This idea randomly popped into my head. If I get seven or more reviews on this, I'll continue. If not, I won't. Aria doesn't know Ezra, and Ezra was never Aria's teacher.

"I need to be with you, Ella!" I faintly heard Byron exclaim as I quickly ran through the deserted hallway towards the hospital room.

What was happening?

I had been in the middle of doing my biology homework when I had gotten a call from Byron telling me to come with Mike to the hospital. He had not explained, but only said that Ella was hurt, before quickly hanging up.

"What's going on?" I quickly burst into the room, Mike following closely behind me.

Ella looked up, flustered from her argument with Byron, who also looked anxious as he watched his wife.

"Mom, what happened?" Mike quickly made his way over to Ella and grabbed her hand as he willed her to tell him what had happened.

"Nothing sweetie, I'll be okay." Ella assured him as she stroked Mike's hand.

"Dad?" I asked Byron with a frightened look on my face, as I noted the IV stuck in Ella's arm. "What happened?"

Before he had the chance to respond, however, the door burst open and a dark haired man who could not be older than twenty-four walked into the room with a bottle of water in his hands.

As the man's eyes quickly searched the room, they suddenly stopped as they landed on mine. My breath caught painfully in my chest as our eyes met, his blue on my hazel. I could not help the blush that crept up on my cheeks as he gave me a small smile. I had to admit that that boyish smile was pretty adorable.

"Thanks, Ezra." Byron thanked the man as he grabbed a glass that was sitting on a table beside Ella's bed and poured some of the water into it. Byron handed it to Ella before turning to face me again.

"What happened to mom?" I asked again, fear coursing quicker through my veins every moment he spent delaying telling me the truth.

"Your mother has cancer." Byron finally revealed, with a painful look in his eyes.

My vision suddenly became fuzzy as the images around me all became distorted. This could not be possible. The mother who I had grown to know and love, was now battling cancer? The person who used to read me stories at night before bed. The person who used to rock me to sleep every night. The person who taught me how to read and write. The person who taught me to braid my hair and put on mascara.

She's spent the last sixteen years watching me grow up and teaching me everything I needed to know.

I felt tears begin to slowly cascade down my cheeks as my mind processed Byron's words. I sunk down onto the hospital bed beside my mother as the sobs began to take over.

What were the chances of her making her way out of this alive? I was not ready to lose my mother! She was my best friend! We told each other everything! She is the one who I go to when I'm having a bad day, or when I don't understand my history homework! Who is going to be there for me when I'm hurting? Who is going to comfort me when I'm in pain? Who's going to hold me when I need reassurance that I'm worth it all? Who's going to remind me that I'm loved in those moments when I don't feel loved? Whenever I feel down, she always knows the right words to say to help me feel better again. Ella is the one who's helped me get through all the pain that came with losing my best friend Alison. She's believed in me during all the times I doubted myself. She always picked me up whenever I fell down! I couldn't have all the love she provided me with taken away from me!

I finally gathered the strength to look at Ella; however, the look in her eyes only portrayed that of love. I broke down crying once again, my body shaking with each new round of sobs. Ella took me in her arms and held me close against her, as tears begun to slide down her own cheeks as well.

"It's gonna be okay." Ella murmured softly as she stroked her fingers through my hair in a comforting manner.

"I can't lose you, mom." I whispered into her shoulder as I held her against me, needing to feel her body against mine.

All the times we spent together rushed through my mind. The endless hours we would spend shopping together on Saturday nights, laughing about how Byron was going to freak out when he found out how much money we had spent. The late nights we stayed up watching movies and eating ice cream in the moonlight. The lazy days we spent together lounging beside the pool, sipping ice-cold glasses of lemonade. The tears we shared when Alison was killed. The number of moments that could unite us seemed endless before, but now… her days were numbered.

"If you want me to leave…" I heard the man who was still standing in the room say quietly.

I looked up from my mother's shoulder and wiped some of my tears away.

"Actually…" Byron began. "I'd like to talk to you and Aria for a moment."

"Why? What's going on?" I looked between the man and my father.

Byron sighed heavily before responding. "Since your mother is going to be spending some time in the hospital, I won't be able to stay at home with you and Mike. All your friends are out of town for Christmas and you need somewhere to stay."

"Dad, we'll be fine at home. I'm sixteen. I can take care of Mike." I assured him.

Byron quickly shook his head in disagreement.

"Actually, Ezra," Byron gestured to the dark haired man standing beside him. "Is a good colleague of mine. I was even his teacher while he was attending Hollis." Byron gave me a small smile. "He's offered to let you stay with him, and I think I'm going to take him up on the offer. Mike can stay at a friends house but I don't want you staying all alone in the big house."

Was my dad losing his mind because my mom was sick? He was going to let me stay with some guy I do not even know?

"I don't know who he is." I answered blankly.

"But you can get to know him, Aria. I think the two of you will become good friends. He majored in English, and I know that you want to too." Byron tilted his head a few inches to the side, as he waited for me to protest.

Although I knew that this was a horrible idea, Ezra was a cute guy, and it might be good for me to get to know someone who could help me think of others things instead of wallowing in my mothers' pain.

"Okay." I whispered, as I looked up to meet Ezra's eyes. "When do I have to leave?"

Thankfully, I've never had to experience the emotions Aria is experiencing in this. So if I'm completely missing something in what she should be feeling here, let me know!

If you want me to continue this, let me know in a review! If not, then well… thanks for reading anyway! REVIEW!