Tiffany's POV
We had put our plan into action and really went to this house. But we didn't find anything out of the ordinary... Except for Jin and Dean, who we thought were the criminals.
It looked hilarious when everyone was beating the crap out of each other. Still, unfortunately, the police came, they had caught everyone.
All except me.
I was lucky and hid in time. I hid in the basement, in a small back room; I hid until the police left. And I waited a little beyond that, just to be on the safe side.
Then when I came out from my hiding place, I wanted to go back up the stairs, but strangely... I heard voices.
Voices, one of which seemed very familiar to me.
Slowly I crept up to them.
''Yes, I called the cops. They've all been taken away now."
I looked out the keyhole of the cellar door... That voice, that female voice.
"You did a good job, then we can continue planning," it was another male voice.
They were close to the basement door.
''Rose will obey me, but we will have to do it if there are complications.''
''But why? You are just like the others, didn't you promise to stay with me? Didn't you say that you wanted to get rid of Rose?"
I felt a chill run down my spine as I recognized the voice.
Ashley.
It's clearly Ashley.
I had to straighten myself as this shock was too much for me right now. I had to think clearly.
Even if I could not assign the other voice. I could think that it was the psychopath Tim.
So that clearly meant that Ashley had something to do with it all the time.
Only for how long? How long was she involved?
I was about to look out of the hole when I was surprised by a blue eye.
Startled, I took a step back. Unfortunately, I fell down the stairs. The door was pulled open, and a middle-aged man stepped down. He looked harmless, but his deep blue eyes made him look dangerous.
I held on to my head. The fall wasn't that hard; It hurt, but I had to say that the fear I just felt was worse than the pain.
''So, I hope you have listened enough," he laughed and leaned towards me, ''I was here in this house all the time, and I saw everyone. I saw you too," he grabbed my hair and pulled me over to a table, "You know, you all upset me. All of you. I don't know what you're hoping to find when you see me. Or who you're going to find me with. Because it doesn't matter."
He fetched a rope, but before he could tie me up with it, I broke away from him. My parents had always sent me to self-defense in the past, so I knew a few tricks. I knew I couldn't finish him off, but I could at least try to free myself.
With a lot of energy and power, I kicked him against his leg. He hissed and cursed. He tried to grab me again, but I knocked him away from me; I took this chance when he slammed against the table.
I ran up the stairs to the door, yet, I couldn't go any further because Ashley was standing in front of it; she smiled and pushed me down, ''You won't escape."
I fell harder this time.
My leg, my head, everything hurt like hell. Stunned, I stared at Ashley as she came down and sat on me, ''You shouldn't have come here," she said and brushed over my cheek with her hand.
''Ashley, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? You can stop; you can still live normally."
She started to laugh, "Live normally? I don't feel like it."
"But-" she covered my mouth.
"I don't have anyone anymore. I have no one. Tim is the only one who has been there for me. He was there for me in the moments when I was alone. He helped me when no one else did," she tried to justify herself, but nothing made sense.
I shook her hand away, ''You are helping a MURDERER! YOU WILL GO TO JAIL!",
A hand slapped my face; it made me hit the back of my head against the floor.
"Oops. My hand slipped," Tim smiled and knelt down next to me.
''I don't like it when people get louder and say rude things like that," he handed Ashley a knife.
''Ashley, won't go to jail; she's a good girl," then he patted her head and kissed her.
Disgusted, I looked away.
"Well then. I want you to kill her; I'll go upstairs," he smiled gently and stood up, ''When you're ready, come on. We have to go, get everything ready! Rose will come today. I'm sure she understood my message. Haha..." he went up the stairs and closed the door. Ashley took one deep breath in and out before raising the knife.
"You really want to kill me now? Do you really want to become a killer?" I wasn't afraid, no, I was angry, and you could hear it in my voice.
She slowly lowered the knife; she seemed to be thinking, but then her eyes flashed wildly.
She pulled the knife against my arm. Hissing, I tried to suppress my cry of pain, but it was difficult.
''I hate everything. I hate everything! Yes, I will become a murderer! I'm going to kill Rose today; you'll die with her!" she pressed harder with the knife, so hard that I was afraid she would split my bone.
The blood flowed wildly from my arm. She pulled the knife and put it against my chest right at the level of my heart.
"I'm going to stab her right here. The knife should go through your heart," she said.
''And what will you get out of it if you do it?" I still had my breathing under control; that's why my voice sounded firm.
"I want her gone; she's a pain in the ass, "And when she's gone, what do you think will happen to you?"
"I don't care; the main thing is that she is gone."
"Be reasonable; you can still make everything right. You can finish everything. Believe me."
She looked at me as if she was really considering as if she was thinking about what else she could do, "I've already done too much; I'm going to be punished either way."
