What Makes It Wrong for Us to Fall in Love?

Garrett's eyes were shifting around, then he spotted me. "Jess,"

Pat turned around and looked at me too. "Hey,"

"Hey," I gulped.

"What are you doing there?" Pat asked the same time Garrett asked "Why aren't you watching Stephen?"

"Stephen--" I started, then I stopped when we saw John driving up the parking lot and pulling over a spot.

He hopped out of the car with the other guys doing the same thing from the main cargo.

"Jess? Garrett? Pat? What the fuck are you guys doing here, why aren't you watching Stephen?!" John asked angrily.

"Jess, are you.. Crying?" Kennedy immediately hugged me.

"Kennedy," I cried.

"Hey, hey.." Kennedy tried to calm me down. "What's going on? Don't tell me Stephen died."

"He didn't," I mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Kennedy kissed my forehead. "Talk to me, Jess. What's wrong?"

"Stephen." I managed to say. "Stephen."

"Did he wake up?"

I nodded into his chest.

"Well, isn't that a good thing?"

I shook my head. "No. He hates me. He's mad at me and he hates me and he wants me to just go fuck off, I can't fucking do that, he's my best friend.."

Kennedy pulled back and wiped my tears off. "No. He's just being a dick, Jess, he's fucking around."

"He's not." I cried. "He's not, Kennedy, he fucking hates my guts--"

"John, wait!" Josh yelled after John shoved the Taco Bell plastic into his hands and ran off the moment he realized that I was talking about Stephen and how he already woke up.

Brian ran after him, and so did Josh. Garrett just started walking off to follow them with Pat and Jared, and Jawn contemplated about whether he was even gonna go. Then he shrugged and went off anyway.

Kennedy kept holding on to me. "Jess."

"I can't believe it.. And.. He even told me that maybe I shouldn't have called for help in the first place, he told me that maybe I should've just let him die.. Kennedy,"

"Jess, it's okay, it's okay. He probably just needs some time--"

"How much time does he need?!"

"I don't know,"

"See?" I put my hands around his wrist and pulled his hands away from my face, when I felt that he only had one bracelet on his wrist. "You and Jawn.. You guys made up?"

Kennedy nodded.

"At least this is working out for one of us.." I tried to smile at him but I failed a split second later and broke down into more tears.

"Jess, oh God." Kennedy hugged me tighter. "I don't know what to say, I am so sorry. Things will work out."

--

"Love is hell, love is hell," I heard Stephen hum as I entered the room.

He was humming it with Garrett, who was seated beside him with his phone.

Stephen looked up to the door, and the moment his eyes caught mine, I looked down immediately and tightened my grip on Kennedy's hand.

Kennedy sent me an assuring look before he and I sat down on the chairs.

The nurse finished the check-up and the doctor said he could leave in a couple of weeks.

He was lucky. doctor whoever said.

Stephen's heart almost failed for a couple of times.

And he stopped breathing a lot.

And he still made it through that.

I was so ready to jump off the hospital rooftop if he didn't wake up.

If he really died.

Because it was either I had him in my life or I didn't have a life at all.

It was so unfair for Kennedy.

It sucked how I forgot all about him when it came to Stephen.

It sucked how the Cali days with Kennedy ended so abruptly. Kennedy wasn't ready for it.

Neither was I, and I was terrible at coping.

Kennedy was talking to Jawn when I decided to just take a nap.

I scooted my chair over to Kennedy's, and sat beside him. "Can I sleep on your shoulder?"

"Don't even ask." He laughed lightly and kissed my forehead before letting me lay my head on him.

--

"This is good." Jared?

"Sh, be quiet, Jess's gonna wake up." Kennedy.

"But I gotta say, this is really nice of you guys." Jared continued.

"What's nice of us?" Jawn.

"How you guys made up."

A couple of sighs, then Kennedy's voice again. "Jess is just going through a lot of shit right now, Jawn and I're trying not to add to that."

"Took a girl to break us, took a girl to fix us. It's pretty simple." Jawn said.

"Thank you guys so much for trying to be strong for Jess." Josh then said.

Pat's voice followed. "Is Stephen serious though,"

"I'd hate to say it, but he really is. He's in so much rage right now. Against Jess, I mean. He's just hurt.. We're all just hoping he's gonna get over this."

"What about John?"

"Him? He's legitimately hurt, there's no way he's going to get over this. Stephen, maybe, but John? He almost lost his brother. He won't let it go, I swear. Just.. I owe you guys big time for being strong for Jess. Seriously, thank you."

"Don't sweat." Pat lowed his voice down. "Garrett's sort of pissed right now. He's being open since I sort of already know the truth. He wants me to stay out of Jess's problems.. And I sort of can't do that. I love Jess, I care about her."

"We all do." Brian spoke up. "We all care for her."

Kennedy talked more. "Which is why we're not letting her face this alone."

"And because we all know that she doesn't deserve to be in this much pain. I know she's done tons of bitchy things, but we can all forgive her for that because she's a girl and we don't know what goes on in her head."

"Here's the thing," Brian spoke up again. "Jess is the best girl friend any of you will ever have, trust me on that. Not girlfriend girl friend. Girl friend as in friend that is a girl. And I know she gets herself in a lot of shit, but that's what friends are for, right?"

"They pull you down in the mud with them instead of letting you help. That's how it works with Jess, and I just really wanna thank you guys for not giving up on her." Josh grumbled. "It means a lot."

"One thing though," Pat interrupted. "Stop thinking it's because she's a girl that she's like that. It happens to everyone. To me a lot of times, but that's why I'm thankful I have at least someone I can trust, even though he's mad at me right now."

"Exactly." Kennedy agreed. "And right now, the person she's trusted the most is turning her down because he's mad at the moment. So we have to be there for her, alright?" I felt Kennedy kiss my forehead. "Jess, can you hear this? Can you hear us? If you can.. Just know this: We love you and we won't let you face this alone."