Stanley tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for Rhys to arrive. It needed to take place here. Where he first tried hot chocolate. He hoped that would ease the pain.

"Stanley!", beamed Rhys. He wrapped his arms around Stanley, not noticing that Stanley wasn't hugging back. He pulled away and sat down, a grin on his face. "So... how have you been?"

Stanley momentarily forgot about everything as he stared at Rhys' face. The way his eyes lit up and his dimples appeared made the dormant butterflies in Stanley's stomach fly around at a much faster rate than they used to.

Rhys frowned and placed a hand on Stanley's. "Is it Darius?"

Stanley pulled his hand away as someone walked into the shop. "Yeah and no. He's... he's stable."

Rhys sighed in relief. "But the bad part is?"

Stanley sighed. "I can't do this. Whatever this is."

Rhys furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand. If you're not ready that's fi-"

"- That's not it! Well... yeah, it is a bit, I guess. My Dad's still wrapping his head around it and I've only just told my brother! I don't think I'm ready to announce it to the world."

"That's fair. I completely understand."

"It's not just that though. I've been spending so much time thinking about you. Darius needed me and I wasn't there for him. He could've died on them streets. And I was too busy getting hot chocolate. I need to focus on Darius."

Rhys remained silent for a minute, processing what Stanley was saying. Wanting a clear answer, he spoke. "What are you saying, Stanley?"

Stanley frowned. "I'm saying... we should stop hanging out."

-

Darius was always there. Whenever Camryn was with Eli, Darius wasn't far behind. She grew to love his eccentric ways.

Things had been so quiet without him. Money had always been an issue for Camryn and her family. But they were never homeless. Darius, heir to a successful tech company, was rolling in money.

Camryn couldn't understand why he left that behind.

She stared at the wall. The one near the skate ramp. It was open for graffiti or artwork of any kind, so Camryn visited often to decorate it. Nothing ever came to mind though.

She thought about drawing Leonie, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for a display of affection that public.

She stared at the blank wall, slowly lifting up her can of spray.

-

Amethyst stared down at her phone, her hand hovering over the call button. She believed something must've happened to Darius' phone, otherwise he would've atleast tried to call someone, right?

So maybe he'd never get this voice message.

"Darius, it's... it's Amie. I shouldn't have let you go home that day. I should've told you to stay at mine. I should've listened to you. I'm... I'm so sorry Darius."

A lump formed in her throat, and Amethyst quickly ended the voice message. She reached for her pillow and sobbed into it, trying to muffle the sound.

A knock on her door startled her. "Amethyst?", called out Kayden. "I know you're upset but I can help."

"Please just go away."

"Why don't we listen to Mum's song together?"

Fresh tears streamed down Amethyst's face. "T-Together?"

"Together."

-

After leaving the Hospital so Darius' parents could stay with him, Leonie's Mum opened the door. "Leonie? I'm back!"

She was met with silence. She rushed upstairs, her eyes widening when she saw Leonie in her room. She was hugging her knees and staring at the ground, tears in her eyes. "Oh, baby..."

She knelt down beside her daughter, holding her close in her arms. "Sweet heart, what's wrong?"

"Darius... alone. It's... it's taking me back."

Miss Miller pulled Leonie closer. "No, I'm never going to let you go back there again, ok? I'm here for you, always."

Miss Miller kissed her daughter's forehead. "I love you, Leonie."

"I love you too, Mum."

-

Sensing Isaac was upset, Esther had found an old board game and the pair played together.

Isaac's phone vibrated

ELI: Come to mine now if you can. I've texted everyone.

Isaac: Why? Are you ok?

ELI: I'm doing as well as I can be right now. Look, no one should be alone right now. My parents said it was ok to have a movie night at mine.

Isaac: Good idea. I'll be there soon. Thanks Eli.

-

Hi.

I know this is a short chapter but the next one is from Darius' perspective!

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

-cherrysvalanxe

yeonskosmos

CaptainHermioneSwan

The_Slytherclaw

DoodleYeet

gillioddities

starryeyedturtle