Shocked, my eyes widened.
''I helped him kill the nurse, I helped him... and I shot them, Rose and Dean. I've been in too deep for too long. I'm already fucked up."
"H-H-How?" I stammered out.
''He had me for a long time. Then, finally, Mrs.Smith caught on; she tried to prevent worse...I let her down; she had to die because of me. I don't feel like it anymore. My life had no real meaning from the beginning," Ashley stood up.
She pressed her hand against my open wound, which made me scream. The pain laced my head; It was too much.
She pulled me to the table and tied me with the rope, "I'm going to let you die slowly."
''Ashley, please. Don't let yourself be manipulated. It is never too late. You have a purpose in life too. You were never alone," I tried to soften her somehow, but she was... like she was not herself at all.
It was just scary how this man had her under control. She knelt down next to me and looked at me for a long time.
"You know... Rose is probably crying right now... Because her friend died a few years ago, today is her death anniversary. It's very close to her heart because the friend sacrificed herself for her... She assumes. Yet she didn't actually KILL herself. Tim threatened her, and he had a gun that day. This girl saw him; he didn't have the gun pointed at her but on Rose. And he was ready to pull the trigger. This girl was really... I admire her. Do you know why? Both of them were true friends. Really. They both did everything they could to make sense of their horrible lives. Both still had hope because they had each other. Such good... People," Ashley sighed, "I'm going to go now."
''ASHLEY!" I called after her, but she didn't turn around again; she walked away.
I slammed my head against the table leg. What a piece of shit! I can't believe this!
I tried to free myself, but by moving, I pushed the rope more into my wound. The tears ran unstoppably down my cheeks.
''FUCK!" I screamed, "No! No, no!"
I have to get out of here. I have to help Rose. So as long as I could, I wriggled my arms around, trying to push myself away with my legs, but it didn't work. I ran out of strength, and the blood loss made me even weaker.
''Please, she can't die. Rose can't die."
I laid on the floor and continued to cry.
Dawn came; I noticed because rays of light came through the small window in the basement. I don't know how long I rested there; I only know that my eyes closed, and I fell asleep.
At some point, I opened my eyes slightly. I was in a daze. Moreover, it was dark. I tried to move, but I couldn't; I couldn't really feel my body. Slowly my eyes got used to the darkness, I started crying again.
I just hoped that it was not too late. I hoped that nothing had happened.
''Rose is in danger," I heard a delicate voice say.
My heart started beating faster. Panic spread through my whole body.
Who was here? I searched for that voice. And looked heavily around the room. The moonlight shone a small beam in the middle of the room.
''You are not dead," I heard the voice say again.
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. I saw blurry for a long time, but then I saw a little girl with long blond hair.
Her eyes were shining in a golden tone.
Slowly she stepped towards me.
She pointed to my hand, "By moving it, you tied the rope around your wound, which stopped the bleeding a little."
Was I going crazy? Did I see right?
"W-W-Who are you?'' I stuttered.
The girl smiled slightly, "I'll help you."
"How did you get in?" I couldn't get out of my amazement.
"Do you see the nail?" she pointed under the table.
I followed her movement with my gaze. There really was a nail under the table. Without her having to say anything, I tried to reach it with my arms, but the rope was too tight; I screamed while testing, but it was useless. Even with my foot, it was useless.
''I can't stay long," she said, ''Can't you give it to me?" I asked.
She looked thoughtfully at the floor and sighed, ''Don't be frightened," she murmured. She raised her hand and touched my forehead, and I felt something warm flowing through me.
I got a jolt of adrenaline; somehow, I felt powerful.
With the newfound strength, I didn't let any time pass, I stood up and kicked the table aside, falling on the floor again because of the rope, but I could now reach the needle. It was pretty difficult to bring the needle to my hand, but I managed it with much trouble.
''I don't know what you did, but thank you," I said aloud, but when I turned around, no one was there, "Where... where is she?" I looked around again; when I was sure no one was there, I sat down in my pool of blood and started to work the rope with the tip of the needle.
I needed a lot of patience; I was also about to give up, only then Rose came to mind. Where we sat smiling in my room, and we talked about God and the world. Where we cracked jokes with Hani.
Rose's smile. Her manner; she was such a wonderful, pure person. I had taken her into my heart from the first moment. With her and Hani, I had really drawn a big lot. A life without them, I really could not imagine. I mean, the month where Rose was in Paris was already dull and hard. A life without her... was already unimaginable terrible.
New ambition helped me harder with the needle to pierce the rope until I had torn it; the rest I did by moving my arms hard against the string... Until it became loose. I freed my arms and tried to stand up, holding on to the leg of the table.
