The Crystal 3 by Jones M (best beach reads TXT) 📖

suddenly came on as Ethan and I took our seats. The TV turned on, and I immediately spotted Emery. 

I almost tripped on my feet. It had been a long time since I had seen Emery. Even though she was in another room, I felt happy to see her. She looked better than the last time I saw her, and that brought a smile to my face.

But then, why are we not in the same room as her?

"Guys, I thought we were going to see her," I stated with a frown.

"We are, but not in the way you think," Selena answered.

"Well, what--"

"Ssh!" Logan silenced me as the doctor began talking to Emery on the screen.

On the previous day, King Erick had talked Emery's therapist into allowing him to see how Emery's therapy was faring. I was shocked by what he did, but I was more shocked by the fact that Erick suggested us going to see Emery. 

I was surprised, but I was more surprised to discover we were going to see Emery through a TV.

A freaking TV.

I wanted to protest, but hearing Emery's voice made me stop. My eyes zeroed in on her as she kept talking, and my heart thudded.

It didn't take me long to sit beside the guys as we silently watched the TV.

 

Chapter 03

Emery's P.O.V

 

It was another day in the facility, and Charles had come to see me for another therapy session.

"Emery, it has been a year ever since you were admitted in this hospital," he stated. My eyes shot up in surprise. 

I couldn't believe that much time had passed. It made me feel like most of the days had gone by quickly.

"Throughout the time, I must say that we have made a lot of progress."

A smile lit up my face.

"Now, today I want us to try something. I will need you to answer a couple of questions."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but I nodded nonetheless.

"Okay. Emery, I would want us to go back a year ago."

I frowned. I began shaking my head in a disagreement, hating to remember the awful events that had occurred.

"I would want you to go back months before you were arrested."

"Why are you asking me this?" I questioned. "Haven't we gone through that stuff already?"

"Yes, but I want to analyze how you are currently feeling about what had happened."
I narrowed my eyes at Charles.

"What do you want me to say? That was not a good time for me. Yes, I had fun, but things went wrong for me."

"Do you remember how you acted when I asked this question months ago?" Charles asked, and I nodded. "You yelled and insulted those who betrayed you while you had a crying fit."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

Charles smiled.

"You didn't yell or cry this time. I don't mind about the anger you still hold for them, but the fact that you are calm about it proves that it doesn't affect you that much."

My mind started going through all the possibilities of why Charles asked me such a question. Then my eyes widened in shock.

Was I being discharged?

"Have you forgiven them?" Charles asked, and my thoughts ceased immediately. I laughed at Charles' question.

"What? Are you kidding me?" I asked in between laughs. Charles' expression did not falter, and I realized he was serious.

"The answer to that question is  'no'," I replied. Charles seemed to frown before writing something on the papers clipped on the board he had come with.

"Why did you ask? How is that relevant to my treatment?"

"Emery, you are holding a grudge against the people who love you--"

"Loved me," I corrected.

"Anyway, that grudge may hinder you from making positive relations with other people."

"It won't," I answered with confidence. "I mean, how can it? They ruined my life, Doc. I'm angry with them and not anyone else."

"Emery, I can tell you are still angry about it," Charles insisted, and I snapped.

"What do you think, Charlie? Of course, I'm still mad at them! They watched as I was arrested for something I never did. They chose to believe I was an evil witch and made their own judgments without talking to me— me, the one who was their friend and by their side!"

Charles' eyes had widened at my outburst, and I did not care.

"What hurts worse was what Erick, Selena and Justin did. They believed a bitch they had just met in a few months and quickly decided I was a criminal. I've practically been around them enough to be considered family!"

"Zane, stop!" I heard a masculine voice shout before the door to my ward was forcefully opened. The person who entered was the one I least expected to see.

It had been a year ever since I saw him –ever since he stopped me from killing myself. I must say that Zane seemed the same, except for the fact that he had grown a slight stubble and that he was looking at me with a pained expression. He also looked pale and had possibly lost some weight.

"Emery--"

"The fuck are you doing here?" I asked him with a glare before turning to face Charles. "What is he doing here?"

"Emery, calm down--"

"How do you expect me to calm down when he's in here?" I asked my therapist, cutting him off with a glare. Then something clicked in my head.

"Wait a minute. Are they all here?"

Charles remained still for a moment before nodding his head.  "They wanted to come talk to you. I was just surveying how you would react and see if it was possible for you to talk to them."

