Chapter 12 is dedicated to seleneparis and matteaz
Thank you for your support ❤
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I went back to the Royal Realm a few days later. This time, because Princess Hailey had somehow acquired my number and had called me me asked to meet up. I didn’t really want to go, but curiosity got the better of me and so here I was.
“Hello, Liz.” She waved. “I can call you Liz, can't I?”
“Um... okay.”
“Great. I was feeling a bit bad for what I said to you a few weeks ago. You didn’t come back so I thought that maybe I had hurt your feelings.”
“Don’t worry about it. I wanted to give you two some space. You are going to be engaged after all."
She clapped happily. “Yes, and I’m so happy. Ashton’s been really busy lately and I’m feeling lonely. Let’s be friends.”
Without waiting for me to reply, she pulled me out of the house. Her bodyguards strode behind us silently.
“Let’s spend the day together. I know the perfect place,” she squealed.
I ended up sitting through a spa pampering day with Hailey- she'd told me to just call her Hailey instead of Princess Hailey- as she chatted about this and that. I didn’t even need to say much. I just had to put in a few ‘Hmms’ and ‘Yeahs’. She just kept going on and on. She had apparently decided that we were now friends.
Throughout the day, Hailey chatted about her family. She was the youngest of six sisters and was elated to finally travel outside of Meryllia. She actually didn’t seem as bad as I’d made her out to be before. Maybe I’d been wrong about her.
“Hey, since you’ve, you know, dated Ash, what kind of things does he like?”
She called him Ash... What did he call her? No, I shouldn't think about that. I shook my head to clear the sad thoughts away, and got into a list of things Ashton did and did not like.
“He prefers savory food although he likes the cakes at Creamy Dreams.” I smiled. “He's full of surprises too. He doesn't seem like type to like hiking, but he does. And he loves sports. He played football for our school- he was the quarterback- and he does basketball and swimming in his spare time.
"He prefers watching movies over reading books and he gets jealous easily, but feels better after you give him a hug.” My mind drifted through the memories, remembering the moments I’d shared with Ashton. “And the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles is the cutest thing ever.”
“He likes savory foods, huh?” She brought her fist down onto her palm. “I’ll try making him something he'll like.”
I grimaced, wondering if she would end up making history by burning down the palace. “You can cook?”
“No, but how hard could it be to follow a recipe.” She smiled to herself as she searched the web for the perfect meal to make. "I'll win him over with my feminine charms."
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“You look tired,” Kevin remarked.
“Like you’re one to talk,” I retorted. “Seriously, Kev, you need rest.”
“I know, but when Ashton is working himself to the bone like this, it makes it hard for the rest of us to just sit back and do nothing.”
“Jackson would be proud,” I commented.
“That was his big plan all along,” Kevin joked. “To leave so that Ashton could kill us with work.”
I laughed at that. I had only seen Ashton once today and he had looked tired and agitated.
“I heard that you two got into a fight,” I murmured.
He winced. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Ashton’s been getting into a lot of bad habits recently,” he finally confided with a sigh. “The king’s been pressuring him nonstop. He couldn’t get any sleep if he wanted to.”
“Why is he doing that again now?” I scowled. “Ashton agreed to an arranged marriage, so shouldn’t everything be okay?”
“I don’t know,” Kevin groaned, running a hand through his hair. “CaVaughn won’t say anything either, but the gist of it is that Ashton made some sort of deal with the king.”
“And the consequence are this high? I really should have given the king a piece of my mind when I had the chance.”
“If this doesn’t end soon, we all will have to. Ashton’s giving up without actually giving up.”
“What kind of habits has he been getting into?”
“For one, he’s been drinking an unhealthy amount of alcohol. It takes a lot for him to even get tipsy, but that’s what he’s aiming for. Our bodies burn off alcohol quickly, so he just keeps on going.”
“How can it get much worse than that?” I groaned. “Is this my fault?”
“It isn’t,” Kevin assured me, squeezing my shoulders. “He made his own decision to do what he did. Plus this is from his deal with the king. It’s not your fault.”
He paused. “He asked me not to tell you, but he’s not listening to me and everyone’s getting dejected. He might not listen, but maybe if you try…”
I frowned. “I doubt I’d make a difference.”
Kevin sighed. “It’s worth a shot. It really pains me to see like this. It’s like…” He shook his head. “I should get back to work.”
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I spent the rest of the day with Micah and Esmeralda. She had forced him to come out into the garden and he grumbled for most of the time, but obeyed. He eventually cheered up somewhat when we started talking.
I had been invited by Hailey to have dinner with everyone else. They didn’t seem the least bit interested in what she was doing, and as black smoke billowed from the kitchen, everyone politely excused themselves and left as quickly as possible. The kitchen staff had tried to save whatever was left of her meal, but that was a lost cause.
I made her a sandwich and after eating, she went to bed in tears.
I'd said hello to Kevin’s parents and instructed him to get some sleep. Then, I went back to the palace to get my car.
A pungent smell enveloped me as I neared the parking lot. It smelt like smoke. I investigated and then nearly had a heart attack.
I just managed to make out Ashton’s figure in the darkness. He was sitting on the ground beside the house and was blanketed by a thick cloud of smoke.
