Chapter 15:

So, first: Sorry I haven't written in so long. Death has visited my life, in the form of one of my good friend's suicide. I haven't really felt up to it. My doctor also has been running a bunch of tests on me due to some irregularities in my psychological evaluation, and they're not even close to being done. Long story short, I've been busy and under a lot of pressure.

However, this story is dedicated to those who actually bothered to read this chapter after the long, unannounced, hiatus. Love. You. All. And, without further ado, the reason for Spencer's mom's call.

"Spencer? Oh, thank God!"

"Mom?" I asked. "Mom, what is it?"

"It's your friend Aria. Apparently she had an accident at her school's kiln… she's in the hospital, and I'm sure you and Hanna want to visit her."

I stood there in shock. Aria? How could this happen?

"Spencer?"

"Um, yeah Mom. Han and I definitely want to visit her."

Hanna looked at me confusedly over the couch back, a bucket of Ben & Jerry's in her lap.

"Which hospital?"

"It's St. Jude's", my mother said quickly. "It's right by her college. I'll text you the details."

"Thanks," I said hurriedly. "We're on our way."

"What the hell was that?" Hanna demanded.

"Pack a bag," I said, "Aria's been hurt. We have to go. Now."

Without another word, she headed into her room and started throwing clothes into a duffel bag.

Thirty minutes later, we were ready to leave.

We'd decided to take my car, not confident in our ability to get an airplane ticket at this late of notice.

We drove in silence, not even listening to the radio. The only noise was my GPS, directing us all the way across the country to New York City.( Yeah, this is a really long ways. And yeah, a plane would be faster. But it is insanely hard to get a ticket at a minute's notice, especially to NYC.)

We reached the hospital around midnight the next day. Immediately dashing up to the room my mother said Aria was in, we saw her asleep on her bed, bandages covering her arms. Her mother and father sat next to the bed, looking like they hadn't slept in days.

"Is she alright?" Hanna demanded.

Ella looked up at us. "She's not in critical condition. She'll get through this. But her skin was burned almost entirely off her arms."

"What the hell happened?" I asked incredulously.

"She was going to put something in the kiln," her father explained dully, "She slipped, and her arms slammed down onto the inside."

"Oh my God," Hanna whispered next to me. "Poor Aria…"

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Five days later, we were still at the hospital. Hanna and I had barely left Aria's side, except to eat and sleep. She had been scheduled for several surgeries, all centered around skin grafts. (I know nothing about medical procedures. This is probably riddled with mistakes.)

Her parents had remained positive, and Hanna and I had attempted to do so as well. The doctors assured us that everything would be all right, although they refused to discuss the possibility of scarring.

Hanna and I had booked airplane tickets back home for five days from now. Aria would not be fully recovered, but we did have classes to go to, and the doctors had assured us that Aria was not in any danger.

Hanna, of course, had been talking to Aria nonstop (although she usually slept, and was constantly kept in a drug-induced haze). She told her everything. Caleb dumping her (which got some tears), her classes, my neatness, her own messiness, and all the gossip of the people back in LA.

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Six days later, we were back home in our apartment. Minutes after we entered, the doorbell rang. It was Toby at the door.

Shit.

Toby.

I hadn't told him about Aria. Hell, I hadn't told him I was leaving. I hadn't even been answering my phone. I had focused only on Aria.

I cringed, prepping myself for his anger, and opened the door.

OOOH! Is Toby gonna be mad? We'll find out soon! Sorry for any medical mistakes, and for the shortness. Just getting my writing pants on, and I am NOT a person who is interested in medicine. Review what Toby's response should be! I'll choose the most popular one.