"Alyssa Jansen, College of Arts and Sciences," Dr. Nikias, the University dean, said.

A roar of applause followed from a small group of people as a pretty blonde with wide blue eyes made her way up to the stage to receive her diploma. She smiled and shook the dean's hand before turning to the audience and giving a thumbs up wtih a cheesy grin and then walking off the stage.

The blonde beauty came back and sat in front of me. She turned around and let out a squeal of excitement, doing a little happy dance in her seat. I smiled back at her.

"Chase Johnson, College of Arts and Sciences," Dr. Nikias said, continuing to read names. A cheerful and handsome young male walked up onto the stage to shake the dean's hand and receive his diploma. He turned towards the audience and did the bro-nod.

I grinned as one of my other best friends came back and sat a few seats down from me. The dean continued to go through all the Johnsons in the school.

"Graduated, baby," he whispered to me, holding up his diploma. Alyssa turned around and rolled her eyes at me. He wiggled his eyebrows at her and winked. I let out a small giggle.

"Derek Jonathan, College of Health and Sciences," the dean announced.

"Finally," Derek whispered to me. The very attractive brunette walked up to the stage. He took the diploma out of the dean's hand, shook the dean's hand, and then stood in front of the audience making a Superman pose. Laughter rang throughout the stadium.

I felt my heart racing. I was next.

"Sophia Joslin, College of Health and Sciences," the dean called.

I secured the cap on my head and stood up to receive my diploma. My stomach was doing flips and my heart was beating against my rib-cage. The stadium seemed to erupt in applause as I made my way to the stage. I was acutely aware of my heels clacking on the slick surface of the indoor basketball arena of University of Southern California. I went up to the dean and shook his hand, thanking him as he silently congratulated me with a smile. I couldn't think of anything creative to do like my friends had, so instead, I just waved. I felt a rush of relief as I made my way back to my seat. I graduated. I made it.

Alyssa and Chase grinned up at me as I walked back to my seat. Derek high-fived me as I sat next to him.

"Yeaaaah, buddy," he said, winking. I laughed. We sat quietly as more names were called out. I turned in my seat to look at my two other friends that were sitting a few rows behind us. My eyes met Eli's, who gave me a small smile, his green eyes twinkling.

"Eli Keller, College of Pharmacy," the dean said. Eli got up, his quiet smile reaching his eyes. He walked up onto the stage and shook the dean's hand. Looking out at the crowd, directly at his friends, he did the shuffle off the stage, laughter trailing behind him.

"I think he beat us all," Derek whispered to me.

"We still have to see what Brooke does," I mumbled. He smirked.

"Brooklyn Kirks, College of Arts and Sciences," the dean called. An attractive brunette with long hair walked up to the stage confidently. Wolf-whistles erupted from the crowd as she curtsied dramatically and did the princess wave at the forefront of the stage. Then she winked and blew a kiss and walked off.

"Typical," Derek and I whispered at the same time.

We watched as Brooke made her way back to her seat. As she walked, though, I noticed something was off. I tapped Derek's knee.

"Does she look pale to you?" I asked him. He looked over and furrowed his brow.

"Yeah, she--" he began saying, but stopped abruptly. Brooke put her hand up to her forehead, swaying a little. I felt a feeling of dread creeping up my neck.

And then, in a split second, she fell to the ground.

Derek and I reached Brooke before everyone else.

"Give her some space!" I yelled to the crowd that was quickly forming around Brooke's limp, unconscious body. To no surprise, no one listened.

"Hey! Get the hell away from here!" Derek shouted. And then people listened.

Dr. Nikias pushed through the crowd.

"What happened?" he asked over the commotion.

"I have no idea. She just fell," I said, touching her forehead. She was cold to the touch and I felt my heart rate quicken. Dr. Nikias stood up and dialed what I assumed were the paramedics. He began talking rapidly, asking to send an ambulance as quickly as possible.

