A thousand thoughts coursed through my mind. Noah kept talking, but I couldn’t focus on his words. Chace attempted suicide? That was nonsense! There was no way Chace would lie about that… would he? If he lied about his mom, why wouldn’t he lie about attempting to commit suicide? Maybe he didn’t trust me as much as I liked to think he did. The thought made my heart hurt.

            “Rose?”

            “Sorry,” I apologized quickly, pulling myself from my thoughts. “What did you say?”

            “I asked you if Chace told you about the time he tried to commit suicide.”

            I shook my head. “No, he told me one of his California friends was the one who tried. He lied about that.”

            Noah frowned. “That’s not good. I thought maybe you’d be the person he’d trust to tell this to.”

            “I…” I trailed off, my heart sinking. Apparently I wasn’t that trust-worthy.

             “Don’t fret about it,” Noah insisted. “It’s probably just a hard topic for him to talk about.”

            Nodding, I decided to go with that. Attempting suicide wasn’t something I’d throw at someone I’d only known for a month. It was for the reason I kept my disease to myself: as to not scare him away. Maybe he didn’t want to scare me away. That was a perfectly acceptable reason. However, it was a little unsettling he could lie so easily.

            “I wouldn’t treat him any differently know that you know,” Noah advised me with a grimace. “That’s why we stopped being friends.”

            “I’d never treat him differently,” I said confidently. “All that happened in the past. We’re living in the present and the present it what matters.”

            Noah smiled. “Mind if I use that line?”

            “Go right ahead.”

            “I just don’t understand it,” he sighed, slumping onto one of the disgusting plastic booths. “Chace is so happy all the time. My mind can’t wrap around the fact he tried to end his life.”

            Opting to stand, I bit my lip, staring down at Noah. “They say the people who look the happiest are the saddest.”

            “Yeah, but how often is that phrase true?” he responded, rolling his eyes. “It’s a stupid saying.”

            The corners of my lips twitched up. “Yeah.”

            “Still though, I was really freaked out when it happened.”

            “How did he…”

            “Try to kill himself?” Noah guessed.

            I nodded. It was hard to say out loud. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to hear from Noah. This was something that would be better to hear directly from Chace, but I didn’t know what my reaction was going to be. It was safer to hear it from Noah first. Just in case.

            “I’m not sure what he was aiming for, but do you know that rive by the eye doctor’s?”

            My face paled. “Yes.”

            “Well there’s a waterfall at the end of it…”

            I suddenly felt sick. I didn’t want to hear it.

            “I don’t know if he thought he’d break his neck on the rocks at the bottom, or whether he thought he would drown, but he jumped off it.”

            A gasp escaped my lips and my hands flew to my mouth. “He jumped off the waterfall?”

            Noah nodded. “Yeah.”

            My mind drew a picture of the waterfall from my memory. I’d been there a few times before with my ex-boyfriend. No one was allowed near it, so if you wanted to stand on the ledge, you’d have to climb over a barbed fence. Luckily, there was a tree you could scale on both sides to get over and back. The reason why it was so heavily protected was because of how dangerous it was. From top to bottom, the drop of the waterfall was a hundred and fifty feet. Sharp rocks and boulders covered the bottom and jutted out of the swirling water, guaranteeing a severe or even fatal injury. Just remembering standing on the ledge, my hand clutching my ex’s arm so tightly my knuckles were white, sent shivers down my spine. To think Chace jumped off it…

            “Luckily he got away with only a fractured spine,” Noah continued, oblivious to my spacing out.

            Tears tugged at the back of my eyes. It didn’t make sense. First of all, why would Chace want to end his life? And second, why in such a horrible way? It was awful! I couldn’t even bare to think about it.

            Suddenly a hand was placed on my shoulder and I jumped. Noah frowned at me. “Are you okay?”

            Nodding, I blinked away the tears. “Sorry.”

            “Don’t apologize. I know it’s a lot to take in. And you’re going to have to hear it again from Chace.”

            “I feel bad from hearing it from you first,” I admitted. “But I don’t know how I’d react if he told me that.”

            Noah squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

            “Yeah. Wow. I just…”

            “Why don’t we change the topic?” he suggested, smiling easily. “Are you going to join Chace and I?”

            “No,” I told him. “Do me a favor and don’t tell anything you just revealed to me, okay?”

               Noah raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

            “I want him to tell me on his own terms,” I explained, cupping my elbow. “That is, if he decides to tell me.”

            “He’ll tell you,” Noah assured me.

            I smiled at him. “You sound so confident.”

            “Well, I was his best friend for three years. I know him. He eventually told me, didn’t he?”

            “Yeah, that’s true.”

            “Exactly. So cheer up, buttercup.”

            “I don’t think we’re close enough for nicknames, Noah.”

            He grinned at me. “Well, one day we might be. You never know. Chace and I might become best friends again.”

            I gave him a serious look. “You two better become best friends again. Chace could use a good friend. Especially since…” Biting my tongue, I reprimanded myself silently. What was I doing? Especially since I now knew he tried to kill himself? Didn’t I just promise I wouldn’t treat him differently? I didn’t want to treat him differently!

