AN: One day… I shall write a one-shot where Jesse lives
:V
On a side note, just an FYI, there be some light smut toward the end. Comfort sex ya know?
Ellie felt like death.
Her body was glued to whatever surface she had been smeared on. It was as if she was being crushed by this hallow embrace that clawed at her skin, deep down into her bones. Was this what death felt like? Cold. Heavy. Painful. She could hear the sound of her own damned heartbeat, beating inside and trapped in her tight chest.
Eventually, her body twitched and her eyes fluttered open before she was faced with an unfamiliar ceiling. As her consciousness pieced itself together, her breath abruptly grew more hectic as she relived the moment before she passed out. She gasped in pain before croaking out, "D-Dina…"
When she didn't hear a response, her panic rose as she desperately called out. "Dina…" Her voice grew more tortured with every answerless call. "Dina… Dina! Dina!" She finally forced her body to move which immediately protested with searing pain that shot up from her toes and shattered at the tip of her collarbones.
Joel busted in out of nowhere before he quickly ran to over his daughter's side. "Ellie! Ellie Ellie Ellie… hey, hey hey hey…" He gently pushed her down, bracing her on the bed and keeping her from hurting herself, before cupping her face. "It's okay baby girl. Just breathe."
Hot tears were spilling from her eyes. "B-But— Dina's—"
"She's all right and is in the room right next to ya sweetheart." Maria interrupted as she entered Ellie's room. There was a clear look of worry on her face as she asked, "How are you awake so soon?"
Ellie's lung finally worked and processed some air. "She's— oh god, she's okay?!"
Maria just looked at her with a comforting smile. "Don't worry Ellie, she's all right. Still a little feverish and a little banged up but nothing a little rest won't fix. The only serious wound she got was the one on her shoulder."
She then walked over before smiling and brushing a strand of hair out of her niece's face. "You're the one that had us worried."
Joel immediately frowned before sitting down and taking hold of Ellie's hand.
"You have multiple lacerations all over her body." She began listing out, "You had a terrible fever and a few serious abrasions here and there. Your muscles are also torn here and there…"
Bile suddenly filled Ellie's throat at the thought of how she got those wounds. The thought of that night. She remembered fighting dozens of wolves. She remembered Jesse collapsing onto the floor. She remembered fighting for her life. She remembered Dina fighting and protecting her. She remembered strangling his body and the moment he stopped moving. She remembered it all. His body was still warm until the moment he ceased and… Ellie immediately gagged before she snapped around and puked all over the floor.
Joel was quick to grab a bucket for her and soothe her back before cooing, "There there, let it out."
It was as if her body was rejecting life.
Every gag made sharp pain surge through her body and every exhale made her wounds scream. Her throat burned as the acid rode up and violently escaped her body. It already hurt to breathe so topping that off with this shit? What a shitty joke. She coughed up whatever was left in her system before settling in with her nausea.
"Fuck…" She croaked in pain before forcing herself to ask. "W-Where's Jesse?"
The tension in the room suddenly dropped. Both Joel and Maria looked at each other with heavy expressions. Ellie already knew the answer. She already knew. She knew but she needed to hear it from someone else's lips. To tell her the truth and that he was… When the two of them refused to answer, she bit down hard, glaring at them with a face contorted with pain and sorrow.
"Where. Is. Jesse."
Maria opened her mouth but nothing came out.
Instead, Joel let out a deep breath before answering, "He's gone."
A breathless sob left Ellie's lips. Her face wavered before she broke down into a sobbing mess. She cried out her heart. She wailed for her friend's death. This couldn't be real. This had to be a joke. Why. Why? Why why why WHY! How could this have happened? Just hours ago, Jesse was alive and teasing her as he always had. How could he have been gone? Just like that?
No.
That was unacceptable.
"N-No… you're wrong…" She spat out those words like vile venom. "You're wrong…" Her voice shook. "You're wrong. You're wrong! YOU'RE WRONG!"
She knew they weren't.
Her screams fell short before she cried pathetically. "Please… tell me you're wrong."
"I'm sorry Ellie," Joel said in a deep yet warm voice. His tone was so soft and sincere that Ellie almost didn't recognize him. "I'm so sorry but he's gone."
Ellie choked some more sobs before grabbing her face. She sniffled back ugly cries before curling into a ball, forgetting how much pain her body was in. Her hands dug into her sides, pulling at the fabric on her skin and almost tearing it apart.
What a joke.
