The President's Daughter (Original) ✔️

35. Tragic

Billie Eilish, Khalid- Lonely

A Great Big World- Say Something

Jackson Wang- Bullet to the Heart

Taylor Swift- Sad Beautiful Tragic

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to @HayanaBoukar5 and @JacqulynWrites for constantly voting and/or commenting. Thank you so much!

Hope's POV

My mom knocks before entering. When she sees me lying on the bed, her face falls. "Oh honey, what's wrong?"

"How do you know something's wrong?" I ask in a low voice.

"I'm your mother. Won't you go to school today? You didn't go yesterday."

"Can I take the week off?" I pull the blanket tighter to my body despite the fact that I'm sweating. "Please?"

She sits on the bed and peers down at me. "What's going on?"

I avert my gaze. "Nothing."

"If you don't tell me, you'll have to go to school. And it looks like you're getting worse so I'll need to call Dr. Stein."

"Please. Don't."

"Hope, to me, it looks like you don't want to get better. Are you taking your medication?"

"I forget sometimes," I admit.

"Sooner or later, I'm calling Stein whether you like it or not." Her lip trembles. "I hate to see you this way," She says softly.

"Mom, I'll be fine." At least I hope I will. But the future didn't look very bright right now.

She sighs. "Let me call Damien, at least." I flinch at the mention of his name. "He'll know how to make you feel better. Plus, I promised him I'd teach him to cook. He can stay here until you're ready to go to school."

My eyes flutter as I try to keep the wave of emotion at bay. "Mom..."

"I'll text him, okay?"

I frown. "How do you even know his number?"

She shrugs. "Your dad gave it to me. I was just checking up on him yesterday."

That's all I needed for the wave of emotions to come back. I sob on her lap, even though I was sure tears had emptied out of my system.

Even if Damien didn't admit it, he was starting to see my mother as his own. Someone to love and treat him like a real mother should. I couldn't help the guilt clinging to my ribs, knowing that I took that away from him.

Don't leave me. I'll be lonely.

I wrap my arms tighter around her. "We broke up," I say through fits of sobs.

"What? When?" She strokes my hair in a soothing rhythm.

"Two days."

"But he said..." She sighs. "It's okay. You'll find each other again."

I shake my head. "No. The damage is irreversible. There's no going back. It's impossible."

"I'm so sorry."

I want to tell her the reason why we ended things. But I couldn't find the words. And how am I supposed to say it? Hey, so my ex-boyfriend watched my cousin get shot in the face and ran away like a coward. And I'm too weak to directly report him so now he's taking his time before turning himself in. It'll break her heart.