Chapter One
"Don't forget your yoga pants."
"Namaste, bitch."
"Did you do it?"
"Yep, GPS tracker's in her bag. She might not have told us where Jenna is, but now she can show us." Aria walks across the road while Emily stands still on the sidewalk reaching into her pocket for her phone. She flicks away a notification from Facebook before hearing a screech. Looking up she sees someone on the floor while another person gets out of their car rushing towards the unmoving body on the floor. She stares around trying to see where Aria is before realising, the person on the floor is wearing the same jacket as Aria.
"ARIA!" Emily screams running towards her best friend. The sight of her mangled body brings more tears streaming down her face, the pit of her stomach is heavy.
"I love Ezra. Tell him I love him, don't let him be sad and lonely. Make sure he's happy." Aria mutters from the gurney. Emily's mind was completely blank on the events that lead to this moment, being sat next to one of her best friends in an ambulance watching a paramedic trying their best to stop the blood flowing out of Aria's many injuries while another drives them to the hospital.
"You can tell him yourself, you're going to be okay." Emily cries holding her best friends bloody hand.
"Promise me, Em." Aria whispered.
"He's going to marry you, you're going to have a beautiful wedding and a wonderful future together." The young girls smiled at each other, Emily tried to focus on the brightness in her friends eyes and not her friends' mangled jeans which had one of her leg bones poking out through the blood stained fabric near her shin. It wasn't just her leg, trying not to stare but unable to look away from Aria's torso; her red top had been ripped open showing the breaks in her ribs, the bruising painting her ivory skin a vibrant purple with red tinges where blood had pooled from her various gashes, her breathing was laboured and the medics think her lung was punctured, and maybe her spleen as well. Her arm was visibly broken, but thankfully the bone wasn't sticking out like her leg was.
Emily focused back on her friends blinking eyes, her head was encased in a helmet the same that Emily herself had to wear when she injured her head whilst swimming under the influence of her mothers pain medication. She shook the random thoughts out of her troubled mind as she focused back on trying to talk to Aria, to try to keep her awake.
"I'll call everyone when we get to the hospital." Emily promised, not able to think of anything else to say when she knew Aria felt awful.
"I'm scared." Aria whispered squeezing Emily's hand.
"Me too." Emily confessed.
"Tell Ezra I love him. Tell the girls and my parents, and Mike. I love you all."
"We love you too, this isn't the end Aria. When all this shit is sorted with you, with AD we're going to live long happy lives." Emily wasn't sure at this point who she was trying to convince, Aria or herself.
"In case it is, I love them and I love you."
"I love you too."
"Please fight hard, Aria."
"I'll try."
"If not for us, fight for Ezra. You guys are made to be together, don't let this be your ending."
"I'll fight for him, and you guys. I'm sleepy now." Aria muttered sleepily.
"Close your eyes, go into dreamland to imagine your beautiful wedding to Ezra. I'll call him first, he'll be right there with you as soon as possible I promise."
"Will he wake me up?" Aria asked the small stature and weak tone of voice making her sound childlike.
"I'll try my best to make sure he does." Emily replied, planning the earful she'll be giving Ezra the moment she got to the hospital. He needs to be here with Aria.
"I like it when he wakes me up." Aria giggled.
"How does he wake you up? Or do I not want to know." Emily laughed.
"He'll kiss me, my face, my shoulder until I turn for his lips then he'll get my forehead or my nose. Sometimes he strokes my hair and calls me his own sleeping beauty." Aria dreamily says her eyes closing.
"Ezra, I love Ezra. Em make sure he knows. I love Ezra." Aria whispers her eyes closing, the smile leaving her face. Emily's stomach drops, her eyes widen as the monitors attached to her best friend begin to beep one long beep.
Her friends heart had stopped beating.