The Starting Line

Chapter 9

The house was empty when she arrived.

She automatically moved to the living room, throwing her bag in a random direction. She stood in the middle of the room, struggling to control her breathing.

She and Alex were nothing anymore. Were they ever really a thing?

Of course! There was no way it was one-sided! The way he acted towards her, the way he treated her...and last night, the way he hugged her? As if the world swallowed her whole and he just wanted to have her with him. But she had just told him that she was wrong, that she had no idea how he felt.

The tears that had been building up all night finally fell. Her silent sobs soon became loud and difficult to handle, her entire body trembling. She curled into herself, leaning down to hug her stomach.

Alex was gone. She left him, and she didn't think she could do this without him. He made the bad go away and made her only notice the good. She always tried to be bright and positive, choosing to see the good in everyone. But with Alex? She never really saw the bad.

But Alex hurt her and refused to admit that he actually had real feelings for her! He made her feel like, all along, she was just another girl he wanted to pursue and then pull away once he got what he wanted.

Eleanora couldn't register the door opening and closing, and she definitely didn't register George and Meredith's panicked and worried voices.

She only noticed them when she felt someone trying to take her to the couch. She let out a small cry at the touch, shaking her head as her sobs continued. Finally, strong arms picked her up and carried her to the couch.

Once there, she turned toward the back of the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. Her two friends sat near her, Meredith in front of her, sitting on the couch, and George on the floor next to her.

They tried everything they could to calm her down, to make some sense of what was happening. None of that seemed to work. They had to wait it out, let her cry herself out, and walk away from the feeling on her own.

When she gained some control, she looked at her friends. Her voice cracked, making Meredith grip her hand even tighter and George wince. He didn't like hearing his best friend like that. He soon thought of it as one of the worst things she could ever hear or experience.

"Alex...Alex was sleeping with her while we..." she trailed off, sobbing.

"Together?" Meredith finished.

Eleanora shook her head. "We weren't together. Not exclusively, he made it very clear. But he was sleeping with her while he was trying to sleep with me. And he said..."

"What did he say?" George asked in a hoarse voice. Eleanora looked away from Meredith to look at George. She let out another small sob and squeezed her eyes shut.

"He said he was wrong about how he felt, and that he didn't have relationships. He pretty much said I was just some random girl he slept with!"

George got to his knees and pulled her close to him, letting her cry on his shoulder. He silenced her, squeezing her tightly.

Meredith cleared her throat and stood up. She herself looked tired and heartbroken, which she was. George knew this and gave her an apologetic look.

"Do not look at me like that." Meredith said. "She needs to be held and pampered more than me. She just needs alcohol, which I'm going to consume now."

Eleanora sobbed, not moving from George's shoulder. "Why does Meredith need alcohol?"

"Meredith's boyfriend has a wife, who's here now. In Seattle." Meredith responded, feeling her own heart break a small more.

Eleanora turned her body and head to look at Meredith with wide eyes. "Oh my God."

"Yes," Meredith replied, nodding her head. "Oh my God."

George rose slightly to sit on the couch, Eleanora moving with him to grab his arm. Softer, quieter sobs passed through her, most of them just aftershocks. Meredith quickly headed to the kitchen, no doubt heading straight for the closet where they kept the tequila.

"Let's all drink tonight, right? You two definitely deserve it, and I'll definitely need it." George said softly to Eleanora, resting her head on top of his.