Aria’s POV 
———
The hospital room smells like antiseptic and faint traces of coffee, a weird mix that’s become my new normal since I opened my eyes. The beeping of the monitors has faded into white noise, a steady rhythm that’s oddly comforting, like a heartbeat I can lean on when my own feels too shaky to trust. My wrist throbs under its cast, a dull ache that flares every time I shift, but it’s nothing compared to the mess in my head.
Three days since the accident, and I’m still piecing together the wreckage of what happened, both the literal crash and the emotional fallout that’s been piling up since.
Mom’s perched on the edge of my bed, her soft hands smoothing my hair like I’m five again, her doctor-mode dialed down to just “Mom” today. Kai’s sprawled in the chair by the window, scrolling his phone, but his eyes keep darting to me, checking, like he’s scared I’ll vanish if he looks away too long. Dad and Allie headed back home yesterday because work called them away, though Dad hugged me so tight before he left I thought my ribs might crack, and Allie muttered something about kicking my ass if I didn’t get better soon. Typical family chaos. But it’s just Mom and Kai now, my anchors in this sterile sea of white walls and IV drips.
———
I woke up to Mom’s face hovering over me, her eyes red-rimmed but shining with relief. “Aria, oh thank God,” she’d whispered, her voice breaking as she clutched my hand.
Kai had bolted out the door, yelling for the doctor, and within minutes, the room was a flurry of white coats and stethoscopes. They checked my vitals, asked me dumb questions like “What’s your name?” and “Can you follow my finger?”... stuff I could’ve answered in my sleep, if I hadn’t just been out for three days.
When they finally cleared out, I turned to Mom and Kai, my voice scratchy from disuse. “What… what happened? All I remember is that the banner falling.”
Mom squeezed my hand, her doctor-calm kicking in as she explained. “Honey, the banner frame snapped, hit you hard. Concussion, fractured wrist, a nasty cut on your head. You’ve been out for three days.”
“Three days?” I’d croaked, my head spinning. “Seriously?”
Kai nodded, leaning forward, his usual cocky grin replaced with something softer, worried. “Yeah, sis. You scared the hell out of us. Zianne was here when it happened, she said Ethan got you to the ambulance fast. Your friends have been in and out, checking on you. But Ethan… he’s been here the most. Barely left your side until he had to go back to Inkwell for work today. He was a mess, pacing like a lunatic, freaking out every time the doctors came in.”
My stomach flipped, a weird jolt of shock and something else... something warm and confusing cutting through the fog. “Ethan?” I’d whispered, my voice barely there. “He… stayed?”
Mom smiled, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. “Of course, sweetie. He’s always looked out for you, ever since you were little. Treats you like his own sister, you know? He was so worried, he kept asking the doctors a million questions, hovering like he thought he could fix you himself.”
Kai chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, and Mom here turned into Dr. Grey, MD, barking orders at the staff like she owns the place. They let her get away with it, though... guess they figured a worried mom who’s also a doctor gets a pass.”
Mom swatted his arm, her laugh shaky but real. “Oh, hush. I just wanted to make sure they were doing everything right. You’re my baby, Aria. I wasn’t taking chances.”
I’d forced a smile, nodding along as they filled in the gaps, how Dad had been a wreck, how Allie threatened to sue the university, how Kai drove like a maniac to get here. But my brain snagged on Ethan. Three days unconscious, and he’d been here, worried sick?
The guy who dumped me four days before that, who’s now dating Professor Davies, was pacing my hospital room like some tortured hero? It didn’t add up. I wanted to be mad, furious, even but hearing that softened something in me, a crack in the wall I’d built to keep him out. I hated it. Hated how my heart still stuttered at his name, how I couldn’t just hate him clean and simple.
———
It’s late afternoon now, sunlight slanting through the blinds, casting stripes across my hospital blanket. I’m picking at the edge of my cast, lost in the tangle of my thoughts, when the door swings open and a tidal wave of noise crashes in. My friends... Zianne, Jiro, Arkin, Aiden, and Troy pile into the room, all grins and teary eyes, their voices overlapping in a chaotic symphony.
“Aria!” Zianne squeals, lunging at me for a hug that nearly knocks the wind out of me. “You’re awake! Oh my gosh, don’t ever scare us like that again, you hear me?”
Jiro’s right behind her, waving a
paper bag like a trophy. “Yo, Sleeping Beauty! We brought your fave food, double cheeseburger and fries from that diner you love. Hospital food sucks, so we’re smuggling the good stuff.”
Arkin’s quieter, hanging back with a small smile, but his eyes are soft, relieved. “Good to see you upright, Aria. You had us freaking out.”
Troy nods, his usual chill vibe intact but warmer. “Yeah, man. Glad you’re back.”
And then there’s Aiden, stepping forward last, his lopsided grin hitting me right in the chest. He’s got this look... half mischief, half something deeper and he flops into the chair beside me, ruffling my hair like I’m his kid sister. “Told you you’re too stubborn to stay down. Took a banner to the head and still kicking, huh?”
