Chapter 4
Andy’s POV
“Just lean up for me one more time Andy then we’re done” the radiographer’s voice calls from behind his protective screen in the corner of the room. I sigh and grit my teeth as I push my side up towards the x-ray machine, trying not to cry out as the morphine wears off. I lower myself back down and close my eyes as they begin to wheel me back to the ward to get my nose & cheekbone checked out. My cut up t shirt was taken off me so I lie with my left arm across my side, hiding it’s destroyed underneath. Just as I’m beginning to relax I hear moms voice calling over from the other side of the hall asking if I’d already been x-rayed. I drowsily nod and she seems to understand so she just tells me to relax and that she’s got my stuff. I thank her, shut my eyes again and try to ignore the noise of crying kids around me. Every time a kid cries out it just reminds me of today’s events and ‘Purdy’. I think Ashley is his first name. It’s a bit ironic for him to be a jock bully when he has a pretty damn feminine name. I’ve never met a dude called Ashley, but hey. It’s not like he’s the one lying in this hospital bed so he must be doing something right. Doctors begin talking to me again saying they’re ready to wrap my ribs so I open my eyes and agree compliantly with everything that they ask me to do, all while keeping my scars hidden. As the nurse continues her somewhat rhythmic motion of putting on the padding and bandages Dr. Carson comes over and smiles at me and my mom. He stares at me for a bit too long, making me feel uncomfortable, then with one quick motion grips my nose between his thumbs and squeezes making me gasp in sharply at the unexpected pressure.
“What the actual f…” I begin, only to see my mom’s eyebrows arching at me and Dr. Carson taking a second look, seemingly satisfied with his speedy resetting.
“Yup, apart from the bruising it looks like it’s never been broken, told you I've done this before… Oh and your cheek should heal up on its own.” the slightly patronising smile returns to his face as he pretends to not realise I almost cussed him out. He takes his gloves off before looking at my mom.
“Mrs Biersack is it? May I have a word with you in private?” he asks, his voice sickly sweet.
My mom stands and follows Dr. Carson away from the ward after giving me a sympathetic glance. ‘Mrs Biersack’. There's no way that dick Colton has our name, I’m glad mom kept her own name when she got married to him because I’d be ashamed to have anything in common with that douchebag. I grab one of the black shirts mom bought for me and pull it cautiously over my head, being careful not to disturb of my injuries. The light is showing through the wards blinds so I’m guessing it’s about time school would be starting. Smiling to myself about not having to go today, I wriggle my hand into my jeans pocket and pull out my cell phone. Yup, 9 a.m. I’d officially be in… music class. It kinda sucks missing my favourite class but at least I don’t have to face anyone like this. Midway through that thought Dr. Carson comes back with my mom, looking considerably more upset than she did before. Dr. Carson writes me out a doctor’s note explaining how I get to stay off school for tomorrow and why (for my teachers) and tells me I can leave later today. He mentions how I should get some sleep because of how busy the hospital was yesterday & that I look drained. And with that he shakes my & my moms’ hands and leaves back out of the curtain giving me a bit of privacy. As soon as he leaves my mom stares me dead in the eyes and addresses me by my given name.
“Andrew… Dr. Carson seems convinced you’re quite severely underweight and that it isn’t just… just natural. Andy… Andy what’s going on?” her voice wobbles slightly towards the end of her question. I can’t hurt her like this so it looks like I’ll just have to lie again.
“Mom what are you talking about? You know I’ve always been skinny and I eat properly. It’s probably just because I grew really fast recently or something. Seriously don’t worry I’m fine.” I try to smile the most genuine smile I can and she seems to buy it, telling me about how she “knew I was fine” and how I’m “perfect the way I am”. Yeah, right okay. But I just nod at her in reassurance and tell her I’m going to try and get some sleep. I better enjoy these two days off because everything’s just gonna happen again when I get back to school. Why not end it Andy? Why not just end it all. My inner voice whispers to me.
Yeah. Why not just end it all?
Ashley’s POV
Well since Andy isn’t in school, I have no reason to be either. I get out of English class as soon as the bell rings and stride right back out of the glass double doors I came in this morning, ignoring the snide comments that are already being thrown at me because of my choice of attire. It’s just gone 12 p.m. so it’s too early to go and start drinking again. I might as well go back home and try and convince my aunt that my grade has the day off today to study for exams or something. I hop on my bike, start the engine and speed away, enjoying Slayers “War Ensemble” that has just come blasting through my headphones. Cruising down the road, I absently glance at shop windows on my way back home and almost crash as I see a pristine black iPod, exactly the same as Andy’s for just $40! I skid to a stop and rifle through my pockets, coming up just 5 dollars short. Hopefully the shop owner will forgive me, but I’ve just gotta get this for him. I jog excitedly into the shop and begin to explain a slightly altered version of the story to the clerk, telling her that a friend of mine had his iPod broken and I wanted to replace it but was a bit short on cash. She narrowed her eyes at me, obviously trying to suss me out before deciding I was genuine enough for her to let 5 dollars slide and packaging the iPod for me.
“Thank you, thank you so much Lady, he’s really gonna appreciate this” I blurt out, excited about my plan to try and earn Andy’s forgiveness. She simply smiles and shakes her head, handing me the bag, before I skip out of the shop and back onto my bike. The sooner I can get home and wrap this, the better. Then I can go back to school and try and get Andy’s address off the dopey receptionist lady. I grin to myself at my plan on my way home, wondering possibly how it could fail.
~
“Ashley, is that you again?” I hear my aunt shout from the kitchen as soon as I get in the house. I go in to see her and explain my phony story before running back out to go to the store cupboard to get the wrapping paper. My aunt raises her eyebrows at me and tells me she knows I'm lying but I defend my story shouting my responses from the store cupboard upstairs. There's a load of boxes in here, but I know which one the wrapping stuff is in so I decide to take a look around before going downstairs. Millions of old books and newspapers. Yawn. Old clothes & military badges, pretty cool. There's one box and a long rectangular case left so I look through the box first, finding a microphone and cables to connect it up to a computer or recording system. That’s rad! I've always dreamt of being in a band so maybe this will come in handy. I crack the case open next, hoping there’s nothing creepy in there and to my surprise I'm greeted with a shiny black bass. This must be a sign, I’ve gotta have it! I grab the microphone & bass and hold my wrapping paper & tape between my teeth as I go to drop the music equipment off in my room & rush back downstairs.
“Auntie! How come you didn’t tell me there was a bass upstairs! And the mic and stuff, I've gotta have those you know how I've always wanted a band of my own and maybe this could help!” I stumble over my words and plop down in a kitchen chair, out of breath from running back downstairs.
“Ashley you changed for so long, you wouldn’t have been interested. But you can have them if you want… and about this bag. Young man where do you have to money to be buying iPods? You better talk fast boy I swear.” She looks angrily at me so I take the box and pull the receipt out of the base of it, ready to explain.
“$40! Forty. Dollars. Woman. Breathe, don’t kill me. I only actually paid 35 for it. But its for a friend… his got busted in school so I said I’d replace it” I grin happily, trying my hardest not to blow my cover about my lie and my aunt just smiles so I guess I'm in the clear.
“Err. Quick question though… can you help me wrap it?”
~
A wrapped iPod and a ‘Monster Energy’ later, I’m ready to go and stalk Andy. I tell my aunt I’ll see her tomorrow as she’s probably working nights this week and cruise back up to school. I duck my head as I try and inconspicuously blend back in with the crowd going to their last lessons of the day. As soon as I reach the receptionists office I spill some bullshit about being Andy’s best friend and not knowing where his ‘new house’ is and since he’s been off today I want to go visit him. I tell her we’re in music class everyday first thing and she “aww”’s thickly and brings up his details on the computer screen. I make a note on my phone and thank her. Silly woman, she didn’t even ask who I was, but at least my master plan didn’t fail. I quick march right back out of school without even bothering to check which class I was meant to be in. I have an Andy to find.

