Snowed In

“Has anyone seen Harry or Annie?” Niall asked as he glanced around. It had been awhile before they seen the two, and worry struck in Elsie’s chest as everyone started to notice that the two were gone. “If they’re stuck somewhere, they’ll freeze to death,” he muttered, and she could see the worry that was evident in his eyes.

“We should look for them,” Zayn piped up as he stood from where he was sitting next to the fire. The group agreed and most of them stood, “but not alone. We should pair up.” Elsie glanced in Brenna’s direction as she bit softly into her lip. She could tell her best friend had been keeping her distance from her, and she couldn’t help but ponder what she had done wrong.

“I’ll pair up with Brenna,” Elsie smiled a little as she glanced over at Louis. He seemed a bit disappointed, but he could tell that she just needed to speak to her friend. He placed a gentle kiss onto her lips, which she returned, before she made her way over to the girl. “I hope you don’t mind,” she looked towards the blond, who was forcing a smile on her face, and Elsie could tell.

When the groups started out of the presidential suite, the pair was silent. The smaller girl kept glancing over at her friend as she wondered what to say, what to do. Her friend hadn’t spoke to her in forever except for the few words earlier that morning. With a soft intake of air, she opened her mouth, “Brenna,” she murmured gently, “did I do something wrong?” The two hadn’t gotten into an argument in forever, which was a good thing for Elsie seeing how she wasn’t any good at arguing. If she was mad at someone, she usually kept silent as she held back her thoughts and comments.

The blond seemed to ponder whether she should say anything or not before she shook her head. The brunette instantly knew she was lying, and she pressed on it, though she knew she shouldn’t, “You can tell me, you know. You don’t have to keep any secrets.”

Her best friend’s shoulders stiffened before she stopped and turned towards her friend. They each held a light, and it shined eerily on the walls and each other, giving the hallway a rather creepy feeling. “You know what, Elsie?” she breathed out as she pushed her blond hair away from her face. Her eyes were full of anger as she began to rant, “You just whine and whine and whine! Can you stop complaining for just a moment to think of others around you? Can you think of how they feel to be in this situation, yet you can think of only yourself!” She pointed a finger at her as she let out an angry sigh, and Elsie jumped as her friend yelled at her. She could feel tears prick her eyes as she gulped. Her friend had never yelled at her like this.

“For God’s sake! Can you stop being a baby and just grow up? You’re not the only one in this mess,” she hissed at the smaller girl. Tears started to spill down her cheeks, and she was quick to wipe them as they heard footsteps approaching.

Zayn was running ahead with a small smile on his face as he carried a lantern with him. When he saw Elsie’s red eyes and tear-stained face, a frown graced his lips as his eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything alright?” he asked as he came to a stop and looked between the two. The brunette wiped at her eyes quickly with the sweater she was wearing before she let a weak smile slide across her lips. She was shaking from the fear of losing her friend as she slowly nodded.

“Everything’s fine, Zayn,” she murmured softly. “Has Annie and Harry been found?” she asked as she darted her eyes to the floor, avoiding Brenna and Zayn entirely. Her heart had sunk to the bottom of her stomach as she listed to Brenna. She was right. She was being selfish and childish as she thought of herself. She didn’t think how Louis or Brenna felt in this situation, and she felt terrible.

“Yeah,” Zayn nodded, though he sounded like he didn’t believe her lie at all. Brenna stormed ahead, and Elsie could tell that she was still very irritated. She dug her teeth into her lips before her eyes fell on Zayn. His warm brown eyes that always seemed inviting to Elsie stared at her, and she could feel tears come to her eyes again.

“I’m terrible. Aren’t I, Zayn?” she whispered as the tears overflowed and ran down her cheeks. She had lost her best friend, and she was shaking terribly when he engulfed her into his arms. He pulled her close, and he could feel the warmth radiate off him as he tried to calm her down by rubbing small circles into her back.

“Course not, love,” he cooed into her ear as he ran his fingers through her hair. She was sobbing into him as she gripped onto his jacket, arms, anything really.

“Yes, I am! I’m so selfish. And, and, Brenna hates me now because of it. I – I don’t- I should have thought of everyone else instead of just me. I’m horrible. I’m a horrible friend and girlfriend. I’m just a terrible person, period,” she cried and shouted at the same time. His hands cupped her cheeks as he brought them away from his chest to where her blue eyes were staring into his dark orbs of brown.

“Listen to me, Elsie,” he whispered gently as he ran his thumb over her cheek. “You are one of the sweetest, kindest girls I’ve ever known,” he told her as he smiled a little. “Your heart is big, and you still forgave me, though I hurt you during our relationship. You love the best you can, and you aren’t any of those things you call yourself. Brenna is just having a bad day. I’m sure being stuck here is driving her and a few others crazy.” He was leaning down, and her eyes flickered to those plump, pink lips of his.

She took in a quick intake of air before she went to talk, “Thank you, Zayn. It means a lot.” She offered a small and fake smile before she stepped away. She wiped at her eyes as she tried to rid the tears before she hugged Zayn one last time. “Let’s head back,” she muttered to him before she started down the hall. Her mind was still whirling around the fact that Brenna was angry with her. She was mad at her, and she seemed like she hated her. Elsie just didn’t know what to do. She just knew she needed her best friend.