A/N: Heeeey…guys. I know, it's been a while since I've updated. I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've gone without updating. So, sorry! Without further ado, here's chapter 15!Disclaimer: I do not own anything Chapter 15: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

James POV

"Where are we?" Logan panted.

"Madam Wok's," I huffed, "This is where Leigh hangs out on Friday nights."

I could sense three pairs of eyes on me. "And how do you know this?" Carlos asked.

"Well…I never told you guys, but Leigh and I sorta went on a fake date here about two months ago."

"WHAT?" my friends bellowed.

I winced. "It's a long and complicated story…"

"Focus people!" Kendall commanded. "James can tell us the story later. Right now, we need to find Leigh. Do you really think she could be here?"

"It's our best chance," I replied.

With that, the four of us barged into the restaurant, frantically scanning the room.

Carlos' face fell. "She's not here." The others looked just as discouraged. I was about to suggest calling her again, when I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around, and discovered an old woman who looked vaguely familiar.

"I know you. You friend with Leigh, yes?" she asked in broken English.

I nodded eagerly. "Yes we all are. Have you seen her tonight? We really need to find her and—''

The old woman held up her hand, silencing me. "I see her, yes."

Logan jumped in to the conversation. "Did she come in here? How long ago? Did you see where she went?"

I shushed him, and waited eagerly for the old woman to respond.

"She not come in, no. I see her outside, go that way," she replied, pointing to her left.

"Thank you, madam," Kendall said, as he made his way toward the front door. The rest of us thanked the woman quickly and followed our fearless leader.

"How far do you think she got?" Carlos asked as soon as we were all outside.

I sighed, frustrated. "Who knows? I—''

I never got to finish my sentence, because we heard footsteps coming from the alley. Wide-eyed, we all began walking toward the sound. The sound became louder, and under the light of a nearby streetlamp, I saw something that made my heart plummet to my stomach.

"Leigh!" Kendall cried, relief and concern flooding out of his voice.

There, under the dim glow, stood our missing friend. For a moment, nobody moved, the shock of actually finding her proving to be overwhelming. My eyes began to adjust to the dim light, and I noticed her injuries. She was paler than usual, which made the bruise on her cheek stand out even more. She clutched her right arm against her chest, and I feared it was what my blood run cold was the blood I saw dripping down her throat.

Logan was the first to react. He ran to her and helped her sit on the ground.

"Somebody call 911," he ordered. I got out my phone and was about to dial the numbers when Leigh began to shout.

"No! Don't call anyone."

I looked at Logan, not knowing what I should do. He appeared conflicted, but he shook his head, indicating I refrain from calling for now. We needed her to trust us.

"Leigh, I need to look at your throat. Is that okay?" Logan asked gently.

I was somewhat comforted by the defiance that flashed in her eyes. But she did relent, and gingerly angled her neck so Logan could check. He leaned in closer to inspect her wound. To my relief, I saw Logan's face visibly relax.

"It's long, but not deep," he breathed."We just need to apply some pressure to stop the bleeding," Logan then inspected Leigh's arm, and once again the prognosis was positive. "I'm pretty sure your wrist isn't broken, just sprained. Are you sure you don't want get checked out by a professional?"

"I'm positive." With a shaky hand, Leigh dug into the pocket of her jeans. She pulled out her car keys. "My car isn't too far from here," she stated, "we can use it to get us back to the Palm Woods." She then handed him her keys.

"You're the only one I trust to drive my car," she attempted to joke.

It fell flat. Logan stood up and signaled to Kendall to help her up. Together, the five of us made our way to Leigh's car. Fortunately, we found her car with little trouble. Logan unlocked the car and helped us get Leigh into the backseat. Once Kendall and I were in the backseat with Leigh in between us, Carlos and Logan jumped into their seats and we drove home.

As much as I loved Mama Knight, I was really glad she and Katie left for Minnesota earlier today. Apparently, one of Kendall's second cousins was getting married and asked for Katie to be the flower girl or something. The point was that there two less people at the apartment, therefore two less people to explain the situation to.

