Whenever you receive a gold star for your efforts, you get excited and wish for more.

Do you mean it, though? Do you deserve more?

Do I deserve more?

Disclaimer: I only own any character you aren't familiar with, as well as the plot. End of discussion.

Layla spots the most unlikeliest person at the cemetery, and is resolute to find out why. When she does, she wasn't expected to be warped into this whole mess. This whole story. Why is the deceased Crystal Skye determined to make Layla know?

-

-Past-

"Would you tell me?"

"Later."

I pursed my lips together, hearing the rain continue on with their descent. My phone rang from my pocket, and I dug it out to see the name on the caller ID. My mother. I didn't pick it up, and I didn't place it to my ear. I knew what she'd say. She'd tell me to come home. Get ready for dinner. Get out of the rain. Putting my phone back into my jeans I stole a glance at Lash.

"I'm keeping you to that, Livingston. But I gotta go home." My next sentence blurted out wasn't supposed to be heard. "I don't want you to get sick, so stay out of the rain? Please?"

With that, I brought the blanket of leaves above him, and quickly walked home.

-

The stormy night brought along another Crystal dream.

And it was the theme too, the storm. As well as the cemetery.

We met at the entrance gate, her eyes frantic and scared. She was - once again, Crystal-no-mouth.

I watched her run away, through many paths and bushes. There were many shortcuts, apparently, but since she could just run through it all, I had a bit of complication trying to jump a barrier fence. Bushes were easy. I merely brought them aside with a wave of my hand.

But right now wasn't the time to brag. Crystal was almost gone, disappearing with each step past the harsh rain. "Crystal!" I cried, ducking beneath the rain. "Slow it down!"

She came from nowhere, to be right in front of me. Her eyes were wide, frantic, full of impatience and completely horrified.

Something was seriously wrong.

She tried reaching for my hand to bring me along but her fingers went right through my skin. Crystal wasn't a solid figure. So instead, her arms flailed wildly to lead me on once again. My feet pounded against the ground, and got splashed every time I ran through a puddle. But nothing really mattered. I had that sense. Crystal was afraid. I took a deep breath and sped a little faster, knowing that whatever was going on, I'd find out when I'd meet up with her.

I knew where we were going now. Flipping a hand through the air I dodged an oak tree, and sped off to the right.

We're headed to her grave.

"What's going on?" I yelled above the storm, trying my best to snatch away hair from my vision. Neck and neck with Crystal, I looked ahead, finding the familiar birch tree from where I stood practically fifty feet away.

And then I froze. My feet stopped, but Crystal kept going until she reached her stone. There lie a figure, as if they were sleeping. I caught Crystal acting wild again, her hands thrusting towards the dark shadow. I heard - through the storm, the rain and thunder - little gasps, shivers.

And lightning lit the sky beautifully. I screamed in horror as the area was brightened.

Lash.

He never left! She looked terrified. I'll always love him, but it's not his time to die! Her eyes were watery. Please, save him! Crystal collapsed into the mud, her white hands upon her cheeks as she wept.

And then I was in complete darkness, a dim light only coming through the windows. Sitting up, I glanced at the clock. 1:17. Gosh darn. The tiny red lights upon the clock flashed a few times before I realized the time. 1:17. 1:17.

Hurry!

Scrambling out of bed, the house shook with the rumble of thunder. Was I really going to the cemetery to see if Lash was there? Still at her grave?

When I noticed myself shoving my feet into my shoes as I wrapped my hair into a ponytail, I had to turn myself around to rip the fleece blanket off my covers.

If he was really there, he'd use it. And he'd have h-e-double hockey sticks to pay tomorrow. I knew for a fact that we wouldn't be going to school. He'd be too sick, and I'd be too tired.

Slowly opening my second story window, I wrapped the fleece blanket into a ball to throw on a windbreaker, rolling the dark blue soft material around my waist and zipping up the jacket. I'd be warm for a bit - but I'll still be wet…

Umbrella. Gotta get an umbrella. Goddangit, Lash. You just had to stay there, didn't you?

Lightning and thunder rolled on as I retrieved the large black protector-of-rain-on-my-head. Sticking it out the window, I opened it to steady myself. Climbing upon my roof I wiped my eyes of sleep crust.

I've gone crazy.

--

It's weird thinking that I don't wanna follow my dreams anymore. They keep leading me to the cemetery. Crystal's grave. But once I reached the dark graveyard, my fingers rested upon the lock and chain on the entrance. I had to find another way in.

Closing my eyes, I tapped my hand against my leg, hearing the wind brush through the trees. A branch had caressed my cheek, and it led me to send a small smile into the air. Grasping it softly, it grew to a thick limb, and I made it mold into an elevator, lifting me up and over the gate. I was breaking rules. Why was I doing this, anyway?

Oh, ha - cause I'm that type of person. Hitting my forehead as I set myself down, I shook my head. This is really bad. I snuck out of my house at 1 in the morning. And I'm sneaking into a cemetery to see if a boy I didn't like was really there. Sometimes I wonder if I care too much.

When I reached the old family of stones, I peered over by the birch tree, stepping into a deep puddle of mud without seeing another way around. As I got closer to Crystal's burial ground, I gasped.

I could see him.

"Lash!" I screamed, squishing my shoes with each running step towards him. My clothes were already soaked to my skin, and I couldn't feel my toes. Everything was cold. "Lash, you idiot!" My body collapsed beside him, and I checked his breathing with a wet smack of my ear to his chest. There were shallow intakes of air, and his body was shaking. "You should have gone home, Livingston." I whispered, using my left hand to smack his cheek. "C'mon, wake up -"

His own hand came up to grab my wrist, causing me to yell out in surprise. "Why are you everywhere, Williams." He gurgled, his lips shivering, his teeth chattering.

"I don't know." I inhaled, lowering the umbrella so that the rain was blocked for the two of us. "Now will you please get up so you can get outta the rain?"

His figure slowly leaned up, only to have his head smack itself into my shoulder. "I don't know." He muttered darkly. "Can we?"

Lash was being sarcastic. At least I knew he was okay in the attitude department. Not that it truly mattered, anyway. "Let's get you out of the wet, Livingston. You'll get hypothermia or something. Death." I could feel his wet hair slide off my skin, and saw his eyes upon me.

"How'd…how'd you know - I was…was here?" He tried, shivering as I pulled him to his feet. Both pairs of our hands were soaked with mud, and I opened my jacket to tug out my fleece. The water hadn't gotten to it yet, but I hoped it'd be alright until we got to my house.

Or…somewhere a whole lot dryer. But the fact that it was 1 in the morning, nothing came to mind. "She came to me - I didn't believe it, though."

"You still…came." He shivered, gripping the blanket before I could get the chance to wrap it around him.

"Yeah, totally." I muttered, pushing him along. "Now that I think of it, I'm surprised you aren't crumbling." With this cold weather, the temperature could have made him a fragile piece of…something. It'd have been horrible.

Lash released a stiff laugh into the air, and we reached the gate soon after. "Where…are we going?"

"My house."

"W…why?"

"Cause you take the Southside busses, and this is the Northeast. I live on the North side." I said knowingly, bringing my elevator-branch along to lift the two of us.

And just when I thought he'd protest, he surprised me.

"Oh."

---

Review! I enjoy your responses. And I'm sick, so give me love?