Here's a new chapter. Do share your thoughts.

Stay safe everyone. God bless you guys and have a great day ahead.

Long chapter ahead. Muahh❤️

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Third Person's POV

AJ screamed and kicked as they separated her from Cora's body. There was nothing else they could do. They didn't need to prolong the process. When they came, the paramedics confirmed that Cora was dead almost immediately.

"Noah do something!!" She screamed as they dragged her out. Noah trembled as he walked towards his broken friend. He looked at the paramedics and told them to let her go. Once they did, Noah took AJ in his arms and they both cried. They were too shocked. Crying was the only thing they could do.

"AJ we have to go to the hospital okay. We...we need to know the cause."

AJ kept crying and she couldn't hear what Noah was saying. Instead of saying anything else, Noah took her by the hand and led her into his car. "AJ we have to go. We both have to see her."

With that, Noah made sure AJ was buckled up before closing the passenger door. He then walked around his car and got into the driver's seat.

The closest hospital was half an hour away. It was too far away. Half an hour felt like an eternity. AJ's sobs slowly faded into soft hiccups. Noah couldn't cry after that. He was barely thinking as he drove to the St. Jude's hospital. Their foggy minds still could not process whatever happened.

"Are you good to drive?" AJ spoke for the first time in the car. They were almost halfway there.

"Yes." Noah let out a shaky breath as he gripped the steering wheel.

"I'm....I'm going to call Willow."

"Yeah, do that. But, wait she's at the party right?"

"I'll call Kian then." She sniffled.

Kian picked up after two rings.

"AJ I'm driving her back to my place as we speak. No I'm not holding my phone while I drive. It's connected to my car's Bluetooth. Willow is safe and in good hands."

"Kian is she awake?" AJ sniffled again. Her words wouldn't come out smoothly.

"She's asleep AJ. Had more drinks than she could handle. Hey you okay?"

"It's Cora. Um, she's..... she's..." AJ swallowed hard and looked over at Noah as her tears filled her eyes again. He looked back at her for a moment and gave her a defeated nod.

"She's gone Kian. Willow needs know that." She controlled myself as best she could. She didn't want to break down again. "Noah and I are headed to St. Jude's hospital as we speak. They're going to run some tests and they'll let us know the cause once they're done." AJ let out a heavy breath once she ended.

"Wh...what? You..you can't be serious." Kian couldn't understand what had happened. How could he simply throw a news like this to his girlfriend?

"I wish I wasn't. I wish she would wake up. She might wake up. She can still wake up...." AJ's voice became quieter as she lost control of the words which came out. She began to chant that Cora will soon wake up. Fearing for the state of his friend's mind, Noah reached over and took her phone.

"This isn't some joke Kian. You need to tell Willow that Cora is gone. She needs to know and she has to come to the hospital once she's able to." With that he hung up.

"AJ please breathe and stop saying that Cora is going to wake up."

"She might." Having had enough, Noah pulled over and stopped by the side of the road.

"She's gone AJ!! You heard what they said!! She's gone and you need to accept that and stop blabbering like a fool!! Cora is not coming back! She's dead!!"

"Stop saying that Noah!! Stop it!!! You don't know that!! You don't know anything!! So shut the fuck up!!"

"She's dead!!" He shouted back. His voice was laced in nothing but pain for the girl he still loves. Unfortunately, AJ wasn't able to handle what Noah had said. She leaned towards him and raised her fists. Next thing Noah knew, she started to blindly hit his shoulder and chest.

"Stop saying that she's gone!!" AJ screamed and cried. Before she landed the fourth hit, Noah caught her hands in his.

"Stop saying that Noah." She wailed uncontrollably. Noah too cried after that. Cora was truly gone. She was gone.

AJ leaned forward and hugged him. She knew Cora was gone. She knew Cora was dead before the paramedics told her. It's just that her mind wasn't able to accept a painful truth like her best friend dying.

