Mordicai Love's Story

Summer Vorhees
Day: Friday
Time: Afteroon
Weather: Raining

Everything was spinning as she stood in the middle of her backyard, Summer didn't have a care in the world at the moment, she wasn't even sure what time or day it was The rain was falling onto her body as she fell down on the ground and looked up to the sky. Laughter came from her throat, she couldn't stop either and she wasn't even sure what she was laughing at. She wondered where her riends are and what they were doing, she didn't go to school because she forgot about it and her mother wasn't around anymore.

Her clothes were soaked, she was wearing a black skirt with black fishnets and a ripped up tshirt, her hair was left down but there was still a slight curl to it. She brought her hands up and started singing "the itsy bitsy spidey went up the water spout" her voice was very slurred and barely over a whisper "down came the rain and washed the spidey out, out came the sun and washed..." she stopped as she heard her phone ringing from inside. She got up and twirled a couple circles before she made her way into the empty house.

She grabbed her phone and saw that she had many different messages from her friends and a couple of missed calls "pooey" it wasn't often that Summer didn't let her friends know she was skipping so they probably wondeeing where they hell she was at. She scrolled through the messages, but really couldn't stay focused at all so she decided to send all her friends a message.

To: Everyone
From: Kite
Yo. Its me suckers. lakeside meet at whenever u want. Bring fun, ill be.

To anyone else her message would probably be confusing to understand, but to her friends they would know what she means. When she is high she doesn't make much sense at all but thats what makes her unique. She headed up to her room and stripped out of her wet clothing, she turned her music up loud and started dancing in her room naked with the window shades wide open. She didn't give a shit if anyone saw her, she was proud of her looks.

After awhile she flopped onto her bed, looking up to the ceiling "where are you Mom" she whispered, turning on her side she cueled up and laid there for a bit as her mind went in circles. Chills ran along her skin as she laid there naked, she wasn't sure how long she laid there for. Time escaped her when she was high, it wasn't till she heard a knock that she got up from her bed and walked downstairs to the front door. She was still naked and soaked from the rain when she grabbed the door knob, opening the door and staring at Kaleb who was standing right in front of her. It wouldn't be the first time him seeing her naked.

Mordicai stared at his empty drawing pad for a few moments. The clean piece of paper sat there, taunting him to make the first move. In his mind, he was at war with the paper. It's rough bits threatening the sharp tip of his pencil. He took a deep breath and brought the pencil down to the blank war field. The drawing started out a field with a sun, then turned into a field with a large oak tree in the back drop, until his mind decided to reflect what was actually moving across his head.

One man stood infront of another, his back turned. His arm shot out pointing in a direction while the other man looked down on the ground in anguish. In Mordicai's mind, the man pointing direction was a general who was ordering one of the low level soldiers to take arms nd fight in the front lines. Like what his father had done. Mordicai took one final look at his drawing, annoyed slightly at the mistakes he probably could only see.

He took a quick glance at the time and was astonished as to how quickly the time had flown by. Two and a half hours and he hadn't moved a single muscle. Mordicai yawned and checked his phone. Little miss Kite had texted everyone to meet her by the lakeside. Mordicai debated it for about 5 seconds then just shrugged it off. The way she was texting him it sounded like she was high as fuck. Which didn't really seem like that bad of an idea at that point.

Mordicai grabbed his phone and sent a group text to everyone:
To: Everyone
Message: Got me some fun, anyone wanna come over and share?

His friends would know what he meant. He didn't care if they brought anything with them, just something, like chips. His mother would be at work till 6 am and at that point it wouldn't really matter if his room smelt like a little bit of weed. Okay a lot.
(Bad post. Sorry.)

Summer Vorhees

Summer gave Kaleb a smile when he ushered her inside and closed the door "hey my wild man!" she grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek, even though she was a lesbian she was always affectionate with her friends. When Kaleb mentioned getting hot and horny she grinned "that is exactttly what I was planning! You caught me fucker" she trailed her finger down the middle of her chest "I always known you wanted a piece of this" of course she was joking. It was always hard for anyone to take Summer seriously, you never knew if she was joking or being real.

As Kaleb ushered her towards the stairs she wiggled her butt a little then turned and looked up the stairs. She was definately tripping as the stairs doubled in front of her, she started laughing and crawled up the stairs, her long black hair wasdraped over he back and onto the side. She hasn't cut her hair for a few years now so it was almost down to her butt. After five minutes of crawling and stumbling she finally made it to the top of the stairs "I made it!" she yelled down to Kaleb then skipped into her room.

Her phone was flashing letting her know she had a text, she grabbed it and saw that she had two texts one from Jay and the other from Mordicai. She read Jay's and laughed as she sent a text back Why would I want to steer clear from your sexy ass, Ill be looking forward to it Popsey. My rack will be yours. Be at your house in fifteen!. She sent the text then read Mordicai's, ahe let out a slightly annoyed huff. She really wanted to go to the lakeside tonight, she took a few minutes before replying but instead of just sending the message to Mordicai she sent it to everyone. How about we go to lakeside thennnn we go to Mordi's. Going now.

After she was done she went to her closet and looked through her clothing. She finally decided on a black tank top, a plaid quarter sleeve shirt to go over it, shorts, and fishnets. She got dressed and added a pair of black combat boots to the mess and kept her hair down. Taking her phone and bag that had many different pills and drugs in it then headed downstairs. "Kkkkkkalebs! We headed to lakeside baby" she went into her kitchen and grabbed a bottle of vodka and a bottle of tequila then went into the living room "c'mon you drive and we smoke on the way".

She grabbed Kaleb's arm and pulled him outside, the rain was slowing down, she looked up the sky and grinned. "We could have a fire in the cave tonight yea?" She let go of Kaleb's arm and twirled in circles "I am soooo free" she yelled holding up the alcohol bottles as she twirled in circles. She was feeling a bit dizzy as she stumbled towards her beat up truck.

She got into the passenger side and rolled down the windows, sticking her head out as she felt the drops of rain hit her skin. "We are stopping at Popsey's first then heading out" she looked over to Kaleb and grinned.

As the rain speckled the screen of her phone from where she sat outside, she decided maybe to go in for a while and change before she went anywhere. A constant inflow of texts had been streaming the display with constant push notifications, causing her to throw it onto the kitchen table, discarding it at least until she was ready to leave.

Despising the weather for what it was, she crawled back onto her oversized mattress like a little kitten, flopped on her back and peered at the sky light. "Ahhh," she inhaled as she spread her arms out, massaging her skin against the welcoming fabrics of her bed. Olive eyes closed, only to burst open again as she forced herself to get up. Thinking of returning to school furthermore crumpled her mood; she would much rather sleep or be with her friends.

Regardless of the slight rain, the sun still prevailed and damp weather never stopped a gig before. Jaylene forced herself from her bed, her brain fairly inactive for a girl who so often had an over abundance of possibilities, conundrums and chimeras throbbing throughout her thoughts. She slowly drudged to her dresser, pealing away her tank top as she neared her destination. Currently, her only goal was to find something suitable to wear and then be on her way to - well, wherever.


Unhappily she retrieved an oversized, gray sweatshirt and a new pair of shorts, only because the ones she sat in outside had been seeped through by the wet surface of the damn cement wall. The cold metal of the hand-stitched studs scraped her thigh and waist as she pulled the new shorts on, quivering at the sensation. Undecidedly she rolled the seam of her sweater up, peering at her navel in the mirror and then dismissing the notion to grab her keys and cell phone, yelling into the hallway, "Vera I'll see you later!"

Her long, flaxen mane fell untamed as usual. Her fingers tangled themselves into the ends, tugging at it to loosen some small knots as she made her way onto the large driveway. She dropped herself in a heap to the driver side, looking at the cluttered center console which was strewn with papers, some having musical language written all over them, undoubtedly Brik's, and an abandoned pair of shorts that looked like they could fit a toddler, Avi's. At any point in time, Jaylene could have gotten rid of these things or returned them. But she didn't; each was a nostalgic piece of her friendships.

As her phone repeatedly reminded her to check her texts, she pulled it from her back pocket and sent out a mass message to her friends while she waited for Summer:

Any one need a ride? Stopping at Starbucks too if anyone wants anything
xoSoda Pop

One would think Summer's affection and flirting would make Kaleb uncomfortable, but he had been used to the girl's way a long time ago. He watched as she struggled up the stairs, amused. Even if he wanted to help the long haired vixen, she probably wouldn't let him. Summer was always quite the character. As she dragged herself up the stairs, Kaleb could no longer hold back his laughter. She finally reached the top, celebrating before skipping off to her room. "Quite the character, indeed." He mumbled to himself, looking to his phone to see a text for Mordi.

Sighing he shook his head, the boy's phone frequently would receive texts hours after they'd been sent. He probably didn't receive Summers call about the lake. As Summer took her time upstairs, Kaleb texted his friend.

Dude you need to get a new phone already - Kite wants to turn up NOW, lakeside.

Kaleb wasn't much of a texter - the abbreviations and emojis just seemed like so much room for confusion. He preferred face to face or calling, reserving texts for strictly informational services. Luckily he spent most of his time with his friends , so he didn't need to text them often. As if contradicting his thoughts, the very girl up the stairs from him sent him a text suggesting they go to the lake before Mordi's house. Shaking his head, he blamed it on the drugs and stuffed his phone into his back pocket.

"Kkkkkkalebs! We headed to lakeside baby"

She had a bottle in either hand, as if foreshadowing their evening. He eyed the tequila with a gleam in his eye. She suggested he drive before he got the chance, but as he walked by he still snatched the tequila from her grip, taking a shot before he left the house. The keys to her truck were in the bowl just by the door - he grabbed it on his way out, closing the door behind him as Summer tugged him into the rain.

As if her smile brought on the sun, she said "We could have a fire in the cave tonight yea?" Kaleb ran his hand through his hair, considering the idea. He pulled out his cigarettes (Marlboro Red, always ), lighting it with his signature zippo (a skull design), inhaling the nicotine only with the breath of a true nicotine fiend. Keeping the cigarette shielding from the rain, he watched as Summer spun in circles in the warm sun that peeked from the rainy clouds that gradually began to shift away.

