If I Stay✔️

80 - part two

chapter song : carry you - ruelle.

trigger warning

11.45AM, June 3rd
Eight Hours Earlier...

"Presley, you have a visitor."

Presley's body tensed at the nurses words.

She sucked in her lips, a wave of nausea slamming into her as her stomach churned in apprehension.

It was one of three people, three people she really had no interest in interacting with. Now, or ever.

She ran a sweaty hand through her dark hair, trembling as fear crawled up her neck like an insect, it's pincers sinking into her pale skin; draining every inch of the happiness she'd collected these past eleven months.

"It'll be okay, Pres." Rowan said softly, his hand reaching for hers. He squeezed it, twice."I've got you."

Unlike the rest of their friends, Rowan had witnessed Presley at her worst. Being in the teen home for only a month longer than she had, he'd seen first hand the carnage that followed whenever her family visited.

"Why now?" She whispered to him, leaning her head against his shoulder as his arm wrapped around hers. "They haven't been here in almost seven months. Fuck, they haven't even called me, Row. So why now? Why show up now —when I've finally learned how to be happy?"

"I don't know." He squeezed her shoulder.

"Why weren't they here when I needed them?" She choked out, mostly asking the question to herself, rather than Rowan. "I don't need them anymore, I don't."

"I know you don't, you'll never need them again." Rowan reassured. "You have me," he gestured to their friends, each of whom had been doing their best to try and give the pair privacy. "You have us."

"All of us." Leo added, catching Presley's eye.

"You might regret saying that later," she attempted to joke, wiping her eyes as she pulled back from Rowan's hug. "Believe me, Row can fill you all in on just how fucked up my mind will be when this meetings over."

"Aren't all our minds fucked up beyond repair already?" Arlo raised his head from his pillow and smiled at her lazily.

"Lo!" Rowan gasped, a little too dramatically. "You're too little to being saying shit like that."

"You're making me sound like a child." The fourteen year old pouted. "I'm not that much younger than any of you. And I'm much more mature than Felix, thank you very much."

Oliver rolled his eyes and signed. "Debatable."  

Leo nodded, ignoring how Arlo's pout deepened as he agreed with Oliver. "He's got a point, y'know. You've just learned how to speak your mind without turning pink."

Arlo huffed, arms folding over his chest. Leo was right. But, with that being said, shy didn't mean he was less mature, it just meant he was more cautious than most.

Right?

"Felix, I'm more mature than you... right?" Arlo asked, needing someone on his side.