Then, I took off my jacket and tied it around my arm; I didn't feel the pain anymore. To be honest, I didn't feel my arm anymore. But it didn't matter.
Limping, I went up the stairs.
However, I walked the path in vain because I found a locked door.
"SHIT!" I screamed.
I couldn't believe it! I had no strength left to kick the door in. And I had no idea where Rose could be!
''You have to leave here," the voice was heard again.
Startled, I pulled back, ''Trust me."
The girl pointed to the small window, ''How am I going to get up there?" I asked.
''You are a smart girl," she replied.
I breathed in and out deeply; With effort, I went down the stairs. The table... the table, if I pushed it there, I could reach this small window. But could I fit through it?
I looked at the girl; She nodded with a smile. Sighing, I grabbed the table and pushed it as best I could to the wall where the small window was. When I managed to do this, I needed a little breather.
I noticed that there was a clock on the wall.
It was precisely 11 p.m.
''I must hurry," I murmured, "I hope I'm not too late."
''You are not," the girl assured me, and I don't know why, but I believed her.
I climbed on the table and managed to get to the small window. The only problem was that I had to pull myself up. It was also narrow.
But I would fit through it. I would make it. I held on as tight as I could and pulled myself out of the window with all my strength onto a meadow.
I laid with my face on it for a few seconds and then turned on my back. The starry sky was illuminated; The moon was shining brightly.
''I made it," tears of joy wanted to find their way through my eyes, but I held them back. There was nothing to celebrate yet. I crawled over to the window and stuck my hand and head in.
"Take my hand; we have to hurry," I said to the girl. She looked at me for a long time and smiled gently.
''Thank you," she gave me her hand; strangely enough, I didn't feel any pressure, but I didn't let it bother me.
I helped her out.
"Follow me; I'll show you the way. But, unfortunately, we have to hurry a little,'' She went ahead, and I followed her.
I didn't really think about it; I just followed her. Until we were standing behind my school building, "There are a lot of people in front. There are some corridors here that are not guarded," she enlightened me.
"A lot of people?"
"Yes, police, firemen, ambulances," she enumerated sweetly.
"Why?"
''Rose was smart. But she will tell you when the time comes."
''Who are you?" I asked, confused.
"Come with me," she ignored my question and led me through a path I had never gone before; Up to the roof.
''You are a good friend," she chirped, "Thanks for being there for Rose." She pointed to the door, and I opened it. Everything was kind of buzzing and hectic. I saw how the police had the criminal, saw Ashley on the floor, and Rose was close to the edge.
When I caught sight of Rose, I was relieved. But my eyes fell on Ashley, she stood up. She was glaring at Rose. I had to get there; only my legs wouldn't move.
"You have to hurry. You can do it."
I felt pressure on my back, the little hand from the girl; she pushed me forward. I started to run; I ran to Rose and reached her too.
But we both fell because of Ashley. Everything was going so fast; Everything was so mixed up.
Rose was talking to me, asking me if I was okay.
I heard everything... The impact was strong; I heard Rose's arm crack under me. I was in pain all over, but I moved away from her arm. Even as we were slowly lowered to the ground. But the shock, I pushed that wretched witch off Rose.
That witch should go to hell! However, my hand touched something hard when I lifted Ashley. And as I looked at more closely; A long knife was in Rose's belly.
''Oh my God," I muttered.
This couldn't be true. I was too late.
''Rose... Oh no. We can make it. We can do this."
But Rose didn't open her eyes anymore.
"Don't move her," one worker said, "Come here."
A policeman helped me up, but I didn't want to leave Rose.
''We will take care of everything. So don't be afraid," he said, ''But," I interjected.
I couldn't see anything anymore. I only saw Rose, nothing else.
The noises, the people, I didn't notice anything anymore. And then I started to cry as Rose was carefully lifted up and put on a gurney.
''We have to treat you too," the policeman passed me on to someone else.
I was in a trance, but I managed to tear myself away from the person.
I knelt on the ground and watched them put Rose in the ambulance, and then it drove away. Then I raised my head and stared at the sky for a long time.
Please, don't take Rose. Please, leave her here. She deserves a long life. A long healthy, and joyful life. She hadn't lived properly yet. This was no life. She didn't deserve that; She really didn't deserve that. We all don't deserve this.
''TIFFANY!" Hani's voice was heard.
She knelt down in front of me and took me in her arms.
"Oh God, what happened to you?" she looked at me.
''Rose..." I murmured.
''We saw everything. We saw you fall from the roof. I hope Rose is all right," Hani cried.
''I was too late," I mumbled, stunned.
''What?" someone else knelt down next to me.
No, several people came to me.
Jin, Dean, Jason, Bryan, Noah, Caleb ... Tyler too. Tyler looked pretty beat up. His eyes were wide open; he was crying.
