It wasn't until I'd joined Angie and Mikey at our lunch table that I concluded on my own that the eyes trailing after and lingering on me all day had been a result of my appearance and not a rumor.

"I'm so sorry." Mikey repeated for the tenth time in the last two minutes, squeezing my hand. "I didn't know he was like that. I swear, Rory."

"It's okay, Mike." I assured, resting my head against his shoulder. "We're good."

Angie stretched her hand out and rested it on top of ours with a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Rory."

I was about to reassure them yet again I was fine when a gentle hand fell against my shoulder. Confused, I slowly turned and found Erica standing over me, her eyes darting in every direction in nervousness, her bottom lip bitten raw. Realizing she'd gotten my attention, she chirped, "Can we talk? Alone?"

My friends and I exchanged a quick look before I stood and followed Erica to the girls bathroom. She kicked at the stalls to ensure we were alone before she leaned back against the counter and blurted, "I'm sorry about the party!"

"It's fine, Erica." I crossed my arms. "Is that it? You just wanted to apologize."

She shifted nervously on her feet before she jerked her chin in the direction of my eye, "Did Ty do that?"

"Kind of." I said with a shrug.

Her hazel eyes dropped to the tile. "I kept trying to warn you."

"Warn me?" I echoed, confused. "About what?"

"Ty." she brought a trembling hand to her nose. "I just. . . I couldn't get the right words out. I tried at the party first, but I accidently tripped and spilt the cup on you. I felt so bad, but I hoped you'd think it was just me being a jealous bitch and not want the baggage and tell Ty you were good."

I stared, still waiting for her to get to the point.

"Then when you were at the store with Nyx I. . . I was going to tell you then too, but seeing Onyx. . . I couldn't be around him."

"Because you cheated on Ty with him." I stated.

Her head immediately whipped toward me, misty eyes widening. "What? Is that what he told you?"

"Is that not the truth?"

She pressed her index finger against her chest, "I cheated on Onyx, not the other way around. Nyx and I were together all of freshman year and I hooked up with Ty at a party that summer. Onyx got word and we broke up before Sophomore year, but I decided to date Ty a few months later. Worst mistake of my life."

That explained the tension between the two at the store. Before I can sit and continue to connect dots, Erica made a gesture toward my face once more. "He did that to me twice. Hit me. He just, like, blacks out, I guess."

My eyes widened and I immediately moved forward to hug her. She stood stiff for a moment before wrapping her arms around me. "I'm so sorry, Erica."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"I understand." I responded. "Please don't blame yourself. For any of it."

She nodded slowly. "You deserve so much better than him."

"Did Onyx know what he did?"

She remained quiet for a long time before she finally whispered, "Yeah."

"He didn't do anything?"

"He was still hurt over our breakup, and I never outright told him it was Ty who'd hurt me. But I think. . . considering how mutilated Ty's face is today, he obviously put two and two together after seeing you."

I shook my head, horrified. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Aurora."

*

Given that I wasn't one hundred percent, my boss decided to give me the week off to rest and be back and better than ever next Monday. I appreciated the much-needed time to myself, but it kind of sucked not being able to see Mikey. Between basketball practice starting up and work, I hardly got time with him anymore.

I'd stepped outside the house to grab the mail when I caught sight of Olivia and Onyx heading for his car. She was hunched over, skin ashen, hand trembling in Onyx's. I dropped the mail on to the welcome mat and jogged down my driveway to meet them at Nyx's car.

"Hey." I stared Olivia down. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine." Olivia breathed, waving her hand in the air. "He's just being dramatic."

Onyx helped his mother into the front seat before he turned his attention to me. "She's been throwing up all day. The last time there was blood in it."

"Oh God." I touched a hand to my chest. "Do you. . . do you want me to come with you?"

My question shook him from his thoughts, and he blinked as he stared down at me. "What?"

"I was just. . . you'll be in the waiting room alone and—"

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not." I replied. "Mom will probably be coming by anyway."

He nodded and opened the back door. I shot a quick text to my mother and slid in back, leaning in between the seats as he circled around the car. I rested my hand against Olivia's with my best attempt at a comforting smile.

"I'm okay." she assured softly. "I'm alright, Aurora."

I squeezed her hand. "I know, Olivia. We're just going to make sure."

The car was so quiet the entire drive to the hospital that I could swear I'd be able to hear a pin drop. I hung back a few steps behind Onyx and his mother as he helped her into the ER.

To my relief they were able to get her back relatively quick, but it left a pacing and extremely tense and anxious Onyx in her wake.

"Nyx." I tried after a good twenty minutes of watching him shoot from one side of the room to the other. "Sit down."

"I can't."

I rose to my feet and walked over to him, touching a palm to his chest until he looked down at me. "You need to sit down. You're making me dizzy."

