Mr. Hollingsworth.

Ch. 13 Trust.

He helped me into the car, my hands were still clammy and shaking. A headache started forming in my head, and he sat down in complete silence. He just stared forward and started driving, I wasn't even sure where we were going. "Sorry for taking you to the hospital Alice." He apologized, I inspected his profile. His jaw muscles feathered, he was upset. "It's okay," I responded slowly, it obviously wasn't okay for my mental state. He voiced my thoughts, "Obviously it isn't, you looked traumitized, and once again I'm the reason you're crying." His voice sounded angry, and I froze. He was upset with himself for making me cry?

"Do you mind pulling over real quick?" I asked after a little while of silence, he obeyed. Sitting there for a few seconds, I mustered the courage, and turned to him. When he turned his head to look at me, it was intimidating, he always was to me whenever he was upset. "Look Alex, you couldn't have known I would have flipped out, and you aren't the reason I'm crying." I explained, he sighed, and I realized he was in a nice suit, he'd really drove to the house right after. "If I hadn't brought you there -" I cut him off, "I'd be on you bed, slowly dying." He looked back at me. "Alice..." He trailed off, and I looked at him.

"When I was younger, my family had always been middle class, but never poor. Then my mom got cancer," I started, he looked taken aback, "Alice you don't have to tell me this," I held up a finger, silencing him, "everyday after school, I'd run to visit her at the hospital, but her mental state was quickly deteriorating, and she was on life support. Sometimes she wouldn't even remember me, and it really hurt me. That's when I started hating hospitals, I needed someone to blame, so I blamed the doctors. One day as I walked in, I saw dad, he told me mom was going off life support, and I screamed. He had to hold me back, but my mother heard me, and somehow managed to run out of her room. I saw her at the end of the hall, running towards me, screaming my name, and I tried so hard to just see her one last time, but I was being held back.

Guards grabbed her, hauling her into the air, she was kicking and struggling, but she was hauled back into her room. That's the last time I ever saw my mother alive." I finished, Alexander was in a stunned silence. "That was when I was fourteen. When I turned seventeen, my father was ill too. I got to watch the same thing happen again, except now it was up to me to decide to pull the plug, and I got to watch the life drain from his face, and I was shoved into an orphanage, before I turned nineteen, and was basically kicked out into the cold. So no, you aren't the reason I was crying at the hospital. Don't ever think that, okay?" I asked, he nodded slowly, and I leaned back. "You can keep driving now, if you want." I added quietly. I heard rustling, and when I looked over, he was leaning over. It was an awkward position, but he pulled it off, and pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry Alice," he whispered, pulling me closer, I closed my eyes, but couldn't move. Right now all I was trying to do was numb myself from my inner depression.

Ignore it, and it will go away. Or at least that's what I told myself.

"You can cry Alice, it's alright." He whipsered, I shook my head, slamming my eyes shut. "I try not to. If I really focus on my sadness, it takes long for me to be happy again, so I try to ignore it." I responded, he pulled back, and our faces were inches apart, he inspected me. His hands rested on my shoulders, and I stared blankly into his eyes, knowing mine were glassy. He smiled, and leaned in. My eyes widened as he planted a kiss on my forehead, and pulled back. Not teasing me, he said, "Alice, you are one of the strongest people I've ever met." His tone was completely serious as he pulled back, and I was unable to find words.

Me? Strong?