Disclaimer: I don't own The Covenant.

A/N: Thanks for giving the great feedback; that's what I like to see! And for everyone who's been waiting oh so patiently, Skyy and I are in communication once again and working on a revival of our collaborations. So keep a lookout.

Beat Your Heart Out

Chapter II

"Are you serious?" Aaron exploded right in the face of one of the male EMT's on hand. The poor soul had been the unfortunate one chosen to let Aaron know only family could ride in the ambulance with Corrine, who was currently being strapped to a stretcher, equipped with an oxygen mask and hooked up to an IV all at the same time. "All she has is her dad and he's not even in the fucking country right now!"

"I'm sorry sir, but it's policy. There's nothing I can do." With that, the man rushed off down the hallway behind his coworkers, Corrine rolling away with them. This whole situation was just surreal.

It was the most terrifying thing he'd ever experienced. It looked like she couldn't breathe. There were red blotches marking her skin. She collapsed onto the floor before Aaron could catch her.

Someone had put peanuts in her sandwich. And Corrine was allergic to peanuts and peanut oil. Deathly allergic.

"Who did it?" Aaron's nostrils flared and his heart pounded. His body was jittering with adrenaline. Slowly, he turned around to face the on-looking students. "Which one of you fucking assholes did it!" His voice boomed through the cafeteria, hushing the crowd that had gathered around to see what was going on.

It was that precise moment Aaron caught sight of the pale, hollow expression on the face of Reid Garwin. Aaron marched up to the blonde immediately, having his own opinions on the matter regardless of what Reid's face read. "It was you, wasn't it Garwin? You piece of shit! I should fucking kill you! How many fucking times have I told you to leave her alone?" Aaron barked in the face of his long-time nemesis.

It took three guys to pull Aaron off of Reid, Pogue being one of them. Aaron wasn't stupid. If that ill look on Reid's face hadn't given it away, the fact that he had the motivation from that slap earlier would have.

Finally Aaron gave up his struggles, mind clearing slightly as he realized here was not where he needed to be at the moment. Shrugging the restraining arms of his peers off, he backed away from Reid, glad to see some blood dripping from his nose as he rose to his feet. "If she dies Garwin…"

With that he left, the mere thought of what he'd just said killing him inside. What if she did die? It didn't make him feel any better that no one that came with the ambulance could give him a solid answer as to whether or not she would be all right. He heard a lot of words being thrown around; choking, coma, death. These were all words he never wanted to associate with the sarcastic little blonde he'd come to care about much more than he'd ever really thought possible.

No one crossed Aaron's path as he made his way to the parking lot, not even the panicking teachers and Provost. He got into his black Porsche and sat for a minute, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. The curly haired teen swallowed his heart, which felt like it was in his throat, and pushed back the horrible thoughts searing through his mind while blinking away the liquid that had suddenly pooled in the corners of his eyes.

Aaron Abbot did not cry.

But all he could think about was what would happen once he got to the hospital. What if something bad had gone down in the time he wasn't present? What would he do? When it came down to it, and he'd never realized this before, Corrine made him feel much more needed than anyone else in his life. Since he'd taken a personal interest in her, he'd always felt like he'd had a purpose. Aaron was fully aware that most of the time he was a complete asshole, but not with her. With her, he could let his guard down and take the role of the older brother he'd never gotten to be, and the one she desperately needed. He was there to protect her in a sense. And he'd completely failed.

Sucking in a deep breath, Aaron turned the key and peeled out of his parking space, heading towards the emergency room where he hoped he could get some kind of information.

Back in the cafeteria, Pogue had grabbed Reid by the shoulder of his hoodie and practically dragged the stunned blonde into the men's room. Two freshmen were at the sinks, but quickly retreated with one menacing look from Pogue.

And before anything was said, Pogue shoved the idiot he considered a brother into the concrete wall. "You're a fucking moron!" he growled harshly. God, why had he gone along with Reid's stupid prank? Corrine was in serious danger of being in critical condition if what he'd overheard was right!

Reid didn't even know how to answer. He'd never been so scared in his entire life. Never in a million years had he expected her to get completely fucked up just from eating those peanuts. What had he been thinking? Why did he decide this had been a good idea in the first place?

He'd never been good with controlling his temper, and Corrine had pissed him off and embarrassed him in front of enough people where it had been unacceptable in his eyes. Reid was notorious for taking things too far when he wasn't thinking clearly, and this was probably the finest example of this flaw. But how was he going to convince everyone that he didn't mean it? The caf hadn't been packed but it wasn't empty; someone was bound to have seen him even if he denied it until the cows came home. Plus, Aaron seemed to figure it out all too quickly; the last thing Reid needed was to be expelled. This is not what he'd wanted to happen at all.