It was around midnight, so luckily we didn't run into anyone in the Palm Wood's lobby. We managed to get Leigh into our apartment without seeing anyone, for which we were all very grateful.

Carlos draped a towel over the couch and Kendall set Leigh on top of it. We were all relieved that she was still conscious. Logan hovered over her, pressing washcloths on her neck. We all waited, unsure of what else to do. Logan continued to apply pressure to her wound, and after what felt like forever, Leigh stopped bleeding. Seeing that she was no longer bleeding, Logan cleaned her throat carefully and then began to wrap her wrist with an ace bandage. After that, Logan ushered her into his bedroom. He came out moments later, his face weary. He plopped down on the couch, burying his head in his hands. The rest of us joined him on the sofa, unsure of how best to approach the subject at hand.

"What do you think happened?" Carlos spoke up.

Kendall laughed bitterly. "Who knows? But I bet if we asked, she'll lie about it."

I sighed, becoming infuriated. "Why does she feel the need to lie all the time? I mean, we've known her for months now…I say we call her out on her lies! I'm tired of pretending everything's ok."

"But if we confront her, we risk the chance that she'll shut down completely," Logan rationalized.

"Well, I think that if we don't confront her, she could very well end up dead. You heard Carlos' father. This is not just some average I'm-a-teenager-I-need-privacy routine. Whatever Leigh is mixed up in, it's big.

"James is right," Kendall chimed in. "We aren't helping her by ignoring it. We need to try a different tactic."

Leigh POV

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I wasn't in my took me a few minutes, but eventually I remembered what transpired the night before. I groaned, knowing that today would not end well. I walked over to the door, and inhaled deeply. Mentally preparing myself, I opened the door.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, four heads turned and faced me. "Shit," I thought to myself. I decided it would be best to play dumb.

I acknowledged the four boys casually. "Morning."

I was met with silence as the guys continued to stare me down. Clearing my throat, I ambled over to the door.

"Thanks for letting me sta—''

"Sit. Down," Kendall seethed, his voice taking a tone that I had never heard before. Obligingly, I did as he asked and sat across from the four of them. Minutes ticked by, and yet no one said anything. I was growing impatient.

"Are you guys going to say anything? Because if you aren't—''

"Li-Li…what happened last night?" Carlos asked, breaking the silence.

I shrugged, trying to play off last night's encounter. "Someone tried to mug me."

"Liar!" James exclaimed, "Why can't you just tell us the truth?"

"Look, I don't know what you're—"

I was interrupted once again, but this time it was by Logan. "Don't play dumb with us. We received an interesting call from Officer Garcia last night. They dug deeper into your records…we all know that you stole some woman's social security. We also know that someone deliberately severed your brake cables, quite possibly trying to kill you. And most importantly, we know about the serial killer and how he's been targeting people who look like you. Leigh, we're not idiots. You're in danger, and you're hiding it from us. Why?"

My brother was right…I have become messy. I was trapped, the evidence being thrown in my face. There was no way I could refute it. So I did the next best thing.

I denied it.

"I'm not hiding anything from you."

"We're your friends, Leigh…please trust us," Kendall pleaded.

I then did something I would regret for the rest of my life.

"We aren't friends. I never wanted to have anything to do with you guys. So, why don't you do us all a favor and back off."

The look of betrayal that each boy donned on his face broke my heart. I wanted to kick myself for hurting them so badly, but I knew it was in their best interest. Not waiting for anyone to recover from what I said, I stood up and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind me. I ran all the way to my car, knowing that it was time for me to leave. As I drove away from the Palm Woods, I did something that I hadn't done since Eric's death.

I cried.

A/N: So…what'd you think? Don't worry, we still have a few chapters left in this story, and I promise everything will be answered soon. My aunt is coming into town for a week, so it might be a while until I update next. Sorry in advance!