Not Even Once//PT2 of Just Once Series

Chapter 18// Heart

Josh, Alice, and Tobi had left millions of calls on Vik's phone. No answer, no reply. Nothing. Vik didn't want to be found.

"What do we do?" Alice asked, running a stressed hand through her hair.

"Josh and Simon, go home, see if he's there." JJ said. He had dark circles under his eyes, the commotion must have woke him.

"Jide, I think you should go back to sleep." Alice cooed, he looked exhausted.

"This is one of my best friends, who's missing!" JJ yelled, "How am I supposed to just go back to sleep and forget about it? We need to find this kid."

"All we can do is wait this one out." Harry chimed in.

"True." Josh responded, grabbing his keys and his jacket.

"Alice, you can stay in that room or you can go stay with Ethan and Harry. I think it's best you stay with friends, but it's your choice." Simon pulled his shoes on.

"I'll stay by myself... I need to figure some things out." Alice responded.

"Alright, I'll see you soon, then." Simon pulled her in for a hug, and kissed her forehead.

"Okay. Be safe." She placed her left hand on his chest, kissing his cheek.

"C'mon Simon." Josh slightly smiled, walking out of the room.

"Bye friends." Simon smiled at everyone. They all smiled back.

"I hope they find the poor guy." Tobi sighed.

"Yeah. Wonder where he went?" Harry played with the hem of his shirt.

"More like why he went..." Tobi slowly walked out of the room, leaving Ethan, Harry, JJ, and Alice.

"I don't know what I did wrong." Alice felt as if someone had just ripped her heart out.

"Alice it's not your fault he left." JJ comforted. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, it is. I'm the one who decided to not date him anymore."

"And it was the right decision. You know how Josh feels, he wouldn't let it happen."

"I know. That's why I did what I did. I didn't expect this to happen." Alice frowned.

Her phone began to ring, but she didn't want to answer it. She signaled for JJ to answer it.

"Hello?" He asked, "...Yeah, why?... Oh... My, is he okay?... Josh what did he do?"

Alice ripped the phone away from JJ, "Josh! What happened to him!"

"Alice-he's... He's... He's..."

"C'mon, what did he do." Alice began to cry, hard.

"He's gone."

"Yeah I know! Did you find him?"

"No, Alice. He's dead." Josh winced.

"Wh-what do you mean he's dead?" The whole of the group in the hotel room fell onto the two beds, heads in hands.

"He's dead. We got home, and he-he'd downed some-some-some..."

"I know what he downed. You don't need to say it, Josh." Alice sighed, shaking,

"We called 911, they are headed to the house. Damn Alice! What did we do to him!" Alice heard Josh's voice break.

"I don't know, Josh. I don't know. It's my fault. Me. I did this."

"Don't blame yourself Alice."

"But it's true! I caused this." She chucked the phone across the room, it hit the wall and shattered.

"Alice, please." Jide sighed.

"It was as much our fault as it was you. No one is blaming you." Harry sat down on the other side of her.

"No, Harry. It's all me. Just me." Alice sighed.

"No, no. We should have watched out for him."

Alice just sighed.

"I feel just as bad as you." Ethan sat across from her.

"This is horrible." Alice continued to cry.

For the next few hours, the group debated wether they would go home or stay. By a unanimous vote by the group and a Twitter poll,

Alice Zerker @omgitsalicez:
Something horrible just happened, keep in mind, so...
-Stay at I55........................12%
-Go home and deal............79%

they decided to go home. It was important that they deal with this. They needed time to grieve over the loss of a friend.

Alice was taking it hard. She couldn't stop crying, sobbing. Jide, Ethan, Harry, and Tobi continuously comforted her, trying to hide their small sobs as well.

It wasn't easy, losing a friend. It felt as if someone had ripped out her heart, or as if she had no heart. She felt numb.

Tobi and Josh took Alice straight to the hospital to see Vik. He was on life support, they'd found a pulse when the ambulance got to him. It was faint, and the doctors weren't counting on him recovering. But that's just it, miracles happen. Maybe they'd have a miracle. Or not...

Alice stayed by his side for hours, watching the heart rate monitor as it beeped and let her know he was still alive in there.

"Why'd you do it?" Alice cried, pulling her knees to her chest. "It's not like you solved anything... And, I mean, I love you. I just can't be with you, you know that. I didn't mean to hurt you, babe. I just wanted to keep you safe. I guess I failed."

"You didn't fail." Simon came up behind her, hands in his pocket.

"I did. That's the thing. He wouldn't have done it if I didn't tell him I couldn't have him..."

"Alice, we found this at the house. It was in your room..." Simon handed her an envelope that was marked with her name.

She opened the envelope.

Dear Alice,

Listen, I'm sorry I did this. I just couldn't take it anymore. I love you and I want to be with you, but clearly you don't want me anymore. I guess I should have guessed it. Have fun with Simon, if you even like him or whatever. Talk to you in heaven, babe. Now I'll be out of you hair. Anuway, I love you. I'm sorry. Goodbye forever.

Love, Vikram

Alice looked up at the ceiling, tears welling in her eyes. "I love you too Vik."