The Dysfunction Of Evan: Books 1-3 Collection

30. Simple Plan, Untitled

"Astrid, are you and Tom getting married?" 

"Astrid, can you comment about what happened at the club?"

"Astrid, what are your plans?"

"Astrid, look over here!" 

"Astrid!"

"Astrid!"

"Astrid!"

The lights were flashing, people were jumping around me yelling. I couldn't match faces to voices. I pushed past them and took off running. I couldn't go to Ben's with them following me. There was a group of them in a car, hanging out of the windows with their cameras. I didn't know where I was running to, I just needed to get away. 

I ran down the steps to the underground, hoping to ditch them. I ran into the first restroom I could find and locked myself in a stall. I took a minute to catch my breath then pulled out my phone. 

"Astrid, hello." His voice was deep and slightly shocked. 

"Ben, I need help." I said, gasping for air. " I was going to stop in and surprise you and Sophie, but there were a shit load of paps outside the house. I couldn't even get back through the gate." 

"Are you alright? Where's Tom?" He asked, concerned. 

"Out with a friend. I'm fine. I don't know where I am, and the leeches followed me. I'm in some random restroom in the Underground." I slouched against the door. "I can hear them out side." 

"Okay. Stay there. I need you to share your location with me. Call Tom and tell him what happened. I'll see about getting someone to you." Ben said. 

"Okay. Thank you." I said. I ended the call and went into my text messages and shared my location. Then I called Tom. 

"Yes, darling?" He answered. I told him exactly what I told Ben. 

"Fuckers." He growled. "Angie, can you take Bobby? I need to take care of something." I heard him say faintly. "Thank you." 

"You said Ben is working on getting you out?" He said to me. 

"Yeah. I don't know how though." 

"He's probably calling the Underground security." Tom said. "You have no idea which entrance you ran into?" 

"I wasn't paying attention. I just wanted to get away from them." I said. I started coughing. 

"I'm heading home right now, hopefully they've cleared out." He said. "I need to call my care taker." 

"Okay. I'm just gonna stay here." I said. 

"I'll call you shortly." He said before he ended the call. 

After a few minutes, the few people that had been in the restroom cleared out, so I opened the door and went to the sink. My lungs were on fire from running. I could hear the paps pounding on the door, shouting my name. 

"GO AWAY!" I screamed. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

My phone rang, it was Ben. 

"Security is on their way. I'll meet you at the entrance." Ben said when I answered. "Tom called me, his house is totally swamped. He's having his care taker bring your things and a bag of stuff for him to a hotel. You'll stay there until they can get cleared out." 

"Okay, thank you." I said. The door swung open and a woman with a camera darted in, I could hear the clicking of the shutter. She started shouting questions at me, and more people with cameras flooded in. I darted back into the stall and locked myself in.