Isla awkwardly shook Jack's hand and said, "I'm Isla. Kylie's best friend."

Kylie stood beside her with her lips pursed, almost like she was trying to prevent herself from saying anything.

Jack smiled widely in response and turned back to Miya who had an unreadable look on her face. They talked quietly amongst themselves and Isla turned back to Kylie. "Ky, is it just me or does her look really familiar?"

Kylie bit her lip awkwardly, "Yeah," she swallowed. "About that. His last name is Hemmings. Jack Hemmings."

Isla knew it. That's where she remembered those blue eyes and swept-to-the-side blonde hair. He had the same laid-back posture and lanky body. But she couldn't believe it; out of everyone Miya could've met during her time in Australia at Uni, she had to form a relationship with Luke's brother. It was unbelievable to her what a small world it was.

But she wasn't necessarily worried about Jack himself being there, but rather the repercussions of what it meant that Kylie's family was now in some way connected to the Hemmings.

She pursed her lips and huffed out unhumorously. "Ky, they haven't come here yet, right?"

Kylie shook her head vigorously in response. "No, and I'm going to try my best to keep it that way. I've got you covered."

Isla was almost surprised at how fast she responded, like she had thought about it for quite some time. But to her defense, she probably did. "You're the best."

"I know," Kylie's worried demeanor replaced with a smirk. "Let's go upstairs away from this gross couple." She nodded towards Miya and Jack, who were now
whispering in each other's ears and giggling and shoving playfully.

Kylie turned up onto stairs of her Los Angeles home, which wasn't too big, however everything in LA was expensive, and it already cost a lot of money to own a single-story house. Isla followed her up, knowing the place like it was her own home. She shutoff the urge to look back down at the couple, knowing that it would only cause her to turn back in revolt. Honestly she didn't even understand why she felt such distaste towards the relationship, but she had a feeling it was somewhat related to the drastic attitude change in Miya.

Isla did suspect that her personality was indeed fake, but she also couldn't help but wonder if it was real. She heard from all those rom-coms that love could change people, and from what she saw from the pair downstairs, they were most likely almost at that stage. There was always the possibility that Jack miraculously cured Miya's cold exterior and pushed her to become a loving older sister. But she found it hard to believe that one person could do all of that.

Then, like a sudden wave, her conversation with Michael came back to her. He was one person who impacted her in ways that she couldn't comprehend. In only a few moments of just pure emptying of feelings, he managed to provide her with something she didn't know she even needed. He was a single person who created a mold over the scars in her life; he covered them and urged them to heal.

She thought about what he had done for her, and realized what a huge mistake it was for her to let him leave without a better way of expressing her thanks.

As she watched her best friends back trudge upwards, she also then realized how selfish she was being. Everything that happened today was so overwhelming that she almost forgot that her friend deserved answers and solace as well. Kylie had been with her through thick and thin, and she hadn't thought about what she could do to repay her.

"Hey," Isla whispered, not really sure why she did so.

Kylie whipped her head back as they approached her bedroom. "Hm?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

Kylie narrowed her eyes, it was rare for Isla to actually come out and offer to share what was on her mind. "What happened?"

Isla sat down on Kylie's pastel pink sheets and crossed her legs. "After you left," she sighed, trying hard to stop the handful of emotions that conjured up with the memory. "A few girls approached me."

And Isla continued on with a description of everything that happened earlier that day. He didn't leave a single detail out, knowing that her friend deserved the whole truth. Kylie's reactions ranged from silent to her trying to but in every few seconds, but Isla went on.

When she was done with telling her about Michael, she laced her fingers together and rocked back and forth. "So, basically
what I'm trying to get from this is not your pity or even advice, because I've relied on you long enough. What I'm trying to say is that, well," she licked her lips nervously and looked into Kylie's light blue eyes, "Now that I've shared what's on my mind, I want you to tell me what's been on yours. I know there's a lot, and I know that I haven't been the greatest friend recently ever since the meeting a few weeks ago, or even the entire accident, but I want to move on. You've done so much for me and encouraged me to do things I would never have the guts to do on my own, and for that I just want to give that same thing back to you." She said it so fast that she was even surprised she still had enough air to keep going. "So without any distractions, tell me honestly, how have you been?"

Kylie's mouth was left slightly open, but she closed it hastily. She was taken aback, there was no doubt in that, but she disguised it immediately with a small and sly smile."That's what friends are for," she slung an arm around Isla. "Of course I'm going to stick with you even if you get sick of me. But since I never thought'd you ask..." she wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "There are a few things that have been on my mind."

