"Your friend is in a critical condition, we detected excessive traces of aspirin in her system – as we're pending further investigation, we cannot fully determine the cause, but we are treating the case as an overdose. For now, there is not a lot we can do; it's all up to her now."

"Hey, Beca, wait up!" I turned as I heard the melody of her voice floating through the air in my direction, grinning as she half-jogged towards me.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I was going to text you, but I saw you across the quad and thought I'd deliver the message in person! What're you doing tonight?"

"You mean besides sitting in my room watching Dexter on my laptop?"

"You're obsessed with that show."

"Hey, Dexter is awesome! Don't knock it until you've tried it, Beale!"

"Okay, okay, but how about you ditch your favourite sexy sociopath for the night and hang out with me instead?"

"Aren't they kind of the same thing?" It had meant to be funny, but as the words left my mouth, I realised exactly what I'd said.

"So you think I'm sexy, Mitchell?" She winked as she started to turn and walk away from me.

"I, um..." I felt colour flooding my cheeks as I tried to recover the situation, "I meant the sociopath part."

"Whatever, Becs," she smiled slyly, "6pm, my dorm room - don't be late!"

I slammed my fists against the arm of the waiting room chair for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, flinching suddenly at the shrill tone emerging from the doors in front of me.

"Beca Mitchell, I swear to Christ if something happens to her, you are a dead woman." I didn't have it in me to argue, I just looked blankly across the room, taking little notice as Aubrey sat in the seat next to me, saying nothing more.

I had a bad feeling about this. I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I turned up at Chloe's dorm that night, but being blindfolded in the front of her car certainly wasn't it. "Chlo, can you please tell me where on earth you're taking me?"

"It's a surprise, Beca – the whole point is that you don't know."

"Can I have a clue?"

"You'll love it." Before I had a chance to probe her for more information, I felt the car slow to a stop before she cut the engine. Outside the car, the world seemed alive with sound, the distant beat of music in the background overpowered by the loud chatter of people nearby. "We're here!" She almost squealed, clearly excited by the whole situation, "You're so going to love me for this."

"Can I take the blinfo-"

"No! Not until we're there. Wait there, I'll come round and show you where to go." Quicker than seemed possible, she opened the door beside me, grabbing my hands and guiding me out of the car and seemingly closer to the distant music.

"Where are we, Chlo?"

"We're here," she repeated with glee, but this time reaching up to untie the blindfold, "open your eyes!"

"Oh my god."

"Do you love it? I knew you'd love it!"

"Oh my god," I repeated, not quite believing my eyes, "Chloe, you're not serious."

"To quote Aubrey, Dixie Chicks serious."

"Oh my god." In front of us were the words 'For One Night Only: Taylor Swift'. I tried and failed to hide the smile that crept onto my face.

"You totally love it! Don't go all bad-ass on me now, Mitchell, I've seen your iPod. I know things."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"Hmm…" I thought for a second, knowing we'd passed the point of no return, "tell anyone, and I'll kill you."

"Secret's safe with me, now come on!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the doors into the venue. I've never really been sure how to pinpoint it, but I'd say that was definitely one of the moments I felt myself falling in love with Chloe Beale.

"Beca? Beca, wake up."

"Mmmf," I mumbled as somebody shook my shoulder, before a dull ache began to spread down my back from the position I'd been sitting in. Suddenly, I remembered all too quickly where I was, and why I was there. "Is she okay? What's happened, is she okay?"

"She stable. She hasn't woken up yet, and the doctors say it could be anything from a few hours to a few days, but she's stable. She's alive, Beca. They think she's going to be okay." Before I knew what had come over me, I flung my arms around Aubrey's neck; tears I didn't realise were falling forming dark circles on her shirt. I pulled back as soon as I realised what I was doing, wiping the tears furiously from my eyes.

"Sorry, that was weird. I'm just, I thought I'd lost her."

"You love her, don't you?"

"I guess I kinda do." I can't remember if I even felt the tiniest semblance of regret in admitting that, and to Aubrey of all people, I just remember the complete sense of relief the fell over me. She was okay. Or, at least, she would be.

"She'll be okay." Aubrey squeezed my hand, and I didn't flinch like I normally would have, instead letting myself relax slightly for the first time that day.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"It's my friend. She won't wake up. Help, please."

"What's your address?"

"We're on Barden Campus, um… 7 Brentwood House."

"Okay, Ma'am, an ambulance is on its way, but I need you to stay on the phone with me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay, I need you to check that your friend is still breathing, and that all of her airways are clear, can you do that for me?" The rhythmic rise and fall of Chloe's chest hadn't changed since I'd entered the room - in, out, in, out, just like she was sleeping. Choking back a sob, I spoke into the phone.

"She's breathing. She just looks like she's sleeping…But she's not, she can't be because she's a really light sleeper and I can't wake her up. She won't wake up." I could feel the panic building inside me again, the walls closing in around me.

"Ma'am, as long as her airways are clear and she continues to breathe, there's nothing else you can do for her until the ambulance arrives, so I need you to try and calm yourself down, okay?"

"Okay," I repeated, although the voice at the other end of the phone seemed impossibly distant as I slumped against the edge of Chloe's bed. I didn't hear that voice again; in fact, I don't think I heard anything until the banging on the door.

"Hello? Is anyone in there? Open up!" I sprang across the room towards the door, swinging it open before slumping to the floor against the wall, defeated, watching helplessly as the paramedics surrounded her.

The waiting room doors once again swung open as a slightly balding man in scrubs walked towards us. "Chloe Beale's friends, I presume?" We both nodded affirmations, pressing him to continue. "I'm Dr. Lewis, I'm working this shift, and along with Dr. Gatens will be looking after your friend Chloe."

"How is she? Can we see her yet?" I urged, needing to see her, needing to know she was okay.

"As Dr. Gatens told you earlier, her condition has stabilised, and you will be able to see her shortly. Unfortunately, that's not what I'm here for. After further tests, your friend's plasma salicylate levels have shown to be at over 800mg, meaning she has extremely harmful levels of pain killers in her body, most likely aspirin. Acute overdoses range from 700-1400mg, so it could have been a lot worse, but all signs are pointing towards an intentional overdose. Of course, further investigation will take place after she has woken up, but we're doubtful there could be any other causes. She's been very lucky."

When you look back at the time you spent with someone, especially someone like Chloe, the good times always seem to outshine the bad, and certainly, everything has a sort of hazy glow to it that makes it almost impossible to see the cracks. But clearly, there were cracks. There must have been. Chloe Beale, my perfect tornado, my tiniest sliver of light, had her own special kind of darkness. The kind of darkness that envelopes you.

"You can see her now."