"Is it okay if I talk to you?" He said, his voice obviously sick. His voice sounded congested and very raspy.

"Uh, okay." I squeaked, still shocked he was talking to me, no matter all my efforts to avoid him.

"Are you okay? Natalie told me what happened." He said, making my eyes widen.

Did he know about Jason? About what he did?

"What did she tell you?" I sucked in my breath, leaning back on my bed.

"She said you were hungover and depressed." He said, chuckling softly at the end of his sentence.

I sighed, relief flowing through me. I didn't want him to freak out over what happened.

"They said the same for you." I fought back a smile, chewing on my nails.

"Yeah I fucked myself up."

I pinched the skin on my thigh. I hate how right now, all I wanted was to be there with him.

"I'm sorry Noah. I feel like if I had just listened-" he cut me off.

"It's my own fault." He rasped, not letting me finish my sentence.

"I'm getting what I deserve right now. I'm sorry you're not feeling well." He finished.

My breath began to shake, I bit my tongue to avoid making a sound.

"Are Ryan and Natalie still there?" I asked, my voice low.

"Yeah, I'm using Ryan's phone."

Was I really about to forgive him? No. Don't forget he went with Ashley three times. He betrayed me.

But he said he had no choice, she was blackmailing him?

"Can you tell me what Ashley did?" I got up from my bed and went to shut my door, turning the lock. I sat back down on my bed, grabbing the brush and running it through my hair.

"She would've turned me in to my uncle if I didn't sleep with her. She told me to not tell you." He said slowly.

"Okay. Are you still talking to her?" I chewed on the inside of my cheek, awaiting his answer.

"No. I broke it off." He sighed, choosing his words cautiously.

"Is she turning you in?" I asked, concerned.

"No, I think I'm okay." He responded.

There was a long silence, we both didn't know what to say to eachother. So, I said what I was feeling.

"I want to forgive you. But I just can't see you the way I used to. I-" My voice unexpectedly broke, I choked up.

"I know. I fucking suck and I hate myself for doing that to you." He said, his own voice getting deeper.

"I- I just need more time. I'm sorry." I pulled the phone away from me, trying to conceal my cries.

Fuck. I hate him. So much.

But I Love him.

"Don't apologize." He said.

"I just wanted to hear your voice." He sniffled, I couldn't tell if it was because he was sick or he was on verge of tears.

"Bye Noah." I composed myself, trying to talk over the lump in my throat.

I didn't give him a chance to respond and I hung up, breathing heavily. I set the brush down and laid down on my side.

My eyes shut, I really didn't want to cry anymore.

I focused on breathing, putting my hand over my chest. My heart was beating rapidly.

It still feels like a fresh wound whenever I think about it. The fact that Ashley did that to him; to us. Was she really that sick in the head? To ruin a perfect relationship? Why Noah, of all the men in this world.

She just couldn't resist him. And I absolutely despise her for it.

I can't imagine the emotional wreck Noah is right now, I can admit he's doing worse than me. It must have been difficult, hiding from me and sneaking out, having to face me every day after fucking her.

But it takes two to tango. He could've told me, I would've helped him. I would've set that bitch straight and taught her to shut up. If only he had told me...

My mouth was dry, my eyes were teary. I put some music on, hoping the lyrics would distract me. I need to stop thinking for a bit.

No matter how much I tried to sleep, I just couldn't. I tossed and turned for almost an hour before I finally began to doze off.

*I was in a hallway, an unfamiliar place. I walked down the hallway, not sure of where I needed to go.

I heard voices of children, laughing and loud footsteps.

I saw a small boy and a girl running at me. I smiled down at them as they ran past me, tripping over their shoelaces.

"Come on mommy!" The boy exclaimed, dashing past me. He couldn't have been older than 8.

My eyes widened, were they talking to me? Am I their mom?

The girl stayed on the floor, looking at a small scrape on her knee. I bent down, watching her eyes tear up. she looked about 5.

"It hurts mommy." She whimpered, looking up at me.

"I think I have a bandaid here." I reached into my purse and pulled out a small bandaid, sticking it on her.

"It was your shoe's fault." I laughed, grabbing her laces and tying them. She laughed with me, her small voice making me smile.

"Come on, Hurry up." The boy appeared around the corner, looking down at me and the girl. They were siblings.

"I told you to tie your sister's shoe!" A familiar voice shouted behind me.

"She was too slow." The boy replied, sticking his tongue out at the girl.

"That's not an excuse, idiot. She could've gotten hurt" The voice behind me got closer, I whipped my head around.

"Whatever. She's fine now." He scoffed and rolled his eyes, staring up.

I gasped softly as I stared up at Noah. He didn't look much different, except his hair was a little shorter. He still looked perfect.

"You need to start taking care of your sister." He reached down and ruffled the little boy's head. The little boy growled, moving away from his father's hand.

The little girl laughed, making me look down at her.

She stood up and ran down the hallway, making the boy run after her.

"Tie your f- damn shoes!" Noah shouted at him, the boy ignored him.

"I hope he falls on his ass." He said as he helped me up from the floor.

I laughed as we both walked down the hall behind the kids.

"Did she hurt herself too bad?" He said to me, holding my hand as we walked.

"No, the blood just freaked her out I think." I smiled.

"That's funny." He chuckled. I smiled at the sound of his voice.

I didn't feel sad or hurt, even if I tried to dig deep for these emotions. They just weren't there. My mind was empty.

I heard another familiar voice, followed more little screams. There were thumping footsteps and laughter.

"I'm gonna get cha'!" Audrina appeared from the corner, chasing the kids. She sprinted aside the boy, they were racing.

She ran and stumbled over her own feet, falling on the ground.

"Do we need to teach you how to tie your shoes too?" Noah stared down at her.

"I'm good." She stood up, shooting a glare at the boy.

"I know you tripped me." She furrowed her brows at the boy, he stuck his tongue out at her. They ran again, the little girl following as fast as she could behind them.

Noah mumbled something under his breath, suddenly stopping in his tracks.

I looked up at him, confused.

"Noah?"

"Wake up!" His voice faded into a females.*

"What kinda dream were you having?" Audrina laughed out loud as I sat up groggily.

"You kept on saying Noah's name. I should've taken a video." She giggled. I slapped her arm, groaning.

"What do you want?" I said, unamused.

"You've been asleep for a couple of hours. We ordered pizza." She laughed and walked out of the room.

I thought to myself after she left the room.

The dream was so vivid, I forgot it was a even a dream.

Was that what my future could be? Children? With Noah? I tried to remember their faces but it was all blurred.

All I remember was their voices. Even Noah and Audrina's faces were a blurred memory. I was even starting to forget what happened. What were we talking about?

I shook the dream out of my head and went to wash my face. It's better if I forget it. It's just a dream.

I looked out the window, it was already night out. Tiffany and Audrina were watching some type of horror movie, evident by the screaming tv.

--