"What the hell is going to happen if she dies dude? That was not a mild allergic reaction, you fuck!" Pogue paced furiously, hands tugging at his light brown hair. "Do you understand that I could be an accessory to murder if she dies? Do you get that?"

"Yes, I fucking get that!" Reid hissed, having had enough of being berated. He paused a second, taking a few deep breaths. "Besides, I wouldn't let you take a fall for this."

Pogue was a little shocked by Reid claiming he wouldn't throw him under the bus. Reid would usually do anything to get out of trouble. Then again, despite the constant feuds he and Caleb seemed to have with Reid and Tyler, the Garwin spawn had never betrayed any one of them. He was as loyal as he was brash and hotheaded.

But this could mean the serious kind of trouble if things took a bad turn; the absolute worst kind of trouble. "We have to go to the hospital and make sure she's okay." There was no question in Pogue's voice; they were going. He wasn't letting Reid ignore this problem, not this time.

And oh, did he pray; they both did in fact. They prayed that everything would be taken care of before Caleb found out. Neither one of them needed a lecture. They knew now that it never should have happened, but it was already done, and they couldn't go back and erase it. Getting some 'what were you thinking' speech from the leader of their group would only piss them off; they already felt horrible enough.

"We need to check the book first though. Maybe I can find a spell or something that will help. I don't care if I have to Use." Reid wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge he had been the cause of some horrible, pointless outcome for Corrine. He'd do what he could and then just hope for the best.

And the selfish part of him hoped that this wouldn't get around, and his reputation would still be in tact. No matter how unpopular Corrine was, if people found out about the prank he'd pulled, he was sure they'd hate him.

God, he hated himself sometimes.

Kira Snider took a deep, shaky breath as she looked on at the girl she'd never really considered a friend until now. It was funny how these situations put these kinds of things into perspective. But the beeping machines and the various wires that seemed to be attached to a once self sufficient human body made Kira think, really think.

"I know we've never really… seen eye to eye. You think I'm a snob and I think you're…" Kira stopped, allowing a sob to escape her lips, shielding her eyes from the girl she never really expected to worry about. "You have to get better. We've never gotten to bond over ice cream and Johnny Depp movies."

The frizzy haired girl stared at her fidgeting hands, saying a silent prayer. "I know Aaron and I aren't on great terms right now, but… he needs you. And despite the way I act…" Kira faded out and played with a ring on her finger, sliding it on and off before inhaling sharply and blinking a few tears out. "Remember in tenth grade on my birthday when we went to Six Flags? My mom called you to invite you and I acted like it was only because she knew you were my roommate. She thinks we're best friends." Kira shook her head and laughed lightly. "Truth is, I'm the one who told her we were. That was the best birthday I ever had. We fight all the time, but I like you, I always have. I just wish Aaron would care about me as much as he cares about you."

Kira's confession had lifted a heavy weight off her shoulders, even if Corrine was completely out of it. Honestly, that's what made it easy for Kira to admit these things, the fact that she couldn't respond. Kira was popular, yes. But did she have many real friends? No. And though they had frequent spats, Kira had always valued Corrine's company as roommates and oh so secretly wished they could be the best of friends.

"Make it through this, okay?"

"What the fuck do you want?" Aaron's words dripped with venom, spotting the two Sons of Ipswich as they entered the waiting room.

'We just wanted to see how Corrine was doing. Is she okay?" Pogue tried to be the peacemaker between Aaron and a straggling Reid. But if he knew Aaron, and he definitely did, this wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

"If by okay you mean in critical condition, then yeah, she's fine," Aaron hissed. He'd never forgive Garwin for this, and he'd definitely never let him forget, especially if things got worse. "You've got some fucking nerve showing up here." The words were said directly to the blonde.

Reid didn't know what to say. He couldn't defend himself. Even if he denied he'd done it to Aaron, whoever had seen him sneaking around her in the cafeteria would eventually retell this information to Aaron. And besides, owning up to his fuck ups was the least he could do in this situation, even he could recognize that. "Can I go in and see her?"

"Fuck off!" Aaron almost jumped forward, ready to attack the blonde again. How dare he even think it was okay to ask that question. No he could not fucking see her! "Why did you do it you fucking asshole? She's never once even gone out of her way to talk to you! And she's the one who keeps me from beating your ass all the time! So what the fuck were you trying to prove by fucking… poisoning her?"

"I get it, okay? I'm a fucking asshole and I took it way too far. I honestly never thought something like this would happen, ever." Reid was trying hard to get Aaron to see reason here, because Reid and Pogue had in fact come across something in the Book of Damnation that both were pretty sure could help. But Reid couldn't get it done if he couldn't get into the room. At this point, he really just wanted to help. And also bail his ass out.

But Aaron wasn't backing down. "You are not going anywhere near her." Aaron just couldn't even fathom Reid at the moment. "It's one thing when you get in my face and we end up fucking each other up, but the minute you fucked with her like this, you crossed the line."

