*Warning of the mention of abuse, and raping in this chapter*

A FEW HOURS AGO

Careful when you come on my way, my body-ody know how to play....

The song makes everyone jump and screams on top of their lungs, while the drunk persons are swaying and others less drunk are trying to stabilize them and prevent them from falling.

Taki taki rumba

I check my phone to see that it is past eleven o'clock. Wow, that was fast. I have a feeling like Stella and I got here like twenty minutes ago.

Speaking of her, she has been in the bathroom for more than ten minutes. I hope she is okay. Of course, she is okay Chloe. Maybe she got her period or something like that. Or, she is throwing up, because she has been drinking too much. I try to find the way to the bathroom, but million people are standing in my way, making it harder for me to reach there, and make sure that my best friend is okay.

"Um, excuse me. Sorry",

"Watch it", some guy scolds me, but I just smile, and scurry before he can do anything else. He won't do anything, he is not your dad. These guys aren't like your father, Chloe. I tell myself. Right, they are not.

"Excuse me, are you waiting to come in or something?", I ask the girl in front of the bathroom when I finally find it. She shoots me a death glare and I feel bad for asking that. Have I said something wrong?

"No", she deadpans, barely looking at me.

"Okay, so I can come in." I press a hand on a door knob, but the girl catches my wrist and squeezes it.

"If you don't need anything, then don't come in."

"Need what? To pee?" She rolls her brown eyes and her long curly brown hair bounces as she shakes her head.

"No, you idiot. If you need supplies", she explains, keeping her voice down, looking around to see if someone is eavesdropping on our conversation.

"Ah, supplies", I mutter.

Supplies? Seriously? Why am I surprised? That happens every day, every night, every minute, and especially at parties. People can't wait to taste it. And to be honest, even I wanted to do it once so bad, and I almost tried it, but I had a little strength left in my mind so I refused. Otherwise, I don't want to think what would have happened if I'd taken it.

I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't know Stella, God knows where I'd be. In the grave maybe.

But right now my best friend may have been a victim of that addictive stuff which gives you peace for some time, but takes your health and ruins your life, leaving you nothing, but pain and putting you in a trouble, and your body in never endless shakes.

Oh, no. What have you done, Stella? Relax, Chloe, maybe she just peed and is trying to find you, just like you are trying to find her.

"No, um, I need to find my friend and she was inside, have you seen her?", I ask, praying that she'll say no.

"Look, sweetie, if you want to bother m..."

"Shut the fuck up, and answer me for fuck's sake!", I yell, frustrated. What the hell is wrong with her? Can't she just answer the damn question? I really need to know.

"First of all, take those hands off me", she groans and pushes my hands which I haven't realized I put on her shoulders, jerking her.

See, I'm back at being a bad bitch that once I was pretending to be. I pretended to fuck with guys and make out with them when honestly I'd end up in their rooms, pushing them while seeing the image of my dad and a stupid grin on his face, while he pushes me on the ground, satisfied with... What he used me for. I used to think that being with other guys would help me erase the picture of my father burying inside of me almost every single week. But, no, I'd just get scared, when I'd feel their skin on mine, because my vision would get blurry and I'd feel my dad's hands, choking my neck and pressing my hands above my head, or tying them so I don't move, because I always tried to push him even though I knew that it was impossible to get him off of me and escape my poor destiny. So I'd end up tied. Or so I used to.

Now I'm free. And for that, I'm so grateful. I own it all to her. My freedom could never happen if it wasn't for Stella. She saved my life.

That day was... God, Chloe, not now. You have to save her life now because I feel, I have a really strange feeling that something bad had happened to her. And no matter how much I want to shake it off, I can't. It's getting stronger and stronger each second and I won't stand here useless, while the girl who saved me is in trouble. And this black girl isn't helping at all and in fact, is waking up my bad self and protective friend who would do anything for her bestie. For her sister. So, I answer the call. Hello, the protective and bitchy Chloe is alive!

"Tell me!", I hiss.

"How does she even look?" The brown girl rolls her eyes, annoyed.

"Her hair is black and she has pink highlights." Pink highlights are impossible to miss.

"Um, and she is like all in black, fishnet stockings, and..."

"Yes, yes, yes!", I shout, when the louder song starts. Oh, I recognize this. It's... I miss you by Jax Jones.