"Check her pulse, Soph," Derek said, his voice trembling from worry. I reached out a shaky hand and put to two fingers on her neck, praying that I felt the pumping of her blood. When I felt her pulse, I sighed in relief.

"She's definitely alive," I said. I heard Derek let out a long breath next to me.

"Jesus," he whispered.

We heard shouts and people yelling and looked up. Chase, Alyssa, and Eli were fighting through the crowd to get to us. Chase was on his hands and knees as soon as he reached us.

"What happened? Is she all right?" he asked, staring worriedly at Brooke's body.

"I hope so," I squeaked. He looked at me, his eyes narrowed and dark.

I could only imagine what my own face looked like. I felt like my whole body was shaking from the fright of what just happened. My extremeties were freezing to the touch and it seemed like all of my body systems were in panic mode. My best friend was unconscious and I had no idea why.

"The paramedics are on their way," Dr. Nikias said. "In the mean time, everyone, please back away and take your seats. We need to get this girl out of here," he said in an authoritative voice.

"No! Don't touch her!" I cried. Dr. Nikias looked at me sharply.

"He's right. She fell and could have hit her head on the floor hard. If there was any damage and we moved her, we could make it worse," Eli said, trying to calm my nerves. Nothing happened. She just didn't eat. She'll be fine. She has to be fine.

"We have to move her from here," Dr. Nikias insisted.

I glanced at the others, unsure and confused.

"Let's do it. But we have to be careful. Is there a room where we can take her?" Alyssa asked, stepping forward.

"I really think we should wait until the paramedics get here," I insisted.

"It'll be all right, Soph," Eli whispered to me, squeezing my shoulder. I looked into his dark green eyes, which were narrowed in concern and fright.

"We can move her to the back storage room. We can put her on a table," Dr. Nikias said.

"A table? Are you serious?" Chase asked.

"We have to put her on something stable and flat," Dr. Nikias said.

"The ambulance is here!" someone shouted from the back.

"Oh, thank God," Alyssa whispered. Derek helped me to my feet and we stood back as the paramedics got to work putting her on a stretcher.

I crossed my arms over my chest and began chewing at one of my nails, a nervous habit I hadn't been able to quit since high school. Chase noticed this and put an arm around me.

"She's going to be all right, Soph. Don't worry," he said softly. I looked at him, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes. Alyssa glanced over and saw that I was slowly losing control. She hugged me from the other side, but it still didn't slow down my racing heart. I needed to know that Brooke was all right.

We followed the paramedics outside, despite Dr. Nikias telling us to sit out the rest of the ceremony. There was no way in hell that I would be able to sit through another hour of the graduation when I knew that my best friend was on her way to the hospital because God knows what was wrong with her.

We watched silently and stood idly by as the paramedics stabilized her and checked her vitals. We peered into the ambulance to see them hooking an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. They pulled a blanket over her and I realized that she was still in her graduation robe. One of the paramedics came up to us.

"Only one other person can be in the ambulance with her," the paramedic, Kyle, said.

"I'll go," Chase said, stepping forward.

"No!" I exclaimed. "No, let me," I said.

"Soph, that isn't a good idea. We all know how much you'll be freaking out. We'll follow in my car," Eli said.

"He's right, Soph," Derek said. I looked at them and then nodded stiffly. There was no point in arguing because they were right. It was a very probable possibility that when the doors of the ambulance closed, I would break down and start crying.

"I'll meet you guys there," Chase said grimly. He turned to me and pulled me into a hug.

"Try to be strong, Soph," he whispered in my hair. I nodded, tears blurring my vision. I felt him kiss the top of my head before letting me go and walking towards the ambulance. He stepped into the back and they closed the doors behind him. I watched as the sirens turned on and the ambulance sped out of the parking lot.

"Come on. We'll take my car," Derek said.

