Looking For Now↣l.h

3. Ashton

Chapter Three

"Elias!" I screech running into his arms and embracing him tightly. We haven't seen each other in a month due to our busy schedules, and now we finally get to see each other again for my graduation.

"Hey, love, I missed you," he speaks into my hair which muffles his voice.

"I missed you too. God, I'm so nervous," I pull back, and his hands drop down to grab mine and intertwine our fingers.

"Don't be! I mean what's the worst that can happen? I guess you could fall and trip on your face..." He teases and I gape at him.

"Don't say that! Now I'm scared," I pout at him.

"Sorry, love, I was only joking," he smirks and soon I'm smiling too.

"Have any tips, I mean you did do this last year,"

"Head up, look forward, bright smile. Don't look nervous, since hundreds of people will have their cameras pulled out," he says with a very serious face.

"Babe, you're supposed to be encouraging me, now you're scaring me!" I sigh in frustration. This is the biggest moment of my life yet. The beginning of our journey, after this we can go to the same college.

"I'm only teasing you because you're so worried about it. I promise you, it's not bad," he reassures me and kisses me softly on the nose, causing my stomach to do a belly flop. I love him I really do.

"Okay, thanks," I grin at him trying to hide the fear of messing up that is stirring inside of me.

"Well you better go in there, love, they'll be setting up soon," he gives my hands a tight reassuring squeeze, "I'll be right in the front of the audience cheering my girl on, so deep breaths and you got this."

The last thing I see is his white breathtaking smile before my eyes snap open when there is a knock on my door. It better not be that Leigh Anne lady again, I am in no mood to talk to some random woman about the events of the past twenty-four hours.

"What?" I groan loud enough for it to reach through the thin door that separates my tiny, old, and rotting room from the hospital hallways.

Once again, rather than answering me, the auburn haired woman comes walking right with clutching a bag in her painted red nails. Hasn't she ever heard of privacy? If this is going to be my room for a while I am not going to deal with this every day.

"Good morning, Cora. I am here because I have to ask you a few questions. In case you were wondering this is not the start of your treatment, not yet anyways. This is simply me trying to explain to you what is going on," she says in a very business-like tone before pulling out the chair from my desk and sitting down.

"Look, I know what's going on. You're going to monitor me for seventy-two hours and treat me like a psycho-path then we can both move on with our lives, am I correct?" I cross my arms daring her to tell me I'm wrong. Yesterday I was too out of it to try to process what would happen, but now I remember reading about a girl who attempted suicide and was out in "suicide watch" so three days and I'm out. The thought relieves the stress of having to stay here, but it strikes a fear into my heart that Elias will find me.

"Actually, you are in fact, mistaken," she says with a smirk that says "I told you so" before continuing, "the man who brought you here, Jackson, is a good friend of mine and that is how he knew to take you here. He has convinced me that you are not an average patient, since you didn't actually harm yourself yet, you were waiting for the train right?" I nod my head slowly in answer. I'm surprised by her new information and don't know what to say, "he thinks it is best if we keep you here as more of a therapy patient and talk you through your troubles. I am thinking that this is the best option and I will decide after you answer one question: do you have a home, Cora?"