how the fuck
did you end up in malibu?
chase stokes | 17

Theadora slams the parties bathroom door shut, pressing against it with all her might as she fights to twist the lock. the boy on the other side shouts, slamming his body against the door. it's wood splinters and thea curses, jumping away; but the door does not break, and so she returns, willing it to stay shut.

"you slut!" the boy on the outside curses. "you're a coward, theadora!"

thea knew this, of course, but did not care one bit. she'd rather be called cowardly than a 'bright soul who lit up every room she walked into.' no thanks.

the dim lights coming from above the bathroom sink was shocking in comparison to the party's strobes and thea blinks to adjust to the sudden change. she ignores the pounding on the bathroom door, choosing to focus on the pounding in her head. she ransacks the hosts medicine cabinet, sending out a quiet thank you to whoever was listening when she spots an unopened bottle of ibuprofen.

"theadora!" the door rattles with force. "you can't hide in there forever!"

yes, i fucking can. the teen rolls her eyes. she dumps two tablets into an open palm, turns on the sink faucet, and sticks her head under the stream of water, effortlessly knocking back the medication. shaky hands grip the porcelain counter as theadora stares into the dirty mirror; she looks a mess. dried mascara stains her cheeks, gluing disheveled strands of hair to the side of her face. her eyes are bloodshot and puffy—a mix of alcohol and excessive crying.

"theadora!"

thea exhales, realizing with dread he would not give up until she exited the bathroom, which was never gonna happen. she knew he'd forget it all in the morning, anyways. as long as she can avoid luke for the remainder of the night, she'd be fine.

with shaky hands, theadora removes her phone from her back pocket and pulls up the contact of the only person she guaranteed would still be awake.

chase stokes

tj
can u come get me
?????

chase
arent you at your apartment?

tj
no

chase
where are you...

tj
a party

chase
who's party

tj
luke's friends

chase
oh wonderful
luke the jerk? that luke?

tj
that's the one

chase
as in the dirtbag who treats you like shit??
that luke??

tj
YES chase
that luke
so will you pick me up or not

chase
of course i'll pick you up
did something happen?

tj
no

chase
oh shit have you been drinking?

tj
no
well yes
but im not drunk drunk

chase
yeah, okay.

tj
i'm not!
i had barely one beer

chase
okay good
are you okay?
want me to call the maddie's?
pretty sure baileys in la

tj
NO
do NOT TELL ANYONE
this conversation never happened chase

chase
oh great
you didn't tell them did you?

tj
are you kidding?
if they found out i haven't ended things yet
AND im going to his party they would've murdered me and then how would
i have been able to go ??

chase
and now they'll murder ME when they find out i kept this from them
great to know your priorities t.j
but im omw drop the pin

thea grimaces, sharing her location with her older co-star. she could already guess his reaction—her cast members hated luke woods, and that's purely based off of the handful of times they had met the boy. theadora didn't share the half of it. if she did, she's sure they'd come after him with a metal baseball bat. she waits a beat after pressing send, visualizing chase opening the map and tracking her location.

chase
thea...
how in the FUCK did u end up in malibu

tj
nora

chase
who the fucks nora

tj
annie's sister

chase
who the fucks ANNIE

tj
jesus chase
r u coming or not

chase
sorry sorry
yes i'm omw

theadora lets out a sigh of relief, sinking to the bathroom floor. she scrolls mindlessly through tik tok for just under an hour until her phone buzzes with another message.

chase
i'm here
where should i go

tj
park on the street and wait in the car
i'll come to you

thea rises on shaky legs, sending a silent prayer he actually listens and doesn't get out of the car. she stands on her tiptoes, peering out the bathrooms small window and sighing in relief with a perfect view of the street; chase's dark bronco idling by the curb.

she steps on the closed toilet lid, gently lifting the window pane open and sliding through with ease, hopping out of the one story home.

chase looks up from his phone, watching as a familiar teenage girl wiggles out of a bathroom window, purse still draped over one shoulder and borrowed hoodie drawn tightly over her head. he raises an eyebrow as the girl drops to the grass, reaching up to lock the window before jogging across the quiet street—looking both ways.

she crosses to the passenger side, throwing open the door with a huff. "thanks for coming."

"yeah, anytime." chase throws the car in reverse before doing a double take at the girls stained face. "so... you gonna tell me what the hell happened?"

"already did." thea shrugs, letting her white clutch fall to the floor. "nothing."

"yeah, okay." chase hums, pulling out of the neighborhood. "why were you crying, then?"

"i wasn't..." theadora trails off as her dark phone screen reminds her of her appearance. "shit."

"yeah, shit. luke do something?"

"no, he just—" thea pauses, choosing her next words carefully. "he's just drunk."

"thee, i know he says he loves you, but if he's got you literally climbing out of a bathroom window in the middle of the night to avoid him... that's not love. that's bullshit."

"i know, i know." theadora sighs, swiping at dried mascara lingering on her cheeks. "he just gets so mean when he drinks."

chase can't help but crack a teasing smile at the irony. "just when he drinks?"

"shut up." thea frowns, turning to the window in a (failed) attempt to hide her smirk. he's right; he always is.

chase exhales. he's watched this boy mess with theadora for a year now, and selfishly wishes he'd just break up with her already; rip off the bandaid once and for all. he's tired of seeing the girl he's come to see as a little sister so upset all the time. "look, thee, stay with kels and i tonight. let things cool down." he knows she's not telling him the full story; didn't take the red handprint outlined on her cheek to find that out. (she never reveals the full story. luke will never be a villain to her.)

"chase, it'll be four by the time we get back to la." thea sighs, face still turned away. she doesn't know he's already seen the outline on her skin. "i've already asked enough."

"no, tj. you haven't." chase turns down the radio, ensuring she hears his next words. "i want you to stay with us. i know he hit you again and i won't let you go home until he sorts his shit. i swear to god, thea, i'm this close to calling the fucking cops on this kid." he pinches his thumb and pointer finger together, a sense of rage in his tone thea hadn't heard before. chase senses the young girls distress and sighs, running a hand down his face. "look, i'm sorry, i just—"

"no, no. it's fine." theadora cracks a smile. she'd never admit it, but she feels a warm sense of pride in the fact that he feels so protective over her. she'd been on her own for so long, it feels nice to not have to be for once. "i'll stay tonight. thanks."

"thank god." chase exhales in relief. "thought i was about to have to kidnap you and force you inside." theadora laughs; he's not joking.