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School- the holidays were over and the time to return to the dreaded institution had arrived.

I sighed heavily as I walked through the gloomy corridors, watching as the other students engaged in soppy greetings with each other. It seemed as though a contagious 'happy' disease had infected each and every pupil because, for some reason unknown to me , the grins seemed as if they were permanently glued to their faces.

Glad they had something to be happy about.

Upon reaching the locker, I emptied the contents of my bag into it. Then I saw it. That letter. That rotten letter.

"A letter came," mum started, her tone hesitant as if she were stepping on dangerous waters.

"Yeah..." I dragged out, waiting for her to continue. She looked down tepidly, as if contemplating her words, but finally looked up, holding something out from behind her back.

"It was from the doctor..." my eyes immediately narrowed into dangerous slits.

"No," I stated flatly, my face devoid of any emotion. Surprise flickered on her face, but was soon replaced with a look of annoyance.

I sighed yet again. The letter was on the kitchen table when I had come down for breakfast and, after staring at it for several minutes, I had decided it would be best to take it even if I still refused treatment. It was the least I could do for her. I knew, in her own way, she was right. Being a mother, one couldn't help but feel that their child's health is their responsibility. Everything she had ever done has always been for my betterment and happiness. Going to a doctors appointment for her wouldn't even begin to repay all that she had done for me. Before I could come to a conclusion, my thoughts were interrupted by a shout.

"Hey, new girl!" The voice boomed, echoing across the big halls. I turned towards the familiar voice, tensing when everyone's gaze fell upon me and the muscled figure that stood on the other side of the hallway.

Danny.

He didn't seem to mind the attention; rather he liked it, smiling smugly as he walked towards me.

As if he knew he was the highlight of everyone's day.

He stroked a hand through his hair as he walked, winking exaggeratedly at the passing girls and nodding his head towards the guys. I tutted at the way a few boyfriends allowed their girlfriends to be subjected to Danny's 'non-verbal cat-calling'. They acted as if it would be honourable to say that their other halves were deemed worthy by another male and completely disregarded the fact that the woman was theirs.

Too engrossed in my disgust, I didn't notice Danny come to a stop in front of me until he opened his mouth to speak.

"What's up, new girl?! Haven't seen you for ages." He shouted and I cringed at how loud he was; the strange thing being that I knew he wasn't doing it intentionally.

I'd hate to be someone he whispers a secret to.

I smiled, although feeling anxious.

"Yeah. I've just been busy." I lied, knowing perfectly well that all I did was think about how everything was slowly crashing down.

Danny's forehead wrinkled in thought at my words.

"Too busy to see your boyfriend and mates?" He questioned, gasping exaggeratedly. He put a hand to his chest in dramatic shock and looked around as if on-lookers would also gasp at my dastardly inappropriate actions. I would've tutted at his behaviour if I didn't notice what he had said.

Mates?

I smiled at this. Danny considered me a friend. He was one of the first people to think of me like that and, I don't know why, but it made me feel warm inside. Something about the idea of being wanted for the first time in my life bought about a new sense of happiness- a happiness I had never felt before.

I was about to respond to his affectionate words with a warm and cheerful hug, but the sight of Justin walking towards us distracted me completely.

"Well, what Justin was forcing me to tell you was that..." I said, but stopped. For the life of me, I just couldn't tell him. I just couldn't.

"Well, he just wanted to... make me apologise to you."

Seeing him here reminded me of the lie I had told Aaron. I hadn't felt guilty at the time, but- upon seeing Justin- I was soaking in regret. I should have just told Aaron the truth and I should have listened to Justin, but I couldn't. I was helpless. Call it fate or cowardliness, the words just wouldn't leave my mouth, no matter how hard I tried in expelling them. It was of no use.

Justin came to a halt in front of me. He stared down at me with dull grey eyes, his voice blank as he spoke.

"Did you tell him?" He said bluntly, putting his phone in his back pocket. I wavered under his hard stare. I didn't know what to say. I mean, what could possibly be said to avoid the anger that would inevitably follow me telling Justin the truth.

Danny smiled widely as he looked between us.

"Tell me what?" He said, curiosity evident in his tone. At this, Justin sighed in annoyance before throwing his hand towards Danny's head. However, before it could make contact like it usually did, Danny had successfully grabbed his arm and stopped the impact that was to come.

Danny's eyes twinkled with pride as he looked at Justin's arm within his grasp. He jumped giddily in the spot before sending a smug look towards Justin. However, Justin's mission didn't falter at this. He stared at Danny for several moments and then his shoe made contact with the back of Danny's knee. In less than a second, Danny was down on the ground, squealing in pain and Justin's gaze was back on me.

"So, I gather, you haven't told him?" He said nonchalantly, blowing a hair away from his eyes that had seemingly gotten out of place by the incident that had just occurred.

I sighed. The truth had to be told, regardless of the repercussions.

