Ash's Darling | ✔

Chapter 57

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM SCENE⚠️
❗PLEASE SKIP THE CHAPTER IF IT MAY TRIGGER YOU❗

~Esther~

"Did you have fun?" Ash asked when he picked me up a few hours later.

I nodded as I buckled my seatbelt. For the past two hours Brynn and I had talked about anything and everything we could think of. She told me about her three older brothers and one little sister and how close she was with them. Apparently they were all a year apart from each other and always grew up as best friends.

I told her about Josie and how we stayed pretty close throughout our childhood. I told her stories about Josie, Indi and myself from when we were growing up and when we would get into trouble.

Conversation just seemed to flow between us and it was nice to be distracted from everything and not have to worry about anything. Before I left we made a plan to meet up next Tuesday at the mall and I told her I'd make it if I could but I might be busy which she understood.

"Can you drop me off at my mom's house? I want to see Josie." I told Ash, thinking about how I hadn't seen her in a couple days.

The doctors had agreed to release her from the hospital earlier this week as long as she stayed in bed resting as much as she could. The last time I talked to Indi she had told me she and my dad had been helping Josie whenever she needed it although there were sometimes when Indi couldn't be there so it was just my dad.

I hadn't gotten any news on my mother and frankly I didn't want to ask. The last thing I knew she was being released from the hospital and she was allowed to go home. That was about four days before they released Josie.

Ash agreed and turned the car in the direction of my old house. Silence engulfed the car as he drove, letting me slip back into my thoughts.

I had never gotten the story of what happened from Josie and part of me hoped that my mom was lying just to make me feel bad. I hoped it wasn't actually my fault but my gut told me she wasn't lying.

The idea of them arguing about me wasn't impossible and I knew that, which is what made me believe my mother. Any time my mother would say something rude about me Josie would always step in to defend me, no matter where we were; having a family dinner, watching TV, somewhere in public, driving. Josie never cared where we were. She cared about defending me and as much as I loved her for it, I really wish she hadn't this time.

For the past week I've been battling myself over whether this was really my fault and today I decided I'd had enough of it. I felt as though my mother wasn't lying and it was my fault but I also knew she wasn't the most trustworthy person and it would be just like her to say things like that to hurt me.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts once again to see my mothers house coming into view as Ash drove towards it. He pulled into the driveway and shifted the car into park before looking over at me. "You know your mom might be in there, right?"

I nodded, not wanting to speak right now. I unbuckled and stepped out of the car, taking a deep breath before walking up to the door in case I had to face her. I turned the door knob slowly and entered the house, feeling Ash's presence right behind me.

The house was quiet and I didn't see anyone in the kitchen nor in the living room so I quickly made my way upstairs and into Josie's room. She was sitting up in her bed when we walked in, her attention on the phone in her hand.

She looked up when she heard the door, smiling when she saw me. "Hey, Es." She greeted, moving over on her bed so I could sit next to her.

"Hey." I gave her a small smile in return. "How are you feeling?" I sat down next to her as I asked.