Keke and the twins all text me to ask me what the hell is going on between me and Vale. Tyler calls multiple times, probably hoping to mediate between the two of us. But there's no mediating this. It can't be fixed. We took a chance at something more, and we blew it. I blew it. The sight of Maddie standing in Vale's doorway dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel still haunts me. And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm really more angry with myself. If I hadn't pushed him away so many times, then I wouldn't have pushed him into her arms. But still, it's super shitty that he had to fall into her arms. Shitty and callous. And I hate him for it, even if I hate myself more.

I don't respond to the texts, and I don't answer any phone calls. I'm just a few trades away from hitting my goal, and I only have a couple weeks left to do it. When I wake up the next day, I find a text from J asking me if I can meet up at three o'clock in downtown Coeur d'Alene. We agree to meet at the library, so at 2:30 in the afternoon, I slide the box with the bracelet (which apparently is worth almost $9,000) into my pocket and begin heading in the direction of the library.

Summers in Coeur d'Alene are crazy. It's peak tourist season, which means the cute little stores are crowded with people from all over the world who've come to spend time in the mountains. It's basically like the Idaho version of Aspen, Colorado. Traffic is atrocious, and there's nowhere to park anywhere near the library. Somehow, miraculously, I find a spot on a side street. I'm going to have to walk a bit, which is unfortunate, since it's almost 100 degrees outside. But I just have to keep telling myself that in a few minutes, I'll be that much closer to getting the hell out of this town. And in a few weeks, I'll be as far away from Vale as I can reasonably get.

When I step out of my car, I shoot a quick text to J, letting them know that I'm probably going to be a little late. They ask me where I am, and I tell them that I'm parked on a side street. After asking exactly what street I'm on, they tell me to just wait and they'll find me. Relief floods my body, as I was really dreading walking in this damn heat. I've only been out of the AC for a few minutes, and already I can feel the drops of sweat sliding down the inside of my knee to my ankles. It's so gross.

I wait for about ten minutes, but I still don't see anyone. Growing ever impatient, I pull my phone back out of my pocket and ask them where they are. No response, which has me a little concerned. And after twenty minutes hearing nothing, I decide that this is a total bust and make my way back to my car, where I know there's AC. I get in the driver seat, and I'm just about ready to pull out and go home when I receive a response from J at last.

"Where are you?" they ask, and I feel myself start to grow a little big more irritated. I send a reply letting them know I stepped away for a second, but that I'm heading back now. Then I put my phone down, reach for the bracelet, take a swig from a bottle of water I have in the cupholder, and get back out of the car into the blazing summer sun. It's like I just stepped into an oven, and I feel a little dizzy in a way that only a heatwave can cause. My feet lead me back to the spot where I told J I'd be. But when I get there, I don't see anyone. And I don't know if it's the heat or the situation, but I'm really getting angry.

I reach into my pocket to tell J never mind. That the trade is off, and that I'm going home. But I curse myself as I realize I left the stupid thing in my car. Great. I'm still considering walking back to my car, but just as I'm about ready to leave, I see a guy sporting a goofy looking beard on a thin face come running up to me wearing nothing but a tank-top and a pair of jean shorts and sandals. He waves his hand at me, and I give him a polite smile as I wave mine in return.

"Gen?" he asks, and I nod my head. He holds his hand out to me, and we shake. "Hey, I'm J. Sorry I'm late. Traffic is crazy. But thanks for waiting."

I nod my head again. "Sure thing." This is awkward. Usually I have someone else with me to help break the tension. But this is the first time I'm doing this by myself. And of course I don't have my phone with me, so I can't even film it. Keke is going to kill me. "So listen, I don't know if you were hoping to be on the channel, but my partner isn't here with me today, so I'm not going to be able to record us. I hope that's okay?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "No worries. I'm camera shy anyway." He slides his hands in his pockets, and I'm waiting for him to pull the ring out. But then his eyes widen in surprise. "Oh shit. The ring."

My brow furrows in concern. "Is everything okay?"

He shakes his head. "No. Shit. I'm so sorry. I... I think I left the ring in my car." Huh. Looks like I'm not the only forgetful idiot out in the sunshine today. "It's this damn heat, you know?" I nod my head, because I really, really understand. "Wanna walk back with me to grab it? I'm not parked too far away. Just a block or so. Do you mind?"

The hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and I'm beginning to think this whole thing was a huge mistake. I take a hesitant step away, and I see his polite smile falter ever so slightly. "Um. Actually, why don't I stay here and you can just go and grab it. It's okay. I don't mind waiting."

J attempts to recover, but the smile is a little darker now. "Really? I mean, I'm seriously just a block away. A quick walk, and you can have the ring."

Fuck. This. This guy is a whacko, and I am done. "Listen, I'm really not comfortable with that. If you want to just go and get the ring, I'll wait. Or we can reschedule for another day when my partner is here to help. I'm okay with that too."

He stares at me for a few seconds, and I see his eyes dart around us. And it's only in this moment that I realize... we're alone. In one of those rare spots in Coeur d'Alene where there isn't that much foot traffic. My heartbeat doubles in my chest, and I take a step back. But just as I move away from him, he lunges forward and grabs hold of my arm, pulling me into the back alley just a few feet away from us. Then he slams me against the wall hard, and I see stars appear in my eyes.

"You little bitch," he growls in my face, and his breath reeks. Like he hasn't brushed his teeth in days. "Where's the bracelet?" he asks menacingly.

