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Jogging through the hallway, I push open the main doors and run down the stairs with my head down, a ringing sound blasting in my ears. Looking up at the last second I see a huge crowd has gathered ahead of me.
Trying to move through them is a no go so I try to see if I can go around. Spotting a gap at the edge, I make a dash for it and then squeeze through, my heart rate picking up as people brush up against me but I don’t have a choice, this is the way to my apartment.
I put my chin to my chest and carry on counting to three manically in my head while lifting my bag up to search for my headphones. I haven’t used them in weeks but now I need them desperately, I need the control.
As soon as my fingertips touch the wire I gasp in relief and yank them out but because they’re at the bottom of my bag, when I pull on them, several folders come flying out, scattering on the ground around me.
“Dammit!” I bend down, trying to grab all of my things before anyone notices. Trying to scramble after all the loose sheets of paper, I chase after one
that’s flown a few feet away. Bending down to pick it up, I stop when a hand comes out to grab it at the same time as I do. Closing my eyes and counting to three, I take a deep breath and stand when the hand holds it out to me.
Keeping my eyes on the paper, I don’t look up until the person let’s go, I whisper thanks as I shove everything back into my bag and try to push through the crowd.
My breaths come faster and the noise of the crowd gets louder as someone shouts something and it’s all just too much, I know it’s only a matter of time before I have a full blown panic attack.
I try to get to the front of the crowd but people just aren’t moving out of my way so I have to dip and weave through them, all the while counting frantically in my head.
One, two, three... Four, five, six... Seven, eight, nine... Ten, eleven, twel-
“Look, man. I’m just here to pick Ava up.” I hear when I’m close to the edge of the crowd.
Hearing Jackson’s voice gives me a reprieve and the strength to push through the last of the crowd.
“Unless you want some serious shit to go down, I suggest you get off my campus,” I hear Scott threaten, his voice menacing.
I don’t think about the reason that Jackson is really here, all I want to do is get out of here and fast.
“Ahhh, there she is!” Jackson grins as the crowd spits me out, he moves forward ignoring the death stares that he’s getting and wraps his arms around me. For a second, I let the crowd drift away and close my eyes, soaking in the familiarity of him.
“You good?” he whispers in my ear then pulls back, his hands holding onto my shoulders. I shake my head no and then nod yes. I want to tell him what just happened but I can’t bring myself to say the words so instead, I stay silent.
Frowning, he opens his mouth to say something before his eyes wander off and scan the crowd. Closing his mouth, he throws his arm over my shoulders and steers me to his truck. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“You do?” I smile, looking up at him.
“Yep, were going home for the weekend.” He winks and pulls the passenger door open.
I have a weird mixture of nerves and excitement because I haven’t seen Elena and Trevor in what feels like forever. I chose not to go back over summer break, mainly because I have this obsession with being back to my normal self before I saw them again. I want them to see how much better I am and how far I’ve come but right now I feel like I’ve taken three steps forward and ten steps back.
I’ve changed so much over the last couple of months and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, and all on my own too. So going back to Elena and Trevor’s, feeling like this, is something that I’ve worked towards.
I turn to face the crowd, my eyes finding Scott’s. I don’t like the look in his eyes, the way he looks from me to Jackson and back to me again makes me shiver.
Shaking my head, I look back at Jackson, silently asking what was going on between the two of them. He squeezes my shoulder lightly and tilts his head to the door, signaling for me to get inside. I take one last look at Scott and climb into the truck, clipping my belt around me and waiting for Jackson to go around to the driver’s side.
I guess I wasn’t getting anything out of him.
The drive home doesn’t take long, especially with the way Jackson drives. Several times during the ride, I actually feared for my life. The music blasts through his speakers nearly the whole way there, right up until we get the edge of the property.
The sight of the trees and the familiar surroundings fills me with a sense of peace.
This really is home.
I smile and breathe in the air as we turn up the makeshift road to the house, only frowning when Jackson stops all of a sudden. He was so eager to get on the road quickly when he picked me up and had barely given me anytime to pack an overnight bag before he was rushing me out of my apartment and back into his truck.
“What’s up?” I ask, turning in my seat.
“Well...” He clears his throat. “Thing is, Ma and Dad don’t know we’re coming home.”
