𝑇𝑊𝐼𝑁 𝑆𝐼𝑍𝐸 𝑀𝐴𝑇𝑅𝐸𝑆𝑆 / 𝐽.𝐵.𝑅

PANIC

Alex sat at the edge of her hospital bed, her fingers flying across the keyboard of her laptop. The sterile beeping of the machines around her seemed to fade into the background as she focused. She was deep in the hospital's system, lines of code scrolling across her screen.

John B, JJ, Kie, and Pope stood by the door, watching her, unsure of what to do.

"Alex," John B said, his voice filled with concern. "What the hell are you doing?"

Without looking up, Alex replied, "Getting out of here."

Kie crossed her arms, her eyebrows furrowed. "You're seriously hacking the hospital to get yourself discharged?"

Alex nodded, still focused on her screen. "Yep."

"Are you insane?" Kie asked. "You're gonna get caught. Again."

Alex smirked. "Not if I'm good at what I do."

JJ stepped forward, shaking his head. "Alex, you just tried to jump off a bridge. Maybe you should stay here for a bit, you know, to get some help."

Alex finally looked up from her laptop, her eyes clear but with a stubborn glint. "I don't need help. What I need is to be anywhere but here."

Pope glanced nervously at the door. "What if they find out what you're doing?"

"They won't," Alex said with confidence. "Trust me."

The Pogues exchanged worried glances. It wasn't the first time they'd seen Alex pull off something crazy, but this... this was different. They knew how dangerous hacking could be, especially with the hospital's system. But Alex was determined, and when she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her.

John B sighed. "You really think this is a good idea?"

Alex shrugged, her fingers flying across the keyboard again. "It's not about what's a good idea, John B. It's about getting out of here before I lose my mind."

The computer beeped, and Alex grinned. "And... done."

She snapped her laptop shut and looked up at her friends. "I just erased my record here. They think I've been discharged. Time to go."

Kie opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Alex had already swung her legs off the bed and was standing up, grabbing her backpack from the corner of the room.

"Alex," Kie started, but Alex cut her off with a smile.

"Don't worry, Kie. I'll be fine."

With that, she slung the bag over her shoulder and walked toward the door, the Pogues trailing behind her.

They moved quickly through the hospital, avoiding the nurses and doctors who would surely recognize Alex. She led them down a back hallway, slipping through an exit door and out into the parking lot.

JJ let out a low whistle. "I can't believe that worked."

Alex smirked. "Told you."

John B looked at her, still unsure. "Now what?"

Alex shrugged. "Now I go home."

Back at her small house on the Cut, Alex sat in her room, her laptop in front of her once again. She'd pulled off the impossible, hacking the hospital system to get herself out. But now, sitting alone, the victory felt hollow.

She stared at the screen, trying to focus on anything but the nagging feeling in her chest. Her mind kept drifting back to John B and Sarah, the way they'd looked at each other when they came back. The way they were glued to each other, as if the world outside didn't exist.