I only miss you when it rains... Stop singing, Chloe, goddammit! Your friend is in danger.

"Um, yes, she got out of her before twenty minutes or something."

I gasp. Did she... No. But if I know Stella she would do anything and try anything to erase the pain that is tightening her chest, squeezing it, and breaking her kind heart.

"Where did she go?", I ask, my gaze flying across the room, trying to spot pink hair, but unfortunately I don't see it.

"How the fuck should I know?", a girl who is really getting on my nerves shrugs. Why do I have a feeling like I want to choke or slap her? Or both? No matter how much I'd like to do this, I don't really have time for this right now. I need to find my bestie.

"Uh, you bitch, thanks for nothing!", I groan, and scurry through the enormous room, pushing people while I search for the black clothes and black hair, which is shining with the pink highlights.

Maybe she is just dancing. That's what you do when you are high, right? How the fuck should I know? I never tried it, even though I wanted.

"Sorry, have you saw a girl with pink highlights?", I ask one girl, hope flying in my stomach, but when she shakes her head that glimpse of hope turns off and flies somewhere else, leaving me with nothing but panic to spread in my belly.

The song is getting louder and this time I don't recognize it. The heat is getting stronger, too, and I feel dizzy from all the lights that are flashing on our bodies, like a traffic light, changing from red to green and so on and so on.

I start going upstairs, thinking that maybe Stella wanted to check what is up, pulled by the highness in her mind, but then I hear someone yelling, and pointing at the door and outside. The crowd follows the guy who shouted, and I confuse. What is going on? I can see that the middle of the room that people used as a dance floor is slowly getting emptier with each second that passes. I quickly come down, trying to see from all the crowd what is happening, but I'm really small, and I cannot see anything from the taller people who are hiding whatever it is that is happening in front of them.

"What is going on?", I hear someone asking, while I'm trying to move and see what is supposed to be that interesting for all of these people who left the dance floor for this.

"She is going to fall in the pool", someone says.

Who is going to fall? Oh, no. This isn't what I'm thinking it is, right?

"She is completely drunk. She pushed some guy and yelled at him a couple of minutes ago. I swear to God that she is crazy, I mean just look at her. Talking to the water with that pink hair..."

Pink hair. Pink hair. No, no, no. This can't be happening.

"Move!" I push two tall guys in front of me who are blocking my view and stand in front of them only to see my best friend standing on the edge of the pool.

"No, no, no, no!", I scream, but she doesn't hear me. The people are only standing in shock, looking at her like she is some kind of entertainment show, or this is a scene in a movie, where the main character is on the edge of dying.

No. Not in this movie. She is not dying. The main character in my life, who saved mine, won't lose hers.

"Stella! Stella, step back!", I yell, but again seems like she doesn't hear me. Or can't. I run toward her, but before I can reach her, I see her falling in the pool, and the water splashes as her body sink. I scream, falling on my knees. "No!"

I pull my hair, and tears stream down my cheeks.

"Chill, blondie, she just went for a swim!", someone says, chuckling. I turn to the director from which voice came, and see a black-haired guy still laughing. I stand up quickly, frowning, while still sobbing.

"She is high, you idiot!" I grab his collar without thinking and watch as his eyes widen. "How can she go for a swim, huh? You saw that she didn't jump in it, she fell!" I push him and hit his chest.

"Woah, you girls are surely crazy!" He steps back and waves his hand through the air as if saying that I was crazy. He turns to the others, and I see how they all are staring at me like I'm a mad woman.

"Why are you just standing there! Can someone save her? Please, just let her out!" I run toward the pool, and kneel, trying to see her, but I can't because the pool is deep and her body must be laying at the bottom of it, unable to swim because of how high she is, and maybe she is thinking that it is the best to drown.

No, no, no. This is all my fault. Myles was right, I shouldn't have brought her to this stupid party, and now she would have been in her house, safe, not drowning here, somewhere where I can't pull her from.

"For fuck's sake, someone helps!", I yell, feeling so useless. I'd jump in without hesitation, but I don't know how to swim, and if I drown, too, then how can I help her?

"Jump in and save her, yourself, mad woman!", the guy from before, whom I pushed shouts, and I start crying, worthless in my misery.