Even though this guy was starting to make me feel nervous, I wasn't expecting him to do this to me. I'm so stunned that I have no words, which makes him angry. He grabs my shoulders and pushes me hard against the ground. My head catches something sharp. I don't know what it is. But the next thing I know, I'm surrounded by darkness. And it's the weirdest thing. I can feel my body moving. Can feel him digging around my pockets, probably looking for the bracelet. But even though I know what he's doing, I'm somehow still unconscious.

I don't know when I come to. But when I do, everything is spinning around me. There's something sticky under my head. Oil, maybe? I slide my fingers under my hair, and when I look at them, I see they're coated in blood. The stickiness isn't oil. It's my own blood. My mouth immediately fills up with saliva, and I turn away to retch. The sight of blood, even my own, has always grossed me out. And when I look down, I see that I'm covered in it. Shaking, I check my pants. My zipper is up. My clothes seem to be in order, even if they are stained in blood. I retch again and try not to focus on how much blood is on my clothes. Then I check my pocket and discover that the bracelet is gone.

I can't move. Every time I try, the world spins around me, and I almost pass out. My phone is in my car, and the bastard who robbed me must've hid me behind a trashcan. The scent of rotten food fills my nose, and again, I fight back the bile that's threatening to spew out of me. I need help. I'm scared, and I have no way of calling anyone. So I rest my head against the dirty, blood covered ground again and wait for the dizziness to wear off. But then I see it. On my wrist, glittering in the summer sun, is my bracelet. And it's my only hope now. With quivering fingers, I press the button, hoping somehow he'll see it and know to come find me. I'm pretty sure they come with a GPS tracker. I hope they come with a GPS tracker.

A few minutes go by, and I press it again. Then again. And again. SOS. 911. Emergency. Please, Vale. Please, please come find me. I need you. And suddenly I realize I'm crying. Sobbing. The pain in my head is excruciating, and the dizziness is unbearable. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm still bleeding, and it seems like it's pretty heavy. How much blood do you have to lose before you just... die? Have I lost that much yet? It sure looks like it.

"H-Help," I try to call out, but my voice is feeble and hoarse. I don't sound anything like myself. "P-Please help me." The edges of my vision are growing dark, and I know I'm about to pass out again. But I fight it, because I'm afraid I might not wake up if I do. I press the button again, waiting. I stare at it, hoping to see it light up in return. I need to know that he's received the message. But I also know that he took the bracelet off. I watched him throw it on the counter. So I know he probably doesn't have it.

I'm just about to give up when I hear it. And I first I think I'm imagining it. "Gen?" My heartbeat somehow quickens at the sound of his voice. "Gen, what's going on?"

It's getting closer now. He's so close. "V-Vale?" I ask, my voice still hoarse.

"Oh my God," he says as he follows the sound of my voice and sees me lying in a pool of my own blood. "Oh my God," he says again as he runs to me, throwing himself on the ground so hard that I swear he probably just skinned both knees against the concrete. "Genny?" He brushes my bloody hair out of my face, and I can see how scared he looks for the first time. "Genny, talk to me. Say something."

My eyes burn with tears. "He took... he took my bracelet." Hard, choking sobs erupt from my throat as he holds me in his arms, frantically looking around for someone to help. "It's over, Vale."

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and quickly dials some numbers. Then he presses is against his ear and says, "Yeah, hi. Please send help. My friend... she's hurt. No, I don't know what happened. We're close to the library. Some back alley. I don't know where exactly. No, I can't get up and look! I can't just... I can't just fucking leave her here!"

"Don't leave me," I cry, and he looks down at me. His brown eyes meet mine, and I see his are glazed over with tears of his own.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby," he whispers to me in the most soothing voice he can muster. But I can tell he's scared. There's no way he can hide it from me. He's my best friend. "Listen, just please send help. Track my phone or something. Please."

The 911 operator stays on the phone for a long time. After several minutes, we hear sirens. Vale continues to direct them on where to go based on the sound of the sirens, and within a few minutes, the ambulance pulls up to the alley. They find us quickly, and several EMTs come out to do a quick check of me before lifting me onto a stretcher and wheeling me into the ambulance. Vale jumps in and sits down beside me, never letting go of my hand. I'm safe now. I knew I was safe the moment I heard his voice. But now that I'm being taken care of by medical professionals, I just feel so incredibly tired.

"Don't fall asleep, Genny," he whispers to me as he brushes his thumb against my fingers. I blink a little too hard, and he lifts my hand to his lips and presses a kiss against my knuckles. "Please? Stay awake with me." Another hard blink. "Genny, don't do this to me. You can't leave me like this. Not now. Just stay awake. Please." It sounds like a request, but... it's not. And I do my best to stay awake. I don't want to leave him. I never, ever want to leave him again. But my eyes... they're so... so heavy. And everything is moving so fast. I need to make it stop. I need... I need... to... sleep.

Author's Note:

The end.

Just kidding. My niece was reading this beside me as I was writing it, and oh man. She was dying over here. Sorry for the cliffhanger. Unfortunately, it's going to have to stand for now, as I don't have anything else written. But I'm sure I'll be posting soon, as I'm writing chapters I've been waiting to write since... well, since the beginning.

Who else here is completely and hopelessly in love with Vale Morgan? And who else here feels like they have been victimized by Gen Cross? Don't worry, you're not alone. Hopefully you like what's coming up in the next few chapters. Can't wait to share them with you! And as always, let me know your thoughts about this chapter in the comments! Talk soon, dearies! Stay safe and healthy until then!
XOXO,
~Aly