Slowly, Grayson did indeed rebuild himself. He worked out only a reasonable amount of time and started going to bed at ten at night, like usual. Ethan started playing fortnite again, and I never thought I'd be happy to see him in so engrossed in a computer. His headphones ruffled his hair tantalizing, and sometimes I just stood behind him, playing with his thick locks and running my hands over his bare shoulders.
Once he leaned back into me, and turned around, pulling me onto his lap. I got bored after that. He also tried more than once to wear the fortnite shirt, walking around the house, acting like nothing was amiss. It made Grayson chuckle, which made me smile so hard.
Ethan had taken my advice, talking to Grayson. I knew they would come around, they'd been through so much together. So much together online, too. I heard them discussing posting a video focusing on Sean's death like they had in 2016.
However, they weren't ready for it. The conversations ended unsurely, and Ethan wiping his eyes quickly, and Grayson running to the gym. He was trying to convince Ethan that new equipment was a good idea, but I advised it wasn't a good idea.
They both went back to New Jersey as well, to tie up a few loose ends. There, a new Ethan emerged. He was more reckless in New Jersey and wanted to ride the damn four wheelers everywhere. Grayson sent me videos, and you could hear the worry in his voice when Ethan went a particularly narrow path in the woods.
Another thing Grayson had thrown his time into was the skate park for Ethan. I think Grayson always felt better when he was helping someone, or it seemed like he was. I went back to living in my own apartment again, and I resurfaced to my friends.
Another thing I did in limbo between the twins house and mine was clear out my Instagram. My followers flipped out about it, insisting I was hacked, and it made me realize how I was scrutinized. Any move I made, someone would know about it.
Everything seemed to be falling into place, and back to normal near the end of Februay, until Grayson called me in a panic early one morning.
"Emma, there's been an accident," he had said, breathing hard.
"What? Where? Are you okay?" I had gasped, leaping out of bed and finding my keys, fully prepared to go anywhere I needed to.
"I'm f-fine, on the 101, someone h-hit us, Bryant and Ethan," he said, breathing choppy. "They're unconscious, the ambulance are here,"
"Unconscious in an ambulance?" I said sharply, panic rising in my stomach.
"On the ground," he whimpered.
"Sir! Do you know these-" a loud voice called.
"I'm sorry, Emma, please come soon," Grayson said, hanging up. I pulled on shoes in a rush and got into my car. The way there was a blur, as I was tracking their location on my phone as I was driving way about the speed limit. I arrived near them, traffic blocking my way as the ambulance drove away. Laying on my horn, I ended up trailing them all the way to the hospital. I sprinted in, finding Grayson and Jodie, Bryant's girlfriend, near two doors. Grayson was crouched in a squat, hands running through his hair frantically. Jodie was silently crying in the corner.
"Grayson," I breathed, kneeling next to him and encircling his broad shoulders. He sobbed heavily in my shoulder.
"I'm s-so sorry!" he bawled.
"It's not your fault, it's not your fault," I said again and again, not knowing how to comfort Grayson when I felt that my heart was slowing down.
So we sat there, clueless as to what was happening behind those doors, to the people we loved most.
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