-09-

"Don't freak out Eleanor, don't freak out Eleanor,"

She dialed Cross's number, but was sent straight to voicemail. Heaving a heavy sigh, she abandoned the phone unto the dresser and took a seat on the desk.

After a short while, the door clicked open, making her almost jump up.

"You're up El," Joe announced before stepping inside.

Eleanor stood up and cracking her knuckles nervously, rushed over to him.

"Fucking Christ!" Joe exclaimed and took three steps back, looking at Eleanor from head to toe like some impossible Angel.

She gave him a worried look. "The dress is ugly isn't it? I told Ali--"

"Are you kidding me right now?" His eyes grew wide. "You look so fucking beautiful right now dude,"

Eleanor flashed her teeth. "Really?" She asked.

"The rate at which you have ze-ro self-confidence astonishes me Elean—"

"Are you guys having sex or something?" Alison asked as her head popped in.

"C'mon." Joe took her hand ."Let's go. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Eleanor made a sign of the cross and followed Joe out.

"Oh there she is! There she is! Ladies and Gentlemen, let's welcome the ever famous Eleanor Flawless!" The MC announced, as Eleanor joined him at the top of the stairs, showing off a dazzling smile and waving at the clapping and cheering guests below.

"Isn't she just beautiful?" The MC asked the guests who gave out all accents of oohs and aahs in response.

"So," the MC turned to Eleanor with too wide a smile, "Eleanor, how do you do it? Manage to look so stunning all the time? Because I mean, I have had many encounters with you and—" he held his breath and exhaled slowly. "How do you just do it?"

"Um." Eleanor laughed, nervously, her diamond drops shimmering through her hair.  "I don't really know George, It comes naturally I guess."

"Touché, touché." George nodded continuously.

"Well for a pretty girl like you Eleanor, guys must most definitely throw themselves at you and oh...yeah." He squinted at her. "A little birdie told me that you and Cross Heaven's Gate, the President's son, are in a relationship. Is that true?"

Smiling, "yes."

Some of the guests awwed.

"Amazing! Anyway Eleanor, I believe we're all gathered here for a very honorable and charitable purpose?"

Eleanor nodded as George handed her the microphone. She cleared her throat and moved closer to the banister.

"Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, um I....." the microphone began shaking in her hands. "I... um... I...We're... "

And just like that, the microphone dropped from her hand all the way to the ground floor as she stumbled backwards and covered her own gown with vomit.

***

Joe held an uncontrollably sobbing Eleanor in a tight hug, and rocked her back and forth whiles whispering comforting words into her ears.

"I've never been so—" she sniffed, "—so embarrassed Joe," she said and burst into a fresh round of tears.

"Calm down Eleanor," Joe said, stroking her back tenderly.

"I'm going to be the joke of YES till the end of time." Her sobs got louder. "I'm... I'm going to—"

"You're not going to be the joke of the school El, everyone loves you," Joe encouraged.

"Everyone loves me because I'm Cross's girlfriend. And now... and now I've let him down. He must be so... so..."

"You know you're wrong about that right? People don't love you because  you're Cross's girlfriend El. People love you because you're beautiful and loving and caring and smart and—"

The bedroom door clicked open and Mrs. Flawless stepped in, carrying a tray on top of which a white porcelain teapot and a china stood.

"How's she doing?" She asked Joe with a sad smile and set the tray on the bed. She sat down.

Joe shook his head in answer.

"Ellie bear, don't be so hard on yourself," Mrs. Flawless said, stretching her hand and rubbing her palm against her back softly.

"Make sure she drinks the tea okay Joe? Or else she's going to wake up with a very terrible headache in the morning." Mrs. Flawless said, gave Eleanor's leg a gentle squeeze and exited the room.

Just as soon as she left, Eleanor's phone vibrated from beside Joe.

"Who is it?" Eleanor asked, not raising her head from Joe's chest. Joe stretched his hand and picked it up.

"It's a message from Carmen." He swiped down her notification screen and tapped on the message. "It's a video."

"Video?" She sniffed.

"Yeah....it's loading now."

"What's it about?" Eleanor asked and raised her head.

An expression of errant bewilderment overtook Joe's face, causing Eleanor to sit up completely.

"What is it Joe?" She stretched her hand for the phone but Joe pulled it back and swallowed.

"You're scaring me Joe, lemme see please. What's wrong?"

Joe shook his head, opened his mouth and closed it again, making a soft throaty noise which he had most likely intended to form into words, and failed.

"It's Cross... and Katherine."

Eleanor's eyes rounded.

"C...Cross? And Kat?"

"I think you should just see for yourself," Joe said and handed the phone over to her. "I'm so sorry El—" he trailed off.

With a loud gasp and clutching her chest like a small wounded dog, Eleanor dropped the phone with shaky hands and cowered backwards, her face caked in shock.