Author's Note: This is kind of long.

Disclaimer: I do not own All Time Low, any band or brand, or the lyrics I may use in this story.

Chapter 7

"I hope you can hear me. I remember it clearly. The day you slipped away was the day I found it won't be the same."-Slipped Away, Avirl Lavigne.

Hayley's P.O.V.

"Hey do you know where Alex is?" Rian came up to me at my locker after school.

"No. I don't think he's been here all day." I said, shrugging.

"Well if you see him, let me know, k?" he said. I nodded before he walked away.

Grabbing Alex's math book-that, for some reason, was in my locker-I started to wonder if he was okay. I shrugged the thought off as I shut my locker.

When I got out of the school I started to walk home almost immediately. I don't know why, but for some reason I turned on Alex's street and began walking to his house.

His front door was cracked open a little. I started to grow really concerned because that wasn't normal for his family. I opened the door some more and peeked in. The TV wasn't on and no one was in the living room-which wasn't normal either. I quietly walked in and shut the door.

"Hello?" I asked, hoping for a response. When I didn't get one I said, "Alex? Are you here?" no reply. I started climbing the stairs slowly to his room.

His door was wide open and he was sitting up against his bed, hugging his legs to his chest and resting his chin on his knees with his eyes closed. I sat his textbooks and my bag down on his bed. I sat down Indian style in front of him. He shifted so he was sitting Indian style too and looked down at his hands resting in his lap.

"Hey." I said. He looked up for a few seconds, the looked back down.

"Everything okay?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. He didn't move for a while but when he did, he reached around him, grabbed a piece if paper, and handed it to me.

"It's not done yet." he said, emotionless.

I started to read.

Make it a sweet, sweet goodbye. It could be for the last time and it's not right. "Don't let yourself get in over your head." he said. Alone and far from home I'll find you.

Dead-like a candle you burned out. Spill the wax over the spaces left in place of angry words.

Scream-to be heard. Like you needed anymore attention. Throw the bottle break the door and disappear.

I was shocked and confused at the same time. I read it again, but it still didn't make much sense. I looked at Alex, who handed me another piece of paper. This one was longer. It read,

I'm sorry for this, for everything I caused and am about to cause, but I feel I have no other choice.

Mom and Dad,

You know I'll always love you. I know you were there for me every time I needed you, but I always felt so alone, no matter who I talked to or had in my life.

Alex,

You are a great brother and I wish you and your band well. Don't let yourself get in over your head. But you do what's right for you. I love you.

There's no easy way to say this and there's no hope for me anymore. I spent my spare time convincing myself the world is doing just fine without me, and it is. I love you all and hope to see you again soon.

Until we meet again,

Daniel.

There was red dots all over the paper. Was it...blood? I started to put everything together slowly, but it came to me.

Alex's brother had committed suicide.

My jaw dropped. I looked up at Alex as I sat the paper down next to me.

"Where's your mom and dad?" I asked out of the blue.

"Funeral plans." he replied. I nodded. "Jack knows. But no one else." he said. "I'd like to keep it that way. At least until I tell them." I nodded again.

"We'll get through this." I said grabbing his hand and holding it. He didn't do anything but squeeze my hand lightly.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" he asked.

"Um, hang on." I said. I got up and walked out of his room into the hallway, closing his door behind me. I called my mom.

"Hey Honey." she said when she picked up.

"Mom? Um, well first, I'm at Alex's" I said.

"Okay." she said. I went into the story about Alex and his brother.

"Can I stay with him tonight?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Well, normally I would say no, but right now it sounds like he needs you more than anything. Just be home before four tomorrow, okay?" she said.

"Okay. Thanks Mom. Love you." I hung up and walked back into Alex's room. He hadn't moved.

"I have to leave by four on Saturday, but I'm staying tonight." I said. He nodded.

"Thank you." he said. For a few minutes there was silence.

"Wanna talk?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I just- I just don't understand. It could've been a happy ending we let go." he said. "What's left now?"

I didn't respond, in fear that I might say the wrong thing. I think it was supposed to be a rhetorical question anyway.

I had no idea what else I was supposed to, so I scooted over next to him and hugged him. He was motionless. I'm not for sure how long, but we stayed like that for a while.

"I have to go get clothes." I said when I noticed it was 8:00.

"I'll come with you." he said.

"You don't have to."

"I want to get out of here for a while." I nodded and stood up with him.

The walk to my house was silent, but I didn't mind. I opened the door when I got to my house. My Mom, as if on cue, automatically hugged Alex. She didn't say anything, nor did he, but I smiled at it. It was sweet. Then Abby came to the door, saw my Mom hugging Alex, and knew something was wrong. You could tell she did by how she looked. When my Mom stepped away, Abby hugged Alex too, even though she probably had no idea what happened.

They walked away and Alex sat on the stairs while I got my necessities. I told them good night and began walking back to Alex's house when I was done.

"I'm sorry." I said. "For everything."

He sighed. "Hopefully, it'll be okay." he said. I walked up to his room with him trailing behind.

I changed into pajamas in the bathroom. I noticed he changed into some pajama pants and a white t-shirt when I went back to his room. He crawled into his bed as I walked into his room. I laid a blanket down on the floor and laid down on it. I pulled another blanket over me.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked.

"Um, going to sleep?" I said.

He scooted over. "Come up here."

Now, normally I would have said no, but I didn't want to make him even more unhappy than he already was. I laid down on top of his covers, taking the blanket with me. He could tell I was uneasy so he didn't say anything, just laid there next to me, staring up at the ceiling. I slowly drifted to sleep.

. . .

Alex woke up screaming that night. Like a blood-curdling scream. He sighed in relief when he saw me and I let out the breath I was holding.

"I'm okay." he said. I must have looked horror-struck. He laid back down and I waited until his breathing slowed before I laid back down and drifted into sleep.

One thing I noticed? Alex hadn't cried with me there. I thought that was odd, but I guess everyone handled things in different ways. I just needed to prepare myself for the worst.

Author's Note: I don't know Alex's brother's real name. But a lot of people seem to use Daniel, so I used that too. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry.