Abused {ACM}

Chapter 24

I ate in silence for a while, listening to their conversations and giggling at their adorableness. Parker nudged me under the table and smiled at me, and I smiled back. But a deep, deep pang of grief hit my heart as I watched them interact. They were so comfortable with each other - throwing peas and tickling and poking fun. Clary reminded me too much of Macey - Dustin too much of Zach, Zoe too much like Zoey, Parker too much like half of Alex and the other half of Austin.

"Two years, Abby." I muttered under my breath. "Two more years until Austin." I missed him like the moon misses the stars in the daytime. But this happens - this would just prove that our love was real. Being separated for two years and still being together - I think that's real love.

But I already knew what we had was real.

Liking somebody is knowing their good personality and their perfections and feeling butterflies. But being in love is knowing all of their inner demons and flaws and still - there are the butterflies. And right now, just thinking about him, the butterflies were in overdrive.

Austin's POV

"Come on, Austin. Get up." Zoey grabbed my hand and pulled softly, her skinny pale fingers contrasting against my long tan ones. I lay on my bed, my grey sheets tangled around my legs, half of my face smothered into a pillow.

I stared at her, no emotion flickering into my heart at the sight of her face. A few weeks back, brotherly love and protection would have swelled into my brain and I would have grinned and pulled her tiny little body into a hug, but now I didn't know what to think about her.

I didn't know what to feel.

So I laid there and watched the shadows of my eyelashes flick up and down in the corner of my vision as I blinked, contrasting with my white, dirty pillowcase.

"It's early, Zoey. The sun just started rising." I pointed vaguely in the direction of the window.

She tugged even harder. I didn't even budge. "It's setting, not rising, Austin. You need to get up. Take a shower! Eat!"

I shrugged. "Not hungry."

"You've been skipping school for the past couple of weeks. You need to move around! Do something with your life! Just because you're separated from Abby doesn't mean you can't live!" Zoey shouted.

I yanked my hand from her grip and flipped over, glaring at the tiny little indents her nails made on my skin. Suddenly, I sat up and stared at her. "How would you feel if Zach were taken away from you? Because you found out that his father was beating him, and that his mother knew all along? And you would come home just to have him run over to your house with bruises and cuts, crying, not knowing what to do or where to go? And suddenly he's just yanked away from you - and you can't protect him anymore? You don't know where he is or what's happening to him or if you'll ever see him again. How would you feel then, Zoey?"

Zoey visibly swallowed, and she took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I don't know what I would do, Austin. But you know what I wouldn't do? I wouldn't lay on my bed for over 48 hours straight, barely eating, and wasting away my life. You know why? Because Zach wouldn't want that for me. How do you think Abby would feel if she saw you rotting away on your bed because of her? She would hate that, Austin. So please, please get up! Do something!"

I stared at her, her large blue eyes which were rimmed by dark circles, and the way she carried herself...as if she were shying away from the world. I realized I wasn't the only one affected by Abby's sudden disappearance from our lives. I got off my bed and brushed past her, but she caught me lightly.