"No. I didn't tell him. You don't understand, Justin. It was too hard." I said with absolute honesty.

Danny was off the floor by now and he gestured between us both with a hand.

Well, the hand that wasn't holding dearly to the back of his knee.

"Am I missing something?" He said, referring to how clueless he was about the conversation we were having. Justin sighed heavily, but answered him with a nod, nevertheless.

"Yes, a brain." He said coldly before turning to me. I would've laughed at Danny's pout if the current situation wasn't impeding me from doing so.

And by current situation, I mean Justin's infamous glare.

Justin opened his mouth to speak, but- before anything could be said- another voice was heard. Well, not just any voice, for that matter. It was his. It was Aaron's and the sound of it sent shivers down my spine.

He came behind the boys, resting his arms across their shoulders.

"What's up?" He said with a smile and it took everything in me to not melt onto Justin's shoes.

He was dressed simply, but it still took my breath away. I couldn't help, but smile at his presence. However, that smile didn't last long when I thought of how things were going to be different.

They had to be different and I had to leave before I got hurt too much in the process.

Danny grinned at him before turning around and giving him a large bear hug.

"Hey! How have you been, dude?" He exclaimed, his voice bubbling with laughter.

Aaron laughed in response and I couldn't help, but smile at the sound of it.

"Dude, I was fine, until now." He strained out, trying to pull back from the hug. Danny laughed loudly at this and stepped back, but not before slapping Aaron's back hardly to which Aaron let out a small 'oomph'.

Justin, who had been glaring at me the whole time since Aaron's arrival, turned his attention to the boys. Aaron moved towards him and they both hugged. They stepped back and Aaron sent Justin a small smile.

A small smile that did big things to my heart.

"Are you okay? You seem tense." Aaron said curiously, eyeing Justin up and down.

Tense? All I saw was a blank; unemotional face. Were we looking at the same guy?

Before Justin could answer, Danny laughed loudly, putting his arm around Justin.

"Nothing's up with him, dude! Don't sweat about it! J-Bear is completely fine." He said, dismissing Aaron's words with an exaggerated wave of his hand.

"J-bear?" Aaron laughed, slapping Justin's arm. Justin didn't seem humoured, however. He slowly cocked his head towards Danny, a blank look on his face.

"Don't call me that ever again." Was all that he said before turning his attention to the laughing boy. He stared at Aaron for a couple of seconds before pulling him up by the ear.

"You think this is funny, don't you, A-Bear?" He questioned, yanking harder on Aaron's ear to which Aaron responded with a string of curses.

I laughed at the sight, but immediately regretted it upon seeing that now Aaron's attention was on me. He stared at me for a couple of seconds and I knew it was over for us. He was going to end it.

His stare roamed up the length of my body and then he was staring me in the eyes. He moved closer, running a hand through his hair as he did so. I was about to run away in sadness, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a smile make its way to his face.

"Morning, beautiful." He said breathlessly and I had to stop myself from fainting. He moved closer so there was no distance between us and snaked a hand round my waist. His lips made contact with my forehead and my cheeks warmed in shyness.

He didn't seem to notice this, however, and- with his hand still around my waist- he turned his attention to Justin.

"Are we still on for today?" He asked as he stroked my waist, evoking feelings in me that I had still yet to learn about.

Love.

I had so much to learn about love. I had never loved anyone else in my life and the feeling was both exciting and scary. Every time I saw his face, it was as if I had caught a glimpse of heaven yet I knew how easy it was to lose him; to fall back into the pits of hell.

I was too caught up in my thoughts of Aaron, I didn't notice he was calling out my name. I looked up at him, smiling feebly.

"Yes? Did you say something?" I said meekly to which Aaron smirked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Nothing, Lexi. Nothing at all." He said, smirking at me. I would've answered him quicker if confusion hadn't clouded my mind. Why was he acting so casual when he knew what was to happen? Why was he still being so affectionate with me when it was all a facade for his mother. It just didn't make sense.

I shook my head, putting a wild strand of hear behind my ear.

"No, you said something. What was it?" I said, knowing he was acting blank to tease me.

He laughed yet again before pointing towards Justin and Danny who were in the middle of a heated discussion about whether boys should be allowed to wear to sport bras. Needless to say, it was blatantly obvious that Justin was on the 'against' side of the argument and clearly winning from what I could hear.

"Me and the guys were going to go karting after school. You could come, if you want." He drawled out tentatively, rubbing the back of his neck- something I knew he'd do when he was nervous.

I wanted to come more than anything. To spend time with Aaron was like feeling alive, but I remembered- the doctors appointment. It was scheduled today after school and I had already decided to go. Irrespective of my feelings for Aaron, I couldn't shirk away from the responsibility that was providing happiness for my mother.

