This Is the End

As Élodie stepped into the house, she slammed the door behind her, regardless of whether or not anyone was home to notice. She was frustrated and upset, to say the least. Though her boyfriend had always been quite level-headed, his most recent plans were not only unlike him, but unacceptable.

Walking quickly to her bedroom, she pulled a suitcase from the closet, unzipped it and threw it on the bed, then began pulling her clothes off of hangers and tossing them toward the suitcase. His words from the night before rang in her ears, convincing her that her actions were justifiable.

“I figure now is as good a time as any, don’t you think?”

She heard him talking on the phone and tried to tune him out, out of common courtesy, but making dinner only held so much of her attention.

“No, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it. I honestly think this would be best.” Her interest having been piqued, Élodie set the stir fry on low and crept over to the doorway silently, peeking around the corner to notice Kennedy pacing slight about the living room. One hand held his iTouch to his ear, while the other was buried in his messy locks, telltale signs that he was thinking hard about something.

“Jared, you’re acting like you know her better than I do. She won’t be mad for something like that.” Kennedy sighed and sat down on the couch, not really looking as though he believed himself. She and Jared had been friends for quite some time before she met Kennedy, and she was confused as to how Kennedy could think he knew her better. She was also confused as to what she could honestly be mad about, for she never got mad at him.

After what seemed to be him getting lectured, Kennedy groaned and leaned back into the couch, visibly irritated. “Jared,” he said firmly, “I’m going to propose to her. It’s a little earlier than I planned, but it’s for the best in our situation.”

Jared did know her best, and she was mad. His decision of what was “best” was out of fear and concern, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. Even he should have known that.

As she began folding the shirts she’d throw to the bed, thoughts were running through her head a mile a minute. Her choice could ruin their relationship… but couldn’t his as well? They weren’t ready for that step, and while they also weren’t ready for what was currently being thrown at them, what was best was to take it one step at a time and not rush. She was making a quick and rash decision in their lives, but she knew that if she didn’t, he’d be able to convince her to go through with getting married, and she could never hold down his career like that.

Just as she began opening her dresser drawers and throwing her jeans into the suitcase with her shirts, she heard the front door open and paused momentarily. Sure enough, she heard the guys joking and laughing as they walked into the house. Instantly, she could feel herself moving at a faster pace, her jeans joining her shirts and quickly being piled into the suitcase as well. As she rushed around the bedroom to collect her things, she could hear the guys questioning where she was.

“Kenny, shouldn’t El already be there?” Garrett’s voice inquired from the living room She froze for a moment, a flash of guilt going through her as she realized just how much she was leaving behind. The guys had always been her second family, and hurting them was the last thing on her mind. However, she shook her head and reminded herself what this was for as she shoved her shoes into a duffle bag.

“Yeah, she’s probably in the bedroom. I’ll be right back.” Quickly, Kennedy’s footsteps began getting louder, and Élodie became jittery as she imagined the confrontation about to occur. Her packing became more rushed as the door handle rattled slightly before revealing Kennedy, a bright smile on his face. The grin he had soon began to fad though, as his eyes moved from her to the half packed suitcase and duffle on the bed, then back to her and the pajamas in her hand.

“I… I just…” No matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him what she was doing. It was hard enough for her to be in their room, half packed and him looking at her with confused and curious eyes.

“El, what are you doing?” He asked, gently at first. Élodie’s voice caught in her throat at the realization that she would actually have to explain it to him, which only made him repeat himself more forcefully.

“Packing.” She muttered, turning toward the bed to both look away from his glance and to finish setting her pajamas in her suitcase. The room was eerily silent between the two until suddenly, his arms snaked around her waist and his lips were pressed to the shell of her ear.

“Sweetheart, you don’t start school for another three weeks.” He whispered in her ear before pressing gentle kisses down her neck. The temptation to give in was looming over her, and she began twisting one of her t-shirts in her hands to keep from giving in.

“I am aware of that, Kennedy.” She replied curtly, making him pause.

“Then why on earth do you need to pack?” His voice was still fairly calm, but his eyes were what upset her: the look have gave her was of pure confusion and hurt. Élodie would have rather left without her things than have to face Kennedy if it was going to make her feel this awful.

“I’m leaving. I’m going to the school early and I’m just… I’m leaving, okay?” She was trying not to break down, but it hurt her to know that things would end like this. Kennedy stared at her in disbelief, and she wasn’t sure if it had been seconds or hours before he spoke again.

