Hey, people. Before you publically shame me…I have every intention on resuming "Student Teaching". I suck at life and I realize this but that story is not abandoned…I started a new job on top of my current one and have been working between 60-80 hours a week and just haven't had time to organize my thoughts enough to sit down and finish it. I am, however, working on the next few chapters now so it will be updated before long!

This story, however, is different. I've been hearing songs lately that I feel can apply to Alex & Piper. So the idea of this is that I'm going to be taking different songs I've heard and make up short stories that are inspired by them. No, they won't be "song fics"…meaning they won't always follow word by word with what the lyrics are, but they will be inspired by the words of the song in some way. I'm rating this M for potential themes…be it sex, drugs, or whatever. Rather be safe than sorry.

You're more than welcome to suggest songs to me! I urge you to, actually. PM me or leave them in a review…I want to start writing more again…it gives me something to do (and keeps me held over until the new season comes out!)

Anyway, enough of my rambling…this first post is inspired by Rascal Flatts song "Come Wake Me Up" …which is an AMAZING song if you've never heard it…please listen to it! It's incredible. Don't judge. I wrote this in like twenty minutes because I just had the sudden urge…so just bare with me. They will get better.

Everything's moving slower than normal. Noises have become muffled. Your sight is becoming blurred. You faintly hear someone trying to get your attention, but you're too focused on the blonde at the end of the bar, who's currently laughing with a few others.

You know it's not her…she wouldn't be caught dead at a bar like this, but the resemblance is what's keeping your attention. It's been one year, four months, and six days since she left you. One year, four months, and six days since you've actually been able to feel something other than pain.

You faintly hear the bartender ask you if you want another drink and you tell him to keep them coming. The numbness has usually set in by now and you're able to somewhat cope with that has become your reality; one you refuse to accept. But tonight, that feeling hasn't come yet…the pain is still there, just has intense as ever. Maybe it's the girl that the end of the bar, maybe it's just that you're tired of fighting the memories from creeping back into your brain.

Downing the rest of your drink and throwing some money on the counter, you stand, preparing to leave the bar. You're surprisingly steady on your feet, based off how much you've had to drink. You walk towards the door, but feel a hand on your arm, tapping gently, to get your attention. Turning, you see the blonde, and she asks you to join her friends and her and you can't speak. You feel your heart start to race because this girl looks just like her. You shouldn't let yourself do this…but somehow you end up at a table next to her.

You try to pay attention to the conversation, but all you can concentrate on is her hand on your thigh, and how it doesn't feel like hers. This isn't right. You can't do this. Your minds starting to swarm with memories of your trips together, her smile, her laugh, and the way her mouth felt on your skin and suddenly you can't breathe. You get up from the table and leave abruptly.

Walking down the street, you try to calm down. Some part of you, the irrational part, tells you she'll call. This isn't real, you're stuck in a nightmare, and you will wake up one day. There's no way you can live without her and she knows that. She'll be back. She loves you too.

You pass a 24-hour drug store and you know exactly what you need. Five minutes later, you walk out with a couple packs of cigarettes. Lighting one, you inhale deeply and sigh as you feel the subtle burn in your chest. You smile slightly, the burns reminds you that you are, in fact, alive. Alive and not numb.

Walking again, you start to make your way to your apartment. By the time you get there, you've already gone through a pack and a half of cigarettes. You shove the remaining in your pocket and make your way upstairs to make yourself another drink. You sit on the sofa, and your mind starts to wander again. You think of what went wrong, what you could have done to prevent this from happening.

You remember when the two of you were in Java. How happy you both were. You've never seen someone smile the way she had. Your heart aches at the memory. You remember how she kissed you, and touched you, and loved you and you choke out a sob. You need her. Nobody understands how much you need her to live.