Isla laughed out loudly, forgetting what once weighed herself down. "Alright, spill."

"Okay, well there's this guy." Kylie began mysteriously.

"Oh my god," Isla groaned amusement. "I'm actually starting to regret asking you now."

Kylie fake-gasped. "Excuse me? Are my boy problems not up to your standard?"

Isla shrugged, "Well, I do have pretty high expectations."

Her friend rolled her eyes and nudged her with a scoff. Then the two of them just messed around, stalking people on Instagram, searching for new good music, and mostly they just talked. Kylie spoke about her sister and how she thought that Miya was acting fake just for Jack, but also felt the same hope towards the option that maybe she had changed.

During those moments, Isla knew what it felt to have a best friend. She knew how important it was to be able to lean your head on somebody you trusted and know their every preference by heart.

And she couldn't have been more thankful for anything.

-

The rest of the afternoon flew by quickly, their long conversation winding on until they were forced to stop.

The doorbell shrilled throughout the house, causing Isla and Kylie to jump.

"Who's here?" Isla asked cautiously.

Kylie's face scrunched up, "I have no idea." She then pushed herself off of her bed and opened the bedroom door. "I'm gonna go check, be right back."

Isla nodded reluctantly, not wanting her friend to leave. She sighed as the door clicked hut again and fell back onto Kylie's bed. She stared at the blue ceiling that had glow-in-the-dark stars plastered all over it, the edges looking about ready to peel off. Blinking through her fatigue, she turned to look at the picture frames that sat on Kylie's nightstand. She's seen these pictures all multiple times, but for some reason, she always felt the need to stare at them every time she came over.

Her eyes landed on a small blue drama that outlined a family picture. It has obviously been taken in a professional studio, with expensive cameras and great lighting. Everything screamed that it wasn't the families most natural state, and their shared blue eyes all looked lifeless. Isla pursed her lips and looked away, wondering why Kylie still kept that unnerving family picture so close to her.

Her eyes drifted back to the ceiling and she heard the thumping of someone coming up the stairs.

Kylie burst into the room, a frantic look on her face. "Isla, you need to hide."

Isla took a few minutes to process what was happening, "Wait, what? Why?"

"They're here." She breathed out, pulling Isla off of the bed and dragging her into the closet. "Calum Hood and Luke Hemmings, they're here."

Her mood shifted from silly to resigned in a split second. Isla muttered a curse underneath her breath, and wondered why God hated her so much today. She couldn't handle their loathing looks, and she especially couldn't handle Calum's attitude. Especially after she 'met' him as Isabelle, she didn't know if she could trust herself to stay quiet about it. "Why would they come here?"

"I'm not sure," Kylie mumbled. "But I bet it's because they wanted to meet Miya." She fiddled with the hem of her shirt and bit her lip; obviously worried for her friend.

Isla groaned loudly and gestured to give Kylie permission to close the closet door. Kylie winced as if she felt really bad that she had to do this, but Isla didn't blame her. She would do anything at this point so she wouldn't have to see Calum and Luke.

She sat in the dark confined space and suddenly realized how odd this situation was. When she was in the supply closet with Calum hiding from the police, and they'd been working together to evade trouble. But now, she was in the same dark setting, and was hiding from him instead.

She slumped down against the door and sighed. It would be a long night.

Closing her eyes, she decided it would be best if she just got some rest. She just needed some time to think about everything.

Isla wasn't sure how much time had passed when she heard a soft knock on the door. Her resting eyes burst open and she hesitantly stood up and placed her hand on the knob. She turned slowly and pulled the door towards her, Kylie's smiling face entered her vision.

"You're safe!" She exclaimed and Isla just sighed and took in the air.

"Yeah, they left already? That didn't feel like too long." Isla dusted off her sweats and pulled awkwardly on the strings of her hoodie.

Kylie shrugged, "Yeah, they just stopped by to tell Jack something. I don't know what it was though," she said quickly after noticing Isla's obvious questioning expression. "It was clear they didn't want to broadcast it to the whole house."

"Whatever," Isla shrugged it off. It wasn't any of her business, anyways. "Let's go downstairs, I'm hungry."

The two of them were walking down the stairs when Isla noticed two familiar heads standing before the front door. They stood with a slightly slouched posture, their hands stuffed deep into their pockets. Heavy jackets still hung on their shoulders, and they spoke in soft voices to Jack, who stood right next to them. She immediately went still and she heard Kylie curse under her breath.

"Shít," Isla seethed, panicking at their unexpected presence. "What do I do, what do I do," her mind went into panic mode and before she could turn back and run up the stairs, the two boys looked up at them.

