Aaron's POV

I don't know how I can manage to go to school knowing that she might never wake up. It's like a heavy weight is attached to my ankles, slowing me down, yet I still keep pushing on. Why did you have to do this to yourself Jen? There's so many people who love you.

As I'm sitting in Calculus class, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Carefully so the teacher doesn't notice, I slip it out and read the text.

G~ meet us at the park after school. Jenivive's mom wants to talk to all of us. idk why. sounded important from the way she told me.

A~ okay. see you then

I look over at the clock. 1:40. Damn, already? Wasn't it just first period?

"Okay, class. For homework, please do problems 1-50 on pace 340, problems 10-40 on page 341, and problems 30-40 on page 342. You've got ten minutes to work."

I open my book and take out a sheet of paper, copying the first problem onto the paper. As I'm looking at it, the numbers swim on the paper, and I close my eyes. Damnit Aaron, focus. You've got a test on Friday.

Suddenly, the bell rings. Looking back at my paper, I let out a sigh. Not one bit of homework done. As I swing my backpack over my shoulder, I feel a tap on my back. Turning around, I see a shorter girl with brown hair and glasses standing in front of me. She hands me a piece of paper and runs off, disappearing. Who was that?

I shake my head and walk out of the school, heading for the park. Walking along, I pull out my phone and text Garroth.

A~ on my way now. see you in about five minutes.

Cars fly by, gently lifting the ends of my jacket. Soon, the sound of children laughing fills my ears, and I turn to the chain-link fence surrounding the park. I spot Mrs. Green, Garroth, and the rest of the crew sitting on a bench at the far side of the park. Katelyn turns and spots me, waving for me to come over, and I push open the gate and walk to them.

When I get there, Mrs. Green takes a breath. "Thank you guys for coming. I-" she breaks off as a tear rolls down her face, taking a breath. "I also want to thank you for befriending Jenevive. She's had it really hard after Noah passed a couple of years ago and her sister took her life over the summer. She really needed someone to lean on, and that someone happened to be all of you." Mrs. Green looks around at all of us, warmth and sadness in her gaze.

"I got word from the doctors last night on Jenevive. It's been a month since her attempted suicide, and they... they don't think she's going to wake up." Mrs. Green looks down at her hands, tears cascading down her cheeks. I feel my throat close up, and a tear slip down my cheek.

"What?"

"They need my permission to take her off life support and... but I don't want to lose her... I wanted to give you guys one last chance to say goodbye to her..."

I look at everyone, who seem to be as shocked and upset as I am. Garroth is the first to speak. "Mrs. Green..." He trails off, and I see a tear roll down his face as well.

I stand up quickly, stumbling a bit away from the others before I hear Laurance call to me. "Aaron! Where are you going?"

"To see Jenevive." I break into a sprint, running blindly through crowds of people. As I'm crossing the street, out of the corner of my eye, I see something. A car. Advancing towards me, not slowing down. My eyes go wide and I try to run.

Then I'm hit. Excruciating pain. Screaming. Voices. Sirens. And then I'm falling. Down, down, down. Into a dark, empty abyss...

~~~

Aish, so sorry for lack of updates. I've been struggling to find inspiration. I'm gonna end this in the next few chapters. Around 20 or so, including Epilogues. I'm thinking maybe two or three epilogues? Eh, idk. See you in the next chapter.