As the girl began to stumble, Kaleb wrapped his arm around her, holding her upright as they walked toward the truck. "I think we're going to get so plastered, we'll forget about making a campfire and up knocking out in your truck." He said, gesturing to the bed of the truck with his hand holding the cancer stick, then bringing it to his lips. Rudely, he blew the smoke in her face before opening the door for her and circled around to the drivers side.

He started the truck, turning the radio station until the wonderful tunes of Nirvana came across the scratchy speakers. Kaleb smiled, turning up the radio and leaning back in his seat. "Good shit." He murmured. Anyone who knew about Kaleb's music taste, he preferred the grungy 90's style music. Nirvana was of course a classic epitome of this genre. However in general, Kaleb's favorite songs are from the 90's. Although he could enjoy some rap songs of today, Kaleb would rather listen to the lyrics of Tupac or Biggie as opposed to Lil Wayne or Kanye. However there were the few of today that he loved, (Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa) he normally just listened to whatever else other people played.

Finishing his cigarette, he threw it out the window before pulling a foil swisher pack, withdrawing a swisher he had poked the tobacco out of and stuffed with just about 3 grams of a skunky flower. Sodapop's lived just three blocks away, she would definitely make it into the rotation with 75% of the blunt left - so he didn't feel bad as he sparked the swisher packed with weed before driving to pick up the gorgeous blonde.

He pulled the truck into the street, turning toward Jaylene's home. "By the way, don't make me have to beat your ass again." He joked, referring to the last time the group had gone to the lake. Kaleb had chased Kite around since she had taken his last Xanax. She had popped it in her mouth before he managed to get ahold of her, to which he playfully began to pretend to beat her - instead just manhandling her and tickling her sides as he yelled obscenities.

He passed her the blunt, continuing down the street as they neared Sodapop's block. He knew as a girl, she would take forever to get outside, so although he wasn't actually outside her house just yet, Kaleb texted the girl;

outside. Don't keep me waiting ;)

Smiling to himself he looked over to Summer as she spoke, taking her own hits and passing the trippy stick back to him. She was definitely high - unable to really focus her attention. Kaleb made himself stop observing every detail of her, her soft flesh that peeked from her fishnets, the smooth transition of skin across her breast, her eyes - owl like from the drugs. He inhaled the strong smoke in silence.

He never understood why he kept letting himself think about her, but that was because she was his best friend. He couldn't forget about her if he tried. Shaking his head, Kaleb turned back to the road and passing the blunt back to Summer. "What did you take this morning?" He asked curiously, Soda's house coming into vision. As the radio shifted into commercial, Kaleb fiddled with the tuning until a song he remembered Summer saying she enjoyed came on. He let the song play, leaning back once more as they pulled in front of Soda's house. Kaleb put the car into park, waiting for the girl to get into the car.

Glancing at his phone, he saw that Soda had texted her. It seemed like she had her own ride. "Are you sure Soda needs a ride?" He asked Summer as he texted Soda : Kite tweaked, she told me you need a ride. But ay we're hot boxing outside ur house. Hop in.

Tristan walked down the sidewalk with his hood on his head and his ear buds placed in both ears. As he listened to Celebration by the Game he causally smoked a blunt making sure not to draw attention to himself. Due to the rain the streets were practically empty aside from a couple of people walking on either side of the street. The vibration of his phone drew his attention as he took out of his pocket he opened the text he saw he had another text from Summer How about we go to lakeside thennnn we go to Mordi's. Going now, he had no issues with the plan so he just shrugged and put his phone back in his pocket.

As he continued his stroll down the walk way a feeling a hunger started to crept on him. Pausing for a moment to take in his surroundings he knew that there was a Mickey D's and a Starbucks a couple of blocks away going in two separate directions. He made up his mind to go get a couple of big macs from McDonalds and started walking. When the familiar sound of a text caught his ear he retrieved his cell out of his pocket. He glanced over the text quickly seeing it was from Jaylene, after reading it he texted her back liking the idea of getting a lift. His fingers quickly typed the words that formed his response writing Offer accepted. Meet you at Starbucks. Now with his plans changed he turned around headed back in the opposite directing walking down the blocks that lead to Starbucks where he would wait for Jaylene and get something to eat while he waited.

Swinging the door opened to the Starbucks he entered pulling his hood off his head as he entered. The smell of coffee and bakeries filled his nostrils as it walked into the warm coffee shop. Cutting the line and going right to the front Tristan spotted his favorite cashier Tiffany. Tiffany was a girl who like Kyle he knew from school, as her eyes fell upon him a cheeky smile spread across her face "Well hello stranger!" she said with glee. Tristan smiled back "If it isn't my favorite Starbucks employee" he said hopping over the counter to where Tiffany stood on the other side. The two embraced with a hug and when it broke Tiffany let out a giggle "So nice of you to drop by, its been what a month since I last seen you. But what should one expect from a high school drop out such as yourself" she said the last part jokingly as she started making Tristan's regular. "Drop out!" Tristan exclaimed hopping up onto one of the counter tops "I am not a drop out. I do go to school ... just not as often as people think I should" he said as Tiffany handed him a large white hot chocolate with a turkey and swiss sandwich."Yeah because showing up like once every month is the makings of a fine student" Tiffany said sarcastically as she turned her attention to actual paying customers. Tristan shrugged " What do you want me to say am just trying to graduate high school not get into Harvard" he said taking a bite out of his sandwich. The two continued on with their conversation as Tristan ate and drank while awaiting his ride.

Maddie took a power nap after she finished studying through the morning after breakfast. It was a ritual her "parents" forced her to do, but that is the only thing she was forced to do. She was awoken by the annoying tone of her cell phone. She ignored it the first time, but the second time she reached for it on her nightstand. Summer was inviting all of the peeps to the lakeside. Maddie laughed to herself knowing that Summer was high already due to the way the text was written. Checking the second text, Mordicai's idea sounded much more appealing. She wanted to get high as well.

She stood up and walked to the bathroom with her cell phone in hand. Her hair was messed up from the pillow, but she stilled believed she was beautiful. She had already taken a shower before breakfast so all she needed to do was brush her teeth and floss. After that it was outfit time. She had a walk in closet full of outfits she has never touched. Her "mother" put clothes in it for her because Maddie didn't like shopping unless it was for hats, glasses, or picking out drugs. She got dressed and grabbed her phone to send him back a message.

To: Love
From: Maddie
On my way!!

She dashed down the staircase to the be welcomed by the large living room and her "parents." SHe slid the phone into her pocket and waited for her two favorite questions of the day followed by her favorite saying of the day.

"Maddie did you do your homework?" Her "mother" asked in an authoritative tone. Madeline didn't have any respect for her mother because of how big of a push over she was, but she wasn't going to tell her that.

"Yes." Maddie replied simply.

"Where are you going?" Her "father" question with his arms crossed. Maddie had more respect for him since he seemed to care more about her whereabouts than her mothers.

"Mordicai's. And I am taking the Mercedes." Maddie stated taking the car keys from the hook by the stairs. Her "parents" moved out of the way and went about their business doing whatever parents do. She went to benz and go into the front seat. Ever since Maddie has gotten license she has been driving everywhere. She cannot get enough of it.

It doesn't take long to get to his house. It was about 15mins and she could see his mailbox. She pulled into his driveway, turn off the radio, and got her ass out of the car. She hauled it up to the front door and rang the doorbell about a thousand times. She wasn't a very patient person and she was just dying to get some weed.

Brik stared blankly at the ceiling as his doctor, Dr. Owens explained his health issues for the hundredth time. He knew the truth and no matter how many complicated words the man used, the results would always be the same. He was going to die. Point, Blank, Period. Though, the man's concerned voice was slowly melting Brik's frontal lobe, he sat there and pretended to listen without a word.

"As you can see, Mr. Hamilton, you're-"

"Brik," the sick boy said blandly. "Mr. Hamilton is my father. My name is Brik."

"...Right, Brik," Dr. Owens said with a tinge of annoyance in his tone. It didn't effect Brik though, the man should know his name by now. "You're lung tissue is slowly being taken over by the tumor. If we tried the surgery, there is a chance that we will cause internal bleeding. It's too great a risk, Mr...Brik."

Brik ripped his hazel eyes from the bland ceiling, letting them rest on the doctor. The smell of the sick and bleach assaulted his nostrils. He hated hospitals, not only because he spent most of his life in them, but mainly due to the fact that they all smelled the same: Sickness. He stood up from the hospital bed and grabbed his leather jacket from the hook that resided beside the entrance. "So, I'm going to die," he muttered bluntly, giving Dr. Owens an empty stare. "I don't want the surgery. I'll live with it as long as I can and when it finally kills me then I'll let it kill me. I don't even know why my parents made me come see you...it's a waste of your time and mine. Good day, Dr. Owens." With that being said, he left the room with his khaki skinny jeans and white v-neck shirt a bit wrinkled. He ran a hand through his unruly hair as he dug into his pockets to view the text messages that he missed from his friends on his cell phone.

To: Everyone
From: Lyfe

In need of a 'pick me up', so Lakeside, it is. I'll need a ride. @ The Hospital, come with a mocha frappacino with extra chocolate drizzle, thanks.

He hit send then began to wait. He glanced around the parking lot with a frown on his face. His chest started to ache, but he stiffened his posture and ignored the searing pain. He grunted, but thanked any higher power that would listen that no one was there to see the pained look on his face.

More content to watch the rain fall from her window than anything else, Avery failed to see that the battery in her phone had died, night was beginning to fall before she plugged it in and turned it on. Instantly her frail hand was assaulted with a string of vibrations, indicating she had missed several text messages. Kite was throwing a party and by now she was late as fuck, saying the curse aloud she instantly began jabbing at her phone:



After sending the message she went to her closet, nothing fancy, just a small walk-in with a light and a mirror. She ran her hands along the fabrics until she found a cute little black tee and her one of her favorite shorts. As she undressed she looked herself over in the mirror and hated her reflection. No matter what anyone told her all she could see was fat. Pinching her arms, her stomach, her sides, there was too much skin, too much fat. Shaking her head, Avery dressed herself, and wouldn't ya know it, she couldn't connect the button of the shorts to the clasp, granted they were 2 sizes smaller than what she was supposed to be fitting in. It just made her feel worse about herself, about her already light weight, and all she wanted was to loose more of it.