"I thought you guys left," Kylie chuckled unhumorously and scratched her head.

Isla just stared at her feet, not wanting to glance into their sharp eyes.

One of them coughed awkwardly, "Uh, yeah, we forgot to mention something to Jack."

Kylie nodded slowly and then the uncomfortable air sunk in. Isla pursed her lips and placed a hand on the stair rail. She gulped and opened her mouth to disrupt the heavy air.

"I'm just gonna go..." and she turned her body to move up the stairs. But with startling speed, someone grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to face them.

Calum's face looked frantic, like he desperately needed to say something but had been forced to hold it in for eternity. "Wait, I need to talk to you."

The first thing Isla wondered when she stared back was if he had found out that Isabelle was indeed her. The second was if he was planning to yell at her more, she wasn't sure which one she'd prefer. She gulped and pulled her arm out of his grasp. "What do you want?"

Her tone wasn't harsh, but instead almost afraid.

He let go of her arm and looked down, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so forceful. I just want to speak to you." When no one either moved or spoke, he cleared his throat. "Alone."

His gentle tone sent shivers down her spine. Isla nodded her head hesitantly and made eye contact with Kylie one last time before everyone quickly shuffled out of the area and into the kitchen. She licked her lips and continued to stare down at her feet, fearing that if she looked directly into his eyes, his deep gaze would see right though her. Her only slight perception of his movements didn't give her much insight into what he was thinking inside, but she could still tell that he was nervous, or at least uncomfortable.

He stared with a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." His tone was soft and almost surrendering. "The way that I acted towards you during the meeting was completely inconsiderate. I shouldn't have burst at you like that, and I'm sorry for it."

Isla was definitely surprised. She remembered how harsh his words were to her that day, and just like back then, she didn't blame him for it. He had all the right in the world to despise her. But what was the reason for this sudden apology? Different words floated at the top of her tongue, but none of them could express her emotions.

She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks and her hands began to perspire as Calum's eyes focused directly on her, waiting for some sort of response. Again she found herself hating how hard it was for her to speak under pressuring situations; oh, how she wished she could be more confident.

So she spoke the one thing she really had on her mind after his apology, "Why are you apologizing?"

Her question seemed to throw him off because he reached his arm up to scratch the back of his head. He didn't say anything for a few moments; trying to formulate a good answer.

"I saw a friend today," he began softly, "and he reminded me of what the bigger picture is. What happened to Ashton wasn't your fault, and I think I knew that from the start. I just couldn't accept it. After all, it's a lot easier to put all your blame on someone so you feel like you don't have to deal with the consequences all by yourself."

Isla looked up, finally, and she wasn't surprised to see that he was already staring right at her. His assertiveness was something that went along with his demeanor, but she could tell he was extremely stubborn. "I understand," she smiled weakly, "what I did wasn't intentional, and I really hope you guys all know that now. But I wouldn't blame you if you did feel like everything was my fault, because sometimes I do too," she scoffed, "héll, that's what I think all the time."

Calum looked at her, his gaze angled down because he stood so tall. She bit her lip and looked away, no longer capable of staring into the dark abyss. Fiddling at the ends of her sleeves, she studied the lines in the wood floor below her.

They stood in silence for a few moments, and she would like to say it was comfortable, but it was far from it. The air was extremely thick; and she became conscious of every move she made. However as time passed by, she realized what she needed to do.

"But now I'm moving on," she stated boldly, "I'm not going to let this hold me back from my future. So I guess I'm saying thank you, Calum, thank you for apologizing, thank you for saying that you don't blame me. Thank you for telling me all to this." Her stance wasn't hunched anymore, but instead she held her was up high, knowing that today would be the last day she shed tears because of the accident.

Everything from today burned into her memory; from her talk with Kylie that morning, her encounter with the fans, the talk with Michael, to the tight bond she secured with her best friend. And now Calum's apology. It was as if God had planned it all out for her, screaming that it was time to stop reliving the past and carry on.

Calum licked his lips and nodded, "That's great, you really deserve it. You should be happy."

His voice wavered slightly, but he covered it far too quickly. Isla noticed, though and frowned a bit. "You should too, Calum. Ashton would want that."

He smiled slightly, and nodded his head again. "I'm glad we got to have this talk," he waved his hand awkwardly out in front of him. "I'll see you."

So Isla just stood there; letting Calum go to get Luke and leave the house.

-

COMMENT UR FAV(S) OFF OF SGFG HERE DO IT DO IT

mine are probably outer space/carry on, San Francisco, vapor, and airplanes :) bUT invisible and broken home f me up eVERY SINGLE TIME