            “Hard, isn’t it?” Noah commented, half-smiling.

            “Yeah,” I breathed. “I guess it’s just a little hard to take in…”

            He laughed. “I bet.”

            Just then, the bells on the door rang, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Turning, my gaze landed on a happy-looking Chace. All thoughts of his depression past vanished. Even with all that happened, he was still happy. It made me smile. That and the fact I couldn’t get over how cute he was. Today he was wearing a snug black sweater and dark wash jeans. Once his chocolate eyes landed on me, they lit up considerably. “Rosie!” he cried excitedly, nearly running to hug me.

            Laughing, I wrapped my arms around him. “Hi, Chace.”

            “What are you doing here?” he inquired, pulling away slightly so he could look at me.

            “She crashed into me,” Noah informed him with a smirk. “Literally. With her car.”

            Chace’s eyes widened. “That’s who you hit while you were on the phone with me?”

            “Yep,” I responded sheepishly.

            “No more talking on the phone while driving,” he scolded me, frowning. “You could end up in the hospital, Rosie.”

            I smiled at his worry. “I’ll try not to.”

            His gaze shifted to Noah, and an uncomfortable expression came over his face. “Well, since Rosie is here, maybe we should put off our talk…”

            “No, I need to leave,” I interjected quickly, the sick feeling returning to my gut. Evidently today wasn’t the day Chace would divulge his secrets to me.

            “What? Why?” He pouted a little, and I imagined him with drooping dog ears.

            My mind raced for an excuse. “Um, I have plans with Kate.”

            “Oh. Okay then.”

            I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you on Friday, okay?”

            “Okay,” he grumbled. His hands went to my face and held it in place as he gave me a fuller and longer kiss. “I’ll text you later.”

            “Sounds good,” I said with a grin. “See you later, Noah.”

            Noah waved, offering me a smile. “Bye, Rose.”

            Twenty minutes later I pulled into Kate’s driveway, my heart thudding in my chest. Cutting the engine, I nearly jumped out of my car and sprinted up to her front door. After ten sharp knocks, the door flung open and an irritated Kate appeared. “What?”

            “Can I come in?” I asked in a rush.

            She blinked. “What’s the matter?”

            Pushing her aside, I stepped into her warm house, kicking off my shoes. “Do you have ingredients for your special hot chocolate?”

            “Yes… What’s up?”

            “Are your parents home?”

            “No?”

            “Is Paul here?”

            “No.”

            I nodded, flopping down at her kitchen island. “Make me some hot chocolate, please.”

            Completely bewildered, she went about preparing her homemade hot chocolate. “Is something wrong, Rose? You only want to drink this when you’re upset.”

            “There’s something completely wrong.”

            “Do you want to talk about it?”

            “I do.”

            She paused, staring at me. “Then why don’t you?”

            “I can’t,” I sighed, resting my forehead on her cool marble countertop. “It’s private.”

            Pursing her lips, she bent down and retrieved a pot from under the sink. “Well that’s not very helpful.”

            “It’s something awful.”

            “Is it about Chace?”

            My eyes widened. How had she figured it out so quickly?

            Catching my expression, she chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised. The only person you could have trouble with right now is Chace. I’d know if it was with any of our friends.”

            “Oh, yeah,” I said sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s about him.”

            “But you can’t talk about it?”

            “Absolutely not. It’s something he even kept from me.”

            Kate nodded. “Ah, I get it. Did he lie to you about something?”

            “Two things.”

            “What a jerk.”

            Immediately I shook my head. “No! He’s not!”

            Kate glanced back at me. “But he lied…”

            “That’s the thing! He lied about something that is kind of acceptable to lie about. I mean, no, it’s not acceptable to lie, but…”

            “It’s something that you understand why he wouldn’t want to tell you about,” Kate clarified for me.

            “Exactly.”

            She placed the pot on the stove, warming up the water as she pulled out two, tall mugs and placed them in front of me. “So why does it upset you then?”

            Frowning, I propped one elbow up and rested my chin on it. “Because I’m a crappy person.”

            “No you’re not, Rose.”

            “Yes I am. I know why he lied, but I’m still upset over it.”

            “That’s normal.”

            I shook my head. “Not if you knew what I knew. And I’m a hypocrite. I’m such a hypocrite. And not even for a good reason.”

            “Why do you think that?”

            “Because…” Suddenly, it felt like a dam broke and my emotions rolled out. Tears formed at my eyes and I sniffled, lowering my gaze to the floor. “I’m going blind, Kate. In three months, I’ll never be able to see again. And I’m scared to tell Chace, so I’m keeping it from him. So I’m a hypocrite because he kept those things from me and I’m upset about him keeping them from me. And yet they’re so, so, so much worse than my problem,” I gushed, not pausing to take a breath. “And—”

            “Wait, wait, back up,” Kate demanded. “What did you say? You’re going blind?”