"You fat little bitch.......one day I will fit into you." She shook her head as she tore off the jean shorts and made another selection, the new shorts wern't bad, but she was in a bad mood. She didn't like the way the outfit went together, so even though the air outside was muggy, she found a hoodie and wrapped it around her small shoulders before zipping it halfway up. It was baggy enough to conceal the 'fat' that only she could see, hitting the lights she went to take her vitamins.

Avery's parents were on another business trip so she was alone, they didn't know she was anorexic so to keep up appearances she opened the fridge and took out some food, Avery had gotten good at estimating the amount of food a person of her size would normally eat in a day. There was a frozen waffle, some butter and syrup, 2 slices of bread, some mustard, lettuce, a few slivers of turkey and a can of soup, and all of it would be flushed down the toilet. While she didn't eat, she didn't mind drinking. The girl wanted to be skinny, but she didn't want to kill herself, she couldn't imagine leaving her friends behind. Avery took out the vitamins that kept her healthy enough and popped them, one after the other, using a glass of orange juice to wash them down with.

Once she was finished she left the house, locking up and popping the keys into the pocket of her shorts. It wouldn't take long for her to get to the cave considering she was the closest one to it, pulling her hood up she made he way closer, anticipating seeing the ones who made her world go round, her protectors, her best friends, her family.

Avery was ready to have fun, and as she drew closer to the lake she could see both Kite and Soda's car, it didn't take the small girl long to find Soda and Kaleb near Soda's "baby". She heard Soda's voice first:

"No. Probably off getting rammed by Mordecai. At least someone's getting lucky."

Bones couldn't help but chime in with her tiny voice "So I'm not the last one to the party." As she approached she seen the bag of coke in Soda's hand "But looks like I'm the farthest behind."

Roasting, the atmosphere consumed her. She was starting to come back down but the vibes she was getting from her crew was enough to keep her content if only for a little while. Being ripped out of her mind was among her favorite avocations but when she was with Bonesy, Lyfe, Kale, Tristan, Mordi, Mads, and Summer - she felt whole. Speaking of Mads and Mordi, she wondered where they were as Kaleb's muscles held and twisted her, allowing for a bewitching panorama. But the two M's were missing from the nighttime wide view.

"Hmm!" She mewed at daring finger tips outlining the ruined seams of her jean shorts. Swatting at him, she was about to mouth her MO but instead mused, "Oh no! Please! Mama will be so upset with me! I'm a good Christian!" The gag was one of her favorites due to the fact the she was the complete opposite of a celibate-swearing-God-fearing innocent.

She tumbled to the front of him, cradled in his arms against his upper body for a moment. Snubbing her thumb against his nose, she narrowed her eyes and pouted her lips, "Arf arf." Her tongue darted between her teeth to break her smirk apart as he slid her from his grasp and into the water just in time for her to pivot and watch Kite sail from the upper crests of the cliffs and into the depths of the lake. It was one, long, beautiful movement similar to polyphonic dance in Soda's mind. She had realized at her friend's ramblings, however, that she wasn't nearly high enough.

'Dancing, monkeys, stars, flying'. Palming her face, she stood breathlessly in the lagoon until another colossal break in the water caused her to exhale violently, turning to see who came now. She only saw a split second of Brik before he disappeared beneath the surface while she relaxed into the atmosphere and looked as if she were asleep. Her eyes burst open, streaked with blood twines and glazed hue, following the discolored body of Brik as he was dragged ashore. Summer danced around her but Soda's mind was completely lost to the fun.

She shrugged, about to do a bump when a raucous sputter made her nearly drop the entire bag into the lake. Pivoting, her heels swishing in the reservoir, she saw what made the congested noise. Brik.

Then all the premonitions and hunches hit her tenfold as she paced over, damp from the calf down. Looming over him, she tilted her head and said nothing. Tristan nearly pushed past her, interrogating the circumstances in which Brik had come to hack up chunks of crimson and water. Surely it wasn't just the high that made him do it. Patting Tristan's shoulder, she gestured him away, leaning on her tippy toes to say something quietly into his ear.

"I don't think it's up for discussion. I'll handle it." Crouching, she reduced in size beside Brik who was just moments ago fearless and untouchable. Elbows rested on her knees while bony fingers dangled between them. Her lips slanted back and forth as she mulled over what to say, her high unreservedly diminished in the recent turn of events. When she looked at his own blue lips, she fought back a frown and forced a painstaking smile, "You're gonna' catch pneumonia or some sort of contemporary bullshit that all these people have been contracting from lake water lately." His body surged as his trachea hawked unpleasantly.

"But sounding like that - we should probably get you home. Or wherever you need to go to get some rest. Vera is a good nurse if you wanna' crash in my parent's room." It wasn't until she finished the proposal that she realized she'd been holding back her breath again. Her sternum gasped and her lungs felt like they were going to claw their way out. The world around her turned dull again, ordinary and somewhat depressing.

Brik found himself feeling cold internally, though externally he was warming up. The flickering flames were his entertainment and the bottle of Jack Daniels that was being caressed by his fingers was his comfort. He took a hardy gulp without taking his eyes away from the flames. He imagined himself being engulfed by them, but instead of feeling pain, he felt that release that he earned for. Although, he did just attempt to kill himself, not even ten minutes ago, he wasn't interested in being burned alive. He was dying, not stupid. However, he couldn't help, but yearn for the chance to have a choice...his choice was stolen for him as soon as he was told of his illness. So, yeah, he felt pissed about it, and yes, he didn't want to die painfully, and fuck yeah, Brik has been a complete dick lately. He was fully aware that his friends patience for him was wearing thin, perhaps that was a good thing. If they hated him then his leaving wouldn't hurt them as much.

He chugged more poisonous liquid, tipping his head back and closing his soar eyes. He laid on his back with his bottle in hand. He remembered when he didn't need pills, weed, or alcohol to smile. He drifted into his old world; the world where he didn't have a terminal illness, and he would crack jokes about Kaleb's hair, Summer's sexuality, Jaylene's bitchiness, Maddie's craziness, Tristan's love affairs, Avery's tininess, and Mordi's art, all in good fun. He missed it, but he couldn't go back to those days. He lost the ability to find anything to smile about. Maybe he was depressed or maybe he finally figured out what the world has been wondering for centuries: Life had no meaning. You're born, you waste time, and then you die. That's it. He was just waiting for his internal clock to stop ticking. He could practically hear it in his mind. Tick Tock Tick Tock. His mind numbing thoughts were interrupted by Tristan's voice. He snapped his hazel eyes open, glancing at the man beside him. He gulped another mouthful of hard liquor before speaking. His voice was still hoarse, but he managed to say his words clearly. "I don't know," he said. "I'll look for her."

Lifting himself onto his feet, Brik took another swig of poison then went on a one-man search party for Summer. Leaving the cave made him cold, but Summer was more important. As he walked through the woods, he took swig after swig, letting the alcohol consume him. He wasn't too far from the cave when he heard the scream. "Summer?" He said with wide eyes. That was the most emotion that he ever displayed. "Summer!" He ran towards the sound, through his buzzed haze and his stiff muscles. "Summer, I'm coming!"

Summer Vorhees
Day-Saturday
Time- 11:45am
Weather-Cloudy

Feeling the warmth of the blankets around her made her open her eyes and look around, Summer saw she was in her room and tucked into her bed in her clothes from last night. Last thing she remembered was running through the forest, she guessed most likely Kaleb brought her home. She saw a glass of water by her bedside and she istantly drank it down. She hated feeling so hot and the headache pounding in her head was making her want to curl back under her blankets in the comfort of her bed but she knew she wouldn't be able to. Her body was shaking from the lack of drugs in her system, she needed to take care of that before she saw any of her friends. Speaking of friends she wanted to go see Mordicai and Madi since they weren't there last night.

Climbing out of bed she walked over to her dresser, opening the top drawer there was all kinds of drugs piled up in the back. She popped a couple of pills then took out her weed and grabbed some skins before she went over to her desk and sat down. She turned on some music, Skrillex was what she decided to listen to as she got a few joints made. She always liked to have some ready throughout the day. Once she had a few done she grabbed her cigarette box and stuck them in, leaving it on the desk and went to get dressed.

She looked through her clothes before deciding on a quarter sleeve shirt that went down to the middle of her thighs, it was black and had a white skull on it, she also picked out a pair of white leggings and black flats. She laid them onto her bed then headed for the shower. When she looked in the mirror she couldn't help but laugh at what she saw. Her hair was everywhere and her makeup was running bad, she looked awful. She took a cold twenty minute shower and then got dressed. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and put on some light makeup, once she was ready she grabbed her bag and phone and headed downstairs.

She hasn't seen Bella for a couple days and wondered how she was doing, she took out her phone and saw no messages. All her friends probably was still passed out or something. She decided to send Kaleb and Bella a text. Choosing Kaleb's name she quickly wrote out a message Hey wild man thank you for takin care of me last night. Your the best. Goin to check on Mordi, what r the plans for the day? Any parties? After she sent the text she found Bella's name Hey Bells. Where ya been?.

After sending the text she ran back upstairs and grabbed her carton of cigarettes that had her weed in it then went back downstairs then outside. It was cloudy out but it was still nice out, not too hot but not too cold. She decided to walk because Mordi's house was only a couple blocks away and she rather be walking then driving. She took out one of the joints and put it in her mouth, lighting it up she looked over to the house she was passing. Kaleb. She wondered if he was awake or not. Out of the guys she couldn't help feel closest to him and she didn't know why, he just was always around when she needed someone, she loved Brik and Tristan they were like brothers to her also but Kaleb, he was something different she just couldn't figure out what.

As she smoked she felt the high coming on, her body becoming more relaxed and no longer shaking. She wondered what her friends had planned for today, their weekends were always packed with funs things and usually no one had to worry about being alone. After fifteen minutes of walking she finally came to Mordi's house, she knocked on the door but no one answered. She thought she remembered Mordi mentioning his parents were going to be gone or something, she turned the doorknob and found it was unlocked.

"Mordi! You fucker didn't come last night, you missed out on my..." she walked through the house as she was talking, opening Mordi's door she stopped mid sentence as she saw her friend spread out on the floor with vomit running down the side of his mouth. "Mordi!" she scremaed and went to his side, his hand was freezing as she grabbed it and she saw no signs of breathing. She screamed and shook her head, she started shaking bad and was unsure of what to do. "This is not real, this can't be fucking real" she muttered thinking it may be the drugs messing with her head.

