i dont know how to finish off a chapter im sorry.
**unedited
// Aria //
Pain.
It was the only thing I could focus on. The stabbing pain that pierced through my skull and into my brain.
"You're a dumbass." My instinct told me to fight back, my body ready to attack whoever insulted me before a wave of dizziness overtook me. A heavy sigh rang through my ears before two hands helped steady my trembling body.
"I-I," I furrowed my eyebrows, unsure of what I was trying to say. It was a mixture of an insult and a plea for a more comfortable lying space. The room swayed around me, slowly coming to a halt as my eyes focused on the boy standing beside me.
"Are you done? You passed out like a million goddamn times on our way here!" The bright white lights illuminated his angry features.
"Shut the fuck up, will you? You say that like it's something I can fucking control." Josh flashed a sour smile, looking up at the door as it creaked open. He dropped me onto my back, mumbling as he walked away from my hissed curses.
Too focused on the stinging coursing through my spine, I struggled to overhear the hushed conversation between Josh and the mystery girl. Her dark hair had a random streak of red in it, a ring in her nose to match his.
"Stress...dead...cold weather..." I soon tuned it out, uninterested in the few words I could hear.
"Josh," my voice came as a croaked whisper, "where's Tyler?" I glanced over, staring at the back of his head. The conversation had halted, as though my words shocked him.
"Do...do I let him...?" He looked down at the girl, who was about a year older than me. Her gaze shifted towards me for a moment before she nodded, reaching over to squeeze his hand. He visibly became less tense, copying her nod before the pair walked out of the dimly lit room.
"Lovebirds," I choked out, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. I stared up at the ceiling, my gaze roaming the glowing stars as the door opened once more.
"Oh thank God," my gaze shifted towards Tyler, who's eyes were shimmering with relief. "Are you okay?" Nodding, I opened my arms, inviting him into a tight embrace.
"How'd Josh get me into my room without my brother beating him half to death?" He simply shook his head, digging his face in the crook of my neck. We stayed like that for what felt like forever, neither one of us letting go or pulling away.
"Please don't do that again," He whispered, a choked sob escaping past his lips. My heart tore itself apart as I shook my own head, slightly pulling away to see his mocha eyes blurred with tears.
"Don't cry, you have Jenna to hold if I ever end up dying." I bitterly smiled, almost laughing as his eyebrows knit together.
"Aria, I can lose absolutely everything, but not you. Oh God, not you." It was silent from then on, my mind unable to register the meaning behind the words that had slipped past his lips and soothed my hidden anxiety like warm honey.
Instead, I let his honey-coated words trick my nerves into disappearing, my lips gently grazing his forehead as his head lay still on my chest.
