Hello~!

The first part is optional to read, really.

But whatever.

Day by day

Before.

"You have to tell him sooner or later" Eddie said, not looking at her, his hands on the wheel of the car.

"No I don't" Mara answered, her eyes fixated on the window, looking outside the car, towards the other passing cars and lights of the night.

"Mara." Eddie said his voice firm as he risked a glance at her. He could see the bags under her eyes, her lips pale. She looked thinner than she was before, her hair thinner as well. She looked like she was always tired. "This isn't fair to him or to you for that matter!"

"Shut up and just keep your eyes on the road" She said, her voice weak. She tried to shake the thoughts that were on her mind away but she couldn't help but remember the blue eyes that haunted her thoughts. Memories flooded back to her and she could feel the tears building up inside her and her vision now blurry. She took a deep breath and as if on cue, a single tear escaped her eyes. "Eddie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." She said, her voice almost a whisper

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," He said, and saw the tear on her cheek. He felt his insides turn and droop. "You should apologize to Jerome."

"I know" She replied, "but I can't. It's too late."

"It's never too late."

"For me it is."

After.

"Jerome, I have something to tell you" Mara said, her voice laced with sadness as she spoke.

She looked up at the blonde in front of her and she wanted to turn on her heel and run away. She couldn't do it. Both stood near the parking lot of the University, the cool fall breeze hitting their senses, making shivers run down Mara's spin.

"What is it?" Jerome asked, suddenly serious. He knew his Mara was never this serious, unless there was a major problem.

"Please… just, don't be upset" She said

"What? Why?" He arched an eyebrow at the girl as he looked down at her. Confusion visible on his face but it was overshadowed by concern when he noticed a single tear run down his girlfriend's face. "Mara, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Jerome, I wanna break up" She chocked out the words. It felt wrong, saying those words to him. Get a grip, it's for his own good. She reminded herself.

"What?" He asked "You're joking right?" When she shook her head, looking down on the concrete pavement, he felt is heart stop beating. "W-why?" He managed to ask.

"I guess I just don't love you anymore" She lied, the words felt like acid as they poured out of her mouth.

"Mara, you can't be serious, right?" His voice almost broke as he tried to finish the sentence without crying "This is a joke, right? You're not serious."

"I'm sorry Jerome" She replied "I'm serious."

"But why?"

"Like I said, I guess I just don't love you anymore" She said.

"Mara, I know that's not the reason" He said, taking a step toward her but she backed away when he tried to reach out to her, like he was poison. Poison that would kill her just by the mere touch. "Please, tell me, what did I do wrong?"

"Nothing." She said, it was true. "I… Just, please, just get over me."

She tried to turn her back, ready to walk away but he grasped her wrist with his hand, making her stop in her tracks.

"Give me a valid reason first, Mara" He said, tears finally dropping down into the pavement. "Please."

She didn't even look back at him before pulling away her wrist and continued to walk away.

~O/~

"Honey?" Mara's mother asked as she walked into her room. She noticed the dim lights and saw her daughter curled up on her bed, trying to stifle her cries. "Are you alright?"

"No." Mara replied shortly. Jerome, I'm so sorry

Mrs. Jaffray walked over to sit next to her daughter. Mara turned to look up at her mother as she shifted so her head was lying on her mother's lap, as her mother stroked her hair.

"It hurts so much" Mara said after a moment of silence.

"I know, darling" Mrs. Jaffray said, still stroking her daughter's hair, trying her best to comfort her by the little gesture. "But, you said it yourself. You don't want to hurt him. You don't want him to know." She said quietly. It had been almost a week since the break up and Mara was still in a state of despair. "It's the only way."

More tears slid down her cheeks and she could remember how he looked the day after their break up. He looked so tired, his eyes red as if he has been crying, he looked stress and when Mara took sight of him like that, all she wanted to do was run up to him and hug him. To say that she was just kidding and she still loved him but she couldn't.

"When's my next appointment?" Mara asked sitting up and facing her mother with a tear stained face.

"This Friday after your classes" She replied with a sullen expression, Mara looked down at her mother's hand and saw piece of her hair. She turned her eyes to the floor and there were even more pieces of her hair.

More tears escaped her and she hugged her mom, who tried whispering soothing words, as she tried to hold back tears of her own. But failing and both just held each other while crying.

~O/~

"Eddie!" Mara called as she walked over to the guy and giving him a big hug

"Hey, Mara" Eddie greeted as he returned the hug. "Nice to see you back in the dorms"

Her expression changed suddenly, the small smile that was on her face a few seconds ago was now gone. As if it was never been there before.

"Well, don't get use to it" She said, tucking a stair hair behind her ear.

Noting this, Eddie felt guilt instantly.

"Oh. No Mara, I'm sorry." He said "I was just–"

"It doesn't matter" Mara tried to smile but she was too weak to even accomplish such a small thing. "I'll be out again on Saturday."

Both were quite, not really sure what else to say.

"Mara! Eddie!" Both turned at the mention of their names and saw their friends walking towards them with smiles.

When they were there, the engulfed Mara into a group hug and exchanged smiles.

"It's good to see you, Mara" Patricia said

"Yeah, we missed you" Joy commented.

"Especially me" Alfie added "I had no one to copy of off during Ms. Debny's class"

The group emitted into laughter and even Mara couldn't help but giggle. She stopped when she met someone's gaze. Jerome.