Then other footsteps sounded before the others came pouring in. Zane's other bandmates, Selena and Erick entered the ward. To say that I was not pleased to see them would be an understatement.

"Emery," Zane called out to me again as he swiftly came towards me and embraced me in a hug. I got distracted by the warmth that I felt around him and the sudden eruption of butterflies in my stomach.

"I'm sorry," Zane chanted in my ear, rubbing his hands over my back. It felt good to be finally hugged by someone after a whole year, but then I remembered who I was hugging. I also realized I still had some feelings for him, and I recalled why I was furious.

I pushed Zane away from me before delivering a slap on his cheek.

"Don't touch me!" I had yelled.

Zane did not seem shocked by my outburst. It was like he was expecting it.

My eyes danced across the room, observing the others.

"You have some nerve showing up in here after what you did," I stated as calmly as I could, but honestly, I had ground the words through my teeth.

"Emery--" Liam went to speak, but I cut him off.

"Why the hell are you here?"

"We came to see how you were doing. We wanted to talk to you and possibly make up for all the wrongs we did," Selena said, standing next to Erick with an apologetic look.

I remained silent, blinking in disbelief at the people in front of me. Then I smiled.

"Really? You came to see me just for that?" I asked with a fake sugary-sweet voice. No one seemed to reply, seeing through my façade. I dropped the act and glared at everyone in the room.

"If you have forgotten, I'm still mad at you. A simple apology will not make things better again."

"Emery--" Erick started, but I ignored him.

"Let me remind you of every bad thing that you all did to me. Hmm, where should I begin? Oh yes. I told you all that Bianca sent someone to stab me in my sleep, but you all did not believe me. Instead, you stupidly believed it was an erwich who tried to kill me. And when I told you the truth, you refused to accept it."

With a roll of my eyes, I continued, "Then I was arrested for supposedly trying to murder Liam in a car accident."

No one replied. They were looking at me with hurt expressions as if they were the ones who went through all of it.

"I was beaten up in a prison cell because dear Erick decided to block my powers," I stopped for a moment, silently seething at the humiliating memory. I turned to Erick. "Dude, what the hell was going through your head? You should have locked me here in Crystalia, and maybe I wouldn't be this mad at you!"

"Bianca had already called the police. I couldn't bring you to the castle prison if I wanted to," Erick went to defend himself.

"And is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked with sarcasm before looking at everyone else in the room. My eyes zeroed in on Zane and his bandmates.

"You idiots believed I would ruin my chances of getting into college by posting mean tweets about you. Do I seriously look like I have time for that? I had told you that Bianca hired someone to do it, but you all ignored me. I even exposed the person who did it, and you all still didn't listen. It took a freaking video recording of Bianca confessing to every crime she committed for you guys to believe me!"

I turned my attention to Harry and Zane. "The two of you decided to beat me up for all the trouble I 'caused'. You know, you should have just killed me while you were at it."

My eyes zeroed in on Zane's. "And you. Why did you stop me from killing myself? Why didn't you do it then? I wouldn't be here right now if you had not stopped me, and you wouldn't be here trying to get rid of the heavy guilt you feel for what you did to me."

My voice had calmed as tears clouded my vision. I shook my head as I laughed with bitterness.

"You know, every bad thing that happens to me seems to revolve around you and your friends. It's like you guys are my bad luck charm."

I wiped the tears away from my face.

"And to think I was in love with you..."

Zane's eyes widened with a mixture of disbelief and shock. Someone gulped while others seemed to take sharp intakes of breath.

"W-What?" Zane stuttered, but I didn't want to talk about what I just confessed.

I wiped some of the tears that had escaped my eyes.

"Tell me. How can we all move past this? How can everything go back to the way they were after all the crap you guys put me through?"

No one bothered to speak.

"Just get out," I ordered, not wanting to deal with the guys.

"Emery, we're all so sorry--"

"Just...just go. And take Charles with you," I said, walking towards the bed.

"Emery--"

"Didn't you hear me?" I cut off Harry with a glare. "Get out!"

I climbed the bed and lay facing away from everyone in the room. There were a couple of shuffling feet before I heard the door slowly close. I soon resumed crying.

I both reveled in and hated the negative emotions I felt around my former friends. It had been a year since I last saw them, and I was still affected by what they did to me.

Just because of that, I had a feeling that things had changed. I had a feeling that Charles would decide to postpone the day I would be released. Honestly, I did not give a damn. 

I mean,