"Goddamit, Riven! Don't be an idiot! I'll jump in!", someone says and I can't see who because my vision is blurred and I'm looking at the water in the pool, which is calmed as if it didn't just swallow the body of my best friend, and as if it wasn't drowning it, and trying to kill it. The water is so cruel. I've never been the fond of it, that is why I never learned how to swim. And probably never will. But at this moment I wish I knew how to do that, so I could save Stella.

I can see the boy taking off his shirt and jumping in, as a sob escapes my mouth, followed by tears which are like a waterfall, falling on the ground.

Normally, I would check his body, because even if I was raped, and have this fear of men, I always loved to look at their bodies, hoping they would be able to erase the gross image of the body of my father. I always wished to have a handsome man who would be just mine, whose body I could touch, whose abs I could praise, just how all the girls seem to do in movies, and romantic novels, where men are always idolized as if they were some kind of Gods. But knowing how they actually are, I could only imagine having someone handsome, but gentle, and soft at the same time to console me and love me tenderly. I know it may seem impossible to you that even after everything I've been through, after being hurt by a man, I want another one, but a girl can always dream, right? And that is what I was doing, dreaming.

But now it isn't the right time to check this boy's body and since he already dived in the water, I can't really do that, while I'm trying to wipe the tears off my face, to be able to see where is my best friend. I bite my lip, hoping that she hasn't drowned.

After a few seconds, the boy appears with Stella's body in his arms and I quickly reach for her while he steps out from the pool. And again, even if his body is dripping with water I don't eye it, nor once. No, I'm too busy watching Stella and checking if she's okay.

Her eyes are closed, and her hair is along with her clothes soaking wet. I quickly put my two fingers on her neck, to check her pulse, but...

"She's not breathing!", I panic, looking at the guy who was the only one willing to take my best friend from the malicious water. "She's not breathing!", I scream at his face.

"Don't look at me! I don't know do to CPR!"

"Fuck!" I punch the ground while glancing at her body which is now laying on the grass, where the guy put her, still and not moving.

"Someone call 911, don't just look at this, you assholes!"

I hear chatting, while I try to think about how CPR can be done. Oh, God, why am I so useless? Why? I don't know how to swim, I can't do first Fuck, fuck, fuck! Okay, people usually press a person's chest. Okay, so I press it. I press it again.

"Just keep doing that. I think that is good", the only boy who seems to care for my best friend tells me. I look at him, and then back at my poor friend who almost drowned in her pain. But I'm still not sure if she is going to survive. But she has to. I can't live without her. She saved my life, and now she is going to abandon me and die, not being able to live hers. No. No way. I'm now going to save her life. I press harder, but nothing.

"They are coming", someone announces, but I don't look at them. Because I'm putting my hopes in whatever this is that I'm doing. Praying that she opens her beautiful eyes in which I can see pain and sadness.

Since that day when we connected and united our pain, I could read it easily in her green orbs. I never noticed it before, because I was only caring about my problems, taken by my pain, not wanting to see it in other people. Thinking that my trouble was the biggest, the hardest. I didn't see her suffer, and now look what happened. I shouldn't have brought her here to this party. I should have listened to Myles. Now, look what is happening. He is going to kill me. But that doesn't matter, because I'll do it myself if she dies. I swear that I'm dying with her, too. If she leaves me, I'm leaving right after her.

"Come on, Stella! Please", I beg her closed eyes to open again. I beg her to cough that water out that it is in her lungs, not allowing her to breathe.

"They are here! They are here! Look!", the guy who jumped and got out my best friend from the water, because I'm too useless and can't swim, points at someone, but my vision is blurred and filled with tears as I see some people in orange approaching us.

"What happened?", a girl asks me, kneeling next to me and Stella, whose body I'm gripping tightly in my arms, hoping it will warm her cold one.

"S-she fell in-in pool and she is not o-opening her eyes", I quickly ramble, trying to explain. The girl, who I assume is a paramedic opens Stella's eye and points something that looks like a small battery lamp in it.

"Did she take something?"

"Um-um, I don't know. Um, I think that she might have... But, I don't know what..."

"Drugs?" She looks at me, and a few more people who are approaching us as they bring stretchers and put them on the ground.

"What... But she's not breathing", I explain. "I-is she going to be okay?"