"She....she left us." AJ hiccuped against Noah's chest.

"She did." They stayed like that for a few more moments before Noah continued to drive to the hospital.

Fifteen minutes later Noah and AJ was at  the front desk asking for information about Cora.

"Last name Charles?" The lady asked them. Noah nodded while AJ answered with a quiet yes.

"They are doing the post mortem on the body as we speak." The lady paused to look at AJ. The girl seemed so lost. "You must be the roommate who found her?"

"Y..yes." The older woman nodded in understanding.

"Both of you can go up to the second floor. Take a left and go straight."

"Thank you." AJ answered her.

"I'm very sorry. I hope everything turns out okay."

You have no idea what you're talking about. AJ thought to herself as she looked at the older woman. Nothing was going to be okay after tonight.

After a short while, AJ and Noah found themselves inside the hospital's elevators, going up to the second floor.

~~~~~

"This must be it." Noah muttered.

"Excuse me, can I help the two of you?" A nurse asked as she passed by the two youngsters who seemed very pale.

"We're waiting for the doctors." Noah said to her.

"You must be on the wrong floor. This is where we do post mortems."

"We...we know. We're waiting for the results." AJ almost chocked on her words. She felt like she was about to throw up.

The nurse was surprised to hear this.

"I see. The full results will take more than a week to be released and they will be given to the immediate family members or close relatives but if you're waiting for what the doctors have to say, you'll have to wait for two to three hours."

"We'll wait." Noah and AJ said at the same time. "We have to know what happened." Noah muttered.

They took their seats and waited. Every second felt excruciatingly slow. The minutes felt like hours. AJ was slowly dying on the inside. She wanted to ask how Noah was holding up but she herself did not possess the strength to do so. She felt hollow.

Noah would glance at her from time to time but that was it. After their outbursts in the car. They didn't want to start another. AJ gripped her jacket not wanting to look at or feel her trembling fingers.

Noah was lost in his own thoughts. Thoughts that were jumbled up together. There was nothing clear about what had happened. Everything was foggy. He had just admitted his feelings for her. She told him she needed time which he was happy to give her. Grateful that she had at least thought about the possibility of them being together later on.

But later did not come. There was no future for them. Why did she do it? Why would she hurt him like this?

He did not deserve this pain. He did not want to suffer this badly. Noah knew he wasn't a saint but this punishment was too much for anyone to bear.

"Why?" His voice cracked. He knew there was no answer but he still had to ask. AJ slowly turned to him and just looked at pitiful eyes. She couldn't speak. She couldn't give him an answer when she was asking the same question. Cora was everything to her. Cora was a sister she never had. She was more than just a best friend. She was family.

After what felt like a few days, a doctor finally came out through the white double doors. AJ and Noah immediately stood up and looked at the elderly man. They were desperate to know every detail.

"I'm Dr. Danesh, the one who led the examination. You must be her two friends. I am very sorry for your lost."

"What happened?" AJ demanded. "She would never.." The girl tried to calm herself but she couldn't finish the sentence.

"I know this is distressing and I know how horrible this is. But the truth is, she's gone. Your friend took too many sleeping pills and overdosed. Based on the results so far, we know that Ms. Charles went through an immense amount of stress and she has accumulated signs of depression. We will know further results in two weeks."

"We know she was going through a hard time! We know that! Then she got better! We were okay!" AJ walked up to the doctor and gripped his lab coat.

"AJ let go." Noah pulled her back. But he too was not satisfied with the explanation.

"I know this is hard to take in-"

"Hard? This is....this is...this shouldn't have happened! Cora is not suicidal!" Noah raised his voice this time. He knew Cora wasn't suicidal.

"I agree with you." Dr. Danesh said after a while.

AJ's eyes snapped up to the man man.

"What are you saying?" She asked. The girl's eyes were already red and swollen. Her cheeks were wet and she looked as if she had been crying for days. Although the doctor had to deal with countless family members and friends of dead patients, it never got easier. Every patient was different. Every time he needed to deliver the horrible news, it felt like his first time. Both the boy and the girl standing before him were barely keeping themselves together. He knew sharing his view was only going to hurt them even more but he had to.

Dr. Danesh knew it wasn't just a view. He was rarely wrong about these things.

"Ms. Charles was going through a hard time but she wasn't suicidal. My guess is, she wanted it all to end for a little while. She wanted to sleep and disappear for a short amount of time. Unfortunately, she miscalculated. It maybe due to pressure and stress. She took too many pills." He ended with a sympathetic look. "I am sorry. Just wait for the test results. We'll get a clearer picture then."

AJ was at a loss for words. She simply gapped at the Dr. Noah held the side of his head, unable to process anything.

Cora didn't mean to go?

AJ covered her mouth with her hands and turned away from the Dr. She looked towards the large windows and tried to control her ragged breathing.

Noah walked back and took a seat. He was in a daze.

"One more thing Ms. She was holding onto this. Maybe you should have it. Or should I  give it to her parents when they arrive?"

