Here Is A Heart
Going to bed at 10pm on a Saturday night was probably considered lame but, as hard as she tried, Cate couldn't think of anything else to do. Ryan was gone and Lux was at a party so she had spent the last few hours on the couch, drinking wine, eating ice cream and watching reruns of crappy TV shows.
Cate awoke to the sound of the ringing phone, groaning as she turned in bed and grabbed it off of the nightstand. "Hello?"
"Cate?"
Cate froze at the voice, sitting up straight. "Lux?"
"Cate..." Cate could hear Lux crying on the other end of the line and she began to panic, gripping her chest. "Can you come and pick me up?"
"Where are you? I'm on my way. Just tell me where you are." Cate jumped out of her bed, throwing on a pair of jeans and her K-100 hoody, phone still firmly attached to her ear. "Lux?!" Cate couldn't control her fear.
"Jones'." She paused. "I made a mistake, Cate."
Cate's heart broke as Lux began to cry, and she literally ran out of the house, locking the door and jumping into her car. "Okay. It's okay. Are you okay?" She was rambling but she didn't care.
"I screwed up."
"It's okay. It's going to be okay." Cate was pretty sure she was trying to reassure herself more than Lux as she sped through the traffic. "I'm on my way, Lux. Just stay on the line, okay? Talk to me."
"Cate..." Lux began to sob and Cate's foot hit the acceleration harder.
"Lux, I'm on my way, okay? I'll be there soon, babe. I promise."
Not soon enough, Cate pulled to a stop in front of Jones' house, jumping out of her car and running inside without even closing her car door.
"Lux?!" She yelled and a group of teenagers turned and smirked at her. The music continued to blare and the teenagers went back to what they were doing.
Cate ran through the house, drawing attention to herself as she panicked. "Lux?!"
She sprinted up the stairs, checking each room before she heard crying coming from the bathroom and saw Jones standing by the door.
"Lux?" Jones turned and looked at Cate, backing away a little from the door. "Is Lux in there?"
"Your mom's here." Jones spoke to the door before slipping past Cate and walking back down the stairs.
"Lux?" Cate knocked gently on the door. "Lux, it's me. It's Cate."
Cate waited for a few seconds, listening as the door unlocked and Lux emerged slowly. It was clear she had been crying, and she folded her arms across her chest protectively.
"I want to go home."
Her voice was filled with tears and barely audible but Cate heard her and nodded fiercely, wrapping an arm around Lux and leading her downstairs, past the stares and murmurs.
Cate got her into the car and raced around to the driver's seat, glancing at Lux every few seconds as she drove.
Lux was asleep by the time they got home and Cate opened her door, nudging her gently. "We're home." She whispered, watching concerned as Lux slowly opened her tired eyes.
Lux accepted Cate's offered hand, gripping it tightly as they slowly walked into the house. "Do you want to talk?"
Lux bit her lip to stop it from quivering before drawing a deep breath and shaking her head. "No. I just want to go to bed."
"Okay." Cate smiled at her concerned, neither making any movement. Lux looked up the stairs, hesitating, and Cate noticed. "Do you want to take my bed tonight?"
Lux looked hesitant but finally nodded and Cate smiled at her sadly, placing a hand on her back and leading her into her bedroom. Lux sat on the bed and kicked off her shoes, waiting as Cate went to get her some pajamas.
She returned seconds later and helped Lux change. Lux looked at her thankfully and slowly laid her head down on the pillow. Cate watched her concerned, covering her with the blankets and sitting on the side of the bed before stroking back a piece of Lux's hair.
Lux looked at her, her eyes filled with pain, but she forced a small smile. "Thanks." She whispered.
"Of course." Cate smiled at her lovingly, turning off the bedroom light and silently asking for Lux for permission before climbing into bed beside her.
Neither girl was asleep and after a few minutes, Lux broke the silence, her voice filled with tears. "I slept with Jones." She whispered. "I'm with Bug and I slept with Jones."
Cate turned in the bed, trying to look at her through the darkness. Lux, however, had her back turned to Cate.
"It's going to be okay." Cate didn't know what else to say. She knew it was a lie; after all, she had slept with Baze and Ryan had left, so her words were meaningless, but somehow, they helped.
The silence overcame them again until Lux's body began to shudder and she raised a hand to her mouth, curling up as she tried to stop herself from crying.
"Lux?" Cate whispered, sitting up slightly. Lux didn't respond, but Cate could tell she was crying. "It's okay..."
Cate slowly slipped her arm around her daughter and Lux turned towards her, curling up as Cate's arms encircled her.
Lux continued to cry into Cate's arms and Cate found herself mentally hitting herself that she didn't know what to say.
Instead, Cate's lips met Lux's forehead and the younger girl slowly calmed, her breathing evening as she drifted to sleep.