You reluctanty agree and keep your distance.

Damn it! He's so fucking stubborn, you thought as you sat there staring at the text. Randall was really pleading with you now.

As worried as you were about him, and as pissed off as you were at his parents, you really didn't want to rock the boat any further. If he said he needed more time, then you guess you were just going to have to respect that and give him the space he needs (as frustrating as it was for you). After all, you had no idea what it was like. What it felt like to suddenly be someone else. And a woman at that. You had to trust him to let you in when he was ready. Just as you hoped he still trusted you.

Besides, maybe it's a good thing that his Dad and Alice left him to it. Christ knows what kind of stupid nonsense she'd try to fill his head with. Probably try and get him exorcised or something too!

With this in mind then, you reluctantly agreed, telling him to "take all the time u need dude. I'll be right here waiting." It admittedly sounded pretty cheesy when you read it back, and wasn't the kind of thing you guys usually text-ed to one another. Still, this wasn't exactly a normal situation you were both faced with here. Perhaps cheesy was the way to go...

Apparently not, according to Randall. As about thirty seconds later you received a text back from him that read (in much more typical Randall fashion) "U r so fucking gay, dude!"

Well that's a good sign at least, you laughed, Randall having certainly not having changed all that much.

Over the next week then, you gave your friend as much space as he required, only checking in every so often just to see how he was. You meanwhile had gotten off your medication and your leg had nicely healed. The pain of your Auntie's **** still lingered of course but it was no longer quite so strong, not for any of you - your mom included, who seemed to be doing much, much better. It had been nearly a month now since the accident had happened and it seemed like everyone else was moving on with their lives, which rather unfortunately for you, meant that with the summer nearly over, the prospect of having to go back to school would soon be upon you.

Once back there, you were certain that at least for the first few days, you'd have to put up with another barrage of friends and teachers offering you their sympathies over Randall's '****'. That you definitely weren't looking forward to having to deal with again.

"Unlucky dude. That's 1 thing I'm definitely not gonna miss!" read Randall's latest text, after you'd told him about school.

He was lucky in that respect (if nothing else), no longer having to put up with the politics, the overbearing teachers, nor the crap load of homework. Though you supposed suddenly being a 36 year old woman working for an advertising agency wasn't exactly going to be any better. That was if he indeed still had a job there. You assumed they had to have heard about he accident and that 'Joan' was now technically on leave until 'she' was better, but even then, Randall could hardly go back there. He didn't have any of the skills or knowledge required to do your Auntie's job. Heck... he barely had enough to get through eleventh grade!

It was gonna be weird though starting your final year without your best friend by your side. Having to go it all alone now. You did of course have a few other friends you hung out with from time to time, but none of them were as close with as you an Randall were. I guess that's something I'm gonna have to fix.

By the time the first day of school actually arrived, you'd been too wrapped up in getting ready, figuring out your classes etc. that you barely even noticed the fact that Randall's texts had slowed to a halt once more. In fact, it wasn't till the following week, after you'd settled back into a routine again that you actually realized - you hadn't heard anything from him in nearly two weeks! Not since you'd told him about school starting... It had been almost a month since the funeral, and nearly six weeks since the last time you actually saw him, back in the hospital. Where the hell had he gone?!

Well, you might have turned a blind eye before, thinking it the right think, but this time you weren't going to make that mistake. Six weeks... Six weeks he'd been on his own, living as your Auntie while you just sat around waiting for his call. Did he really expect you not to start to worry about him? Or wonder why he hadn't gotten in touch?

Not even bothering to wait till you got home, you sent text after text message to Randall's phone from school, asking him where he was and what he was doing. You got no reply though, and after lunch resorted to calling him - something that you'd yet to actually do. He had told you that he felt too weird and too self conscious talking over the phone now (what with his new voice now), and you'd respected his decision for the time being. Now though, you didn't care. You just had to get a hold of him to make sure he was alright, getting visions of him curled up in a corner, crying, it all having become just too much.

Unfortunately though, as with the texts, you once again got no reply. The phone just ringing out and going to your Auntie's voice mail. What the fuck, Randall... Where are you?"

You were determined to find out though, wondering if he was doing it on purpose, or was perhaps somehow unable to answer the phone. Maybe something had happened with the transplant. Something had gone wrong. Maybe he was lying on the floor your Auntie's apartment, the carpet covered with blood... Oh fuck! With your mind running riot now, you formulated a plan during last period, deciding to head straight over there instead of going home. Getting across town would be a bit of a bitch - needing to take like three buses from here - but you really didn't have any other option.

After the bell rang, you quickly rang your parents to tell them you'd be late home for dinner, seeing no need to alarm them with where you were going - having pretty much avoided any mention of Randall to your mom for about two weeks straight now, in fear that she might start freaking out. You then made sure you had enough change in your pocket and got on the bus.

Three buses and about forty minutes later, you found yourself outside the apartment where Randall now lived, it being a nice big roomy place in a quiet part of town. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city center, where a lot of the young and single professional types liked to live. You hadn't actually been here for quite a few months truth be told (your Auntie usually visiting you much more than you visited her), but one thing you could always rely on whenever you came round, was the fact that lobby of the building never seemed to be locked. Just like right now.

Heading inside, you hitched a ride up on the elevator the the 5th floor, your Auntie having lived in apartment 5 E. Praying to God as you did that Randall was actually inside, and was alright.

"Randall! Open up, it's me!" you called out as you knocked on the door, noticing some other guy a little further down the hall and quickly changing your tune. "I uh... I mean, Auntie Joan! Open up. It's me, Tim!"

"Tim?" a voice suddenly questioned from inside the apartment. "What are you... what are you doing here?" Followed soon after by the clicking and clacking of locks.

And with that it opened, revealing your best friend/Auntie standing there, looking like...