"Wh...what is it?" AJ sniffled.

The dr reached into his coat and pulled out something. AJ then stretched her hand towards him.

"Here," he placed the silver whistle in AJ's hand.

The same whistle she gave Cora when they were six. The promise AJ made to her. To always be there for her. Protecting her from all harm.

AJ's body shook as she broke down. The Dr held her shoulder gently and led her to the sitting area. She sat down but was unable to stop crying. Holding on to the whistle, she kept apologizing to Cora.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The two of them lost all sense of time. They didn't know how long they were sitting there, not moving. They only looked up when they heard heavy footsteps headed in their direction.

"Where is she?! Where's my baby?! Please tell me this is a sick joke. Please."

It was Mrs. Charles. Mr Charles looked beaten and exhausted. They both did.

Dr. Danesh and two nurses met the couple halfway. The Dr wanted them to calm down but it was useless. Both parents were in shock. AJ knew knew there was nothing he could say to calm them.

They had just lost their only daughter.

"You're lying, you have to be. Please." Cora's mother whimpered. They looked distressed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for your lost." Those were the only words AJ heard. She blocked out the rest of his explanation.

Mr and Mrs Charles were both in tears. It was as if their whole world ended. It really did. Cora was everything to them. How was anyone going to console them?

AJ's eyes filled with tears again. Watching them brought upon a new level of pain in her chest. She felt the guilt eat her up from the inside. They shouldn't have to go through this. No parent should.

"AJ?" Mrs. Charles' eyes found her and Noah.

"AJ." The woman muttered and walked towards her.

"I'm sorry....I'm so sorry. I couldn't save her." She wept. "I'm so sorry Mr and Mrs Charles." It was getting hard for her to breathe.

Mr. Charles held the sides of his head and sat on the chair far away from everyone. He silently cried by himself. AJ's heart broke at the sight of him. Noah was emotionless and so he refused to talk to anyone.

"You said you would always be together." Mrs. Charles sobbed. "You said you'd never leave each others side. How did this happen?" She cried again. "How did this happen?! AJ I thought you'd always be her hero. What happened? What happened to my baby, AJ?" She could no longer look at Mrs. Charles. That was the last straw for AJ. Her whole body trembled as she slowly stood up. She looked at Mrs. Charles crying in pain. She then looked at Mr. Charles suffering in his own grieve. Noah slowly looked up at her but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes only travelled from Mrs. Charles to Mr. Charles.

Looking at them again, tears blurred her vision as she shook her head. She couldn't bear to stay there anymore. Among all the faces that she had let down.

Gripping the whistle close to her chest, she took off running in the other direction.

She failed to hear Noah calling after her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cora's funeral took place three days later.

The news came as a shock to the whole university and to AJ's entire neighborhood. More and more people were getting to know about Cora. As expected, her funeral was a crowd. The church was full and the there was a large crowd at the cemetery too. Everyone was dressed in black. Cora was never a big fan of black. She was a bright person. She loved different vibrant colours. She loved the whole idea of colours.

AJ could see Cora's parents crying from where she stood. It was especially difficult for them when they were lowering down their daughter's white coffin. Noah was standing next to her parents. Beside him were Jaxon and Willow. Standing beside her was Zach. There were more students but she didn't know them very well. Everyone looked gloomy. Even the clouds were a woeful grey. The whole environment mourned for her.

Everyone was going to miss her but AJ was lost without her. She was going to suffer the most because all through her life she had one person. One friend, one family member who would look out for her. Cora was the only one who understood her. Willow was her best friend too but the relationship she shared with Cora was different. AJ did not know how to go on. After that night in the hospital. AJ had locked herself up in her dorm room. Refusing to see or talk to anyone. She didn't eat or sleep. Not until Willow broke down the door handle.

That day Willow found AJ in a death like state. She wasn't moving at all. She was on the ground beside her bed, simply staring at Cora's bed. She didn't even blink when Willow barged in. She didn't struggle when Willow tried to lift her from the ground.

She didn't react when Willow tried shaking her awake. Willow wanted AJ to come back to reality. And she did everything in her power to do so. Willow could not bear to lose another friend.

It was hard to convince AJ to attend the funeral. Attending the funeral simply meant that Cora was actually gone. It was a bitter reminder. AJ couldn't remember how Willow convinced her to come but she came. She came to pay her respects.

However, she still did not speak to anyone or show herself. Only Willow and Noah knew she was there.

AJ stayed away from everyone. Especially Cora's parents.

AJ stayed until after the funeral. Until everything was over and until everyone left.

Now that it was empty, she walked up to where her best friend was buried.

Kneeling down on her grave. She touched the soil and felt the tears run down her cheeks.

"Why did you go? Why did you leave me?" AJ whispered to the ground. Drops of tears fell onto the soil. Slowly, AJ curled herself and slept on Cora's fresh grave.

