DISCLAIMER: I don't own it!

Cat and I walked into acting class, with the bell ringing, as if it was announcing our entrance.

"Jade and Kitten! You're almost early!" Sikowitz said. Robbie smiled at Cat as she sat next to him and leaned into his arms. I sat next to Beck and kissed him on the cheek.

Everyone was staring at Cat and I. "Don't forget to blink," I reminded them sarcastically.

"Why's everyone staring at us?" Cat asked and looked at me.

"You're just usually early..." Little Miss Sally Peaches informed us. Show off, My thoughts screamed. Not everyone is as primped and prepared by 7:00 AM, like you, Princess Perfect. I crossed my arms.

"We were late because my brother was playing with his toy airplane, and my mom told him to stop, but he didn't, so-" Robbie leaned in and kissed her so she would stop talking.

"I had to give her a lift, and I was late, because my sister Lydia was a..." I searched for the word.

"A gank?" Andre asked.

"Hmm, must run in the family." Rex laughed. He wasn't nearly as rude lately. Cat and Robbie made a compromise. Robbie could bring Rex to school if he was less disrespectful. And he was, but mostly to Cat.

"Alright, let's start class! This week, we will be talking about clarity! Now, can anyone tell me, what is the purpose of acting?" Sikowitz asked. He laid down, looking up at the ceiling.

Beck raised his hand. Sikowitz continued to stare up at the ceiling. "Um, Sikowitz?"

"Yes?" Sikowitz rolled on to his stomach, resting his chin in his hands, propping up his elbows. "Would you like to answer?"

"... Uh-huh." Beck blinked. "Acting is for entertainment, for the enjoyment of the audience. Like they're looking into the character's life."

"Precisely, now, tell me," Sikowitz's voice grew quiet. He stood up and whispered something.

"What?" Tori asked.

"Exactly!" Sikowitz clapped his hands. "Tori, why did you not understand what I was saying?"

"I couldn't hear you!" She said.

"Yes! So, would you enjoy a play if you could not hear it?" He asked. Tori shook her head. "Why?"

"Because, what's the use of acting if no one can understand you?" She asked.

"There is none! That is why today, I'm going to teach you about clarity. Speaking loudly and clearly, so the audience can understand and enjoy your performance! Now, Cat, Andre and Tori, get up here!" He motioned them to the front of the room. They walked up to the stage.

"Now, I'm going to give you each distinct characters, and you will improvise. I want to be able to hear you clearly with every line, now, Cat. You will be a truck driver. Andre, you are a leprechaun, and Tori, you are a cave woman. You are all at a fancy restaurant. Action!"

I was watching them perform their scene when my phone rang. A call from Lydia?

"Excuse me, Jade," Sikowitz turned to me. "Would you like to get that?" He asked.

"It's from my sister. This might be an emergency." My heart skipped a beat, for no reason I could define. Sikowitz nodded, signaling acceptance. I stepped outside and answered it. "Hello?"

"Jade! Help! Something's wrong with Daisy!"

. . . . . . .

Cat and I rushed over to the ICU. It was pouring rain, which was fitting, I supposed. We ran inside, and found my Mom and Lydia huddled in a waiting room. I ran up to them.

"What happened?" I asked in a panicked voice.

"The babysitter was late, so I didn't go to school, to watch Daisy. I was holding her while watching TV when her heartbeat started speeding up. At first, I didn't think much about it, but it kept getting faster and louder. I-i didn't know what to do, so I called Mom. We rushed her over to the hospital and-" Lydia's voice broke off. Her eyes were swollen red from crying, as were Mom's.

"Is she okay?" I grabbed Mom's hand and sat next to her. My own heart was speeding up. Cat just stood behind me, rubbing my neck.

"We don't know, Jade." My mother seemed more scared than Lydia. "All we know is-"

"Mrs. West and family? Step in here, please." A nurse stepped out of Daisy's room. We followed her in. We saw through a glass window, a motionless Daisy West.

My ears seemed to block out all sound. All I heard was muffled voices, talking about Cardiac Arrhythmia. My eyes stared at the lifeless Daisy until the vision blurred with tears. Her sweet face, dim and gray. Her angelic voice, never to be heard again. Her beautiful blue eyes, never to open to the world. Her small fingers, never to curl around my finger again.

My hair fell in front of my eyes, and I was glad they did. They hid tears; of loss, of grief, of emptiness, of years of holding them in, finally let loose. And I couldn't stop them.

Lydia looked at me, her own head bowed. She had tears in her eyes, too. The fact that she, Lydia, the evil, heartless one that never felt anything, felt the same thing I did, scared me. I couldn't even look at my mom. I looked at little Daisy, until I couldn't even look at her.

It was all too much. And whenever something was too much; too emotional, too hurtful, too confusing; I always did the same thing. I ran from it.

Out of the room, past a confused Cat Valentine, down the long, cold hallways, out of the building. I found a fountain, with a statue of a woman holding a baby, which introduced fresh tears. I ran to it, sat beside it, and sobbed. I heard footsteps behind me, and half-expected to see Lydia or Mom. But I saw Cat. She sat down beside me, put her arm around me, and gave me a squeeze.

We sat there in silence, my tears dripping into the fountain. I turned to Cat and saw she was crying too. I smiled weakly, and heard someone sit down next to me. I looked to my left and saw Beck Oliver, and decided right then that he was the best boyfriend in the world. He put his arm around me, so that I was sandwiched between my best friend and my boyfriend. Maybe things will be okay...

I slammed on the brakes, tires screeching, but it was too late. The wheels slipped, the car flipped, and we were spinning off the road, into a ditch. We landed on Cat's side, which was in ruins. And Cat was unconscious.

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