I've been wanting to reply to the reviews in the story for a while now. I guess I didn't get that many reviews, but the reviewers I do have deserve some thanks!

ForteKham617: Thank you! But the way Mike visits the cast and just remembers stuff makes me feel like a broken record. And I really wanted to include Dakota and Sam a bit more seeing as they're such great characters!

Northrnstar: I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I can always count on you to have something good to say!

Braveheart177: I love cliffhangers as much as the next guy, but waiting to see what happens next drives me crazy!

Brick's POV

I realized my eyes had been squeezed shut. The moment I opened them, pain flooded into my chest. When I looked down, my eyes bugged out of my head. A large jagged piece of glass pierced my stomach, causing blood to stream silently to the floor of the van.

I was reluctant to observe the state of the others. I turned my head to find Jo slumped across the space between the front seats and the back seats. Her right arm stuck out at an odd angle, no doubt broken. Her eyes were shut. A large gash zipped across her face.

Mike on the other hand, had his eyes wide open. He looked in horror at the mess of blood and glass.

"Brick…" he breathed. "Brick, I can't feel my legs…I…can't feel them…!"

"H-Hang in there, cadet," I managed to say.

Zoey was in the worst condition. Her chest was covered in blood. Pieces of glass and metal lay on top of her. Her arms were covered in tiny scratches. Mike tried not to look at her. I knew that if he did, he would completely break down.

"This…this is all my fault…!" he sobbed. "I…I caused this…"

"N-No…" I choked out. "I was the driver…I lost control…"

I doubted he could hear me. The world grew fuzzy. Before I completely blacked out, I saw with a pang that a lone tear shone on Jo's face.

Mike's house

Mrs. Smith sighed and checked the clock again. Her son had been gone for a while. He promised he and his friends wouldn't be gone long, but it was already past dinner time. And with the stomachs his friends had…well, Mrs. Smith found it strange they had no returned yet. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. They still had not come.

Brick's house

"Honey, did Brick say where he was going?" Mrs. McArthur asked, settling into her favorite chair in the living room.

"No. But I'm sure he's out with his little friends," Lieutenant McArthur said from behind the newspaper.

"It's strange. He usually calls us if he's going to be out this late."

"Oh, he's probably out with that new girlfriend of his. Josephine, was it?"

Mrs. McArthur sat up, suddenly interested. "New girlfriend? Nonsense, he hasn't mentioned any girlfriend…"

"Oh, he has. We had a little chat about her the other day. She seems like a lovely girl by the way he talks about her. It's natural that he'd lose track of time while spending time with someone he has a high interest in."

"Still, I'd feel better if I knew where he was…" she said uncertainly.

"Don't worry; I'm sure he's fine. He can take care of himself; I saw to that when he was a kid."

Jo's house

"Hon, have you seen Jo?" Jo's mother called.

"No, I haven't seen her since breakfast," her husband replied, his eyes still glued to the football game on the TV. "Didn't she say she'd be home in time for the game?"

"I can't imagine where she could be. Maybe she's watching the game with Brick. "

"Maybe. We've got to have that boy over some time. Maybe he could play football with us. It would even up the teams."

"Oh Hon, it's always sports with you!"

Matt's POV

"Matty, can you get the phone?" Mom asked me. I sighed and grabbed the phone from the cradle.

"Talk to me," I said into the mouthpiece.

Mallory's POV

I was watching TV, wondering when Mike and Zoey would be back, when Matt screamed from the kitchen. It was the kind of scream that chills you to the bone and makes you rocket towards the source of the sound. Time froze as my feet slapped on the floor, trying to get to Matt.

Mike's POV

I must've passed out. I opened my eyes to find myself lying in a white hospital bed. Machines and monitors beeped and whizzed next to the bed. Other than that, the room was pretty much empty.

"Hello…?" I weakly called out. There was no reply.

Where is everybody? I wondered. Where am I anyways? What happened to me?

Minutes slowly climbed by, and still no one came.

Forget this. I'm going to check this place out myself!

I pulled myself into a sitting position. I tried to swing my legs over the side of the bed, but nothing happened.

"Huh? Why can't I move my legs? What's going on here? What happened?" I asked aloud. When there still came no reply, my temper flared. "Is this some sort of wacked out dream?! WHY CAN'T I MOVE?!"

I grunted and pulled on the wires of the loud machines. There was an abundance of shouting as doctors flooded into the room in an attempt to calm me down. I growled as a nurse seized my arm and stuck it with a large needle. Instantly I began to feel drowsy. The doctors sighed in relief as I blacked out again…

When I next opened my eyes, I had company. A man in a white coat stood with his back to me on the other side of the room.

"Who…Who are you…?" I asked. The man turned around.

"I'm Doctor Chase. It looks like you were in one heck of an accident…" he replied somberly.

