"Rina, take a breather, your album is already released, girl," Aundrea Fimbres grinned, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder as she ran vigorously on the treadmill. "Seriously, you're going to overwork yourself. I don't know one thing about first aid and I don't think you want me doing mouth-to-mouth on you."

"Especially when I don't know where those lips have been," Audrina joked, grinning as her friend feigned hurt. "Oh, Drea, lighten up. I'm fine. I just need to run off some thoughts, some alcohol from last night ..."

"A little hungover are we?"

"If little means a lot, then yes." She smiled, slowing the piece of equipment down before bringing it to a complete stop. "Where's Bree? Still in bed?"

"It's 6AM, we don't have anything to do for the next week and then starting next month we're on a four month break. Where do you think she's at?"

"Definitely in bed with the pillow over her head and blankets piled on top." She took a long sip of her water, looking at her friend as Aundrea's eyes looked her friend over. "What, Aundrea?" She gasped from breath from drinking so long, Aundrea's eyes widening. "Don't you be getting all cautious on me, too. I just drank too much without breathing."

"I know, but -" She stopped, shaking her head. "I do have something on my mind."

"What's that?" Audrina pulled her zip-up cardigan off the rail of the treadmill, tossing it onto her shoulder and headed for the showers, Aundrea in tow. "What's going on in that mind, little lady?"

"You."

"Me? Why me?"

"And JC."

"And JC?" Audrina spun around, eyebrow raised in perplexion. "Why?"

"Well, you told me what he said to you and you really seemed bothered by it. Now, it's bothering me and I really want to find out why."

"Why it bothered you? I don't know. You never dated the guy."

"No, why it bothered you. When something bothers you, it bothers me and I try to fix it but I can't when I don't know what the reason is."

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" Audrina pushed open the locker room door, steam hitting both girls' faces as they stepped into the area by the showers, Audrina disappearing behind a shower door and tossing her friend the clothes she had been wearing. "We're in the middle of a gym, with God knows what on the floor ..."

"We do," she said softly. "This is partially why I woke up this early. "Drina, I know he hurt you back then. I know you hurt him. But it wasn't something the two of you could fix. He wasn't ready for marriage, you were. It could be different now. It could -"

"I don't want to be with him, Drea."

Aundrea looked at the shower door in confusion. "But you said it bothered you."

"Because I had never heard him call me friend before. I was always darlin' or baby. Even girlfriend. Being someone's friend after being in love with them for six years is a weird thing to be handed."

"So you don't love him?"

"Of course I do, I just ..." Audrina sighed, it masked slightly by the heavy falling water from the shower. "I just don't see myself being with him anymore. I don't know if I even love him that way. Some parts of me will always love him, but the others just want to pick up and find someone else to love me and accept me for all my problems."

"I don't think you'll find someone who will."

"Thanks for the support, Drea."

"I didn't mean it like that," she said, exhasperated, "I just meant, I don't think you'll ever find someone who accepted everything like JC did. Who will be able to handle everything that happened, and will happen in your life quite like him. Not only is he in the same business, but he was there from the start, from your problem start. He knows you, Drine. No one else ever will know that vulnerable part of you like he does."

"So basically, I'm gonna be an old maid."

"No, you just won't ever find someone as good as him that can take care of you the way he does."

"Can you please get my towel from out of my bag in the locker?"

"Which one?"

"The only one that's closed."

Aundrea turned on her heel, careful not slip. "I'm just saying that -"

"I can't take care of myself? That no one is good enough for me besides him? That I should just throw my life away and not get married because he didn't want to?"

Aundrea turned, her friend's head poking out from the top of the stall. "That's not gonna happen, Drea. I waited four years to see if he was ready, but two more years later, he wasn't. I'm not waiting sixty years to get a marriage proposal."

"Maybe he didn't think you were ready."

"He knew I was ready by the time I hit 23! We talked about it Drea. He just didn't want it. He doesn't want to be tied down like that. Relationships are one thing, but he doesn't want to be responsible for another person living under his roof."

"For the last year and a half of your relationship, you lived with him. He took care of you, he fed you, he bought you nice things! That's taking care of someone, also known as: responsibility!"

"Yeah, well, apparently, even that couldn't change his mind." Her hand appeared, taking the towel Aundrea gave her and opening the door shortly after. "I could have a dying wish to be married and he'd still say no. It's just something he won't budge on and I wasn't going to waste my time or his being in a relationship that wouldn't go the way neither of us wanted."

