Thank you for your reviews. We've got three chapters left after this. A little bit crazy, but the next three are some of my proudest I've written, I'd say.

Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

I'd like to pretend I didn't notice the changes. Actually, at first, I really didn't. The weeks following our little double date, things were really good. Like, the kind of good you really couldn't compete with. School couldn't faze me; glares from Laura didn't seem to matter anymore. For the first time, in a long time, I was truly happy and I owed a huge part of that to Riker.

I still loved my books, don't get me wrong, but for once, I was living one of those romance novels. And I had control over what happened in them.

Or, so I thought.

He didn't show up to school the Monday following Spring Break. We spent a lot of time together that week, and as far as I knew, he was healthy. So, when I cornered Rydel sometime that morning, she admitted that he spiked a fever over night, furthering her explanation with that he may have a cold. I was a little upset over it, wondering if somehow I had carried it to him and made him that way, but I tried not to think about it all that much. A cold wasn't the end of the world. Not yet, at least. As long as he listened and spent as much time resting as he could, nothing else would hinder him.

Much like I thought, he was back at school on Thursday of that week. Together, we started pushing through the last couple months of school. Talk was getting big the week after about prom and how it was going to be the best one yet. I was pretty thrilled myself, after all, I had started the year thinking that I'd probably end up going with Laura (not that it was a bad thing at the time) but now I had a boyfriend to go with, and someone on top of that who loved me very much.

It was a win-win, really.

Me and Rydel were snapchatting pictures of our dresses constantly, trying them on almost all hours of the day. I mean, prom was still a month away, but it didn't mean we weren't able to pretend it was every day… right? Riker thought we were nuts, but he did most of the time we were together, and I was okay with that. Rydel got their parents to leave quite often now on little dates, albeit not overnight like last time, but we were given much more alone time than we used to have. She used this as time to sneak Ellington over, and I did the same with Riker. I even got to do his therapy one night when Rydel was … seemingly missing with a certain brunette.

He wasn't too thrilled about that, but he didn't know that I knew they'd escaped an hour previous.

The next Monday, I picked Riker up (well, he walked from his house to my car), and we drove to school. I had plans with Rydel after class to get a new pair of heels because despite the ones that I planned to wear to prom being completely fine, I didn't want to wear them anymore. Honestly, it was just an excuse to go clothes shopping again, if I was being honest. My parent's credit card did not need to know that. Being kind (or probably in his eyes, crazy), I invited him along with us.

At first, I thought he was just kidding, "While I'd love to, I have to be somewhere."

"Oh, you could've just told me no," I snorted. "Jeez, Riker. I didn't really expect you to come."

He chuckled along with me, but then shook his head, "No, really. I have to go somewhere with my mom."

"What? Why?"

"It's a secret," he teased, and I was left wondering if maybe he was going shopping for me.

I spent the remainder of the day bugging him by text asking what he was getting me, as well as asking Rydel if she knew anything about his so secretive afternoon with their mom. When she assured me that she didn't, I automatically had in mind that it must be huge. I happened to glance down at my hand during that time. I wasn't exactly a diamond fan, but a pretty, sparkly ring on my finger sounded wonderful.

No, I wasn't thinking a wedding ring. But promise rings were all the rage at school, so many couples were getting them. And while Riker was far from that kind of cliché, a secret part of me was hoping he could be, if only for a second. I wasn't about to turn down jewelry.

"So, what do you think you're getting?"

"Jewelry," I commented with a laugh, throwing a box at her that contained a pair of shoes that would match her dress. "I was hoping a ring. Maybe earrings. Are you sure he didn't mention anything to you?"

"Nope," she said with a smile. "I swear I'd tell you. Maybe my mom kept it a secret for a reason. She knows I would've opened my mouth."

I laughed, "True."

"I can't wait to see what he got you though," she murmured. "I bet it was awesome."

Sometime later, we left the store, both carrying more shoes than necessary. If we were asked, we would both swear there was a really good sale going on… but the truth was, we just got carried away. Still, back at my house, I settled my shoes down in the shoe section of my room and then hurried back down the stairs and into Riker's house. I let myself in (I'd been given a key, so I assumed knocking was not needed anymore) and quickly ran up the stairs again, to Riker's room. He was seated on his bed, playing his guitar. I heard him humming when I came up the stairs, but when I knocked on his door, the music stopped.