He leaned against a tree on campus ground and his eyes never left her. She could feel her heart stop and it was getting harder to breathe. She pulled Eddie's arm and whispered in his ear. Jerome glared daggers at Eddie as he saw this.

How could she be over me that fast? He thought bitterly.

He sighed deeply as he saw that the group was already walking into the building.

He decided to get back to his class and was just headed to the opposite direction when a girl whose skirt was too short that it was qualified enough to be a belt. Her red hair ended in soft curls by her shoulders as she smiled seductively at him.

"Hey" She said looking up at Jerome through long lashes. "I know I sound to straight forward but I heard you and your girlfriend broke up–"

She didn't get to finish her sentence because Jerome had pushed past her and walked away as if she never even opened her mouth to speak to him.

"Hey mate, are you alright?" Jerome heard someone say and he turned to look at Fabian as he tried to keep up with Jerome's long strides.

"Ecstatic!" He replied bitterly before rolling his eyes

"I… uh… I'm sorry about you and Mara" The words splurged out of Fabian's lips.

"I don't need your pity, Rutter" He said and kept walking, leaving Fabian behind.

~O/~

Jerome woke up with a groan as he tried to search for his phone in the dark. He answered it without even bothering to see who was calling. His head ached, a hangover in the midst, he had spent all of Friday night drinking and reliving memories that he shared with Mara.

"Hello" He said.

"Jerome." He recognized the voice. Fabian.

"What do you want, Rutter?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"It's Mara; you need to get to the hospital, now." He replied, a little hesitant with his words.

"What?" That caught his attention "The hell happened to Mara?"

"Just, come. Okay?" Fabian's voice was strained "Ravenwood Memorial Hospital. She needs you."

"Why are you calling me?" He asked, remembering Mara had another boyfriend but concern still lingered on his mind.

He could hear Fabian chuckled darkly "She was right, you can be stupid sometimes. Just, get over here. Now!"

Before Jerome could comment, he heard the dial tone.

After a moment of pondering, he decided to go to the hospital, mostly concern over his Mara.

His Mara. He shook his head, remembering that she wasn't his anymore.

~O/~

"Did you call him?" Mara asked as Fabian stepped inside the hospital room.

"Yeah" He nodded. His stomach crunched as he saw the sight of Mara. So pale, so thin, hair almost gone. She looked so weak, so breakable.

"How do you feel?" Eddie asked as he held Mara's hand. He sat on one of the chairs on the side of the bed.

"Just, lovely" She tried to smile

"Where's your parents?" Fabian asked as he walked closer to the two

"On their way" She replied "They had to pick up my sister from the airport. They'll be here before I die."

"Hey, no!" Eddie protested "You're not gonna die!"

Mara smiled a little at her friend's optimism "Don't try to deny it anymore, Eddie. I have cancer, stage four. I'm not going to last longer than this day."

"But if the operations successful you can last longer!" Fabian practically yelled, the fact that this operation could either help Mara live longer or kill her made him feel sick. "Don't give up Mara, don't give up on you. Don't give up on Jerome."

Her expression changed and neither Eddie nor Fabian could read what she was thinking.

"Is he coming?" She asked

"Yeah, I told him too." He replied.

She turned to look at Eddie and took his hand.

"Give him this just in case" She said, slipping a ring into his hand

Eddie nodded and suddenly the door opened to reveal Mara's parents with her sister, who was followed by doctors and nurses.

She swallowed. This was it.

After saying their good lucks and exchanging kisses and hugs, Mara was already in the operating room.

~O/~

Operating room.

Jerome read as he walked over to ask the nurse at the counter for directions. He ran and turned to make a sharp turn, he saw Mara's family and Fabian and Eddie.

They all had long faces. Mara's mom seemed to be praying and he felt his stomach turn.

What was going on?

Eddie was the one who walked up to him.

"Hey" He greeted

"What going on?" Jerome asked "Where's Mara?"

"Inside" Eddie replied

"Why?"

And as Eddie explained to him what happened, only a few words clung to his mind.

Mara.

Cancer.

Dying.

Broke up with you because she didn't want you to know and get hurt.

It stung and he felt like his heart was being poked by a thousand tiny needles.

"She said to give you this" Eddie said and handed the silver ring that Mara had given to him "She said to give it to you, just in case but I thought maybe it would help you or something."

Jerome looked down at his palm and tears began to fall from his eyes.

It was the ring that he gave to her for their one year anniversary.

"She really loves you, dude" Eddie's voice pulled Jerome back and he lost all control.

He started punching the near wall and a few screams but he was stopped by Eddie and Fabian.

"Come on, dude" Eddie said "Nothing going to change if you bit up that wall up."

The three distanced themselves from Mara's family as they all sat around each other, not emitting a single word.

All fell into silence except for the few sniffles of cries from Mara's mom and sister.

All were hoping, praying, for something.

A miracle.

Suddenly a doctor walked out of the operating room with a sullen expression.

He talked to Mara's parents, shaking his head a few times as he explained what happened, and the three boys already knew what he said as Mara's mom fell into her husband's arms and cried.

She was gone.

Hello people of fanfiction~!

HAHAHAHAHA

Sometimes, I wonder what authors do after killing off a character they know everyone in the fandom loves.

Like, do they celebrate that they made people cry?

Do they have tea and biscuits?

Do they relax and try to think of more emotional scarring thing to do to the readers ?