Spring looked at herself in the mirror, seeing what she thought of herself. The theme for the costume party was to come looking trashy, so she threw on her shirt that she'd been keeping – for some reason – for about the past year. It was ripped up. It showed a bit of her stomach, which she was very self-conscious of, her right arm, which she had to bandage up in order to hide all the scars she'd given herself, and a slight bit of her left arm, that she bandaged up just to keep with a theme.

She blushed, unable to stop staring at her slightly exposed stomach, and how flat it was.

She sighed, rubbing her right arm, and headed out. She grabbed the keys to the lock on her bike, and she headed outside. She unlocked her bike from it's chain, placing the chain around the handlebar, and the key in her pocket. She got on, kicked up the stand, and started riding up towards the school, where the party was being held. She felt as if, when she got there, she'd be shunned for the slight bit of skin she was showing, but she doubted the school would do that. She'd bought the ticket, and was going to get her money's worth.

When she arrived, there were a few guys outside, smoking. She locked her bike up, placing the key in her opposite pocket, and began walking inside. She heard the playful flirts of one of the guys, but ignored him. She handed her ticket to the gatekeeper, a nerdy-looking kid with glasses, and slicked-back hair, and he admitted her.

She went inside, watching all the craziness around her begin to pick up. The lights danced across the room, loud EDM music played in the background, and everyone was dancing their hearts out. But, she stayed close to the corner, watching everyone have a good time.

She was scoping out, looking for anyone familiar in the crowd, and of course, she found someone. It was Alfred. She began to walk closer, but eventually stepped back, being afraid to approach. They hadn't spoken in months, and he was probably waiting on Maggie, his girlfriend, to get out of he bathroom or something. But, minutes passed. It eventually got to the point where Spring realised he was here alone. She knew he'd be here, but she assumed on a date of sorts. She began to walk closer, eventually coming up to greet him.

"Hey," she yelled over the loud music.

He looked at her, and smiled a bit.

"Hey Spring," he yelled back, bringing her into a hug. "Fancy meeting you here! Didn't think you were the party type."

"Heh, I'm really not," Spring replied. "So, where's Maggie?"

Just then, Alfred's expression faded. "You wanna go someplace, uh, quieter?" he asked.

"Uh, sure..."

Alfred guided her outside, knowing almost anywhere would be quieter than in the building.

"She stood me up," he stated, "and, I know she did it just to cheat on me."

"Oh, man... I-I'm sorry for bringing it up," Spring apologised. "What've you been up to these past few months?"

"Nothing much," Alfred admitted. "You?"

"I, um, I-" Spring stammered. "N-nothing..."

"You hesitated" Alfred pointed out.

"H-huh?"

"You hesitated. Is everything all right?"

Spring's stomach sank. She didn't want to admit how obsessive she was being towards him over the time that they hadn't spent together. She didn't want to sound desperate, she just wanted to do what she hadn't done for months; talk.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine," she lied.

"I'm not so sure," Alfred commented, "but, I won't press. I know you don't like that."

They stood there for a moment in awkward silence, staring at each other as time seemingly slowed down.

"Hey, uh, if you know what Maggie's doing, why haven't you dumped her?" Spring asked. She immediately regretted it, however, as Alfred's expression changed from neutral to a bit more on the angered side.

"I have no clue. I should dump that bitch," he mumbled. "I put up with her shit day in and day out, and what for?"

Spring backed away, feeling scared of what he was going to do next. Her throat tightened, and she began to sweat lightly.

"Um, Alfred?" she attempted, trying to get him out of his current train of thought.

"I fucking do everything for her, and she just cheats on me in return. She never says she loves me, she just pushes me aside, like a fucking child."

"Alfred, stop, you're scaring me," Spring said worriedly, holding up her hands. "I regret even bringing it up."

The expression on Spring's face paired with the frightened sound of her voice made Alfred realise what he was doing.

"It's not your fault, Spring," Alfred said, slowly pulling Spring closer, wrapping his arms around her. Her hair smiled like roses. "It's mine. I went off on a tangent that I shouldn't've. I should've resolved this by confronting her, instead of coming here and trying to find someone to make her jealous. I know that she doesn't love me, and yet I still hang onto hope that, one day, she'll change her mind."