"Put her on it", the girl with a messy bun and dressed in an orange suit orders to the men dressed just like her.

"I hope so." They lift Stella's body and put it on the stretchers. "For how long were you doing CPR?"

"I-I don't know... I don't know even if I was doing it right."

"Marco, start doing CPR and give her...", I don't hear the rest of the sentence as I watch them lifting the stretchers with Stella's body on it, and the girl, or the woman, I don't know, gives them instructions.

"Can I come? I'm h-her friend. I need..."

"Of course. Jump in", the girl says, and quickly the doors of the ambulance vehicle are closed, and I don't even think of the friend who called me to this stupid party, nor of the boy who got Stella's body out of the water. I may be selfish, but I don't care at all about that, at the moment, as I look at my best friend's body which is lying unconscious, with her wet hair spread on the stretchers.

I sob and glance at the men who are putting IVs in both of her hands. "Is-is she going to be okay?"

"We'll doing everything to help her, honey", they tell me softly, glancing briefly at me, then focusing their eyes on their patient who is my best friend whom I betrayed by taking her to this party. "We'll close to the hospital, so don't worry. There she will get all help that she needs."

I let more tears, trying to hold onto something as the ambulance vehicle turns suddenly, and I almost fall, hearing the significant sirene that is turned on, trying to let the other vehicles know that this one has to move fastly because one life is trying to be saved here. I shake my head, as I think of how is my fault and how I should have just listened to Myle.... Myles! I quickly take my phone and dial his number. He answers after the first ring.

"Halo?"

"M-Myles", I sob. How am I going to tell him what happened? I don't want him to worry, but I need someone to be with me who knows Stella and cares about her as much as I do.

I didn't even think of Michael. I don't have his number, actually, but since she was in the house with Myles last few days, and he was the one who suggested that it was better if she stayed, and back then I didn't know why he insisted on that so much, but now I do, so I called him.

Now I see that I shouldn't have listened to Stella who pretended to be fine, nor listened to my subconscious that just was excited to go in the new neighborhood and meet more friends and experience how is that living a normal life, without worrying about coming home to your dad who is about to ra...

"What happened, Chloe?" I can feel worry in his voice, and I don't know if I woke him up, or did he even sleep at all.

"S-Stella...", I breathe out, sobbing harder, as the vehicle turns again, and I almost fall on the other part of it, but gripping the stretches on which Stella is laying, I steady myself.

"What is with Stella, Chloe?", he yells, and I can sense anger boiling in his voice. I've never seen him angry because he is always quiet, but now I can hear it, at least. "Chloe, tell me", he hisses. "Please", he begs, softer, and I quickly realize that it isn't anger, just worry. And pure love which I didn't know about back then.

"She... We are going to the hospital. Please come", I plead with him, unable to explain anything further. And he doesn't coax me to, only saying:

"I'm on my way."

"Okay, it is the same h-hospital I was in", I tell him, but he already hung up, and I stare at the phone, while tears sip more and more from my eyes, not seeming to be able to stop. I glance at Stella whose eyes are still closed and I wonder if she's going to open them ever again. No, she will. She has to.

Don't think like that, Chloe. Everything is going to be alright. I take her cold hand... Wait, why is it cold?

"Why is she cold?", I panic, and look at the two paramedics who aren't doing anything anymore on Stella's body, they are only focused on the dark road waiting for the hospital to show up on the way.

"Calm down. We are close. We will save her. Everything is going to be okay."

Right, everything is going to be okay, I repeat in my mind, and squeeze my best friend's hand. My sister's. She is my sister even though we are not related. Even though the same blood doesn't run through our veins. We are sisters, and I refuse to believe anything different. And my sister is going to be okay.

NOW

I glance at my phone and see the screen flashing. Elen's name pops on it, and I turn to Myles', whispering:

"I have to answer my phone."

"Sure, go ahead", he tries to smile and as soon as I leave the room his attention is back on Stella's still unconscious body and closed eyes.

"H-halo?", I answer my phone, not sure if I did, because they bought me iPhone and I'm still trying to learn how to use it. And I'm kinda scared that Elen is going to scold me when I see that I indeed managed to answer the call.

"Chloe, where are you? Did something happened? I'm so worried, honey, I called you a bunch of times." I move my phone from my ear to see that it is 2 AM and that she has called me around twenty times.

