Five Feet Closer- Sequel to Five Feet Apart-

STELLA

"WILL!" I shouted. No response. 

Mrs. Newman and I spent the last half hour walking through town. Jason and Hope were out searching as well. 

Tired, I sat down on the sidewalk. 

"I might need to call the police," Mrs. Newman took out her phone. "Stella, is there any place we haven't thought of? Like, is there somewhere that you and Will went? A place that was special to him?"

I racked my brain. It was a snowballs chance in hell that I would remember. 

Wait. Snowball.

"Snowball!" I jumped up. 

Mrs. Newman gave me a look. "Are you okay?"

"During the winter, Will and I went to a lake. Maybe he's there." I explained. 

"Well, Let's go!" Mrs. Newman put her phone away. 

*                                 *                              *

"Here..." I gasped, out of breath. "This is where we were."

I climbed the little hill, the one that used to be covered in snow. I ran down the other half of it, not waiting for Mrs. Newman. 

Then I saw him. 

He was here. Sitting on the bridge, looking down to the lake. 

"Will!" I called, running over. 

"Stella?" Will looked up, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find you." I slowed to a walk.

"Stella..." As I got closer, I could see Will's eyes were bright red. Like he was crying. "Go away."

"No," I stated, continuing to walk closer. 

"I said, leave!" Will snapped. 

I jumped back, not expecting that reaction. I blocked out the rejected feeling that was starting to creep in. 

"No," My voice cracked. "I'm not leaving you."

"Why?" Will laughed sarcastically. "Why are you still here? Why wont you leave? Why are you so fucking stubborn?"

"Because," I stepped closer. "I love you. And whatever's going on, I want to help. You don't need to do this alone."

"God, Stella," Will shook his head. "Just leave."

"And I said, no," We were five feet apart now, waiting for one of us to back down. But we both carried a defiant look in our eyes. "I'm not leaving. Not now, not ever. And I swear to god, whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it. And if you jump off this bridge, I'm jumping too."

"So fucking stubborn..." Will trailed off. 

"You're right," I jumped on the side wall of the bridge. "I am stubborn. But this stubbornness isn't going away. So let me help you, Will. I know you texted Jason. And I also know that you don't want to do this."

I sat down beside Will. "We're in this together, William. I don't care if you like it or not."

"I hate you seeing me like this," A tear slid down Will's cheek. "I hate that I'm like this. I've been putting on a smile for my entire life. And a smile can only last for so long."

"Will," I put my hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to keep up this macho act. It's okay to be real. It's okay to cry. I'm not going anywhere, Will. I'm staying right here." I slid my hand to his cheek, and forced him to look at me. "I love you, so much."

Will's fists clenched, and he was trying not to cry. "No."

I bit my lip, fighting off tears of my own. "Yes, Will. I love you. And I promise to love you, respect you, support you, and most importantly, make sure I'm not just yelling at you because I'm hungry."

"I-" Will swallowed, smiling a little. "I love you, too."

Will's shoulders gave way as he fell into me. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his body jerk as he cried. His face was buried in my chest, and I ran my fingers through his hair.

"I love you, Will." I whispered. "I love you."