“What do you mean, leaving?” He asked quietly, as if testing the words on his lips.

“Leaving as in not coming back.” The harshness of her voice even surprised her when she snapped back at him. His lips pursed into a disapproving frown, but did not give her any other hints as to what he may have been thinking.

“You can’t go, El.” he told her matter-of-factly, as if that were the obvious and only answer. She only scoffed and turned her back on him to zip up her suitcase.

“I can’t stay, Kenny.” She replied in the same tone. He let out a sigh, then began pacing the length of the room.

“Don’t just leave. You can’t, okay? You need me. I… I need you.” His steps slowed as the words poured from his mouth, and she turned to see him eventually come to a stop by the door. However, he sounded like he was convincing himself more than her.

“There’s nothing that will make me stay here.” She muttered, more to herself for reassurance, before walking back to their closet to grab her hoodies. by the time she’d gotten back to the bed to shove them in her duffle bag, Kennedy was rummaging through his dresser.

“Not even this?” he asked, turning around to reveal a small box in his grasp. Her suppressed anger finally spilled into her arteries as he revealed the offending piece of jewelry that was making her do this in the first place.

“No!” She shouted much louder than she’d intended, making him cringe. “Don’t you see? This is why I have to leave! I can’t stay, I can’t… I can’t marry you, Kennedy!”

“W-what?” His bewildered face fell as his eyes searched hers for any sign of a lie or a joke. Any other time, his hurt expression would have her apologizing in seconds, but her pure rage allowed her to hold herself together.

“You heard me, I can’t do it. Neither of us want this, and you have better things to be worrying about.”

“Don’t do this, alright? I wouldn’t be doing any of this if I didn’t mean it.” Kennedy was nearly begging by this point, reaching his arms out to take her into his grasp. He was unsuccessful, though, as she stepped away and wrapped her arms around herself.

“That’s a lie and you know it. You always want to do the right thing, and I respect that, but… this is not the right thing to do.” Though her voice lowered considerably, Élodie couldn’t get rid of the venom in her voice. This was nothing, however, compared to his outburst.

“Like hell it isn’t! We’ve been together for so long! We’ve been living together for a couple years now, I don’t see why getting married is such a big fucking deal at this point!” He yelled, bringing his hands up and curling his fingers into his hair.

“People get married because they love each other, and that’s not what’s happening between us!” She yelled back, her jaw clenching in frustration as she had never been yelled at by Kennedy before.

“What, we don’t love each other now? Come on El, I don’t understand why you’re doing this!” He pleaded.

“This isn’t about love, Kenny. You’re doing this because you feel a fucking obligation, and that’s not okay with me!”

“Damn right I feel an obligation, I-” She cut him off the moment he agreed.

“You don’t need to be married to me for this, for Christ’s sake! A ring on my finger is not going to make you any more or less of a father to this child!” She finally said it. Having pointed out the reason everything was happening the way it was, there was nothing that could help them turn back.

“And what kind of example would that be?" He asked. A look of disgust instantly crossed her face at his words.

"Will you quit thinking about making a good example? You don't have to be good enough for anyone but yourself!" She scoffed before turning around and grabbing her suitcase. Before she could bring her duffle bag over her shoulder, Kennedy had grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Don't just go, El. Stay here, be with me and we'll raise this kid right. I promise." He insisted. She pulled her arm from his grasp and pursed her lips tight, trying not to give in.

"When you learn to stop doing what other people want you to, give me a call." After taking one last look at him, she brought the duffle up onto her shoulder, then walked out of the bedroom, him not even bothering to stop her. When she walked past the living room, she noticed the guys all sitting around and couldn't believe she had forgotten about them... or that they'd heard everything.

"Are you really going, Ellie?" Pat asked, voice cracking slightly as he gave her his puppy dog look. She bit her lip, her heart breaking at the realization of how much she was really leaving behind.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Garrett's mouth fell open at her response, and one glance at the look in John's eyes forced her to turn around so she wouldn't have to look at them anymore. "I'm sorry guys. I... I'll miss you."

Without another word, she made her way to the front door and left, noticing her ride already in the driveway. She'd needed a ride, but couldn't stand Kennedy being mad at any of his friends for helping her leave, so she'd asked Trey, Garrett's brother, who'd promised not to tell. After putting her bags in the back and getting in the vehicle, they left toward the airport with Trey leaving her to her thoughts.