Andy’s POV
Rest, eat, drink plenty of fluids, don’t get the bandages wet, don’t mess with your face… blah blah. Okay I get it just let me go home already. Mom seems to sense my boredom and cuts the nurse’s instructions short, telling her we’ll manage. The nurse signs my outpatients form and I’m free to go. I limp to the car and at the pace of a 90 year old; lower myself into the front seat, trying not to crush my ribs. My mom gets in and puts her keys in the ignition, pulling off out of the hospitals car park. Wait… our house is like a 30 minute drive from here. God, if you exist please don’t let the interrogation last the whole journey. And as soon as that thought enters my mind, mom begins talking.
“So are you gonna tell me what happened now, Andy? I’m gonna have to speak to the school about this you know.”
“… The guys who usually say shit to me made me flip out and I was outnumbered so I basically got beaten up. It won’t happen again it’s over now. You don’t need to talk to anyone about anything. It’ll be fine if you just leave it mom, I swear.” I don’t have the energy to tell her what’s been going on so I rely on my best friend in these situations; lying.
“No Andrew that’s not good enough. I’m so worried about you, you really are too skinny, you barely ever talk and those long sleeves all the time. You worry me. You worry me so much…”
“Mom we spoke about this earlier. I do talk. And what do you mean about my long sleeves? I like hoodies and these tees. I was shirtless for most of yesterday so they could stab needles in my arms… what are you getting at? Seriously I’m fine.” My stomach is wringing itself out in my body in fear and there’s a silence. A silence that’s too long. The tension is cutting like my razorblades until my mom breaks it again.
“You’ve changed, Andrew. And it scares the living daylights out of me. It really does.” She sighs and speeds up the road to our house, pulling expertly into the drive. I don’t have a defence at this point so I just shut up. There's no need to make things worse than they already are. I limp into the house & head upstairs to my room, ignoring Colton lounging lazily on our sofa. The scent of aftershave and cigarettes comforts me as I open the door to my room, causing me to smile happily with relief. And light up a Marlboro Red. I sit on my bed and inhale the smoke with my eyes closed, enjoying the few moments of bliss & time alone. I flick the ash out of my bedroom window as I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. They’re too heavy to be my moms… plus I’m pretty sure she already knows I smoke sometimes so there’s no point putting it out. I take another drag and almost choke as an athletic looking figure bursts through my bedroom door.
“Andy…”
“Ashley?!”
To Be Continued…

Notes

Yes I'm alive! xD I apologize about the excruciatingly long break but I just... forgot basically .-.
But yeah now I'm back \m/ and ooh Andley on the way ^.^
Thank you so much to anyone who's reading this
And bye bye for now :D
Misha c;