Ashlynn woke up to Cierra in the room, styling her hair in the mirror. "Hi," she said, and Cierra glanced back at her.

"Hey," Cierra said. "You're up. Your stomach feeling all right?"

"Better than it was."

"Did you get sick?"

"Yeah."

Cierra nodded. "You could have gotten yourself something to eat," she said gently.

"I wasn't in the mood for people."

Cierra managed a chuckle, fixing the elastic in her hair. "Are you ever?"

When Ashlynn didn't answer, she sighed faintly. "Are you feeling better now? Really?"

"Yes."

"You don't need anything for nausea?"

"No."

"All right. Good."

She turned to face Ashlynn, managing a smile. "I'm sorry," she said. "For what I said this morning. I don't know, I'm just stressed. I'm about to go to college in two weeks, you know? I have a lot on my plate."

"I get it," Ashlynn replied, and Cierra noted how quiet she was. "I'm sorry for calling you a bad friend."

"I was acting like one. You had every right to."

Cierra took a deep breath, smoothing her hands along her jeans. "So, I kind of had an idea. I'm not going to be around much longer, since I'm going to school, and I figured, I should give you a chance to try and branch out on your own a bit."

Ashlynn's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Cierra realized she was shaking, something that had never happened before. She tried to keep a cool smile on her face as she answered. "I'm still going to be at the hotel, but I'm going to get another room. I'm going to let you keep this one, since you've kind of settled here."

"What?"

"It's only five more days, Ash. I want to let you grow a bit, you know?"

"No, I don't."

"Ash, come on, act reasonable. I just think it would be good for us. I think being together constantly is stressing us both out, don't you agree?"

Ashlynn shook her head frantically. "No," she said. "No, I don't agree."

"Five days. That's all. Just five days, and I'll be only a few rooms away. I'm going to get myself another room, this one is already paid for."

"Cierra."

"Ashlynn. It's fine."

Ashlynn's eyes were beginning to fill with tears, but Cierra tried her best to ignore it. "You're not as helpless as you think, Ash. Really. You've done well with the bartender, you've managed to talk to the woman at the front desk."

"Those were barely conversations," Ashlynn said, voice weak with the start of tears.

Cierra closed her eyes, trying to force the image of Ashlynn's crying face from her mind. "It'll be good for you. Promise."

She tried to avoid Ashlynn's gaze as she gathered her things, though she felt Ashlynn's stare on her back. She kept her head down, leaving the room. Through the door she heard Ashlynn shouting, a sound that was entirely foreign to her. "You bitch!"

James watched from the end of the hallway, smiling to himself. The two girls arguing was more than he could have ever hoped for. To have them both alone and vulnerable, it was as if someone had placed a neatly wrapped gift in his lap but warned him not to ruin the wrapping paper.

He wanted to pay Ashlynn a visit. Perhaps in her vulnerable state it would be easier to speak to her. To lure her into his trap and gain some semblance of her trust. And so, he made his way to room 63, knocking at the door lightly.

Footsteps sounded inside the room, and the door opened. "Cierra?" Ashlynn asked, but her eyes went wide when she realized it was him. "Oh. James."

He smiled at her stunned expression. "Something wrong?"

She didn't answer, rather shook her head. James raised an eyebrow. "You're lying to me again, dear girl."

"What do you want?" she asked suddenly, surprising both herself and James with the annoyance that was clear in her tone.

She stared at him, her blue eyes glittering with tears. "I want to know if you're all right," James said.

At that, she snorted softly. "What do you care?"

"Curiosity," he replied, stepping closer to her.

She stood in place, not even moving when he came so close that their chests were nearly touching. "You're upset," he said.

"What gave it away?" she replied, chuckling weakly.

She flinched slightly as he raised a hand to her. But still, she stood in place as he wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek.

She only moved away to open the door wider, allowing James to step inside the room. He looked at the unmade bed, the bottle of pills on the table, and he raised an eyebrow. "For my anxiety," she muttered, waving a hand toward the bottle. "I've already taken one today, though."

"I see," he said.

She nodded slowly. "I'm all right," she said. "I don't know why you seem to care, but I am."

"You don't seem it."

"I am."

"What's wrong?"

Finally, she shook her head, sighing. "My friend is acting stupid, and I'm upset. Is that what you want to hear?"

James smiled, reaching out and taking her hand. She flinched at the touch but did not pull away. His hand was cold as he smoothed his thumb along her knuckles. A slow breath escaped her. Closer he stepped, closer, closer, until their chests were pressed together. Her hand was shaking in his grip, but, still, she did not back away. "I'm not scared," she whispered, and, for the first time in her life, she was telling the truth.

His smile remained as he leaned close, whispering her ear, his breath tickling her skin. "You should be."

Only then did she pull away, but she was close to him again in a second, kissing him. Only slightly surprised, he kissed her back, hands moving to her waist. Her lips were soft against his, and he longed to feel her kiss longer as she pulled away, her blue eyes wide. He smiled at her, squeezing her hand one more time before he vanished.