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Dedication: Naramatilda for the amazing cover! Thank you!

Recap:

It all happened so fast.

Someone stood on my back and another person kicked my head. My face smooshed into the grass and I couldn't breathe. After feeling someone's foot connect with me again, my vision began to darken.

Letting my body sag, I closed my eyes, being enveloped into darkness.

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My head was throbbing. My stomach was churning. My body was aching.

Stirring groggily, I blinked, attempting to figure out where the hell I was. It was kind of dark and I could smell something gross. Like mud. Wrinkling my nose, I let out a loud groan.

"Finally!" Marissa suddenly exclaimed, gripping my arm.

Dragging my eyes to look up at hers, I realised how worried she looked. Her auburn hair was messy, one of her braids having come loose. Her make up was smeared and the sequins she made me attach to her face were skewered and mismatched.

She was shivering uncontrollably, which made me realise, it was cold. Really cold, actually.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

Another groan left me as I slowly sat up. I was in a tent with a few beds set up.

There was another person in there. They were positioned on their side, vomiting their stomach's contents into a plastic bin beside them. My stomach lurched at the sight and I quickly looked away, before I made myself feel sicker.

"Like shit," I whined, clutching my head. "What happened?"

My vision was still not quite right. It was like my eyes couldn't focus. My heart felt heavy inside my chest and my limbs felt like they were made of lead. Collapsing back on my side, I realised it was too much effort to hold myself upright.

"Sadie," she said with concern, shaking me. "You need to stay awake."

"Why?" I complained, refusing to reopen my eyes.

"Because you probably have a concussion."

"Good."

"What?" she asked, a voice in a higher pitch than it usually was. "Stay awake!"

She began viciously poking me and I grumbled in annoyance at her persistence. Couldn't she just let me rest?

"She's awake?" a new voice asked as a body emerged into my line of sight. He squatted down eye level to me. "How's it going?"

Owen. Of course.

"Don't ask," I mumbled, snagging the water bottle from him.

I sat up again, with extreme effort, leaning heavily against the pole beside my bed. I took huge gulps of water, almost finishing the entire thing in three seconds. Marissa bit her lip, her eyes round with worry. She was cute, looking after me.

"Sorry if I'm ruining this for you guys," I muttered, feeling like a complete nuisance.

I only came because they asked me to and now I've probably ruined the whole thing for them.

Great friend I was.

"You haven't," Marissa insisted.

Owen's face wasn't quite as casual as it had been when he first walked in. He was looking at me with something I'd never seen him look at me before. Disappointment.

"Did you kiss Josh again?" he asked me, his voice not holding the usual joking tone it normally would.

Wincing, a vague flash back of me being all over Josh in the mosh pit slammed back into my brain, making me feel nauseous. What had I been thinking? And then Casey had saw it.

I stiffened. Casey wasn't there. He couldn't have been. He's dead.

"Not now," Marissa murmured quietly.

"Yes now," Owen snapped. "What the hell were you doing with him? You told me you don't want anything like that, but you're with him? What makes him better than me? Huh?"

The pounding in my head only got worse.

"Sorry," I forced out.

He officially made me feel worse than I had been feeling, which is saying something.

"Come on Owen," she said, tugging at him. "Why don't you go take a walk or something? Clear your head."

Looking severely pissed off, Owen stalked from the tent. I exhaled deeply, faintly able to hear the thumping beat of music from the festival, in the background.

"I'm a terrible person."

"No you're not," Marissa argued, sitting beside me. "Just because Owen likes you, doesn't mean you have to like him back."

I shrugged. "I shouldn't have been with Josh."

She pursed her lips. "Well, yes. I agree. You've obviously taken something. Did he give it to you?"

My silence was taken as an answer.

"Well, I am going to have words with him." she clipped, folding her arms across her chest. "And for you - I don't think that was the smartest move. And thanks for ditching me as well."

I winced again. "Sorry. I'm a mess."

Her face softened slightly. "Sorry, I should be more understanding."

"How can you be when you don't know," I sighed, rubbing my face.

"Know what?"

"About him."

"Who?" she asked. "Josh?"

Pinching the skin in between my eyes, I ground my teeth together. "Nothing. Don't worry."

"Sadie-" she started but I shook my head.

"I just need some time by myself."

Biting her lip, she nodded. "Okay."

With that, she got up and walked from me. A vivid flash back of Casey doing the same slammed in my mind, make a soft whimper leave my lips. Longing to see my best friend crashed into my chest, making it difficult to breathe.

I laid back down, trying to block at the sounds of the guy vomiting about two metres away from me and keep from having a panic attack.

I'm half surprised Josh isn't here. I wonder what he's doing? If he actually cares what's happening to me?

Do I even want him to care?

Smooshing my face into the pillow, I felt my eyes moisten. I didn't cry but I wanted to.

Happy birthday to me.

***

I took the following Monday and Tuesday off from school because I was still recovering from my eventful day at Splendour.

My body had only just stopped aching. I still had bruises, but they were at the gross, yellow stage of healing.

I took a long, scenic walk today, stopping by the coffee shop. After ordering a flat white, I clutched it in my palm as I reluctantly walked to school. I haven't seen or spoken to Josh since.

Definitely wasn't going to be weird or awkward though, right? I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts.

Skulking into school with my head down, I weaved through the people. I had thick, black coat wrapped around my petite body. My long hair was twisted in a plait down my back and I even had gloves on, it was that cold.

After the walk, my body had finally heated up. Placing my coffee at the top of the lockers, I threw my gloves in. I hastily unbuttoned my jacket, feeling a little flustered. The coffee had warmed me up pretty fast, too.

Reaching up, I gripped it in my hand. Turning, I let out a scream, Owen being there. I stumbled back, my coffee tipping it onto myself. Another scream left my lips but this was due to pain. Hot, boiling hot, pain. I screeched, dropping the coffee to the ground and ripping the material of my shirt off my skin.

"Fuck!" I hissed, staring daggers at Owen.

"Sorry!" he fumbled, attempting to pat at my clothes but actually just copping a feel. I slapped his hand away aggressively, narrowing my eyes. "Oh my God, I didn't meant to touch your - ah - sorry!"

"Stop touching me," I snarled, putting my hands up. "Take a step back."

With a silent nod, he did as I said. I fanned my face as hot tears welled in my eyes. That really hurt. I stared down at the mess, my coffee having spilled across the floor. Amelia's laugh rang down the corridor and I flipped her the bird, before slamming my locker door shut.

"Sadie," Owen said in a rush, gripping my arm as I planned to walk away from me. Shaking him off, I continued walking. "Look, stop and listen to me. I just want to say I'm sorry for what I said and how I acted at Splendour. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"Well, you did."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Okay. Is that it?" I deadpanned, still feeling my skin sting.

"And about what I said-"

"Okay, good talk." I cut him off, stomping towards the bathroom.

Grabbing some paper towel, I placed it under the water, before dabbing at my shirt.

Could he be any more annoying? What a good start to the day.

After somewhat cleaning the mess, the stain was distinctly prominent. With a sigh, I wrapped my coat around me tighter, doing up the buttons. Luckily it as just underneath that got soaked, considering I had began to take my jacket off, before Owen basically threw my coffee at me.

I emerged from the bathroom and ran straight into the chest of Amelia. As in my head hit her chest, since she's a giant and towers over the top of me.

"Watch where you're going," she sneered, pushing around me. "Did that coffee get into your eyes too?"

I just rolled my eyes as I walked from her. I honestly don't know what her problem is.

Since I had been hauled up in my room for the past few days, venturing outside again took effort. I wish I had just stayed home. School was getting worse for me. All I wanted was to graduate, was that so much to ask for?

The rest of the day, I was like a robot. I went to class, sat there and then moved when I had to. I was completely emotionless.

Until I saw Josh at lunch.

I froze as I saw him. He threw his head back with laughter and shoved one of his friends off the table. I cocked my head to the side.

Why had he not bothered to contact me?

I know we weren't dating or anything, but we had hooked up. Again. And it was kind of his fault that hectic stuff happened to me and he didn't even bother to send me a message?

With that thought, I strode towards his group. The laughing died down as I stopped in front of him. His smile faltered and I cringed. Did I always have that affect on him?

"Hi Josh," I said. My voice was cool and clipped.

He didn't say anything back.

I just stared at him. "Er- what's up?"

Maybe this was a bad idea. And I hated the attention on me.

"Nothing," he shrugged.

I blinked at him, confused. I thought he liked me.

Wasn't he the one who asked me to his party? Who wanted to hang out with me all the time? What the hell was going on?

"Er," I said, looking around awkwardly. "Can we talk?"

"About?"

"About Splendour?" I said, my voice growing noticeably quieter.

"What about it?"

He looked back at some of his mates and stole an apple from a guy I didn't know. He began laughing again, not even glancing my way.

"Wow." I said to him, my eyebrows raised. "Fuck you then."

Turning my back to him, I marched towards the doors. I pushed out of them, again, running into Amelia.

What has happened to my luck? It's like the day I found out about Casey, all over again. Just a series of horrible things happening all after the other.

"Trouble in paradise?" she asked sweetly.

"For fuck sake," I hissed. "I don't know what your problem is, but if the guys don't like you, it isn't my problem."

"Woah," she said, still a smile on her face. She raised her hands. "I have a boyfriend, thank you. Not that it concerns you."

I stopped. "What?"

She began walking from me and I stared after her, confused as hell. If she had a boyfriend, why was she so adamant on bullying me? I thought it must have been because she liked Owen.

I was so done.

Striding from the school, I marched home, feeling sick in the stomach.

What a weird day.

I wrenched the door open and stopped. No one was home. Which is bizarre, my mother is always home.

She's a writer, so she works from the house. Shrugging, I strode up to my room, prepared to collapse onto my bed and stay there for the rest of the night.

My bedroom door was open. I paused. I always leave it closed.

Walking in, I went to shrug my bag off and a slight scream left my lips.

This day definitely just got weirder.

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Sorry if this is all over the place... I have had such a huge week of work and studying. I'm so tired and basically wrote this half asleep haha so apologies if this isn't very good!

What do you think of Josh acting like that to Sadie?

And what do you think is in her room?

Would love to know your thoughts. :)