19. What Happened?

*Amanda's POV*

Knock knock knock! on my door.

Better not be for work. I was looking forward to some relaxation time.

When I open the door, I see my Babygirl. I smile; she doesn't.

But her lip is busted open.

"Babygirl, what's wrong?" I ask, pulling her into my apartment. I touch her chin gently with my fingers, inspecting it.

When I go to cradle her head with my fingers, my thumb brushes her cheek, and she winces. A bruise will be there by morning.

"Who did this to you?" I ask sternly.

She bursts into tears.

*Ellie's POV*

I keep running. I know Mom will probably follow me. She'll drive up and pull me into the car and yell at me until I'm asleep. I don't care.

I'm not really sure where I'm going until I get there: Amanda's apartment building.

I know she'll let me stay. She does that. She likes to play people pleaser. Or...Ellie pleaser.

I knock on her door.She answers.She asks me what's wrong, inspecting my injuries, making me wince.She asks me who did it.

Then I just cry.

"Eliana Serena Benson," she says, so strictly. "Who did this to you?!"

I'm shocked at the firmness in her voice. And the fact she used my full name. Actually, the fact she used my name at all. She hasn't called me anything other than Babygirl or Babydoll for as long as I can remember.

"Sit down and tell me what's going on," she says. Firm, but more understanding.

I sit next to her on a couch much like ours at home.

"Babygirl," she says again.

"It was my fault! I started the fight! Well, kinda. They came up to me and got me mad so I called them fake bitches and then Karen punched me in the face so I took her arm and twisted it until she screamed then slapped her face then Claire came at me and pulled my hair so I yanked her arm too and then one of them tripped me and I hit the floor and everyone laughed and I ran home and Mom didn't give a damn and just yelled at me so I came here."

I can tell she has no idea what to say to me.

"Calm down, Babydoll. It'll be okay. Let's get you cleaned up first."

She gets up and goes to her bathroom, then comes back with a wet cloth.

She goes to touch my lip with the cloth, and when she does, I jump up, crying out.

"Baby, we have to fix your lip," she says.

"Well it hurts like hell!"

"It's going to be numb as hell once the scab forms. Talk and yell at me while you can."

"Not funny!"

"Okay, okay, here. Wanna do it yourself?" she asks.

I nod, accepting the cloth. I dab it as lightly as possible but it hurts.

"What happened at home? Tell me."

"I came home and ran to my room and I guess Mom and Elliot were on the couch or in the kitchen or something. Mom banged on my door and I just wanted to be alone so I locked it and yelled at her to leave me alone but I guess Elliot knows how to pick locks so he got the door open. Mom yelled at me about locking doors and having attitude and didn't care about my lip or anything. So I called her out on her parenting priorities and left."

I feel a bit better, until I realize what I did. "Oh my god. I pretty much just called her a bad mom!" My hysterics start all over again.

"You guys just had a fight. No big deal. She won't think about that at all! She just wants you back. She'll be over here to yell at you more in minutes but you can yell back. And by the time you leave, you two will be best friends again. That's how you two operate. It's fine, Baby."

"Okay," I whisper.

"Anything else?"

I shake my head.

"Yes, there is. Your shrugging gives it up."

I seriously have to stop doing that! I didn't even realize I did it!

"School. Jordyn doesn't come ever now and since Ashley left...everyone asks me about her. I don't want to be reminded! It's just so hard. Everyone's either changing or leaving me. Or both. And Logan. I totally blew him off again for this goddamn bullshit!"

Her eyebrows raise at my swearing but I know she's gonna let it slide like she always does.

She wraps her arms around me. I relax into her easy, mother-like embrace. Her and my mom have that just alike. But in other ways they can be polar opposites.

"It's life, Baby. It's going to happen. I know it's hard, but it's true. But not everyone is leaving you. You can see Ashley on the weekends. Jordyn will adjust. Your mom...when her and Elliot hook up, she'll be-"

"Never, ever, say that again. Please."

