NEWS FLASH! I'm writing a Jara fic! Haha…Anyway this is a sad one-shot. I suggest if you don't want to cry, don't read…But I also suggest you still read it cuz it's really good. Like super good. Supermegafoxyawesomegood. If you've seen AVPM you know what I'm talking about…But who knows? You might not cry at all…

Jerome's PoV:

We watched as Rufus drank the elixir from the Cup. "Finally an eternity is mine!" He yelled.

Suddenly Victor appeared. "NO!" He screamed.

" Victor, how lovely to see you. Oh, I'm so sorry, there's none left." Rufus feigned sympathy and held the Cup upside down. Bastard…

He placed the Cup in the furnace. "No!" Nina screamed.

"Why Rufus?" Victor asked. "Why? We could've shared all this. That was our plan."

"No that was your plan, Victor. I always had other ideas; big ideas that your pathetic little society would never even dream of. And then when I found out the true meaning behind the 'Tipping of the Scales', well I decided to go it alone." Rufus then turned to the rest of us. "Is anyone feeling…poorly?"

We all looked at each other, trying to distinguish who looked ill. None of us did, and I know for a fact that I felt completely fine.

"Well someone has to be! There are nine weights here!" Rufus yelled.

Something finally clicked in my head. There are nine weights, yes, but not all of us are here, two were at the prom. Mick and...

"Mara!" I shouted the same time Amber screeched out Mick's name. We all exchanged glances before we all shot up the stairs and started running towards the school. I really didn't care if the meathead died; it would be kind of a win for me, but if Mara died? I would hate to find out what I would do. I'd probably cry, and I don't cry…

Mara's PoV:

Mick and I were dancing, still wondering where everyone went (well, I was anyway…) when suddenly I got a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt like I was going to puke…

"I'll be right back Mick…" I said, holding my stomach. He noticed this.

"Mara, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just too much punch. I'll be right back…" And I ran to the girls toilets.

When I got there, I grabbed the sink for support and looked in the mirror. I was deathly pale. My eyes looked dull and my hair seemed to be losing its shine, like I haven't washed it in weeks.

Suddenly, it felt like my legs were about to give way. I used all my strength to keep me standing. I started shaking. I wanted to cry, but something in the back of my head told me it would stop soon enough, so I held out.

I started coughing. Harsh coughs strained my throat to the point where I started coughing up blood. It's going to end soon, the voice in the back of my head told me, it's going to end soon…

Jerome's PoV:

We were running through the hallways of the school when we heard what sounded like someone upchucking in the girl's bathroom. We all barged in to see a girl in a white and black dress standing over the sink, coughing up blood; Mara.

I rushed over to her. "Mara, Mara are you alright?" Of course she isn't alright you idiot, she's dying!

She was shaking severely. I turned to the others, who were all standing in shock. "Call an ambulance or something!" I then turned back to Mara. "Don't worry Mara; everything's going to be alright."

Mara shook her head. "Don't call anybody…" She said between blood-filled coughs. "It's going to be over soon…" She collapsed, but I caught her. She stopped coughing, but she was crying now and still shaking. I looked at her face; she was too pale. We both knew she was going to die and there was nothing we could do.

"Jerome…" She choked out. "W-what's going on?"

I stroked her hair. "A man named Rufus drank this…this thing from a magic cup to gain immortality. For him to be immortal, an "acolyte" had to give up their life unwillingly. One of them was you…" Tears that I tried so hard to hold back finally seeped out of my eyes.

"I…I believe you…" Mara said. (A/N: Ok, so I'm writing this, getting all teary-eyed and the worst possible song on my iPod came up. Go on YouTube and search "Running Away" by AM. Now I'm just bawling cuz it's practically perfect for this story… I can't explain it, just listen to it…*tear*)

Her breath began to slow and her eyes began to droop. No, I thought, no Mara, don't leave me…You are the only thing I have…

"Mara, don't leave me." I choked. "You're everything to me. You're the only thing I have…"

Mara smiled weakly. "Thank you Jerome, but it's my time now…I never thought it would end like this…" She laughed slightly.

"No Mara! Please don't go! I love you…"

All Mara did was nod. "Jerome, before I go, promise me this…"

"What?"

"If you ever meet Rufus again, kill him for me… Just because he's 'immortal' doesn't mean he can't die from knife wounds…"

"I promise Mara." For the record, I was already planning that…

Mara smiled weakly again. Then Mara used what was left of her strength to push herself up and kiss me. I gently held her head.

Mara pulled away after several seconds. "Goodbye Jerome…" She whispered. Mara's eyes closed slowly, her breath becoming shallower and shallower until her breath came to a stop.

I held her body, silently crying to myself. Why? Why was it only the bad stuff happened to me? I was abandoned, once out of choice and now out of destiny or fate or whatever you want to call it. However you put it, I was alone. I had absolutely no one…

MARA'S FUNERAL:

I stood in the back of the crowd as everyone said their "goodbyes". We told them someone drugged her punch and she had a terrible allergic reaction. No, she didn't die from a bloody reaction! She died because of an insane creep! I wanted to yell.

I finally built up the courage to go up and say goodbye. The late Spring breeze tossled my hair as I walked up to the casket. It was closed, but I knew Mara laid in there, still beautiful.

I began to cry silently. God must hate me or something. How could life be this cruel?

I looked to my right to see a couple standing next to me, crying. "Excuse me," I said. "Are your Mara's parents?"

The man looked up. "We were…" He said solemnly. "And who are you?"

"I'm Jerome Clarke. I knew-"

"Oh yes, Jerome." Mr. Jaffray said. "Mara's told us about you. She said you were a good boy. I hope she told you…"

I looked at him quizzically. "Told me what?"

"That she loved you. She said she was afraid to break up with that Mick boy because she didn't want to hurt him."

It hurt me to know she loved me.

"Well Nichole and I better be getting home." He said, ushering his wife towards the road where a car was parked.

Alfie then walked up to me. "We better go home too mate…" He said, patting my back. I nodded and walked away.

Right before I got into the car, I looked back. I could've sworn I say Mara wave at me, a smile on her face, before walking into nothing.

Now I don't know about you, but I want to cry soooo bad right now! It is really sad, don't you think? Anyway, please review!