"Elen", I sigh. Where do I begin? "I'm so sorry. Yeah, something bad happened."

"What? Honey are you okay?" I can hear the panic in her voice. Panic. Not anger which usually fills my dad's voice. And soon enough I'd be punch in the face and profanities would be spit in it, while that specific one word would insult me in the worst way.

Bitch. And the other one. Whore. He thought that I would spend time with boys, fucking them. Well, he couldn't see that I wouldn't even be able to kiss a boy, and not think about his gross and rough hands, squeezing, slapping, and hurting me in the worst way possible. The memory of his slapping my behind while his cock would be burying in me sends shivers down my spine.

"Chloe? Halo? Are you there, honey?", Elen's voice snaps me from a bad memory that is engraved in my mind, and I don't think that it is going to fade any time soon. Maybe never, who knows.

"Yeah, I am", I sigh, again. "No, I'm okay. Nothing happened to me."

"So it happened to Stella, then? Oh, my God, is she okay?"

You could see that she likes her. At first, I thought that bringing Stella to their house would make them question me. But, then was I like, hey, do I really care? I mean, I know who Stella really is and the clothes she chooses to wear and the way she talks is just a mask. I know it better than anyone. It is a shield that we use so people will think that we are tough and unbreakable. But we are more than breakable. One touch can make our fake life, our fake smile, and our glued heart shatter again in the pieces we barely managed to put together.

It is hard to see a pure soul when people are faking and covering their real selves, with a bad choice of words, profanities at most, and question the appearance that make them look like a whore or a rock star even though they don't actually love rock. Not that I judge rock, don't get me wrong.

But seems like Elen was one of the rare people who was able to see the real Stella. The Stella I know. Shy and innocent Stella who was blonde once, just like she told me when I was at the very same hospital she is now. Seems like she was able to recognize the best friend she was, who was so protective that she decided to threaten her and her husband without even knowing them. But when it comes to Stella's feelings she would try her best to hide them, using an invisible concealer, and hell sometimes I would like to know which brand is she using because it really lasts long and the coverage is really great, sometimes better than the one I was using for my bruises would cover.

Is it Maybelline, Fendi, Loreal, or the other one? I don't know, but I hate when she uses that weapon of hers, and I hate myself more when I fall into her trap, on her perfectly faked smile. You, see, we became really good actresses that it is impossible for you, and seems like it is for us, too, to separate real feelings from acting.

But, Elen she saw her behind that fat mask, and Stella barely told her anything, despite the profanities and protecting and oh, don't forget the dead glare she shot Elen, and death threats she told not only Elen, but her husband, too that would happen if I got harm.

And that makes me love Elen even more. She respects my best friend and cares for her the same way I do. I'm grateful for her, because she chose me, and gave me an opportunity to be in a warm house, with people who care about me and show me, love, unlike my previous home which wasn't really home, but hell from which I tried to escape, but ended up being punished every time I tried to do that. But I'd think those punches were worth the peace I had when I wasn't at the prison.

That Maya's fake compliments and drinking everything she'd offer me was an amazing life, and actually having fun while playing that awful game called truth or dare, which is so boring, was something I'd die to have, and a few times I almost passed out from all the punches my own father gave me because of my rebellious behavior which I considered fun, but anything apart from his punches and dick was fun to me. It was his present for my birthday, for the New Year, even for Christmas.

But, now I don't receive his gifts, any more and I'm so grateful for that.

"Is she okay, Chloe? Honey, answer me, please, I'm so scared."

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking. Yeah", I turn to look at Stella's body and Myles who is holding her with one and caressing her hair with the other hand, while whispering something to her, his expression so worried, and sad. "She is now."

"Where are you? At the hospital?"

"Yeah, we are at St. Mary's hospital. I'm really sorry I haven't called you. But we were waiting to see if she was going to be oka..."

"Don't worry, sweety", she cuts me off with her calm and sweet voice. "I'm coming now."

How grateful I am, God that she didn't yell at me, and to be honest I thought when I saw her calling, that she was going to tell me to come the fuck home and that she was going to demand another foster family to take me and give up on me. But she hadn't. And the words can't describe how happy I am that she understood how scared I was for my best friend and now she is coming. Wait, why she is coming?

"Wait, no, no, you don't have to come."

