>You shake your head at the pathetic sight that lay before you.
>You and Aria did share great memories in the past, there was no denying that.
>But that was all they were at this point in time.
>Just moments in the past, forever lost in the  numerous amounts of struggles you have gone through to try and help Aria.
>Every effort, all your good intentions had been wasted.
>And for what? Some girl who couldn't cope with the fact that the real world is far less unforgiving than high school?
>Aria shut herself out from the outside, squandered every chance she was given, and ignored the world that was beyond a 10 mile radius of her house.
>She was too stuck in her own ways. And you were sick out if it.
"You know Aria, if you had said that a week ago, or even yesterday, I would have believed you..."
>She looks up at you, eyes wide with shock and misery.
>"No....Anon....p-ple-please...."
"But after what I've seen from you today, I don't think I will ever think that to be the case."
>She wraps herself around your legs in a sad attempt to prevent you from leaving.
>"ANON PLEASE DON'T *hic* LEAVE ME ALONE. I N-EE-EE-ED YOUuuuu"
>You pry her arms off of you and push her away, turning for the door.
"But I don't need you. Goodbye Aria."
>She tries grabs hold of your legs once more, but the emotional wreck she was, could barely hold on without slipping.
>Howls of sobs and tears rang through the apartment as you open her door and walk out.
>Before you close the door, you take one last look at the girl you had known for so long 
>Reduced to a sobbing pile of depression and tears, muttering your name through bouts of sobs, hiccups and begging in a final effort to make you change your mind.
>You slam the door shut and turn away, walking through the complex that was echoing with muffled cries from Aria's apartment.
>Never once did you look back on the way out.
>You weren't even halfway back to your apartment before your phone starts buzzing incessantly.
>It's without a doubt from Aria, still trying to make amends for her previous disappointments.
>Yet you still reach into your pocket and pull your phone out to see.
>Indeed it is her, and she's already sent 5 long winded text messages.
>"Anon, I'm so sorry about what happened earlier, but please I promise I can change. I would do anything to change if it meant that you would stay in my life. If you could just come back to me, I'll show you that I can do it. Just please, please, don't leave me..."
>Her begging makes you frown, and you just delete the message and slide your phone back into your pocket, not bothering to read what else she sent.
>A part of you did think that she would eventually change. But you weren't going to be around for that.
>You had tried too many times and given her too many second chances to forgive her.
>She was going to have to make it on her own, or not make it at all.
>Your phone buzzes again, so you quickly yank your phone out and set it to silent, and return it to its spot.
>She had sent another message, but you didn't even bother to look at it.
>Your frustration with her would most likely be made worse by the constant begging.
>Making it to your own apartment, you key into the building.
>You look behind you to make sure Aria hadn't followed you all the way, and shut the door.
>The climb to your own room felt like an eternity, as your mind was still consumed by thoughts of Aria.
>Every single memory you two had shared came flooding back to you.
>You shake them off, remembering that those times were long gone, and you had no intention of trying to create new ones at this point.
>Unlocking your door, you step into your apartment to appreciate the cleanliness and the fragrant smell of it.
>You close your door and throw your keys onto the stand next to the entrance.
>Admiring the work you had put into your apartment, you walk over to the couch in the small living room and plop down.
>You sigh with content; feeling like your whole body is lighter.
>Like a heavy weight on your chest had suddenly disappeared.
>You knew exactly what that weight was, as well.
>Remembering your phone, you hesitantly pull it out, as if it was some sort of vile, disgusting creature.
>You take a look at the screen, and immediately regret doing so.
>Aria: 18 messages
>3 Missed Calls: Aria
>3 New Voicemails
>You shake your head in frustration and throw your phone to the other side of the couch, you resolve to not look at your phone again for the rest of the night.
>You flip on the television to block out the thoughts that were swimming in your head.
>After an hour of endlessly flipping through channels, you feel your stomach start to call out for sustenance.
>You get up and head over to the kitchen.
>A picture on the small table next to the couch makes you stop.
>It's a picture of you and Aria.
>You gingerly pick it up and look at the captured memory in contemplation.
>The two of you had gone paintballing for the day, and participated in a competition for a trophy.
>You and Aria devastated all the opposing teams, taking 1st place and a handsome sum of money.
>In the picture, the two of you are triumphantly holding up the large trophy, carrying your paintball guns in your other hands.
>The photo brings many mixed emotions; happiness, sadness, and anger.
>Anger overwhelms the other two, as you walk into the kitchen and chuck the picture into the garbage can.
>The rest of your evening was largely uneventful.
>You had fixed yourself some fish tacos and spent the rest of the night watching B-grade criminal justice shows.
>Aria had entered your mind once more, as you thought of her enjoying this kind of garbage.
>You quickly force that thought out of your head, and occupy your mind with corny cops and criminals.
>After countless episodes and fictional people killed, you feel your eyelids start to get heavy.
>You reach over to check your phone for the time.
>Aria was calling just as you had grabbed it, so you immediately rejected the call and glanced at the time.
>It was almost midnight, so you decided to call it and head to bed.
>You go about your routine; brushing teeth, pissing and changing your pajamas.
>As your making your way to your bed, your phone screen lights up one more time, notifying you of yet another call..
>You sigh as you see that it's unsurprisingly Aria once more.
>You angrily grab your phone, reject the call, and add her to your blocked list.
>Slipping into bed you pull the covers over your head and let sleep overcome you.
>Deep in slumber, you dream that you are surrounding by a dense fog.
>Every you look is veiled by the mysterious mist. >You hear a familiar voice call out to you in the fog
>The voice was barely audible, couldn't have been more than a whisper.