"Well, after seven years, it's common-law marriage," Aundrea joked, seeing the look her friend gave her, "well, it's true! My aunt and uncle are married by common-law! One more year and you would have technically been married!"

"I didn't want to trap him into anything he didn't want to be a part of," Audrina said softly. "That's not who I am. If I don't find someone, then so be it."

"If I were a lesbian, I'd marry you."

She laughed, rummaging through her bag for her clothes. "I love you too, Aundrea."

"If it were legal, I'd marry you."

"I know, I know; you and Bree can't get anough of me."

"Don't you know it," Aundrea grinned, plopping down on the bench on the other side of her friend's gym bag. "So how do you feel today?"

"Tired," she said, looking at her. "I didn't take the medication yesterday -"

"Drine -"

"I knew I was going to drink, so I didn't take it because I knew it'd have a really bad affect. But I took it this morning and I'm just physically exhausted. It's like my mind wants to go, but my body is lying on the floor begging to sleep."

"And mentally?"

"Exhausted. Excited. Eager."

"Lots of E's today, my dear."

"It's been the longest day, I want to know how my album is doing," she shrugged. "I'm nervous. I know compared to four years ago, it will be a flop compared to my other albums because of digital downloads and whatever, but I want to know if it sold good, if the majority of my fanbase stuck by me."

"Well," Aundrea bit her lip, looking at her friend, "I talked to Diddy last night and he said the earliest he could find out is five days from now. Maybe four. He said from his understanding, there were people lined up at Virgin Megastore in New York waiting to buy the album from the time we were at TRL and on. Probably earlier, but he hadn't been in New York until the evening."

"Excited to go on tour?"

"It's only a three month tour to get warmed up. World tour doesn't start until October."

"Well, it's still a tour," she smiled, looking at her friend as she pulled away the towel, pulling on her t-shirt. "You're going all across the nation."

"I know ..."

"Don't be so excited, Drine."

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired," she shrugged, sitting down and pulling on her tennis shoes. "You think you can take me home? I don't think I'll be able to drive."

"Sure." Aundrea studied her friend's paled and tired face, worried. "You're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You're listening to your body?"

"Yes," she said, voice barely there as she yawned. "I just overworked myself. Thinking about things and that medicine."

She watched her friend place a hand to her chest as she took a deep breath, knowing the sudden symptom of palpitations. If something happened when she was alone ... "You want to me hang around after we get to your house?"

"No, I'll be okay," Audrina said, looking up at meeting her friend's gaze. "The fluttering was only momental. Sometimes exercise does that to me. Worked my heart a little too much."

She was desperate. "Please?"

"Drea ..."

"I just don't want to go and be home alone right now," she said quickly, watching as her friend's perfectly plucked eyebrows raised in disbelief. "That, and I'm playing a worried friend. Just let me come and stay for a little bit for my own benefit."

She sighed deeply. "All right. But I'm telling you, I'm fine."

"I'll believe it when you stop clutching at your chest," she replied. "Are you sure you're okay? Should I call your doctor anyway?"

"No. I'm good. I told you why it happened."

"Okay." She trailed behind her friend, watching as she literally dragged her feet out of the locker room and into the main lobby, the receptionist smiling. "Finally leaving, huh? You must be a ball of energy this early in the morning!"

"Sometimes," she said softly, waving as she pushed the door open weakly.

Aundrea bit her lip. Palpitations. Weakness. Being tired. Pulling out her Blackberry, she pulling out a new SMS message and promptly contacted JC.

I think we've got a major issue.

Never the early riser, she didn't expect a message back until a few hours later. When she reached her car, Audrina leaning up against it and yawning dramatically, her phone vibrated. She pulled it out quickly, scanning the message and jumping when she heard her friend's curious voice.

"Bree up?"

"Yeah, she says hi. Jumping in the shower and may come bring lunch later."

"Okay."

She watched her drop and lift her head in a lazy nod, getting in the car as she looked down.

What's going on? Aubree break a heel again? lol

She pulled away from the intersection, pushing the gas slightly to hurry to her home, pushing the code for her gate and driving quickly to the front door. "Drine, we're home. Why don't you go lie down and I'll grab a movie?"

Audrina opened her eyes, nodding. "Okay. Don't take too long 'cause I may fall asleep."

She smiled. "I won't. Don't forget the slow one is Aubrey!"

"Almost forgot," she said, giving her a lopsided grin. "Pick a good one."

"I will." She watched her friend go into the house, she cutting the engine and looking down at her phone.

This is me freaking, Drea. Call me.
NOW.

