Delicate Hearts | Completed

32 || Cottage Core

make sure you vote and comment! i love youuu! <3
-----

I closed my eyes, shouting to the universe to make this end. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe, but I wanted to. I wanted to open my mouth and inhale all the air my lungs could capture, but my body had other plans. My body wanted to hide. It wanted to disappear. It needed to shut down.

Through the loud ringing in my ears, I hear a drowned-out voice. I'm not sure what it's saying. I'm not sure who it is, and I'm scared it's the wrong person. But I do know one thing. This feeling is one of the worst feelings in the entire world when you feel like someone is holding your neck and forcing you underwater as you struggle to breathe.

Through the sharp noise in my ear, I hear the word "breathe." I'm not sure if my brain had forgotten the word and, in turn, forgotten how to breathe, but hearing it made it so much easier to take a deep breath. Once there was air in my lungs, the ringing began to subside slowly. When my attention traveled from the ringing to the rest of my body, I noticed I was trembling. But I couldn't move.

I'm not sure how long I was on the floor, but around now, I could feel the footsteps of students as they traveled to their classes. But I knew I was making a scene. And that thought brought the ringing straight back into my head. I clasped my ears harder and shut my eyes tighter. I couldn't breathe again.

"Angel," I choked out. "Angel, I can't breathe."

I heard drowned-out voices again, but I couldn't make out the words. What if I died right now and here? What would my parents do? Who would protect Aaron? I can't die. I still need to get accepted into college. I have so much to do. I can't die.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. I repeated over and over in my head. Breathe. Please breathe. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. The ringing begins to subside again, and I focus my attention on other parts of my body. Mainly my lungs. I struggled for a few seconds. Or maybe a few minutes. Or an hour. But I was finally able to take a strained breath. It felt like I broke some sort of barrier protecting me from the outside world. I could open my eyes again. And when I did, I saw his face.

Angel. He was crouching before me, shielding me from the crowd of students walking to their classes. Some students slowed down, maybe asking Angel if I was okay. I couldn't pay attention. But I focused all my energy on Angel. I focused on his shoes at first. How clean they looked. Maybe because he has several pairs of shoes, but he hasn't worn them out yet. I slowly let my eyes travel upwards, zoning in on his jacket. A different one every time I see him. "Madison," His voice echoes through my head. "Look at me." I lift my head slowly up to meet his eyes. His deep brown eyes. His eyes comfort me in a strange way. His eyes were the first I saw when he saved me from- Either way. His eyes represent a safe place. A real safe place. I wanted to dive into their warmth and let it consume me.

My breathing was ragged, but at least I was breathing now. "Let's leave. I want to leave."

He nods, taking my hand and pulling me onto my feet. I stumble forward, losing balance, but he catches me. His hands gripped my waist, feeling utterly warm. "I got you," He says quietly, hooking his arm with mine as I lean on him for support. Luckily, the exit was right here, so we escaped the school quickly.

When we're outside, I take a deep breath. I felt suffocated, but now it feels like someone released their chokehold on me. I grip Angel's arm harder but then remember how weak he was yesterday. I let go immediately and held my balance. "I'm sorry," I apologize. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," He reassures, touching my face with his warm hands. He rubs the skin under my eyes with his thumbs. That's when I realized my face was wet. "Do you have my keys?" He asks. "Let's go somewhere."