October 19

7:45 A.M.

The screech of a cell phone ringtone broke through the silence. Devon jolted out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

He picked up the phone and offered a groggy "Hello?" through the receiver.

"Hey sweetie!"

"Brittany!" he said. A smile illuminated his face as he remembered that his sister was supposed to be visiting today. "Has your flight landed yet?"

"Yeah, I'm so sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to make it. There's been a work emergency – a few malaria cases that just came through the door, and they need all hands on deck."

"Oh," he replied, as he sunk into his bedsheets. His disappointment was almost palpable.

"I'm so sorry, Dev. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Yeah, it's fine. Those kids are definitely more important." Although he meant it genuinely, he couldn't help the sarcasm that laced its way into his words.

"Don't be like that, sweetie. I'll see you over Thanksgiving Break - it's just a month away. I'm really sorry."

"It's fine. I need to go to class. Bye."

"Devon, it's a Sunday. You don't have cla-"

Devon hung up and haphazardly tossed the phone onto the nightstand. He couldn't help the feelings of loneliness and abandonment that washed over him. In that moment, he almost wished that Ariana was with him. She would have held him until he felt better, whispering into his ear with those beautiful lips.

He turned over on his stomach and screamed into his pillowcase until his throat was raw. Then, he picked up his phone and dialed the number of the only girl that could fill the Brittany-shaped hole in his heart.