Gwen looks at the brunette, "Shit, Me..." she quietly whispers.

Mia looks down at her scarred hands. "Yeah, you should've seen the other guy." she says, her voice quiet.

Gwen bites the inside of her cheek. "I'm sorry." she whispers.

Mia doesn't say anything she just keeps her eyes on her hands.

"Come here..." Gwen wraps her arms around Mia's neck.

Mia blinks away her tears and hugs her friend back. "I'm not...I'm not ready to say goodbye..." the brunette quietly whispers.

"Nobody is ever ready to say goodbye...it just happens, and it fucking sucks." Gwen separates from Mia.

"Mia." Clay softly calls out.

Mia looks over at Clay and her stomach turns. She gives him a hesitant nod. "Hey..." Gwen gives Mia a soft squeeze from her hand. "You don't have to hold anything in, all right?"

Mia presses her lips together, she walks over to Clay and she bites the inside of her cheek. "You can...you can go in now..." he says, hugging himself.

Mia nods her head, "Okay..."

Mia inhales a shaky breath and exhales a quick one. She slowly walks into the room. Tears immediately blur her vision as she sees Justin laying in the bed. "Hey..." he greets her. Mia walks over to him. "Oh, Justin..." she whispers. Mia falls to ther knees and holds his hand.

"How are you?" Justin asks, his voice shaky.

A small sob leaves her mouth. "How am I? Why...Why would you ask me that?" she questions softly.

"Because...I-I-I know...I know how hard this is gonna be for you after everything yoi've been through." He states.

Mia looks down at Justin's shaky hand. Her tears falling onto him. "How am I..." Mia bites her lower lip. "How am I supposed to do this again? Say goodbye to another brother?" Mia asks.

"I can't...I don't think I can do this without you..." she quietly cries.

"Hey...Em." Justin  says quietly. Mia looks at him. "You...you are one of the strongest people I have ever met. And...And I know you will get through this...you don't think so now, but you will." he nods his head. "You made it, Mia."

"And we don't have to say goodbye..." Justin says. "What's another word for...not a goodbye?" he chuckles.

Mia chuckles quietly, "See you later?" she suggests.

Justin gives Mia a smile. "I'll see you later, Mia." he whispers.

Tears roll down Mia's cheeks. "I'll see you later, Justin..." she whispers back. "I just...I want to thank you for being there for me. When I didn't think I was worth saving...with John...you saved my life...and I never thanked you." she says through quiet sobs.

A tear rolls down Justin's cheek. "You were always worth saving, Em...I'm just glad that you've finally realized it." he says. He gives her hand a small squeeze. "I-I-I-I love you."

"I love you, too."

"A-A-Are you sure?" Mia asks, looking at the Jensen's. "It should be his family."

"Mia, you were his family before anyone else," Lainie says. "Justin would want you to be there."

Mia inhales and slowly nods her head, "Yeah, okay...th-thank you." she whipsers.

Lainie and Matt walk into Justin's room. Mia inhales another breath, trying to gather strength. "Hey..." Clay says to her. Mia looks at him.

She wraps her arms around his neck. Clay hugs her back. They stay like that for a moment before separating. "Thank you..." Mia whispers.

Clay nods his head, they both walk into the room. Clay holds Justin's left hand and Mia holds Justin's right. The room was filled in silence except for the stable beeping of the machine.

Mia runs her thumb over the back of Justin's hand. It felt like hours when they were sitting there. Mia wanted to keep it all, she didn't want it to go away. She just wanted to stay in that moment.

Suddenly, a frantic beep drowns into the brunette's ears, then the machine beeping turns to a flatline. Mia's mouth slightly opens, her heart dropping into her stomach. A nurse walks into the room and turns the machine off. She looks at the family for a second in sympathy before leaving.

Mia looks down at Justin's hand still in hers. She quietly sobs and presses her forehead against his hand, tears falling on the bed.

==========

"How did we get here? Again?" The Pastor questions. "We made a cruel world. My generation, my parents' generation. Too little caring. Too much hate, anger, and hurt. We talk a good game about protecting our children, but we leave too much on the table that might surely save their lives. Justin Foley died of a disease that, from its inception, thrives in silence. And there are a number of such diseases, a number of ills that thrive when we are silent about them."

Mia's eyes focus on the pastor, listening to every word. "Because we let out fears, our shame, our twisted moral codes keep us in silence, as death stalks more children. I say, enough. Enough shifting blame. Enough pointing fingers. Enough confusing those who report damage with those who cause it. Let us remember Justin for his accomplishments on the football field and the basketball court." The Pastor smiles.

"Let us remember his smile that I am told melted a hundred hearts. But let's also remember his death with sorrow and determination that spur us...to action. Amen."

After everyone's speeches, everything just passed by Mia. Suddenly, she was now at the door with her mom. "Actually, can I...stay here for a few?" Mia asks.

Nora lightly touches Mia's cheek. "Of course." she nods her head. "I'll see you at home."

Mia nods her head, "Yeah...of course."

Mia watches as her mom walks away. She turns and sees Clay sitting in the first row, he never left. Mia walks over to him, Clay looks up at her. He scoots over to make room for her. She sits next to him without saying anything. She holds her hand out to him, Clay looks down at her hand and accepts it.

Soon, Jessica walked over to them. She sat next to Clay. She holds Clay's other hand. Mia looks at the coffin, her chest tightening again. She lays her head on his shoulder, exhausted.

==========

Mia looks down at her hands. "Mia?" the voice says.

Mia looks up from her hands and at the woman. "Yeah?" she says quietly.

"How are you doing today?" she asks.

Mia quietly chuckles, the chuckle empty with emotion. "I've just been...around," she states.

"Around? What does that mean?"

