Hi! thanks for all your well wishes on the last chapter! they made me more stronger! Do comment as you read! ;)

Roman

I paced back and forth in my apartment, struggling to quiet the voices in my head; trying to take back control of my mind. But I couldn't, I'd never been able to, and I knew I wouldn't ever be able to.

The rational, no good, nerdy, in the background, Roman Huxley was gone. Now I'm the confused, crazy 19-year-old boy with a device in his system, taking over his mind and sanity. I was slowly going crazy, and I knew it. I was even stupid enough to think I could use these new abilities to do some good. But I can't.

I couldn't even focus because there were lots of things seeking my focus, and I didn't know which one to actually focus on.

The extremely vivid dreams weren't even helping. I'd fight off sleep because I didn't want to live through those dreams, I didn't want to see my parents, or my brother, suffering the way I know they are.

If that is even real.

The sound from my computer pulled at my attention. I rushed to check it, but it was another dead end.

I let out a frustrated breath, putting up five more theories for testing, knowing it would be another failed attempt. I had nothing to lose anyway.

The knock on my door made me turn immediately. It was loud, but then again, I knew it wasn't.

My senses were heightened, and I was yet to get used to it.

Before the knock could come in again, I rushed to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open a bit.

Ivy stood there, a small smile on her face, a pack of canned beer on her left grip, and a packet of- of—wait, is that cigarette?

"Hi." She greeted, her voice small and cautious. "I uh—brought beer and um—cigarettes?"

I blinked, confused. "I don't smoke, and neither do you."

A grin broke out on her face. "I know," she said, pushing pass me without any invitation to actually come in. I sighed, closing the door, and bolting it. She set the can beer on a table, before turning to face me. "I thought maybe we could—you know, hang out and try out something new? I've heard cigarettes help you relax."

"Yeah, I've also heard that it helps in damaging your lungs and shortening your life span." I said, crossing my arm over my chest.

Her shoulders sagged a bit, but she fought to bring back the smile on her face. "Well, fuck it? I mean, in the real earth, it would make sense, and that statement would actually mean something but—here, there's no one to stop us, right?"

"We're technically adults now. I don't think anyone would stop us, even though we're still at the real earth."

"I know, but you get what I mean."

I stared at her; my face blank as she shifted from one foot to another. "We don't have to actually smo—"

"What do you want, Ivy?"

She stood still for a few seconds before sighing, and dropping the pack of cigarettes on my table. "You're right." She finally said. "I'm selfish, and I've been focused on myself and my problems that I didn't think to see how you were—" she stopped, closing her eyes for a moment, as if to gather her thoughts, before pulling them back open. "I should have checked up on you. Asked you how you were doing instead of what new information you've found."

"It doesn't matter, I meant what I said at lunch, we don't have to pretend."

She shook her head. "I'm not pretending to care about you, Roman. I really do care, I—I don't know why you would think that I don't, but I'm sorry if I did anything that made you think I didn't care about you."

I sighed. "It's whatever Ivy, I really don't want to have this heart-to-heart conversation with you, or talk to you about Fiona, I just want to be left alone."

She nodded. "I know what you're doing." She said, taking a step closer to me. "I've been there, Roman. I have tried to push everyone away, I've changed my personality so many times just because I can't stand what I see in my reflection, and I hate to break it to you, but that doesn't help."

I gritted my teeth hard, trying to block out her words.

"I know I can't totally get what exactly you're going through, but—"

"No... you can't get it, Ivy. You might be right to some extent, but you have no idea what I'm going through." My voice shook, and my fingers trembled. "You don't know the struggle I face every damn day trying to convince myself that I'm not going crazy, that I'm still in control of myself, you don't know how much I wish the whole fucking world could just shut up and let me think."

Her eyes softened as she slowly made her way towards me, without saying any more words, she wrapped her arms around me in a hug, and I felt a sudden sense of relief wash over me. "I don't know why it's so hard, Ivy. I try to be normal. I try to just take back control and pretend like there's nothing controlling 50% of my mind and body, but—it's so hard."

