Getting to Know You

Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

After Diane bought me a new plane ticket, she tried to convince me to go to the hospital to get my arm stitched up.

"No." I shook my head and pulled my feet up into the chair I was sitting in, crossing my legs.

"Natalie, come on." She huffed, standing up from her seat beside me. "I can guarantee that you need stitches. Let me take you to the hospital and I'll bring you right back here, I promise." She said, crossing her arms as she waited for me to get up.

I stared at the blood covering my arm and hand, and decided that I would rather not go on a sixteen hour flight with an open wound.

"You promise you'll bring me right back?" I asked, hesitantly standing.

"Yes, Natalie, I promise. Now come on." She turned and I followed, even though the last thing I wanted to do was leave the airport.

If I was at the airport, it meant I was as close to Ashton as I could get. If I was at the airport, it meant I was coming. I didn't want to leave, I wanted to go to Australia, and I wanted to go now.

I got in the car and slammed the door, leaning my head back on the seat and closing my eyes. Diane started the car and drove away, and I couldn't help it. I started to cry.

"Natalie, are you okay?" My mom asked quietly, almost like she didn't even want to ask. She knew I wasn't okay, she was just trying to be my mom.

"No." I sniffed, shaking my head. I balled my hands into fists in my lap, trying my best to stop the shaking.

"Why are you crying?" She asked, glancing over at me before her eyes returned to the road.

"Are you serious?" I asked, my breathing starting to become uneven. I was going to have a panic attack and Ashton wasn't here to help me. "Ashton is gone!" I yelled, my fingernails digging into my palms. "I'm supposed to be on a plane with Ashton, and instead I'm in this stupid car with you! I'm stuck here in this shitty city for another twenty four hours and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. He-He..." I paused to try and take a breath. "He is all I have, mom." I cried, trying to focus on the pain in my palms instead of the gaping hole I felt in my chest caused by Ashton's absence.

"I'm right here, Natalie, you have me." She rested her hand on my knee and I pushed it away.

"No, no, no..." I panted, beginning to become a little lightheaded. I felt like I was going to pass out.

"Ashton is the one who was with me p-practically every day a-all summer. He is the one who helped me g-get away from dad, he took me in. H-he is the one who was helping me get over you. He helped with Scott and Abby, he helped with everything. I-I love..." I was struggling to breathe, now, and I was seeing spots. "I..."

"Natalie, are you okay?" She asked, patting my leg to try and bring me back.

"I love him, mom. I n-need him..." I let my head fall back onto the seat, and that was all I remembered right before I blacked out.

ASHTON'S POV:

I opened up my backpack and took out the brown box that Natalie had given me ten days ago. When I first took it out, I thought it would be really easy to open, but it wasn't. Instead, I set it on the little tray in front of me and just stared at it. My eyes burned from crying and my heart felt like it had fallen right into my stomach.

I felt really shitty about leaving, and it was showing.

After staring at the box for literally 4 hours, I finally picked it up and tugged on the twine bow, letting the string fall into my lap.