Intertwined

Chapter 19

Lauren's POV

After a while I finally reach the bus stop. The sign says the next bus should be coming in thirty minutes. I sit down and take my water bottle out to get a drink from it. But as my dry lips touch the rim of the bottle and my arm lifting it up to make the water go into my mouth, only a few drops of water fall into my mouth. Fantastic. It's so fucking hot out today. Especially since this is L.A. and we're in the middle of May. I take out my phone and start looking through the notifications. 

29 missed calls from my Chris, Taylor, Mom, Dad, Camila, Ally, Dinah, and Normani.

107 missed texted messages from Chris, Taylor, Mom, Dad, Camila, Ally, Dinah, and Normani. 

5 facetime requests from Taylor and Camila

Well shit. Looks like my siblings now know about this whole situation too. 

I go into the messages and read through them, all of them pleading me to come back or to tell them where I am or asking me to text them to tell them I'm safe. Too bad for them. This is all their fault. They shouldn't have decided that I'm so weak that I can't make decisions for myself. They shouldn't have planned to put me in a nut house because I lost a little weight and happen to self harm. Big deal. They did this to themselves. Either way, its not like they care anyways. They're all faking. Fuck all of them. I don't need anyone. I do whatever I feel like.

The bus pulls in as soon as I finish reading through all the messages and listening to all the voicemail's. Without hesitation I get on and make my way to the farthest seat back. There are only a few people on the bus so I put my backpack in the seat next to me and pull my knees up to my chest with my arms wrapped tightly around them. Putting my head on top of my knees, I watch as cars drive on by and trees pass as the bus continues down the highway. 

After what seems like forever the bus finally pulls into the bus station. I get off and make my way inside to buy a ticket. I don't know where I'm going but I do know I want to get far away from here so I buy a ticket that goes all the way east and runs through the middle of the country and goes as far as Maine. Maybe I'll find someplace that's nice and safe. 

I pay my $1,000 and take the ticket that the lady hands me. I look down at the ticket to see that the coach bus doesn't arrive 'til 8 p.m. and it's only 4:00. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I'm fucking tired as hell but can't sleep because I'm at a fricking bus station and that is nasty. This fucking headache is killing me and I've already taken four pills. 

I'm just going to sit here. Taking out my phone, I log into twitter and begin through look through all the tweets on my timeline and trending topics. Curiosity gets the best of me at one point and I go through each of the girls' accounts to see if they've tweeted any shit that might get all over the headlines, with me being gone and all. To my surprise none of them have tweeted at all since the day the whole incident with me "almost dying" happened. Though, I know that soon that news will be everywhere and all hell will break loose. Woohoo! I can't wait! (Note the sarcasm). 

Sighing loudly as I put away my phone and grab my stuff, I walk to the bathroom. I enter the bathroom and set my stuff down beside the sink, leaning down over the sink I turn on the faucet and splash my face with water. When I finish I grab a paper towel and dry off my hands and face. My attention is then brought upon the girl staring back at me through the mirror. With dark bags under her eyes, a pale face that is almost translucent with the thin skin on her body showing purple marks. Bruises. She bruises so easily and is freezing at the moment, making her skin turn even more purple. The girl's dried up lips look like she hasn't drank a drop of water in days. Thin, brittle hair on her head and hollow cheeks that make her face so much tinier and make her look so malnourished. But all the girl staring into the mirror sees is a fat, ugly human being that is nowhere near perfection. 

I angrily leave the bathroom and walk back to my seat in a waiting area by the windows. My reflection is disgusting. 

For the next four hours I just stare out of the window. Sometimes actually watching everything outside but at other times just thinking profoundly. 

"Bus 596 is now boarding. Bus 596 is now boarding."

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the loud speaker calling for people to board the bus I was in. I stand up and go through security before getting on the bus. I go and sit near the back, not all the way in the back but a little past the middle of the bus. I put my backpack in the seat next to me with me sitting at the window seat. Seeing as there is only about 20 people or so on the bus that has like 50 seats, I take that opportunity to stretch out in my seat and swing my legs over the arm of the seat next to mine. The sun is already almost out of sight by now, meaning that now was the perfect time for me to sleep. I use the shirt I wore when I escaped the hospital as a pillow against the window and put on my beanie. Just as I'm about to drift into a deep sleep I feel the bus begin to move, bringing a smile to my face. I can finally escape.