BAcking herself against a wall she stared at the body for what seemed like forever, she just wanted to wake up from this nightmare. Mordi could not be dead! She just saw him the other day, he was laughing with her about something. She wished she could remember what they were laughing about but she was too fucked up to remember. Tears ran down her cheek, she knew her makeup probably was running but she didn't care. She couldn't think...couldn't move. It was all too much for her.

Taking out her phone she quickly dialed Soda's number, it went right to the voicemail "Jay...Soda...I dont know what to do...Mordi..." she started crying as she left the message "help...its bad....not moving" she probably didn't make any sense but she couldn't keep going. The message ended and she dropped the phone. Her eyes were glued to the body that was in front of her, if only they came to Mordi's instead of lakeside last night maybe he would still be alive. This was her fault. While she was tripping out on acid Mordi was chocking on his own vomit. She slapped her forehead and tried to stop hee body from shaking but there was no point, she couldn't stop.

Sieved sunlight woke her up. "Fucking - skylights. Why did they have to be in - " She tossed an elbow as if it would frighten the sun into hiding. Green eyes ruined with bloodshot taint rolled open and upward, "Every room." Shivers speckled Jaylene's tan skin as she crawled away from the toilet to grab the edge of the tub and throw herself in. With her clothes still on and the shower curtain only half shut, she turned the water on. Searing drops hit her skin, burning it to her hearts content. "Oh, that's the stuff," she groaned to herself happily and peeled away her soaked shorts and tank top.

As she pulled herself out, spinning around to wrap up with a towel, she looked up to the ceiling window again. Murky clouds were filling the firmament and taking the sun captive. Decidely upon the appearance of the sky, she blow dried her hair and wiggled into an impossibly tight pair of high waisted blue jeans. She trotted around topless until her eyes snagged a white tube top bra in her endless heaps of clothes. Eager hands snatched it and slid it on from where she stood beside her closet. Shaking a shirt from a hanger, she stretched it before her to examine its sheer, white material and the open reverse of it. "Meh," she sighed and pulled it on, the breeze catching the nearly bare flesh of her back.

She thought she heard a text coming in, but upon further examination of her phone, she found a voicemail. Even contemplating saying 'good morning' to her friends, she unlocked the phone. Cocking an eyebrow, she dialed out and muttered, "No one ever leaves me voicemails." The operator's dull voice was cut short as an urgent communique came through. It was Summer's painfully sober voice, blubbering something that was broken up by static - "Not breathing." Dead.

Dead. She forgot to breathe. The call was still in session when she jammed the device into the side of her bra and rubbed her face fervently in the mirror, wondering how anything like that could even happen. "It's probably just another bad trip or something," she tried to reassure herself as her bones went rigid and her veins iced over, "I'll just go check." She pulled her hair into a messy bun, barefooted as she ran to the car that was parked crookedly from a few hours prior.

Muddying her brain, the recollections of the night before and now Summer's worried, choked up ramblings had her anxious. The car squealed as it whipped around a bend and braked viciously in front of Mordicai's. He's not dead, he's fine, he just took too much and blacked out. She closed her eyes and nodded while she gathered herself, her feet slapping the cool walkway as she approached the slightly cracked front door. Her abdomen was wrenching in perturbation and nausea induced from prior events. Already the eerily quiet home was too offbeat for anything to be alright. She'd usually pulled up to the house and heard giggling and laughing, the sound of a bass vibrating the home. Especially if Summer was there. Not this - this - ugly stillness that had Jaylene's stomach in knots.

"Summer? Mordi?" One pedicured foot slipped into the door, and then she held the entry frame as she slid between the space of it and the red paneled door. Down the hallway she could make out Summer's croaking vocals and soft sobbing.

Like a bat out of hell, Jaylene sprinted to his bedroom, nearly falling as she toppled into the door to find Mordi slumped wide across the floor with bile littering his young, departed face. Gripping his hand, her dark hair a mess and her eyes red-rimmed, was Summer. "Oh no," Jaylene said without filter, her voice sounding like something out of a grim comedy rather than genuine worry and sorrow. She couldn't validate it all. It couldn't be real. Not able to do anything or stifle a comforting sentiment, she turned so her back faced the two of them and she covered her face.

"Get up Summer," she talked under her breath, her palm pressed so aggressively to her head that it hurt, "Leave him Summer." Always utilitarian rather than humane, Jaylene was a little less warm than her friends. Of course she'd do anything for them - but where Mordicai was now, she could do nothing. "We're fucked if we get caught here with him…" She padded into the door way, her arms extending in each way to hold the framework to keep herself grounded.

Weeping only came in reply to Jaylene's somewhat cold demand. She pivoted slightly, looking over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. Unexpressedly she was going fucking crazy. She took a large step towards Summer, forcefully grabbed under her arm and yanked her to her feet, "We're leaving."

Summer Vorhees

Summer gripped Mordi's hand like her life depended on it "please wake up, wake up" she murmered wishing her words would actually work but Mordi laid lifeless. She could no longer stop her body from shaking. Hearing a familiar voice say her name she looked up to the doorway, trying to say something but all the came out of her mouth was a sob. Soon she saw the familiar face of her friend "its my fault...this is all my fucking fault" she mumbled looking back at Mordi's body.

Soda said something but Summer didn't hear it, she was lost in her mind once again "this is just the drugs...its not real...it can't be real". She didn't want to process that her friend was dead. Jay's voice was heard but again the words she could not make out, it wasn't till she felt a hand grab under her arm and pull her up that she looked back at Soda. She noticed her friend was barefoot and looked sort of unemotional but that was to be expected from the blonde.

"W..we can't just fucking leave him Jaylene" her voice was louder then usual and she never has reallu used her friends full name. The drugs were no longer clouding her mind, she was still shaking but she wasn't sure if it was because of finding her friend dead or from the lack of pills running through her blood stream. "We gotta do something....its my fault...we should fucking came here, instead I chose lakeside...if we came here Mordi would be alive. He would be alive!" she yelled letting her emotions get the best of her.

Jay pulled her out to the front of the house and her eyes kept looking behind her, hoping Mordi would just get up and it all be a joke "its just the drugs right? Just a bad trip...a bad trip...its not real...not real" she kept mumbling uncoherent things as they went outside. Looking up to the sky she took a deep breath in before letting it out, it was all too much for her. She ran over to the closes bush and heaved, anything that was in her stomach came out, she was glad she put her hair up. She can't remember how many times she puked and it got all in her hair, which was a pain to clean.

She took a few unstable steps to Soda "c..can you take me home...I need to drown this all out" her blotchy eyes looked up to Jay "fuck what do we tell the others? I can't do this Jay! Hes dead because of me..none of this would have happened..." she choked on her words, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She didn't want to deal with anyone at that moment, but her being Summer she was always at her friends beck and call. She took out her phone and read the message from her sister, shaking her head. At that moment she wanted to chuck her phone and scream.

How could she deal with Bella, her older sister who kept hallucinating her dead friend. No wonder their mother left them, Bella was fucking crazy and Summer...well she was Summer, always in need of a fix lately. Not knowing what was real and what was not. Maybe she was starting to lose it like her sister, crazy genes do run in the family. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Bella ans her Alex. She put her phone back in her pocket and loomed to Jay.

"What do we do Popsey...what do we do?"

A two-story plain white painted house was at view during the Saturday afternoon. Pedestrians were passing through the neighborhood, taking their delighted strolls. The heat couldn’t be this glorious to them. After months of suffering from the cool winters, and spring beginnings, the warm fronts were winning the war against its icy counterpart.

Through the glass window, any neighbor could see a woman in short curly locks, sitting on the dining room table with papers and envelopes disorganized around her. Her mood seemed serene, but her long sighing songs exemplified how much weight she was carrying in her life. An occupation may have strained her, but nothing like TV to clear your mind, and spirit.

The sound of footsteps fell increasingly clear behind the woman. The woman was not alone in this two story house. Appearing into the living room was a medium height, and skin tinted, girl with her mixture of hair flowing behind her. Her facial structures heavily resembling the woman.

“Hey mom….”, the blonde highlighted girl uttered as she passed the woman by.

“Hey Dee.”

Dee was the girl’s name. Short for the eloquent, but unisex “Dominique”. She had many nicknames, but Dee was the easiest and most recognizable to her family and friends. Probably for the lack of knowing how to spell her full name correctly.

Whether she went by Dee or Dominique, she didn’t care about the inaccuracies that people threw on her name. It was the weekend, and Dee felt thankful that chapters and math problems weren’t as dominating as usual weekends. Her mother was also relieved that she didn’t have to work, so watching television could entertain her. “Law and Order” in particular. Crime shows were always a favorite of hers, whether reruns were aired or not. Stories that may seem relatable, yet scandalous. The mystery of these shows had any viewer guessing who killed who, and who assaulted who. Dee often speculated the reasons for her mother’s keenness of crime shows. She could spend an entire day watching marathons if she had the free time.

But enough about her mother. This story was now about Dee herself. Strolling to the kitchen, Dee immediately seized a glass cup from one of the dark cherry-stained cabinets nearest to the refrigerator, but before she could go into a food journey to locate the carton of orange juice, her cell phone chimed in her right pocket, causing her hand to curl like a shovel and plow her way into her pocket to confiscate it. The ring tone contented her widely, because this ring tone and the word “Love” displayed in bold white letters symbolized the one man that could create a rainbow to start her day. That’s if he had the gift to do so.

Dee had her schedule cleared to spend the weekend with her boyfriend, named Love by many. A night in the park, or just relaxing on the sky-stained carpet in his bedroom/studio. Even Love might surprise her with a location for the free-spirited. Love had a proficient skill of reaching outside of the box to pick out something spontaneous, yet exciting.

“Hello…” Dee greeted with more excitement than the shimmering ball of blaze outside of their house.

A romantic vibe was what Dee expected during the phone call. However, the outcome would be different.

“Hey…Dominique.” a female voice whimpered onto the phone.

“Hey Mrs. Love…..”

It wasn’t her boyfriend. Instead, it was his mother. Dee always showed etiquette in front of her and identified her as “Ms. Love”. Quite a catchy name.

