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A hysterical laugh threatened to bubble up, scalding me like boiling water, but I contained it.

Do not fall apart, Aiden. You can’t afford to fucking fall apart. Not now.

“Kace, have you been taking your medication?” I asked, attempting to sound gentle. Considering the fact that nine times out of ten, I came across as an asshole no matter what I did or said, my attempt at adopting a soothing voice failed epically.

Kace’s head snapped up, his eyes shooting more venom than I ever remembered seeing from my best friend. “Fuck off, Aiden.”

“No can do,” I retorted, tossing the pill bottle in his direction. It bounced off his head, landing firmly on his bed. He didn’t make a move to grab it. To be candid, he didn’t make a move at all, simply glaring at me as if he was imagining ripping me apart limb from limb.

“This doesn’t fucking concern you,” he seethed, and I released a heavy sigh, suddenly feeling unbearably tired.

“You’re my best friend, man, and I’m not fucking leaving without you,” I said simply. He opened his mouth to protest, but I continued before he could. “And if both of us don’t leave, you can bet your ass that Bianaca won’t leave either.”

It was a low blow, using the name of the girl I knew he had strong feelings for, but it was the only thing I could think to do. I could tell it worked when he flinched, his face draining of all color.

“And if she did go, do you really think she’d survive by herself?” I continued, twisting the knife. “I know you don’t give a damn about your life…” My throat closed with emotion, thinking about all I’d already lost. Josie… “And you may not care about my life either, but I know you care about hers. I can’t tell you what to do, but…” I moved forward until I could reach him, clamping my hand down on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “We need you, man. Take your pills, pack up, and get your shit together. Don’t fall apart on us right now.” I finally moved away to grab my backpack from where I’d thrown it on the floor. Kace watched me with vacant eyes as I emptied it of all school supplies, sliding it onto my shoulders.

“Where are you going?” he whispered, finally lifting his head. His red hair fell over his eyes, but he didn’t lift a hand to brush the strands away.

“Grabbing food for the road,” I responded, already walking towards the door. “I don’t know where the hell we are or how we got here, but apparently, we still have to fucking eat. Who would’ve thought that death made you so hungry?”

Bianaca was waitingfor me near the entrance of the cafeteria, her foot tapping against the white tiles and her arms crossed over her chest. Despite the irritation splayed across her face, her eyes were wary, flickering from hall to hall as if she expected a teacher to rush around the corner and yell, “Boo!”

Not a teacher, I reminded myself.

A reaper, come to claim our souls and drag them to Death itself.

Just like Jo—

I shut that shit down fast.

“We need to be fast and quiet,” Bianaca hissed as soon as I was within earshot. I gripped her arm, pulling her with me until we were past the cafeteria and heading towards the backdoor of the kitchen. She glared at me, attempting to yank her arm out of my grip, but I simply smirked at her.

“What’s wrong, princess?” I taunted. “Trying to break free?”

“Yes, you asshole,” she hissed, turning her vitriol filled eyes onto me. “Why do you have to be such a dick?”

A witty retort jumped to my lips, but surprisingly, that wasn’t what left my mouth. It was something softer, more vulnerable, and I instantly wanted to slap myself. “Because I need to make sure nothing happens to you. I refuse to lose anyone else I care about.”

Fuck.

Her eyes widened, lips parting, before she seemed to regain her bearings.

Huffing, she allowed me to drag her along, no longer struggling. If anything, she leaned further against me, allowing me to catch a whiff of her vanilla and honeysuckle scent. When I was going through her shit last night, I noted that she had honeysuckle body wash and vanilla perfume. Two of my favorite fucking scents. I’d need to make sure she brought both of them with her when we left. Hell, if she didn’t want to carry them around, I would. I didn’t even care if that made me a pathetic, lovesick sap.

I loved her smell.

We were silent as we made our way towards the kitchen. I released her when we reached our destination and held up a hand to get her to stay put. I stealthily moved towards the tiny window on the door and peeked through.

Empty.

Good.

Nodding that it was safe, I pushed open the door, wincing as it gave a slight creak, and then hurried inside, Bianaca on my heels. Only when the door was shut, blocking us off from the hallway, did I release a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“Okay, grab what you can and put it in the bags.” I nodded towards her duffle bag and my backpack. “Remember, only grab canned goods or things with seals.” Because all the rest was fucking poisoned to make us compliant, to make us forget who and where we were.

We worked in relative silence for the first few minutes. I moved to the cupboard, grabbing cans at random, while B found a selection of capped water bottles.