S O P H I E
Two years. Two whole years since Ashley's last panic attack. All this time, and now she's back to square one.
I clutch the phone closer to my ear as it beeps every few seconds, waiting to be answered.
"Come on Colette. Pick up." I mumble into my beeping phone.
"Hello?" Colette's tired voice makes me stop passing around the living room.
"Colette, it's happened again. Ashley's in hospital."
"Oh god-" She chokes. "-my baby. Which hospital?"
"St Jefferson-"
A loud crash from behind me cuts me off and I turn to see Ethan stumble in and breathing heavily after bursting through the beach house door.
"Ethan? What the hell?"
"S-she's awake. She I-I just wanted to help her Soph and s-she just freaked.
"Shit." I mumble, tightly closing my eyes.
"Sophie what's happening?" Colette's voice is now panicked and I hear movement on the other line.
"She woke up and Ethan tried to comfort her and....and she's relapsed." I let out a choked sob and cover my mouth as the tears stream down my cheeks.
"I'll be there as soon as I can. I have to take Amelia to Ms McCall's first." She continues and I hear the rattle of keys.
"Ok. See you soon". I whisper as I wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my jumper before the line goes dead.
I turn back to the pale faced Ethan who's continuously running a hand through his hair, making it messier than usual.
"What happened?" I walk over and put an hand on his arm.
"S-she woke up and I asked her.... I shouldn't have asked her...." He trails off into incoherent mumbles.
"What did you ask her?"
"I asked what happened to her."
Before I can react, Jake and Sebby emerge from the kitchen.
"What's going on?" Sebastian questions with a mouthful of banana.
"Ashley's awake. We should go see what the doctors are saying." I brush past Ethan and make my way to Sebby's Jeep.
~~
A S H L E Y
"Let's go over here, so nobody catches us." His warm breath blows across the back of my neck as he leads me behind the wall that separates his garden and the neighbours.
"Please don't do this. I don't...I don't want this." I barely get my words out before I burst into hysterics.
"Shhhh, we don't want the neighbours to find us, love." He puts his slimy hand over my mouth, squeezing tightly, making me whimper out in pain.
I jump awake, covered in a pool of my own sweat with my heart beating erratically in my chest.
The nauseous feeling surrounds me and lean over the bed to retch out the little contents from my stomach.
The acidic taste off bile burns my tongue as salty tears stream down my face.
It's starting again. The flashbacks and nightmares. I can't go through this again.
YOU ARE READING
A New Chapter
Teen FictionLife is like a book. There are good chapters, and there are bad chapters. But when you get to a bad chapter, you don't stop reading the book! If you do...then you never get to find out what happens next! - Brian Falkner Ashley has faced the worst c...
