48 Hours | JB

AFTER: PART 14

Chapter 24

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The waking up by phone calls and the doorbell ringing continued. I groaned loudly at the noise shooting through my apartment, making me realise that it was probably way too early for stuff like this to happen. I wasn't prepared and I didn't want to know what was going on.

It was becoming normal. Four days had passed and every single day, I've had at least fifty visitors. I never opened the door but looking out, I saw kids running in my stairwell, giggling and running up and down the stairs. It wasn't just kids, it could be teenagers to actual adults. Yesterday, there was a man outside my home for over five hours. He was just sitting there, staring at my door. Anytime I looked through the little peek hole, I saw him staring back at me.

It literally gave me a heart attack each time.

And Ellie had been staying over the past twenty-four hours to check in with me how I was doing with all of this, I had called her with panic and told her I didn't know what was going on. She assured me that this was apparently normal behaviour, it wasn't strangers outside my home. Or, yes, it was strangers for me but they were fans of Justin. 

I had texted Justin, asked questions whether he recognised this behaviour but he's been really absent lately (with the excuse that he's working on his album which I totally accept and understand), so he's barely noticed that something's off.

Something's extremely off. 

"I think we should call Leah," I said, out of the blue, gaining Ellie's attention and she stared at me as if she had seen a ghost. I heard her question my suggestion and with a little giggle, knowing she and Leah hadn't the best of contact lately, I mumbled, "I think it's the best, she probably knows how to handle these situations. She's the mother of our group-"

"She's not in the group anymore, though," Ellie stated, a shrug being seen in her body language shortly after, "It's just you and I now."

I tried to stay positive and mentioned that it was the right thing to do, to call her and ask if she could come over. Somehow I ended up convincing Ellie that it was the best idea we had so within a few seconds, I was already on the phone with her. She had picked up in a heartbeat, clearly, she didn't have my number blocked which I was so thankful for. Not much convincing was needed until she was already saying that she was on her way and I knew that I could trust her to stand up for me in the slightest situation. 

Leah had always been the mother of the group and for me and Ellie to keep our cool and be able to go through life like normal people, we needed her. Deep inside, Ellie knew that too and she seemed relieved when I announced the news that Leah agreed in coming over.

We stayed together at the door, every now and then checking out the peephole to see if she would get her or if it was someone else. I was terrified that she would show up when someone else was here because I had no idea what these people outside my apartment would do to people who knew me. What they even wanted me. I didn't know anything except that they were trying to spy on me, hence why I still kept all of my curtains down on all occasions, and that people found my address somehow.

It didn't take long, about twenty minutes, before I spotted her figure on the other side of the door. Before she could ring the doorbell, I opened the door and basically tugged her arm to push her inside safely. Quickly afterwards, I shut the door and locked it again.