TW: GORE

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

As Ronan and Austin reached the third quarter of their ski run, a loud thud and a grunt came from behind them. They immediately halted and looked at each other, wondering if those sounds were just a figment of their imagination.

"Did you hear that?" Austin narrowed his eyes. "It sounded like an animal crashed against a tree or something."

"Yeah, I could hear it too," Ronan looked around. "Something feels off, though."

"Indeed," Austin stood still, until he noticed that Hunter had gone missing. "Wait a minute... where's Hunter?!"

"He was left behind?!" Ronan held his head in his hands. "What if he was the one that crashed against the tree? Let's try to find him!"

Moments after they rushed back up the slope, trying to find their best friend, they were met with a gruesome sight. Across bloody snow, Hunter's body lay sprawled, in a strange position, next to a cedar pine tree. There was no doubt that he died instantly, as his head was dripping with blood from a brutal opening on his forehead that revealed a large crack in his skull.

"No! Oh my gawd, no! Somebody help, please!" Ronan hyperventilated, kneeling beside Hunter's corpse.

"No, no, no, this can't be happening," Austin shook his head slowly, before screaming louder than he ever had.

Meanwhile, the others were packing their belongings back into Papa's car when they suddenly heard Ronan and Austin's cries for help.

"Wait a second... is that–" Keon shot right up.

"Something happened..." Aria hyperventilated. "Let's go, let's go!"

Even though they all assumed the worst, none of them could have ever imagined what actually went down at the scene of the incident. Ronan sat motionless and speechless, blocking the others' view of Hunter's corpse while Austin appeared to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Somebody call nine-one-one!" Austin shouted desperately. "He's dead, he's fucking dead!"

"Who's dead?" Estelle cried.

"Hunter!" his voice broke. "He crashed against a tree!"

"What?! It can't be!" Nana gasped, placing both hands on her chest as Estelle immediately began to sob.

"I'm gonna call nine-one-one!" Papa stepped over to the side.

"No... Hunter, no, no, no!" Aria tried to run towards Hunter's body, but Austin quickly stepped on her way, preventing her from seeing her brother's corpse. "Let me see him!" she pleaded.

"I can't," Austin choked up. "It's going to break you more than you've already been broken."

Keon felt a horrifying mix of emotions as he stood there taking it all in. Not only had he lost one of his closest friends; his girlfriend lost her only brother as well. And to make matters worse, watching Austin prevent Aria from seeing Hunter's corpse reminded Keon of keeping Leah from going to look at Cash's corpse the night of his demise.

The next few minutes were a blur, but at the same time they felt like a lifetime. Aria quickly ran to Estelle, embracing her as the two sobbed louder than they probably ever had in their lives. In the meantime, Ronan was still standing beside Hunter's body, while Keon and Austin stayed with Nana and Papa, still completely baffled. It was hard for any of them to shed a tear, as they were still struggling to comprehend what had happened.

"Oh, dear heavens, what about Marianne? And Nick?" Papa spoke shakily. "How will I break the news to them?"

"I'll call them," Nana stepped aside.

Police officers arrived within ten minutes to inspect the scene and talk with Ronan about what had happened before the incident. In the meantime, Estelle left to be with Austin, and Keon went to comfort Aria, who immediately hugged him and sobbed into his chest.

"My brother, my fucking brother!" she wailed. "Keon, he can't die! He just can't die! He doesn't deserve any of this!"

"I don't know what to say..." he embraced her tightly, fighting back his own tears. Seeing Aria suffer from the loss of a loved one made his blood boil; after all, he always prayed she would never have to endure that kind of sorrow.

Some time later, they sat down with Ronan, Austin, and Estelle to discuss the situation.

"How did it happen?" Aria choked up.

There was no response from either Ronan nor Austin. They kept their silence, trying their best to keep their cool in front of everyone.

"Tell me," Aria insisted. "How did it happen?"

"He missed a turn," Austin spoke in a low voice. "He missed a turn and crashed against a tree."

"We were almost at the end of the slope..." Ronan added, his voice shaking. "When we heard a loud thud. Then the first thing I saw was Hunter sprawled out on the floor, with his head cracked open."

