Escape | Updated Weekly

19

I was grateful that the last week of uni before summer was going to be a busy one. It kept my mind off the things that otherwise overtook my thoughts.

Our publisher's event was fast approaching, so I just threw myself into the work. The band also had a big gig coming up so I didn't see much of Mac. Which I didn't mind, he had some things to be sorting and I just needed time to process. 

I was in the library when Chloe eventually found me. "Where have you been hiding?" She asked, seeming out of breath. "I have been looking everywhere for you! The classroom, the band's rehearsal room..." she stopped at two. I tried to stifle a laugh. "That's not everywhere" I mocked, and she rolled her eyes. "Well it's the two main places and it's either side of uni". She sat down opposite me, getting her laptop out of her bag.

"How much do you have left to do?". I scanned my own laptop, skimming down the checklist I had made to ensure that I wouldn't forget anything. "Mainly just the editing and then the printing". Chloe held her head in her hands "I'm so stressed with all of this. What if they all hate it?". She had a way of over stressing about things. We're only in our first year of uni, we have another two years to make an impression on a potential publicist. Then again, maybe I had just been telling myself that so I wouldn't panic as much as her.

We worked for hours, I had been focusing so hard on it that I didn't even realize what time it was when I actually took a small break. I glanced over at Chloe who was still furiously tapping away at her computer screen. She noticed me staring and stopped. "Somethings of with you" she said briefly before going back to her laptop.

My brow creased. How the hell could she figure me out so easily? I just shrugged, she was too stressed out to be discussing my non-work related thoughts.

She finished what she was typing and then shut her laptop. "Go on then. I could do with a break anyway". I told her about what had happened the week before. I even told her Mac's side of the story when it came to his Dad. She listened carefully, nodding every now and then as I spoke. Thankfully we were sat far enough away from other people that no one would overhear us. When I finished she was silent for a few seconds and then said.

"So it is true about his Dad?" I nodded, unsure of where she was going with that statement. "Eve, I wouldn't worry about it. At the end of the day he's just a boy and if he's scared to love you then it's his loss" she reached over and grabbed my hand from across the table "Either way I'm gonna love you until the end of my days and so will Tom". I smiled and squeezed her back. "And I promise that I'll break Tom's neck if ever hurts you" I replied back. She giggled and let go.

"I'm serious, I'm strong enough to do it"

"I don't doubt that you are"

I stared at my laptop and decided there wasn't anything more I could do on my story tonight, Chloe thought otherwise and decided to stay. I sent a text to Tom as I left her in the library. 

'Hey stranger. You around?'

'Rehearsal room' 

I made my way to the music block. It looked like a ghost town, just like me and Chloe the band were working to the bone. The day our publisher's event was happening was also the day the entire uni had events going on through out for every subject, so everyone was scrambling to finish some final touches on a project somewhere along the line. 

I opened up the door to the rehearsal room only to be stopped by Tom. "Hey!" he said quickly. I looked behind him. All of the boys were in there in their usual places, they looked like they were getting ready to start another song. "You never said you were actually coming" said Tom and I stared at him. "I usually do if I have spare time".