Spring stood by whilst Alfred poured his heart out. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"My head tells me to drop everything to impress her, and one day she'll come to me. Have you ever loved someone just that deeply?"

"Yes," Spring replied softly, "and, I still love that person. Even though I know they'll never notice me like that, and I'm just a pillow for them. They only come to me when they need me. They used to be there when I needed them, but now they're never there. They ran off with someone else."

"That guy sounds like a scumbag," Alfred replied.

"What can I do?" Spring asked. "He never answers my calls or texts, and I rarely ever see him anymore. He doesn't realise that all I need is for him to just be there. I wouldn't think it'd be hard to give me the time of day. He used to be there all the time for me to talk to, and he'd always provide help when I needed it. I did my best to console him when he needed it, as well. Now, that's all lost."

Tears stung Spring's eyes as she was listing things to deal with him, but he was still too upset, or perhaps oblivious, to put it together.

"He sounds like he has some priority issues. You're a great girl, and I don't see how anyone could ever hurt you like that," Alfred stated.

Spring pulled away, holding her hands over her face as tears spilled over her eyes. "It's you, Alfred!" she screamed. "I'm describing exactly what happened with you, and you didn't even take the time to try and put it together! You're the only person I've ever trusted, and you hurt me like that!"

Alfred looked at Spring with extreme worry. The gears of his mind began to turn, and he realised she was right. He used to be there for her, listen to her every word, and comfort her. Now, he'd run off trying to impress Maggie, but yet, he abandoned the one whom cared most about him. And yet, here she was, standing in front of him, being his pillow to land on. But, he thought about what she said originally. "I still love that person," was what stuck out to him. Even after all the shit he'd put her through, she was still willing to love him?

"Why in hell would you love a scumbag like me?" he asked aloud.

Spring sniffled, stopping her tears for a moment to ask, "Huh?"

"I put you through hell, and yet you still have the capacity to love me," Alfred said. "Though maybe not intentionally, I toyed with your emotions to the point that I'm surprised you didn't end your life. I'm such a terrible person, and I didn't stop to think who was affected by my actions. I was reckless, and yet, you still, by some capacity, continue to hold your feelings for me."

With every passing word, Spring came to understand the person Alfred was becoming. She didn't believe her ears, at first, but soon realised he'd always loathed himself a little bit. It had just sprouted more from where the seed was planted long ago.

"Alfred, it's because you were one of the few people who actually tried to listen and understand, before calling me out as 'weird' because of something dumb," Spring replied, "like, because I didn't go through puberty the same way other girls did. I don't have any attractive features at all, yet you were still there. I love you because I never thought you'd truly abandon me, and I still held to that thought, even if it was readily apparent you had."

"Spring, I- I had no idea..." Alfred replied, astonished.

"And to make matters worse," Spring continued, "after tonight, I can barely believe who you are, now... You've changed so much, yet so little. How can we still be called friends, anymore?"

"I-I don't think we really are..." Alfred replied. "I'm sorry for the hell I put you through. But, I don't understand where you're coming from. How could you still hang onto hope that maybe, one day, I'll come back? Why would you want to, if I just left you like that?"

"Because, just like you said, I'd do anything for you."

Alfred pulled Spring closer, and they both were silent. Alfred held her tighter, knowing she was crying. He hurt her badly, but he soon got an idea.

"Hey, can I make it up to you?" he asked her in a hushed tone.

"H-how?" she sputtered.

"Will you let me?"

"D-depends..."

"I'll take you out," Alfred said quietly. "I'll take you out for the best night of your life. We'll do whatever you want. Your night to have me all to yourself."

It sounded very appealing to Spring. She wanted him to herself for more than a night, though. But, she couldn't accept his gift.

"Y-you don't need to do th-that," Spring told him. "I just need a night like this. You holding me, as I tell you what's bothering me, and you try to help. I love you, Alfred, and this is what I want."

"Really?" Alfred asked, "are you sure that's it?"

Spring was silent, and she nodded. Alfred sighed, more than ready to give her all the love and attention he could. He was silent, however, and she worked from there.