"I've just been...going with the motions, like always." she shrugs. "We don't...we don't really have to do this therapy thing either."

"And why is that?"

Mia's eye twitches, she hates that soothing voice. All therapists use it. "Because, we've been through this a couple of times, right? With me...in pain and you helping me," she states. "I'm only doing this for my mom, so she doesn't need to be afraid that I might hurt myself."

"You cared for Justin, isn't that right?" She asks.

Mia nods her head, "Yeah...I...I loved him...he was my best friend, my...f-family." she looks down at her hands. "And...he trusted me, at least with...some things..."

The woman tilts her head, "Are you referring to his diagnosis?" she asks.

Mia scoffs, "What else would I be fucking..." the brunette pinches the bridge of her nose. "I-I'm sorry...I promised my mom that I wouldn't be as angry as I usually am..."

"I don't really think that's possible, don't you think?" The woman questions.

Mia quietly chuckles, her small smile saddens. "I told you about the time I got pregnant?" Mia asks, "With John's kid?"

"No, you never have."

Mia nods her head, "I...I didn't want to tell anyone..." she wipes her nose. "But...I was...I was panicking, I didn't know how to do the whole abortion thing...and I told my mom, and my mom told my dad...he was...he was fucking pissed." Mia tries to laugh off her pain. "He thought I was trying to cover up for me and Jeff having sex, he just...never wanted to see the truth."

"I got help, I got my help even though I didn't want it and I just...I wish Justin knew how much I loved him." Mia presses her palms against her brow bones as tears blur her vision. "I wish he knew that he could tell me, or Clay, or Jess, or Mr. and Mrs. Jensen...he could've...he could've got the help he needed."

"I think Justin knew how much you loved him...I just think he thought he didn't deserve that love." The woman explains.

Mia quietly sobs. "That...doesn't make me feel any better..." she states.

"I'm sorry, Mia..." she leans forward. "In the past...we have been through this multiple times, but this one is different...right?" she asks.

Mia takes her hands off her face and nods her head. "Yes," she answers. "Justin...I don't know...he just, he's been through a lot in his life and...he got into college and he was happy. In some way, he signified that...everything would be...better, y'know? For everyone."

==========

Mia walks down the sidewalk, with her hands in her pocket. "Mia!" a voice calls out.

Mia turns and sees Brett. "Brett...what's up?" she questions.

"I...I stopped with finding pit the truth with Monty." Brett says. "We all did."

Mia inhales, "Why?" she asks.

"What's the point in ruining other people's lives that have barely started yet?" he shrugs.

Mia nods her head, "Thank you..." she gives him a tight-lipped smile.

"I'm sorry, about what I have done to you." Brett says. "About what I said to you. That's not...That's not me, I don't ever want it to be me." he explains. "I just...I get so angry and...I thought I was protecting you, but I just made your life even more fucked up..." Brett's eyes widen.

"I'm not saying that your life is--"

"No, no I get it..." Mia lightly chuckles. "My life is pretty fucked up."

"I just...I get angry, and I hate that I do." Brett says.

Mia bites the inside of her cheek. "I get angry too." she says. "And I know how bad it gets. You're not alone, you're never alone."

Brett swallows, "Thank you, Mia." he says.

Mia gives him a soft nod. "Of course, and...it would be cool if we could be friends." she adds. "If that's cool with you."

Brett smiles softly, "Yeah...I would like that." he nods his head. "I'll see you later, Mia."

Mia inhales, "I'll see you later, Brett."

==========

"Why?"

"Because! Because none of this fucking matters! Okay? If Justin is dead, THEN NONE OF THE REST OF IT MATTERS!" Clay knocks a cup full of pens off of the desk.

Silence fills the room as Clay quietly cries. "How could he let it happen?" Clay questions. "How could he let himself get sick like that? We...it would've been so easy to save him!"

"Maybe deep down, he didn't think he was worth saving or worth loving." Dr. Ellman states.

Clay looks at him. "But Jessica loved him. And my...my...my parents did. And...Mia did. And I did!" he says.

"But what if there was some part of him from a long time ago that couldn't let himself be loved?" Dr. Ellman questions. "That couldn't let himself be cared for?"

"That makes no sense!" Clay snaps.

"Really, Clay?" Dr. Ellman questions. "You can't imagine a kid who keeps secrets from the people who love him most?" he adds. "A kid who won't let himself be cared for?"

Clay's jaw goes slack. "Fuck you," he whispers. Clay turns away from the man and stares at the picture on the bookshelf.

Dr. Ellman picks up the pens and pencils off the ground. He grabs the cup and sets it on the table. He notices Clay staring at the photo. "My Guild Starfire. I love that guitar." Dr. Ellman says. "I grew up here, you know. In Evergreen. It was the late '60s and early '70s. It was a turbulent, difficult time. Country was desperately divided. Drugs were everywhere. I was a troubled kid."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were a hellion." Clay quips.

"I stole a car." Dr. Ellman admits. "So I could steal a guitar amp."

Clay turns to the man. "I sniffed glue. Dropped acid. Smoked dope. Occasionally I sold it." Dr. Ellman adds.

"Shit." Clay exhales.

"I was going down a dark road, and then a teacher in my high school saw something in me. Saw...me. She believed I had something to offer. She was an English Teacher. She thought I could write. And I said something to her very much like what you said to me. Nothing makes sense. None of the pieces fit together. And she said to me...Try." Dr. Ellman explains Clay.

"She said...begin. So I began. And years later I found myself back here, in my home town, to help kids like me. Like you. I can't promise the story has a happy ending, Clay. What happens to us, it may only have the sense that we make of it. But I do know that it's in telling the story...that we learn who we are. And maybe see who we might become."

Clay takes a deep breath, he slowly walks over to the couch and sits down. He exhales, "It starts with Hannah Baker..."