''I was too late. It's my fault," I raised my uninjured hand and put it on my other arm.
''We were arrested and tried to escape, but we idiots got caught... but we were all driven here because Mister Howards called. So we went to look for you, where were you?" asked Hani.
"I-I-I ... I was at the house. Ashley and that guy ... they had me. They had me," Hani removed the jacket from my arm and sucked in the air sharply when she saw my wound, "You need to be treated quickly."
''A girl helped me ... She helped me. I managed to get free, but I was still too late," I ignored Hani.
I ignore everyone.
"I'm too late! I'm too late," I just realized what I was saying.
I realized that Ashley had put her plan into action.
Hani covered her mouth, not wanting to cry out loud.
''Tiff, Rose will be fine, she will be fine. You can't blame yourself," Jason put his hand on my shoulder, but I looked up at the sky again.
''Tiffany,'' Mister Howards tried to come to me, but he was grabbed by Tyler.
"YOU BASTARD! WHAT KIND OF COP ARE YOU? HOW CAN YOU PUT ROSE IN SO MUCH DANGER!"
Tom said nothing, letting himself be yelled at.
''HOW DARE YOU PLAN SOMETHING LIKE THIS! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO IT ANY OTHER WAY!"
Rose's father intervened, pulling Tyler away and then .. hugging him.
"Calm down. It's no use now," he said.
Mika stepped over to me, ''Tiffany, you were courageous," she gently pulled me up, ''Please, you need treatment now.''
I shook my head.
My eyes wandered, and I caught sight of Ashley. She was being pulled to a police car; she was awake again.
Anger built up inside me, and I released it without any hesitation. I clenched my hands into fists; The rage brought me strength. I tore myself away from everyone and ran over to her.
I grabbed her hair and punched her in the face with my fist. Her nose started to bleed, but I didn't give a damn. Mister Howards ran and held me back, but I wasn't done.
''YOU DISGUSTING WHORE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! IF ROSE DIES, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
My blood was flowing like crazy from my arm.
''LET GO OF ME! HOWARDS! LET GO OF ME NOW!" I yelled.
''No, I definitely won't," he said and hugged me tightly.
Ashley looked at me for a long time with glassy eyes, which made me even more furious.
''WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF IT? LOOK AT YOU! LOOK AT YOU! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO ROT IN PRISlON LIKE THAT BASTARD!" Tim was pushed into another police car without mercy and immediately taken away, while Ashley laughed.
''Unfortunately, it did not go through the heart! Because of you, I missed her damn heart. I hope it got deep enough in her stomach.''
I felt Mister Howard's grip lighten, so I managed to tear myself away and then kicked her hard in the stomach. This caused her to bang her head against the car.
''Ouch," she hissed.
Tom tightened his grip and pulled me away.
''BECAUSE OF YOU, I MISSED HER HEART!" Ashley screamed.
''That's enough, take her away," the policeman grabbed Ashley; she was pushed into the car and driven away.
Tom made me face him, ''You have prevented something bigger. Thank you," he looked at me gratefully.
But I shook my head.
''I DON'T NEED A THANK YOU! ROSE WAS STABBED! THE KNIFE WAS DEEP IN HER STOMACH! AND I'M SURE HER ARM IS BROKEN BECAUSE OF ME, THE FALL! EVERYTHING! OH MY GOD!" I screamed as the image came to my mind of Rose lying there.
Instead of worrying about herself, she asked how I was doing. I held my head and started to cry with a loud voice, ''SHE GOT STABBED!'' Only then, I noticed this little girl. She looked at me sadly.
She approached me slowly.
''Tiffany, calm down. Please," Tom begged.
It seemed that only I could see this little girl. She reached out her hand and placed it on my chest.
And like a switch being flipped, all my anger and sadness faded away.
I closed my eyes.
''Sleep now," the voice said.
''Thank you for your help," it whispered. And then I fell into a deep sleep.
- 2 months later -
Hani's POV
The mood was gloomy. Tiffany and Rose were both in comas. Both of them, to this day, still haven't woken up.
The school was closed for the time being because of the events. The teachers and the students were still in shock, and no one could concentrate on the lessons.
Tom Howards had been deeply shaken because they had overlooked Ashley as an accomplice; by doing so, he had put Rose in danger. He blamed himself and had decided to retire, but not until Tim had been judged.
However, he managed to get the trial done only when Rose was there. Tom wanted justice for Rose, and she should get it.
Well, how shall I say ... Ashley was also put into a mental hospital because she was clearly mentally ill; She was no longer entirely in the head. To us... We all ... didn't talk at all anymore.