~~~~~~~~~

She jolted awake when she felt someone shake her shoulders. She couldn't easily open her eyes because they were swollen.

After a lot of effort, AJ finally managed to sit up. Her eyes widened when she saw Willow looking down at her with sad eyes.

"We have to go. It's going to rain soon." Willow sniffled. Slowly getting up, AJ then walked towards her friend. Willow engulfed AJ in  a hug and cried on her shoulder. After a while, AJ hugged her too.

"I'm sorry for shutting myself out." She told Willow.

"Do not ever do that again. Don't hurt me like that AJ. I only have you now."

"I won't hurt you like that again." AJ replied. Her throat was dry and she felt so weak.

"I was so angry with you." Willow confessed. She was grieving for Cora and AJ just disappeared on her. Noah was a wreck. He couldn't stop drinking until he passed out. He was drinking right up to the funeral. Willow was alone for three days. Kian was there for her but he couldn't fully understand. She needed AJ the most.

"You should be. I would be very angry too. I won't do that again." AJ hiccuped. "I'm just not strong enough to deal with this."

"None of us are. But we can get through it together." AJ pulled away and nodded at Willow.

"Thank you for coming back for me." Willow replied her with a sad smile.

"Of course I would come back for you. Now come on, please eat something AJ. For me." AJ nodded not wanting to disappoint Willow any further. She wasn't really hungry and she doubted if she could stomach anything at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks passed by and everything was already beginning to go back to the way it was. The situation simply baffled AJ. Cora's course mates seemed to have forgotten about her completely. They went back to their studies as usual. Yi Zing was the only one who showed any sadness at all. She made a small memorial on Cora's usual seat in their main lecture hall. It was a small tribute. With a framed picture of Cora and flowers around it. The picture was only there for slightly more than a week.

"Kian they need me now. I can't come out tonight."

..............

"Noah is a mess. All he does is drink. AJ is even worse. She turned into this whole other person."

