can you hear me now?

i never said it would be easy

For a moment Josie thinks her heart stops, and her entire body fills with fear. She can feel herself shaking and her phone almost slips from her hands.

"W-what's wrong with Lizzie." Her voice cracks.

"It's better if you just come." MG urges, sounding desperate. "She needs you."

Josie takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before nodding, even though the latter couldn't see. "I'll be there as fast as possible." She hangs up before MG can respond, quickly calling the one contact who she knew would be there for her.

"Miss me already?" Hope teases through the phone.

"Can you turn back around? I need you to drive me to the hospital." Josie ignores the girl's teasing, the situation being too urgent to play games.

"Okay, turning around as we speak." Hope senses the change in Josie's mood from when she last saw her, and chooses to obey. It's only about five minutes later when Hope pulls into the driveway of the Saltzman residence again, and Josie practically shoves herself in.

"Hurry, please." The brunette begs, to which Hope nods. Hope speeds up, and she's borderline going over the speeding limit, but neither of them seem to care. Josie stares out at the window, barely making out any of the places they pass due to it being pitch black outside. Her left leg bounces uncontrollably without her noticing, a habit she's picked up whenever she's nervous.

She feels a warm hand on her thigh, and her eyes snap over to see Hope focused on the road, but rubbing comforting circles on her leg, ultimately stopping it from bouncing. "It's going to be okay." The auburn-haired girl reassures, still not knowing anything that's happening and why they're heading to the hospital.

"I hope so." She whispers softly. They remain in silence for the remainder of the car ride, Josie's head full of thoughts. She enters the hospital first, Hope urging her to go in while she finds a parking spot. The brunette practically runs to the front desk, immediately catching the attention of the woman behind it. "I'm here for my sister. Lizzie Saltzman."

Loud typing can be heard as the receptionist types something into her computer, before looking back up at Josie, her face seemingly emotionless. "She's with the doctor right now. You'll have to just wait and see."

Josie groans, but nonetheless makes her way to the waiting room, immediately spotting MG sitting on one of the chairs in the back, a cup of coffee in his hand and snacking on some trail mix. From the looks of his bloodshot eyes and messy hair, she can tell he's been here awhile.

"MG!" At the sound of his name being called, he looks up. "What happened?"

He nervously shifts in his seat, taking a sip of coffee and fumbling with the foam cup before deciding to speak up. "I-I was just trying to teach Lizzie how to skateboard since she insisted on wanting to learn how. And you know how stubborn she is. So I agreed to teach her, but she refused to wear a helmet, saying that she wouldn't need it. The next thing I know she falls and hits her head the wrong way, and she won't wake up." He puts his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have agreed to teach her. I should've made her wear a helmet." He repeats mindlessly.