We had nothing to say to each other; we couldn't even comfort each other. Tiffany's grandpa has also been here a few times because her parents couldn't come; they were on a trip because of their business. But they were agitated.
Rose's father became sick, sick with worry. Finally, he couldn't do anything anymore; he was in the hospital every day with Rose, crying. We were all in the hospital every day.
Rose and Tiffany were in one room. Tiffany, her hand was sometimes moving; it felt like she was alive. But Rose ... she seemed dead.
The machines made sure that she was alive, but her face was so pale, her hands so numb, when you touched them, you had the feeling that nothing was there. Her body was cold, but the doctor explained that it was usual for the body to recover.
She had had a severe operation due to the attack with the knife... She also had several bruises and a broken arm; Rose was utterly exhausted. Mika sighed softly next to me.
Four of us were sitting in the hospital. Rose's father, Mika, Tyler, and me.
The others needed to get some fresh air. Tyler was a total wreck. He became thin, and he hadn't spoken a word.
It was terrible... Unfortunately, he had also had a big fight with Sophia. She came crying to me and confessed that she had lured Tyler away from Rose.
Ashley called Sophia, she threatened her. So, she pretended to be sick on purpose and brought Tyler away from Rose. He had never yelled at Sophia before, but he yelled at her and finished her off for the first time. After that, he didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore. That's what she told me.
I couldn't even comfort her because I was shocked. Terrible... And so unfair.
My eyes fell on Tiffany again. Poor thing; She had lost a lot of blood, but the shock was much more significant. I closed my eyes. How was everything going to go on?
It seemed like everything was going to break. Rose's father and Mika are still holding together, but they too are starting ... to slowly pull away from each other. Everything seems hopeless. It was ... nothing beautiful anymore.
My eyes picked up a slight movement, I looked more attentively. Tiffany's hand was moving. I quickly stood up, with everyone looking at me.
However, I did not care. Instead, I walked up to Tiffany and took her hand. She squeezed it; Tears of joy came to my eyes.
I didn't really know what to do, but I put my other hand on her shoulder and looked at her face. Her eyes were still closed, but her lids were moving.
''Tiffany," I murmured softly.
Nothing happened for a while, I even thought that my eyes had deceived me, but then it happened.
She opened her eyes.
She opened her eyes!
I covered my mouth with joy to keep from shrieking.
''Tiffany!" I shouted. I jumped into the air and clapped my hands; She moved slightly.
The others stood up and came over to me, smiling with relief; even Tyler smiled for the first time.
"I'll get a doctor," Mika wiped away her tears in delight.
She went out and came back to us a little later with a doctor. He helped Tiffany sit up. While doing so, he performed a few tests.
Tiffany nodded to his questions. She recognized us; she remembered everything. But she did not speak.
''You are still under shock; everything comes back slowly. So you have to get used to everything slowly, and then everything will be fine," the doctor sounded relieved, "I'm glad you're doing well."
''You were in stage 1 of coma; you didn't need ventilators because you could breathe on your own; you also reacted to things. So that's why it was foreseeable that you would wake up soon," the doctor explained, ''We'll do some more tests in a minute," he stood up and went over to Rose.
Tiffany looked at her. Her eyes immediately filled with tears, which then silently ran down her cheeks. And since that moment, she only looked in that direction.
This broke my heart; I could not do anything. Even if I talked to her, even if I touched her, she did not react to me. So a whole week passed.
The doctor suggested switching off the devices once to see if Rose was breathing on her own. Her father was against it, but Mika wanted to try. She felt that if Tiffany woke up, Rose might be able to... she thought that the machines were holding her up.
A big argument broke out; some wanted it, some didn't. But ... even those who didn't want it, in the end, they did want it. Because we all wanted Rose to wake up as soon as possible.
And so, in the end, it was decided. When the day came for the machines to be shut down, we were all there. We were all there.
Jin held my hand tightly because he saw that I would fall over at any moment; It was just too much. Tiffany had no progress, and now Rose was going to be tested.
What if it goes wrong?
''So. It's 14:15:32H; we're going to turn off the machines now for a moment," the doctor informed. The nurse began to turn off the machines one by one.
For a minute, Rose's heart continued to beat usually, and her breathing was running. I was about to sigh with relief, but her breathing slowly quickened, her heart beat faster.
''The machines need to be turned back on," I heard the nurse say.
But the doctor shook his head, "No, not yet.''
Shocked, I stared at Rose; her body began to shake. Rose's father turned white as a sheet, ''Turn on the machines," he said.
''Wait, we have to wait 3 minutes," the doctor was stubborn.
I began to tremble. Her heart monitor started going up and down rapidly. It even stayed down a few times for a long time.
"START THE MACHINERY IMMEDIATELY!" a strange voice rang out.