"Chloe, it's 2 AM now, honey. You can't come home, alone. And I want to see Stella."

"Okay, then", I give up, when honestly I was praying that she will come and pick me up, but then again I'm not sure if I want to leave Stella before she wakes up. "Elen?"

"Yes, sweety?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are you mad at me?" I close my eyes, biting my lip, praying that I was right when I thought that she wasn't angry with me.

"Of course not. I was just worried. Why would I be mad? You are a good girl who cares for her friend, that's all. And I'm happy to have such a sweet girl. I love you." My eyes fill with tears. No one ever told me that. My father only used to tell me how bad of a child I was and how it was better if I died instead of my mom. And that shit hurt me, I'm not gonna lie. So much.

But now... now that bastard is in jail. And my past life is behind me. Now my new life is starting. And I'm so glad to have Elen it in, because she provided me with it, actually. She gave me an opportunity to start over, and for that, I can never thank her enough.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my dad. For a long time. But when I realized how much he was hurting me, I stopped loving him. First I just stopped loving him. It was nothing. I felt numb. Then slowly night, after night, torture after torture I felt the hatred growing each second. More and more. But then again, I let go of that hatred and chose to be numb. Not to feel anything.

And that was in the time when Maya was my best friend. She let me in the group of her sick and toxic friends. She let me in the world where you are partying almost every night, drinking and trying to find a boy to fuck with. And I did all of that. So, when Stella met me, this girl who I am now, again, whom I allowed coming back, was nowhere to be found. I could easily see how she didn't like us at all. And just as Maya unlocked the door of this world for me, that is exactly how we did it together for Stella. So we were a trio of bad girls even though none of us loved each other.

I liked Maya because she showed me how to numb the pain. Stella probably liked us just because we showed her how to enjoy her life and not spend the lonely nights wrapped into darkness, even though every single one of us had to suffer like this at some point. Not every night was a party. Not every night was drinking. Not every night was painless. No, some nights were painful and sleepless. Some night there wasn't a guy who could satisfy us and not a drink that could ease and erase all the bad memories we experienced in our 16 years of life. You'd think that's really young. But trust me if your father has raped you since your ten, that is six years of torture, then, it really is a long period of pain.

"I'm happy that I have you, and I love you, too, Elen", I sob, while I'm wiping my face with a sleeve of my jacket that is covered with the black ink probably because of my ruined and smudged mascara.

"Don't cry, honey, I really mean it. Now, see you in ten minutes."

"Okay", I hang up, and come back to the room, while wiping the tears that are left on my cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Myles turns to me when he hears me sniffling, not letting go of Stella's hand.

I nod. "Elen is coming here."

"Who is Elen?" He slightly frowns, glancing at me shortly, before again focusing his gaze on my best friend.

"Um, the woman I am living with", I explain, forgetting that I haven't mentioned him that at all. But I guess my friend who almost drowned herself, already mentioned to him that.

"Oh, right, sorry, I have not asked you at all about that. Are those people behaving well toward you?"

"Yeah, they are. They really are. Thank you for asking."

"Of course, I am sad that I have not asked you earlier. I did not even have a chance to ask you how are you, you know after..."

"My dad almost killed me?", I finish for him, seeing that he doesn't want to mention anything that might hurt me.

"Well, yeah, I... Just remember that you can always ask me if you need help." He softly smiles and then returns his gaze to Stella's face again. He caresses her hair and her face, his eyes fixed on it like he is absorbing it.

"Thank you", I say, but get interrupted when the nurse enters the room and her shrill voice squeaks:

"We called your parents. They are going to be here soon." And with that, she turns on her heel and leaves me and Myles alone with our still unconscious friend from whom we are so worried.

"Foster parents", the ginger boy murmurs, and I can sense the frustration in his voice, as he says that, and his hand stops caressing Stella's still wet hair that kinda curled at the ends.

"You told them to call Scott and Alexia?", I frown approaching the bed where my best friend is laying, resting my palm on the edge, near her feet.

"I did not, they asked me to give them their numbers. What could I have done?"

"Well..." I start thinking about what he could have possibly told them, but he cuts me off, softly though, he hasn't spoken sternly, nor angrily since the time we arrived, he arrived, even though he should have probably scolded me, if not even strangled me. If I was him, and he was me, and he took Stella to the party I told him not to, then I'd surely couldn't stop myself from killing him.