"You offered to come."

"Because you need someone here with you right now." I responded instantly. "Even if you don't want to admit it."

After a few minutes of contemplation, he followed me back to my chair and lowered himself into his own, leaning forward so his elbows were digging into his jeans and his head was pressed into his intertwined fingers.

"I can't lose her." Onyx whispered, barely audible. "I can't, Sky."

I moved to the edge of my seat and nudged him with my shoulder. "Olivia is the strongest woman I've ever met, Onyx. She's not going anywhere any time soon."

"This isn't a book or a movie, Aurora." he said with an edge to his voice this time. "She isn't magically just going to be cured. The only thing fantastical about my life is how fucking tragic it is. First Brayden and now Mom."

"Maybe not, Nyx, but she won't go without a fight." I touched a hand to his bicep. "She's so strong, Onyx. She made it through the hell that was the relationship with your father, she made it through Brayden's death, and she's going to make it through this too."

He finally turned so he was staring at me. "You can't promise that."

"I can't." I confirmed. "But I won't give up the hope and faith I have."

We fell into a long bout of silence, him finally leaning back in the chair to y right with his arms crossed over his chest and me sitting with my right leg bouncing anxiously as I stared at him. Eventually, I said, "Erica talked to me this afternoon."

"About?"

"Ty." I made a gesture toward him with my hand. "You."

"And? What about me?"

I dropped my gaze the same way she had to the tile under my shoes. "Ty told me she cheated on him with you."

To my surprise Onyx started laughing. "He what?"

"Yeah, he said she went and slept with you, not the other way around."

"Of course, he did." he said through a sigh. "He knew it'd be his in with you, since you hate me so much."

I clenched my right hand into a fist until my nails were digging into my palm. "I don't hate you, Onyx."

"You have a list—"

"I hate the person you pretend to be."

He didn't respond right away, and once I'd given up on him doing so at all, he smiled weakly and answered, "I hate him too."

*

At some point while waiting for an update on Olivia, I must have dozed off, because I woke up curled up against the warmth of Onyx's chest, one of his arms draped loosely over the jacket across my waist. My mother had been the one to touch a gentle hand to my shoulder, smiling as she took in the scene before her.

"How is she?" I whispered, careful not to wake Onyx.

My mom's smile wavered. "She's okay."

"Mom."

"Aurora."

"Mom."

It wasn't until Onyx's quiet, "She's not going to make it, is she?" broke our bantering that Mom finally caved.

"It's not looking great for her right now."

"Mom?" I croaked, not wanting to accept what I'm hearing, "Mom, she's going to be okay, though, right?"

My mom brushed a strand of my hair out of my eyes. "I think the two of you should head home and get some real sleep."

"Amanda—" Onyx started, but my mother just shook her head, not allowing him to finish.

"Go home. That's not an ask, it's an order."

Onyx, for the first time ever, was as rude to my mother as he was to our peers, "You're not my mother."

"No, but I'm your Godmother and Oliva ordered that I sent you two home."

Onyx looked as if he still wanted to protest-but he also looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, and that ultimately is what won because he gently slid from under me and stood. "Come on, Sky."

"Mom, if anything happens—"

"I'll call." she confirmed. "Now go. Both of you."

Onyx started toward the door before I was even on my feet, and my mother waited until he was out of hearing range to say, "Stay with him tonight, Auora. The doctor's don't think she's going to make it through the night."

"Mom." It left my mouth in a whimper and she touched her hand to my cheek.

"He needs you, Auora. This is going to be hard on him."

You too, I wanted to say, but knew better and decided to keep it to myself.

"I love you." I said, hugging her before I made my way toward the doors Onyx was waiting beside.

He was a quiet, giant ball of tension the entire to the house. He didn't make any attempt to head for his own driveway, so I led the way and crept up the stairs and unlocked the front door.

"Onyx." I tried to catch his arm, but he dodged my touch.

Sighing, I shut and locked my front door behind him and maneuvered my way down the hall to my room. I half expected him to stay in the living room, but he stepped into my room and I immediately felt as if he were invading my privacy.

"Hey, you should get some sleep." I said, fixing my sheet and comforter. "I can sleep on the ground or—"

"You're not sleeping on the ground in your own bedroom."

I shrugged. "I'm fine with it."

He kicked his shoes off by the door and crossed the room to my bed, stretching himself across the sheets. I stepped out of the room to change quickly before joining him in my bedroom again and laying in my bed beside him. I started to roll over so my back would be to him, but he caught my elbow and I rolled toward him instead.

And in my dark bedroom, the moon illuminating the two of us, he rested the back of his hand against my cheek, and it slowly curled into a fist as a stray tear escaped his right eye and fell onto the white sheet between us.