We nodded and followed after him. We piled into his car. Alyssa and I took the backseat and Eli took the passenger seat. I saw Derek's hands shaking as he put the key into the ignition. Eli's hands were clenched tightly on his knees, so hard that his knuckles were white against the black of the graduation robe. Alyssa's blue eyes were wide and dark, her eyebrows draw up in creases. And my cheeks were stained with dry tears and smudged with eyeliner and mascara.

We were a mess, the five us shaken out of our wits because we didn't know what would happen to the girl that brought us all together. It was like the foundation beneath us had cracked and we were all unstable and unsure.

                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~

Hospital waiting rooms could probably make the top ten worst places to be.

Top five, even.

The walls were a stark, plain white color with vinyl tile floors to match. The dim fluorescent lights made even a healthy person look sick. The smells lingering in the air were of cleaning products, hand sanitizer, and strong coffee. The lady at the reception desk of the emergency room had a vacant expression on her face, as if there was nothing inside. I made sure that when I became a doctor, I would paint the walls of my suite green and have blue carpeting and nice, inviting cushioned chairs.

When we got to the hospital, we found Chase waiting for us in the waiting room. He was still in his black graduation robe and was sitting with his head in his hands, his cap set on the chair next to him.

We sat down next to Chase and he looked at us, a wary expression on his face.

"The doctor wouldn't let me in," he told us before we asked.

"What are they doing?" I asked, my voice sounding strangely hollow.

"Running some tests. They said they would call us in when they knew what was going on," he replied. I let out a sigh and leaned back against my seat. We all fell into silence then, the only sound surrounding us the ticking of the large clock that was mounted on the wall in front of us.

Nurses and attendants continuously bustled in and out of the emergency room with little sealed bags that contained vials of blood and other liquids. Everytime a different one stepped out, they did a double take. We must have looked strange, the five of us. We were all still sitting in our graduation robes, our hands clenched on our laps, our lips pulled in thin lines. We stared unblinkingly at the floor in front of us, hoping that we would wake up from this horrible nightmare and wake up and find that we were back in our apartment, talking about graduation the next day.

It was so strange how quickly life could change. One moment, everything is going as planned. And the next, it seems as if life is spiraling and the only direction it seems to be going is down. Just last night, the six of us were sitting in mine and Brooke's apartment, talking excitedly about graduation and our upcoming Europe trip.

                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm wearing six inch heels tomorrow. It will be so embarassing if I fall," Alyssa complained.

"Well, that's what you get for buying six inch heels," Derek said.

"Why the hell would you do that anyway? It's like you're setting yourself up to trip and fall," Chase said. Alyssa shot him a glare.

"Leave her alone, guys. The shoes she bought were the only ones we could find that matched her dress," Brooke said.

"Might I point out that her dress will be covered by a big, ugly graduation robe?" Eli said. Alyssa frowned.

"Stop hating!" she exclaimed. The boys chuckled.

"It's so easy being a guy. All they have to do is find a shirt, wear some black slacks and nice dress shoes and they're good to go," I said.

"No worrying about make-up, hair, jewelry..." Brooke listed off.

"Well, except for Chase. He worries about his hair," Derek said, chuckling.

"And his man-jewelry," Eli added. We all laughed and Chase punched Eli in the arm.

"Whatever. I can't wait until we get to Europe. At least my style will be appreciated there," Chase said.

"Oh my goodness! I can't believe we'll be flying off to Portugal in four days!" Alyssia squealed.

"I can't wait to hit on some foreign girls," Chase said, smirking. He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.

"Too bad the only things you know how to say in all the languages are 'hello' and 'where is the bathroom?'," I said.

"I also learned, 'Want to go out tonight?'," Chase said.

"Didn't you learn, 'I'm a douche bag', too?" Brooke said. Chase shoved her into the couch's arm and we laughed.

"Hey, it's just fair warning," Eli said to Chase.

"Those poor European girls. They have no idea what's coming," Derek said.

"All right, all right. I get it. That's enough," Chase said, crossing his arms over his chest. I leaned over and pinched his cheek and he swatted my hand away.

