Escaping Reality (Published Sample)

Two

Have you ever been on a weekend bender and woken up with twice the headache? That's how I felt. Only I didn't get the fun of going on a weekend bender. I was hungover all over again. A light sedative, my butt. It felt like hell waking up from it, or was that just waking up in hospital? I was kept in hospital for another two days, and none of my questions had been answered—mainly, why the hell wasn't I allowed to leave the hospital? I was still being forced into the mental hospital, and no matter what I said or did, they didn't budge. Every time my parents looked at me, they weren't looking at me. It was like they didn't recognise me anymore. Like I wasn't their daughter. I was a stranger in her place. I pulled my knees up to my chest. The pain in my chest was constricting like I couldn't breathe. I wasn't a stranger. I was their daughter.

The hospital room door opened, and Corey walked in. Relief coursed through me. Finally, a friendly face. Corey had tried his best to visit me as much as possible in between work and visiting hours. The hours he came were my favourite.

Behind him, I saw Jen and Paul. They smiled, but I saw a hint of a sadness in their eyes. "Hey Jen and Paul."

"Hey sweetie," Jen said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Sorry about coming home late. Holly's fault." I laughed. I was dropping her in it. She wasn't coming back to England for a while, so by the time she did come home, they would have forgotten.

"Chlo, Holly, she—" Jennifer shook her head.

"Mum," Corey cut her off. Jennifer looked at him, confused. He nodded. Paul reached for Jennifer's hand and squeezed it.

"I have something for you," he said. I sat up, looking at him. He pulled something from behind his back, and I grinned. It was her teddy.

"Thank you." I smiled. "Although, Holly will kill you for going in her room, even if it was for me."

"Well, Holly left a note," he said. "She wants you to have this." He held up her chain. I couldn't help but frown a little. Holly never took it off. The necklace was our birthstone with our names. "She didn't want to take it away. Holly loses everything."

"Truth," I said with a little nod.

"Turn around." I did as he said, lifting my hair, and he clipped it around my neck. I could feel his breath blowing across my neck, and I shivered slightly. I let my hair go. "So, Mum tells me that you are being discharged today?"

"Yeah, to be put into a mental home," I scoffed, biting my lip to stop it from quivering. I took a deep breath in. "It's bloody stupid. One late night, and then all of a sudden, bam. Mental home. Tom does it every weekend and gets away with it."

"Chlo, come on," Jen said. I looked at Holly's parents. "It's nothing to do with that you both got drunk. You were doing that before you even turned eighteen."

"So, I don't see a problem." I shrugged, pulling a face.

"Chlo, Holly is—"

"No, she isn't. I saw her the other morning in this very hospital," I snapped, feeling my anger rising again. I turned away from them. A tear slid down my cheek, and I bit my lip harder.

"Mum, Dad, can you give us a minute?" Corey asked.

They both nodded, leaving the room. I felt the bed dip as Corey lay next to me.

I shook my head. I hated feeling weak.

He wrapped his arms around me and pressed a kiss on my neck. Corey always made me feel better. "It'll be okay, Chlo."

"You sound so sure," I whispered quietly as tears fell. "Why won't they listen to me, Corey? They stare at me like I'm a stranger."

"I am sure. I have faith. I always have and will. Especially right now. Incredibly hard to keep faith, especially in current circumstances. But if the doctor thinks this place can help you, what's the harm?"