Don't give me up
—birdy
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Flicker - Niall Horan (Acoustic Version)
This Town - Niall Horan
(yes, I love his music.)
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CAMERON
To admit that I was getting lost in the directions that tall, brown-haired girl had given me would have been embarrassing. Especially straight after teasing Audrey for thinking so, and assuring her it wouldn't happen.
This house was a blasted labyrinth with installed traps and challenges aimed at misleading its victims — I was convinced of it. In fact, I was pretty sure there was a room full of an audience watching me through hidden cameras somewhere, entertained by my complete incompetence.
As if the near half-hour it took me to find the restroom wasn't enough, I was now afflicted with a new challenge this living castle presented — the door to the restroom wouldn't let me out.
Wonderful. I had just voluntarily locked myself up inside of an impassable escape room.
I was beginning to get impatient and actually considering calling someone for help — be it 911 for mercy's sake — when the door flung itself open, the knob I was so desperately clutching flying out of my grip.
A girl stood on the other side of it. I recognized her. It was Danielle — Calum's girlfriend.
"Thank goodness. I thought I'd stay confined in here forever now," I mumbled impulsively, a wave of relief washing through me.
She gave out an unrestrained tee-hee. I realized that she was, in fact, drunk. Very very drunk.
"I know. Calum's house is so swanky, but this door's always been failing," she hiccuped, emptying the little that was left from her wineglass in a harsh dram. "Don't know why they can't get it fixed once and for all."
I passed her by, desperate to get out of there. But I didn't miss how unsteady her footing was, along with the stains of runny mascara below her eyes.
The girl was clearly not okay. And, as much as I wanted to act as an indifferent jerk and head my way, I knew that very drunk girls with runny mascara were not in a stable position to be left alone. Who knew what she could do to herself.
She attempted to step down the stairs but lost her balance and stumbled. I grabbed her by the arm for support. "Are you okay?"
Why did I even ask? It was evident that she wasn't.
When she looked up at me, I regretted whatever thought that had pulled me to ask her anything in the first place. Her eyes were welling up with tears.
"No," she whimpered quietly, shaking her head. She was still shaking her head as she sank to sit on the steps, head down. "He doesn't love me. He doesn't. He's still in love with her." She slashed her tongue through the last word disdainfully. I almost heard the swish of the blade. "She took him from me. I hate her!"
I didn't want to continue her pronoun game, nor question her about it. I realized that her hand was still gripping my arm then. When I shook it off me, her head jerked up, eyes suddenly determined. I felt uncomfortable under their gaze.
I barely got time to think about what was going on when she shoved me against the wall abruptly, hurling her body on me. Her lips smashed on mine, the noxious tang of red wine almost blinding me. It took me a good second to wrap my mind about what was happening and struggle out of her grasp, finally pushing her off.
I turned to get away from her, completely dumbfounded.
When my eyes found Audrey standing right in front, her expression aghast and feet turning to run, my heart dropped.
Oh no. Please not this.
She started running away, frantically. "Audrey!" I called after her, chasing behind. "No!"
No no no no no no no. This couldn't be happening. Out of all the wrong places and wrong times, this was the wrongest combination imaginable.
I shot after her like a bullet, following her through the terrace and down the stairs. I couldn't catch up. She was speeding like the clappers.
Running down the stairs, I saw her lose both of her shoes. I picked them up unhesitating, not diminishing my speed, and almost falling down due to that.
I don't remember how many times I'd yelled her name. She wouldn't stop. Wouldn't look back. Some people noticed the scene. Some of the ones I remembered as her dancing pals joined me in the chase and the calling.
It was when she ran outside of the house, barefoot, that I felt the grenade explode in my gut. She was running straight towards an open road. She wasn't stopping.
She wasn't stopping! "AUDREY!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs. There was a car coming from her left, at full speed.
No no no no no. I pushed my legs to their limit, going absolutely insane at the thought of not reaching her in time.
Which was exactly what happened.
* * *
AUDREY
Waking up hurt. The blinding whiteness of the ceiling prickled at my eyes, and the sharp, bitter smell of antiseptic and peroxide grated at my nostrils. Scrunching my nose, I blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings.