She stood, tightly holding onto him, making sure he didn't leave. She held her face to his shoulder awhile longer, before pulling away slightly. She looked at him, and gave him a weak, teary smile. "Thanks," she said raspily, before standing on her toes, and kissing him. His lips tasted soft against her own, their gentle touch leaving Spring with a tingling feeling. She pulled away, and before he could say anything, stepped back, and started to run away.

"Wait!" he called after her. "I actually... and, she's gone..." Alfred finished, defeated.

Against better judgement, Spring pivoted on her heel and started to run towards her bike. Her eyes filled with tears, she quickly unlocked it, and rode away. She heard Alfred yell something, but was too ashamed of herself to listen. She didn't want to deal with the trauma that'd come afterwards. She'd lost him once, and she assumed that she'd just lost him again. Her heart was broken by herself, tears blinding her as she rode home.

She thought quickly, and crossed the street on her bike, a bad move. She didn't see the car behind her, and heard a horn, turning around to see headlights coming towards her. With little time to react, she attempted to lurch to the sidewalk-

CRASH!

She blacked out.

Her bike was wrecked, and she fell off of it onto the concrete of the sidewalk. She spiralled out of control, coming to rest against a tree. Her phone had fallen out of her pocket and the screen shattered on the sidewalk. Her nose was bloody, and her scars had been re-opened. She was bruised all over her body, and knocked unconscious.

The driver didn't stop to apologise, and probably face lawsuit - he was drunk. Thankfully, neighbours had heard the horn honk, and came to see what had happened.

When they saw a wrecked bike in the street, and a shattered phone on the sidewalk, they knew what had happened. They all came outside to see the girl who'd gotten hit, and a few called the emergency number. Of course, she could die before then. Though knocked out, her breathing was heavy and uneven. She'd taken a nasty blow, and everyone was worried about he poor girl before them. No one knew her name, and no one had seen her face before, besides one person.

"I know her, she lives in the apartment complex a ways down," said one person.

Other than that, no one had ever seen her face before. It was suggested she went to the school nearby, but no one had seen her before, and almost everyone had seen the face of walkers and bikers that were going home from school. So where was she in all of this?

It didn't matter. The ambulance soon showed up, along with another car. The man inside pulled over on the opposite side of the street, and came to help the responders. He had long, blonde hair; sky blue eyes; and extremely cute baby face. Everyone had seen him, but, again, no one knew his name. He helped them, claiming she was a close friend. It was obvious he was near tears, probably because he saw his friend in this state, but no one knew for sure.

The ambulance drove off towards the emergency room, the blonde boy having come out of the ambulance moments beforehand. He got back in his car, and drove off.

Alfred followed the ambulance to the emergency room, and helped the respondents get Spring out of the ambulance. Normally, they wouldn't have allowed this, but Alfred insisted. He cared about Spring, and promised her silently that he'd be there until she recovered. The only thing that worried him was: what if she never recovered?

What if she died in the hospital, not even by her own want. It was a reckless mistake, and Alfred prayed to God she didn't have to suffer for it.

She'd suffered enough because of him, and so help the lord, he would make sure she never suffered because of him again. She was suffering now because of him, because she thought he'd ridicule her, but, in truth, he loved her.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay," he repeatedly whispered to himself.

A nurse soon came in, and said "Sir, I apologise, but visiting hours are over for tonight."

"Well, I apologise, but I'm not leaving," Alfred argued. "She is one of the most damn important people to me, and I'm not leaving until she wakes up."

"Sir, you can't-"

"Fucking watch me. I'm not going to leave until she wakes up. Then, I'll be comfortable with leaving. Her life is on the line, and she is one of the most important people to me. You can't make me leave."

"Sir, I'll have to call security, if you don't leave…."

"Can't you just make an exception this once?" Alfred asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but no. I wish I could, but I cannot."

He went home that night, but at the first available visiting hour, he was there.

He held Spring's hand, still unconscious from the previous night. He sighed, hoping and praying that she'd be okay. He swore to himself, he'd find and kill the person that did this to her if she wasn't okay.

He let go of her hand, his foot tapping furiously on the floor. He was worried. Worried he wouldn't get to tell her that he loved her. Worried he might never see her smile ever again. He sighed. He knew, that even with all of his hope, she probably wouldn't live. It would be a miracle if she did. He stepped out of the room, and looked back as he opened the door.

