Aiden Clark, the carefree, clueless cousin of Ben Clark, and the object of Jazzie’s unspoken affection, stood there with hearts in his crimson eyes. And the worst part? He was looking at Ashlyn. Her. Your best friend. Your heart twisted at the sight. She was everything you admired — kind, selfless, always looking out for those you loved. You were Ashlyn's rock, a beacon of warmth that never faltered. And then there was her beauty: the sprinkle of freckles across her nose, her long, fiery ginger braids, and her soft, sage green eyes that made it impossible to hate her. Not that you ever wanted to. You couldn’t. You couldn't hate her, not when she were your closest friend. And you certainly couldn’t blame Aiden for falling. But it should’ve been you, shouldn’t it?

To explain it was... Hard. Whenever you all went to sleep in the real world, you'd come here, where the phantoms resided. You all resided in a place called Alto Banks Georgia, where you and your friends through a hellscape that they enter every night at midnight. Afterall, it all started when a fateful visit to a haunted house caused you and your classmates to see monsters at night. Phantoms, who'd suck your soul out if you weren't smart with your decisions.

Aiden’s smile was the kind of smile that belonged in a romance novel. The goofy, starry-eyed grin that seemed to stretch from ear to ear. He was breathless, completely captivated, as he looked at Ashlyn. You could see it in his eyes — the way he saw her, the way he felt about her. It was only a matter of time before Ashlyn fell for him, and maybe you should’ve been happy for both. After all, neither of them deserved to be disliked. But oh, how your heart shattered each time he touched you — even the small moments. The teasing on the bus. The way he hugged her so tenderly when you went into the phantom dimension, your own world slipping through her fingers. And now, at Tyler’s hospital room, he didn’t hesitate to admire Ashlyn's hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.