"But I won't catch you if you let go,
I'll pick apart the things you let fold.
If that's what you want I guess we'll move on.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, babe.

I only tell the truth because I miss you,
But there you stood so many worlds away.
We'd scale the walls just before they crumble,
Put it on the line just to reel it in."

A BEAM OF sunlight sneaked its way into my bedroom and almost blinded me. Sitting up in my bed, I rubbed my eyes and let out a small yawn. It had been almost a week since the Winter Ball, and things had cooled down quite a bit. I was spending more of my lunch breaks at Jake's table whenever Asher would take Emily away to the Centre Table, and I had gotten quite close to Wesleigh. Jake kept me pretty occupied, taking me out for movies and coffee whenever we had spare time. However, I have to admit that life was significantly less exciting without the Royals.

Speaking about Emily, I haven't seen her, her fiancé or her fiancé's friends since yesterday. They all seemed to be absent at the same time, which was a little bit suspicious. I did text her to ask about her sudden absence, but she only said that she had to tend to some family business and did not elaborate any further.

I got out of bed and stretched lazily, and headed to the bathroom to freshen. I was just going to start preparing breakfast when someone rang my doorbell several times. Blinking, I wondered who it could be and wondered why they seemed to be in such a hurry.

"Just a second!" I hollered, and I tried not to slip as I slid to the door with my fluffy socks on. I opened the door without second thought, only to see a very livid, very distressed Siobhan Lanigan standing behind it. Beside her was Jonah Graves, a look of concern on his face as he held her hand.

"Siobhan?" I quirked an eyebrow, staring between the couple. What were they doing outside my room at eight in the morning on a Saturday?

"Is Emily here?" she asked anxiously, peering over my shoulder.

I shook my head, "No, she's not in school. She left to settle some family business."

"Goddamnit," Siobhan cursed loudly, kicking the door violently. My eyes widened a fraction at her erratic behaviour.

"Babe," Jonah soothed, kissing her temple softly and rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down. In any other situation, I would've cooed at his sweet behaviour, but what he said next made the breath hitch in my throat.

"Don't worry. Asher's fine," Jonah murmured.

"But we don't know that!"

"What? What's wrong with Asher? And what does that have to do with me?" I asked, frowning in confusion. Siobhan sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Can we come in? It's kind of a long story," Siobhan murmured. Nodding, I beckoned them to enter the room. I blushed in embarrassment when I realised that my room was a mess, with school work strewn across the dining table and unwashed dishes in the sink. Jonah shot me an amused glance, causing me to turn a deeper shade of crimson. Both of them sat on the sofa in the middle of the living room, while I sat on the armchair opposite them.

"Drinks?" I offered in hopes to break the stormy tension. Both of them declined politely, and Siobhan fiddled with her thumbs for a while before speaking up.

"Asher's in the hospital," she finally said, rubbing her temple. My eyebrows shot up in surprise, since I didn't expect that at all.

"What? Why?"

"He's sick," she murmured.

I frowned slightly, sick? How sick?

"How did you find out?"

"Logan texted me," she muttered, "They're all in London right now, accompanying him."

"H-He'll be fine, right?" I asked nervously. Even though Asher wasn't the most pleasant person to be around, I wouldn't wish it upon him to be sick, especially a sickness that sounded so serious.

"I don't know," she said quietly, before cursing. Jonah grabbed her hand in his, shooting her a concerned look.

"You can always visit him," Jonah suggested. It was as if a lightbulb switched on in her head, and she immediately perked up at his suggestion.

"That's right! I can just call in my plane and fly over to check on him!" Siobhan exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of this earlier? Baby, you're a genius!"

"Your plane?" I repeated dumbly.

"Yeah, she has a plane. Don't you?" Jonah asked, staring at me incredulously. My jaw dropped, and I shook my head slowly.

"I didn't know it was normal to own a plane," I stated, almost defensively.

Siobhan rolled her eyes, and smacked Jonah in the arm. "Stop giving Alex flack for not owning a plane, babe."

Jonah held his hands up in surrender and looked between the both of us, "Hey, I didn't mean it in a condescending way! I just assumed..."

"It's alright," I laughed. "I'm here on scholarship."

"Oh," Jonah said, blinking at me. However, he quickly snapped out of it and turned to his girlfriend. "Are you going to take a flight there? You know I can't accompany you."

"Most probably," she muttered. "I have to, Jonah. He's a friend."

Jonah nodded, but didn't look too pleased that she was going to leave France without him.

"I don't want you to go alone, though," he mumbled.

"I know! Why don't you follow me?" Siobhan suggested, pointing at me.

"Huh?" I blurted out unintelligently and pointed at myself. "Me?"