The nurses reacted immediately; without hesitation, she slowly turned on all the machines again; it took a moment for her heartbeat and breathing to regulate. Sweat formed on my forehead.
I was pretty tense, just like all the others.
"You can't just do that."
I turned around; A man over two meters tall was standing in front of the door, breathing fast.
''Dr.Martin?" Rose's father said.
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, but I had some things to take care of," he entered and immediately went over to Rose.
He set up a few things; you could tell he knew his stuff.
When he was done, he looked at all of us.
''And who are you?" the doctor asked; he stood in front of Dr.Martin, but he looked like a nobody next to him.
''Well, Sir! I am Rose's doctor. Thank you for your work, except for what you just did. You almost killed Rose with that, but from now on, I will take care of Rose and Miss Tiffany."
"You can't do that; this isn't your hospital," the doctor hissed, pissed off.
"I don't need that; she will be taken somewhere else."
''Rose wouldn't die trying," the doctor interjected.
''Listen, mister, such tests are life-threatening; Rose is in a condition where you can't do any tests at all. She's been through many bad things lately, lost a lot of blood, injuries that haven't healed yet, and don't even get me started on the mental side! She needs time. Her body needs time! And if you now still turn off the aids, how should she heal? Her body can't heal itself that quickly," Dr. Martin's voice was clear and stern. It sounded like he wanted to hit the doctor in front of him, but he got a grip. He could control himself.
The doctor looked at the floor, ''I'm sorry. I didn't consider that. Where do you want to take her? She can't be transported far; she wouldn't survive a long ride," the doctor mumbled.
''Let me worry about that," Dr.Martin hissed. Then he turned to us, ignoring the doctor.
He looked at all of us and smiled, ''I know you are all having a hard time right now, but after today you don't have to worry anymore," his smile reassured me.
''Louis..." Rose's father went over to him.
"Everything will be fine," Dr. Martin took him in his arms.
Who would have thought that someone would manage to ... calm us. Indeed, the atmosphere had changed. This Dr. Krug was only there for a few minutes, but he managed to give me hope.
''I will take Rose to me. I was late because I had to organize everything. So you don't have to worry, I decided to come here. Paperwork and the rest I have all taken care of," he led Rose's father to a chair and made him sit down, "There you go. You all should live nicely, keep going to school. You all don't have to be afraid anymore. I will fix Rose and Tiffany," he smiled at all of us.
Then he stepped over to Tiffany, knelt down in front of her, and raised his hand. Surprisingly, she placed her hand in his.
''Tiffany, I will take care of you from now on. I'm sure Rose doesn't want you all to be so sad," he exhaled briefly, "It'll be fine."
Tiffany nodded to Louis Martin; she looked into his eyes, which brought me much more hope. He then turned back to us. However, he continued to hold Tiffany's hand.
''Rose would not want to see you all so sad. I can understand all of you, but it's no use. Look at yourselves. You all look so thin and sickly. Please take care of yourselves. Get on with your lives. Don't make it hard on yourself and Rose. I assure you, she is in good hands now," the giant was so full of energy, he infected me; I felt better.
''Rose and Tiffany will be taken away today. You have seen both of them ... every day now, but I will let you visit them from now on, only once a week. It is better for you and for them," Rose's father and Tyler wanted to object. Still, Dr. Martin didn't let any objections be voiced, ''Of course, I will give you information about them every day." Tyler stood up and looked at him in despair, ''I have to see her every day," he pleaded.
''No. I won't let you. And who are you anyway?'' Dr.Martin raised his eyebrows.
''I am her boyfriend," he said, his voice sounding so fragile.
''So you're the scoundrel who's screwing up my little Rose," Martin joked, but it is evident that he didn't like him calling Rose his girlfriend.
''My little innocent Rose," sighed Dr. Martin tragically, "Is together with such a scrawny, pale guy. Who can't even take care of himself? Oh my goodness,. Terriblé!" I had to stifle my laughter, even though I really would have liked to laugh.
Tyler puffed angrily, "This is too stupid," he hissed, furiously Tyler stomped out.
''I'll go with you," Rose's father said. Still, Dr. Martin shook his head, ''I know you never left Rose alone when she was in the hospital, but you can all really trust me. You are the father of two more children," he pointed at Dean and Jin, ''And you have to take care of your beautiful fiancée," he pointed to Mika, ''You all need to take care of yourselves. Eat, all of you, exercise, and slowly go about your daily lives. Trust me."
There was a long silence until Rose's father got up and went over to Dr.Martin and grabbed his hand.
''Please take good care of my daughter," he said, crying.
I cried with him, just like all the others.
''I promise you."
Rose and Tiffany were taken to a remote part of San Jose. There, Dr. Martin had bought a large house, a private clinic, luxury class. We were not allowed to go there for the time being.
