Michael's point of view

"Think she'll like it?" I asked Calum, showing him a silver necklace. The crown on it was made of real silver with real diamonds and the white gold chain was tucked behind it.

"It's beautiful, just one problem." He said as he reached for it, taking something off. "That price will make her flip shit."

"Right. I forgot to take it off." I said and he chuckled. "Wish me luck? I'm going to need it all."

"I don't think so, but okay." He said as Luke pulled in a brown box. "What's that Hemmings?"

"Dunno. Probably fan mail." He said and I laughed. "Think Aleigha wrote to you again?" He teased me.

"Nah, she'd call me at this point." I said and he nodded. "When did it get here?" I asked and he shrugged.

"It was just in front of the door. There's no a address or anything on it." He said as he shook the box.

"That's weird." I said and he agreed. "I gotta get going. I owe Aleigha an apology for the other night and a gift."

"You go get your girl." Luke said and he slammed his hand on my back. I thanked him and then grabbed my keys, walking towards the door.

I unlocked the car and then got inside of the driver's side. I buckled my seatbelt, setting the black velvet box on the center console. I started the car and then closed the door, backing out of the driveway.

I hummed along to the radio, Closer by The Chainsmokers and Halsey playing. I sang quietly as I began driving to Aleigha's house.

-

"Oh, oh my..." Aleigha's mom said and I smiled a bit, slightly awkward. "Are you-"

"That band dude? Yeah." I said and laughed. "Is your daughter home? Aleigha?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, I think she's still sleeping though." She said and I nodded as she let me inside. I thanked her and she stopped me. "How do you know Aleigha?"

"We met through a mutual friend, Krystal." I said and she nodded. "May I?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yeah... yeah go ahead." She said and I went to Aleigha's room as her brothers stared at me in shock.

"Dude that's Michael Clifford."

"No shit."

I laughed quietly and then opened the door, not seeing her in her bed. I furrowed my eyebrows and then went back into the hallway and saw the bathroom door closed. "Aleigha?" I asked as I knocked, but got no reply.

"Look, I know I probably pissed you off the other night but I'm sorry." I said, thinking she was giving me the silent treatment.

My phone rang and I groaned as I answered it after seeing it was Ashton. "Dude, I'm trying to fix what I fucked up, what?" I asked quietly and I heard a sniffle. "Are you crying?"

"Michael..." He said and I sighed. "Michael it's Aleigha." He told me.

"What about her? I'm at her house right now." I said and bit my bottom lip. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't wanna be rash or anything... but we think she uh, we think she may have committed suicide." He told me and I held my breath.

"Suicide isn't a fucking joke Ash-"

"I know it isn't Michael!" He snapped at me. "You're at her house?"

"Yeah-"

"Where is she?"

"In her bath..." I cut myself off and tossed my phone on her messy bed since it was right across from the bathroom. "Aleigha!" I yelled, trying to open the door.

"What's going on he-What the hell?" I heard her dad say. I've never spoken to him, but I've heard his voice before. "Who are you?"

"Aleigha. If you can hear me answer me please." I said as I panicked. I looked at the doorknob and realized there was a hole for it, which meant there was a key. "Sir, Sir where's the key to the door?"

"Why would I give you the key?" He asked me as my heart raced in my chest. I felt like I'd end up in cardiac arrest any second now.

"Please sir, please. I need the key." I said frantically as I set the necklace on her desk. "I'm worried. She's not answering me."

"Aleigha." Her dad said as he reached above the door frame of her bedroom. "Aleigha, answer me right now young lady."

"What's going on?" Her mom asked and her dad held a key in his hands. I took it from him and then quickly unlocked the bathroom door, slamming it open.

"Oh my god." I said, immediately running up to her motionless body. "Aleigha! Oh my god." I cried, pulling her body out of the tub.

"What's goi-Oh my... what happened?" Her dad asked as I pushed the hair out of Aleigha's face.