"A-Accident…?" that's when the memories of the day crashed back to me. Slapping Zoey. Yelling at Jo. Making Brick crash the van.

"Now if you'd let me conduct a little test…" he continued, picking up a little clipboard and a small needle with a chord hanging from it. "I'm going to prick your leg with this to make sure none of the nerves are damaged," he explained.

I didn't care about that. I wanted to know about Brick, Jo, and Zoey. The doctor pricked my leg with the needle. I flinched, watching a line on the screen the needle was hooked up to jump.

"Good, good…" he murmured, jotting something down on his clipboard.

"How are my friends?" I asked.

The doctor ignored me. "Wiggle you toes for me," he instructed.

"Hey, I asked you a question!" I growled. "How are they?"

"Michael, wiggle your toes!" he repeated. Impatiently, I wiggled them.

"Where are they?" I demanded once more.

"Michael!"

"WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?!"

"I'll tell you after the tests are over, now wiggle your toes!"

"I AM!" I yelled. "A-Aren't I…?"

He cleared his throat, picking up his clipboard again.

"It's…natural for the nerve not to respond…perhaps….no….it can't be…" he muttered to himself, pacing around the room.

"Doc…how long have I been here…?" I asked.

"Three days."

"And my friends?"

"…I….two of them will be alright for certain…" he answered awkwardly.

"T-Two?!" I choked out. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Look kid, I didn't want to say this, but right now, you shouldn't worry so much about your friends. As of right now, it's probable that…well…."

"What? Doc…what's going to happen to me…? Please, tell me that…And what's to happen to my friends?" I asked him, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I can't say much right now…but….I….Nothing will ever be the same for you again…" he said, pausing in front of the doorway. "Zoey."

"Excuse me?" I said. "What about Zoey?"

"She….might not make it…"

Brick's POV

The next time I gained consciousness, my friends were nowhere in sight.

"Guh? J-Jo, Mike, Zoey?"

I sat up, feeling no pain. Stretching, I set both feet on the glossy hospital floor. I wondered how long I'd been there. And what about the others? Were they as lucky as me, and didn't feel any pain?

"For a hospital, this place is pretty desolate," I commented.

"Amen, brother," said a voice.

"Huh?" I spotted another bed across the room. In it laid a guy with dark hair. Instead of the traditional hospital attire, he wore a black t-shirt and grey jeans. Little cuts covered his face.

"The name's Jacob" he grinned. (A/N There ya go Jake! I TOLD you I would give you a shout out!)

"I'm Brick," I answered, standing up from the bed.

"So what're you in for?"

"Car crash," I said simply.

"Ah, got it." He replied. He pointed to his face. "Motorcycle accident."

"Motorcycle? You ride those things? You must be crazy!" I commented.

He grinned again. "Of course I'm crazy! But that won't make anyone else more sane! The way I see it; it's better to act yourself. That way, no one can tell you what to do. No one can change you into someone you're not," he explained, staring at the ceiling.

I smiled. Jo would like that. Maybe the reason I loved her so much…was because she was one of a kind. She was Jo. All she wanted to do was be herself. She's not afraid to stand up and be who she wants to be. Compared to her, everyone who let's what people think shape them, are cowards. And if there's something I don't, it's a coward. My friends, they weren't cowards. But what about me?

Years ago, I was nothing but a wimp. I'd always looked up to my father, but it was clear that in his eyes, I'd never be good enough. As a kid, my mother was my playmate. She was probably my best friend growing up. But hanging around her made me soft. People saw me as a momma's boy. My mother had always accepted any mistakes I made, so imagine how surprised I was to find others judging me for them. My dad was never around when I was a kid, always overseas and training for combat. But when he did return home, I tried my best to act tough. Every kid wants their parents to be proud of them, so I let my dad shape me into a muscle machine. While he was away, I disciplined myself to train hard for him. My shelves full of toys and pictures of family were replaced with athletic trophies and military gear. Every day I would work hard, just trying to make myself into a boy to be proud of. Deep in my heart, I wanted to stop my dad's disappointment in me change who I was, but I ignored it. I told myself that what I was doing was the right thing, but I never believed it.

"Jacob…what do your parents think of you?" I asked.

"My parents? Well, no matter what, I know they'll love me. Like right now. Sure, my mom will be pretty ticked that I crashed, but I know she still loves me. But Brick, that's what family is! My parents will always be there for me! The same goes for my siblings and my friends! True friends will stick by you through thick and thin! And that's why I can be myself. Because I know I have people who have my back," he answered, smiling to himself.

People who have your back, eh? I finally had those kinds of people in my life. But…would they be able to make it? In a few days' time…would I still have people who have my back?

Well there ya have it! Chapter ten has come and gone! Reviews are much appreciated and are important to this author's confidence!