>"Anon..."
>You turn around to what you believe the source of the sound is, but all you find is more fog
>It starts to thicken even more.
>"Anon"
>The voice is louder this time, and you recognize who it belongs to.
"...Aria?"
>"...Anon, please don't leave me...."
>You spin in circles to try and locate her, but the fog surrounds you everywhere.
>As you're searching, you hear her voice directly in your ear, causing the hairs on your neck to stand on end.
>"I'm nothing without you Anon...You're mine"
>You feel hands cover your eyes, swallowing your vision in darkness.
>You awake violently, sitting straight up in a cold sweat.
>Quickly scanning your bedroom, you breathe a sigh of relief as you find that you're the only one there.
>You lean forward and cup your hand in your heads, trying to shake the last tendrils of your sleep from you.
>After several minutes, you shift over to the edge of the bed and push yourself to stand.
>You stretch the sleep out of your joints and pick your phone up to check the time.
>Aria: 25 Messages
>7 Missed Calls
>6 New Voicemails
>You groan in frustration, and begrudgingly decide to listen to the voicemails.
>You put the phone to your ear and prepare for her quivering sadness.
>"You have. Seven. New messages. First New Message."
>You bear through 4 voicemails filled with nothing but begging and empty promises.
>You're about to just delete the remaining messages, when the 5th message starts to play.
>"Anon....D*hic*Do you remember when you *hic* first me-meet me?"
>It had been while, but you remember it.
>It was after the battle of the bands. You had found her all alone at the local park during your jog.
>Tears were running down her cheeks as she sit all by herself on a bench, a streetlight as her only companion.
>She had a switchblade to her wrist and....
>No.....
>"Anon....y-you saved *hic* me that n-night....and I h-had always wan*hic*ted to repay you for what you did....but I just failed you again and again....I'm sorry...."
>No. She couldn't.
>You feel your entire body start to shake.
>"A little p*hic*art of me h-hopes tha-that you come and*hic* save me again...."
>You throw whatever clothes you find and yank your shoes on.
>As you're about to sprint out the door the 6th message starts to play.
>It's quiet at first, the only sound is of running water.
>But then you hear Aria's breathing.
>It's weak and cracked, but it's definitely hers.
>She breathes slowly.
>And then she starts to sing.
>"I....hurt m-myself.....today..."
>You throw down your phone and blitz out the door.
>You fly down the stairs as fast as you can, tripping over yourself several times.
>"T-to....se-see...if I....still...f-feel..."
>You almost fall face first as you make it to the base of the stairs, but you catch yourself with your hands, sending ripples of pain up to your elbows.
>You barely register what had happened as you shoot back up and push through several people crowding the entrance to the building.
>"I focus....on...the...p..pain....the only....thing th-thats...real...."
>You shove everyone on the pavement out of the way in a panicked rush to hopefully save your former friend.
>"Th-the ne....needle...tears...a hole...the....old.....familiar.....st-sting...."
>Despite the amount of people that are present on the sidewalk, you navigate through it with ease.
>You had to save Aria. She needed to live. 
>"Try to kill....it...all....away..."
>You reach her apartment building and burst through the door.
>You were going to save her. She was going to be alright.
>You would tell her she was stupid and hold her tight and never let her go.
>"But I remember......everything..."
>You carry yourself up the stairs as fast you can.
>She was going to be alright.
>"What...have I....beco...my...sweetes...friend..."
>She was going to be ok.
>"Everyone I....know...goes away...in...the end"
>You reach her door and try the doorknob.
>It's unlocked, and the door opens.
>You barrel through the entrance and look around.
>Her place is even more of a mess.
>You take another step in, and your shoe squishes.
>The rug is soaked through with water.
>You listen closely, and hear running water coming from the bathroom.
>You run over to the door and try to open it, only to find it's locked.
>You bang on the door.
"ARIA OPEN UP NOW. PLEASE"
>"And...you can....have it all...my empire...of...dirt"
>You bang on the door harder.
>"I will....let......you....down......"
>You take a step back in the hallway and rush at the door.
>"I will.....make......you....."
>CRASH
>"......hurt....."
>...
>No...
"Aria..."
>The bathroom floor had a thin layer of water on top of it, the source of the leak coming from the still-running tap in the bathtub.
>And in the tub, lay Aria, motionless and limp.
>A straight edge razor floated aimlessly around underneath the tub
>The water had streaks of dark red trailing from her wrists as what little of the life force that had once remained in the girl slowly trickled out of her open veins.
>Her head floated listlessly above the water level in the tub, her hair going in every single direction and even hanging over the tub.
>You fall to your knees, not caring that your pants become soaked.
>Your pants were nothing compared to the loss that you have just suffered.
>You feel tears form in your eyes as you struggle to maintain your composure.
"Aria.....why..."
>But as soon as you said the words, you already knew why.
>It was your fault.
>She needed you to stay, and you abandoned her.
>You killed her.
>The tears are flowing freely down your face and down to the floor below, mixing with the lukewarm water and the blood.
>The only words that are able to escape your lips her name and muttered apologies.
>After several minutes you get up from your kneeling position.
>You walk over slowly to turn the faucet off.
>As you do so, you notice that Aria's other arm is loosely clutching something.
>It was rectangular in shape and 
>You shut the water off, the only sound that permeated through the apartment, and all that was left was the soft dripping of the water over the lip of the bathtub.
>You reluctantly reach out to grab whatever it was that she had held onto before she died.
>Seeing what it is, you lose all semblance of control and huddle into the corner of the bathroom, completely breaking down.
>In her hand, she held the framed picture of you and her with the paintball trophy.