You pull the cigarettes back out and decide black lungs are worth it just to be able to feel something…even if only for a couple moments. You finish your drink and smoke one last time before giving up for the night. You lay in your bed; the same bed the two of you used to share, and stare at the wall, begging sleep to come…anything to escape this hell you're living in.

Somehow you managed to doze, because when you open your eyes, it's light outside. You check the time and realize you need to get ready for work. Not because you need the money…you have plenty of that from your time in the drug ring, but because supposedly having a job can help depression. Not that you're depressed, but you know you'll go madder than you already are if you stay inside all day every day.

You make your way downtown and suddenly you hear it. The voice you've been missing for over a year. You freeze, and frantically begin to glance around you for the source of the sound. You hear it again, this time a laugh, and god if it isn't the most beautiful noise you've ever heard. You glance behind you and your blood runs cold. In the midst of the crowd, you see her. She's smiling, bright as ever, and speaking into a cell phone. As she gets closer, you quickly duck in an alley to try and grab ahold of yourself. You hear her voice again as she walks past, and you quickly exit a few people behind her.

You feel something wet on your cheek, and it takes you a moment to realize your crying. You mentally slap yourself and move to follow her, but she's gone. No. She was just here. You need her. She can't leave again. You frantically begin to walk and search for her, forgetting about your shift at work. You have to find her…you have to talk to her, let her know that you need her. Then she'll realize that she still needs you too.

After hours of aimlessly wandering, you decide to head home. Once there, you pull out your phone to see missed calls and messages from your co-workers. You toss your phone on the couch, ignoring all of them, and head straight towards your liquor cabinet.

With a bottle of whiskey, you sit down and all you can hear is the sound of her laugh. It repeats and repeats and suddenly your whiskey is gone. You turn on the TV, desperate to make the now haunting noise leave your mind. Reaching into your pocket, you feel you only have one cigarette left. You light it and take a long drag, desperate to feel the burn. It's gone too quickly and now her favorite movie is playing on the TV. You hastily turn it off and go to get a shower.

You remember how much she loves showers, which makes you think of the countless times the two of you made love in the shower you're currently standing in. You feel your shoulders shake and you begin to sob, unable to keep it in anymore. You think of how happy she looked today. It kills you. You know someone is making her happy. Someone is doing what you couldn't do and that kills you. You love her more than them. They can't possible love her more. They can't take care of her like you can. But she looked happy. She's living her life and isn't wallowing like you. She's moved on.

You get into your bed and your mind drifts to what she could be doing at this moment. She's probably sleeping…she was always in bed earlier than you. You feel tears sting your eyes at the thought of her in bed with someone else. The rational part of you knew this would happen. You know you shouldn't still be like this after a year, but you can't help it. She's the only person that can make you feel whole.

You have no more tears, and you're exhausted, but sleep is not coming. All you want to do is not wake up. You reach in your drawer and pull out your needle. You remember promising her you'd never use again, but she also promised she'd never leave. You both fucked up. You have no choice; you can't live with this pain anymore. You have a way to numb yourself, and you're going to take it. You can't live in a nightmare like this. She's the only one who can save you from this hell, and she's happy without you. So you're on your own.

You feel more tears as you inject the needle, quietly whispering her name, as if she can stop you. You lie back down and continue to cry until you begin to feel warm. All the pain fades away and you're breathing normal again. You smile as a picture of her comes into your mind and you whisper her name as you slowly succumb to the warm numbness that awaits you.

You hear beeping. Beeping and quiet mumbling. You hear a woman say she heard you say a name and that's why she called; that she didn't realize we haven't spoken. You hear another voice say thank you and she's glad she was called. It sounds familiar, but you're so tired.

You awake again, and once again hear beeping. Your eyes are heavy and you struggle to open them. You feel a hand in yours and suddenly feel one lightly resting on your face. You feel warm, you feel at home and you need to open your eyes, because what you're thinking can't be true.

"Alex," you hear her say. You slowly open you eyes and your breath catches.

"Alex, baby, wake up."