But no, he is here with me, asking me are my foster parents behaving well toward me, and telling me that I can ask him for help whenever I need it. He is really precious, why I haven't noticed that before? Maybe because I was too focused on my problems, that I haven't seen anyone and anything. Selfish, am I? But you can't really blame me, if you lived like I was forced to, then I can only bet that you'd be even more selfish, only in your comfortable bubble, if you could even find that. But then again, what was my comfortable bubble while I was living with dad? Going on parties, drinking, and trying to fuck with anyone, searching for that special someone to erase his touch? Well, I guess it was that.

"We are minors, Chloe", Myles' voice interrupts my thoughts, and I return my attention to him, watching him sigh. You can see how tired he is; the dark circles under his brown eyes can be perfectly seen under the room's strong light, and his eyes hold too much worry and fear. And both of that is because of Stella.

No, he wasn't scared of Scott and Alexia, no he was scared for her. And I think that I started to put the pieces together. He didn't like her. I mean, yes he did. But he... loved her. So much. And he tried to let that go because he wasn't the one Stella chose. He stayed aside to see her happy. And it hurt him not to be able to touch her, to kiss her, and show her his love. But he was still trying. Trying for her. To not make her sad. But even without his love, she was being sad. And we didn't know how the damn we could fix that. If only we knew how to erase her pain. But she was the only one who could do that. Who could control her life. But she needed to learn how to control her emotions. And it took her a while to learn it. But with our help, she eventually did it.

"Yes, but...", I say when I realize I haven't answered him, yet. I mean not that he asked me something, but.... Nevermind.

The other nurse steps in the room, to check Stella's IV and Myles lifts his gaze to ask, with worry in his tired eyes:

"When is she going to wake up?"

"Probably in the morning. The drug she took makes her sleepy", she explains and you could see that Myles was thinking about something, trying to process it.

"But she is going to be okay, right?"

How do I explain this? Well, you could see everything in his eyes. Pain, fear, worry. But also hope. There was hope and that was his biggest virtue. He always believes in people. No matter what they did, what they do, what they will do. He always gives a second chance. But I think that he is trying to change that, and not be that naive Myles anymore. And that change started when he reported his twin. Yeah, I know everything. Well, not what he was feeling at that moment when he told police what his own brother did to him, but I knew everything that Stella told me. And I could also see how badly she wanted to erase his pain and guilty that he was, and still is feeling.

And now I finally, realized everything. Maybe, somewhere deep down her love for this ginger boy who cares about her so much, and doesn't sleep just to make sure that she comes home safely, exists, laying there, just waiting for someone to remove the dust from it, and wakes it up.

But what is with Michael? I could see happiness whenever she'd talk about him. Her eyes would be so shiny and her lips would turn into a bright smile, while she'd be giggling, trying to explain to me how much she loves when he touched her, but how scared she was to think about all the bad things that he could do to her. And what if he did... something bad to her that made her take those drugs and fall into that pool, almost...

"Myles?", I ask, still not sure what is that I want to ask him about.

"Yes?" He turns to me, tilting his head.

"D-did... Did something happen to Stella?" He sighs, averting the gaze. "Something happened and that was why you didn't want me to take her to this party." He opens his mouth to say something, but closes them, unsure what to say or how to transfer into words the secret he is hiding from me, and Stella tried, too.

"I knew it." I nod, and frown, crossing my arms, staring at him, waiting for him to spill it out.

"So, where is that bitch?" We snap our heads toward the hall, from where the voice is coming. His voice. Then we look at each other, already knowing exactly who that is. I see the panic in Myles' orbs, as he glances back at our sleepy friend, who suddenly looks so peacefully while being unconscious. I wonder is she dreaming or did she have that moment where she touched death, but came to life. How they call it....

"I just pray they do not wake her up."

"Me too, me too, but you heard the nurse. She won't be up before morning because of the drug. She is probably deep in her sleep, so don't worry", I try to assure him, bowing my head not wanting to look at the eyes of the person who is supposed to enter the room any second now.

NOTE: Long chapter, so long. Hope you don't mind. I just can't stop writing, lol. The chapters are gonna be longer in this sequel. Also, what do you think of Elen? I love her sm.