Aundrea took a deep breath, dialing his number and putting the phone to her ear, waiting for him to pick up. When he did, it was a frantic JC. "I told you not to freak, Jace."

"Who said I was freaking?! I'm not freaking! What's going on? What's she doing? Why isn't she listening to herself?"

"Because it might be nothing, I'm just being a worried friend here, Jace."

He was silent for a minute, she hearing him take slow intakes of breath. "Okay," he said, she picturing him calming himself down, "breathing. Her breathing is normal?"

She sighed. "Yeah. But she was at the gym all morning and I think she overworked her body, Jace. You know she can't push herself the way she used to and I saw her grab at her chest, I saw her inhale to try and catch her breath -"

"Palpitations. But that could be brought on by stress or caffeine."

"She did say she was there to work off stress and had a lot of things on her mind."

"Then, she's probably okay. She does know her body, Drea."

"Yeah, but she could barely even open the door without using her entire body."

"Exhaustion. She's had a long few days. And I'm sure working out didn't make it any better."

"True ..."

"It's good you called, Drea. You're watching her, just keep watching her. Watch her breathing, that's the only thing you can really do. If it becomes erratic, you need to call an ambulance. She knows when something is wrong, just trust her. She's got the drive to live, she's not gonna let herself get horribly sick."

"Okay," Aundrea said softly, shakily, "okay. She and I are going to watch a movie, but I think she'll be asleep even before I get up there to put it in the dvd player."

"Call me in an hour or two. Let me know how she is. Usually if those symptoms are legit, something will happen in a short time so -"

Short time. Aundrea got out of her car, slamming it and pushing the alarm on it as she ran into the house, grabbing the first movie she saw and made it up the stairs, seeing her friend sitting on the bed, covered up completely in her blankets. "I forgot my keys. Be right back!" She tossed the dvd to her, Audrina laughing. She'd ask why later.

"She's all right."

"Like I said, just watch her."

"Okay."

"Call me later."

"Bye." She hung up, taking a calming breath and heading back up the stairs. "Drina?"

"Earnest Scared Stupid?"

She blushed. Maybe a little more time taken to grab a reasonable DVD would have worked. "Hey, it's a classic," she fibbed, jumping up onto the bed and bouncing slightly, Audrina's bed much softer than the one she had. "Besides, from the looks of it, you're going to go to sleep anyway, right?" She glanced over, seeing her friend already lying on her side facing her, eyes slowly dropping. "You okay?"

"Mmmhmm," she said softly, voice a low hum. "Enjoy the movie, Drea."

Aundrea watched her friend bury her face into the pillows, eye just visible as she chuckled. Getting up and putting the movie in, she smirked to herself. She hadn't watched this since she was like, 8. Sitting back down on the bed, she curled up beside her friend, eyes studying her face in caution. Was she really okay? Or was she not wanting to see what was going on with her own body?

She closed her eyes, making a silent prayer that it was just the mothering instinct in her making her overreact rather than something actually being wrong. She didn't realize how tired she was, because as soon as her prayer was done, she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, sleep fighting it's way beneath her lids.


Audrina dreamt that she was sitting on the tour bus. But it was different. She was sitting on the bus in 2003. JC was sitting on the couch, her head in his lap as his hands played with the hairs by her face, laughing as he looked down and talked to her. In once instant, she was pinned on the floor, he pinning her wrists above her head as they both laughed, she squirming beneath him as he called for her to call truce. She denied him of that, somehow regaining her strength and managing to wiggle slightly free, he laughing as he grabbed her again, pulling her into yet another pin, face merely inches away from hers.

"Say 'uncle'."

She stuck her tongue out slightly, shaking her head. "Never."

Grinning, he grabbed both of her wrists with one hand, using the free one to begin tickling her, she sreaming in protest. "Now are you gonna say it?"

"Jace, I'm gonna pee myself, stop!"

"Say it!"

"JC!" She screamed his name then, he laughing and putting his mouth to hers, silencing her as she slowly gave up her fight with the poking in her sides, also giving in to his kisses.

They were warm, passionate. The one hand still held her wrists, but the other had stopped tickling her, it now running gently up and down her side, moving in rhythm with his lips. But suddenly, they were suffocating, she was scrambling to breathe, frantic to inhale but he wouldn't let her go. She hit him, struggled, his mouth still on hers. The world was going black, her heart was racing. Suffocating. He was trying to kill her.

Aundrea woke up shortly after the movie had ended, her phone beeping and bed moving slightly. Glancing over, seeing her friend's eyes flutter in dream, she smirked, reaching for her phone that was lying beside her.

Is she okay?