Apples Don't Just Mean School [in process of rewriting]

Just Die

Listen to the video above :D

Emily's POV

"Yeah, I will. No, it's FINE. I can walk - I am not an invalid! It's only ten minutes, Jared! I'll be okay and I won't die or anything. You don't have to... Good. Yeah. Love you too!" I hung up the phone call and tried - in vain - to control my blushing cheeks. Acting casual around Jared was almost impossible for me... Especially when he was acting gentlemanly. Like now. I allowed myself a small smile as I changed into a light blue, knee-length dress and walked out of my apartment. "Hi!" I greeted my neighbour chirpily, who looked at me strangely.

But I was on a high and nothing would drag my day down. I stepped out into the fresh, crisp air. The sun was bright but not hot. A small breeze had picked up. The neighbourhood was quiet. A cliche, storybook-perfect kind of day. A vintage Cooper drove by, its engine rattling and breaking the serenity, but even that couldn't ruin my mood. It's a nice day, today. It's going to rain later, I bet. Rain is lovely. Cools the earth down. What a great day! Ugh, love-struck, sappy fool. It sounds so sarcastic.

I sighed when I stopped at the traffic junction. I didn't want to stop walking. Almost miraculously, the green man lit up. Smiling again, I crossed the bustling road confidently. I felt my head start to spin. I brushed it off as a mere, short burst. I usually felt slightly lightheaded at times. A side effect, I decided. I took a step forward. I tried to focus, but the person in front of me seemed blurred. White spots appeared and quickly spread across my vision. The world seemed to hang for a moment... Before time resumed. I found myself falling, falling, falling...

Matthew's POV

I looked at the cookies. I want cookies. I NEED COOKIES! You're fat enough. Besides, you're sick. Am not. And this is COOKIES that we're talking about! The miracles of the world! My saving grace! They are unhealthy, overpriced and too sweet. No, they're not. I stared at them with undisguised longing and sorrow. Buy them? Don't buy them! Buy! No! Yes! No! Yes! As I debated with myself internally, I noticed people pointing at me and whispering. I frowned. What's wrong with walking around a cookie store, muttering?

Just then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around. A woman in the colourful red, white and blue uniform of the cookie store smiled at me with almost kittenish grin. Her make up, I noted, was over the top. It was too brightly coloured, layered on too thickly and her eyebrows that she kept batting at me were obviously fake. She leaned over a bit too much. I very carefully averted my eyes for sake of decency and modesty. "Can I help you in any way, sir?" she breathed out suggestively.

"No. Thank you. Bye," I replied flatly and stalked away quickly. What a person! Horrifying! You WERE pretty rude, you know. She WAS pretty suggestive, you know. She shouldn't work there... Should work in a bar instead. Maybe she'll finally catch the eye of some drunk guy that can't see straight and mistake her for someone worth his time. Well, do I detect a sense of relief? Just grateful Emily isn't like that. I was still ranting and raving mentally as I half-ran away from the horrific saleslady. No more cookies from that shop ever again. And no going into that shop. Not even CLOSE to it.

Emily's POV

The spotlights woke me up. "Where am I?" I asked, a little unnecessarily - all for protocol, after all - as I noted my surroundings. A bunch of worried faces stared at me, face half covered in masks. "Oh, hi?" The doctors sighed in relief. "What's the date today?" I questioned directly. "It's the 3rd of October, miss. You've been unconscious for about two hours only, and you've just come in from your CT scan," a nurse offered. CT scan? What happened? The memories flooded back all at once. The impact. The rush. The blood.

"What happened?" I demanded. "You fainted in the middle of a busy traffic junction. If the drivers didn't see you fall, you would have died," a familiar voice rang out. The owner of said voice pushed his way through the mass of assembled medical personnel. I felt a cold rush of blood to my head. "Why?" A doctor - the head doctor, I assumed - looked a little questioningly to his fellow doctors. "Well, we think it's because of stress and overwork. That is a common cause of unconsciousness. According to your medical record, you've been admitted once to another hospital because of this reason in the past four months..."

I listened almost numbly, not knowing what to feel or say. "And so, we would like you to stay in the hospital for three days, at least, to rest and so that we will have more time to decide what's the best option for you and how you can recover and recuperate completely," the doctor finished. I looked at Jared, who sighed but kept a stony face. I nodded hesitantly. "Do what you think will be the best procedure," I said softly. "Emily... Don't do that to me ever again," Jared suddenly spoke to me. I smiled at him wanly. "I'm planning not to."

Matthew's POV

I sighed, lounging languidly on the sofa, spamming the buttons on my controller. DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE! Wow, violent much? I sighed as the "GAME OVER" screen popped up again. My character was dead. Again. And in the same place. Again. I quit the game and turned the television off. I couldn't get addicted NOW. Flopping in defeat, I sighed once more. Reaching out, I grabbed my phone and clicked the Instagram icon. I scrolled down, liking one or two photos, carefully not liking some of the pictures that I found insubstantial in meaning.

Once again, I paused at Emily's pictures. Another back-shot of her and Jared, holding hands to a backdrop of a cliche, romantic sunset beach. I read the caption. @emilysophiefox: #tb to the time where @jaredthejared surprised me and brought me to the beach! Love you! I felt my heart dropping. I didn't double tap it. I would've lied if I 'liked' it. I closed my eyes, listening to the whispers in my head. She doesn't love you. Never did. Useless. Worthless. Unwanted. Just die. Just die. Just die...

I sunk into the depths of my mind, still focusing on the voices. You aren't wanted. No one loves you. You're worthless, you're useless. You can't do anything right. No one understands you because you aren't worthy to be understood. You're a mistake. A mistake. No one will ever love you, much less Emily. You can't beat Jared. You're stupid. Stop! Matthew, people DO love you. Your students! Think of 9R! 8L! Come on! Pfft. They only think of me as a teacher. I'm worth dirt to them. I'm worth dirt to everyone.

A/N: Ahahaha... Hmm... There are quite a few #TeamComebacks - more than #TeamAlive. Ah well, I see where this is going! Come on, comment your votes in the box! Won't take you more than ten seconds :) Love y'all!