***Emi’s POV***

                The next day, I groaned as I saw Taylor walking towards us. “Aw Emi, be nice. He’s not a bad guy,” Gavin said, frowning at me. “He’s a fucking scumbag!” Craig growled. He glared at Taylor as he stood next to Gavin a minute later.

                There was something different about Taylor today. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. His clothes matched. The times I had seen him, they hadn’t. It was as if he just threw on whatever he found with no thought towards how it looked on him. Twice I had seen him in school with his shirt inside out. I had seen him wearing it backwards a few times too.

                And then I saw his eyes and it hit me. I couldn’t help but just stare at him. Taylor Ryan was sober. I couldn’t even smell cigarette smoke on him, I realized. His pupils were normal and I could actually see the whites of his eyes. They weren’t bleeding their usual substance infested red.

                Taylor noticed me staring at him and gave me a curious look. He didn’t actually say anything though. I looked away quickly and let my hair fall in my face to hide the blush I felt forming.

                I had heard that Taylor very rarely came to school sober. You could count the amount of his sober days in school on one hand, Gavin once said.

                Craig glared at Taylor again before abruptly walking away. Gavin sighed as he watched Craig walk away from us. “Whatever. I’ll be right back guys,” he said and walked over to a guy he had first period with, talking.

                “Uh…hi?” I said awkwardly. Taylor laughed a little. It was a nice sound. I liked his laugh. It was attractive…just like him. He smiled at me and it seemed to take my breath away.

                “Sober?” I asked and mentally punched myself. Yea. Real smooth Emi. Real fucking smooth. But to my relief, the question seemed to amuse him instead of offend him. He nodded at me.

                “Well, besides some sleeping pills last night. But that was to…well, sleep.” Unlike yesterday, his voice was quiet, as if afraid he would draw attention to himself if he spoke too loud.

                I nodded. Suddenly, a terror so great it froze me entered his pretty eyes. His horrified eyes were fixed on something behind me. I turned around and my eyes examined everything, ready to see some unspeakable horror.

                But there was nothing.

                Just the usual bunch of students walking around, talking and laughing. I looked back at Taylor. “Taylor? Are you okay?” I asked nervously.

                His face was deathly pale. His lips were moving, whispering something. It looked like Hallucination. “Taylor?” I asked, getting scared now. “What’s wrong?”

                Hallucination. Hallucination. Hallucination.

                He just kept mouthing it.                                     

                I was really scared. I looked around but couldn’t spot Craig or Gavin. Gavin. He would be most helpful in this situation. He surely knew Taylor well enough to handle this situation.

                Taylor squeezed his eyes shut, digging his nails into his wrists. “Taylor stop!” I cried in alarm as he broke the skin. What was wrong with him.

                “No,” he whimpered. “Leave me alone.” He sounded so scared and vulnerable. “Taylor?” His eyes were still closed. “Go away,” he whispered desperately. Me? “Taylor, if you tell me what’s wrong, I’ll go away,” I said gently.

                “No!” he cried, shaking. “No!” I jumped a little, surprised by the amount of desperation that was now in his voice. I was so freaked out. What the hell was going on?

                “Taylor!”

                Relief flooded my body as Gavin hurried over to us.

                “I don’t know what’s wrong with him! He just keeps mouth Hallucination!” I said, pointing at him helplessly. “He’s having another one of his spells. He has them a lot,” Gavin explained and went over to him.

                “Tay? Hey, let’s go outside. Get some fresh air, ya know?” He grabbed Taylor’s arm and gently led him away, towards the nurse’s office. I stood there, absolutely confused.

                And overflowing with curiosity.

                                                                                ***Taylor’s POV***

                “But that was to…well, sleep.” I was trying to keep my voice down. I didn’t want it to find me. It found me when I wasn’t high or drunk. My eyes slid past Emi, I was so happy to be talking to her, and filled with a horror so great it froze me.

                The halls were filled with blood.

                Oh god. Just like in my room last night. A sea of blood on the floor. Dripping off the ceiling. Crawling down the walls. Torturous crimson everywhere, driving me to the brinks of insanity. No, no, no. I wanted it to go away.

                Emi was talking, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. My ears were ringing and my brain was full of its voice.

                The blood of the innocent Taylor. Do you know whose blood that is? Of course you do, you fucking scumbag. See the way Emi looks at you? Oh, the same eyes as Ari’s. Do you remember Ari, Taylor? I remember him. She’s no different than Ari. She thinks you’re just a pathetic scumbag. And you are, you waste of space.

                And then it was standing behind Emi. Right behind her. Grinning cruelly, its hair fell across its sweaty forehead. I squeezed my eyes shut and dug my nails into my wrists. Hallucination. It was just a hallucination. Hallucination.

                You can’t hide Taylor. I’ll always find you. You can run to ends of the earth and I’ll still be right here waiting for you. Ready to destroy everything you love, just like you destroyed everything I loved. Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it Tay?

                “No. Leave me alone.” I wanted it to be gone. “Go away.” “Taylor, if you tell me what’s wrong, I’ll go away,” I heard Emi’s voice say. Oh god. She thought I meant her. “No!” I didn’t want her to leave. “No!”

                And then someone was guiding me away and I kept my eyes closed because I knew we were walking through the blood. And then I heard the familiar voice of the school nurse as she sat me down and began to tend to me.