jaeden's POV
"jaeden sweetheart, how was the beach with makeely?" my mom said. we were sitting at the dinner table with our family friends, the ganbeirgs.
i looked up from my plate and smiled.
"it was really good. jackie took some good pictures of us." i answer.
"who's makaylee?" hope, the ganbeirgs eldest daughter asked, saying makeely's name completely wrong.
hope and i used to have a thing, we're the same age, we grew up together. we dated for a year. but i cut it off when i met makeely.
"my girlfriend and her name is makeely." i answer. her eyes widen, then she smirks.
"is she as pretty as me?" she asks innocently. my fists clench under the table.
"now that's quite enough hope, jaeden, please tell us more about her." mrs.ganbeirg smiles at me.
i smile back silently thanking her for stopping her daughter.
"she's great, amazing actually, she's not like the other girls. she doesn't have a skinny frame. she has beautiful curves. she has these freckles that are all over her body. her hair is this rare strawberry blonde color and she has the brightest blue eyes." i explained.
"how did you two meet?" mrs. ganbeirg asks and i smile.
"we ran into each other in the hallway when someone pulled the fire alarm.
she nods, opening her mouth to ask another question but is cut off by my phone ringing.
i apologize and step out of the dining room to answer my phone, it was jackie.
"hey jackie, what's up?" i say answering the phone.
"jae-" she chokes. my eyes widen.
"it's makeely she got sh-shot" she stutters and my heart drops.
"where are you??" i almost shout into the phone.
"westfield hospital. tell the rest, please hurry." she says. we say our goodbyes and hang up.
i run into the kitchen where hope and my mom were, putting the dishes away.
"mom." she didn't respond. she was talking to hope.
"he might need tutoring, maybe you cou-"
"MOM!" i scream, she turns around. her face mad.
"jaeden wesley lieberher, that is not how you speak to me while i am having a c-"
"mom! makeely got shot! i need a ride to the hospital!" i shout and her eyes widen. she drops the wine glass that she was holding, and i watch as it shatters to pieces on the ground.
she collects herself and apologizes.
"hope, do you mind cleaning this up sweetie? i need to get my shoes." my mom asks and hope nods.
i shaking as i watch my mom leave the room. mrs, and mr. ganbeirg walk into the kitchen wide eyed.
"is everything alright son?" mr. ganbeirg asks placing a hand on my shoulder. i shook my head as my mom walks back into the room with her purse and keys in her hand, shoes on her feet.
"susan, jack, you'll have to forgive us, makeely, jaeden's girlfriend has been shot, i have to give him a ride to the hospital. you can stay here as long as you'd like, i will be back shortly." my mom says and they nod understandingly and we rush out the door.
once we were in the car i was crying. tears rushing from my eyes. my mom was speeding. i remembered i hadn't told the rest of our group so i had to call them.
they were all together tonight, but makeely and i canceled because we both had plans.
i unlock my phone through blurry eyes and hit chosens contact.
i held the phone to my ear as i sobbed.
"hello?" chosen says answering the phone.
"put it on speaker chosen." i demand and he says okay.
"you're on speakerphone. everything okay jae?" jack says.
"makeely got shot, i'm h-heading towards the westfield hospital right now. get here asap." i choke out. i hear gasps and it only makes me cry harder.
"i'll drive, we'll be there soon jae, hang tight." chosen says and hangs up.
i feel a hand on my cheek. i look over to my mom and she too has tears in her eyes.
"everything's gonna be okay jae, she's strong, stronger than you know." she says and i nod.
once we pulled into the parking lot i got out of the car and ran straight for the doors.
"makeely stevens??" i say to the receptionist. she types something into her computer and shakes her head.
"she's in surgery you ca-" the lady was cut off by someone shouting my name.
"jae!" my head turns towards the sound and see mac and jackie walking towards us.
i run towards them and they envelope me in a tight hug.
"wha-what h-happened?" i stutter, mac and jackie were in tears.
"a robber came into the diner we were eating at, they had a gun jae, i took my phone out to call 911, but he pointed the gun at me, he tried shooting me, but makeely jumped in front of me. she saved me..." mac chokes out. tears stream down our faces.
"makeely stevens??" i heard wyatt ask the lady at the desk.
"guys!" i scream standing up, mac and jackie stood as well.
all the groups head moved towards me.
they ran towards us and i was once again enveloped in a hug. they we all crying. mac and jackie joined the hug as well.
once we settled down we took a seat in the waiting room.
an hour had passed and no one said anything.
"is anyone cold?" wyatt asks.
we all nod, including jackie. she was shivering.
"chosen, can we go get those blankets from your car?" wyatt says and chosen nods.
i look down at sophia in chosens lap. she was asleep.
