Holland had only been home for twenty hours. Less than that. Sheâd barely unpacked her backpack, hadnât showered, hadnât adjusted to being back in her house, instead of a dinky little hotel room just north of Malibu. Sheâd come home expecting to be alone for a long time, expecting that every single person she knew â all the Shores, Aspen, Matthew, most anyone who knew her â wanted nothing to do with her. Which was incredibly, unbelievably fair. She wanted nothing to do with herself, either.Â
So when someone knocked on the door, when someone crossed the gate to her parents home, came into her space, sourced her out, Holland was very fucking surprised. She edged towards the door, nervous, wishing Jimmy was around to face whoever it was first. Holland had heard rumours of what nastiness was waiting for her, now that news of her affair had spread to the entirety of Silver Lake, but she hadnât expected to face it so soon, and alone, and at her house.Â
Holland nearly tripped over her own feet, all but tumbling into the heavy door that separated her and the younger girl. Ingrid was just about the last person she was expecting. Out of everyone who couldâve approached her, Ingrid was ⊠fuck. Ingrid was Ingrid. Ingrid was still sweet, tiny, wonderful Ingrid.Â
And Holland had downright ruined her fucking life.
Holland was perhaps least prepared to face Ingrid, of all the people who couldâve landed themselves at her door. Holland wouldâve sooner faced one of the women whoâd come up with such creative, wonderfully humanizing nicknames for her over the past week. At least Holland was used to bullying. Breaking a kidâs heart, though, ruining her trust â Holland had never sunk so low. Facing that was just as hard as Holland thought itâd be. Harder. And she hadnât even seen Ingrid yet.Â
She hovered by the door, nervous to open it. But Holland did. She had to. She wouldnât leave Ingrid waiting, wouldnât leave her out in the metaphorical cold.
Holland pulled the door open halfway, just far enough so she could see a very obviously distraught Ingrid. âHi,â Holland said gently, then pulling the door open the rest of the way. She gripped it tightly, her furrowed brows showing deep concern. âYouâre here.â It sounded part question, part statement. Holland took in a long, slow, grounding breath. âDo you want to come inside?âÂ
Holland didnât know if Ingrid wanted to talk, shout, cry, fight, whatever, but Holland knew sheâd give the girl whatever she wanted, whatever she needed. If Ingrid was there to shove a fucking pile of shit in her face, Holland would stand there and take it.Â
âYeah,â Ingrid breathed out meekly, her eyes wide as they wandered Hollandâs form. She was here and Holly was there. Holly was there, just the same as she had been for a large portion of Ingridâs life. Her familiar features, the shine of her red hair, her pale, clear skin. She still looked like the same Holland sheâd always known, not the two headed monster Ingrid had somehow expected to answer the door that afternoon. Why did that make it so much harder? If Holly had appeared in the frame of the doorway like a Disney villain, smoking a long cigarette and laughing in Ingridâs face at her pitiful little family and their sad broken home, sheâd still have the rage build inside her to yell and scream at Holland...but where was that rage now? She swallowed hard, feeling as if she was no longer standing on her own two feet, her legs had turned to jell-o, along with her conviction and fortitude. âI want to talk to you,â she explained, whether that answered the question or not, she nodded her head to confirm that yes, she wanted to do this inside.