IT'S JUST A LITTLE TOO LATE

~~ Some notes: this is not based on Jojo's song "too little too late", but i guess it can be ~~

~~ Disclaimer: Not Mine. Belongs to Nick.

-- After Ned Bigby stomped out of their lives almost ten years ago, he's now back, and everything he left behind is now living without him, and maybe dying.--

"Ned, meet me later?" Jennifer Mosley told him that faithful morning, while they got their togas on for graduation. Yep, he, Ned Bigby, was graduating middle school! He turned to his bestfriend—and now girlfriend—and smiled.

"Yep, where do you want to meet?" he beamed, openly gaping at her while she shook her head. Well, he couldn't help it! After all those years, she still shone—and nope, it wasn't Gordy's light problem making her glow like that.

"Ned Bigby, stop staring at me like that" she said, but it was obvious that she didn't mind in the least. He shrugged at her and grinned. "Fine, stare…meet me in the science room after the graduation before we walk off to Missy's after party" he almost groaned. Had it not been for the fact that she would be there waiting for him, he would never, ever go into that classroom again; not that he didn't like Mr. Sweeney, but come on! He had just spent the last three years of his life busting his brain to get out of it.

"Science room?" he asked sheepishly, making Moze laugh.

"Yep, meet me after graduation…I'm going to go first anyway" he sighed; he had since then found out that he would do absolutely anything for Moze, and this was no exception. So he nodded. She smiled.

"Yay! See you later!" and reaching for him, she pecked him on the cheek, which made him frown.

"Cheek?" he said knowingly, making her laugh out again.

"Oh you'll get what you want" she grinned "when you go to the science room later"

"Oh come on!" he made an impatient gesture, so much like the kid he never got to let go of. But of course, Moze didn't mind in the least.

"Bye, Ned" she smiled, waved and pranced off to her parents' car. Ned stared after her, even until the car rounded off the corner and went out of view. At last, his own mom honked the horn, signaling for him to get in.

"Ned! Come on, we'll be late!" and his mom, being the 'mom-who-knew-absolutely-everything' grinned knowingly at her graduating boy "She'll be there"

He looked at her and frowned "I know that" but she nodded it away and smiled when he grumbled at her and got into the car "Of course I know she'll be there"

"Yeah, I know," she laughed "It's just so much fun to mess with you my son, especially when it comes to dear Jenny" oh yeah, his mom mostly called her Jenny, because that's what Moze's mom called her, and they were the best of friends. Sounds familiar?

"Just go, mom!" Ned grumbled, but smiled, and with a last grin, his mom revved up the engine to go.

***

"Ned, where are you going?" his friend, Cookie, who looked like a military man with all the medals he had pinned on, said, giving him a confused look as he walked for the science room.

"Meeting Moze" he beamed and walked on, Cookie didn't say another word. He did wink though.

Making his way to the science room, he started hearing voices. How could there be voices? He was quite sure only he and Moze would be out that night, and so it was either he had missed someone going out, or Moze was with someone in the science room. Of course, knowing Moze, it was probably the first one.

Boy, he had it wrong.

The light in the science room was already open, making it easy to see what was inside, and the door was opened a peep. All he had to do was look into that little crack, and his world went tumbling down. Next thing he knew, he was walking away, running back to the outdoor auditorium. He didn't dare barge in and talk to her, because he didn't want to hear whatever she would have said to him had he gone there even one minute later. He wouldn't be able to take it, so he ran away.

Resuming his seat besides the other graduates, he could feel cold sweat dripping down his forehead, and that it had stuck to his polo shirt, and his toga. No, he wouldn't think about it, and while he contemplated, an idea—he always had ideas—started forming in his head.

***

Ned stifled a yawn while he groggily walked into his room at work. Last night's party was a blur, and if he had to look at one more Lamborghini shooter, he would probably kill himself. Okay, not quite, but he did have one heck of a headache.

He was now twenty-five, and was living like he had always wanted to. He was the assistant manager at a Journalism Firm, which wasn't all that bad for someone who graduated all of his years with Bs. He even had his own room in the office and a large apartment just a walk away from his work; and yep, he had a car, which wasn't too shabby at all. Life had been kind to him, and he was living it like there was no tomorrow.

As he plopped down into his seat, the first thing he looked at was the stack of papers just waiting for him to work on them. He sighed but got the top one anyway. Everything was for the next edition of the magazine he worked for, and his job was to read through it and give his thumbs- up to those he would deem good for final checking. Yep, big job, good pay.

But the words were making his brain all fuzzy, so after ten minutes, he put it down, groaning while another surge of sick had decided to bring itself out of his stomach, but he swallowed it back in, groaning at the horrid feeling he was starting to have in his head and his stomach.

"Ugh, that means no more shooters for a while" he grimaced at the taste, and took a cup of water from the dispenser an arms' length away from his table. He took one gulp, and when it wasn't enough, he drank the whole cup. Now it felt a bit better, but not so much.

"Ugh…" he muttered again. He didn't want to go back to his papers again, so he turned to his phone. Only then did he notice that it the light was glowing a bright red, which meant he had a few messages he didn't get to see earlier. Taking the receiver, he pressed the glowing red button.

"Hey Ned, this is your mother, are you going home for thanksgiving?" it was his mother, which is what she said.

Beep

"Umm, Ned, It's me, your mom, what's this thing I heard about you going out to all those rave parties?" he had to smile; so his mom still did know everything.

Beep

There was only one message left, and he was sure it would be from his mother. But he was wrong.

"Hey Ned," it started sheepishly, in a voice he could barely make out "Umm, I don't know if you still remember me, but uhh…yeah, looked you up on Facebook and on Google…it's me, Simon" to say he was surprised was an understatement. He was so shocked by the message he almost dropped the receiver. It was Cookie, Simon Nelson Cook, one of the only people he had left his number to. But when he betrayed him in college, giving his number away to someone he didn't want to talk to ever again, even Cookie had to be cut off.

He barely heard the long message Cookie was saying, but the last words made his heart drop to the ground.

"Umm, Ned, it's Jen, she's—she's" and he cut off but Ned was sure he almost heard Cookie sob. She's what?

Without a second thought, he called the number displayed on the machine. At first, no one answered, but he waited. After three beeps, the phone picked up, and he heard the familiar but deeper voice of his old friend "Hello?"

"Coo—Simon?" the other line was quiet.

"You called back…" he impatiently clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, now what!? Tell me what's wrong, Simon"

Again, the other line was quiet, almost like Cookie was hesitating on the other line. "Umm, Ned"

"What!? What's wrong with Mo— he stopped mid-sentence, refusing to get her name into the conversation "wi-with her?"

"I know you probably don't really want to know anything about her, but Ned"

"Stop making it any longer, what's happened to Moze!?" he almost screamed.

"You've got to come here dude…" Cookie said gravely on the other line "and you'll understand everything…" after that, the phone went dead.

"Simon? Simon!" Ned took the receiver out of his ear, staring at it for a couple of minutes. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, and he crossed them out. No it couldn't be true. He refused to think of the worst. You've got to come here, dude… it rang in his ears again and again.

You'll understand everything…No! He wouldn't think of the worst! She was fine. She had to be.

"Oh fuck this life!" he screamed to himself, and getting his coat, he stormed out of the office.

She was fine. She had to be.

***