Dina was the first to be discharged from the hospital a few days later and the moment she was, she ran straight into Ellie's room before pulling her into a tight hug. It made Ellie hiss in pain before she latched onto her as well, refusing to let her go.
"Oh Ellie, you're okay. You're okay!"
She could only bury her face in her chest. "Dina…you're alive! I… I… Jesse's—" She choked and triggered another crying fit.
"Hey…" Dina shushed her before squeezing her tightly. "We'll be okay…" She kissed the crown of her head with teary eyes. "We'll be okay." Her voice was heavy with emotion as if she was about to burst into tears any second.
She knew.
How will Ellie ever begin to beg her for her forgiveness? She unknowingly took away the father of her girlfriend's unborn child. She took away their friend. She took away their possible opportunity for a family. What was she supposed to do now? How was she going to make up for this? How was she going to recover from this?
Dina's sniffle brought her back to the present. She just nuzzled into Ellie without looking at her face. "We'll be okay… we'll be okay." She kept on repeating those words like a broken record and the more she said them, the more desperate she sounded as if she was trying to convince herself that it was going okay. And… somehow, Ellie began to believe that Dina might be right. Whatever bullshit they had to deal with, they could make it work between the two of them.
Ellie was discharged from the hospital about a week later.
She spent a total of two weeks there. The first week, she was fully unconscious, and during the second week, she was in pain and self-loathing. Her sides were killing her. Her leg was banged up. Her arm was mangled again and despite having a full week to process her thoughts, she felt so lost.
Joel picked her up and brought her home.
She was in no condition to travel far but they managed to help up inside her small flat just outside Joel's home in his garage. There, Joel helped her out a little since she wasn't capable of doing much. He didn't say anything either. He just stayed by her side and slept on the couch. He cleaned her mess. He prepared some food. He even played her a song or two. Normally, Ellie would have been pissed that he was rummaging around her stuff but she wasn't even phased. She was busy drowning in the presence of death but eventually, Joel gave her some space once she could move around on her own.
Of course, he asked Ellie if she wanted company, and as much as she did, she needed to be alone.
They said their goodbyes and the moment Joel left, everything got worse even though he was a short walk away. She fell on her bed completely drained. Her whole body was still aching in pain but what hurt the most wasn't her body or the wounds. Her chest. Her chest hurt the most. It wasn't until a few days later that someone other than Joel knocked on her door. When Ellie opened it, she was surprised by how much she missed this face.
It was Dina.
"Hey…" She looked as beautiful as always despite the clear pain on her face. "Sorry, I didn't come earlier… I just… needed some time."
Ellie smiled at her softly on that note. "It's okay, I'm the… same."
Dina smiled back sadly and she looked at the ground before asking, "Can I come in?"
"Yeah… of course."
Once she was inside, Ellie shut the door before following Dina over to her couch. They sat down together before soaking in the silence. After a moment, Dina reached over to grab a hold of Ellie's hand.
"How are you holding up?"
That made Ellie snort weakly. "Not at all. You?"
Dina gave her a forced smile. "Barely."
Ellie sighed before soaking in her warmth. Dina started rubbing her thumb across the back of her hand and Ellie found it a little easier to breathe. Eventually, she flipped her hand around and intertwined their fingers. She then took a shaky breath before starting:
"It's not fair…" Dina shot her a glance before Ellie continued, "He was still young."
"He was and it isn't."
"I just… I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to face Robin? And Jack?"
Dina gave her a gentle squeeze. "I don't know… but I'll be there with you."
Ellie squeezed her hand back as a silent thank you. After a second, she breathed out a long breath before asking, "So what happens next?"
Humming on that note, Dina brought up Ellie's hand and kissed it. "We take things one at a time?"
She breathed in a shaky deep breath before letting it out. "Okay. One step at a time."
Dina ended up smiling before kissing her hand again. "We got this." She kissed her again. "Together."
The most Ellie could do was give her a small smile. "Yeah. Together."
Time began ticking again and slowly but surely they began picking up some pieces that they had lost. They ended up giving their statements to the sheriff. They even managed to say hi to everyone in the patrol teams. Life carried on as if nothing had happened and in no time, two months had passed since they had been stranded.
Cradling Dina in her arms from behind, Ellie's face was buried in her neck. She subconsciously rubbed Dina's belly while occasionally pressing kisses on her skin. Ever since their incident, they had been practically stuck to each other like glue. If Ellie wasn't over at Dina's place, they would be together at Joel's or Ellie's. This time it was the latter and they were finally catching up on the Curtis and Viper movies.
