Cigarettes, Rebels And Me, #1 ✔

Chapter 29 [Colton's POV] - Friendship, Heartbreak, Love And Other Drugs

Well, wipe that look off your face because that's not what happened.

"Fuck you," I groan playfully as Cam laughs in my face, making me want to throw the controller in my hand on his face. "Ugh, damn!"

"Come one, Colty, don't be such a sore loser," Cam teases me, inching closer and bumping his shoulders into mine. I just push him away.

"I demand you to play one more game with me. I challenge you," I say through gritted teeth, feigning anger, pointing my finger at my best friend.

"I accept it," Cam says, confidence laced in his voice, his nose high in the air. "I'm gonna kick your ass." He immediately gets up to his feet.

But before we can get our game restarted, Ella's head pops in Cam's room, looking surprised upon seeing me.

"Colton, hey," she says with a small smile and I wave at her, giving her a wink.

Confident much? my subconscious mocks me, but I ignore that small, annoying voice in my head.

"Dude," Cam says flatly to me, "don't. No googly eyes when I'm around, kay?"

"Whatever," I mutter, turning my attention back to Ella. "How are you?"

"Awesome. A bit hungry. Desperate to sit back and relax. Tired," is her answer.

Quite the description.

"You can always join us," I offer, seeing her rub her temple, tired. "Did you come from anywhere? You look a bit worn off."

"Oh, Ella, just go away," Cam interrupts with a whine, punching my shoulder. "I'm trying to beat Colton, but he's trying to talk to you and not play the damn game."

I raise my eyebrows at Cam, turning to look at him intensely. "No need to be so keen on losing."

But when I turn to look back at Ella, she's gone.

---

"I need you to come to the hospital. SOS," I read aloud Ethan's message, my hand reaching out to my pocket searching for my car keys. "Macy stuff. I need you to come, please. ASAP."

The moment there's a Macy reference, panic strickes in me along with annoyance. Why is she everywhere?

"What the hell," I breath out, running my hands through my hair and then rubbing my face repeatedly. "What the fuck is Macy doing at the clinic where Ethan went to meet with his doctor?"

"Macy what?" Ella almost chokes on her drink, giving me her full attention for the first time.

Ella has been seeming a little off to me since she was in Cam's room, and it's making me a little worried. She's been staring off into space, constantly checking her phone, and showing the general behaviour of an impatient person. She's barely touched her coffee while I'd gulped down mine ages ago.

Hers is probably even cold now.

"Ella, are you okay?" I ask her, unsure, but she doesn't answer, staring at her coffee, her eyes unfocused. "Ella," I repeat, getting up from my seat in the kitchen and walk half-way round the table till I reach her.

"Hey," I say as gently as I can; she seems a little disturbed, and I don't want to come off as harsh. Placing my hand on her shoulder and making her turn around to face me, I raise me eyebrows slightly, licking my lips subconsciously. "I know you're not okay. Maybe you could join me, I gotta go pick up Ethan from the hospital
It's an emergency."

Ella's eyes turn a little guilty and then they soften. "Is he okay?"

"I think we'll know that when we go there."