"i'll take her." i say and he nods. i get up and slowly pick her up from chosens lap, then walk back to my seat and sit down.
they both get up and walk out of the hospital.
minutes later they walk back into the waiting room with ten blankets and a couple pillows.
chosen hand ones to me, jack, and jeremy, and wyatt hands one to mac and jackie, and finn and liz, liz was also asleep.
chosen takes sophia back from me and i take a pillow and place it behind my head and spread my blanket across my lap.
*
"makeely!" i wake up to screaming. i open my eyes and i see liz on the floor crying in Finns lap.
"she had a bad dream." wyatt whispers to me and i nod. so was i. i thought.
"hey jae, how you feeling?" mac whispers as he watches jackie sleep peacefully.
i shrug.
"i keep thinking of how much i wish i hadn't left early. it should've been me. ya know?" i say to him. tears swell up in both our eyes.
"you can't blame yourself jae, this was something no one could've prevented." he says. i nod, still feeling the blame.
*
"mackenzie stevens?" a small voice says. my eyes open to be faced with a doctor.
he was standing in front of mac jackie and i. mac nods signaling that was him.
i quickly sat up and woke up the rest of us.
"she's awake, but the surgery didn't go as planned. we found a blood vessel on her heart that got tangled with the bullet. it's lodged in the vessel now and she will soon bleed out. giving her only a couple hours to live." he explained.
liz started to sob. tears formed in all of our eyes.
"why can't you just remove the blood vessel connected to the bullet?" chosen asks. the doctor sighs.
"it's connected to the heart meaning if we removed it, blood flows would stop going through the heart to help it pump on its own." he explains. i take a breath.
sophia was crying in chosens chest, liz into finn's, jackie into macs.
"can we say our goodbyes?" i choke out. he nods. i get up from my seat and so does everyone else.
he leads us to a room and he stands in front of it.
"only a few at a time please." he says and we agree.
"you guys can go first." mac says. the group walks in. liz and i proceed to follow them in but mac stops us.
*
a half hour later they walk out. tears in their eyes.
"you can go in now." they say and we nod. liz looks at me, tears streaming down her face. i lock our fingers together to convince her everything will be fine.
we walked in and i saw makeely's body laying there. she was pale. her chest had a wrap around it. my heart ached as i looked at her.
mac and jackie walked up to her first.
mac and jackie were in tears, makeely was sobbing. i hates the sound of her sobbing. it broke me to hear her cry.
soon enough after liz, mac and jackie had said their goodbyes, it was my turn.
i walked up to her bed and took a seat.
"hi beautiful." i say looking at her blue eyes still sparkling through the pain.
"hello my handsome man." she says softly. i choke out a sob filled laugh.
i shakily took ahold of her hand, it was cold as ice.
"you can't do this." she says. i look up.
"do what?" i ask confused.
"cry, feel sorry for me. i did this to myself. i chose to jump in front of my brother." she says. i close my eyes, forcing the tears away.
"you can't leave us!" i say a loud. she closes her eyes, squeezing my hand.
"i'm so sorry jae. i love you so much." she cries out. i hug her and calm her down.
"i only have a little while left, will you lay with me?" she asks. i nod and climb into the bed with her.
i played with her strawberry blonde hair. she looked up at me. "i love you." she whispers kissing me. i knew what was coming. if i let go she'd be gone.
i felt a stray tear fall down her cheek.
i wiped it with my thumb once i let go of her lips. "i love you keely." she smiles, a genuine smile. her blue eyes sparkle.
she squeezes my hand once more before she closes her eyes.
the steady beeps that makeely was hooked up to now only made one long beep.
nurses ran in.
my eyes filled up with tears. i was pulled off the bed. i stood in the corner. not moving.
*
it had been three days since makeely died. on our two month anniversary.
i stayed in my bedroom. never once left. i haven't eaten since that day. i wasn't hungry.
i walked over the keyboard in my room and start to play makeely and i's song.
i start to sing.
"when i wake up to your footsteps, as you get up out of bed.
they make a song that sounds so simple, but it dances in my head.
a melody so perfect, that it gets my through the day.
and the thought of us forever, is one that will never go away.
all i need to know is, where to stop, take my hand and show me forever, so never will i ever let you go.
so let's hold on together, to this paper and this pen, and write down every letter, to every word we've ever said.
all i need to know is, where to stop, take my hand and show me forever, so never will i ever let you go.
let's write our story, and let's sing our song,
let's hang our pictures on the wall.
all these precious moments,
that we carved in stone,
are only memories after all -"
i was cut off when someone knocked on my door.
"leave me alone." i groan. there was another knock.
i groan again standing up and opening the door. i was faced by mac, jackie, and liz.
"we're going to lunch, and you're coming with us." liz demand. well.