"I still can't believe how good these are."
Ellie shifted before kissing her affectionately. "I told you." She then hugged her more tightly.
Letting out a soft sigh, Dina turned to peck Ellie's lips. "I also can't believe that we're only cuddling and talking instead of kissing."
Smiling softly at her comment, Ellie kissed her lips. "How many times do you plan on watching this movie?"
True be told, it wasn't the first nor the second time they've watched this exact movie. They always got side-tracked by something whether it be talking about something serious or stupid or even having another breakdown.
"As long as it takes for me to watch it all the way through." Dina quipped back with a playful chuckle.
"You're ridiculous."
"And that makes you…?"
That made Ellie sigh. "Equally insane."
Dina laughed before pecking her lips. They kissed a few times before Ellie pulled away as her eyes drifted south. Her eyes flickered down at Dina's shoulder where her gnarly wound was.
"You know… it's kinda sick now that I get a look at it. Makes you… look hot and sexy."
Dina immediately snorted with a light laugh before slapping her arm weakly. "Yeah?"
She nodded with a hum. "Yeah," she leaned down to kiss it. "Does it still hurt?" She squeezed her waist lightly to relish her warmth.
"Hmm… a little bit I guess," Dina admitted before nuzzling against Ellie. She breathed in Ellie's scent before finally smiling and cracking a joke herself. "Not quite a bullet but now I can say I took a knife for you."
Ellie held back her giggles before leaning in to kiss her lips. "Oh yeah…" She pecked her again. "Definitely hot and sexy." She then claimed her lips with a pleasurable and much-needed kiss.
Dina let out a soft moan before leaning back. She released Ellie's lips with a soft moan before whispering, "You wanna take it to the bed?"
She chased after her lips before kissing her upper lip. "Yeah."
The two of them got up before Ellie shut off the TV. Once they were on top of Ellie's bed, Dina grabbed her by the face before pulling her in for a kiss. Ellie quickly reciprocated it as she slid her hands up Dina's waist. They made out, repeatedly kissing each other before eventually laying down on their sides. It was a lazy affair but once Dina was cuddled in her chest, she released her lips with a soft pop before letting out a sigh. She then hugged her tightly, burying her face into her neck. In return, Ellie hugged her back before feathering kisses on the crown of her head. After a moment, Dina spoke up in a serious and somewhat desperate voice.
"Ellie… what should I do?"
Letting out a soft breath, Ellie shifted them around, getting Dina to turn around, before carefully wrapping arms around her body from behind and pulling her into a loving hug. She kissed the back of Dina's neck before snuggling with her. As she held onto her, Ellie knew what she was referring to without explanation as breathed in her scent before slowly starting.
"Well… if you want to get an abortion, I'll go with you. I'll hold your hand for as long as they'll let me and see it through with you until the end."
She felt Dina's breath hitch.
"But… if you decide to keep them, I'll be there with you every step of the way." She let out a soft huff before gently caressing her body. "I won't leave you alone. Even if we were to…" She paused before sighing, "Let's say break up."
That made Dina shift and turn slightly to face her. They made eye contact before Ellie continued.
"Obviously, I don't want to break up with you, but if for some reason we did, I'll still be by your side and support you as your friend. It's not easy raising a baby. I don't know if we're ready for parenthood but if we're together, we can figure it out. We'll take it step by step."
Dina let out a quiet breath before rubbing the back of Ellie's hand, nuzzling back into her and kissing her affectionately. After a second, she ended up carefully touching the healing wound and scar on her left forearm. Ellie would have normally pulled away but Dina made her feel safe so she allowed it. It helped that it was easy to get lost in her eyes as if was first nature just as breathing was. Forgetting about everything else because nothing else mattered.
It was just Dina and her.
Ellie smiled gently before brushing a strand of hair out of her face and adding, "Besides, how hard can it be? We'll split the baby duties and we're not alone. We have your sister, Joel, and even Tommy and Maria. Hell, we have Robin and Jack too! I'm sure they would be thrilled to help us. We can even ask one of them to watch over them when we go out on a date night."
"A date night?" Dina inquired in a light voice as she smiled more flirtatiously.
"Yeah, duh obviously dumb dumb. I wanna take you out on a movie date." She kissed her cheek. "Sing you sappy songs." She kissed her again. "I wanna woo you and give you a good time and have fun with you." She grinned like a love-struck idiot before kissing her again and again which made Dina giggle before brushing her off.