Dee’s speech, however, took a pause after greeting her with satisfaction. Her relaxed, positive expression gradually altering to concern. Why was Dee concerned? The sounds of weeping erupted loud and clear through her ear from the other line. Something was wrong, and Dee had to know what the situation was. Was this news so big that it affected the Love household like a tornado? If so, why did she call Dee? It must affect her as well.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Dee proceeded to ask. Maybe Dee could be given clues, but Ms. Love would jump the gun and head straight to the point, no matter how much her feelings would conquer her.

“I have to tell you this. …It’s about Mordi……”

His name was articulated in such a haunting tone, meaning something was wrong with the love of Dee’s life.

“Is he okay? What’s going on?”

“M-M-M-Mordi…had…..”

As Ms. Love completed her sentence, she didn’t need to give details on how and when. Dee’s emotions had already taken a drastic turn for the worst. An inhale would cause her pulse to take a sudden halt. Thanks to such painful information shared to her. Her very core plummeting deep into an abyss, while her varnished lips alienated from each other. The cell phone and small glass cup of juice polluted with orange citrus loosened from her grip, crashing on the ivory tiled flooring on impact. The cell phone still on the hook, as the voice on the other line grew worried about Dee’s state as well.

The loud noises caused Dee’s mother to twist her body on the back of the chair towards her daughter, wondering why she was dropping objects. At first she was going to scold her for breaking things she bought, but saw the shocked expression on her face.

“Dee, what’s going on?” her mother questioned in curiosity. The sound of fast paced stomping from a staircase meter away brought attention as well. Not soon after, a medium toned middle-aged man, dressed in a casual tranquil blue, long sleeved shirt and blue jeans entered the kitchen.

“Dee?” the man, who Dee called Dad, would shout out to her in a deep voice. which was typical for old

Dee couldn’t seem to hold herself together. Drops wildly escaping her eyes, smearing her eyeliner down to her cheeks. A chilling wind crept behind Dee like a ghost, causing her body to shiver without her own consent. Her mind as blank as a canvas.

“Dee?” her mother called out in a louder tone. As her scared mother stood up to her feet, Dee’s vision began to blacken to the point that the presence of her parents, and the entire household, all disappeared. Her body shutting down as she made a thunderous thump onto the floor. Her mother shouting in the background was the last thing she heard, before it was swiftly silenced.

(sorry it took so long. Didn't think my intro would be 1000+ words. Phew!)

Lizzie finally heard her speak, but it wasn't at all what she was expecting. "You'll always be my Kitten" Summer was saying. But that didn't-- the drugs. Realization dawned on Lizzie and she sighed and looked over to her lost friend. "Im a virgin" Summer added, after what appeared to be some internal war going on in her mind. As big of a surprise as that was, Lizzie immediately knew it was not what had been bothering her moments before the Glass had taken over her system. Resisting the urge to pressure her into telling her what was really wrong, Lizzie accepted her secret and responded with, "I go to church."

In a sudden flash Kite was up and off the bed, grabbing the nearest trashcan and heaving into it. Kitten looked on sadly as her friend's stomach violently protested the contents of her blood. She slowly made her way off the bed, and pulled her cellphone from her bra.

To: Everyone (but Summer)
Message: I'm back, bitches!! <3 Summer has started without us, as usual. Anyone got plans for tonight? Welcome home party? I'm at Kite's house ATM ~ L

She slipped her phone back into her bra and walked over to Summer, gently kneeling beside her and holding Kite's hair for her. She gently rubbed Summer's back in soothing circular motions. "Make them stop...Make them stop Kitten!" "Summer, don't pick... Don't pick, Kite! You'll make yourself bleed! Stop!" Lizzie tried to sound gentle, but her grip on Summer's hands to keep her from ripping up her skin was firm. Liz looked into her allies eyes and felt her heart begin to sink a little. If you weren't fucking all those girls... was this what you were doing when you snuck off all those times? Oh, Kite.. I should have been there.. I should have known... Please come back to us.. she thought to herself, miserably looking at the girl she loved so much.

She watched in dismay as Summer twitched and tried to pick at herself. A part of her was actually scared. Her friends that she missed so much might not be what she needed after all. She glanced to her stomach for a moment and then back to Summer. She gently let go of her hands and stood up. There wasn't really a point in talking to her while she is this high; nothing would get through. "I'm going to get you some water," she announced. Lizzie made her way back down the stairs and to the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets for a plastic cup.

When she found one, she added ice to it, and then tap water. Pausing for a moment, she placed the cup on the counter and pulled out her cell again.

To: Tristan
Message: ... hey, I'm sorry about not saying goodbye... ~ L

She shoved the iPhone back into her bra and grabbed the drink, heading back up stairs. She found Summer and held out the cold glass. "Here babes. Drink some."

Darkness…….

That’s all Dee could see. The moon not being there to protect her. This sight was horrifying, abandoning, and traumatizing. The fall of a nightmare that she couldn’t escape. A claustrophobic would have handled this condition worse than Dee.

However, she could see the light beginning to expand, reaching for freedom and safety. Her mother and father could be heard mumbling in the background. Dee was not assembling too many of their words, except the one she hoped wouldn’t be uttered: “Mordicai”. Dee’s upper eyelids slowly relinquished to the visual orbs below it. With her vision clear, her mother was kneeling on the carpet next to her while her father sat on the recliner. His elbows reclined instead of his spine.

“Hey Dee….” her father pronounced as he witnessed her eyes fully exposed to the real world.

“What happened?” his daughter began to question.

“You fainted.” her father added into the conversation, “I’m surprised you didn’t crack your skull.”

“I just had the worst dream……that Ms. Love was….telling me that Mordicai had killed himself.”,

Arms that felt too weak to lift a box of books could push Dee’s back from the cushion, realizing that she was on the synthetic leather sofa in the living room with onyx coloring. Her body pressed into the “pleather mattress” showed that she was eased on the couch for minutes. Maybe even hours. The sun had shifted noticeably. Deep orange light scurrying through the glass windows. The 32 inch Television played stalker and gaped intensely at her, subjecting her to subliminal messages. This time in the form of a sultry Latin actress urging her to drink Diet Pepsi.

Dee’s mother, after shifting downwards from her daughter’s last statement, had her eyes darted on Dee instead of some intentionally comedic commercial ad. Dee’s nails beginning to comb through her hair, straightening out the unkemptness she had gone through after fainting.

Once Dee’s hands rested on her thighs, her mother grabbed a hold of them, feeling cool and firm as a refrigerated apple. Dee locked her eyes on the gesture, suddenly sensing bewilderment in her brain.

“I hate to break this to you”, her mother commented, trying to be diligent, “but that wasn’t a dream. Patricia called me, and told me everything.”

Patricia. That was Ms. Love’s given name. Dee’s nightmare…it couldn’t be a reality.

“So…..” Dee continued interrogating. What was her mother trying to say? It wasn’t what she hoped had happened.

“Patricia found Mordicai lying on the floor, and had suffocated on his own vomit. She tried to call the ambulance, but Mordicai was already pronounced dead when they tried to check his pulse. It’s assumed that he committed suicide. She had called you two hours after.”

While Dee fully regained consciousness, she was still quivering in her bones. Not even the environmental beams could soothe how cold she felt internally. So much sadness and utter shock that her speech began to skip like the result of a scratched record player.

“W-w-why would he…..do this?”, Dee further interviewed to her parents.

“Police arrived to the scene and found….”

Her mother held her speech, which was a bad idea to do, since Dee would quickly anticipate what the police had found that killed her beau, but what her mother would reveal even surprised herself. Of all men her daughter ties her heart to, it’s this boy.

“ …..cocaine…. They found a bag of cocaine on his bed side. They believe that he had overdosed.”

In her eyes, more white began to surround the brown irises. Surprised once more that on top of discovering that the only love that could warm her heart was taken away from her, but he had killed himself after overdosing on Cocaine? Why this drug? Why any drug? Was this the secret that Dee was so curious of finding out about her boyfriend? Why did he hide this from her after many weeks of dating?

All of a sudden, Dee felt guilt. She could have aided Love in battling his addiction. Rehabilitation, Anonymous meetings. Her mother being a nurse, she could have helped him as well. Anything to steer clear from such a terrible outcome like drug overindulging.

Dee was sure that her mother was going to throw in the “parent’s ultimatum” during the conversation. In other words, “I told you so”, or she would have moved the family to another location to prevent her from having that same fate as her boyfriend, or meeting anyone else who used drugs. Her mother could have done that to her to prove how naïve Dee was about relationships, but witnessing her daughter suffering from one of the most traumatic experiences in her life, all a mother could do was console her while Dee’s tears were too dried out to continue sobbing, but she was still heartbroken and mournful. Her mother had enough wisdom to know that death was something fresh in the minds of kids and teenagers, especially when those close to them are the deceased.

It was in the contorts of his mind, that Brik was held prisoner. A sea of black surrounds him as he stood in oblivion, the darkness was practically suffocating, making his body feel as if it has forgotten how to convert oxygen into carbon dioxide. It's not painful-for that he was thankful-but it left a hollow feeling in his chest. This is what he dreaded most: the nightmares. This was the place that he couldn't run from. He could run from the questions, the people, the looks, the concern, but he couldn't run from his own mind. The darkness was invaded by the creeping mist that swirled around Brik's feet in a menacing fashion. Slowly, the blackness melted like wet paint dripping off a wall. The world around him twisted, warped, transformed into a place he never wanted to go.

His bare feet sunk into the damp earth as the smell of rot and decay intruded his sense of smell. The fog was thick and ominous around him, daring him to investigate. It wasn't until the faint sound of voices graced his ears, that Brik finally moved. His head snapped in the direction of the familiar sound of people talking. He willed his legs to move, but they felt numb, almost asleep. As he tried to operate his body, the fog slowly separated before him like the Red Sea. He squinted his eyes, frowning at the scene that played in front of him. To say that he was confused was an under statement.

"He was so..." Summer's sobs were what made him suddenly freeze. There his friends were, standing in a semi-circle around something that Brik was unable to see.

"So, stupid," Jaylene finished, flipping her blonde hair and wiping her eyes with a monogrammed handkerchief that Brik had never seen before. "He didn't have the balls to tell us, the bastard."

"He wasn't one for words," Kaleb shrugged, bending down, placing flowers onto the ground.

"Never tried to communicate..." Mordicai said, shaking his head sadly.

"Never showed us how he felt, if he ever felt anything," Tristan stated.