Dr. Martin asked us to get fit ourselves first, and we did all that thanks to him; he really helped us a lot. And he also took care of us.
We had all been on the verge of separating, but now it worked again. Rose's parents were together again; The boys met again and studied together. Well, I kept a bit apart because my two friends were unfortunately not with me.
I visited the boys every now and then, but I didn't really want to stay with them. I needed time alone. Tyler was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared from the face of the earth.
I didn't talk to Sophia either, But I didn't care. I tried to keep myself busy and rest. I also spent a lot of time with my mother. I also visited my grandma more often.
I hadn't seen the boys for almost a whole week, and I was feeling a little better. Only at night, it was terrible when I was alone in my room, there I thought a lot about Tiffany and Rose.
Both were gone. Oh God, what if they get married, then I would also be so old and bitter, alone?!
''I'm forever alone," I sighed.
I turned on my swivel chair and glanced at the clock; It was just about seven o'clock in the evening. I was back home; my parents were both at worked and out of boredom, I had started to study math.
Yes, I had gone crazy.
Me, Hani, didn't even learn math when I was forced to, but hey... I have to do something. Just as I was about to pick up my calculator, I was interrupted by the ringing of my doorbell. In seconds I threw my calculator aside and ran to the door.
When I opened it, however, I was astonished. Jin was standing in front of it, with flowers in his hand and Sammy on a leash.
"Hey," he greeted.
Confused, I stared at him; he was alone. What was he doing here alone?
He handed me the flowers, which I accepted gratefully, but still, I was confused.
''You haven't come to us for a long time. Are you okay?'' he scratched his head sheepishly.
I blushed, ''Yes, I'm fine," I answered shyly.
OH MY GOD! JIN IS HERE?! MY FANGIRL HEART IS KILLING ME.
''I'm glad to hear that. Do you want to maybe go out with me ... and Sammy for a bit?" my heart was jumping for joy.
Okay, I had to calm down, ''I'd love to," my voice sounded squeaky, and that made me feel really embarrassed.
Jin, however, was such a gentleman and didn't make fun of it. I put the flowers in a vase and then put on my shoes. We walked a bit and then sat down in a bistro; Jin invited me. When he ordered something, I took a closer look at Jin.
He looked better, had meat on his bones again, and didn't seem inactive anymore; It was nice to see that he was getting better.
But wait ... Not that I had gotten fat? Oh god! Maybe I had gained weight because I was constantly snacking.
Unobtrusively, I looked down at myself. I didn't look fat, but I saw something different. OH, GOD! I WENT OUT WEARING SWEATPANTS!
I look like the last bum; I'm sure my hair isn't done either.
I grabbed my phone and looked at myself hidden on the screen; My mouth remained open... I am so ugly; I needed to hide.
I put my hands over my hair and tried to hide my face. I hadn't noticed Jin the whole time, not until he was standing next to me, staring at me with his arms crossed, "What are you doing?" he asked, tilting his head. Pull yourself together, Hani!
''I have to hide; no one should see me. You are so pretty and fine dressed. And I look like the last bum," yes, and again my mouth was faster than my brain. I smacked my mouth shut. Did I really just say that out loud?
Oh, ground open and pull me down to the core of the earth.
Jin ran his hand over my hair, gently smoothed it down, and then placed a small flower behind my ear, "You are beautiful, Hani, don't worry about it," he smiled slightly.
And I started squealing, which made him laugh. Finally, my heart wouldn't take it anymore.
Sammy tapped over to me and sat on my lap. He barked softly.
And I had to laugh now. After all, I was acting like a toddler.
Tiffany and Rose would have laughed their heads off long ago. Suddenly I became calm again.
Rose and ... Tiff...
"Here you go, your order."
A delicious Hawai Pizza and a Coke were served to me. With my mouth open, I stared at it. All the things I liked were there.
"This is my favorite pizza, and I like to drink Coke," I said in amazement.
Jin smiled gently, ''I once had a conversation with Rose ... And she told me that you like that kind of stuff," he said.
''WOW! And you remembered that?" my mouth remained open.
"Yeah, I remember a lot."
Wow... I couldn't stop being amazed, "Am I dreaming right now, or did I fall on my head and hallucinate?" I mumbled.
Sammy bit me lightly.
''No, you are not dreaming," Jin assured me.
''Wow," was all that came out of me.
''School will start soon. Are you studying well?" he asked.
I nodded dreamily.
"Wouldn't you rather come and study with us?"
I raised my hand and grabbed my head, ''Yeah, but am I wanted?" I murmured.
''Of course," he smiled gently.
''Oh god, stop it, or I'll die," I waved the air at myself, which made Jin laugh, ''You are always required, Hani."