"Goodbye..." he whispered. He closed the door, and walked away. He got in his car, and went home.

He unlocked the front door, his brother greeting him with a bedhead and bags under his eyes.

"Where were you?" Fredrick asked with a yawn.

"I was at the ER," Alfred stated, "saying goodbye."

"Look, she'll be okay. You're worrying yourself too much over her. Just sit down, and relax, and everything will turn out fine."

Alfred stared at his brother, as tears filled his eyes. He raspily whispered, "You don't know that," in reply. But, Fredrick didn't hear it, and went on with his day.

Alfred, on the other hand, was scared. He didn't want to have to say goodbye to Spring without her hearing it. He didn't want to say goodbye without telling her the truth; that he loved her. He couldn't stop thinking about how he'd end the scumbag who did it. Sociopathic he may be, but he'd end that fucker the moment he could.

Spring was basically family to him, even if they hadn't spoken in months. She meant the absolute world to him, and he couldn't allow her to die on him. He was more scared than words could ever describe. He wanted to find some way to release his feelings, but couldn't muster up how. He was in turmoil, and he couldn't take he pressure that was on.

He remembered to the time when his mother was dying on a hospital bed, and he felt like crying. He couldn't let someone else so close to him meet another terrible fate on a gurney. It was too much for his mind to bear, and he passed out then and there, his mind weak from being up all night.

He didn't dream, other than that of reminding himself that she was going to die. He was heartbroken to know that this would be the second person he lost, and he regretted not learning his lesson from the first time. He should've spent so much more time with Spring than he did, but he can't go back and change that now.

And to think, it took her confrontation for him to realise how much he actually loved her.

He awoke hours later, remembering the terrible reality he was living in.

"Why does it have to be her?" he asked to no one, sitting up. "Why couldn't it have been me? I'm the one who deserves it, not her. She didn't do anything, I was the cause of it all, and now I'll never see her again."

"Why are you blaming yourself?" Fredrick asked, his arms folded as he leaned against the kitchen counter, just one room over.

"Because it is my fault," Alfred replied. "If I had gone after her on foot, ran as fast as I could, I could've caught up to her. I could've told her everything, and saved her from getting hit. It's all my fault..."

"Don't tell me... This situation reminds you of-"

"Yes!" Alfred snapped. "Another person I love dearly is dying on a hospital bed, and there's nothing I can do now to stop it! Why didn't I learn the first time?! What stopped me from spending more time with her?!"

"Alfred, dear brother, calm down. She'll be okay," Fredrick said, attempting to reassure him.

"You don't know that!" Alfred exclaimed, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. "You don't know if she'll be okay, you don't know if everything will go back to normal, you don't know if I'll get to tell her I loved h- No..."

"No, what?"

"I never told her I loved her..." Alfred said. "The fuck kind of friend am I?!"

He ran upstairs to his room, slamming the door, and proceeding to punch it, the force of his hand bloodying his knuckles, and leaving a dent in the door.

"She doesn't deserve this... God, if you actually do exist, where the fuck are you? Where are your damn miracles? Because I could use one right now. Save Spring, take me instead. Put me in hell, where I belong, but save her," Alfred said surprisingly quietly.

He held his wrist, the blood trickling down his arm, and the splinters keeping the skin open. He didn't treat himself, he wanted it to get infected and eventually kill him. Silent tears continued to roll down his face, and he whispered, "Why?"

He began to pace in his room slowly, walking in a circle to clear his mind, but it's always go back to the image of Spring laying on the floor, her nose bloody, her body bruised, and perhaps multiple bones broken. He couldn't bear the thought that she would die, but he still did. He couldn't understand why it had to be her, and not him, the one who deserved to get hit.

"Take me back, oh God," he whispered. "Take me back, and replace Spring with me. Kill me, not her. I deserve to die for being the shittiest friend ever."

He eventually fell asleep in the floor, the idea that Spring might die was a tiring thought. He didn't want to see, or even experience the second death of a loved one so close to him. He may not have communicated it to her, but she was always on his mind. Even if he'd been dating someone else, he'd be subconsciously wondering what Spring was doing at that point.

He was greatly devastated, but upon awakening, he was greeted with something very promising.

"Alfred, Alfred," Fredrick repeated, attempting to shake his brother awake.

