Status: Brand new. Comments keep me motivated. ;)
Like The Sound Of A Smile
Nine.
Nine.
Ellie woke up with the worst headache of her life and nausea that would put the influenza to shame. Trying to recollect the events of the previous night, she drew nothing but a blank. Before she even opened her eyes, she tried to pull the blanket over her head, but it was caught on something. Pulling it harder, she heard a snore next to her. ‘Oh no’ she thought. ‘What did I do?’ Her suspicions were confirmed when she forced open her eyes, despite the excruciating burn of the sunlight, and saw she was not only laying next to Jack, but she was in his room.
The bed shifted as Jack turned over on his stomach, putting a pillow over his head.
“Jack?” she spoke, her voice softer than a mouse’s footstep. Not a muscle moved on her co-inhabitant. She sat up slowly, so as to not move the bed, and she snuck off to the room dubbed as her own. About an hour later, she felt her own bed shift as Jack gently shook her shoulder to wake her up.
“Hey. Are you up?” he whispered.
“Now I am” she groaned.
“Come on. Get up, we have to leave in an hour.”
Ellie did not want to get out of bed. She did not want to face the outside world today. She did not want to face her mother, and she especially did not want to face Drake. “Don’t make me go, Jack.”
“Ellie, you have to go. You need to be there for your family.” She shot straight up.
“They are NOT my family, Jack. You know that better than anyone else. They are nothing to me!” she yelled.
“What about Anna and Ava? Are they not your family? What about Emmet? You’re not going to even show up for his sake?” Ellie sighed, knowing he was right. She would have gone regardless, she just did not want to. Now, in addition to her hangover, she had this looming feeling of guilt drawn by her negligence to think of her sister in law and niece. She started to cry, and Jack scoffed. He was getting sick of her constant selfishness. She had never been like this.
Before she ran away, she was the girl that would do anything for anyone. She stood by her friends through thick and thin. She was always there when they needed her. Jack wished he had been the same way to her. Jack never wanted to leave her. He begged the guys to let her come. None of the other girlfriends were allowed to join them on tour, so they wouldn’t allow Jack’s to come. That just wouldn’t be fair. What wasn’t fair was that their refusal to let her go caused heartache and distress. She stayed home. She stayed back to be ignored by the band and abused by those who were to be trusted. Her own mother turning a blind eye to what was obviously happening to Ellie. Her own daughter was not enough to stop the gold-digger to leave her twenty-something sex addict husband. The money he made meant far more to her than the horror stories Ellie would come to her with.
That’s when Ellie decided enough was enough. It had been three weeks without so much as a phone call from Jack, and Emmet had some money saved up. He helped her out with rent and found her a job out on the west coast. She stayed with some friends of his from his old football days-- his glory days as she had called them. They would be there today. Matt and Adam, the two who replaced the four she’d left behind. God, she was glad she’d be seeing them. She quickly got up and went to the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, she let the hot steam soak in through her pores and relax every muscle in her body. She absentmindedly starting singing. She made her best attempt the make it quick, and when she emerged, only covered by a plush blue towel, she found Jack standing outside of the door.
“I’ve really missed your voice.” he said, blushing. She responded with a forced smile, and made her way into the spare bedroom to to finish her hair and makeup and to finally put on her dress.
Twelve minutes before they were due at the church, she rushed down the stairs with one hand grasping her heels and the other trying to put on an earring. She hadn’t noticed the quiet chatter from the living room until it had stopped. She looked up to see not only Jack, but Alex, Zack, and Rian standing before her, eyes wide.
Ellie woke up with the worst headache of her life and nausea that would put the influenza to shame. Trying to recollect the events of the previous night, she drew nothing but a blank. Before she even opened her eyes, she tried to pull the blanket over her head, but it was caught on something. Pulling it harder, she heard a snore next to her. ‘Oh no’ she thought. ‘What did I do?’ Her suspicions were confirmed when she forced open her eyes, despite the excruciating burn of the sunlight, and saw she was not only laying next to Jack, but she was in his room.
The bed shifted as Jack turned over on his stomach, putting a pillow over his head.
“Jack?” she spoke, her voice softer than a mouse’s footstep. Not a muscle moved on her co-inhabitant. She sat up slowly, so as to not move the bed, and she snuck off to the room dubbed as her own. About an hour later, she felt her own bed shift as Jack gently shook her shoulder to wake her up.
“Hey. Are you up?” he whispered.
“Now I am” she groaned.
“Come on. Get up, we have to leave in an hour.”
Ellie did not want to get out of bed. She did not want to face the outside world today. She did not want to face her mother, and she especially did not want to face Drake. “Don’t make me go, Jack.”
“Ellie, you have to go. You need to be there for your family.” She shot straight up.
“They are NOT my family, Jack. You know that better than anyone else. They are nothing to me!” she yelled.
“What about Anna and Ava? Are they not your family? What about Emmet? You’re not going to even show up for his sake?” Ellie sighed, knowing he was right. She would have gone regardless, she just did not want to. Now, in addition to her hangover, she had this looming feeling of guilt drawn by her negligence to think of her sister in law and niece. She started to cry, and Jack scoffed. He was getting sick of her constant selfishness. She had never been like this.
Before she ran away, she was the girl that would do anything for anyone. She stood by her friends through thick and thin. She was always there when they needed her. Jack wished he had been the same way to her. Jack never wanted to leave her. He begged the guys to let her come. None of the other girlfriends were allowed to join them on tour, so they wouldn’t allow Jack’s to come. That just wouldn’t be fair. What wasn’t fair was that their refusal to let her go caused heartache and distress. She stayed home. She stayed back to be ignored by the band and abused by those who were to be trusted. Her own mother turning a blind eye to what was obviously happening to Ellie. Her own daughter was not enough to stop the gold-digger to leave her twenty-something sex addict husband. The money he made meant far more to her than the horror stories Ellie would come to her with.
That’s when Ellie decided enough was enough. It had been three weeks without so much as a phone call from Jack, and Emmet had some money saved up. He helped her out with rent and found her a job out on the west coast. She stayed with some friends of his from his old football days-- his glory days as she had called them. They would be there today. Matt and Adam, the two who replaced the four she’d left behind. God, she was glad she’d be seeing them. She quickly got up and went to the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, she let the hot steam soak in through her pores and relax every muscle in her body. She absentmindedly starting singing. She made her best attempt the make it quick, and when she emerged, only covered by a plush blue towel, she found Jack standing outside of the door.
“I’ve really missed your voice.” he said, blushing. She responded with a forced smile, and made her way into the spare bedroom to to finish her hair and makeup and to finally put on her dress.
Twelve minutes before they were due at the church, she rushed down the stairs with one hand grasping her heels and the other trying to put on an earring. She hadn’t noticed the quiet chatter from the living room until it had stopped. She looked up to see not only Jack, but Alex, Zack, and Rian standing before her, eyes wide.
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One in the morning. Updating now because hopefully my readers are as nocturnal as I'm becoming. I know Katie is.Thank you to EVERYONE for being awesome.