Sitting on the edge of her bed, Kris' red eyes gaze forward at the live feed of herself staring back at her on the computer screen. She holds a guitar in her hand and softly begins to pluck at the strings, but her fingers can't seem to find a steady rhythm.

Clearly distraught, she sets the guitar aside and looks up at the ceiling, trying hard not to cry. Again.

She has to move on. No, like that is even possible. But she has to cope.

Music is her usual medicine, a form of therapy for her to channel her pain, anger, grief, whatever. A distraction for her to ease her mind, which is something she could really use right now. But she can't even get one damn note right. She just keeps thinking, hoping really, that any second now she'll hear knocking on her bedroom door. She'll go and open it to find Daniel standing at the doorway, a silly grin stretching across his face as he begs for her to cook him a pizza. Or for her to play him a song. Maybe even wanting a ride to his friend's house.

But he's dead, and she's stuck here wondering... How can someone be there with you throughout your whole life, just to be ripped away in a matter of seconds? How can things change so fast? What kind of god would condone such cruelty? Is there even a god? For the past few days these questions, along with dozens of others, have been devouring her alive.

In the end she's always left with the same last question. Who gives a shit?

No one. There's no one left to care about her. She's all alone, like she always feared would happen. Parents don't count, as they are obligated to love you. But with Daniel, he was her best friend. She was an idol to him and she let him down. Now he's gone.

Her phone buzzes, snapping her out of her daze, and she almost knocks her guitar to the floor.

A notification pops up from YouTube, showing that she has a new private message. She goes to her inbox to reveal a long conversation between her and this newly befriended stranger she knows as 'mindlessmayhem20'.

mindlessmayhem20: So you've been singing your whole life?

klevesque: yes. for the most part. do you have any hobbies?

mindlessmayhem20: That is awesome! Ehh, I do but it's nothing worth mentioning.

mindlessmayhem20: So I just noticed that you're profile says you're from Riverside... I'm from Duncanville, it's a town a few miles past Lakewood.

klevesque: oh wow, really...?

mindlessmayhem20: I know. What a coincidence, right?! I'm not too far away from you. Would you like to meet sometime?

Looks like she found her distraction. Kris starts to type on her phone's keyboard.

♫ ʜᴏᴘᴇ / ʜᴀᴇʀᴛs ♫