"Just by looking at him I already knew he was dead," Austin teared up.

"Even after we told him to be careful!" Estelle wept angrily. "What could have caused him to miss that turn, anyway?!"

"I don't know, Estelle..." Ronan sighed sadly. "I don't know."

"I need to go, I'm sorry," Estelle ran away sobbing.

"And my parents?!" Aria sniffled. "What about my parents?! I don't know how I'm gonna tell them about this..."

"Your grandparents are handling that right now, love," Keon replied.

"Nana and Papa!" she gasped. "Oh gawd, I have to go talk to them!"

Following the others, they ran to Nana and Papa and immediately embraced them for support. Both grandparents appeared to be losing control of their emotions as they began to take it all in. What Aria and Ronan didn't know was that Estelle, Austin, and Keon were trying their hardest to be strong enough for them; the last thing they needed was to have their friends blubbering and breaking down into tears as well.

They all returned to Miami —joined by Nana and Papa— two days later for Hunter's funeral. There were easily more than a hundred attendees, including the rest of Keon's friends, who couldn't believe they had lost another friend; especially so soon after Cash's death.

"This doesn't even feel real," Devon looked down.

"It shouldn't be," Keon shook his head.

"He was so good at sports like those," Dorian spoke. "How could he have missed a turn so easily?"

"It's a mystery," Joe sighed.

"How will we live without him?" Austin sniffled. "He was like a brother to all of us..."

"Nothing will ever be the same," Ronan pursed his lips together. "Nothing, nothing."

Aria and Estelle barely spoke throughout the entire funeral. The two were stuck to each other like glue, and they never went anywhere without each other. The only times they were heard speaking was when they met with Aria's parents, and then after Leah, Scarlett, Amy, and Daniella went to give their condolences.

"Aria..." Leah embraced her. "I sadly understand what losing a brother feels like... you know I lost mine as well, more than four months ago. It's one of the hardest things you will ever have to go through."

"I wouldn't wish this kind of pain on anybody," Aria sniffled.

"Me neither..." Leah teared up. "Just know that if you ever need anything, I'm here for you, and whenever you need to talk to someone who understands, again, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Leah," Aria smiled weakly, fighting back tears. She then left to look at a picture of her brother that had been placed next to his casket, which had been closed because the severity of his injuries made him unrecognizable. Keon noticed this and joined her right away.

"Angel..." he hugged her from behind.

"I wish he was just sleeping, dammit," she held onto his arms, seemingly on the verge of a breakdown.

"I wish that too. Would you like to get some fresh air?"

"Please."

Hand in hand, they walked over to the parking lot to talk about what had been going on.

"I never thought I'd lose my brother..." Aria began, tears flowing freely from her eyes. "Especially not at this age. I always assumed we would both get to live long lives."

"Death hits us when we least expect it. Which is why we should always live each day as if it were our last."

"That was Hunter's motto," she smiled weakly. "He always lived each day as if he were going to die the next. He was fearless, courageous, he always knew what to do, always held his head up high..."

"He always knew how to have fun," he added.

"He sure did. Hunter made sure that everyone around him felt happy and loved. He barely ever lost his patience with anyone, and he never resorted to violence. The world is in need of more people like him."

"Hunter helped me a lot when I was going through the hardest time of my life. He checked on me on a regular basis, and always texted me, even if it was just to know if I was doing well."

"He was like that," Aria smiled through her tears. "He cared deeply about his loved ones... and he was a very protective brother. We took care of each other, he was always there for me even if no one else was... he and Estelle have always been my ride or die."

"I can tell you two were extremely close."

"We really were. Gawd, I miss him so much," she began to sob.

Keon immediately wrapped his arms around Aria and held her tightly while she wept in his embrace. She cried in his arms for a very long time, even longer than she had at the scene. Seeing her cry so much tore his heart to pieces.

"Thank you," she held his hands. "I really needed that."

"Of course," he kissed her forehead.

"I would be lost without you," she dried her tears. "You're the only person who's made me smile ever since my brother died."

"And I'm honored to be that person," he caressed her cheek.

