Spoilers: Everything through High fidelity.
Author's notes: as I wrote this, I was going for season three Ellie, who I consider the best representation of her. Seasons four and five don't do her justice, but this is beside the point. Which simply is I'm sorry if she's out of character.
This is my first Alex fic, so be gentle with the hate. Constructive criticism I won't say no to, though.
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"Hey."
Ellie looks up from the sand. Graduation day and she's at a park. How pathetic is that?
"What are you doing here?"
"Being away from people." Alex sits beside her, their swings moving in slow sways.
"What about your girlfriend?"
"Ex-girlfriend."
"Bitch," Ellie says reflexively. Never mind that she's friends with Paige herself.
Alex shakes her head and has a staring contest with the ground.
"Sorry," Ellie says. The right thing would be to reach out to Alex, but neither of them are good at doing the right thing.
"Me too." A long pause and Alex kicks off the ground forcibly, her swing moving in high, angry arcs. "Think I was kidding myself?"
"What do you mean?" Ellie reaches across, grabbing the chain to slow her down.
"With Paige, with our whole… whatever it was." Alex struggles but Ellie doesn't let her go. The chain on her skin is her own comfort.
"Nah. It's a hard time for relationships, especially with Paige. She's headstrong – that's a good thing, chill – and she's determined to get into a good school."
"Why can't she be determined about other things?" It's as close to desperate as Alex will allow herself to get. She tries to start swinging again, but Ellie holds on, anchoring her. It's all she feels comfortable doing.
"Give her time. If she's interested, she'll come back. If not, she's not worth it."
A stretched, almost braking sigh. "I know. It just feels like she is."
Ellie nods, fingers pressing against Alex's shirt instead of the swing.
"This is so pathetic," Alex says, attempting to sound anything but sad.
"It's real," Ellie says. "We can't escape reality forever."
Alex nods again, eyes harsh on the dimming sun. Tears make her face splotchy but Ellie doesn't let herself react for both their sakes. She looks at the setting sun and holds Alex by a combination of chain and cotton.
"Hey," she says after a while. "I'm glad you don't think I'm people."