Avery and Madeline simply sighed, looking at one another and tearing up. Lizzie was kneeling, her blonde locks dangling over whatever it was that she was looking at. What were they talking about? Struggling to gain control of his feet, Brik finally found the ability move. He trudged towards the group, furrowing his brows and scratching the back of his head.

"He was misunderstood," Lizzie wept. "It wasn't easy for him, I'm sure. He probably wanted to tell us, every single second of the day, he probably wished that he could make his pain known, but he chose not to...he was being noble, or at least he tried to be. It's sad if you think about it...having to carry the weight of death on your shoulders...never being able to escape from it. He was probably suffering, but he never complained. He just let it feed on him...he gave up."

Brik reached them, waving his hand. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?" No one said anything, let alone looked at him. They ignored him, so he tried once more. "Guys? What the hell are you talking about?" He slipped pass them, without touching any of their skins. He was now face to face with what he feared the most.

Here Lies Brik Dante Hamilton,

The Silent Lover, Suffering Soul, and Idiotic Bastard

RIP 1995-2013

Brik's chest clenched, heart beating at the speed of light. He glanced back at his friends, but they weren't looking at him, just at his headstone. "No..." he breathed, backing up as horror ran through his blood, making everything white hot.

"We could have saved him...somehow," Summer sighed, looking through him.

"No...Summer, I'm right here," he was panicking, anxiety breaking through his wall of emotionlessness.

"He didn't want to be saved," Jaylene said blandly. "He didn't trust us. He didn't trust anyone."

"That's not true!" Brik pleaded.

"Let's go," Mordicai suggested. "I don't think I can handle much more of this depression." They all turned around, walking into the fog. They were dissolving, basking in their own lives, moving on, but Brik was still there. He stared at where they were previously standing, his heart breaking with every step they took and when they left, it shattered like broken glass. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest as the waves of suppressed emotions, lies, and utter regret showered him. He was beyond the point of no return, letting the salty tears fall freely down his cheeks for the first time. "I wanted to tell you," he whispered as their figures blended into the fog. "I wanted...to tell you." He was officially broken.



Awaking in a cold sweat, Brik's eyes flickered around the room in a vain attempt to regroup. His breathing was uneven, and his body was consumed in grief. He didn't know if it were the drugs that caused him to lose himself, but part of him didn't want to know. After deeming last night's dream, just that; a dream, Brik let out a low grunt in semi annoyance. He missed the days when dreams were only about naked girls, sports cars, and parties. Simpler days. Now, he was a prisoner in his own mind, never escaping the harsh reality of his fate. He wiped his hand over his face and yawned. It was a new day, and he was thankful for that much. Stretching, Brik glanced at his side, noticing that Lizzie was no longer with him. He pushed himself onto his feet, heading for the kitchen. He needed food in his body and coffee down his throat before he could even consider starting his day. His head was pulsing as his hangover attacked his frontal lobe.

"Fucking perfect," he said caustically. "Just what I needed." He began to brew himself a pot of coffee and cook breakfast. He was stirring eggs on a skillet, adding random spices and cheeses to make it better. As he scrambled the eggs, Brik couldn't shake off the reminiscence of his nightmare. It haunted him, and no matter how many lies he told himself, there was one truth that continued to pester him: He had to tell them.

Brik scraped his breakfast onto a plate, grabbing a fork and digging in. The food warmed his body and made his stomach feels so much better. He leaned against the counter, eating his eggs and pouring his coffee. As he stirred sugar into his cup, the sound of Summer's distress made him lift his head, facing her.

"It's all gone, my stash it's gone except my weed and cigarettes. Didn't you see anyone go into my room last night, Brik?" He placed another forkful of egg into his mouth, thinking back to last night. He did remember Lizzie leaving Summer's room late that night. He wasn't going to snitch, besides it was a good thing that she no longer had her poisons. Just as he was about to shake his head, he spotted Lizzie gesturing towards the fridge with her blue eyes, but he just furrowed his brows, saying nothing. He didn't need to say anything because Summer was already out of the room before he was able to answer her question. He took a sip of coffee, glancing at Tristan, giving the other man a nod of acknowledgement. He placed his cup back on the counter as Tristan asked about Jojo. Brik wasn't too sure himself, but wasn't very interested in finding out.

That is, until Lizzie mentioned her being her meth dealer. Meth? He was frowning now, watching Lizzie approach him. She was glaring at his eggs as she said: “I broke that girl’s nose last night…She’s bad news. Very bad news.” Even though Brik remained silent and ate his food, he was proud of Lizzie. He gave her a whisper of a smile, though it looked more like his lip twitched for a split second.

“I got to get out of here. I don’t want to be here when that bitch shows up, and I have shit I need to get done.” I would pay to see that, he thought as he ate the last bit of eggs. He placed his plate in the sink with his back to Lizzie when he felt her arms wrap around his lower half. He stiffened, his usual reaction when receiving hugs before looking down at her, twisting in her hold to face her. He didn't return the hug, but he didn't push her away. Her lips brushed his ear as she whispered: “All of her drugs are behind the fridge in a purse… I took them out for her own good.. I don’t want to see her become like my mom, Brik.. I can’t lose her too.. Text me later..” He nodded in understanding and simply muttered 'okay' it wasn't much, but he got his point across with the look of understanding in his eyes. After letting him go, smiling, and pecking his cheek, which he responded with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't the type that displayed affection, but when receiving it he was at a loss. He just didn't know how to react.

He watched her awkwardly interact with Tristan before leaving the two of them alone. He sipped his coffee as Tristan asked: "So did you enjoy Roxie's last night?" He leaned against the counter, scratching his chest. He shrugged, remember last night's events: His kiss with Lizzie, his dance with the girls, Jaylene's attitude, Summer's meltdown. He summed it all up into one word. "Meh," he shrugged. "Gotta go." He went into the living room, gathering his jeans and sneakers. He pulled on his clothes and walked home. He lived about five minutes away from Summer so he didn't mind. Waving goodbye as he passed her, Brik pulled out his cell phone, seeing the plethora of messages and phone calls that he missed. He didn't take the time to read them through, just skimming them. Then he saw it: 'Mordicai...dead...'

He stopped his stride, staring at his screen in utter disbelief. "Dead?" His mouth felt dry and his chest suddenly ached a bit more than usual. He read the messages more thoroughly. His mouth hung open. He couldn't believe it, three days ago Mordi was right beside him, talking about another one of his art pieces. It was only three days ago that he was living, breathing, drawing, being the sunshine of the group. Now, just like that...he was gone.

Brik felt the urge to cry, but his tear ducts refused to work. Life was so short, so fragile. He never thought that he'd outlive Mordi. He continued his walk to his house, making it there while his parents slept soundly in their bed. He silently reached his bathroom, stripping his clothes and standing under the water, letting the rain wash not only his body, but the thoughts. He could only imagine the pain Mordi's family was enduring. He was a good friend. He didn't deserve to die...Brik turned off the water after deeming himself clean enough. He brushed his teeth, ran his fingers through his wet hair, deciding to let it air-dry. He wrapped a towel around his waist, making his way to his room. He dressed himself. Adjusting his snapback, he noticed the black notebook that Leo gave him, reasting on his bed. Life is short... that thought floated in the air around him. He picked it up, opening it to the first page. He started to write and within the next four minutes, he had twelve things that he wanted to do before he finally had to be pulled away from his life.

This is what he came up with:

1. Kiss a girl (check)
2. Skinny dip
3. Tell someone my darkest secrets
4. Save a life
5. Use handcuffs (for anything)
6. Discover my hidden talent
7. Smile in a picture
8. Get rid of my supply (I think we both know what I mean)
9. Go to a concert
10. Fall in love
11. Lose my virginity
12. Get married...start a family (wishful thinking)

He held his list in his hands. He wanted to show Leo, but he wasn't sure if were going to last until next Saturday. Eyeing the clock on his dresser, he realized that church was over. Perhaps Leo was there...with his book in hand, Brik left his house, entering his old chevy truck. He drove to the church, in hope that Leo was there and willing to listen.

***

Brik made his way through the empty church, passing pews and crosses. His hands were lodged into his pockets while his book resided under his arm. He arrived at the support group area, where he was relieved to see none other than Leo. The man was in a suit, obviously dressed for today's service. His dreadlocks were tied up into a neat ponytail and his brown skin glowed with a purity and a liveliness that Brik almost envied.

"Leo," Brik said, gaining the man's attention.

"You came back," Leo smiled happily, his glass eyes staring unblinkingly at Brik's face. "You do know that our group session isn't scheduled until next week."

"I know," Brik sighed. "But I realized something. I just found out that one of my best friends died. His name was Mordicai Love and he was one of the most kind-hearted people that I know, and now he is dead. Just like that...gone. I'm not even half the man he was and yet, I'm still here, breathing and living, it isn't fair. That should be me, he didn't deserve that. I'm the low life with the cancer and he had a chance to be great."

"What are you trying to say, Brik," Leo asked, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm saying that...I'm saying that I finished my bucket list, and I get it now. Mordi wouldn't want me to waste the time I have, and I respect him too much to do so."

Leo's smiled, "Brik, I'm proud."

The goodbye between him and Lizzie was everything but normal, Tristan just gave a silent nod as she said goodbye to him and left the kitchen. Taking a bite out of his banana he turned his attention to Brik who was the only other person besides him and a sleeping Avery left in the house. Brik didn't really give much of an answer to his question before announcing that he too had to go and just like that Tristan was left alone. As he finished up his banana he heard the door open followed by feet leading upstairs. With no reason left for him to be here Tristan decided to get going as he threw out his banana peel he went to the living room and got dressed quietly as to not wake a still sleeping Avery before slipping out of the house.

As he stepped outside the rays of the sunlight hit him causing him to use his arm to block it. Getting into his car he didn't feel like being alone and he wasn't willing to settle for the companionship of his family. He could text the Madison but it was way to earlier in the morning to do what she would want to do, so he just pulled off letting his mind wandered over his text messages he got earlier. Texting Aaron he asked him to meet up and after a couple of seconds he got a reply telling him to come over. Aaron like Kyle was a guy he knew from school but unlike Kyle Tristan and Aaron actually shared a friendship. With Kyle after the project ending they only meet up for two reasons that being sex or weed, were as with Aaron they played video games and basketball and did other stuff as well as had sex and smoked weed.