"Have you guys packed yet?" Alyssa asked.

"What?! Are you not packed, yet, Alyssa?" Brooke asked incredulously.

"I was busy!" she exclaimed.

"Doing what?!" we all asked at the same time.

"Studying!" she said.

"Oh, please. You're a psych major. That's hardly an excuse," Derek scoffed.

"I really wish you guys would stop hating on me about that," Alyssa said. "I mean, seriously. It's been four years. The joke is getting old," she added.

"Says you," Derek muttered. We all bit back laughter.

"You realize you have to pack for three months, right?" I asked Alyssa.

"I started! I just haven't gotten around to finishing," she replied.

"Girls are hopeless," Eli sighed.

"Oh, shut up," Alyssa said, rolling her eyes.

"You can't just classify all girls into one category. That's so masochistic," Brooke said.

"What a feminist thing to say," Eli replied. Brooke opened her mouth to respond. but I cut her off.

"We are not getting into this argument again," I said, stopping the two before the conversation got heated.

"Oh, Soph. Always there to save the day," Chase said. I shook my head, but smiled nonetheless.

Five days couldn't go by any slower.

                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was nearly midnight now. We had been sitting in the waiting room for about four hours now and the doctor still hadn't come out to tell us what they had found from the tests. We had all taken our graduation robes off and had deposited them on the seats in front of us. I had taken my shoes off and had my feet tucked underneath me, my head resting on Chase's shoulder. I held Alyssa's hand in mine because she had started crying spontaneously. I had also been crying, but I wasn't as obvious as Alyssa was.

"Let's go get something to eat from the cafeteria," Derek suggested after a few long moments.

"It's probably not open," Eli said.

"I'm not hungry, anyway," I said.

"Soph, you haven't eaten anything since breakfast. You skipped out on lunch earlier, too. You have to get something in you or you'll get sick," Chase said. I sat up, shifting so that I sat up straight.

"I don't want to eat anything," I said, staring at the ground. I felt a headache creeping in and could feel the veins in my forehead throbbing. I knew it was a mixture of not having eaten anything all day and crying so much. But I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat until I knew what was wrong with Brooke.

"I'll ask the nurse if they have anything," Eli said, standing up. He disappeared behind the door and then came back after a few minutes with cracker packets and mini bottles of water. I drank the water, but I couldn't bring myself to eat anything. After we finished, we lapsed back into silence, resuming our staring contest with the clock in front of us.

Another hour later, we heard the door open. We sat up and saw the doctor step out. All of us got to our feet at once as he approached us.

"I assume that you five are here for Brooke?" he asked. We nodded. "Is there a parent or guardian here that I can speak to?" he asked.

"No. She doesn't--" I started to say.

"They aren't here," Eli replied.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose--" the doctor started to say.

"We're her best goddamn friends! We've been sitting out here for over five hours waiting to know what the hell happened to her. Don't you dare tell us you can't say anything because we aren't family," I said, my voice shaking dangerously. Eli touched my elbow and his gentle touch calmed me down a bit. The doctor looked taken aback by my outburst and he pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"Very well, then," he said. "I have some good news," he said. We all clasped our hands together, feeling hopeful. "But I'm afraid I have some bad news, as well," he added.

And just like that, our hope was smashed into a million pieces.

____________________________________________________________________

A/N: IT'S BACK! The story's back! Sorry it's taken me so long to get to it. I just got other ideas for stories and I had hit a writer's block for this one. But now it's back and in full swing!

I can tell you now that this isn't going to be a long story like most of my others. It will probably be a shorter one because I don't want it to get repetitive and boring. You'll see what I mean by that later on.

Yes, I just left you on a cliff-hanger. I can be so cruel sometimes. =P

Please vote and comment. The more votes and comments I get, the faster I'll update. If I find that not many people are interested in this story, then I'll drop it and write another. So it's all up to you guys!

XOXO