Page 18 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

Sure, Mom and Dad thought it was a bad idea, but they had to know that Aaron’s life, our friends’ lives, would be upended too once they discovered the truth.

Ashleigh and Ezra had already been through enough. Aaron and Poppy too. Then there were our friends already away at college. Poppy’s sister Lily and her boyfriend Kaiden.

My stomach dipped as I entered the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I didn’t really need to puke. I just needed a minute to catch my breath, to steady myself to face Aaron once more. I had to be more careful because if he looked too closely…

I couldn’t do that to him.

Not yet.

Splashing some water on my face, I stared at myself in the mirror. It was strange. One minute you had your whole life ahead of you. Prom. Graduation. College. First love. First heartbreak. First apartment. First job. And the next, the future was no longer guaranteed. Murky with darkness. The unknown. So many things you dreamed of doing but might never get to do.

I was eighteen. Life was supposed to be for living. For experiencing things and learning from your mistakes. Yet here I was, on the cusp of fighting for my life.

It wasn’t fair.

Emotion welled inside me again. A tumultuous storm of anger and disbelief, of frustration and terror.

I didn’t want to die.

I wanted to live.

To follow my dreams, to chase them down with both hands.

“Sofia?”

I flinched, the loud bang on the bathroom door startling me.

“You okay in there, sweetheart?” Dad asked. “Aaron said you got sick.”

“False alarm, Dad. I’m fine. I’ll be out in a second.” My lips wobbled again, tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Okay, well if you need any—”

“I’m fine,” I snapped, instantly regretting it. But I didn’t know how to do this.

There wasn’t a rulebook I could follow.

I dried my eyes, waiting another minute or so before going out to face them. I didn’t expect to come face to face with Cole.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“N-nothing, I’m fine.” I went to brush past him, but he gently touched my arm.

“Sofia, please… Talk to me.”

“So you can run off and tell Aaron? No thanks.”

“That’s not fair and you know it.”

“Cole, I—”

He reached for me, cupping my face and brushing his thumb under my eye, catching the tear there. “You’re crying.”

“I’m not.”

His brow lifted, doubt shining in his gaze.

“I’m fine.”

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