Siobhan nodded, and the practically begged. "Please! It'll just be for the weekend! And I'll take care of the plane and the accommodation."

I looked between Siobhan's hopeful expression and Jonah's pleading eyes and pursed my lips. A vacation to London doesn't sound too bad...Besides, I'll be going with Siobhan and meeting Emily there. Yeah, the Royals will be there, but hey, it's a free trip to London!

"Okay," I finally said, and the two of them let out a sigh of relief. Siobhan grinned widely at me, and hopped over to give me a hug.

"Thank you! Now, go pack up! You don't have to bring much, just some clothes and your passport," Siobhan said. "I'll meet you at the entrance of the school in an hour, okay?"

I nodded, and with a brief good bye, the couple left my dorm.

"Wow," I said to no one in particular, before taking out a small duffel bag and stuffing a few sweaters, jeans and undergarments into it. Changing out of my pyjamas, I opted for an olive green blouse and tucked it into a pair of black skinny jeans.

Feeling the need to look more put together in front of Siobhan, I styled my hair into a side braid and swiped my lips with a tinted lip balm. Satisfied, I sprayed on a bit of my favourite jasmine perfume and hefted the duffel bag over my shoulder while slipping on a pair of grey sneakers. I had a little over fifteen minutes left before the time Siobhan instructed to meet, so I locked the door to my dorm and started to walk to the entrance of the school.

"Alex!" Siobhan hollered, ignoring the gawking students around her. She waved me over to where she was standing, a limo parked not far from where she was. Jonah was next to her, trapping her in a tight embrace.

"I'm here!" I huffed, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of my face. Climbing down stairs was a workout.

"Come on," she said, walking towards the limo. Jonah slung her black duffel over his shoulder effortlessly and strolled towards the limo while I struggled to keep up.

"Slow down, long legs!" I groaned. Jonah Graves was equipped with freakishly long legs, which meant I had to power-walk to keep up with him. While he looked all bad ass and cool, I look like an idiot trying to keep up with his pace. He raised an eyebrow at me, and walked significantly slower, much to my relief.

"Thank you," I breathed. Once we arrived at the limo, a chauffeur opened the door for me to enter. Siobhan gestured for me to do so, and without hesitance, I slipped into the car. Siobhan and Jonah were exchanging a few words outside, but I quickly looked away in embarrassment when Jonah grabbed her face with two hands and planted a long, wet kiss on her lips.

It wasn't until another five minutes when Siobhan finally slipped into the car with me, lips swollen and looking slightly dazed.

Once the limo began to drive out of the school, I was suddenly much more aware of the inside of the vehicle. I was thrown off by how luxurious the inside of the limousine was; it came equipped with an ornate vase with fresh orchid flowers, a mini refrigerator and smooth leather seats.

"Pretty nice, huh?" Siobhan murmured, shooting me a small smile.

❁❁❁

IT WASN'T LONG before we arrived at the airport, and after the security scans, we were directed to a private airstrip, away from where the commercial planes were parked. There, we boarded a small silver plane.

"Welcome aboard, Miss Lanigan, Miss Knight," the flight stewardess greeted as we stepped onto the plane. "Enjoy your flight."

The stewardess pushed open the curtain and revealed the interior of the plane, which of course, did not disappoint. There were a total of four seats on the plane that were larger than the average seats in Economy class. Instead of cloth, the seats were lined with leather and came equipped with pillows.

"You like it?" Siobhan asked, and I nodded, still in awe of the luxe private plane I was in. She merely gave me an amused glance, as if everyone that stepped foot in the plane reacted the same way that I did. I wouldn't be surprised, though. It really was a wondrous plane.

"Get some sleep," Siobhan advised, before settling into her own seat. Her hair was tied into a messy bun, and she wore her signature leather jacket over a black tank top and dark-washed jeans. Her feet were clad in monstrous black Dr. Martens that looked like it could break bones if you were unlucky enough to be stomped on. Despite her style, she still manages to look elegant and graceful. Just like the Royals. It was something I will always envy them for. I stopped staring at her when she put on her sleeping mask, and settled into my seat too. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but before I knew it, Siobhan was shaking me awake. I had fallen asleep on the comfy leather seat, and somewhere along the flight the stewardess must've placed a blanket over me.

"Alex," Siobhan said softly, nudging my shoulder. Dazed and still groggy from my nap, I yawned loudly and stretched in my seat.

"We're here?" I asked, ruffling my hair. Siobhan nodded, looking as tired as I was.

"We'll check in to the hotel first and freshen up, then we'll head straight to the hospital," she informed as we descended from the plane, duffel bags in hand. There was a driver waiting for us outside the airport, and he drove us straight to The Hyde, which according to Siobhan was a 5-star luxury hotel that her mother owned.

