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"Now I'm a ghost, I call your name, you look right through me..."
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You know what? Screw being 21.

I had one drink.

I came to. In a second, I jolted upright in a place I didn't recognize. A wince, and I held my head. Stupid alcohol.

Quietly, I peeled off the covers and pulled them around my shoulders. Wherever I was was cold. Like some form of royalty, I pulled my majestic cape down the hall, carefully peeking my head around. As if complaining about getting up, my head throbbed. I wobbled on my feet as I tried to remember the events of last night. In my daze of thinking and confusion I smacked right into the doorframe with a loud thud.

Well, now my presence was known.

A curse, and I crumpled onto the floor in a heap of blankets. "Ouchie." I muttered and rubbed my poor poor head.

Note to self: don't ever drink again.

Footsteps shuffled toward me, quiet and hesitant. A grumble from me, and I pulled the covers over my head. "If you're going to kill me, please hurry up and do so."

"If you say so." A voice mocked and gave a silly laugh in response. "I'm going to pick you up now."

I scrambled to a sitting position, pulling the blankets from my head, and glared at Cole. "No. I'm fine." I glanced around. "Where are we?"

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. A safe house."

Like a child, I stuck my tongue out at him and crawled away from the doorway. The space opened up into a kitchen off to my right and a little living space to the left. My stomach growled and I lumbered towards the right.

I heard snickering as I hauled myself off the floor and sighed. "Don't be jealous."

"Oh don't worry, I am not." Cole followed me, a few paces behind as if giving me my space. "How are you feeling?" His voice went soft as he stepped closer.

I stiffened and pulled open the fridge. My hand combed through the random assortment of food while my mind combed through what to say.

I sighed, deciding to be honest. "I feel like a slug. Like my brain is mush and probably melted and smacking it on the doorway didn't help. I also can't tell if I'm hungry or want to throw up."

"Honestly, probably the latter. I don't know what he put in your drink, but you were out of it."

Crap. "Crap."

My hand snagged a cheese stick which I quickly scarfed down like a civilized human. "Did I say anything stupid?"

"Where to start?"

"Double crap." A huff, and I wobbled to the couch were I laid down unceremoniously.

"Uh, mostly just the usual 'I'm drunk lemme say some weird stuff' stuff." He shrugged, hovering above me while I stuffed another cheese stick into my mouth. "We don't have to talk about it."

"Great. If you were Zane, I'd have Jay erase that part of your memory." I tilted my head off to one side, which I instantly regretted. "But I can't. Or can I?"

Cole snickered and slunk down to sit beside me. "Right, about them."

I quickly glanced around, everything really setting in. "I was drugged."

"Yep."

"By Jax."

"Uh-huh."

"Now we're at a safe house."

"In the barren winter country, yeah."

"Where is my brother?"

My eyes fell on Cole and he avoided my gaze. "Jay and the others are in the city still." My eyes narrowed.

"Is he okay?"

"He's alive. And from the phone call I got about two hours ago, he wouldn't shut up so he seems okay."

"Why am I not with him?"

My ex mumbled something under his breath before tossing his head back and forth in thought. "Jax and his motley crew attacked at your party last night. He drugged you. We're thinking his intentions were killing you to disperse our team."

I leaned back and let the too-soft couch devour me. "We can't let anyone know you're here." I heard him say, but I was already deep in thought.

My boyfriend was going to kill me.

"Oh my gosh. He wanted me dead."

I sat on the floor of my room, painting the foot of the bed. My short hair had been tied back in a hair band I found from a pack in the bathroom. Cole was giving me space, especially after dropping the bomb that someone came to kill me last night. But he was being nice, too. A few hours ago, he slid a sloppily made sandwich into my room. A set of paints followed afterwards with a sticky note of a smiley face.

My poor beautiful dress was ruined and I had to say goodbye to it and changed into some clothes I found in some drawers. Apparently, the boys had put together this safe house long before I was useful.

Jay's shirt was really big on me, yet smelled of him which made me smile. I missed my big brother and was scared to death of what would become of him.

Before me, I painted a dark night sky of rich purples and blues. Lost in thought, I barely heard a knock on my door.

Unbeknownst to me, Cole slipped in and sat beside me, his ghostly glow casting a glare onto my painting.

I jumped when I realized he was there and his eyes went wide. "I knocked!" He protested and held his hands up in innocence.

"Sorry. I was just thinking."

I gave him a quick glance and noticed he had changed, too, out of his fancy ruined clothes and into his usual black shirt and dark jeans.

He fell silent and watched me paint. We sat like that for a good while before I set my paint covered hand down in my lap and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding in.

"I'm sorry."

"That was random."

"Okay, shut up I'm trying to have a heart to heart with you."

"Oh, sorry."

I sighed and chuckled with a shake of my head. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you when we broke up."

"For a depressed ghost guy, it wasn't the best thing to hear."

"Yeah. I know. I was just really hurt, okay? I mean, I know you were too. But for so many months I took care of you and I felt like I got nothing in return. Like it was just one sided. You never said thank you. And when you acted like you just stopped... loving me... it pushed me over the edge."

He was silent and I took that as my cue to keep going.

"Almost like you confirmed what I had been thinking. And I couldn't go on living in a relationship like that anymore." I silently cursed myself as my eyes welled up. "Okay, yeah, it was so selfish and stupid of me to feel that way because I know you were way worse. And... and..." I clenched my eyes closed and let out a shuttering breath. "And I'm just so sorry."

I let the tears fall, still and silent. A few moments later, he pulled me close to him and I was wrapped in his embrace.

"Do you know how long I've been practicing to do this? To hold you again? A long long time. Even when we were still together."

"Wait wait I'm sorry." I pushed him away and quickly smacked the wet tears from my eyes. "I don't want you to disappear because I'm a big baby and I'm crying."

His shoulder shook with a quiet laugh as he pulled me into a hug again. "It's okay." He rested his chin atop my head and I leaned my forehead against his chest.

"I'm sorry, too. It was so stupid for me to wallow in my self pity for that long. What I regret the most was letting you go that day. I never stopped loving you, I promise, but I still treated you like garbage and I should never have done that. Not to you."

"You had a right to be sad."

Cole scoffed. "Yeah, sure. I wish I would've picked myself up sooner.  I wish it didn't take me loosing you and wanting you back to force me to get on my feet again.

"I'm so sorry..." I breathed, shaking my head against his hug.

"Me, too. But I forgive you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Friends?"

"...sure. Friends..."