................

"It's only been two weeks Kian. She was our best friend. I can't just-"

............

"What? I won't leave them, I just can't. I'm afraid they'll fall apart sooner or later. They still can't seem to comprehend her death. You must understand. I have to be with them."

....….....

"Kian I'm sorry, I just-"

.............

"Okay I -"

..............

"Fine." He then hung up on Willow. Willow was overwhelmed with everything that happened. And she felt worse about whatever that is happening around her. She didn't need any more pressure from her boyfriend who refused to understand her. He wanted her with him. He wanted her attention and she couldn't give it to him at the moment. Noah was slowly becoming an addict while AJ is drowning in her own sorrow. She speaks to Willow but only because she doesn't want to hurt her. She has completely turned into a shell of a person she once was.

Willow pinched the bridge of her nose and sat on her bed. All she wanted to do was scream and cry but she couldn't break down now. She had to be strong for her friends. With that thought in her mind, she picked up her phone and ordered some pizza.

Once that was done, she wanted to call AJ. Just as she was about press the call button, AJ called her.

"Hey are you okay?"

"Hey....um I'm fine. Willow I'm not in my room. I....I decided to go home."

"What?! What the hell?!" Willow didn't mean to shout but what AJ did was inconsiderate. Here she was worrying about everyone, putting up with Kian and trying to get past the fact the one her best friends was dead. Then there's AJ who just decided to ditch without saying goodbye.

"You have every right to be mad at me." AJ whispered. Willow knew she was crying again. AJ never really stopped crying. Whenever Willow found her in her room, her eyes were always teary.

"I know you might feel like beating me up. Maybe I'll let you. But I need this Willow. I need to get away from everyone. I need to be alone. I'm sorry for-"

"Hey it's alright. It's alright AJ. I just don't want you to do anything stupid. Please don't-"

"Never. I could never hurt you more than I already do. I just need time and space. I'll see you as soon as I can."

"I'll leave you but you have to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Call me everyday or text me everyday. I need to know that you're still here."

"I will, I promise. And I'm sorry again. I tried to get better. I tried to move forward but I can't Willow." She hiccuped against the phone. Willow's heart broke as AJ was slowly crumbling. Willow had never witnessed AJ cry. Ever. This was too much for her. She didn't really know what to do. She didn't know how to help her friend.

"I'll leave you but you have to keep me updated and promise me you'll eat."

"I promise. I promise."

"You'll talk to me tomorrow. Now I'll have to find Noah."

"Willow he's at the bar. The one we went to a month back. Do you remember?"

"It isn't very far from our dorms right?"