When we set foot into the hotel, we were immediately greeted by the hotel guests with snooty, disbelieving stares. It was no surprise, since we were dressed rather casually while the guests were clad in expensive cocktail dresses and suits, no less. However, they were all surprised when the manager himself walked up to us, bowing deeply at Siobhan.

"Miss Lanigan, pleasure to meet you yet again. We have prepared your suite, would you like us to carry your luggage into your rooms?" he asked politely.

"We will be staying for just the weekend, Brand. We'll manage," she said, lifting up her duffel bag for him to see.

"Of course, Miss Lanigan," he said, bowing again. Instead of leaving, he guided us up to our room, which I found out was a four bed-room Presidential Suite. When we arrived at the door, Siobhan requested Brand for a driver to pick us up in an hour, before digging up £20 from her pocket and handing it to him.

"Thank you, Miss Lanigan," he smiled, before bowing once again and leaving us be.

"I take that you come here often?" I asked, in which she nodded in reply.

"Every few months ever since I was six to see my mother," she said. "Each room has a bathroom, so you can just choose whichever you'd like to sleep in and freshen up. I'll see you in about half an hour."

At that, Siobhan turned and entered a bedroom to her right. Shrugging, I entered the bedroom next to hers, immediately struck by how gorgeous the interior of the room was. The walls were painted a light mauve shade, vintage gold lamps lighting up the room in a romantic and sultry way. The furniture looked straight out of an 18th century castle. Setting my bag down, I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed to the bathroom.

I took my time in the shower, enjoying the strong jets of hot water and indulging in the mango scented shampoo and matching body gel. When I emerged from the shower, I wrapped myself in the fluffy, white towels that were warm from the heated towel rack. I quickly put on a loose white shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans before blow-drying my hair.

Siobhan was already in the living room waiting when I was finally done. She looked considerably more awake and energetic after her shower, and she let her thick dark brown locks fall over her shoulders in waves. Instead of her usual tank top and jeans get up, she wore a flowy white sundress.

"Ready?" she chirped.

"Yeah. You look...different. But really nice," I complimented shyly. She smiled, and thanked me.

"Let's go," she said, and we both exited the gorgeous suite and headed towards the elevator. Now that she was standing closer to me, I noticed her lips and cheeks were tinged slightly pink. She also kept fiddling her thumbs.

"Why are you nervous?" I finally asked as we slipped into the car. Siobhan, who was staring at her lap, immediately lifted her head and me a look of disbelief.

"What?" she shot out defensively. "I'm not nervous!"

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't press for more answers. Maybe she was just nervous about meeting her old friends again. If I was her, I would definitely feel nervous. After all, they must've stopped hanging out for a reason, right?

When we arrived at the hospital, Siobhan seemed to become even more of a nervous wreck. She kept running her hands through her hair and fiddling with her thumbs. I put a hesitant hand on her shoulder, and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Hey, no worries. They'll be glad to see you and Asher will be fine," I soothed, and she offered me a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she said softly.

We walked up to the counter, and the woman informed us that Asher was in Room 01, on the eighth level. As we approached the room, even I began to feel nervous. I didn't know what to expect behind the white hospital door. Siobhan never elaborated what sickness he had, so I had no idea what I was going to be greeted with.

We stood outside the door and after a few seconds, Siobhan raised a fist and knocked.

"Come in," a raspy voice murmured, slightly muffled by the door between us.

"Who the hell is it?" I heard a familiar cranky voice snap. Asher sounds fine to me...

When we opened the door and stepped into the room, we were greeted by surprised faces and complete silence. Asher, who was lying on the large hospital bed, was paler than usual and had an IV drip connected to his wrist. Beside him and holding his hand was Emily, but she was fast asleep. Robin and Logan were seated on the large sofa on the side of the room, and Yuko was standing by the window with a book in hand.

"Siobhan," Logan trailed off when he saw me. A look of confusion graced his features, "─ and Alex?"

"Um, hi," I awkwardly greeted, waving at the boys.

Asher scowled at me, "What are you doing here?"

"Siobhan asked me to come along," I explained, biting my lip.

"I'm going to get some coffee," Yuko said quietly, before walking out of the room quickly. Siobhan turned as he walked past her, but he refused to look at her. A flash of hurt crossed her eyes, before Asher turned his attention to Siobhan and spoke again.

"Why are you here?"

"What? No warm welcome, Ash?" Siobhan drawled, smirking. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. His scowl deepened and they had an intense staring competition, before to my complete surprise, he broke out into a grin.

