Don't Waste Your Breath, It's Too Late

One Year Later

Eliza sat beside her father, Brian, on a stormy day as they drove towards Brian's house where she would be living until she turned eighteen. Eliza's mom, Michelle, was done with her behavior because she honestly couldn't take it anymore. Brian immediately offered to take her in without a second thought, and unfortunately he had no idea what he was getting himself into, considering he hadn't seen his daughter since she was fifteen before she changed.

“The guys are pretty excited to see you, Eliza.” Brian smiled over at his daughter as he drove.

“Awesome,” Eliza muttered sarcastically.

“I don't remember you being this sarcastic.” Brian said as he noticed how different Eliza talked to him now.

“Probably because we haven't seen each other in almost a year.” She retorted her voice filled with venom.

“Don't go throwing that in my face, Eliza. It's not my fault I have a job that keeps me busy and Michelle moved you three hours away.”

“You mean touring, playing guitar, getting drunk, fucking groupies and hanging with the guys is a job? Wow, dad must be a very fun job. You could have at least come to visit.” She rolled her big brown eyes as she tugged on her long black sleeves.

“Michelle was right, you sure have changed.” He sighed and shook his head.

“Of course I've fucking changed. I am after all sixteen now, in case you forgot.”

“How the hell could I forget that, Eliza? I mean fuck, you act like I'm a stranger or something.”

“You basically are a stranger.” She said bluntly as she picked the dark purple nail polish off of her thumbnail.

"Oh Jesus," He murmured before turning the small radio knob, allowing Metallica to flow through the car speaker.

Eliza paid no mind to the music as her mind drifted through memories of her and her twin brother, Elijah. Eliza and Elijah were best friends, and they loved each other more than anyone could ever imagine. After the car crash Eliza was able to walk away with a broken arm, and a few cuts and bruises. Elijah and Nathan weren’t that lucky. Elijah died instantly from a head injury, while the air bag broke Nathan's neck, also killing him instantly. Losing Elijah changed Eliza in more ways than anyone thought it would. Eliza became the type of girl who didn't have a care in the world, and she didn't care what people thought about her. She drank, occasionally did a drug or two, and stayed out all night without permission. To her that became normal, and she didn't want to know any different. She enjoyed the life she lived and she could careless if her parent's didn't approve, she refused to change.

An hour later Eliza climbed out of Brian's SUV and ran through the pouring rain until she reached the front porch. She huffed as a chill ran up and down her spine. "Your suitcase's stay in the car until checked for anything bad or illegal. Now hand over your book bag." Brian demanded firmly, knowing she had to have brought something that she shouldn't have.

"Fuck off," Was her only response, she refused to give him her bag.

Brian sighed before opening the front door. "Guys we're back, and I need a little help." He called out as he walked inside with Eliza behind him.

She watched suspiciously as they walked into the living room where two people she had known for years sat on the couch. Matt and Jimmy stood up and walked over to Brian and Eliza before doing what they had planned, just in case she acted as stubborn as they thought she would.

“I can't believe you're here!” Jimmy exclaimed as he jumped around in front of her happily. She gave him a small smile back seconds before her bag was yanked from her left shoulder.

"What the hell!" She exclaimed as she turned around and saw Matt holding the small black bag that held quite a few secrets. "Give it back or else, Uncle Matt!" She threatened.

"Eliza, I'm not afraid of you." Matt responded to her threat. He tossed the bag to Brian and she tried to snatch it away in the process, but Matt held her back. She was angry, and didn't expect her father to go through her bags.

One by one Brian started pulling things out of her bag and laying them on the small coffee table next to them. “Just as I suspected.” Brian sighed as he pulled out a bottle of pills.

“I have to have those!” Eliza protested as she squirmed in Matt's grip.

“Why do you have to have these?” Brian demanded to know, suddenly becoming angry at how stupid his daughter was to be doing drugs.

“Ask mom,” She spat, not wanting to say why in front of everyone.

Brian rolled his eyes and tossed Jimmy the pills. “Hold onto those for me.” Jimmy nodded and stuck them in his pocket. Brian then proceeded to pull out other things including drumsticks, eyeliner, nail polish, and Eliza's journal.

“Don't read that!” Eliza warned the minute she saw he had it in his hands.

“I wouldn't do that,” He said.

Brian sighed when he realized the bag seemed like it would never end. “Let's make this easier.” He said before turning towards the table and dumping everything out of her bag onto the table. Safety pins, paperclips, notes, hair ties, her iPod, cell phone, rubber bands, band aids, a small bag of pot, and worse of all razor blades all fell from the bag.

She bit at her lip and lowered her gaze to the floor as she felt everyone look from the table and back to her. “Roll up your sleeves.” Brian demanded, turning towards her.

“Why? I'm not doing anything wrong!” She yelled at her father.

“Eliza Lyric Haner, this is serious.” He called her by her full name, knowing that she was in deed hurting herself.

Matt fed up with playing games wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, and motioned for Jimmy to grab her arms to stop her from hitting them. “Go ahead Brian, pull up her sleeves.” Matt said after they had a hold of her.

“No, stop! Let the fuck go of me!” Eliza was screaming and thrashing around wanting nothing more than to run somewhere and hide away from everyone. Brian took a hold of her hand and turned it over before pushing up her shirts sleeve. Scars and cuts surrounded her left arm along with the small black bird tattoo on her wrist.

“Does your mom know?” Brian asked, looking directly into her eyes.

“No,” She whispered, and shook her head. Brian, Matt, and Jimmy released their hold on her and immediately she pulled down her sleeve, before wrapping her arms around her small frame.

Brian looked at his pissed off daughter and shook his head knowing that the next two years were going to be hell. “You'll be starting counseling as soon as possible, Eliza.”

“I don't need counseling! What I need is to go home.” She hissed.

“You are home,” Was all Brian said before snatching up her bag and filling it back up with everything except the pot, razor blades, safety pins, and paperclips. “Here,” He said as he handed her bag back. “Your room is the third door on the left upstairs.” He told her, knowing she'd want to be alone.

“I hate you,” She said quietly through gritted teeth before turning around, and bounding for the stairs. When she was out of sight Brian turned to his friends and sighed as he ran his hand over his face in frustration.

“That girl needs help.” Matt said.

“I can see that.” Brian nodded. “I just don't understand how Michelle allowed her to get so wild and screwed up.”

“I don't know, man. Eliza wasn't around the last time Val and I went up to see her and Michelle.” Matt shook his head, baffled that his niece was acting in such a way, and was harming herself like that.

“I guess I'll talk to Michelle and eventually I'll figure something out.”