This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written...

(What I'm listening to: Die Young - Deconstructed Mix -- Ke$ha)

~ JM/SS/CW

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According to Riley, nothing bad happened after I left the school that day. And lately, I've noticed her seeming happier.

"Maya, life is good." She smiles at me, and I smile back -- it's been so long since I've heard something like that come out of her mouth. And I couldn't be more content with having the old Riley back.

Just because Riley acts better doesn't mean I'm not worried that Suzy could still be saying things to her. But if she is, Riley obviously isn't listening anymore.

Honestly, the girl's been so happy-go-lucky lately that I'm not afraid of her being alone anymore -- and neither are her parents.

So, Riley had her happiness, her privacy, and her freedom back.

Or at least the happiness part was what I was believing. What we were all believing.

My phone starts ringing, causing me to jump out of my almost-asleep state. Who would be calling this late?

I pick it up, peering through squinted eyes at the bright screen. It's Riley.

My heart leaping into my throat, a wave of fear and dread goes through me. What if I answer and she's crying her eyes out, wanting to hurt herself or worse?

When I finally hit the answer button and put the phone up to my ear with a quiet "hello?," the first thing I hear is the unmistakable sound of a sob. But it doesn't sound like Riley.

"M-Maya..." Topanga. "You need to get here as fast as you can."

My voice shaking, I ask slowly, "What's going on...?"

Silence. "You'll know when you g-get here."

I quickly jump out of bed, slip on my shoes, and run straight out the door without bothering to change my clothes or inform anyone of where I'm going.

As soon as I reach the building, I know something is definitely wrong. There are two police cars and an ambulance outside.

Thankfully, I don't have to go inside, because Cory, Topanga, and Auggie are standing outside as well. Wait. Cory, Topanga, and Auggie. Riley isn't with them. My heart starts pounding out of my chest as my brain finally connects the dots.

The call. The crying. The ambulance. The family with a missing daughter.

"Maya!" Auggie suddenly comes running toward me, the blanket that had been around his shoulders abandoned on the ground. His arms wrap around my waist, squeezing me so hard that I can hardly breathe.

The worst part of it is that he's crying. His tears are soaking my pyjama top, his harsh sobs racking his entire body. In all the time that I've known the boy, I've never seen him cry so hard.

"W-What happened?" I ask through my own choking sobs as the teary-eyed Cory and Topanga approach me and their crying son.

"We found her in the bathroom. Her wrists were slit, and there were two empty pill bottles on the floor..." Topanga turns and hides her face in Cory's shoulder. "It was too late. We were too late."

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YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT WAS TO WRITE THE AUGGIE-HUGGING-MAYA PART OMG I'M LITERALLY CRYING RIGHT NOW