Sorry that I didn't publish last week. I didn't have as much free time as I thought I would. I was also debating about whether or not to split the next chapter in half so it won't be super long. Stay Alive |-/

Jenna

I sigh as I place my backpack in the backseat of the family car. Josh called and told me about Tyler's weird behavior, which only made me more reluctant to leave for the weekend. However, I can't let Brett's family down. They need support more than anyone.

"Ready to go, Honey?" Mom asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I stare into the car. "Yeah."

I turn to see Dad walk out of the house. "Is everyone ready?" Mom and I nod and climb into the vehicle. Dad starts the engine, and our weekend adventure begins. We stop at the sign at the intersection. I look down the street in the direction of Tyler's house. I really, really hope that he won't try something he and everyone else will regret.

It's Monday, the official one-year anniversary of Brett's death. My eyes damp, I walk into his old room around seven o'clock while everyone is still asleep. I examine the space. Brett's parents packed or sold most of his things out of grief. The bookcase is empty, the bed is stripped of its sheets with the mattress standing upright against the wall, and a few dusty boxes sit in the corner. I'm sure there are more stashed away in the closet, never to be opened for a few more years.

I'm honestly surprised that my aunt and uncle didn't replace the ceiling fan out of grief. I lay down in the middle of the carpeted floor, staring up at the light. Tears form in my eyes. Why? Why did he have to do it? He should've talked to someone. I would've listened. I feel like a failure for not noticing any changes in his mood or anything. I just hope nothing like that will happen to Tyler. However, the ominous pit in my stomach hasn't settled all weekend.

Calm down, Jenna. It's seven o'clock. He'd be getting ready for school. Josh will text you like he has all weekend and let you know how he's doing.

I decide to shoot Tyler a text anyways, just to ease the nervous feeling.

Me: Have a good day at school, Babe.

To my relief, he replies a few minutes later.

Ty: Thanks. Have a good day too :)

A smiley face is a good sign, right? It's still not enough to calm my nerves, but it helped.

I set my phone on my chest and sigh, my head falling limply to the right. My cheek rests against the cream-colored carpet as I stare at the various breeds of dust bunnies under Brett's old bed. I stretch my arms out. My hand brushes something stuck to the bottom of the metal frame.

I grab the metal bar and pull myself halfway under the bed. Feeling around for the paper again, I expect to find something like a copyright tag when I'm surprised by a familiar handwriting instead, the handwriting that would appear on my math homework when I needed help, and the handwriting that signed various holiday cards. Brett's handwriting.

Peeling back the tape so it won't tear, I carefully pull the piece of paper off of the frame. The ink on it is slightly faded, but still readable.

Jenna,

Please go and save someone's life, even if it can't be mine.

Love, Brett.

I reread the note too many times to count, holding it by my fingertips as if it will disintegrate to dust. Tears stream down my face. I was supposed to find this a year ago, not now. Or...what if I wasn't supposed to find it until today? What if this is a sign that I need to be back in Columbus!?

Folding the note into a tiny square and sticking it into my locket, I stand up and wipe my face on my sleeve, then walk toward the guest room where my parents and I have been sleeping. They told me that if it got too hard for me to stay here, then we could leave early.

My phone vibrates. I pull it out of my pocket as I silently stride down the hallway.

DJ SpookyJim: Tylers at school.

I stop walking and think. Tyler is safe at school. He wouldn't try jumping off the bell tower, like Brendon accused him of doing. Maybe I don't have to return early.

My locket sitting heavy on my chest says otherwise. That note is a sign, I know it is. I step into the guest bedroom. The bathroom light is on under its closed door. I look to the bed. My mom is still asleep, but my dad is up. He steps out of the bathroom a few seconds later.

"Hey, Jen, I saw that you were up." He ruffles my hair.

"Uh...yeah. Um, question: would it hurt if we left early?"

His gaze softens. "No, of course it wouldn't. That was part of the deal, remember? If you couldn't handle being here, then we'd leave. I don't want to get home too late, anyways."

"Okay," I reply. Some of the nerves finally leave my stomach. Maybe Tyler will be okay.

We get home a few hours later. Carrie, Kristen, and Brennan—who got home from school an hour earlier—run outside to greet us. Brennan tackles me in a bear hug.

"I thought you guys wouldn't be here until later tonight," he says.

"We decided to leave early," Mom replies curtly, her tone dismissing any future conversation about it.

"We'll help you get your bags," Carrie offers.

"Thanks," I reply. "I think I'm going to go inside and lay down. I don't sleep well on the road."

"Understandable," Kristen says, grabbing Mom's bag from the trunk.

I walk inside the house and go to my room, laying down on my bed without even changing into comfier clothes first. Sleep seems to avoid me.

An hour of cat-napping later, I get up and walk out the back door to the woods. I need to clear my mind, and Mother Nature can do that.

I walk toward the burnt remains of the treehouse just to see how the tree is recovering. Last time I checked, the branches were budding for spring, despite being burned. Life surprises you like that.

Sure enough, I spot buds on the highest branches of the tree when I reach it. I smile in admiration at the tree's recovery, but frown at the charred boards and wood at its midsection and base. I sit down on a clean patch of ground among the ash and rubble, my front facing the direction of Tyler's house.

