There was one way to distract a teenage girl from what seemed to be the tragedy of her lifetime, and that was to inform her of a bigger, larger tragedy that completely usurped any previous concerns. Example: Skyler had spent the past week weighing the pros and cons of calling Brandon, and then her sister disappeared with the emo guy that went to England with her. It was certainly big enough to make everything seem minor in comparison, yet somehow Skyler wasn't really worried about her sister being gone: Leah would be okay, of course she would. It more irked her that she had done this same thing a few months ago and had put everybody through all of this trouble without so much as a note. She was struck with how cruel it sounded.

Leah, being the sensible one, had thought to leave a hurried note on her parent's door, explaining where she was and who she was with. It was quick and to the point, but somewhat reassuring nonetheless. Reassuring or distressing.

Reassuring because it was clear she hadn't been kidnapped or anything. Distressing because she eloped with another sixteen year old after knowing him for like, two weeks. Apparently mid-life crises were happening sooner and sooner. Maybe that had something to do with it.

"Sky!" her mother called from downstairs. "Call your sister, will you? Maybe she'll listen to you... You know, you were always so close." Judging on the recent state of things, Skyler highly doubted it. Despite this, she found herself dialing Leah's number robotically and waiting through the soft drones of the line. Her thumb hovered over the 'end' button, but just before she could press it, a voice shocked her.

"Hello?" It was Leah. Who else would it be? Skyler wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Leah," she started hesitantly. It felt strange to be the shy one. Her entire life, Skyler had always been confident and collected. She knew exactly what to say to slither out of trouble or smooth over problems. The new fear of speaking was alien to her. "Look, it's me. Skyler. Mom wanted me to call."

"Oh," Leah breathed. "You found my note then."

"Yeah. We did. And... Well, I'm not gonna ask you where you are, because I guess I deserve this or whatever for leaving, its just that... you're not just doing this to me, you know. You're putting Mom and Dad through this too. And I know I sound like a real hypocrite, but I'm trying to save you from becoming one. So think really hard before you do whatever you and... Crowell, want to do. That's all." The silence on the other end lasted so long that Skyler thought she'd been hung up on.

"We're in Vegas," her sister's quiet voice finally whispered. "We're gonna get married." Skyler sighed.

"Leah... Look, is that even legal? You're sixteen. You've know this guy for what, a few weeks?"

"We're in love," Leah defended childishly. "And we're still figuring out the logistics. We can get some signatures or fake IDs, or something."

"Why do you want to do this so badly? Because you love him or because you want to... rebel, or something?"

"Of course I love him! We make each other happy, and we were meant to be together, and..."

"If you make him so happy, then won't he wait for you? Maybe you're right and this is it, but... It's easier to wait a few years and know you're making the right choice than to have to erase a whole stage of your life."

"But..." Leah's voice sounded small and remote. "I have to do this. For me." Skyler stayed silent. "Look, Sky, I should... I should go. I-I love you. Give Mom and Dad my best, okay?" A long beep told Skyler she'd been disconnected. Sighing, she dropped her phone on the bed. She'd always assumed she'd be the first to get married, or that even if it was Leah, she'd serve as the maid of honor. An elopement in a trashy chapel in the desert... It just didn't seem like Leah.

Mind spinning even more than before, she trudged downstairs. Her mother looked at her expectantly.

"Um, she... She didn't pick up," Skyler mumbled. Her mom nodded, biting her lip.

"I just really hope she knows what she's doing."

"Yeah," Skyler agreed. "Me too." A clamor came from the dining room, where her father was seated. He emerged momentarily, tugging on a jacket.

"I'm going out," he muttered briskly. "I figure I should call Crowell's parents."

"Dad," Skyler tried. "It's not his fault." He looked up at her, nodding.

"I know. But they have to come home, all the same, and I'm not gonna be the only one looking. Maybe they'll be able to be of some help." It occurred to Skyler to tell them that Leah didn't want help, that she sounded happy on the phone, even if it all was ridiculous, but before she could say anything, the door was slammed, and her father was gone.

A/N: Not great, but it's something. Review!