"Come here, idiot," he said, stretching his arms out and letting go of Emily's hand. Rolling her eyes, she walked towards him with a smile on her face and embraced her old friend.

"Hey, don't forget me," Logan piped up, a large smile on his face.

"Or me," Robin murmured, and although he wasn't grinning like his other friends, there was a light in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"Wait your turn, suckers," Asher snorted. She embraced the other two boys in a hug, and then shot a warm smile at Emily, who had woken up.

"Lexi!" Emily grinned, skittering towards me and wrapping me in a tight hug.

"Hey, Em," I said softly.

Her smile dimmed slightly and a look of guilt crossed her face, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth."

"It's alright. It wasn't my business to be begin with," I reassured. I looked up to see Asher watching our exchange silently.

"Get better soon, asshole," I said, and Asher reacted by gracing me with his ugly scowl again.

Emily, Siobhan and I moved to the empty sofa on the other side of the room, chatting excitedly.

"Oh, I can't believe you are here! We should go sightseeing and shopping tomorrow!" Emily chirped, and the three of us laughed and agreed.

"Hey, I need to go to the toilet," Siobhan suddenly said, frowning slightly. She got up without another word and left the room. I saw Logan and Asher share a knowing look, and I frowned as well.

After a few minutes, I decided to excuse myself too.

"I need to pee," I whispered to Emily.

Her eyes widened slightly and she giggled, "Okay. Want me to come with?"

"It's fine. Stay here with your cranky Prince Charming," I teased and she immediately turned several shades of pink. I left the room, navigating through the bland, white walls of the hospital. Every hallway looked the same. I was just about to give up when I heard an all-too-familiar voice.

"What are you doing back here, Siobhan?" Yuko demanded, a deep frown on his face. I was taken aback by the hostility he was showing her, which was the polar opposite of the warm welcome from the boys. Thinking the better of it, I hid behind the corner, shielding myself from sight. Silently, I watched the exchange.

"I came to see Ash," she replied, crossing her arms. From where I was standing, I wasn't able to see her face as her back was facing me. I, however, had a clear view of Yuko's face.

"Only that?" he pressed, crossing his arms.

Siobhan hesitated, before answering, "Yes."

"You're lying," he hissed, narrowing his eyes at her. I was used to seeing Asher or Robin being angry, but it was strange seeing the boy known to always be calm look so livid.

"Not everything I do revolves around you, Yuko. Never has," Siobhan answered with equal hostility as he did.

"Bullshit," Yuko seethed.

"I'm happy by myself. Unlike you, I don't need to be around herds of brainless, annoying groupies to be happy," she snapped.

Yuko's expression darkened, "You know that's not true, Vaughn."

I saw her sigh, and apologise quietly. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Yuko's rigid posture slackened slightly and he breathed in a deep breath, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Shit, I've missed you," he cursed softly.

"I miss you too," she responded. Yuko laughed humourlessly, and Siobhan visibly flinched.

"Stop lying to me," he muttered bitterly.

"I am not," she defended, her voice cracking slightly.

"Stop acting like you care about me, Siobhan. Stop making me feel like this," he said quietly, staring at his feet. I covered my mouth, almost gasping aloud.

"You know I care about you, Yuko. I can't help it."

"Shit," he cursed, running a hand through his hair. "Shit. You need to stop doing this to me. You know I love you, Siobhan. This is fucking unfair."

"Loved," she correctly quietly. "Loved me."

"No! Love you, Vaughn. I still love you, even when you're with that damn boy."

"You, I— We can't do this!" she cried.

"We can't or you won't?" Yuko countered. "You know you just need to say it, Siobhan, and I'm yours."

"Stop it! This is exactly why we can't work things out," she demanded. His defeated eyes left her face and he let out a ragged breath.

"I've always expected too much from you," Yuko muttered. "Whatever. I should've known better."

He turned to leave, but Siobhan grabbed his wrist. He stiffened, trying to yank his hand out of her grip, but she was relentless.

"Look at me," she whispered. "Look at me!"

He turned to face her, scowling. With shaky hands, she reached up to hold his face.

"Do you mean it? When you said that you'll be mine?" she asked softly. Yuko looked like he was having an internal struggle with himself, and when he looked like he finally got a hold of himself, a cold hand clamped down on my shoulder and I let out a small yelp.

I could feel the breath of the person behind me on my neck and in a low whisper, he spoke.

"What did I tell you about eavesdropping, Alexandra?"

❁❁❁

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Remember to vote & comment <3

#QOTC: Have you ever been in a situation where you were caught between two people that you love dearly?

Song of the Chapter: I Only Tell The Truth, by Charlie Lim.