Exhaustion

"Elizabeth, that was amazing" Marie, the makeup artist from prior, squealed as I slumped into the limo. The flashing cameras followed me right up til the door closed and the car pulled out of the area. As soon as we were out of sight I laid across the seats and attempted to kick of the heels, but the straps were too tight. As Alex pulled my feet into her lap, Marie began to wipe off my make up. My body could not even resist as they moved it around to remove my accessories and hair. When the limo finally arrived at my house Alex had to rush up after me, I was so tired I forgot my precious bag in the car. I closed the door and locked all three locks and placed the kick guard under the handle before placing my bag on the third hook, in between the two others. After I dragged myself into my room, I fell to the bed and passed out.

---

Light streamed through the windows, it had to be well past noon, I could see the sun through my west facing windows. I managed to sit up and notice my phone on the bed beside me, dead. I attempted to untangle the sheets around me and fix the dress from crushing my ribcage with the twists and wrinkles, as I placed my phone to charge. After a shower and a change into comfy clothes I began to head to the kitchen when I noticed the side door, neither of the locks were locked.

Had someone broken in? No, no Elizabeth you probably just forgot to lock it before awards, and didn't think about it after. You'll just be more careful tonight. After relocking the door, I began to make breakfast. During breakfast, the phone rang.

"Elizabeth, amazing job last night. But I do need to remind you, your first draft is due in 3 weeks will you be on time?"

"Of course Adam, it'll be in, almost done now!"

"You haven't started have you?"

"Well no, but okay, so I am trying something new with my writing, I wanna write a thriller, I'm just having some trouble."

"Elizabeth, you can't write a novel in 3 weeks. You don't have time to experiment, you're lucky I gave you so much leniency as is."

"Got it, I'll get it done." And I hung up the phone walking with my coffee in one hand on the way to my desk when I noticed it, my bag was on the floor. I hung it up. Someone did break in. Wait. No don't be irrational and paranoid Elizabeth, it probably just fell. That's realistic. After replacing the bag and a quick uneventful scan of the room, I settled in.

"Yellow is the color of happiness, and positivity, and innocence. My closet is all yellow based. Everything matches, and it's all yellow. So tonight I'm out of my comfort zone, not even in my own clothes just a short, tight, red dress. Red is my least favorite color. It represents lust. I am innocent, not lusty. So out here on this corner, in this red dress, I was lost. but a man came up to me. I offered my services as I wondered how I sunk so low and as we made our way to the hotel I began to wonder it it was all worth it. Was there even a point in it anymore? After he was out of cash, and I began to leave he asked for my number. He'd want me again. And naively I gave it to him. He was relativelty nice and clean in comparison to some of the customers I had prior. After leaving I counted the cash in an alley, making sure he paid in full, before taking the quickest route home.

'Hey mom I'm home, I love you' I had to whisper to her sleeping figure in the living room, she had to sleep there, the master was too small for her machines and the noise was too loud for anyone to sleep unless she set up her. The stay at home nurse now stayed in the Master, Dad was far too uncomfortable in there alone, and I was not leaving my room. Since she became ill, dad refused to listen when he was told even with treatment she didn't have long, and the treatment was expensive. We were losing our house. I had to give up my dream college, just to keep her in a comatose state in our living room, attached to machines that did everything for her, from breathing to eating. Her heartbeat barely existed but dad would not let her go, he couldn't that was the love of his life after all.

So with the costs of mom I had to get my own job to pay for my instate college, cause despite losing my dream college, I was not losing my dream. I found my own way of life. slightly illegal though. It's only illegal if you get caught"

No that's stupid. Document shredder.

My self phone pinged as I was watching the document shredded icon animate.

"Hey its Harold, we met last night"

'I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number. She stiffed you bro"

"Or maybe she gave me the right number. Maybe it was fate for us to meet."

"Thats creepy. You dont even know who youre texting."

"Well who am I texting?"

"Okay dude this is getting creepy, I'm gonna go now."

"Wait, no, Im lonely"

I turn off my phone, turned up the music and placed my hands back on the keyboard.

Most people who are stalked meet their stalker at some point. So that's where logically this would start. But, I don't write logically. Start with the middle. When she starts to notice something weird. That's an opening right?

" 'Oh sorry ma'am' The man who bumped into her, knocking her croissant out of her hand, said stumbling back, 'Oh hi! Chloe right?'

'Um, do I know you?'

'Yeah we met at the mixer 2 days ago, I was the one who bought you a drink'

'Oh yeah Hi! uh, you!' As Chloe thought about it harder, though she could not recall a name, she began to recognize the face, he was at the laudromat when she had gone to get her dry cleaning, the court as she worked at her job, the starbucks as she bought her coffee, as far back as she remembered she could recognize his face in her memories. But that's ridiculous, he couldn't have been following her. Normal people don't get stalked. Especially not her, she wasn't special she was just a case worker, why would she be stalked.

'So, I was wondering, do you wanna go out to lunch?'

'Uh no, sorry, I'm very busy and I'm no longer on the market. Very sorry' Chloe rushed out as she sped away. When she was 20 or so feet away though her pphone wen toff, notifiying her of a text."

In real life Elizabeth got a text, "Hey babes, I'm coming to pick you up, Elliot is having a party, you've been single too long, and the girls are waiting for an award winning author, get dressed now."

Another time when I was in the zone being pulled away from my job, my job with a deadline none the less. Eitherway I didn't have much of a choice, Tanner never gave me options. If I didn't dress myself, he'd dress me.

His car pulled up at my house just as I was going through my third round of brushing my teeth and he waved wildly out his window as I rushed out the house, grabbing my bag and locking the door- double checking it thrice as always and then hopping into the passenger seat.

"Girl they are not ready for you, you are the treat they weren't gonna know they needed"

"Tanner why is this what we are doing?"

"Because you have been single far too long. You came out, what like, 5 years ago? And how many girls have you had? 1. I've had more girlfriends than you and I like boys babe!"

"I'm happy single, I need to write, and I need time, I have a deadline in three weeks."

"Then consider this inspiration" Tanner said as he pressed down the gas and pulled out of my driveway.