Avery let Talan support her weight as they walked into the hotel room. As soon as they entered, she was greeted by the faces of all of her friends, and she realised Talan must've messaged them and told them not to bother finding them, just to meet back at the room.
"We're here, Ave," Talan said softly.
Without acknowledging him, or anyone else, she let go of his arm and headed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
"What happened?" Lo asked quietly.
Talan shrugged. "She hasn't said a word."
~*~*~*~
Avery looked in the mirror, her cheeks stained with tears. She wiped at her eyes, turning on the tap to wash her face, pausing as she looked at the matted mess of her hair.
Deciding a shower would fix her, she pulled open the shower door and flicked the taps on, and without even waiting for the water to heat up, and without undressing, she stepped uder the spray, sliding down against the wall and drawing her knees up to her chest.
And it was here, under the water, leaning against the cool tiles, that Avery let go of the iron control she'd been practicing for the last few months, and she screamed, punching the wall hard.
~*~*~*~
"Fuck!" Stephen exclaimed, startled by the sudden noise.
Without waiting for the door to open, not even caring what state of undress Avery might be in, Lo threw open the door, LC at her heels, and they charged into the bathroom.
"Avery," LC half whispered, opening the shower door and reaching in to turn the water off.
"No, don't!" Avery cried out.
LC looked at Lo, and without even questioning, they both stepped into the shower with her, and sat down, LC across from her, and Lo beside her. Lo put her arm around Avery, and let her friend lean into her.
"It's ok," she said softly.
"No, it's not!" Avery sobbed, her body wracking with the force of her cries.
LC reached out and put her hand on Avery's knee, rubbing gently and reassuringly. "Whatever it is, we're here."
~*~*~*~
Hours, a long story and lots of tears later, Avery sat against the couch in her pyjamas, a blanket wrapped around her, and Talan's arms around her waist. He rocked her gently back and forth. Patrick and Lo were on one side of her, Lo's hand tightly holding Avery's, and LC was on the other side, her hand on Avery's shoulder. Stephen and Trey sat in front of her, eyes concerned but gentle.
"I'm sorry I ruined your trip," Avery managed to get out, hiccupping.
"You didn't," Trey told her. "Don't be sorry. We don't give a crap, as long as you're ok. That's the only thing that matters to us."
"We just love you," Stephen chimed in, playfully messing her hair. "And the only way you could've ruined the trip is if you decided not to come with us."
Patrick nodded. "Exactly."
Avery gave a tearful smile. "Thank you."
"Like it or not, you're one of us now, Aves," Lo said, smiling at her friend. "One of the slightly damaged beautiful people."
"And believe it or not, it's ok," LC went on. "Because no matter how much you break down, you have this family here who love you and will stick around no matter what."
"You're stuck with us," Talan finished. "We don't abandon our family."
"And believe me," Stephen piped in. "No matter how much we all fuck up, the rest of the group stick around. So don't fret."
"Because we're going to love you regardless," Trey finished.
And for the first time in months, Avery felt as if it was actually going to be alright.