"No. Goodbye." She whispered and hung up.

~~~~~~~

Willow took a Uber ride to the bar. She strode in and found Noah almost immediately. As expected, he was sitting by the bar and drinking like the drunkard he had become.

"Noah, how much did you have?" Willow demanded with an icy stare. Noah shrugged and smiled up at her with his bloodshot eyes.

"Join me Willie."

"It's Willow, let's go. Now."

"Nope."

"Noah I'm not playing with you."

"I'm serious too."

"Noah!! Let's go!" Noah's drunken smile faltered after willow yelled at him. He glared at her with pure hatred and slammed his glass on the table making Willow flinch back.

"I'm not going anywhere! I'm staying here. So you can go now Willow!! Get lost!" He pushed the air as if he could make her disappear.

Willow marched towards Noah but she was stopped by the bartender. He was the same guy who was talking to AJ when they first came. Willow remembered him well.

"I'll take care of him." He said softly. "You go. Don't you know that you can't argue with a drunk person?"

"You don't get it. He's going to drink himself to an early grave if I don't stop him. That's probably what he wants."

"I know what happened. He blabbered the whole story to me. He's in pain." Caleb told Willow. He had no idea Cora was the friend who passed away. The girl who was close with the crazy brunette who left a memorable  impression on him.

"That doesn't mean he can just.....behave like this!"

"No it doesn't. Hey, I've been adding soda and at times water to his drinks okay. I won't give him too much."

"Why are you being so understanding?"

"Well, let's just say I've been there. I get it." Willow just looked at him. After a long pause, she sighed in relief. She was just so tired.

"So what time do you close?"

"Around four. I'll make him call you. I can send him back myself too."

"How do you know him?"

"He's been coming here frequently for the past two weeks. Seems like a good student."

"He is. You said you can take care of him. Please make him call me. Or you call me. If he gets hurt I will-"

"Got it ma'am. Send my regards to your other friend. The fiesty, loud one. You came here with her a few weeks back right?" Willow stiffly nodded and looked away, suddenly feeling very sad.

She was no longer the same fiesty, loud girl. She was no longer the AJ Willow knew.

"I will. Thanks." With that being said, she rushed out the bar and decided to take a walk to her dorm. The night was cold but she was okay with that. She needed to feel something. Anything.

She was both sad, angry and alone. That made her look up and curse Cora for leaving. She didn't just leave. She shattered everyone by doing it and Willow was so angry with her. More tears blurred her vision as she dragged her feet towards the dorms.

Twenty minutes later she found herself at the entrance gate.

Someone was waiting there, talking on the phone. At least that was what it looked like. As she walked closer she recognised the boy.

"Henderson?" She was surprised to see a worried looking Eli standing at the entrance.

"Willow? Hey." Willow have him a small wave. Without saying anything further, Eli walked up to her and gave her a tight hug.

Willow was surprised at the sudden contact but after a moment she hugged him back. It may not seem like much to him but to Willow, it was the warmest hug she had received in a long, long time.

She continued to hug him a bit longer before eventually letting go.

"I'm sorry. About Cora." Eli said with a worried expression.

"I know you are. When did you arrive?"

"I was waiting here for an hour. I tried calling AJ but it went straight to voicemail. All of it."

"She's not doing so well Eli." Willow muttered and looked at her shoes. She was more worried now that she couldn't actually see AJ.

"Neither are you Willow. You have dark circles under your eyes and you look sick." Eli gently held her shoulder.

"I'm just really tired. I wanted to get some rest."

"I see. Yeah. Yeah you should. Go ahead."

"Where are you headed?"

"I don't really know." Eli sheepishly admitted. He didn't know where to go at this time. Rylen wasn't picking up either. He was the only other person he knew around here.

"Then come with me. AJ's room is empty and I have a spare key to her room."

"W..wait are you sure?" He was whispering all of a sudden.

"Yes Eli I'm sure. Figure things out tomorrow morning okay?"

Eli didn't have much of a choice. He obeyed Willow and followed her into the girls' dormitory.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

AJ would call Willow every now and then but she would only speak a few words. Willow could hear how weak her voice was getting every time she called. She would remind AJ to eat but that was all she could do.

AJ who once had a crush on Eli never called him back. Afraid of what to say and how she would sound. Eli was understanding. He never pushed her but he couldn't help but feel worried. His superhero didn't seem alright.

And just like that a month passed by. Like a breeze. The good part was, Noah was slowly becoming himself. With the help of those around him. Especially Willow.

The bad news was, no one saw AJ for a whole month. Willow was beginning to get worried again,  thinking she might have done something to herself. It was a cold Sunday night. The cold made Willow feel worse.

Pushing aside her soup bowl, she tried calling her best friend who may have disappeared from the face of the Earth.

She called three times before AJ picked up.

"You can't do this anymore you hear me? I don't care how you're feeling, come back to us. I'm serious AJ, if you're not back by-"

"I'll be there tomorrow. I have bioinformatics first thing in the morning." AJ muttered from the other end of the line. Willow opened her mouth but closed it again not knowing what to say. She did not expect to hear this.

"And after class. We can meet up for lunch. I'm sorry it took me this long. I'm sorry." AJ said softly.

"Don't apologize. I can't wait to see you. Just come back."

"Goodbye Willow. I'll see you tomorrow."