"Oh, so you wanna woo me huh? You could have just asked nicely if you wanted to get in my pants." Dina snorted before shaking her head and claiming Ellie's lips, kissing her gently yet firmly.
That triggered a giggling fit between them and Ellie ended up shifting around, carefully pushing Dina so that she was on her back. She then leaned in, kissing her more proactively as she started rubbing her hipbone and cupping her cheek. Dina let out a pleased hum before she wrapped her arms around Ellie's shoulders, keeping her close. They switched their angles a few times but Dina was the first to break their innocent kiss and firmly bit Ellie's upper lip. Ellie let out an unexpected growl and she released her lips before kissing down her jaw and peppered kisses down her neck.
Dina hummed in contentment and after a second of basking in each other's company, she sighed softly. "What do we do about school?"
Ellie froze at that comment. "Right…" She then pulled back to look Dina in the eyes. Biting her lip nervously, Ellie's eyes shifted around before she suggested. "I mean… we're already skipping a semester so we can… take a longer break?"
Blinking at her suggestion, Dina immediately sighed. "Oh Ellie…" She reached out and cupped her cheek. "You don't have to."
Quickly shaking her head, Ellie turned her face to kiss Dina's palm. "I want to. I want to be there with you the whole way."
The frown on her face only deepened. "I don't want you to think you have to take responsibility for this just because we're together. I can deal with it myself like you said, I got my sister and Jesse's parents and—"
"Nuh-uh," Ellie cut her off with a kiss. "You got me. I'm all in." She kissed her again. "If you're going through this, then so am I. End of story." She then cupped her cheeks again before kissing her silly and burying her face in her neck.
Dina sighed in comfort before squeezing Ellie affectionately. She took a few breaths before whispering, "I love you."
"I love you back." Ellie pressed her lips into the crevice of Dina's ear and after a moment of silence, she sighed before asking, "Move in with me."
A second passed before Dina pulled away and pushed Ellie up to look her in the eyes. She gave her a confused look before Ellie repeated herself.
"Move in with me." She then grabbed her hand before kissing her fingers. "I mean— it's a converted garage and is kinda small but like, it's cozy and I'm sure it'll be less awkward than living with your sister." She then glanced around her room. "I'll clean up too."
That made Dina snort before she cupped Ellie's cheek. "Oh Ellie…" She then smiled before pulling her in for a kiss. "You should have just asked if you wanted to marry me."
Ellie immediately started laughing before kissing her again. "I don't have a ring yet."
"You should work on that then." She then claimed Ellie's lips before kissing her more passionately. "I'm a gold band type of girl by the way."
"Mmh… duly noted."
Eventually, a moan escaped her lips before they switched their kissing angles again and again. Things grew more heated and Ellie let out a strained breath before asking in a quiet voice. "Should we be having sex?" She dusted Dina's neck with her lips. "We're still both kinda banged up."
Dina kissed Ellie's forehead before claiming her lips. "Probably not…" She kissed her again. "But you're driving me crazy…"
Smiling into a kiss, Ellie carefully began undressing Dina. She did it one step at a time until she was bare. As Dina lay on her bed naked, her lower region throbbed before she quickly undressed herself. In fact, she got a little too excited and hissed at the pain.
"Here, let me," Dina then reached up to help Ellie. In no time, she discarded Ellie of her clothes leaving them both bare in gauze bandages. She took a good look at Ellie's discolored and battered skin before snorting. "You looked pretty fucked up."
Ellie looked at her body before shrugging, "I do." She then carefully settled herself on top of Dina before pressing her lips on her skin. "Not exactly the type of 'fucked' up I want though."
Hissing in discomfort, Dina ran her hands up Ellie's back. "Careful…"
Slowly caressing Dina, Ellie carefully kissed her. They both took their time, not rushing anything thanks to the remnants of their wounds. Sure enough, Ellie eventually brought her hand down to meet with Dina's pussy. She brushed her fingers against her folds, gently rubbing them up and down, spreading the wetness all over her entrance. When Dina sighed, Ellie took that as a sign to circle her clit before slowly inserting her finger. Dina immediately groaned at that.
"This okay?"
Ellie gently pumped her finger before pulling it out and teasing her clit.
"Mmh… yeah. That's okay." Dina started panting before caressing Ellie's body intimately.