It took me a moment to realize that I was lying on a hospital bed. Right. The last thing I remembered was being hit by a car. The instant shooting pain. . .the color of metallic blue. . . quickly to be replaced by a sheet of pitch black.
"Aud?" I turned my head in the direction of the tentative voice. It was Hailey. There was a wild look of disquietude amidst her eyes. "Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," the word came out hoarse. I cleared my throat.
"How are you feeling?" She was holding my hands. She had been even before I'd woken up, I realized.
"Peachy," I curled my lips, tiredly. "What time is it?"
She let out a heavy breath she'd been seemingly holding in for a long time, releasing my hands. "It's. . ." she turned around to read a clock, "ten AM. Well, ten-thirty. You've been out for the whole night."
I frowned. "It's Sunday?"
"Yeah," she breathed out with a smile. "Nice long sleep, huh?"
I made an attempt to sit up, but Hailey stopped me softly. "It's better if you get some rest—"
"I'm fine," although my head felt like it was being hammered with a spiked mallet. I went ahead and sat up, peeling the white sheet off my body.
She sighed again, with another smile. "The doctor said there's nothing serious, thank goodness. Nothing broken. Just considerably bruised and a little scratched."
I nodded, slowly. "You scared the crap out of us, Aud." She leaned into a hug. "I love you," she said desperately.
"I'm okay," I squeezed her back, murmuring into her hair, "I love you more."
The door to the room creaked open. "Audrey! You woke up!" Syd had come in, carrying a white plastic bag. "How are you?"
"I'm alright." She came over to hug me too. Her expression had a troubled air about it. "We were so worried!"
"You've brought it?" Hailey peeked inside the bag.
"Yeah!"
"What's that?" I asked as Hailey took a paper box out of the bag. Although I didn't need an answer as soon as she did.
The overpowering aroma of lemon bread answered my question for itself.
"You didn't!" Mouth agape, I opened the cardboard box, uncovering the freshly glazed lemon loaf. My favorite. It was even still warm. "From Barry's?"
"Yeah, and straight from the oven! I got there right in time for their first batch of the day."
I just stared at them. "What did I do to deserve you two?"
"What? You really thought we'd let you suffer the hospital breakfast?" Syd tried to animate the atmosphere among us.
"Shh, you better not get caught, though. I don't think Dr. Dallas would be too excited to find out we've been sneaking you cake behind her back," Hailey warned. "I'm gonna go get Mom. She's probably still filling the papers," she stood up.
"Tss. K-k," I replied, as Hailey exited. "Oh my gosh. Now you know why I stay away from big parties," I looked up to Syd.
She sagged down onto the white bed. "What the heck happened though?"
"Oh, Syd. If only I knew myself. . ." I tried to block out the memory that was so quick to turn up inside my mind.
"Oh, by the way. There were also three girls and one boy that came to see you last night. They didn't get the chance cause, well. . . you wouldn't wake up."
"What boy?" I wondered.
"Dunno him. Blond hair, gray eyes. . ."
"Oh." That was Justin.
"And obviously, Cameron. Goes without saying. He was terribly overwrought, though. Wouldn't talk to anyone. He stayed overnight, you know."
I felt that dry lump tighten in my throat again. "Is he here now?"
"Not right now, no. Your Mom was trying to get him to go and sleep at home for the whole night, but he wouldn't listen. She eventually forced him only in the morning. He left just a few hours ago."
He'd stayed overnight? I pushed the thought back. I didn't want to think about it. My head was hurting enough.
"Dr. Dallas said they'd probably let you out today, already," she gave a small smile. "If it all goes well."
"Well, I hope they do. This place already feels claustrophobic," I hugged my knees.
She pursed her lips. "Aud. I think you should. . .I think you should talk to Cameron. Whatever it was that happened. . .the dude's been walking around like a cat on hot bricks. I doubt he's gonna sleep today, at all."
"Mhm," I breathed out, barely audibly, to fill the pause.
But to be honest, part of me just wished I'd fade out again, to not have to deal with all of those unsolved matters that enhanced my headache.
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