Looks Can Be Deceiving

Pandora’s POV -
I woke up with a pounding headache. Last night was a blur, but I remember being pissed at Austin. He kept arguing with me and would not let up. Besides that the voices were fighting with me as well. I laid my head down, closing my eyes. I really didn't want to get up and see him. As much as I loved him, I had too much going on in my mind, other than school, that was messing with me. He was going to make things worse and I would blow up. Something I didn’t want to do. I stood up, brushing my hair back as I put it into a pony tail. After changing clothes I made my way downstairs, noticing Alan and Austin having a quiet conversation. Austin looked up to me as I ignored him. The two quieted down when they saw me. I walked into the living room, grabbing my backpack full of Biology stuff. Alan got up from the kitchen counter and stretched.
“Well, I think I’m going to go hit the shower,” he said slowly, keeping his glance on Austin.
“Yeah… Alright.” Austin said quietly, a hint of question in his voice.
“Would you mind driving me home?” I cleared my throat.
“I thought you had to get to school,” he crossed his arms. I shrugged.
“There’s some things I need to get done before that. If you can’t do it, I’ll just call Hannah.”
“No, it’s alright, I’m fine driving you home…” We were both quiet as Alan walked upstairs. Austin moved closer to me, skeptically studying me. “What’s going on, Pandora?”
“Nothing,” I slipped on my shoes.
“Why are you in such a bad mood? Did I do something wrong?”
“Austin, just let this go.” I narrowed my eyes, letting him know I was serious. He stepped closer grabbing my arm.
“Are you getting sick again?” he asked.
“No it’s not that-”
“I can help,” he tried pulling me into him.
“Stop!” I yelled, pushing him away from me. “Just don’t try to help!” He jumped back surprised at my tone. The hurt look in his eyes killed me. I was slowly turning. I looked over to see Alan standing on the stair case, looking shocked.
“I just… had to grab my phone…” he mumbled. Austin kept his eyes on me, breathing hard.
“That’s fine,” he muttered under his breath.
“I’ll be in the car.” I turned and let myself out, catching my breath. Had I really just pushed Austin? Sweetheart Austin? I climbed into his Escalade and slammed the door shut, my mind spinning. I waited a few minutes until Austin walked around the front of his car, spinning his keys around his finger. Without saying anything he got in and backed out of the driveway. He fumbled around, tuning the radio. He cleared his throat a few times, but seemed at a loss for words. I sighed, brushing the hair out of my face. Soon we pulled up to my house. I quickly unbuckled and rushed to get my stuff together. Austin started to unbuckle as well, getting ready to open the door for me.
“I can get it,” I mumbled. He let the seatbelt slide back while he laid his head on the headrest.
“Am I going to see you again soon?” he asked, resting his hands on the steering wheel. I sighed, trying to arrange my thoughts. “Are you going to say anything to me?” he asked.
“I have to go. Thanks for the ride.” I let the door shut as I pulled out my keys and let myself into my house.
I dropped all my shit onto my couch and walked upstairs, watching Austin’s car sit in my driveway from my bedroom window. He didn’t cry or hit the steering wheel, just sat there staring straight ahead. I rushed into my bathroom, searching the cabinets for the orange bottle of pills.
“Sh,” they whispered. I shook my head, my eyes blurring. A few bottles fell from my fingertips and into the sink, spilling out their contents. Why the fuck couldn’t I find what I needed? “You’re so worthless.” My heart beat faster as my search became frantic. The room was spinning and I was slowly loosing vision.
“No… please leave,” I cried, looking at all the pills in the sink. Reds became blue and yellows became green. “So many pills.”
“Take them, Pandora.” I shook my head, putting my hands up to my ears. A loud ringing ran through the house, piercing my ears. I screamed at the top of my lungs, dropping to my knees. Tears fell from my eyes, soaking into my hair.
“Don’t let them take you,” I muttered, my fingers roaming in the sink above me. I brought down a handful of shapes, holding them close to my eyes.
“Take them! Now! They’ll help you feel better baby,” they cooed. I gritted my teeth, dropping the medication onto the floor.
“No, please leave. I don't want you here. You can’t tell me what to do.”
“You ruined what you had with Austin! Now no one will love you! You stupid girl.” They laughed at me, pointing and chuckling. I sat against the wall, repeatedly banging my head against the cool tile.
“No, he doesn’t understand, we just need a break until I’m better again,” I plead.
“Better?” they cackled. “You aren’t going to get better. You never will!”
“Fuck you guys!” I screamed. I stood up and ran to my room, throwing a suitcase onto my bed. I ripped through my drawers, pulling out shirts and sweat pants to pack away. “Call your brother. Call August… call him,” I breathed. After throwing some things together, I pulled out my phone and fumbled for a few seconds, trying to bring the buttons into focus. It rang a few seconds. I glanced at the clock, not knowing the time difference at this point.
“Hello?”
“August, I’m coming home,” I stuttered.
“What? What’s going on?”
“They’re yelling at me… they want me to take all the pills, but I can’t do it.”
“Okay, just listen to me, calm down and sit. Take a few second’s to breathe-”
“Stop! Stop trying to fix it. I’m flying home August.”
“No, it’s not safe for you. They’re here. If they know you’re home, they’ll take you back.”
“I don’t care. I just want to be with my brother… Please August. An episode started this morning and I pushed Austin. I’m pretty sure things are over with us.”
“You pushed him? What did he do?”
“Nothing, I was just really moody and I think I’m starting to have withdrawals.
“What made them come back?”
“I don’t know. I stayed up really late last night studying for Biology, then Austin woke me up and I got kind of irritated that he wouldn’t let me study…I just want to come home.” He sighed.
“Fine… I’ll pick you up at the airport. Let me know what time you fly in. I don’t want you going anywhere without me.”
“Okay,” my mind was running a million miles an hour, trying so hard to ignore the voices. “I just need to wait until my mind calms down and I’ll go to the airport.” I sighed, wiping the rest of my tears from beneath my eyes.
“Stay strong alright, I’ll see you in a few hours. Charlotte will be so excited to see you.” I smiled thinking about my little sister.
“Love you.” I hung up and finished getting my things together.

Notes

2 Chapters in one night! You're welcome :)