Just stay with me

Chapter 1

Ashley

I wake up and I realise that I'm again in my cell. Libby isn't here. What could have happened? I wait for a minute seated in my bed trying to remember why I'm here. I was already out. They had given me the conditional release so, why am I here again?  I bend my knees and I stick my head between them. I begin to sob. This isn't fair. I was already out, I keep saying to myself. I try to calm myself down for a minute.

-One, two, three, four...- I breath deeply while I start counting to ten slowly.

I'm almost reaching the end when I hear a scream coming from the corridor. It's Libby's voice. I approach to the bars and stick my head out. She's running towards me while she keeps shouting.

-He's coming. He's already arriving. Escape. For God's sake, escape. RUN ASHLEY.-

Libby's face is completely bloodstained and a huge scratch covers her chest. She gets to open my door and falls to the floor fainted.

-Libby!- I try to pick her up to run away with her but I can't raise her.

-Libby please get up, we have to leave.-

I'm desperate and scared. I must do something quickly but I don't know what to do.

- Leave. You still have time to save yourself. Don't let him reach you.- she says in a whisper.

I don't understand anything. Who or what shouldn't reach me? I won't leave without her, if she doesn't get out of here she will bleed to death.

I hear an inhuman noise at the end of the corridor and I get really frightened.

-He's already coming. You have to leave know or it will be to late for you. Please go.- Libby pleas to me crying.

I kiss her forehead and after telling her I love her I start to run.

I turn at the corner and get to the next corridor. I turn to the right and afterwards to the left. Some more turns and I will be out. Come on Ashley, just some more effort, I think to myself. I am a few meters from the door when...

Ringgg, ringgg! Ringgg, ringgg!

I wake up between my sheets, sweating and with a terrible hangover. I stretch my arm and after a few attempts I get to turn off the alarm clock. Has it only been a dream? It seemed to be so real. I stay for a while under the bedspread thinking about all the things that have happened to me this month.

I have been given conditional release; I had to say goodbye to my best friend, Libby; I have finally left prison after my 4 year-long sentence; I have come back home, back to my home town and I have finally recovered my friends. What could be wrong to have that kind of dreams?

I get up and walk to the bathroom. New York city is so nice at this time in the morning from my window.

-At last everything's normal again- I say out loud to myself.

Today I will start working again. I have been employed at a cafe in Lower Manhattan. I hope this work lasts enough for me to support myself untill I find a better one.

I take off the clothes I wore last night, get into the shower and I open the cold water tap. Water starts to fall and wets me from my toes to my head.  After a long time rubbing my body I rinse it, get off the shower and go undressed to the kitchen. I put two slices of bread in the toaster. While they are toasting I go back to my bedroom and put on a pair of white shorts which contrast perfectly with my tanned legs and a blue strapless neckline blouse. When I arrive at work I will put on that awful uniform.

I brush my hair and go back to the kitchen to get my toasts. I make a coffee, spread my toasts with strawberry jam and I sit down to start having breakfast. I'm about to get the first bite of one of my toasts when the door bell rings.

Who the hell could be at the fucking 7 am on Monday?

I approach to the door being still barefooted and when I open it I find Jack resting his back in the door frame.

It can't be him. This can't be happening. The last time I saw Jack it was some days before going to prison. Things between him and me were going well but when everything happened he turned away from me. Now he's so different.  He let his hair grow a little more and it is really good. His eyes still have the same bright as always, not to mention that these 4 years have helped him to become a man. He has changed, but he's still more or less like the way I have remembered him throughout this years, he still has his essence.

But inspite of being waiting for a long time to see him again I don't know how to react. I don't know why he is here.

I stand still looking firmly at his eyes.

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Hello everybody. I hope you are enjoying this first chapter of the book. If you think or want to say anything just write it. I'll try to update at least one new chapter every week but I still have to organize myself. Vote and loads of kisses