The food was delicious. It seems like I’ve been eating the same white creamed, seafood fettuccine every night. I don’t mind. It’s really good.

I go up to my room and I notice my phone on my desk. I realize that I forgot my phone and I grab it as quickly as I could. What if Yuko needed me?

Five missed calls, one text, all from Yuko.

I call her back. “Hey!”

“Yuko! What Ha-“ I get cut off.

“I’m really sorry! I can’t get to the phone right now but if you leave me a message I’ll call you back!” It’s her voicemail.

I sit down on my bed and stare at my phone. I stare at it as if I can will my phone to ring and surely it does but not from the person I want.

It’s from Minami.

“Minami?” I say. I wonder if she can tell from my voice that I’m worried about Yuko.

“Yuko got hit by a car while trying to cross the street!”

Yuko? What? “I’ll call you back.”

I stagger downstairs, still in my black dress. I realize that I was just celebrating in it and now I might be mourning in it.

“Atsuko?” My mom comes towards me and places her hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Take me to the hospital.” I say.

“What?” My mom asks.

“Yuko got hit by a car.” I see my mom’s eyes widens and my dad gets the car keys.

---

I run. I run as fast as I could. Down the corridors of this hospital and to the room where Yuko is. What if I was with Yuko? Would I have been able to save her? Or would we both be in the same situation? Near death and trying desperately to hold onto the tiniest sliver of life that we have left.

I stop when I see her family, Minami, Tomo, and Chiyuu, and faces I don’t know waiting outside her room trying to hold back their tears, trying to hold onto whatever hope they could possibly gather but their expressions says otherwise. I break down into tears.

It’s her parents’ faults. They fought. They forced her out of the house because she was too frustrated to stay. I want to take both of them and yell at them. It’s your fault!

But I’m also at fault too. Maybe I should have forced her to stay with me when I first asked. I should have taken my phone so I can talk to her when she called and texted me. And I join the group, mustering whatever hope I have for this situation.

Yuko, please don't leave us...please don't leave me...

Chapters 11, 12, and 13 were supposed to come out this morning but I had writers block. Sorry, about that.