Without saying anything, Aria pulled him in for a kiss. Keon embraced her and kissed her softly, feeling her tears brush against his cheeks while she stroked the back of his head. It was a small moment of bliss for them during a time of sorrow and despair.

Following the funeral, Aria felt physically, mentally, and emotionally tired. Immediately after arriving at their house, her father, Nick, headed straight to bed whereas her mother, Marianne, sat down on one of the loveseats in the living room and began to sob. Aria noticed this and sat down next to her, holding her in her arms until she calmed down just enough to speak and be understood.

"I just saw his senior year portrait," Marianne blubbered. "It doesn't seem real, Aria, it feels as if he's gonna come out of his room at any moment."

"I know..." Aria began to tear up.

"I wish I could give him one last hug. One last goodbye. I can't believe the last time I ever saw him was when I dropped you guys off at the airport in Fort Lauderdale."

"And the last time I saw him was right before he got on the ski lift."

"You didn't see him when he... you know?"

"No," Aria sighed. "I have mixed feelings about it. A part of me wishes I could've seen him, to get some closure. But at the same time, I don't wanna know what would've happened to me if I saw his dead body."

"Maybe it was best for us to remember him as the happy person he always was, darling," Marianne held her daughter's hand.

"I think so too..." Aria dried her tears, before beginning to cry some more. "Gawd, I hope he didn't die a painful death. Nobody deserves that, mom, nobody!"

Tears filled their eyes as they embraced one another, thinking about Hunter and how much they would miss him. There could be no doubt that the loss would haunt them for a long time to come.

A few days later, Aria met with Estelle at a pier to discuss her feelings and listen to what she had to say about hers.

"It doesn't even feel real," Aria spoke. "I'm seriously half-expecting him to come around and surprise us, telling us it was all fake. You don't know what I would give for it to be just a sick prank that the boys planned."

"It's unbelievable how much life can change in a few minutes," Estelle told her. "One minute we were laughing with him, and the next we were standing near his dead body."

"It all happened so quickly. These days have been as stressful as they have been depressing. I've barely had a moment to catch my breath and come to terms with this tragedy."

"I feel the same way. I miss his kisses, his hugs, his voice, everything."

"Hunter really gave the best hugs," Aria looked down. "There was nothing better than receiving a hug from him after a stressful day."

"He sure did. I just," Estelle sighed. "I just can't believe that he missed that turn, having skied that slope so many times during his childhood. It doesn't make sense to me."

"It doesn't make sense to me either. This is gonna be one of those questions that will go unanswered for the rest of our lives."

Soon after that, Aria began to sob. "I can still see his face... I can still see how he smiled at us before getting on that lift. He was so happy..."

"He really did live life to the fullest, as if every day were going to be his last," Estelle choked up. "I hope he's okay wherever he may be."

"I hope so too," Aria wept. "It's what he deserves."

After returning home, Aria went inside her room and looked at Hunter's photo.

"I didn't think you'd leave me so soon," she sighed. "We were supposed to grow old together. You were supposed to be the best uncle to my future children, the same way I would've been the best aunt to yours. One day you were here with us, making the most out of your life, and the next day you were just... gone," her voice trailed off.

She buried her head on her knees and let the tears fall. "I can't believe I have to live without you, Hunter," she cried silently.

"Hey, princess," Nick knocked at her door.

"Come in, Dad," Aria spoke.

"What's wrong?" Nick sat down by her side.

"I just miss him," she stared off into space. "I miss Hunter too much. It's hard to live without him, given that he's been there all my life."

"I know, sweetheart," he teared up, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "It's hard for me as well. It's gonna take a while to get used to living without him. He was a huge part of our lives, after all. And even though he's not here with us physically, his essence will live on as long as we mention his name and talk about his memories."

Aria instantly remembered the conversation she had with Keon in his backyard a few months back. "You're right. As long as we mention Hunter's name, his legacy will live on. And I hope that we will reunite with him in Heaven when our time comes," she smiled sadly.

"So do I, sweetheart."

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Thoughts?

This was so heartbreaking to write! 🥺💔 Did you expect Hunter (or any of the other two boys) to die?

Anyway, don't forget to vote! Have a lovely rest of your day (even though I probably broke your hearts 😅 teehee)