"Hey," I grinned, running over to plop down on his bed. "I missed you."

He set the guitar down on the bed. "I missed you too."

"Did you have fun with your mom?"

He nodded, "We stopped for a late lunch after we did what we had to. It was nice. I don't get to spend alone time with her often anymore. She joked that I finally spread my wings."

I giggled, "Well, you have."

"That's because of you," he admitted.

I grinned that time. "I'm so special, wow."

"You really are," he murmured back. I thought, this was it. He was going to take out whatever he bought me in those moments following that, but he never did. Instead, he just leaned forward and kissed me delicately on the lips, and I couldn't help but think I was missing something.

Then, it happened again. I left my house the next morning and saw that only Rydel was waiting for me. I looked toward the house, as if Riker was running late. She only shook her head, "Nope. He's sick again."

"Again?" I complained, not meaning to sound as annoyed as I did. I really just didn't like when he wasn't well. Both because it wasn't a good sign, and second because… well, I liked being with my boyfriend. Okay, so I was one of those girls who was always by his side. But look, you couldn't blame me. He was attractive and sweet, and come on, we all know he was a good kisser. You couldn't blame me, like I said. "Alright. Come on. I guess we're ready then."

Except, by the time I got to school, I had another plan in mind. I told Rydel to go to class and I'd meet up with her later. Then, I quickly drove home, glad to see both of my parents were already at work, as were Riker's. With a swift motion, I slammed the car door and took advantage of the key I was now in the honor of having.

"Hello?" I called, entering his house. "I hear there is a very adorable boy upstairs who is alone!"

I really didn't think it through, but he didn't seem to care after a second thought.

He appeared at the stairs and my heart sank in my chest. He looked horrible. How did that happen so quick? He stared down at me, shaking his head. "Why aren't you at school?"

I pretended to cough, "I'm sick."

He rolled his eyes, "Sure you are. You coming up, or what?"

"Duh. I also brought some soup," I explained, showing the bag that I grabbed from a local deli on my way. He grinned a little and by the time I got to his room, he was already on his bed, under the covers. Some rerun I sort of recognized was on the TV and we both watched it for a while, just cuddling. For a few moments, nothing seemed wrong. I was ignoring how dark under his eyes were, how cold he felt to my touch. More than usual, I noted. He didn't say a word about it for a while, but his coughs said plenty. He sounded in pain.

"Are you okay?" I asked after a long few minutes.

He nodded, "Just feel like crap."

I shimmied closer to him. "I hate to break it to you, but you look like crap."

"That's not surprising," he murmured.

"What?" I asked, wondering what I just heard.

Those next few seconds were painfully long, and I wondered if I really had just misheard him. He wouldn't look my direction though and it seemed as if something was seriously wrong from the look on his face. Then, wordlessly, he got up and brought a paper over to me. I took it in my hands and read through it as best I could, but it was like another language. Doctor papers, something about a PFT. I didn't really understand, and I hoped when I turned to him in the bed and gave him a questioning look, that he would explain further.

Problem with that was… I really wasn't going to like what came out of his mouth.

I would've done anything to have changed those moments, pretended I never heard them. Lived in some sort of bliss or ignorance, probably the next couple of weeks. Except, because I was Remy and I skipped school and found myself next to him in his bed, when he looked like hell, and because I hadn't noticed things over the last couple of weeks in general, I couldn't change them. My actions had led me here.

"I don't think I'm getting any better," he whispered.

And that time, I definitely needed him to repeat himself. "Come again?"

He looked pained, but for a different reason.

I felt anger rising in me, but not directly at him. I was angry with his disease, angry with what he was so-called telling me. Maybe he was wrong; maybe it was just fear, but in those next few moments in his bed, it didn't matter. When he repeated them, I felt like someone had taken a knife and not only stabbed me, but dragged the knife around me on the inside, just enough to leave me bleeding out, but not quite dead.

"I don't think I'm getting any better."