I hear knocking at the door again. Must be Mom.

"Stay here. Relax," Amanda tells me as I stand up.

"Where's my daughter?" I hear Mom say. My heart beats faster.

"Liv, don't," I hear Amanda say.

Mom busts in, and her angry eyes scare me.

*Amanda's POV*

This girl is falling apart in my arms.

It's almost a relief when I hear Liv banging on the door, simply, because I don't know what to do or say to make her feel better.

"Where's my daughter?" Liv asks me as I open the door. She steps in.

"Liv," I warn, "don't."

She goes past me and straight for Ellie. I nearly cower back at the yelling match that's about to go down.

It starts with, "What the hell were you thinking, El?"

I'm not sure if she'll use crying as a tactic or fight back, but she goes for both, yelling while she's crying.

Olivia brings up her busted lip that Ellie still is dabbing with the cloth.

"Oh, so now you care?!" Ellie yells.

"I don't like you locking doors and yelling at me! I-"

"But you yelling at me is okay?!" Ellie keeps going for all the cheap shots, which only makes Liv more upset.

They argue for another couple minutes before Liv just says, "We'll talk about this at home. Get in the car."

Ellie looks up at me with her big eyes as if to beg me for help. Which, of course, I do.

"Liv, wait!" I call out after them. Ellie shakes herself free of her mother's grasp and continues out to the car.

"What?"

"Don't be so hard on her. She got in a fight and she's really upset. Just listen to her. Please."

She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "Fine."

*Ellie's POV*

I walk fast, talk none.

As soon as we get home, I go to lock myself in my room, but I find Mom in there before I can.

I sit on my bed and cross my arms, letting my hair fall in my face. I stare at the ground, hoping she'll go away.

"El, I'm gonna try not to get mad at you. I want to know what happened."

"I got in a fight. I hurt two girls. They hurt me. Done." I want her to leave. Now.

"El, this isn't like you. You don't pick fights."

"It wasn't completely my fault! And she threw the first punch!" I exclaim. This is so unfair.

"What happened?"

"I was walking out of school. Literally right by the front doors and they grabbed my shoulders and were like "well you have no friends so we were trying to be nice" but they weren't! They were making fun of me because that's what they do. And Karen punched me in the mouth so I took her arm and twisted it until she screamed. I slapped her in the face so she'd fall over. Then Claire came at me and pulled my hair. I yanked her arm down hoping it would dislocate but it didn't. One of them tripped me and people started laughing and I ran!"

Tears are streaming down my cheeks and I can't get them to stop, but I keep talking through my sobs.

"Jordyn's never at school anymore and they would've never done this is Ashley was here! They're doing it to make me feel bad! I'm so sick of them and sick of school and I hate everything!"

I get up and walk over to my window, resting my hands on the frame.

I feel a hand land on my shoulder. It can only be Mom's. When I feel it, I turn around and cry into her shoulder.

I feel her arms wrap around me. "It's okay. It's all okay," she coos.

I don't believe her. I just wanna stay here forever.

*Olivia's POV*

"Im getting worried about her," I say into the phone. "She got in a fight at school with these girls who are giving her a hard time. She feels that because Jordyn isn't around her as much anymore and Ashley isn't at school she is alone."

"Bring her in to the precinct tomorrow. If she wants, she can talk to me," Huang replies.

"Should I let her skip school? I feel like she's missed enough."

"According to her teachers, she's striving. I don't think learning is her issue. If she's anything like you, she'll bury herself in work to avoid her problems. This could just be adjusting for her, Liv, but I want to make sure."

"Okay. What time?"

"Whenever she wakes up and wants to. This is all for her."

I finish my conversation with Huang and put my phone down.

"What'd he say?" I hear Elliot's voice come from the kitchen.

"He'll talk to her. Thank god."

"She's gonna get help, Liv. Whether it's anxiety, depression, or just a rough time that she'll get over, he's gonna help her," Elliot tells me.

"I know. I just never wanted this for my daughter."