~~~~~~~~~~

AJ's POV

I walked into campus feeling nostalgic. There were so many people.

All that time alone in my house made me get use to solidarity. I wanted to be alone and I was alone. No one called except for Willow and Eli. Noah called twice.

I didn't talk to anyone other than Willow. Honestly, I didn't need more calls from any of my friends. I went home for another reason. I was waiting on them, for their call. I knew seeing them in the flesh would be unlikely but I at least needed them to call me, to talk to me, to ask if I was doing alright. I waited for their call everyday after I gave them the news about Cora. That was the only time they spoke to me. Our conversation consisted of two sentences from them. That was it. They gave me two sentences. The conversation lasted for not more than a minute.

What else did I actually expect from them? After that I hated how desperate and needy I had become. I was never needy. I was always independent. Always taking care of myself.

I guess in my weak state, I was looking for some kind of warmth. Well, I definitely looked in the wrong place. My parents were not the affectionate kind.

Looking up, I realised that I had already walked past the field. I could feel the Sun burning through the thin fabric that I wore. Everything burned. Everything was too bright and everyone was too loud. They were all going about their day. Most of them had the same student routine. Everyone seemed do be doing something.

This place was making me uncomfortable. As I looked towards the cafe. I suddenly imagined Cora running out of the cafe towards me with a big smile on her face.

"Cora." I whispered looking towards the cafe. Remembering where I stood I quickly shook my head. I couldn't do this here. Not wanting anything to escalate, I quickly walked towards my lecture hall. I need to study. I need to be a student again. I need to be myself again.

I kept saying those three things in my head.

AJ.

My whole body whipped around in shock. I just heard her say my name. My fingers began to feel cold and it was getting difficult for me to breathe. Tears filled my eyes at the realisation that I wasn't getting any better.

I could still hear her voice, feel her presence. But she wasn't here with me.

"I...I need you Cora. Please come back." I whimpered, standing alone in the middle of the road that led to the building I was supposed to walk into.

Looking up, I tried to inhale as much air as I could but no matter what I did, I felt my chest tighten more and more. And soon, my surroundings began to fade away.

~~~~~~~~

Third Person's POV

"What the hell happened?!" Willow screeched.

"You found her on the road?" Noah was furious.

"Yeah I didn't know what else to do so I drove her here. She looked horribly pale." Jaxon tried to explain.

"Why didn't you call someone? She might need to go to a hospital!!" Noah wanted to strangle Jaxon for not making better decisions.

"Hey we should be thankful he found her when he did." Eli squeaked out.

"All of you shut the fuck up." The commotion immediately died down. There was a long pause. "Go to your classes. I'll call you guys when she wakes up."

Willow, Noah, Eli and Jaxon just stared at Rylen.

Jaxon was the one who found AJ lying on the road. He panicked and immediately drove her to the house he shared with Rylen and his group of guys. Rylen almost lost it when he saw AJ's limp body in Jaxon's arms but he controlled himself.

Now everyone was gathered outside Rylen's room and AJ was lying  unconscious on Rylen's bed. Her breathing was slow. Before Rylen closed the door to his room, Willow noticed how thin and unhealthy she had become.

"Just go. I'll take care of her and you guys can come back after your classes." Rylen said leaving no room for any arguments.

Willow was about to object but Eli convinced her that Rylen knew what he was doing. Willow scoffed at him not believing a word but Eli simply shrugged.

"I'm not sure about this." Willow whispered harshly. She wanted to stay with AJ.

"Trust me Rylen can take care of her. She's already shutting herself from everyone. Maybe it will be different with him? We can try. We want her to get better right?" Willow thought long and hard about what Eli said.

"You're right. Maybe a new face will help. Plus, Jaxon's here too."

Before leaving Willow made sure Jaxon would be in the house to keep an eye on their friend.

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