Chapter 3
Winter brought with it tempests that shook the frames of all the older houses. Effy kept to herself, she reverted into her muted form. Edward had slipped off the grid after their last encounter; it bothered Effy that his disappearance bothered her. She was stronger than this, she never gave her walls permission to start melting down.
Tony was very concerned about his sister, many had thought and stated that her beauty would be her downfall…
"You're too pretty for your own good, that's why you destroy everything you touch."
Effy started feeling lonely in her isolation, she missed him, missed the way he challenged her thoughts and decisions. He didn't simply fall at her feet in the way that all the other boys did, then again, he was no boy.
She spent nights just listening to her I-pod, "Dissolve me" by Alt-J and "Bloodstream" by The Stateless were often played more than once. The loneliness had distorted her self-control so much, that when she saw the jersey He had left behind, she immediately picked it up. Effy searched for his rich sweet scent and once she'd found it, she slept with it every night.
Three weeks passed like this, all the days had melted into one in Effy's mind, until Tony interrupted her blurred life.
"Eff, what is going on with you?"
"I don't wanna talk-"
"No, don't give me that bullshit. I don't know what to do or how to help you if you don't ever speak to me. Please, just let me know what is going on in your head."
"Tony, its complicated and I don't know how to explain. I'm okay though." Effy attempted to smile so that he would believe her.
"Just help me understand? Cause Effy, you are not okay! You barely eat and I can see from your eyes you've barely slept these past few days."
"I don't know how to make it stop, everything is just running at me and I can't get away. I've become so weak. Did you buy more cigarettes?"
"They are in the cupboard. You still aren't making any sense. Effy, wait! We need to talk!"
Tony watched her run off to Bella Swan's house, she was wearing black shorts and stockings, along with that damned grey jersey that she never let out of her sight.
When she got to school, she thanked Bella for taking her and started looking for his car.
"Are you and Edward serious?" Bella asked.
The question startled Effy and she replied, "Um, no, I don't think he's really interested. Why do you ask?"
"Well he's staring at you, a while ago I would've given anything for him to look at me like that." Bella blushed a vivid crimson, mumbled a quick good-bye and hurried off awkwardly.
"I like your jersey." Edward said with a light smile.