"No, no no no," I panicked loudly. I felt like I could hear my heart banging against my ribcage and the blood pulsing through my veins. "Aleigha please be okay. Someone call an ambulance!" I said loudly and I pressed my fingers against the wrist that didn't have one large gash long it.

I didn't feel a pulse.

"Aleigha, princess you gotta be okay." I said, pressing my forehead against her's as tears fell from my eyes rapidly. "You need to be okay. I need you." I said and wrapped my arms around her.

"An ambulance is on the way." Her mum said shakily and I clutched on to Aleigha's body as if she'd disappear. "You need to make way for them."

"Please Aleigha." I said brokenly as her dad forced me to stand up and get out of the bathroom.

I crumbled on to the floor by her room and cried into my hands. The ache in my chest hurt more than ever, more than I could describe.

I reached for my phone on her bed, hearing shuffling on the other end. "Is she okay?" I heard Luke ask and I didn't have it in me to say she wasn't.

"She has to be..."

-

I sat anxiously in the waiting room, my leg bouncing up and down quickly as I chewed on my nails. Her dad walked by, sitting beside me as he held out the black velvet box.

"She talked about you a lot." He told me, but I couldn't take the necklace from him. "Told us how she loved you and how you made her happy even though she didn't know you personally."

He set the box on my lap, and I really just wanted to throw the dumb thing away now. There's no purpose for it now. It was made for Aleigha, and Aleigha only.

"Then she started disappearing. She was never home, so I'm only assuming she was with you. She was a lot happier then." He continued and I shook my head.

"Please, I-I-"

"Listen to me." He told me and I nodded. "I just want you to know, no matter what the doctor says, there's no denying that you made a positive impact on her life. And I'm thankful for that."

I nodded and then I heard people running in. "She probably made a bigger impact on mine." I said quietly, tears brimming my eyes again as I thought about how much better I've been feeling since we met.

"Mikey, Mikey we're here." I heard Calum say and I stood up, picking the box up and setting it on the chair.

He gave me a hug and I clutched on to him tightly. "I'm s-so scared." I confessed, my voice breaking. "I'm scared guys."

"It's going to be okay-"

"Don't lie to me!" I told Ashton as I pulled away from Calum. "Don't lie to me Ashton." I said and Luke threw an arm over my shoulders.

"Hey, calm down Mikey. It's okay, we're scared too." Luke said and I shook my head as I bit my nails. "Lower your voice."

"Guys, I can't lose her." I said, my voice caught in my throat as tears fell down my cherks. "I can't." I told them, my heart breaking at the idea.

"You won't." Ashton said and I shook my head. He reached into his pocket and handed me a paper. "It was addressed to you, but we read it because we were concerned."

I took it shakily and then read over it, my hand covering my mouth as I sat down on a nearby empty chair, away from her dad. I was crying when I first read it, at the end, I was on my knees and yanking my own hair out.

Someone rubbed my back gently and I shook my head. The letter made it all too real, way too real. It was straightforward and simple.

"She left her... her notebooks with us. We looked through them. Each had a letter for a different person." Ashton said and I shook my head.

I didn't want to hear it.

"Bryana and Arz are here, they're outside." Luke said and I heard the doctor's voice call out.

"Aleigha Vasquez?"

I looked up, unable to phsyically stand up and walk over there, and read his lips as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"No." I said and her mom broke down crying as her dad held her. I shook my head and cried the hardest I ever have in my entire life.

I was engulfed in a hug and I felt my heart fall to pieces in my chest. "You liar!" I told Ashton, pushing him away from me. "You said she'd be okay! She's not!"

"I'm so sorry." Ashton said but I shook my head again. "I'm sorry Michael." He told me but I just cried harder.

"Is she okay?" I heard Bryana's voice and I stayed silent, my cries answering her question.

"She's not." Luke said and I wanted nothing more than to just curl up in a ball and die.