Elle's POV

After Big Fun was over, I ran off stage to try and find Catlynn, almost running right into Katie.

"Hi. Can't talk. I need to find Catlynn." I said. Katie grabbed my arm and said, "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." she said.

I stopped right there and said, "What's going on?" Jessica came up behind me as well.

Katie sighed and said, "Um...Candy Store was a little loud for her. I let her fall asleep for a bit."

Jessica stormed around in fury and said, "I'm stupid, I'm so stupid..." I caught up with her and said, "You're not stupid, Jessica. I'll go talk to her."

And I did. I walked in to where she was sitting and saw her curled up with a script open on the floor. She was shaking and crying. I quickly sat down next to her and hugged her.

"Hey. Katie told me what happened. I'm so sorry..." I felt her relax a little and she sat up. "I'm sorry I ruined your show." she said.

"Catlynn, no! Don't be sorry. We're still only halfway through Act 1."

I then realized what was coming. Luckily, she didn't hear or mention Chandler's death, but what about Our Love is God? She's bound to hear the gunshot and all the screaming in that song. I have to be there for her.

The question is, how do I tell her?

I sighed, and said, "Hey, I'm gonna stay here for the rest of Act 1, except for, of course, when I have to go on. Wanna play a game or something?" I got up and pulled out a deck of playing cards.

"Go Fish?" she said? "Good luck, Elle, I'm the champion at this game." I started to shuffle the cards, then Catlynn took them from me and shuffled them at lightning speed and dealt them out even faster.

"Woah." I said. "You weren't joking."

Catlynn smirked. "Nope. I'm not."

Catlynn's POV

Elle was not giving up on winning, even after I had won the last 3 rounds.

"Fine! I give up! But only because I have to go on stage!" Elle laughed. I impulsively reached out and grabbed her hand. "Don't leave me!"

Elle knelt down next to me and rubbed my thumb. "I'll be back in about 10 minutes. Promise. Now, clean up these cards."

I started to clean up, then went back to the script. I surprisingly couldn't hear that much, and no one told me where we were.

I played a game on my phone for a little bit, and suddenly, I heard someone say "1...2...3!" then a gun fired.

I was brought back to reality by another gunshot, and I was just about to yelp and cover my ears before I realized, I was in someone's arms. Someone had noticed. In a blur of tears, I could see yellow, and red next to me. It was Elle and Jessica.

"Hey. Ssh, it's intermission. You're okay now, it's just me." Elle said, stroking my hair. Jessica said, "What happened?" I think she was talking to Elle, not me.

"The gunshot probably scared her." Elle said. I managed to say, "I'm sorry...it was a bit too loud." Elle hugged me tighter and said, "You poor girl..." and then I heard a sharp gasp and footsteps.

"Alice!" Elle cried.

"What happened to her?" Alice asked, alarmed.

"She was scared. Of the gunshot." Elle said. "I knew that would happen."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" I yelled. Elle, Alice, and Jessica stared at each other, and Elle said, "We didn't want you to be scared. I didn't know how you'd handle it. I'm sorry."

"Act 2's not going to be as bad, right?"

Elle stared at Jessica, and said, "Not as bad at Act 1, don't worry. One of us will be there to explain it to you."

I nodded, and snuggled closer into Elle. I didn't want to let go.

"Um, some of us have to change...can you step out and wait with Barrett and Ryan for a few minutes?" Alice asked. I got up, wiped my tears so I didn't look like a total disaster, and sat in the hallway playing on my phone. Barrett walked up and noticed I was still subtly crying. She looked at Ryan and whispered, "The gunshot..." then kneeled down and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, what happened?" she asked.

"Nothing." I lied, and went back to my game. Ryan knelt down too, and said, "We can probably guess, was it the gunshot? I'm so sorry."

I nodded, and said, "It's fine. It was in the script anyways." Elle stepped out, and said, "Can I talk to you guys for a minute? And Catlynn, no eavesdropping." I laughed, and they closed the door. Katie walked up to me and sat down.

"Why are you out here, kid? You're usually clinging to Elle like a wet bathing suit!" She laughed, and realized I didn't find anything funny. "Aww. Did something scare you?"

I nodded, and said, "I have anxiety. But don't tell anyone, I don't want that to get in the way of their show." Katie hugged me and said, "Catlynn, I have to tell someone..."

"Don't! Please." I said. Katie nodded, and said, "I promise, no one else will know but us."

Elle stepped out and said, "Um, Catlynn, we have some news. After this show, we're gonna take you to the hospital. It's nothing bad, we're just gonna get your injuries checked out. Also, we're maybe going to speak with a pyschologist and see if we can get you some medicine to help with your anxiety. I'll be there the whole time, don't worry."

I nodded, and Elle, Alice, Jessica, Barrett, Katie, and Ryan wrapped me in a group hug. After we let go, Katie said, "They might keep you overnight, so we'll get you some clothes before we go. Elle and I will stay with you."

I nodded and sat back down.

But on the inside, I was a mess of panic and fear. I had to stay strong, for them.

My new family.

AN: 3rd part of Adopted By Heathers! Woohoo! If you haven't noticed, all the chapters are Heathers references! (haha, so original for a Heathers fanfic, I know...) Hope you enjoyed! Catch ya later!