I laugh, a real one that bubbles up despite the ache, and swat his hand away. “Yeah, well, takes more than a giant sign to take me out. But… thanks, guys. For real.”
They swarm me, piling onto the bed and chairs, a mess of hugs and chatter that fills the room with life. Mom and Kai step out to grab coffee, giving us space, and I’m grateful because they don’t need to hear this part.
Zianne’s shoving fries in my face, Jiro’s reenacting some dumb fight he had with a vending machine, and Aiden’s sketching something on a napkin, probably me looking like a hospital zombie. It’s loud, messy, perfect. Them being them, pulling me out of my head for a minute.
But then the mood shifts. Zianne’s grin fades a little, and she leans in, her voice dropping. “Aria… we gotta tell you something. About the accident.”
My stomach tightens, fries turning to lead in my mouth. “Yeah? What?”
Arkin takes over, his calm vibe steadying the room. “When it happened, Ethan freaked. Like, full-on lost it. He was the first one to you, shoving that banner off like it weighed nothing. Offered to drive us all here, didn’t even hesitate.”
Jiro nods, his usual smirk gone. “Yeah, Professor Ramsey was a wreck. For three days you were out, he was here more than anyone. Barely slept, kept pacing, asking the doctors stuff. And back at Inkwell? Zianne saw him in class, he’s been a total zombie, all distracted and off. Like, he cares, Aria. A lot.”
Aiden’s quieter, his jaw tight as he doodles, but he looks up, his eyes meeting mine. “He was messed up, yeah. Doesn’t change what he did, breaking your heart like that. I’m still pissed at him for it. But… I saw it. He was scared out of his mind when you went down.”
I blink, my head spinning, fries forgotten in my lap. “He… he stayed? For three days?”
Zianne nods, her voice soft but firm. “Yeah, girl. Kai and your mom thought it was just him being all big-brother protective, but we know better. He wasn’t just worried like a professor. It was more.”
My chest feels like it’s caving in, a flood of emotions crashing over me... confusion, anger, this stupid, stubborn awe I can’t shake. “I don’t get it,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “He dumped me. Said he didn’t want us. And now he’s with Davies, right? Why would he—”
“Exactly!” Jiro cuts in, throwing his hands up. “It’s messed up! Guy’s dating Davies four days after breaking your heart, but he’s here acting like you’re his whole world? What’s his deal?”
Aiden’s pencil stops, his voice low, edged with something raw. “Maybe he’s playing both sides. Or maybe he’s just a coward who can’t pick a lane. Either way, he doesn’t deserve you stressing over him.”
I bite my lip, tears prickling my eyes, but I blink them back hard. “I wanna hate him, you guys. I do. He broke me, and now he’s with her, and it’s like… like I was nothing. But then you tell me this... he stayed, he cared and it’s messing with my head. I don’t know what to feel.”
Zianne grabs my hand, squeezing tight, her eyes fierce. “You feel whatever you need to, okay? Be mad, be hurt, be confused, it’s all valid. He’s a jerk for what he did, but that doesn’t mean you have to figure it out right now. You’re alive, you’re here, and we’ve got you.”
Arkin nods, his voice steady. “She’s right. Ethan’s a mess, but that’s on him. You just focus on getting better. We’re your squad, Aria. No professor drama’s gonna change that.”
Troy chimes in, quiet but solid. “Yeah. And you killed it at the symposium before this crap went down. That’s what matters.”
I manage a shaky laugh, swiping at my eyes. “You guys are gonna make me cry, and I’m already a mess. Stop being so… nice.”
Jiro grins, tossing a fry at me. “Never. You’re stuck with us, hospital bed or not. And when you’re out, we’re throwing the biggest party! Screw Professor Heartbreaker, screw Davies, just us and a ton of junk food.”
Aiden smirks, nudging me with his elbow. “And I’ll draw you something epic, like you as a superhero kicking that banner’s butt. Deal?”
“Deal,” I say, my voice wobbly but real, a tiny spark of warmth cutting through the chaos. They keep talking, joking, filling the room with their loud, messy love, and I let it wash over me, soaking it in like sunlight after a storm.
But even as I laugh, Ethan’s text burns in my mind, his face when he said “I’m proud of you” at rehearsal, the way Kai said he stayed. It’s a tangle I can’t unravel... anger, hurt, and this dumb, lingering ache that won’t let go.
I want to hate him forever, to shove him out of my heart and lock the door. But hearing what he did, that he was here, scared and broken while I was out… it cracks something open, a sliver of awe, of what-ifs I can’t face yet.
I don’t know what it means. Maybe I never will. But right now, I’ve got my friends, their chatter a lifeline pulling me back from the edge. Ethan’s a shadow I’ll deal with later, tomorrow, next week, whenever I’m strong enough to face it.
For now, I lean into my friend’s shoulder, munch on fries, and let myself feel the messy, heart-warming truth...
I’m not alone. And that’s enough to keep me going, cast and all.