"I know." she whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I was so ignorant of your feelings in all of this that I thought it was okay to think you were okay."

I shook my head, hugging her back. "No, I'm sorry. I've been an ass... I just don't want to burden anyone."

She pulled away, looking up at me. "You could never burden me, Roman. Or Fiona for that matter. All we have is each other, and you don't have to go through your pain and your struggles alone, because" she took my hands in hers. "your pain, and your struggles, are ours too."

"I wish things didn't happen the way it did, back at the old dimension. Sometimes I wonder how easier things would have been for you all if I was never given the chip."

"What are you saying, Roman? I would do it again, and again if it means you get to live. You don't deserve what happened to you, and I know I might sound selfish but you promised to walk with me through this, I wasn't going to let you break it, Roman."

I looked down at our joined hands.

"I know it might sound farfetched but—we are getting out of here, Roman. Alive, human and together, the two behind the scenes awkward teenagers from a school named after ice cream."

I smiled. "God, we didn't graduate ICHS."

"All for a good cause."

I nodded. "I'm sorry, Ivy. I didn't mean to make you feel terrible." 

I really was an ass, to her and—God, to Fiona.

"It's okay to snap sometimes."

"Yeah, but I hurt some people in the process. Can we raincheck on the beer and cigarettes hang out? I have to apologize to Fiona."

She smiled. "Of course, she looked pretty out of it today."

"I messed up pretty bad."

"How bad?"

"Like she gets tired of trying to get through to me, bad."

"Fiona loves you; I don't think you can ever get tired of someone you love."

Let's hope so.

***

When I didn't find her at the apartment she shared with Ivy and Caramel, I pulled out my phone, grateful for the fact that she still shared her location with me. She was at a small park nearby, so I leisurely walked there, while thinking of all the things I could possibly say to stop her from finally breaking up with me.

Fiona being in my life was something I'd never ever thought would happen. I was that one guy who never got the beautiful girl capable of turning heads.

She was more than too good for me, and I had hurt that one good thing in my life since this whole Dimension thing began. 

I have to fix that.

Reaching the park, I spotted her standing close to one of the swings, but—she wasn't alone.

Something at the back of my mind, told me to just retreat and stop myself from seeing something I wouldn't be able to unsee, but—Fiona wouldn't—no.

One of the superiors stood closely in front of her, he was wearing their signature color. White ripped jeans, a loose almost oversized t-shirt, with wild hair that seemed to be have been perfected into looking exactly that way.

He leaned forward to whisper something in her ear, which made her throw her head back, laughing like that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

My stomach twisted.

I recognized him as Oliver... The healer guy.

She lightly touched his shoulder, her fingers running down his arm.

I felt my heart speed up as I watched the scene unfold.

He held her waist, but she didn't pull aback, instead, she leaned closely into him, while he slowly closed the distance between their lips. She let him kiss her, and I stood there, watching them.

She let it happen. She's doing this because she wants to.

The tightness taking over my chest could not be disguised as anything else. I gulped down, not exactly knowing what to do, but I knew I had to leave.

I suddenly felt lightheaded, my thoughts materializing all over the place.

My emotions were jumbled up, and I was pretty sure the reason why I couldn't breathe properly was because the chip was busy heightening my emotions, making the betrayal feel 2 times worse than it should.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Numbly, I took a step back, before turning and walking back to the direction I came from while I fished for my phone.

It was a text from an unknown number.

With shaky hands, as a result of my abnormally racing heart. I opened the text.

Reading through, my steps slowed.

Private Number:

Stop trying to find answers about the Curts. They know you're close to figuring it out. Drop it, Roman. Your life is in danger.

__

Vote and Comment;)

That was unexpected, lol!

But tell me! what the hell is Fiona DOING?!!!!!!!!!

And the text? Who do you think sent it?

HEYYY! YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHOSE POV YOU WANNA READ NEXT, SO TELL ME!

I made a post on my Instagram, just a funny post about things Ivy said that has made you laugh at some point in the series. You can check it out.

If you've already seen it, what was your favorite part?

My username is (therebeccayouknow)

See y'all in the next chapter!