There's so much more than empty conversations filled with empty words – switchfoot

After the bus went by, and she remembered exactly where she was, Effie ran. It all flooded back in her brain too fast to control. Tony talking on his phone, in the middle of the road. Dark, silent, then that bus, and him in her arms. She shouldn't have picked him up like that, in fact she could have been the one who injured him but he was bleeding, her big brother was bleeding, and she needed to hold him. She wasn't even thinking about it she just gathered him up. Oh, his face. Effie screamed. She wanted his face gone- she couldn't handle that much. Not the roadburn, the blood dripping from his mouth, the lack of movement.

'COME ON COME ON COME ON! I'M NOT SCARED I'M NOT SCARED I'M NOT SCARED I'M NOT SCARED!' Fred and Cook heard, and upon their arrival she was standing in the middle of the road where he got hit. "EFFIE!" In response, Effie glanced at them, her makeup completely gone. Neither of them had ever seen that. Cars honked, swerved, flashed their brights and screamed at her to get out of the road. Fred cursed. 'Come ON, EFFIE!' Cook quickly got out his cell-phone, calling Sid.

'Come get us, please. We're like ten minutes away. Outside of the pub. Yes…the pub. Come on, Sid. We don't know how else we're going to get her home. Thank you.' It gave them a little bit of comfort that Sid would be there. Then the traffic lulled, nearly to a stop. The noise, the people, everything was gone. Effie screamed again, choking on tears. 'I'm not SCARED!' Fred lunged forward to grab her, but Cook held him back, staring at her.

''What the fuck?' In response he put his finger to his lips. Then she stepped to the side and they just let her stand there until the headlights shone, when Fred lunged at her and grabbed her, tumbling to the safe ground with her.

'Effie Effie Effie Effie…' he kept repeating, holding back the screams, the yells, the desire to shake her and ask her what she could've possibly been thinking.

She had her hand covering her face and he kissed it again and again until she would relax and then he kissed her forehead, pulled her up to a sitting position and cradled him. Sid's car slowed to a stop and both Sid and Cassie got out. They all picked up Effie, helped her in, and Cassie held her head and stroked her hair, letting her fall asleep, while Fred held the rest of her so tight that she might disappear if he let go. Sid didn't ask, he just dialed Tony's phone number and put it on speaker.

"Sid?"

"Hey, Tony. Listen-"

"Since when are you back in Bristol? How the fuck are you?"

"Tony – it's Effie."

"What?"

"Effie. Can we bring her to your place?"

"Yes, I'm not there. But the key is under the doormat."

Hanging up, Fred piped up, 'It's not long now, Effie. Not long now." No one reminded him that she was sleeping. She woke up in time for them to walk her in and she looked around the apartment briefly before crying. "Here?" She asked Fred, as if she couldn't get any of the other words out. Fred nodded. "Yeah, here."

"Come on, Eff." Cassie slid her arm around her and took her to the bathroom to clean her up, coming out briefly to ask for a change of clothes, which Sid hurriedly picked out. Once on the couch and clean, she nestled up again into Fred, whose eyes darted around. Tony walked in the door, which is when Fred got up. Effie didn't even look at Tony who knelt before her and took her hand, kissing it as if she were a princess and he a peasant. Fred just shook his head and turned around, hurried out of the apartment. Cassie urged Sid, and he did follow him out. Tony, however, didn't blink, and rested his hand on the side of Effie's face, tilted her head toward him with his thumb. "Eff, it's me. It's me. I called Mom – you're staying here tonight." Effie just looked away and he got up and kissed her forehead, covered her with a blanket and let her be for the time being.