Expiration || M.C

10 || The truth

Luke

My eyes are blurry the whole way as I'm driving to the hospital. My heart and mind are racing but I can't think. Everything's so clouded and there's so much I want to think about but I just can't.

I quickly pull over when I find a parking spot at the hospital and close my eyes.

Breathe in,
breathe out.

I repeat this a few times until I calm down. I open my eyes and blink a few times as I feel tears stinging in my eyes. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and open the door of my car.

With one foot out the door I stop to think and close it again. I get my phone out of the glove box in my car and turn it on. I haven't looked at it in a few days.

As soon as my phone is on I see multiple texts and missed calls from Ashton. I sigh and open his conversation on messages.

"Luke, call me, please."
"Luke, you can't be mad forever."
"I'm not gonna wait around forever for you to call me you know."
"Luke, pick up your damn phone."
"Okay, I'm asking Spencer."
"Why is she ignoring me? Did you tell her what happened between us? I'm really sorry about that."
"Can I come over?"
"I need you."

I sigh and dial his number. Just as I decide against it and want to hang up I hear noise on the other side of the phone.

"Luke finally, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I probably should've got the message you don't want to talk to me. I just thought you know, with everything-"

"Shut up." I say, not wanting to hear him talk anymore. I shake my head as I try to find words to say next.

"I'm sorry, Luke." He sighs deeply.

I run my fingers through my hair. "It's okay, Ashton. I need you. Me and Spencer need you and Michael needs you too. And so do your parents." I turn the rear view mirror in my car up a bit so I can see myself a bit better. I wipe some sleep out of my eye.

"I know," Ashton says quietly. "I will be there for you, all of you."

I rub my eyes and nod. It stays quiet for a while.

"I have to go back to school." I say to break the silence. I haven't been there in months and I've missed so much. I need to graduate this year.

"Yeah. Can you do it? You're intelligent, you can catch up with the things you've missed." I can hear him walking on the other side of the phone.

"I don't know. I guess I have to. I need to graduate. With or without Michael." I tap the steering wheel.

"Yeah," He mumbles something I can't understand. "Where are you right now?" He asks me.

"At the hospital in the parking lot." I look up when I see car waiting in front of me, probably thinking I'm gonna drive off so they can take my spot. I wait for him to look at me and shake my head politely to say 'no' which causes him to sigh and give me an annoyed look as he drives off.

"Can I join you?" He asks which causes me to go quiet for a moment.

"Have you ever visited him before?" Nervously I tap my fingers on the steering wheel again.

"No." He says, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Yeah, just meet me on the third floor, alright? I'll wait for you. See you there." I hang up the phone and go inside.