Hide Within Yourself / Ansel Elgort a.u.

Phone Calls, Part Two.

I brushed my thumb over his bruised knuckles and he winced a little.

“Ah!” He exclaimed, quickly sitting up. I rolled my lip in my mouth.

“Sorry.” I apologized. I gently kissed his hand. A slight smile spread across his sleepy face.

“I didn’t know Ricky wanted to fight me.” Ansel explained. “If I had, I would’ve never showed up. Then, when he pulled out the gun, I tried to get away, but-” I gently kissed him.

“It’s okay, babe.” I whispered against his lips. “Its okay. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Are you going to school tomorrow?” Ansel looked over at me. I shook my head.

“I want to be here with you. I can always skip a day.” I quickly kissed him again and he smiled back at me.

“That’s nice of you.” Ansel bit his lip and then, looked like he remembered something.

“Oh yeah! Our lunch.” I laughed and looked at the clock, gently playing with his fingers.

“Ansel,” I answered. “It’s almost 10:30pm.” He kissed me and smiled.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t split a hospital sandwich.” He pressed the nurse button and I heard the shuffling of scrubs.

 

I lifted my head up off of my hand, my wrist tight. I rolled it around and blinked my eyes, trying to get my vision straight. In front of me was Ansel in his hospital bed, his lips slightly parted and his head facing me. I smiled at him, even though he couldn’t see it. I pulled out my phone and it was 3:42am. I turned my head and saw Ansel’s parents sitting there, asleep as well.

With no one to talk to, my mind fluttered back to the whole catastrophe that had happened earlier. My head was congested with fear, anger, and sorrow. Seeing Ansel the way I did and the way I saw him hours ago made my heart break. We had both thought that his bullying days were over, but we were wrong.

        Everything was going right. Ansel hadn't been smoking pot or hanging out with the burnouts. His grades shot up since he didn't feel like he had to hide it anymore. He wasn’t hiding within himself anymore, but I felt that it was going to start again. The fake persona, the bad grades and the getting high. As I saw Ansel stir in his sleep, I bit my lip and gave myself a goal. Being his girlfriend, I wasn’t going to let that happen. I would prove my love by making sure that he stays himself. And that’s what couples do: bring the best out of the other person.