My heart was racing; I was going to have a heart attack, that was for sure.
After the beautiful meal, Jin accompanied me home. He reminded me again to come over, and I just nodded happily.
That had just been unexpected and nice.
Screeching, I ran into the house. My mother was startled, but I didn't care. I was happy.
Another month passed, and we all slowly got used to everything again. The school was also regular. But, we had to put the missed stuff ... in extra hours. Since the school did not want us to repeat a year unnecessarily.
Therefore, the school days were long and exhausting. The school made a small exception; they could have a crash course when they got back and then write the exam because they were still out. Tiff and Rose were brilliant; they would make it!
Unfortunately, Rose still wasn't awake, and Tiffany still wasn't talking, which really scared me. I know Dr.Martin had everything under control, but still.
''So you can all go home. Thank you for coming. Please arrive safely and be careful," the teacher ended the lesson.
It was 8 p.m; The teacher was overdoing it again, but I didn't care, as long as we graduated in the end. I packed my things and looked behind me; both chairs were empty. Tylers and Roses.
It was a strange feeling...
Sighing, I walked out of the building; at the school gate, John surprised me.
"Hey," he greeted.
''Hi, John. Long time no see," I smiled at him.
''How are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine; what are you doing here?"
''I just thought ... I wanted to talk to you because ... it's been a long time, and I heard on the news what happened," he sighed, "I hope I'm not pushy, but I just wanted to know how you were doing."
''You are pushy," I heard someone say.
I turned around and saw Jin, next to him, Sophia.
"Who are you anyway?"
Jin came next to me and pulled me protectively.
''I don't want any problem; calm down." John raised his hands.
"I don't care," Jin hissed, "Come on, Hani, let's go. Sorry, you had to wait, but I still had to help my teacher," Jin pulled me with him; I turned around and saw Sophia talking to John.
''Jin, what are you doing?" I asked, confused, ''He didn't do anything," I tried to object.
''You can see he's a player. I don't want guys like that approaching you."
My heart jumped; I grinned to myself, " Oh Jin, it sounds like you're interested in me," I joked.
"Maybe I am," he stopped and looked deep into my eyes.
I definitely wasn't expecting that answer, "B-But what about Rose?" I asked in shock.
Jin didn't look surprised, as if he didn't mind that I knew he loved Rose.
''Tyler is with Rose; I admit I still love her very much, but I won't interfere. And besides, it's better for all of us," he explained.
''I don't want to be your distraction," I said seriously.
"Do I look like the type to take any girl as a distraction?" he also asked seriously.
I blushed and slowly shook my head.
''Well, I'm glad you know that. Because I'm not going to joke around,'' he grinned and escorted me home.
''Oh Lord..." I just mumbled in shock.
This was crazy.
A whole year had already passed. There was nothing new about Rose and Tiffany, no improvement and no awakening.
It was just bad; things were not going well. But instead, we were moving forward. We had all graduated.
Dean managed to gain fantastic marks in the finals, which is why he was immediately accepted for college. He wanted to complete his wish and put it into practice; he would start soon and study veterinary medicine.
While the rest of us had applied for the police. And we were all taken. So, okay, I would do my training at the administration, but hey, it worked too. Sophia would not take over her father's company; she had also applied to the administration.
I still didn't talk to her, but maybe we could improve our relationship? Also, it seems like she had gotten together with John.
I don't think she deserves him, but well .... where the love falls... Jin and I aren't together yet, but something was developing between us. I was sure of it.
"Guys, we made it through school," Noah cheered.
We were all in a bistro celebrating our graduations.
''Finally," Dean sighed with relief.
''Congratulations, doctor," Bryan praised and laughed.
''Soon. I'm not one yet."
''You will be," Jin nodded proudly.
Both of them had studied together every day; The effort was worth it.
''I have news from Tyler," Caleb held his phone in his hand, ''He also graduated," he showed us a certificate, and I was amazed. This bad boy also had an excellent score, "Too bad he went to a private school."
''Well, he had to take over his father's company. So it was only a matter of time before his father shipped him off to business school," Dean muttered.
''He wanted to be a policeman, too," Noah looked sadly at the floor.
''I think he will also look good in a suit working as a CEO," I said aloud, ''He fits on such a level. So, maybe he will like it," I added.
''Ah, so you like men who are big shots," Jason joked.
Oh no... now the teasing began.
Jin stared at me the whole time.
''Come on, guys, stop it," I begged desperately.
Jin started coughing and made the boys stop embarrassing me. Once again, he had saved me, but ... then he stepped next to me and looked at me meaningfully after a while.
"So ... you like men in suits?" he asked with a grin on his face.
Oh Lord, I hope a bolt of lightning strikes me dead.