All the more, this was a good time to put distance, before both he and I got hurt. I couldn't let him in, I was incapable of doing so and knew that it was futile regardless. I would end up leaving.

I shook my head even though my heart was screaming an internal yes.

"It's okay. You guys go ahead. I'm going to spend time with the family." I said, lying again, but I knew it was for the good. He didn't need to know about the illness. It would just make things harder for me.

Aaron hesitated before speaking again.

"Sure?" Was all that he said. I smiled at his question before nodding my head as confirmation.

"Yes. I'm sure. Now, go or you're going to be late for your class. It's on the other side of the building." I said, chuckling as he reached into my locker.

"You have Biology now and you have English right after, so you're probably going to need these." He said giving me the text books with a smile, but I couldn't respond to his smile. I was speechless. He knew what lessons I had even when I didn't tell him.

Before I could answer, Danny was in front if me, facing towards Aaron. A small pout graced his face and batted his eyelashes dramatically.

"You remember my schedule too, don't you?" He questioned to which we all stared at him strangely. Aaron shook his head before saying goodbye to me and dragged Danny off down the corridor.

I smiled at their antics, but immediately froze when I realised who I had been left with- Justin. He glared down at me and, before I could make a mad dash for it, he grabbed my arm.

"The only reason I'm not telling him is because I know what state Sam's passing left him in. That's the only reason." He stated bluntly before walking away.

I sighed as I watched him walk out of sight. Aaron couldn't know about this.

**************

"Hey, you're looking cute." I heard the familair voice and turned to smile at Raven who seated herself down next to me, throwing her bag unceremoniously to the ground.

"Not as cute as you." I commented, admiring her clothes which I was pretty sure broke the school dress code in some way or another. She merely waved me off with a hand before looking to the board with a huff.

"I swear, with every lesson, I'm becoming more and more like a zombie." She grumbled, pulling out her book and pencil case. I raised an eyebrow at her dramatic words, zoning out the teacher who was now, again, engrossed with talking to the teaching assistant.

"Well, at least you don't look it." I commented mindlessly and she let out a laugh before nudging me and I looked to her curiously, specifically the intrusive gaze on her face. She looked as though she was assessing me and I fidgeted before frowning.

"What is it?" I asked when the silence was starting to get too uncomfortable and she shook her head in response, biting her lip in thought.

"Nothing, just trying to figure out the difference." She muttered, eyeing me curiously and I frowned again.

"Difference? What difference?" I asked, touching my face self-consciously to which Raven huffed, rolling her green eyes.

"The difference between you and the others, silly." She said simply and, yet again, I was confused.

"Raven, I am so confused right now. Nothing's changed about me." I answered and Raven nodded absent-mindedly.

"Well, there must be a difference, seeing how you're the only one who's got Aaron so whipped." She finally jutted out and I nearly choked at her conclusion before letting out a laugh. She narrowed her eyes at me in response and I put my hands up in surrender.

"I'm sorry, it's just: me? Aaron whipped? Are you feeling okay?" I spared through giggles and Raven scoffed, oblivious to my laughter on her expense.

"You're blind if you don't see it. He's so head over heels; he'd eat out of your palm." She muttered and I reddened at the thought, too embarrassed to spare her a response. Instead, I turned to my book, focusing on the tasks set on the board. Yet Raven didn't let this deter her.

" In that case, can you get Aaron to lend me his car for Saturday?"

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"Yes, so consumption of fatty food has decreased, I presume?" He asked, regarding me from the corner of his eye. I nodded at this before standing at up.

I had been at the doctor's for 42 minutes now and everything the appointment entailed was predictable and infuriating. The same old question- 'are you sure you're fine to not go through with the treatment search?" was repeated again and again and I couldn't stand hearing it any longer. I needed to leave. Without so much of a goodbye, I ran out of the office to, regrettably, run into the one and only.

Aaron walker.

I stopped dead in my tracks, watching as he gazed at me curiously.

"Lexi. What are you doing here?" He asked, gesturing towards the surroundings. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to lie to him again. It hurt me too much to do so, but nor did I want to tell him the truth.

I laughed nervously, looking around.

"Well, why are you here?" I responded, answering his question with a question.

Aaron eyed me suspiciously but nevertheless opened his mouth to answer.

"I had a little go-karting accident. I just hit my head really hard on the track. I didn't want to make a big deal out it by coming to the hospital, but the guys pushed me to come. Now, what about you?" He said and it was then I noticed the small plaster on his forehead. He looked at me to talk and I opened my mouth to give him my best excuse.

But, before I could, the doctor rushed out of his office and came towards me.

"Alexis. I know it's hard, but you shouldn't run out of the room every time someone mentions the treatment. The team cares for you and really wants to help you. Just... think about it, that's all I have to say." And with that he was back in his room and Aaron's eyes were on me. It was silent for a few minutes, but it wasn't long until Aaron spoke.

"What is he talking about, Lexi?"

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