Alfred groaned, turning on his side and slowly sitting up. "I was trying to be mournful over the death of my friend, what do you want?"

"She's alive, Alfred. She's alive, she's awake, she can talk. The doctors are saying she'll be okay."

Alfred's face softened into a happy smile, as tears spilled over his eyes, tears of joy. "Sh-she's gonna be okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"That's what they're saying. They're the professionals. But, they're stressing there's no guarantee that she'll come out on top... She's talking just fine, but her body was really shaken up after what happened. They can't say anything for sure, yet," Fredrick explained.

"Th-that's still good enough for me... I can still tell her I love her, and say my good-byes, if need be," Alfred said, somewhat emotionally defeated. "I-I just don't know what to feel. I don't know if I should be happy that she's doing okay, or still upset that she hasn't fully recovered."

"It's okay. In these kind of situations, it's hard to bounce back..."

"You'd think I'd know, seeing I was the closest to mom... That's why I've been so upset. I felt like I didn't spend enough time with her, and I made the same mistake with Spring... I'm hoping – praying – that she'll come out on top..."

"I am, too. I feel like I never got to know Spring that well, and I'm hoping to change that. I want to change that."

"I'm not sure if I wanna go visit her," Alfred admitted. "I mean, I was only there two days ago, and I'm not sure I'm ready to face the fact that she could still die. No matter how much I want her to pull through, that's up to how her strength stacks up, and I know she's a frail person, emotionally and physically..."

"Look, just rejoice that she'll be okay, for now," Fredrick told him.

"But, if I do, then I know for sure she'll just die. She'll die, and I will know true pain. The hope that the one you love staying alive, taken away by the natural course of life. She's going to die, I know it."

"Don't be so pessimistic. Think on the bright side. At least you finally get to tell her-"

Alfred was quickly to his feet and running out the door. He ignored the car entirely, getting on his own bike, and riding up there. He knew he had to take advantage of this chance. He might never be able to tell her this, had he not taken this chance.

He sat in the waiting room, patiently sitting there for his "okay" signal. He soon received it, and was back to her room as soon as he could be.

He opened the door slowly, observing her as she watched him.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked quietly, and weakly. "Just come in here."

He did as he was told, coming in and sitting on the chair by the hospital bed. She held out her hand, and he took it gently in his own.

"Spring, I hate myself for not realising this sooner, but, I love you. And, while this may not be a reassuring thought, I couldn't let you die without telling that to you," he said softly. "I love you so much, and I hope to God you pull through."

"Alfred," she began raspily, "they say I may have a chance, but I can feel my strength failing. I hate to break it to you, but my body is too shaken up to return to a state of solace. I can't eat anything they bring to me, even if it were the most delicious thing in the world."

Alfred was on his knees beside the bed. "Sp-Spring, how can you say these things? Of course you'll pull through, you have to. I couldn't live in a world without you..." Alfred told her. "Please, hold on for as long as you can..."

"Look there," Spring told him, pointing to the heart monitor. "It's so clear that my heart is failing. I don't understand how they can say I have a chance of pulling through when I've been so steadily on the decline. I'm sorry, Alfred... I don't have the... I don't have the strength."

Her voice was failing. She was losing her ability to speak, and losing her strength quickly.

"No... No, no, no! God... Please, I need you now more than ever. If you're out there, allow her to pass through... Don't take her away from me so soon..."

"Good... Goodbye, Alfred."

"No!" Alfred's eyes were spilling over with tears. "This can't be happening again!"

He heard the steady beeps of the heart monitor fade out into one, long beep. His head was pounding, tears quickly falling, and he was unable to think straight. "This... This can't be happening... It's all a dream. All one, big nightmare... Please, let it all be a nightmare..."

His words made no difference on the monitor. Spring's body had stopped moving, she'd stopped breathing. He felt her pulse, and there was no movement.

"Th-This can't be it... I-It can't end here..."

No sounds, no movement, no breathing, no pulse. Spring was gone, and it took a while for him to accept it. He took a moment of silence for her, before uttering his last goodbye.

"So, until we meet again, Spring. I love you, and I always will. Sweet dreams."

4,558 words (not including this note)

(Sorry that this reupload was a day late)