Where Are You Now?

So Far Yet Always Here

Chapter 10

The song for this chapter is

"Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran."

I try not to look at them but I can't. And the more I do the more it hurts me. "Come on, let's go." George says and I shake my head still looking at them. "No." I say and that's when Josh pulls her away and finally notices me but he looks away as if it was nothing.

"Need a drink?" Austin suggests laughing and Josh gives him a warning look.

"Give her a cupcake." Sasha joins in with a smirk on her face. "Oh, for heaven's sake." George shuts her. "Why? What's wrong with the cupcakes?" I ask looking at George which makes her laugh.

"If you have more than one you won't be able to know what you're doing." George explains it to me and my heart drops, I could feel my cheeks getting warmer now as I search the room for Chloe but there is no use of this.

"Chloe !! Brad..." I yell over the music searching the room for him but he isn't here.

"God, Chloe." I cry standing and wash the tears away. "Hey calm down. Tell me what's wrong?" Josh asks standing in front of me and I flinch seeing him this close to me. "Chloe ate so many of them and ..." I explain trying to control my tears and breathe normally.

"George, you stay with her." Josh demands and he immediately nods. "No, I'm coming with you." I tell him frowning.

"No, you need to stay here. I got this trust me. Okay?" He quickly says getting closer to me and I just nod taking a step back away from him.

He rushes out of the room and Austin follows. "George, what if something happens to her?" I ask him hoping she's okay because it was my fault. I should have searched for her when she didn't come back after a few minutes. And fear fills me in once I start thinking of what might happen to her. "She'll be okay." He says comforting me with a warm smile but it's obvious he's worried as much as I am.

"You two look adorable." Sasha says with the usual smirk on her face. "You are supposed to be her friend." I yell over the loud music as she is still sitting and she just rolls her eyes ignoring me.

I hate her, I hate how she pushes my buttons every time she says something and how she kissed Josh while I was supposed to be the only one who kisses him and the thought of that breaks me every second.

"Should we go and...? " I start but he interrupts me. "We better stay here." He says and I look at the ground chewing on my lip.

And that's when Austin rushes in. "We found her. She was... she was upstairs." Austin informs us looking back and forth between George and I and thousands of questions pop up in my head hoping that it's not what I think he means. "Josh took her to his car ... he's taking her home." He says before I could ask him anything.

"I want to see her." I say looking at Austin and I've never seen him serious before. "Michelle..." George starts. "Please." I beg and he nods allowing me to follow Josh.

I rush through the crowded house which is more crowded than before now and finally leave the house to find Josh with Brad next to his car.

"Where is she?" I ask Josh and Brad immediately turns to look at me. "She'll be alright." Brad reassures me with a small smile before he walks away.

"I'm coming with you to take her home." I tell him. "No..." He starts. "I'm not asking you Josh." I interrupt him trying not to cry once the vision of him and Sasha flashes back.

"Okay, get in." He says getting in the car too. I sit in the passenger's seat next to him and look back.

"Josh, they didn't..." I start once I see her.

She's laying in the back with her eyelids closed and covered with a white blanket. Her cheeks are rosy of crying and a black mascara is covering her eyes.

"They didn't touch her." He tells me starting the car and relief fills in.

"I'm sorry you had to see this." He says keeping his eyes on the road. "People are so bad." I say resting my head on the window trying so hard not to cry.

"She'll be okay." He breathes looking at me then back at the road and I close my eyes for a few minutes and warm tears start falling down on my cheeks as I rest my head on the window.

"Are you crying?" He asks immediately stopping the car on the side. "No." I shake my head looking at him then look back through the window. "Talk to me." He orders looking directly at me and I laugh a bit. "I'm terrified of what happened to her." I say forcing a smile as he stares at me. "Hey, she's okay." He tells me and I don't say anything. "Let's just take her home." I say and he nods starting the car once again.

I watch him as he drives his car with one hand while resting the other on the side. And looks back through the mirror every now and then to check up on her.

"We're here." He informs me stopping the car in front of her house. "What are you going to tell them?" I ask him lifting my head up.

"The truth." He answers looking through the window at the house then at me. "Do you want me to come with you?" I ask him. "No, stay here . I'll deal with it." He tells me. "Okay." I nod.

I watch as he gets out of the car, opens the back seat door and carries her with him. He knocks at the door and a few seconds later someone turns on the lights. Her mother opens the door and she starts crying once she sees Josh carrying her. She lets him inside and closes the door behind them.

And I just want to go home, cover myself with my bed's mattress and fall asleep erasing every image that's still stuck in my head from what had happened today.

A few minutes later he leaves the house and gets in the car without saying anything and I don't ask him anything. He starts the car once again and the rest of the ride is spent in silence.

"Thank you." I say to him a few minutes later stopping the car in front of my house. "You're welcome." He says with a weak smile.

I leave the car, walk a few steps to get to my house and knock a few times before my mother opens the door. "Hey. How was the game?" She asks walking back to the kitchen. "It was good." I lie forcing a smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed." She tells me while drying her hands. "We went to a party then. It was good too." I lie laughing a bit. "Okay." She carefully says.

"I'm going to my room. I'm really tired." I tell her and with that I go upstairs to my room.

I lock the door behind me and lay in bed once I take off my shoes without turning on the lights allowing the street lights to lighten my room a bit. I stare at the ceiling hoping this ache in my chest would disappear and without being able to control myself, I start crying. I cry out all the tears that I kept on while pretending to be okay. Pretending that my heart doesn't ache whenever the picture of him with her comes up to my mind wondering why am I even sad; I didn't lose him.

"God." I cry bringing my knees against my chest. Why do I care so much for him? Why do I have to cry for him? He isn't even mine.