The Guarded One ✔

Chapter Twenty-Two

I enter the house quickly in both fear and anger.

Jess: Well???

Me: They're considering turning off her life support.

Tyler: Wtf!?!

Duncan: Wait what? No they can't!

I can't let her parents turn her off. I won't. But what can I do about it?

My phone continues to blast messages from the group chat where they all continue to lose their shit. Instead of giving them answers, I decide to ignore their messages and storm through the house.

When I arrive at the kitchen I find Aunt Laura sitting across from a familiar woman. It takes me a minute to realize who she is.

"Are you okay?" Aunt Laura asks in concern.

I nod slowly "Doris, you're in town?"

The red head grins "did you get the birthday present I sent you?"

I smile "Yeah I did"

"How did it go at the hospital?" Aunt Laura asks.

I shake my head violently "can we talk about it in the morning?"

Aunt Laura nods slowly, allowing me to walk up the staircase to my bedroom.

I drop to the floor when my chest begins to tighten. I fall back against the pale walls while grabbing a blunt and a yellow lighter from my back pack.

I slip the blunt onto my bottom lips while flicking my thumb against the flint wheel, sparking a yellow flame.

I tilt my head forward allowing the cigarette to ignite — easing the tension in my head, slowing down my racing mind.

When closing my eyes, their faces pop up in my head. Hayden seizing in the hospital bed, Jess' pale complexion and blue lips, Duncan laying beside me unconscious, Elise's screams, Angel's wide eyes the night Trisha died. I can see it all so clearly. Like I'm back there.

It's not real. None of it. Elise isn't standing beside me about to give birth. Duncan isn't trapped beside me in that car. Jess isn't sick in bed from her chemo. Trisha's been dead for years, Angel isn't standing beside Sam in shock anymore.

But Hayden. She's still there. She's still laying in that bed. Maybe in six months time, I'll be here again, telling myself that she made it out okay but I don't know. At least not right now I don't.

So until then, do I remain a worrying mess of a human? Yeah, I guess so.

Suddenly there's a knock at the door. I don't respond and allow the door to swing open. Aunt Laura enters my sight.

"There's cheesecake" she half smiles.

I look down at the blunt, shaking between my two fingers. "How could I resist?"

My aunt walks through the thick smoke before dropping beside me. "What happened at the hospital?"

I shake my head before sighing "Hayden's parents are going to turn off her life support"

She lets out a sigh "they said that?"

I shrug before taking another drag "they didn't have to"

"Where did you get that?" She looks at the blunt.

"Kid from school grows it" I admit. She nods before pulling her hand out. I pass her the weed cigarette before she places it in her mouth, taking a drag. "You smoke?"

Aunt Laura smirks. "There's a lot you don't know about your aunt"

"Like what?" I raise a brow.

She looks up "hmm let's see...I used to be an exotic dancer"

My eyes widen "you're kidding"

Aunt Laura was a stripper?

My aunt laughs "after your mum moved to New York, I followed her...I was in law school and working as a dog walker...after I got kicked out, I needed extra cash and so Doris had the bright idea for me to work with her as a dancer"

I laugh "of course she did, is there anything else?"

Aunt Laura smirks. "Yeah you're a bit young still, maybe when you get a little older"

"Ah, what are you plonkers doing up there?" Doris calls from down stairs.

"I'm coming, give me a sec, will ya!" Aunt Laura screams with a slight smirk before looking back over to me, "...I don't ever want you ever to be too scared to tell me anything, you got that?"

I nod slowly "yeah I know...it's just hard sometimes..."

She sighs "just keep reminding yourself what Raff said okay?"

I look down. "I'm not trapped in his house anymore, sworn to secrecy"

Aunt Laura half-smiles before kissing my forehead. "There's cheesecake down stairs if you want a slice"

"Thanks" I nod before crushing the cigarette against the ash tray.

I tilt my head back and look up at the ceiling. My mind goes back to when I was a kid, trapped in that house. The monster would come out, only at night, screaming like the beast he truely was. A bottle in one hand, my arm in the other.

I cover my eyes with my hands like I did most nights when my father would beat up on me. I can still feel his hits against my skin without trying to think too hard.

All I can say for sure is that I thank whatever God there is, that he's locked up, away from Angel and I.

My only fear at this point is Jimmy, my dad's cellmate from prison that wants to make my life here on this earth as short as possible.

At this point in time, I don't fear my father — I fear Jimmy more than anything else.

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A/N

2 chapters this week!!

I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter. The next phase in Jason's story is starting and I'm so hyped to share it with you guys.

I've finished pre-writing chapters for this book and I'm so obsessed with the ending!

Please tell me what you think so far.

Thank you

Happy reading!

- Rose xx