Chapter Seven:
"You're Not A Disappointment."
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"You are absolutely unbelievable!" Eden's mother's booming voice echoed through the large living room.

Eden focused on the floor below her, trying to force the tears away from her eyes. Elias watched from the staircase, sweat dripping from his forehead as he had just returned from basketball practice.

Eden turned her head, locking eyes with Elias. Her expression sent chills down his spine. She looked so.. hopeless.

"What is wrong with you?" She continued, pacing around the room. Her face was a deep red shade, showing the pure rage she felt for her daughter.

"I-I'm sorry, mom." Eden said, her voice cracking. "I-I tried, I promise I did!"

"You didn't try hard enough!" She shouted, causing Eden to flinch away from the woman. "Your entire future is ahead of you! You can't just throw it away to sneak off with some.. some.. some hooligan!"

Eden inhaled sharply, "Connor isn't a hooligan! He-He's really nice.."

Eden's mother hummed, stopping abruptly and turning to her. "You better not fall in love with this.. Connor boy.. or any hooligan of the sort."

"Ye-Yes, mother." Eden nodded, struggling to cover up her inability to breathe. "I'll try har-harder next time."

The woman pursed her lips, looking her up and down. "Your father works far too hard for you to ruin our image. People will talk, dear, and I will not raise a disappointment for a daughter."

Eden's heart dropped as she heard her say those words. "Wh-What?"

The woman waved her off as she delicately sat herself down on the couch. Eden inhaled sharply, quickly standing and running towards the staircase. She pushed past Elias, hot tears running down her cheeks. Her face turned a deep red shade as she slammed her bedroom door behind her. Instant regret flooded her, knowing she would get a lecture for that later.

Her lungs burned as she threw herself onto her bed, burying her head into the pillows as her body racked with sobs. She already knew Elias was the favorite, but to hear her mother call her a disappointment? It broke Eden's fragile heart.

"G-Go away!" Eden hiccuped, gripping her covers tightly at the sound of a knock on the door.

"Eden?" Elias's voice filled her ears as he slowly opened the door. "You okay?"

"Wh-What do you thi-think?" Eden snapped, taking a deep breath as she tried to control her breathing. "I'm the disappointment kid, not like it matters if I am or not.. right?"

Elias's blue eyes softened as he slowly sat down on the bed beside her. "You're not a disappointment."

Eden remained silent, her eyes focusing on a painting on the wall ahead of her.

"She might be right about Connor, though... We all know gingers don't hsve souls." Elias tried to joke, gently nudging his younger sister.

Eden cracked a smile, sniffling as she turned her head to look at him. "He does. He always brings me these.. I don't know, actually, some kind of german chocolates at rehearsals."

"Sounds like someone's got a crush. Do I look intimidating enough to have a talking to with him?" Elias joked, motioning to his basketball uniform.

"Um.." Eden hummed. "No, no, I don't think so."

Elias scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Smart ass."

"Takes one to know one." Eden sniffled, wiping her cheeks with her hoodie sleeve.

Elias shrugged, "Guess I'm gonna have to get a shitload of tattoos and piercings."

"You already have a piercing." Eden pointed to his hidden septum peircing. "That mom and dad don't know about.. You're still gonna take me to get mine done when I turn sixteen, yeah?"

Elias nodded, "Yeah, I am. Gotta give those shitheads a little rebellion, right?"

"Not like they'd be too angry if they found out about yours." Eden readjusted her position in the bed so that she was sitting up. "You are the favorite, after all."

Elias frowned. Even with the teasing tone in her voice, he knew Eden far too well. He could immediately sense the hurt behind the humor.

"I'm not their favorite." Elias tried to defend himself, but at the sound of Eden's scoff he silenced himself.

"Oh, please. They go to every single one of your games.. They haven't even gone to see me on stage once." Eden laughed bitterly. "Ugh, I can't wait to get out of this stupid town. Live my life before I die.. Never ever gonna see or talk to them again."

"You're not gonna die." Elias

"Everyone dies, Elias. My time just.. is coming much earlier than I'd like." Eden shrugged, "You learn to accept it."

Elias remained silent, he wasn't sure what to say. He didn't like to see his sister so willing to accept death. Elias couldn't imagine knowing you were going to die young your entire life. It was a wonder that Eden hadn't gone insane thinking about it.

"Where would you go?"

"I'd take my best friends and go down to California." Eden shrugged, "I heard the sea can help with shit like what I've got."

"From who?" Elias laughed, "Sounds like bullshit to me."

"Connor wouldn't bullshit me." Eden sighed, hugging her pillow close to her chest.

"He's a guy!"

"You're a guy." Eden deadpanned, rolling her blue eyes.

"Yeah, and I bullshit everyone all the time." Elias said with a shrug. Eden rolled her eyes and leaned forward to punch him in the shoulder.

"Smartass." She fell back onto her pillows, drumming her fingers on the one she held.

"Takes one to know one."

"I don't wanna go next week.. I can't imagine having to spend all day every day with them for a week straight after today." Eden huffed, tilting her head back and staring at the cieling.

"I'll be there-"

"Even worse." Eden cut him off, sticking her tongue out at him..

"Rude." Elias paused to glare at her, "But I'll be there, and I've always got your back. Even if you're super duper annoying most of the time."

"Fuck off, man." Eden shook her head, "I'm not annoying."

"That's what you think."

"Smartass."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

{ Word Count: 1037 }

{ A/n: i miss elias and im sad :) }

{ Edited: No }