"Good…" Ellie then stroked her wet folds before teasing her lower lips and spreading them apart. She ended up inserting her middle finger before carefully thrusting it in and out while applying pressure on her swollen clit.
A quiet moan left Dina's lips. "You sure this is your first time?"
That made her chuckle. "Well, this is my second time with the hottest babe in town now thank you very much."
Dina chuckled before sighing softly and commenting, "You can be a little rougher."
"Okay."
Ellie compiled and started pumping her fingers more passionately. She began thrusting them more earnestly and sure enough, she inserted another finger before pleasuring Dina with two.
Her girlfriend hissed before moaning louder. "Fuck…" She wiggled in place before shifting around. "Don't stop."
Obeying her wishes, Ellie didn't stop thrusting her pussy. She stroked her inner walls with passion and tenderness, brushing her clit on her way out and in. Dina rewarded her with some of the sexiest moans out there until eventually, she brought up her leg. Ellie was slightly confused for a second until Dina brushed her thigh up into her core. Ellie twitched upon impact before pausing her movements.
"Don't stop," Dina repeated once again as her breath hitched. She started rubbing her thigh up and down Ellie's pussy before pulling her in closely. "Keep moving."
"Fuck…"
Ellie could hear how wet they were as she pressed up against Dina. Her jaw hung low as she focused on thrusting her fingers while jerking her hips back and forth on Dina's leg. Her body was sore from all the bruises and scabs but Dina's voice only seemed to spur her on. She was rapidly slicking back and forth along Dina's thigh and she moaned before slipping another finger into Dina's pussy. Her fingers sunk in and were effortlessly pumping her cunt, squelching away when their tension peaked. The two of them were out of breath when they bucked into each other's body.
"Oh, Ellie—"
"Dina!"
They both twitched in their most silent orgasm yet. Once the initial shock calmed down, they rode out their high as carefully as possible before Ellie fell over onto her side. She was careful not to crush Dina with her weight as she panted for air. After a second, she hugged Dina tightly before awkwardly maneuvering her blanket to cover them.
"Let's sleep…"
Dina barely snuggled against Ellie as her eyes remained glued shut. She was exhausted and passed out the moment Ellie wrapped her in a warm cocoon. Ellie was quick to notice that she had fallen asleep before hugging her closely and kissing her forehead.
"Goodnight babe, sweet dreams… I love you."
For once in the past two months of Ellie's life, she slept fine. She woke in this toasty ball of warmth even if her body was protesting to the world. She shifted before opening her eyes, Dina was still asleep so she tried her best not to stir her awake. As she watched Dina sleep, she ended up bringing up the back of her hand to rub her cheek affectionately. Her girlfriend was moaning in her sleep, somewhat distraught and uncomfortable. It wasn't until some time later that Dina eventually woke up with a slight grumble.
"Morning El…"
Her raspy grumble made Ellie smile. "Morning sleepy head."
"What time is it…"
Ellie turned to look at the clock on the nightstand before answering, "A little past ten."
"Fuck…" Dina inhaled deeply before rubbing her face. "I gotta get home…" Even if Talia knew where she was, Dina felt bad for staying out without telling her.
That made Ellie frown. "Okay," she pushed herself up before helping Dina sit up. She quickly kissed her cheek before asking, "How are you feeling?"
Swallowing on nothing, Dina sighed. "Like I'm hung over."
"You want water?" Ellie asked before rubbing her lower back.
"Mmh… yeah."
Kissing her cheek one last time, Ellie got out of bed before throwing on a tee-shirt. She then slipped on her panties before walking over to the kitchen and pouring Dina a glass of water. Once she handed it off to her, she sat down on the side of the bed before rubbing her back again.
"So, any plans for today?
Dina sipped on the water before letting out a soft sigh. "Mmh… I gotta go talk to my sister…" She tiredly started before kissing Ellie's cheek. "Tell her about the pregnancy…" A moment of silence washed over them before she continued, "And that… I want to move in with you."
Ellie twitched with some anticipation. "Yeah?"
She nodded with a small smile. "Yeah."
They stayed there by each other's sides before Dina eventually broke the silence.
Speaking in a gentle voice, she started. "I think…" Ellie shifted to look at Dina. "I think… I want to keep them." They both looked down at Dina's stomach before she continued, "There's a lot on my mind but I don't want any regrets. I don't want to think about the 'what ifs' and it's not just about Jesse, it's for us."