Pulling up to the curb in front of Aaron's place Tristan parked his car before getting out and walking to the door. The door was already open so pushing it open he walked in before calling the door back "Aaron!" The petite guy descended down the stairs wrapping his arms around Tristan immediately as he reached him "Are you okay? I am so so so sorry for you" as Aaron took a step back he continued on "It's okay if you feel like you want to cry I know how close you two were and if --" Tristan cut him off not having any idea what Aaron was taking about "Aaron what the hell are you talking about?! Your like the fortify person today to tell me that they are sorry for me and I ..." Tristan let his words trail off as he saw the look on Aaron' face. The boy had his hands covering his mouth and a look of sadness and surprise in his eyes "You don't know" his voice was almost inaudible.

Tristan just stared at him "I don't know what?" Aaron said nothing as he grabbed Tristan's wrist and led him into the living room "You should take a seat." Aaron said patting the spot on the couch next to him. Tristan sat down waiting for Aaron to spill what ever it was that everyone else seemed to that he was completely oblivious to. "Am sorry to be the one who has to tell you this but .... your friend ..... Mordicai ... he .." Aaron paused for a moment before continuing "Tristan am sorry but your friend's dead."

He didn't know what to say as his body immediately numbed as to what he had just heard. He knew that Mordicai had been MIA these last couple of days but he had just figured the guy was locked up in his studio to busy creating one of his masterpieces to be bothered with the outside world. Not once had he ever assumed that death would be the reason for his friends absence. Aaron once again wrapped his arm around Tristan's body in an effort to console and comfort him. As the seconds flew by Tristan did nothing, he didn't ask how or why, he didn't scream or shed a tear he just sat there in disbelief.

"I have to go" Tristan said after a long moment of silence. He didn't wait for Aaron to say anything as he broke away from standing up and jolting out of the house. Getting into his car he opened his glove box and pulled out a blunt and not wasting any time as he lit it and stuck it into his mouth. As he took a hit of the blunt he put his phone to his ear as he listened to all of his voice-mail that all confirmed what Aaron had just told him. Mordicai was dead. Turning the key in the ignition he started his car then drove off going home. As he pulled into the driveway and got out he noticed Kaleb sitting on his steps he wondered if he had heard about Mordicai too. "What's up man" he said as he walked over taking a seat next to his friend as he continued smoking his marijuana.

Inhaling the scent of her perfume, Brik let her cry. It was good for both of them. After holding her for a few heartbeats, he released her from his arms. He felt better, not great, not good, but better. He knew that he could trust Lizzie with this, hell he hadn't expected her to be so understanding. He thought that she'd scream at him; calling him a liar, a heartless bastard, a burden. Not only was it a relief that she was so understanding, it was a blessing. He remembered just two days ago, wanting to die, wanting to see that bright light that would take him away from his misery, but now, even though he wasn't completely happy. He wasn't completely miserable. Lizzie managed to give him a sliver of hope. He knew that he was going to die with or without her, but at least when he did finally breathe his last breath, and he watched the clips of his last days play before him, he wouldn't feel as if his existence was pointless. He would actually feel like he was worth the effort and time.

"So, a bucket list, huh?" Brik nodded, taking off his hat to scratch his head. He clipped it to his pant's belt loop so he he wouldn't lose it. "What do you have on it?"

He shrugged, he remembered dropping the notebook in the church. He turned back, looking at the entrance and in the sunlight, his notebook gleamed, as if it had been waiting for him. He walked up to the steps, grabbing the notebook and opening it up to the first page. Underneath his bucket list was a note written in neat cursive.

Brik,

you've made it through step one: honesty. Honesty with both yourself and the one you love. Now, the next step is to take charge. I wish you luck on your endeavors, Brik. God bless.

~Leo

P.S. She really cares about you. Cherish her.

"That clever son of a-" Brik mused to himself. He had to admit, Leo was growing on him. He turned back to Lizzie, a hint of a smile on his lips. Making his way back to his friend's side, Brik clutched the notebook in his hand. "I'll tell you later...you might be able to help me with a few of them."

"It's kinda hot out here... Umm... How about we go back to your place for something cold to drink? I'll follow you."

Nodding, Brik entered his truck, cranking it to life and driving off. On the way there, flashes of pink blurred pass him. He didn't really pay attention to them, but he did notice the pretty tanned girl that was the source to the color. He raised an eyebrow, he didn't recognize her, but that didn't faze him. He barely remembered half the people he knew. He stopped at his house, pulling his truck into the driveway. As he hopped out of the vehicle, Brik glanced at Lizzie before leaning her into the house. He was pretty sure that his mother and father were home and they would be so happy to see Lizzie after all this time. His mom had a soft spot for the blonde. When Lizzie was in town, she would pester him saying things like: "She is a sweet girl, Brikel Berry. You should ask her out." or "I have a good feeling about her. I think you two would look so cute together." And as always he'd reply with a simple: "Mom, we're just friends."

Looking back at Lizzie, Brik gestured to the kitchen. "You can get the drinks, be right back." He walked down the steps under he reached the basement AKA his bedroom. It was small, but he liked it. His eyes rested on the mural on the slanted wall over his bed. He remembered the day, Mordi painted that for him while they were beyond high. He remembered his laugh as he drew the streets of Canada. With a sigh, he placed the notebook onto his desk then left the room. He glanced back at the painting one more time before exiting. As he moved through the halls, something black moved in the corner of his eye. He swerve around, coming face to face with a the piercing blue eyes that he hadn't seen for over two years. He furrowed his brows, "Oliver? What the hell are you doing here? When did you get here?"


At that moment, it all hit him. He forgot that his mother mentioned his cousin living with them, due to his parent's death. It slipped his mind with everything that has been going on. He wiped his hand over his brow, looking up at his family member. "God, I forgot," he muttered. "Sorry, it's just been a pretty eventful weekend. It slipped my mind. Welcome. I have a friend waiting for me in the kitchen. I'll introduce you to her. Did you already unpack? If not, I could help you out." He led Oliver into the kitchen just as Lizzie turned around.

"Uh... Hi?" She said with a little blush. Brik almost smirked, it was surprisingly adorable. "I'm Lizzie? Where are the cups?"

"Top cabinet on your left," Brik answered, leaning against the doorway nonchalantly. "Lizzie, this is my cousin, Oliver. He's going to be living with me from now on. Oli, that's Lizzie my girl...my friend...she's my friend." He knitted his brow together, he almost said it: girlfriend. They only kissed once, and she just found out his darkest secret, but that didn't mean that they were anything more than just good friends. However, it was so easy to refer to her that way...and that's what made Brik feel a bit uneasy.

The day Dee found out about the death of Love, she spent a sundown and sunrise on her queen sized mattress, letting her tears control her entirely. All she wanted to do was lay there in silence. The rose sheets distorted from her forceful grip. Since she had no strength to walk and trigger her lamp, the sun and the moon spread their light energies through her ivory blinds. The air conditioner was constant for days, but every hour felt like the temperature was declining to below zero. Enough for chilling bumps to emerge on Dee’s caramel skin.

From time to time, her cellular phone on her desk would vibrate in such a violent tone. It demanded attention from Dee, but Dee refused to look at her messages. Sympathy being thrown into her face could make her sadder than she already was. She already read the first two text messages from her older brother, and one of her friends at school.

To: Dominique
From: Bro Bro
Heard about Mordi’s suicide. If you need anything, be sure to call me. I’m praying for you sis.

To: Dominique
From: Erica
Hey girl, I hope you are feeling okay. Haven’t heard from you in a while. I also heard what happened to Love.

But Dee was astonished that Dee not responding to the texts could have been a signal for Erica to sprint her way to Dee’s house, just to give a Dee a lean on her shoulder. Anything a friend could do whenever the one they cared about was down and out. Dominique hoped that she could arrive to do so.

Everyone else was speculatively friends, acquaintances, and relatives ready to interrogate her on the news that birds fluttered around and sang to them about an artist who died of an overdose. Dee didn’t want poor judgment from others engraved into her brain. It’s bad enough that she couldn’t even bear him using drugs. Mordicai’s passionate, caring, and motivating auras could be a qualification for someone drug free, but it seemed that Dee’s assumption was inaccurate this time.

Her parents would enter her room to console her after every few hours, hoping that she wouldn’t share the same fate as her boyfriend . They would bring her food, but Dee ate very little. Her father spent so much of his lifetime bringing positivity to his friends, that he figured he could use that same ability on his own daughter, but girls are fragile, sensitive, and emotional creatures.

Unfortunately, school was creeping ahead after “God’s Day”, and texts messages not being read and replied to will lead to consequences once she joins the school. Either that or hugs and prayers.

As late morning shifted into noon, Kaleb let himself look into the sky and try to imagine himself two years ago. It wasn't until the last year and a half Kaleb had been infested with the parasitic shadows of his mind. When had things gone wrong? What did go wrong? Everything he answered, tilting his head back to rest against the concrete of the stairs. Kaleb thought of his friends, the ones who were there for him when he needed their companionship most.

Within their circle, Kaleb often saw himself as one who sat on the fringe of most issues. Sure he was known to pester and push, tease and dare, flirt and horse around.....but did anyone really know him for him?

Summer

Of course she did. It was difficult at first when Kaleb had moved to Canada, many of his current friends already knew each other and had been stand offish to the brown skinned boy- though not due to his complexion. Even Jaylene took some time to warm up to him, but Summer had taken him in without so much as flinching. She had seemed so interested in his previous life in New York, and before that his childhood spent mostly in India. The two had fit together from the start, and in the beginning Kaleb hadn't known Summer's preference for her own gender. Summer would never so much as hesitate to express her affections to him, and as a 14 year old boy it was easy for him to confuse her sentiments for romance.

Jaylene and him had grown to know each other, both the true fuck ups of the group. Sure the others also has problems, but Kaleb and Jay both were the ones devoured with such angst and inner disdain that their souls were compatible with each other, finding comfort in another's proximity. A sigh passed his lips, swearing he could still taste Soda on his fleshy pink pout. He wished he hadn't left Jaylene, perhaps they had some things to still hash out. But Kaleb struggled with expressing his own feeling, the one who used humor as a defensive shield for anyone to get to close. Even Summer didn't know who he had become, Jaylene had seen a glimpse last night.

