I'm sorry if this chapter is lame/boring, the next one should be quite fun :)
Chills travel up my spine and wake me from my troubled sleep. I dreamt of watching Katie’s car accident and feeling utterly helpless. I sit up on the stiff couch and wipe my eyes. There’s a soft blue color shining through the drapes and the clock on the wall reads six in the morning. My eyes lock on Katie’s bruised and bandaged body.
“Finn?” I call out.
“Shhh,” my Aunt Carrie steps into the room, “I made Finn go home an hour ago, sweetie. He looked exhausted.”
“Oh.”
My Aunt sips from a glass of water and takes the seat next to me. The bags under her eyes are becoming darker. Her hair is wrapped tightly into a bun and she isn’t wearing any makeup. I’ve never seen my Aunt look so distressed.
“I don’t know where you found those twins, but they are precious,” she says with a small smile.
“You think so too?”
“Well of course! Finn didn’t want to leave you this morning. I had to practically push him out the door, that poor thing. And Jack’s called twice already, making sure everything was okay and wanting to know if we needed anything.”
My body melted into a low, “Awe.”
After a short pause my Aunt turns her head, “So which one are you with?”
“W-What?”
“Which one are you friendly with?” she can’t help but giggle at her own words.
“Um…” I scratch my head, “That’s an odd question to hear from my Aunt.”
“Oh come on, Ash. I’m not your mother. You can talk to me about this kind of stuff.”
I bite my lip. What would she think if I told her I was friendly with both of them? God that sounds so awful. I close my eyes and try to pick a name. Jack or Finn? Jack or Finn? Which name should I say to my Aunt?
“It’s Finn, isn’t it?” my Aunt Carrie takes another gulp of her water.
“Yeah,” I sigh instantly and try to change the subject, “Anyways, have you talked to the doctor?”
“I don’t want to talk about what the doctors say,” she snaps, “I don’t want to keep thinking about that. “
“Oh… I’m sorry. I understand.”
I try to think of another way to change the subject. While I’m thinking of a topic that won’t make either of us upset, my cell phone starts to ring. It’s my Dad calling from back home. My through clenches and I hesitate before answering.
“Hello?”
“Ashley?” he sounds furious, “Where the hell have you been?”
“Um… L.A.?”
“Very funny! You were supposed to call us whenever you got off the plane. You’ve been there two whole days and haven’t replied to us once!”
“I’m sorry Dad, I’ve been kind of scatterbrained since I got here.”
“Where did you stay two nights ago?”
His question squeezes my heart and refuses to let go. I don’t know how to respond. I can’t tell my Dad that I spent the night in a hotel with a boy I met at a club.
“What?” I blurt out in stupidity.
“Your cousin Christian told us you haven’t been sleeping in the house. Is that true?”
I close my eyes in anger, remembering my other cousins. Katie’s little brother is such a pest. I can’t believe he told my Dad.
“Katie and I stayed at one of her friend’s house,” I lie.
There’s a long pause and I can feel my Dad’s anger diminish.
His tone is almost apologetic and I’m surprised, “How is she doing?”
My eyes flash to Katie’s unconscious figure. She looks horrible.
“She’s… the same.”
A long sigh escapes from my Dad. The entire room is silent and I can hear my own heartbeat. I hate this.
“I have to go, Dad. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“I hope so,” he whispers before ending the phone call.
Hours seem like minutes, and before I know it it’s mid-afternoon. I’ve spent my whole day consoling my irrational Aunt, talking to a bunch of nurses, and pigging out on weird cafeteria food. I haven’t heard from Jack or Finn all day.
I cross my arms over my stomach and stare out the window. Since Carrie fell asleep on the couch, I’ve been trapped in silence. Jack said he was going to stop by this morning, but never did. Finn disappeared while I was asleep… and I can’t help but feel lonely.
I turn around when I hear a knock at the door. I recognize Jack’s innocent grin from across the room. I spot the bouquet of colorful flowers at his side and giggle.
“Hey,” he whispers, “I got these for your cousin.”
“That’s so sweet, Jack.”
I walk across the room and take the flowers out of his hand. Before I turn away, I lean in and give him a small kiss on his cheek. I can feel his smile grow. I place the flowers on the small wooden table beside Katie’s head, trying to avoid looking directly at my cousin’s face.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this morning,” he sighs briefly, “Something came up.”
“It’s totally fine, don’t worry about it.”
“Well I feel bad about it, so I got you a present,” his stare intensifies.
He’s so attractive that I feel flustered just standing in front of him. Is this the first time I’ve ever talked to Jack while sober?
I bite my lip, “What did you get me?”
He reaches out and wraps my hand inside of his. Jack leans in closer and pauses once his lips are beside my ear.
“An adventure. Let’s get out of here.”
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Travel (A Jack and Finn Harries Fanfiction)
Fanfiction"It’s something that should have never happened. It’s so hard for me to regret it, though. Everything about him was perfect. Everything about him still is perfect." Ashley is hesitant to travel back to California, the place she used to call home. Bu...