I walk in circles around the tree, debating about whether I should stop in to see my boyfriend or not. I stop pacing when something catches my eye from a bed of newly-grown ferns to my left. I bend down and brush the thick fronds aside, my eyes widening in shock from my discovery. A red spiral notebook sits amid the green plants. Tyler's red notebook.

"That's impossible," I whisper. "It had to have been thrown from the treehouse if it's here." I open it to a random page, where I see Oh, Ms Believer written out in Tyler's handwriting. I cover my mouth in shock, then jump up and down like a little kid on a trampoline. The notebook isn't gone! This will help Tyler!

I whip out my phone and dial his number. He picks up on the third ring.

"Jenna! I was just about to call you!" he greets.

"Really? Well, I have news!"

"I do, too," he replies.

"Okay, you first."

I hear him take a deep breath. "Well, Jenna, as you know, we've been together seven months, and to be honest, you're the best and probably only girlfriend I've had or ever will have—"

"I swear, if you're proposing to me over the phone," I tease.

He chuckles faintly. "You know I wouldn't do that over the phone. Anyways, where was I?"

"I'm the best girlfriend you've ever had?" I blush, despite being alone.

"Right. You are. You treat me better than I even treat myself. You are amazing." He takes another deep breath. His voice cracks, then becomes thick with the next sentence. "That's why you deserve someone better, and why someone better deserves you. Jenna Elizabeth Black, I am breaking up with you."

I almost throw up. And I thought he had good news. "Are you Tyler, or is this Brendon? Or is Brendon forcing you to say this!?"

"This is my choice. I believe...that this...is for the best. Please don't call, please don't text, please don't come over. It will hurt me more than I can bear."

"But Tyler, I f—"

The line goes dead. I stare at my phone blankly, then I snap out of my daze, my worry for Tyler climaxing. I call back—one, two, three times. No answer. I send several texts, all that he doesn't reply to. My heart races, a feverish sweat breaking out over my body. I do the next most logical thing: run to Tyler's house.

I pound on the Joseph's back door when I reach their house, Tyler's notebook still clamped tightly in one hand. Kelly answers.

"Why, hello Jenna, what brings you here?"

"Is Tyler in there!?" I pant.

She shakes her head. "He left for Josh's fifteen minutes ago."

"Fifteen minutes ago!?" I exclaim. Josh overheard our whole phone conversation!?

A concerned look crosses her face. "Is everything alright?"

I shake my head, putting my hands on my knees. "He just called saying he was breaking up with me."

Her eyes widen. "Why would he do that!?"

Our gazes connect, and I can tell that in our eyes, we both know the answer. "Mrs. Joseph, I think Tyler is going to do something that he'll regret."

As soon as Mrs. Joseph closes the door to talk to the others about where Tyler is, I call Josh, pacing the backyard as I do. I sigh in relief when Josh picks up.

"Josh! Is he with you!?"

"Tyler? No. I haven't seen him since school let out. I'm just here trying to dye my hair blue all by myself. Why, is something wrong?"

"He called saying that he was breaking up with me! He said that I was the best and only girlfriend that he may ever have, then he hung up before I got the chance to ask any questions. I called back several times, but it went straight to voicemail! So, I went over to his house, and Kelly said he was with you! But he's not!" I pant frantically,  my palms sweating. Tears prick my eyes. 

"Jenna, I know you're scared—I am, too—but you need to breathe before you launch into a full-blown panic attack, okay? In four, out four."

I take his advice and breathe slowly.

"Good. Now, where do you think he went?"

I shake my head, then mentally cringe when I realize he can't see me. "I don't know. The only place I can think of is the treehouse, but I was just there."

"Call me back when you think of something. I've only bleached my hair, so I'm going to postpone dyeing it and look around town for places you think he may be. Sound good?"

"Yes," I reply.

"Okay. And Jenna, please try to keep calm in these situations. I know it's hard, but Tyler needs you. And he needs you to be calm."

I take a deep breath. "Okay. I'll do my best. Let me know if you find him or anything like that."

"I will, I promise. Bye."

"Bye."

I hang up and try to text Tyler one more time as I speed walk back toward the woods, his notebook tucked under one arm.

Me: I don't know where you are.

I gasp when he actually replies.

Ty: You'll have to come and find me.

For some reason, I think that's the only hint he's going to give me. I wrack my brains trying to think where he'd be. That's when a memory hits me.

"How did you find this place?" I whisper to Tyler.

"One day, I just decided to go off the trail, when I came across this. I come back often, and now I have a small path worn from coming here."

"This is beautiful."

He nods. "When I'm not at my treehouse, I'm here. This is my second most special place. It helps me think."

I nod this time. "I can see why. It's so peaceful and serene here."

"Yeah, although we need to get going, that way your folks won't be worried," he says.

"Yeah." I shift to stand up. Tyler turns to face me.

"Just remember: when I'm not at my treehouse, I'm probably here."

"Okay."

My eyes widen as my flashback ends. I pull out my phone and text Josh.

Me: I think I know where hes at.

Then, I take off running toward my house to steal the family car.