and stood up. Ellie walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer out of it.

“Ellie, you need to tell him.”

Ellie shook her head as she chugged the alcohol. “No, it will kill him.”

“It will kill him more if he doesn’t know!” she said, her voice raised slightly.

Ellie shook my head again. “No, his relationship with Michelle is bad enough. I don’t want to ruin it further.”

“Honey, I hate to say this, but you have nothing to do with their problems. I love my sister to death, but she has got to get the fuck over herself. Her and Brian have always had problems. They’ve always fought. Nothing changed when you showed up, except that Brian is finally coming to his senses.”

Ellie gave her a curious look. “What?”

She shook her head and plowed on, ignoring the younger girl’s question. “You say that it would kill him if you tell him, but, how do you think he would react if it leaked out on the news?” She said before crossing the room and walking out the door. “Think about that, Ellie. Think about it long and hard,” she added from the doorframe before storming out..

“There you are!” Mark exclaimed to Ellie as he walked into the room. “We thought that you went AWHOL and disappeared on us!” he said, bringing his band mate into a warm embrace. He placed a kiss on her head. “So, why did I see Val storm out of here?”

“No reason. Just girl stuff.”

He scrunched up his nose. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. Hey! We gotta go meet some fans and sign some shit before we leave in an hour! Let’s go! Everyone’s waiting for us!” He said, pulling Ellie’s body into his warm cavity. “Oh, and heads up, Brian’s looking for you. He said something along the lines that you weren’t waiting in one of the wings. What’s that about?”

Ellie sighed and leaned into him as he led her through the hallways. “As Kay calls it, Story Time with Syn.”

“What?!”

Ellie chuckled lightly at his expression. “Not like that, you big dork. We meet up every night on the stage and exchange stories from our past. He tells me about mom and I tell him about my life, which sometimes includes mom, but he’s stayed away from her for awhile now.”

“Ok? That sounds like…fun? I don’t know!”

Ellie laughed at him again.

He looked down at her, a pout adorning his face. “You’re mean!”

Ellie smirked. “Why do you think Kale calls me his Little Hellion?” she asked as she slipped out of his arms and greeted her fans.