Ellie scrunched her eyebrows before asking, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, think about it El. If we ever wanted to start a family, it's not like we can naturally conceive." She sighed before nuzzling into Ellie's side. "And it's a hella early decision but I know that someday, I will want a family, and if it's okay with you… I want you to be a part of it."
A warm smile immediately washed over Ellie's face. "You should have just told me you wanted to marry me."
Dina's lips curled upward. "Oh shut up, I don't even have a ring yet."
"Well, you should work on that." Ellie teased before kissing her softly. "I don't have a preference but I'd be down to have a matching band with you by the way."
Dina sighed before smiling softly. "Duly noted." They fell into a comfortable silence and after a moment, Dina kissed her chest before starting. "And as for school… you're right. Taking a break sounds nice. Ignoring the whole injury and pregnancy thing, I could use a little time off after what we've been through."
"Yeah." Ellie agreed before kissing her face, "It does sound nice to get a break from shit."
Dina sighed before nuzzling into Ellie's chest. "My sister…" She sighed before hiccuping a sob. "Talia's going to be so mad."
"Hey, c'mere." Ellie wrapped her arms around Dina's shoulders before comforting her as she began crying. "You want me to go with you?"
Dina sniffled a few times before keeping her face buried in Ellie's chest and mumbling. "No, I have to do this one alone. And I want to tell her before Jesse's funeral."
Right. His funeral was just around the corner. They had buried him not too long ago but tomorrow was the day they had all planned to meet up at his gravesite to say their 'proper' goodbyes. She wasn't ready and the numbing feeling in her chest hadn't gone away but she needed to do this regardless of how she felt. She owed that much to Jesse at least.
Rubbing Dina's back, Ellie let out a long breath before speaking up in a soft voice. "Okay… I can… wait for you after?"
She choked back a few more sniffles before relaxing her body a little. "Please, I'll…meet you back here?"
"Anywhere you want," she kissed her head.
"God…" Dina sniffled again with a stuffy nose before hugging Ellie tightly. "Are you going to tell Joel?"
That made Ellie twitch. "Shit. I honestly forgot about that."
Dina shuffled around before looking Ellie in the eyes. "You can tell him."
"What? That my girlfriend's pregnant with my kid?" Ellie couldn't help but joke.
Snorting at that, Dina laughed before lightly tapping her arm. "You're going to give your old man a heart attack."
Ellie chuckled as well before kissing her nose. "He'll live. Hmm… Actually, maybe I'll just tell him that he's gonna be a grandpa instead. That'll probably freak him out even more."
"Oh my god, Ellie! You're such a dick!" Dina couldn't stop laughing as she tried forcing herself to stop smiling.
"What, it's not technically a lie." She defended before adding, "We're together so your child is mine. Besides, you said it was okay!"
"Ellie, stop torturing Joel so much. He's been through a lot. I heard he was stuck by your bed the entire time you were unconscious."
"He was?"
"Yeah. I didn't see it myself since they kept me in bed as well but that's what Talia told me."
Her lips parted and Ellie hummed thoughtfully before chuckling. "I'm still telling him he's gonna be a gramps."
Rolling her eyes playfully, Dina brushed her off. "I need to get dressed."
By the time they were ready and parted ways, Ellie gave Dina a goodbye kiss before wishing her luck. "Good luck, tell me how it goes."
"I will," she nodded before giving her a curt smile. "See you soon."
"See you soon."
Ellie shut the door after Dina was out of her sight. She scratched her head before washing up in the bathroom and sighing. After that, she held onto the sides of the sink before eyeing her reflection. She saw her face, staring at the hollow cast of who she was. Thankfully, the bags under her eyes weren't as deep but were still noticeable, meaning, she looked like shit.
Whatever.
She knew for a fact what happened back there, at the planetarium, made her and Dina the talk of the town. In the beginning, the few times she had been out in public, lots of people shot her looks of pity compared to the usual curiosity and or disgust. Now, they just looked at her like some wounded animal. It was true. But knowing that the whole town felt like that put her in a bitter mood. She didn't need their fucking pity or their condolences. They never cared in the first place so why now?
Perhaps it was immature of her to think so.
They meant well. They seemed to genuinely care but that's why it hurt all the much more. It meant that they all knew she killed Jesse. She took a deep breath, letting her aching body ease under gravity before breathing out through her nose. Her hands gripped around the sink so hard that her knuckles turned white before she mumbled a pathetic whisper.
"Fuck it… later… I'll tell him later."