When Kat Came Back

Chapter 52

The doorbell rang. Patricia and Patrick looked at each other.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Patrick asked. Patricia shook her head. Patrick got up and went to the door, expecting it to be paparazzi or some nosy reporter. He wasn't expecting the skinny teenaged boy standing on the porch.

"Uh, hi?" Patrick said. "We're not interested in fundraisers."

"What? Oh! No. I'm not, I didn't, I mean, hi.  I'm Jonah. I go to school with Ashlynn. She hasn't been answering my texts and I'm worried about her. Wait, you're her brother Patrick, aren't you."

It wasn't a question, and the kid didn't seem to be stunned at meeting him.

"Yeah. I am and wait, you're Jonah?" Patrick said. Patricia came up behind Patrick.

"Oh. Hi, Jonah. How are you?"

"Hi Mrs. Stumph. I'm okay. I came by because Ash isn't responding to texts. She really hasn't since New York."

"Come in, Jonah," Patrick said, moving out of the boy's way.

Jonah came into the house and followed Patrick and Patricia to the family room.

"Is Ashlynn okay?" Jonah asked, worried. The three adults in the room, one of which he didn't recognize, all sat down on the couches. Jonah stood awkwardly, not sure why he was here.

"Have a seat, Jonah," Patrick said. Jonah was starting to feel uncomfortable. Were they blaming him for whatever was going on with Ash?  It wasn't his fault! She'd come home from New York like that. But the past couple of weeks before winter break, she'd gotten worse, he thought. She didn't eat at lunch, she didn't even come to the cafeteria anymore. And she was losing weight. Everyone could see it. Their friend group had been talking trying to figure out what was going on with her. They all knew something had happened, but Ash wasn't talking to anyone. The kids all tried to keep her engaged, but she just... wasn't Ashlynn.

"Jonah, you've been a really great friend to Ashlynn," Patrick said. "When we were in New York, Ash... she.  Well, she was attacked. She was, uh, stabbed a bunch of times, among other things. She had a complication while she was in the hospital which is why we were late coming back. She's been so upset by what happened, she's sort of... I don't know, closed herself off. How has she been at school?"

"Oh. Um, I didn't know about the attack. What happened?"

"I'd rather not get into the details. Suffice to say, it traumatized Ash," Patrick said.

"I bet. Uh, so at school? She's just been really quiet. Doesn't speak to anyone. I don't know if she even pays attention in class. She doesn't look like she does. She usually is just staring out the window. I don't know what she's been doing in PE."

"She has a pass for PE. One of her blood vessels tore while she was in the hospital and she... we nearly lost her. The doctors said she shouldn't do anything strenuous like gym class. At least not until the new year," Patrick said. Jonah nodded.

"She doesn't eat," Jonah said. "She almost never comes to the cafeteria at lunch. I don't know where she goes or what she does."

Patrick sighed.

"And she hasn't said a word to anyone at school?" Patrick asked.

"No. Not that I know of."

Patrick nodded.

Just then, Andy came downstairs.

"Where's Ash?" Patrick said.

"She fell asleep. I put her to bed. Who's this?" He asked, pointing at Jonah.

"One of Ashlynn's friends. This is Jonah," Patricia said.

"You the kid who was texting her a little while ago?" Andy asked, scrutinizing the boy, who was staring at Andy. Andy looks pretty intimidating if you don't know him. He's tall, muscular and tattooed. Jonah was a little scared. He nodded.

"I tried to get her to read them. I didn't though. What did you want that you were texting over and over?" Andy asked,

"I, uh, I wanted to see if she was okay," Jonah said.

"I suspect you know she isn't okay," Andy frowned at him.

"Andy, relax, would you?" Patrick said. "Jonah's a good kid. He's Ashlynn's friend."

Andy's features softened some. Any friend of Ashlynn's was okay in his mind.

"So, uh, is she? Okay?" Jonah stammered.

"No," Andy said bluntly.

"Oh," Jonah said, frowning. He kind of hoped he'd get more information than that.

"She's traumatized. We've been trying to get her to talk, too, but she won't. We know she can, but she won't," Patrick said.

Jonah nodded.

"We've noticed that. She's... withdrawn. She doesn't talk to any of us. Paige has tried and she just... won't. She doesn't hang out with us anymore. She just goes to class, disappears at lunch and leaves at the end of the day without saying a word. Even Mason is concerned," Jonah said.

"Who's Mason?" Andy asked.

"He's a football player. He smacked right into Ash on her first day of school when her hip was fractured. She passed out from the pain."

"Oh. I remember hearing about that," Andy nodded.

"We're working really hard with her. Can you maybe rally your friends to come by over the break? Maybe we can get her feeling better before the new year," Patrick suggested.

Jonah nodded.

"Yeah. Sure. We want her back, too."

Meanwhile, Ashlynn had woken up and could hear people talking. She heard what they were saying. She knew she had to leave. She had to go back to California. It was safe in California. Nothing was safe here.

Silently, she started throwing clothes into her backpack. She figured enough for a week should be fine. Lexi could lend her stuff.

Once that was done, Ashlynn went into her washroom and opened the box hidden in with her toiletries. She pulled out the small metal blade and looked at it.

She sat on her bathroom floor and pressed the blade to her skin. She crossed over other marks from the past couple of days.

Ashlynn stopped for a second and paused, looking at her wrist. It would be so easy. She could end all her pain.

Ashlynn pressed the blade to the inside of her wrist.