You may hate this update and you may love it, though I kind of doubt you'll be that fond of it. Oh well. After mulling it over for ages, I have finally decided that this is how it will go. Even if it's not the happiest way ever.
Enjoy...
Time continued to pass in its usual monotonic matter, as Scipio and Elaine's relationship spiraled downward. It was just a mere two days later when it finally hit rock bottom. But that is a story not destined for now...well, right now, anyway.
Things just kept getting worse and worse. Everyone else was now aware of Scipio and Elaine's arguments, but of course, they could do nothing. Nothing besides exchange worried glances and go to put an arm around Elaine as soon as it was all over. They didn't have any idea how bad things were actually getting. Nobody did.
Elaine just spent more and more time cooped up in the house and sulking around. She was more irritable than ever and, at one point, ended up slapping Riccio across the face for just being annoying. The hand mark on his cheek quickly faded, but by that time, Riccio couldn't have cared less about how much it hurt. He was, for once in his life, worried. Something was wrong with Elaine and Scipio, he could tell. Something was terribly wrong.
To be honest, neither Scipio nor Elaine were mature enough for parenthood yet, even though they'd never admit it. Scipio was still as stubborn and sarcastic as always, and Elaine was still insecure, causing her to deflect her guilt and faults onto Scipio. Scipio had grown up in a home where everyone argued and disliked each other, and even though he was far nicer than his father, it was simply just part of what he was used to. He hated going through this as much as Elaine, but neither one could do anything about it, so they just let it all happen.
When Elaine would go down to the kitchen for a midnight snack to soothe her rumbling stomach, she'd always pass through the living room and see Scipio asleep on the couch. This often led to her losing her appetite and heading back up to bed as quickly as she'd come down. The hopelessness still occured, still drove her to tears every night and day. Nothing was going right in their house, and it would be a long time before anything would.
"Maddi?"
"Hey, Elaine. What's up?"
"Not that much. Is everything okay?"
"Um, yeah. How are you?"
"Fine." Elaine pressed the reciever closer to her ear and sat down on the cushioned armchair. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
"Yeah, everything's good. Why are you asking?"
"It's just...I don't know." Bo was tugging at Elaine's skirt and looking up at her, asking her for a snack. She told him to go ask someone else, as she was busy right now, and he ran off. "I just wanted to know if you were doing fine."
"Well, I am."
"Good." Elaine looked at the mantlepiece - well, more specifically, a picture on the mantlepiece. It showed Remy and herself making pumpkin pie. It was taken by none other than Madalyn when they were in the eighth grade. Elaine had a bit of pumpkin on her nose, but she didn't know, and Remy was doubled over in laughter. They looked so young. Innocent. Carefree.
"Elaine...if it's not, you don't have to tell me, but is everything okay? You've been acting kind of different lately."
"Yeah. Everything's fine."
For a moment, neither one spoke. Then Elaine said, "Madalyn, you know that you really mean a lot to me, right?"
"Um, yes..."
"And that I really, really appreciate the fact that you're always there for me and stuff? Well, you always have been, but I'm just saying..."
"It's no problem, Elaine. You know I really don't mind."
"Yeah. I know." Elaine bit down on her fingernail, thinking to herself. Why did it sound so awkward to say this? A year ago, before Remy had died and everything had gone wrong, she could say it with ease, but now, she could barely get out the words. Maybe it was just pregnancy. Maybe not.
"Yeah, and...you're a really great person and stuff. And I just wanted you to know that you really do rock."
"Well, you're not so bad yourself," responded Madalyn jokingly.
Bo came back in and started tugging on Elaine's skirt again, saying that he needed help getting the faucet in the bath going. Elaine was about to say good-bye to Madalyn when her friend said suddenly, "Um, I'm glad you called, but I got a bunch of crummy old paperwork to do for work. And it'll probably keep me up all night if I don't get started on it now. So, yeah. Glad you called, but..."
"It's okay. I understand. Well, I guess I'll talk to you later - I have to go help Bo with his bath. Bye."
"Bye, hun."
And at the last second, Elaine blurted out, "And Madalyn?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Elaine. Good-night."
4:27 A.M., the clock read.
Prosper was suddenly awoken by the loud slamming of a door upstairs, and jumped in his bed. A few feet away from him, in his own bed, Bo jumped too.
"What happened?" asked Bo.
"I dunno. I guess just someone closed the door really loud."
Prosper laid back down on his bed, trying to get some more sleep - he'd never been much of a morning person - but there was more noise coming from upstairs. Thump, thump, thump. It sounded like someone was walking around.
A door creaked nearby, and another series of thumps followed, getting louder and closer by the second. Prosper was starting to get a bad feeling in his stomach. Outside, he could hear Hornet gasp audibly.
Bo got up and went towards the door, but Prosper said, "Wait, Bo. Stop." He stood up and turned the doorknob, carefully cracking it open just as Scipio's pleading voice reached his ears:
"Elaine, stop acting like this."
"Bo!" Bo was trying to pry open the door, but Prosper held it firmly shut, knowing what was beyond it. Scipio and Elaine are at it again, he thought. He knew that seeing this would upset Bo, but he was sickly curious himself. Prosper tried to get out of the room without Bo following, but it was no use.
"Bo, stay here. Stay right in here."
"No."
"It's nothing important, it's just---"
"It's Scipio and Elaine fighting, isn't it?"
Prosper sighed. "They're not fighting, they're just...disagreeing on something. Now stay in this room."
He shut the door behind him and moved into the shadows of the living room. Hornet, Riccio, and Mosca were watching the scene before him and holding their breath. Turning around, he could see why.
"I'm tired of you trying to make my own decisions for me," Elaine was saying to Scipio. She was in her nightgown and her hair was uncombed and sticking up in places, but Prosper saw, to his horror, that she was holding a suitcase.
"But Elaine...you can't do this. Please don't." Scipio stood up and held her hand, looking into her eyes. "We need you. I need you."
Elaine pulled away from him, an expression of disgust on her face. "Oh, give me a break, Scipio. You're lying through your teeth."
"No! I'm not! I swear I'm not!" Prosper felt a small movement to his right and saw Bo standing there, holding his teddy bear, eyes wide. He poked his shoulder and pointed to their room, but Bo didn't budge. "Please, Elaine. Don't leave."
"Don't leave. Me. Don't leave." Elaine narrowed her eyes and began to walk towards the door. "Good one, Scipio. Like you actually want me to stay here. Just admit it, I'm as much as a trouble to you all here as I've ever been." She moved closer to Scipio, and Prosper noticed that she was crying.
"Can't you see, Scipio? Can't you see that I'll never be happy? That you'll never be happy with me around?" she said in a voice low enough for only Scipio to hear.
"No, Elaine, we'll be just fine. Come on. I'll do whatever you want. Relationship counseling, anything...I'll be the one to move out, if it makes you happy. Please, just please, stay."
Hornet was also crying, and Bo was starting to stare at the floor, the usual sign that he was about to do the same. Prosper put an arm around him and felt his heart begin to sink down to his stomach.
Elaine straightened herself up and again walked towards the door, an air of finality around her. Then, without another word, she opened it and sped down the steps and away from their house. Prosper joined everyone else in walking out of the door behind her and looking up and down the street for her, but she wasn't there.
She wasn't anywhere.