"I know." Reid was getting so frustrated, and the urge to Use on Aaron to get him the fuck out of his way was becoming harder and harder to push back. Pogue must have noticed because at that moment, he placed a hand on Reid's shoulder to try and calm his friend down before he lost his cool completely and did something characteristically stupid.

The tension broke slightly when Kira walked out of the room just then, eyes covered with one hand while she sobbed dramatically. Aaron was compelled to comfort her by wrapping his arms around her shoulder, despite their recent falling out.

"Just leave Garwin." Aaron was absolutely done with this discussion. He wasn't having it. There was no chance of Reid getting into that room. At least he thought, until a nurse came up to him, clipboard in hand.

"Mr. Abbot, we're going to need you to give us some more information if you can, and we'd also like to know if you have a way we can contact her father." Aaron was torn; he needed to go with this woman, because despite how much Aaron disliked Corrine's father, he needed to know and he needed to get here as soon as possible.

Not being of any actual relation to Corrine hindered Aaron's control of who could and could not visit her technically. Since she was critical, yet stable at the moment, kids from school were being allowed to come in and see her, though not many had shown yet. He had no choice but to leave Garwin with all the access in the world, though he managed to give him a pointed, warning look. Of course, it was no shock to him that Reid completely disregarded it.

Slowly, Reid pushed the door open and stepped into the room, greeted by the monotonous beeping of the machines hooked up to Corrine. It was frightening, the sight before him. The image of her lying there, sickly compared to her normally sunbathed complexion. Her eyes were closed and her nose and mouth were covered by the oxygen piece. Reid felt sick to his stomach, but then remembered that if he was going to do this, it would have to be sooner than later.

Taking a sharp breath, Reid allowed the power to overtake him. It surged through his body like the blood that ran through his veins, pumping and gushing to the very tips of his fingers and toes. Focusing his black eyes, he saw the toxins inside her body, the poison he'd given her. He used his power to control the flow of it; completely extract the oils from her body through her pores, evaporating it into the air.

Once he could no longer sense any remnants of the peanuts in her body, he released his power with a shudder. He waited a moment, hoping and praying that she would suddenly snap out of it and wake up. But of course, it couldn't be that simple. Sure, he'd gotten all of the allergen out of her, but she was still suffering from the initial reaction, and she was staying unresponsive.

Reid sighed in frustration. Why couldn't this just work in his favor? He'd never felt this bad in his entire life. He had royally fucked up, and seeing her there, completely helpless was killing him.

"I can't believe this is happening." Reid felt weird, talking to someone unresponsive, but he couldn't live with himself if he didn't get all of this out; hell, if she took a turn for the worst, he wouldn't be able to live with himself as it is. "I'm sorry."

It was a phrase that rarely, if ever, left the blonde Son of Ipswich's mouth, mainly because he only said it when he genuinely meant it. And did he ever mean it at this very moment.

"I don't know what to say. Seriously, what the fuck? Who goes in to critical condition from eating peanuts? God, this is such bullshit!" He couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if she died. Sure, her condition was stabilized, but she could have brain damage or something from whatever kind of comatose she was in, if she ever came to anyway. And doctors couldn't be sure when or if she would wake up. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't know why I did it. I don't know why I thought it would be funny. It's not fucking funny and I'm sorry, so you need to wake up now!"

The steady heart monitor was the only sound for a long minute while Reid stayed silent, waiting for some response from her. That's always how it worked in the movies, right? This wasn't a movie though. This was a horrible, horrible reality that he'd brought upon himself.

"I swear if you wake up I will never, ever fuck with you again. You have to get through this." Again he paused, waiting for a reply he was pretty certain he wouldn't get at this point. Reid let out a bitter laugh finally, rubbing at his eyes, then his temples. "I know… you have no idea why I'm always on your case. It's fucking stupid, really stupid. But I can't get over it. And sometimes, I can't believe you're that oblivious to it."

Reid inhaled slowly, bitter memories coming back. He was always one to hold a grudge. "That time, when I asked you to the semi formal in eighth grade and you said no…" Reid stopped for a minute, scowling at the memory. "I was so pissed. I wanted you to be my girlfriend. I had it all planned and you just flat out rejected me. God, and then you went with Aaron of all people."

Reid pondered what to say next, because now was the time. It may be the only opportunity he got. "Honestly, I think you're awesome. I always wanted to go out with you. You like all the same movies and bands and videogames that I do. We read the same books. You're smoking hot. I don't get it. I can't figure out why you don't like me." He snorted then, realizing the situation at hand. "I'm not always a jerk you know. I would've been nice to you if you'd just said yes. But you didn't and I'm one of those assholes that doesn't take rejection well."

Taking one long, last look at Corrine's unmoving form, Reid shook his head and decided he'd better get out of there before Aaron came back. "Just pull through, okay babe?"