Wished

Chapter 25 - The Mandatory Twist

Zach had come around the next morning but I was conveniently still asleep.

Not really. I was wide awake but I pretended that I was asleep when Zach knocked on my door and repeatedly called my name to see if I was awake or not. I sat on my bed as he called me, my back pressed against the headboard and my eyes squeezed shut. My brain was still a swirl of fuzzy emotions and I just wasn't ready to face Zach or Luke.

There's something about someone telling you that they like you that just messes with your emotions. There's a part of you that wants to return the feelings being you know they'll be reciprocated and you know you won't embarrass yourself because they've already admitted it. There's also a part that is scared because what if you tell them too late? What if you realise or decide that you like them too late and they've moved on and you miss your chance?

I still didn't know what to say though. I just didn't know how I felt. I wasn't sure if I liked one of them. If I liked either of them. Did they expect me to choose one of them? I couldn't do that. Would that mean losing one of them?I couldn't lose either of them. Zach had always been a huge part of my life and Luke had managed to worm his way into my life in that short time. I couldn't lose either of them.

It was while I was trying to avoid any interactions I might have with Zach or Luke that my phone started ringing. I stared at the screen for a moment, contemplating whether or not to answer the call from the unknown number. Rolling my bottom lip between teeth, I took the call.

"Ellie?" The voice asked immediately. I didn't recognise them but it sounded vaguely familiar.

"Um, yeah. Who's this?" I asked, crossing my legs underneath me.

"It's Jake, Luke's friend. Look I don't know if you'd heard but Luke's in hospital. He was in a car crash last night. I didn't know if you knew and I figured you'd want to," Jake informed me and I felt my heart drop.

"Is he okay?" The words fell from my mouth as soon as I heard the news. In that moment, it was all I cared about, whether Luke was okay or not.

"He's awake but I don't know how he is. I've just heard from his mom and I figured I should tell you," Jake answered and I heard someone calling his name in the background. "Listen I have to go. Bye Ellie."

"Bye Jake," I replied and ran a hand through my hair, dropping the phone on the bed beside me.

Luke was in a car crash. Luke was in the hospital. My heart was racing a hundred miles a minute and I had to sit on my hands to stop them shaking.

I had to go see him. I had to.

Hopping off my bed, I rushed to my wardrobe and grabbed a pair of jeans, a tank top and a light cardigan. Quickly changing, I dabbed some concealer under my eyes, brushed on some mascara and pulled my messy curls up into a ponytail. I tugged on a pair of flats as I ran out of my room and started banging on Adam's door.

"What?" Adam asked, pulling the door open. Irritation was written all over his face but I didn't care. I needed a lift and he was the only one I could get one off quickly.

"I need a ride," I replied, fidgeting with my cardigan, tapping my foot and shifting my weight from leg to leg. Adam crossed his arms over his chest and looked me up and down. His eyebrows were drawn together and his mouth was set in a straight line.

"Where do you need to go?" Adam asked me, his face still not giving away whether he was going to drive me there or not but I could tell from his question that he would. If Adam didn't want to drive me there he would have outright refused and not asked for anymore information about it.

"The hospital. My friend was in a car crash and I have to go see him," I answered, hoping that he could understand me with me rushing all of my words. "Please Adam," I begged, chewing my lip in my worry.