            Nodding, I kept my gaze glued to the marble. “The other month the eye doctor told me I have a rare disease called Cone-Rod Dystrophy and it’s deteriorating my eyesight at a rapid pace. It’ll probably be gone around December. And that’s only three months away,” I informed her, my voice breaking at the end. Yeah, Mom. Great idea to tell someone, I thought sarcastically.

            “No way…”

            I glanced up at her and regretted it immediately. Just the sight of her horrified face triggered a new onslaught of tears. I buried my face in my arms. “It’s not fair, Kate.”

            Seconds later I felt her slender arms wrapping around me. “Oh my god, Rose. That’s so awful. I wish there was something I could do. Are they sure you’re going to lose your vision?”

            “Yes.”

            “What about the team?”

            “I have to drop out,” I mumbled, tearing up again. “I won’t be able to play again, Kate. I won’t be able to do anything!”

            She held me tightly. “I’m so sorry, Rose,” her voice tight, like her own throat was as constricted as mine.

            “I’m not going to be able to go to our school anymore either,” I continued. “And my mom’s having her friend teach me Braille…”

            “I’ll transfer with you,” she responded immediately, creating some space between us so she could give me a hard look. “Where are you going?”

            “A school for the blind. I don’t know if they’ll accept you.”

            “Then I’ll fake it!”

            This earned her a watery smile. “I don’t think that’ll work, Kate…”

            “You can’t go through this alone! I won’t let you! You have to stay on the volleyball team! You can become the nation’s best blind player, Rose!”

            Now I laughed. “I don’t know, Kate. That sounds difficult.”           

            “I’ll make it work. You were going to be chosen as team captain this year,” she informed me, her eyes watering over.

            “Really?”

            “Really.”

            A lump formed at the back of my throat and I forcefully followed it down, blinking rapidly to keep my tears under control. “I’m honored.”

            “You should be… Oh, Rose. Why did you wait so long to tell me?”

            “I was scared…”

            She gave me a stern look. “So? Isn’t it scarier to deal with this by yourself? I want you to rely on me a little bit!”

            Taken aback, I gawked at her. “What?”

            “You’re being a little selfish! Were you planning on just going blind and leaving me alone? Ignorant to the very last second? Of course I want to know, Rose! You shouldn’t be scared! It’s not like I won’t ever talk to you again! You should trust me more than that.”

            “I do trust you!”

            “Then why’d you wait?”

            I opened and closed my mouth a few times, trying to think of an acceptable response. Of course, the only one I had was the excuse I was scared. “I just didn’t want pity,” I mumbled.

            She slapped me on the back of my head. Hard. “You’re an idiot.”

            Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes again, but this time due to pain… Well, mostly due to pain. “I’m sorry!”

            “You should be. I want to work through this together. We’re best friends, aren’t we?”

            “Yeah,” I said quickly. “We are. I’m sorry.”

            She nodded. “Good. Apology accepted.” Returning to the stovetop, she poured steaming water into both our mugs before pouring her own cocoa mix into them and then a gallop of melted marshmallow. “Here. Drink up.”

            “This is just what I needed,” I sighed dreamily, the delicious scent wafting up from the mug and into my nose.

            “Are you going to tell Chace?”

            “I… Uh…” A little caught off guard, it took me a moment to form a full sentence. “Yeah. After he confesses to what he lied to me about. I don’t want to make him feel guilty about it.”

            Kate scoffed. “You should.”

            I stared at her. “But—”

            “Yeah, yeah. He’s got a good reason. But Rose, I’m sure it hurt you to know that he lied. Just like it hurt me that you didn’t tell me about your disease until a month after it was diagnosed.”

            “I am hurt, but I can’t be mad…”

            “I never said you had to be mad.”

            I cocked my head to the side. “Then what are you saying?”

            “I’m saying, at least get an apology from him.”

            “That sounds fair,” I agreed with a grin. “After that I’ll tell him about my disease. That way we’re even again. And we can stop hiding things from each other.”

            Kate grinned back at me. “That’s the way to do it.”

            Taking a sip of my hot chocolate, I hissed as it burned my tongue. “Damn!”

            “You’re an idiot,” she laughed.

            “I am, aren’t I?”

            Catching each other’s gazes, we grinned.

            “Well, that’s why you’re my best friend,” she commented with a shrug. “Someone needs to balance out my genius.”

            “I think you’re talking about Paul now.”

            She grinned. “Oh, just shut up and drink your cocoa.”

___________________________________________ 

Merry Christmas guys! I hoped you liked the chapter! Tell me, what are your plans for Christmas?  

Also, please remember to go vote for "A Surreptitious Relationship" under Most Popular! It's really far behind, and I'm positive ETC will win, but it'd be nice to have a closer second place, right? :D Thanks a lot! The link for voting is in the external link, or you can just go to the top of the page and go under "Watty". 

One more thing, I have a teaser for my new upcoming story on my profile. You can go check it out, it's called "An Endless Serenade". I'll probably be starting it mid-January. I just wrote the first chapter to satisfy people hahaha!