“Ashton!” I called out to him. “Ashton!”
I ran over, shielding my nose from the stench with my shirt. I knelt on the ground in front of him. All around him was littered with used cigarettes. In his hand, was a half empty pack. Bottles of alcohol were strewn across the grass. This had to be a nightmare.
“Ashton!” I yelled, plucking the cigarette from his hand. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
He stared at me for a few seconds as I sputtered in the smoke.
“Elizabeth… why do I keep seeing your face?” he croaked, reaching for another cigarette. “I only see you, and you’re not even here.”
“I’m not a hallucination,” I said, grabbing the pack away from him. “I’m real, see?” I cupped his face with my hand.
He brought up his own hand to touch me. “Why are you here?” His voice had more of an edge this time.
“I’m trying to help you, Ashton. This… this isn’t it. You’re only hurting yourself with these. Think of your health.”
“You came to preach to me,” he sneered. I wheezed in the smoke, trying to fan it away.
“You’re the one who’s hurting herself,” he scoffed.
“Are you trying to kill yourself?!” I yelled at him. “How can you drink yourself drunk every day?”
He pulled out a bag of green, powdery looking substance and my spirit nearly left my body. “You’re doing weed too?”
“Just mind your own business.”
I grabbed the bag from him, emptying the contents on the ground and scattering it with my hand.
“What the hell are you doing?!” he yelled, getting to his feet. “Is it that hard to just leave me alone?!”
“Yes, it is!” I yelled back. “Especially when you’re hurting yourself like this. You’re not stupid, Ashton. The Ashton I know would never do things like this!”
“That’s the Ashton you knew. I need this now. Everything else around me is hell. It’s what he promised,” he laughed bitterly. “What else can I do?”
“You don’t need this,” I whispered. “You’re bigger than this. Everyone around you is worried about you. If you don’t want me to worry about you too, then don’t do things like this anymore.”
He sighed irritatedly. “I can’t cope without this.”
“Yes, you can,” I reaffirmed. “Why? Because you’re Ashton Levi DeLorentes. Prince of Crysauralia. I believe in you.”
He frowned.
“Don’t do drugs, Ashton, please,” I begged. “Even if we’re not together anymore and you just need a friend to talk to, I’m here,” I whispered. “I don’t want to see you ruin yourself like this. It hurts.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Fine, I’ll quit. Mind your f*cking business and don’t talk to me again.”
He gave me a cold onceover and strode off. My legs were shaky and I collapsed on the ground. The smoke was stinging my eyes, making them water and burn. I looked at all the used cigarettes around me and wondered if I was the cause of all of this.
I was a really horrible person. For Ashton to resort to this, he must be going through something really horrible. But the relief that this would give him would only be temporary. It wasn’t worth running his health and relationships over. In the end, it wouldn’t bring anything but more pain.
He was upset with me, but I wouldn’t regret stopping him tonight. He could hate me all he wanted, but I would not just stand by and watch him destroy himself piece by piece.
I picked myself up from the ground and walked numbly to my car. I leaned against the hood. My clothes reeked of cigarettes and no doubt, so would my car if I got in. I sighed against the night sky. When did life get this complicated?
“Elizabeth?”
I looked over at the source of my name. CaVaughn melted out of the shadows. He wrinkled his nose.
“What have you been up to out here?” He spotted the mess of cigarettes and bottles a few feet away and understanding dawned on his face.
“Thank you.”
I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
He stepped closer to me. “Are you okay enough to drive yourself home?”
I nodded. It should be fine. I just felt tired.
“You should probably get changed first. I can smell the cigarettes on you from a mile away.”
“I don’t have any extra clothes,” I sighed.
He thought about that for a moment. “Come with me.”
I followed him dazedly into the house. Everything went by like a blur. I didn’t even notice when we came to his room. He opened the door and led me inside.
It was pitch black. He turned on the lights and guided me over to a sofa. I sat down stiffly. He walked into his closet and then returned with a shirt.
“Put this on.”
I took the shirt and he left the room while I changed. It was super big and caught me mid thigh. I played with the edge of the shirt absent-mindedly as CaVaughn came back inside.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
He just nodded once. “Let’s go.”
He led me out of the house and into the parking lot. However, instead of taking my car, he got into a black car which I assumed was his. He sped off after I gave him my address. I ended falling asleep during the ride. If felt as if I had only closed my eyes for a second, and yet I was already home.
I murmured another thank you as CaVaughn helped me out the car. I padded inside and rushed up to my room after quickly greeting my parents. I hopped into the shower, scrubbing my skin and hair to get rid of the sticky, smokey smell. I got dressed and then slipped under the covers and allowed sleep to overtake me.
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Hey lovelies! Thanks for reading!
Elizabeth finally find out about Ashton's bad habits! Why do you think he's been doing this?
Will he keep his promise to her and quit?
This book is a work of fiction, but substance abuse is very real. Please do not imitate the actions presented here!
**If you're dealing with substance abuse, please remember that you are not alone and it's not impossible to quit. Help is always available and if you need someone to talk to, I'm here :)**
Leave a comment and a vote❤
See you in the next chapter!