|Trouble Maker|✔️

Chapter 10

Ashton
I held Josh's hand as he lay in the hospital bed, motionless.

I sniffled and didn't even bother wiping my tears away as new ones would just replace them.

The boys watched me with worry, making sure I could handle all this mentally but who really could?

My best friend since high school was stuck in a hospital bed because of me. He wasn't waking up and he wouldn't until the doctors met him.

The doctors said he would be out until he was healthy and stable enough. I gently leaned down to kiss his hand and mumble out an apology.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault, if I wasn't so stupid and naive then this wouldn't have happened to you." I sniffle again and Luke comes over to rub my back.

"It's not your fault he got hurt." He mumbles but I shake my head.

"I left you guys for no reason because I listened to other people. I've never really listened to myself and I should but I don't. I let people push me around and it's my fault. If I hadn't left you guys then Josh wouldn't have gotten hurt and I wouldn't have been taken and I just messed everything up." More tears fell down my face while the boys all just shook their heads.

"Ashton, it's not your fault. It's whoever did this. They chose to, they didn't have to." Calum mumbled and I shook my head again.

Why couldn't they tell me the truth? I know it was my fault. I was dumb. Stupid. I left and let myself get manipulated. I could've prevented all of this.

"I just want someone to tell me the truth." I mumbled and Michael sighed.

"The truth?" Michael asked and I looked up at him with a grimace.

"Yes." I mumbled and looked down at my lap in shame.

"Okay, the truth is that you shouldn't  have listened to Andy." Calum glared at Michael and hit his arm but Michael continued.

"You shouldn't have left us, we were heartbroken, we needed you and you weren't there." I just nodded along while tears fell down even faster. It was true.

"Michael..." Calum warned but Michael didn't listen to him.

"You shouldn't have left, you should've told us you were hurting and that you were thinking about leaving instead of just going. You should've taken us into consideration." I whimpered at his words but nodded along with him because it was true.

"You didn't do this to Josh though, that's not your fault. And you needed us as bad as we needed you when you left but you came back, and you make it up to us everyday you're here. The truth is that we care about you so much and we don't want any harm to come to you, we love you." I looked up at him with red rimmed eyes and nodded.

"I love you guys too." I mumble and they give me small sympathetic smiles.

It's silent after that, a change in the air as we all finally forgive each other fully. We wouldn't forget, no, but we would definitely forgive.

The moment is ruined as Michaels phone rings and he sighs before he picks it up, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?.....What?!.....Ok, thank you." He hangs up and just stares down at his phone while we all wait for some sort of news.

"Well?" Calum asks as he stays silent. Michael looks up with wide eyes.

"They...um."

"What?" Luke and I ask at the same time.

"Um, Andy...he uh." He takes a deep breath and shakes his head again in disbelief.

"What?" Calum asks in annoyance.

"Andy...he uh, he turned himself in."

Oh.

Another update sometime this week :)

Stay lovely🌹

-Olivia