"Again, I'm so sorry about Tyler. He's a very good guy and a great friend. He- well, you know. He doesn't have the capability to care about anything besides what made him sad in the first place."

It was Troye's voice.

"Yeah, sure we fought a little when Troye and I started dating but then one day he turns off his emotions and finds me to lash out at," Connor piped in.

"He'll be fine. Everyone has to turn their emotions back on at some point," Phil replied.

I finally opened my eyes to see I was in a hospital bed, my head bandaged and my eye sore. Luckily there was a mirror in front of me, so I could see myself. I had a bruised cheekbone, my lip split and dried blood under my nose.

"He's awake!" Connor gasped. The others turned and hurried to surround me.

"How're you feeling?" Troye asked.

I smiled a little. "Like I got my ass beat by a lilac-haired, short homosexual while in a crop top."

The three of them laughed.

"Any memory loss?" Connor questioned. I shook my head.

"Where's Tyler?" I asked them.

Troye shrugged. "Last night after you blacked out, Phil picked you up and carried you outside to the ambulance. I helped Connor out and they treated him, but your wounds were more serious. You're only staying in here for tonight and then you're out tomorrow morning. The cops tried to arrest Tyler but I explained everything and they let him go. I drove him home and he hasn't talked to me since. Not even during the ride to his house."

I nodded. "So you two are in a relationship?"

They blushed, their hands intertwining. "Yeah. Are you and Phil together?"

The two of us turned red. "No," we both responded in unison.

Connor smirked. "You should be."

"No-"

Phil groaned. "We're just friends."

I ignored the slight ping in my chest. "You guys are gross."

Connor and Troye exchanged glances, small smiles on their faces. Shortly after they left and Phil and I talked for awhile until he heard my stomach growl.

"Are you hungry?" Phil asked. I nodded. "We need to get you moving, so I'll go get a wheelchair for you and we can go get food downstairs. I don't wanna risk leaving the hospital and then Tyler finds you again."

I rolled my eyes. "Phil, he's not going to find me nor hit me, I'll be alright."

He exhaled, beginning to walk away, his face turned away from me. "I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

I couldn't find the right words to reply with, so I shut my mouth. He left and came back with a wheelchair, helping me out the bed then setting me into it. I cringed, my hospital gown uncomfortable. I wasn't wearing any underwear either, so that made it even more awkward. I crossed my legs as we rolled down to the cafeteria.

"I can walk, you know," I giggled, looking up at him. He smiled down at me, continuing to wheel me down the hall.

"I know. But we might get food faster if we use this as an excuse."

I saw the cafeteria and spotted the dessert table, gasping and jumping out of the wheelchair. I felt cold air hit my bum and I gasped, realizing I got up too fast. I heard Phil burst out laughing behind me and instantly held my gown to cover me again.

I just flashed Phil.

"D-did you. . ." I trailed off, turning slowly to look at him.

He smirked. "Fortunately yes. I'm not complaining, don't worry about it."

My face reddened and he laughed, parking the wheelchair and following me to the cafeteria line, making sure my butt was covered. As we were eating, Phil seemed to be deep in thought, a frown on his face.

"Keep making that face and it'll get stuck like that," I told him jokingly. He didn't reply nor laugh, he only now made eye contact, the frown not leaving his face. I set down my fork, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's nothing, just eat your food so we can go."

I swallowed a piece of my food before glaring at him. "Oh come on, we aren't little kids. What's up?"

"You almost got yourself killed, Dan. Tyler smashed a beer bottle on your head- if he hit you any harder with that, you would've died or gone into a coma. Memory loss too. Then what would I have done? I mean, you're lucky to even be standing on two feet."

"Actually I'm sitting," I joked. He looked unamused and I cleared my throat, locking eyes with him. "Look, I had to do something. He was gonna beat Connor's ass if I didn't."

"You could've called for security and moved the crowd."

I slammed my cup down, ignoring the rude glances from other patients and visitors eating. "Right, I'm sorry, why didn't I think of that? Oh! I know! Maybe it's because if I waited any longer he would've knocked Connor out?" I scoffed sarcastically. Phil crossed his arms. "Listen, I'm fine now. Do I look dead to you? Nobody was going to help them anyway, even if they tried. You saw security trying to get through the crowd. Besides, I didn't really care if-"

"Quit saying that!" Phil suddenly screamed, the whole cafeteria going silent.

"You two! Take it somewhere else!" A doctor yelled at us. Phil grabbed my arm and dragged me to the boy's bathroom.

"Why are you so pissed? Everything you're lecturing me about is just gonna go in one ear and out the other."

"See, and I think that's bullshit," Phil hissed. "Think about it. If you really didn't care, why help Connor? Why stand up for me when Tyler pushed me? Why even continue talking to me when you could easily learn to avoid me or ignore me? If you don't care, then why would you do all of these things! If you truly didn't give two shits, you wouldn't be standing here right now! You're lying to yourself- I know it, and you do too."

I thought he was done, but he continued.

"If you care, you should say so! People aren't around forever, we leave, we die, we feel unloved- so you need to say the things you want to say! I lost my entire fucking family Dan! My mom, my dad, and my brother! I didn't have anybody there to help me for years! And even now, m friend doesn't have his emotions on!" My jaw dropped. Did he just call me hi friend? "You're all I've got. Yes, we've known each other for such a short time, but I am trying so hard to get close to you and you won't let me in. I know this sounds clingy but the attention you give me now is more than I've gotten in years."

"I'm s-" I began.

Phil shook his head. "Oh, don't start feeling bad now, you prick! You don't think about the things you say, you don't think about the things you do, or how it'll affect the people around you, you just do them! I bet you didn't even care about PJ-"

"Shut up! Don't you dare bring my past into this!" I snarled.

Phil slowly walked to me. "Tell me, right now, do you care about me?" I didn't reply. Yes Phil, I do. I care, I care, I care. I just can't. I shouldn't care, and I can't. "Do you care or not!"

"I don't!" I lied, standing up straight to look down on him. He shut his mouth. "I don't care about Connor, I don't care about Troye, and I certainly don't care about you!"

Phil inched back as if I'd slapped him, his lips parting and his eyes watering. Tears brimmed in his eyes within seconds, his hands clenching into fists.

Phil shoved me. "Fuck you," he said, his voice much quieter as tears began to roll down his cheeks. "In this short time that we've known each other, I have made the effort to hang out as much as possible. I saved your pathetic ass from getting arrested, from being alone on your days off work, we went to the movies, to dinner, clubbing- all in just a week. I cared even when you didn't. I still do, and you still don't." He wiped his face and began walking out until I spoke up.

"The less you care, the happier you are."

He turned to face me, his blue eyes dull with traces of betrayal. "No. The less you care, the lonelier you are."

With that, he left. I wanted to beg for him to come back, I wanted to chase after him, to grab his shirt and throw myself in his arms and tell him how much I care and how sorry I truly am.

I hurt him. I hurt everybody.

I tugged on my hair, wanting to cry but not being able to. I shouldn't be feeling like this. I shouldn't be feeling at all. He was bringing the old me back.

So maybe this was a good thing- him leaving. I'd go back to being careless and not worry about him hurting me or anyone hurting me in general. He'll find someone better, and that won't be me.

Then I heard a cough come from a stall.

I furrowed my eyebrows, backing up and looking at the stall where the noise came from. I heard the lock clicking, then that door opening.

It felt like someone had sucked all oxygen from my lungs as I looked at the man in front of me. The man I never wanted to see again.

"PJ?"