But could he trust his other friends with the monsters within? Would they still want to associate with a pyromaniac? Kaleb couldn't believe that they would, already they struggled dragging him away from fights or attempting to hush him as he drunkenly yells out insults to police that may pass them as they walk to their car after a party or the club. He remembered once when Jay had managed to talk a police officer out of arresting him by claiming Kaleb had accidentally taken a drink that had been intentionally roophied for Jaylene to consume, to explain his belligerent behavior. It was one hell of a lie, but it worked. Already he put his friends through enough shit, despite making up for it by baby sitting them because they couldn't hang or saving their asses physically. His naturally aggressive nature made Kaleb prone to conflict.

He and Mordi would constantly joke about how stereotypes put Mordi as the criminal and Kaleb as the talented one, instead it was the other way around. Kaleb sat up sharply, eyes widening. Mordi was dead.

Groaning, Kaleb buried his face into his hands, fingers tugging at fibers of his hairline. It was as if his demons had known, the fire foreshadowing Mordi's death. Oh god, where would Mordi be buried? Where would the wake be held? Should he do something? Hadn't he had a girlfriend?

Distracting himself, Kaleb attending to his phone, seeing that Madeline had responded to his texts. Madeline was another broken piece in the puzzle of their friendships. Adopted into a wealthy lifestyle was beneficial, but the gnawing notion inside knowing no one can quite love you like the ones who made you was enough to drive anyone up the wall. The girl's partying habits collided with Kaleb's, but if that was the case did that mean that she too was partying to cover something much deeper?
Kaleb shook his head, once again he was over analyzing. He wrote out a text, rereading it several times to make sure she would be able to comprehend it.

i just saw Kite, she's good. Tonight we're meeting at the cave...4 Mordi.

Although the text wasn't much, it took him forever to type the phrase into his iPhone. Although Kaleb wanted to call each of his friends and talk about Mordi, he knew it was best if they all waited until they saw each other tonight.

Suddenly Kaleb remembered a time that Mordi had texted his girl off of Kaleb's phone, scrolling through his threads until he came across the dated conversation. He was sure it was Mordi by the gooey sentiments that Kaleb would never say to a girl he was trying to sleep with, although according to Mordi what he had with Dee was more than that. Kaleb had laughed it off, teasing Mordi that he was acting like a female - but in a way he was envious of the relationship he had. Finally he wrote out a text to his deceased friends significant other:

Hey this is Kaleb, Mordi's friend...I don't know if ur interested but some of us are going to lakeside, probably tell some stories about him and party for him u kno. Ur more than welcome to come. he was sure he had met the girl once, but honestly Kaleb always struggled with names and faces. He knew the girl had to be hurting right now, maybe she could be comforted in the company of others who also mourned the loss of Mordecai Love.

It was then that Tristan finally showed up, smoking a trippy stick and greeting Kaleb nonchalantly. Bloodshot eyes peered from behind browned fingers that shielded his face, Kaleb's head shaking in confusion. "Mordi's dead," it sounded final, saying it out loud, "Mordi's dead and I fucked Jaylene last night." The secret slipped out like a foul word, intentional and undetected. It wasnt until he watched Tristan's face twist in surprise that Kaleb realized he had been bursting with the secret within the hours already and blurted it out the second Tristan greeted him.

Who knew when the burden of the fires would grow to be too much?

Monday….

The day that Dee had to attend school with stress and grief in her brain. Her mind was telling her not to come to school and lay in her bed, and let her tears soak through the mattress. This heartbreaking news felt too fresh for her to recover with a smile and focus on her own life. This was the one she loved. The second she had arrived in school, people were giving her hugs and consoling down the hallway.

But Dee understood that many were as heartbroken as she was, and everyone had to bear with this grief for nearly three class periods. In Dee’s case, English had begun, and Dee was wandering off the points of whatever novel her teacher was analyzing alongside the class of 25, even when she did the assignment that he handed out to the class on Friday.

She began to drift into her own world even more with another distraction. Her cellular phone began to vibrate on her desk. Sighs could never be as repetitive as her’s, but she had to read them or her phone would be piled with them. Maybe even important things. She had to secretly read them away from her teacher, hiding it under her text books.

"Hey this is Kaleb, Mordi's friend...I don't know if ur interested but some of us are going to lakeside, probably tell some stories about him and party for him u kno. Ur more than welcome to come."

A trip to the mountains to talk about Love. That was a pleasant idea, but Dee’s attention was weighed towards a question. Kaleb? The name was unfamiliar to her “collection” of people she knew in her life. Those that she would know by any unique traits Dee doesn’t even remember talking to a Kaleb, but this Kaleb was well aware of her.

By first intuition, Dee was immediately cautious. A trip to the mountains with some strangers? Did they really know Mordicai? She would probably be kidnapped, beaten, and thrown in the river if she participated, but this was only the worst case scenario. In order to solve this mystery, she had to scroll up to the history of messages sent to the number. Apparently, Dee’s messages on this number were rather…tender. The compliments and positive smileys thrown into the mix.

Dee chuckled to herself after remembering the texts, and the exact day and time these were sent. It was two weeks after that “first date in his studio”. She was having a sleepover with Erica and a few of her other female friends. Her texting and continuous giggling away from her friend’s conversations would be noticed by Erica, who’d pick on her for how submissive she was being over this man. Of course, Erica was the “female empowerment” type of person. The type that organized field days after Beyonce made a few songs celebrating it. Dee was amazed that Erica wasn’t a lesbian by now. With so much hate towards boys, it’s bound to happen. For how much of a feminist Erica was, she hated when her best friend was in a terrible mood for any reason. Even if it was for a man. Of all people who consoled her at school, Erica did the most.

Dee, however, was different and it was evident in the texts she sent to Love that day. She was too much of a hopeless romantic. Even if she wanted to lock her heart in a box and throw away the key, it seems to release somehow.

But that was the pasts and the present was meant to reflect on it, as illustrated in this event at the mountains. Dee had no idea how this event would turn out, or who was going to be there, except students from school. It would be nice to hear of these stories from friends that Mordi felt close to just as much as the lovebirds themselves. Mordi was such a kind-hearted person, yet secretive. Maybe these stories could peel the layers of his skin and reveal nothing but flesh and soul.

She let that intuition fly away like paper and let her fingers do the talking on her communication device.

To: Kaleb
From: Dee
Thank you for the invite. What time will you all be there?

Avery rolled over in her bed as her phone chimed out Kite's melody, the sound resounding loudly in her head. She was feeling weaker than ever, and after that night at Roxxie's, and seeing Summer tripping so hard, she was in need of some solitude, some relaxation......and her bed. Grabbing her phone she opened the message, wanting to be sure the girl who held everyone in the palm of her hand had made it through the morning alright.

From: Kite<3

Hey babes, where are you? Party starting at lakeside now and your not here :[ Ill be waiting for you Mousey!

The small girl sat up on her bed and smiled a bit. This was always how they made everything better, the Lakeside was their fortress, impenetrable and sacred. Her fingers blurred out a message.

To: Kite<3

Be there soon sweets.

Hitting send she went to her closet and rummaged around for something to throw on. After she'd gotten home that morning she threw on her favorite pajamas, an over sized shirt and some fluffy blue pants, but the day had been warm. Avery found a nice pair of blue jeans and a spaghetti string shirt, glancing in the mirror she pulled a brush through her chestnut hair and threw on her shoes. Going down the stairs she found her vitamins and took them, grabbed her keys, locked the door and hopped in her truck. Just as she was about to start the old thing her phone chimed again.....but it wasn't a familiar tone, wasn't one she had heard in a long time.

Avery knew a girl from school named Jessica....they weren't exactly the best friends, but Jessica had been her partner for a few projects here and there, and she was nice enough. They'd exchanged numbers for the project's they'd worked on, and considering they'd paired up often enough, Avery didn't delete her number.

Opening the text, Avery had almost skimmed over the words, expecting another project assignment, but the first few words had almost made her drop her phone completely....

Im so sry 2 hear about Mordi......

Avery rested her forehead against the steering wheel as her heart almost stopped beating......"Mordi.....oh god.......no......." Her voice cracked, and anyone who would have been around to hear it would have thought the nickname Mouse was due to the squeaky whisper that embodied her voice as she struggled to breathe.....tears hit the screen as she re-read what couldn't have been true....

Im so sry 2 hear about Mordi. They just broke the news 2 the skool 2day. he oded @ his place a few days ago....that y u and ur crew has ben skippin? Crzy shyt. preyin 4 u dol. luvz

Avery read the message until she couldn't see any more and then she screamed as sobs broke through her small frame, it couldn't have been real.......Jessica had to be playing some sort of joke, she couldn't imagine a life without one of her friends.....she couldn't fathom never seeing Mordi again.....never flipping through his art book again, never seeing his smile......it couldn't have been real.....

Sitting there she cried until she couldn't any more......She needed Brik, she needed Kaleb, she needed Kite........she didn't want to mourn someone who shouldn't have died.......reaching over to the glove box she pulled it open and searched for her secret stash. Avery had hid some drugs in her glove compartment when she found a secret compartment inside some time around december. Kite had given her a small bag of Xanex that she had hid there, and now was the perfect time for one.

Popping one, she waited until the high took hold before wiping her eyes and pulling out of her driveway, she didn't have far to go so she figured she would be alright, but she had swerved most of the way there and knocked over an empty trash can, she was hardly able to park when she had arrived.

Stumbling out she had just seen Kite dash to the cove, she had seen Brik, Kaleb, and Madi, but no Jay? There was a guy she didn't know there too, and a car she wasn't familiar with was parked a few spots away....Madi took off after Kite, and joining them sounded like a great idea, so she ambled off toward the cove. When she made it she found herself plopped down on Summer's lap and her arms around her neck, her eyes were blood shot and red, and they hurt. Closing them she put her head on Kites shoulder, she murmured something about Jessica being a lair before silencing herself.

As soon as Summer was taking his hand, like the social butterfly she was the brunette fluttered off. Kaleb would never guess anything was wrong, flawlessly she glided across the grounds greeting Madeline and the foriegn face that sat beside Madeline. Summer ran off screaming something about getting naked, but Kaleb hanged back to wait for the others.

As much as he wanted to let free as Kite did, Kaleb still had the weight of the world on his shoulders. His mind seemed to hop from one thing to the next. It was unreal that he would never see Mordi again, hell he might never see Jaylene again either.

It pained him more to think of never seeing Soda again more than Mordi's death - strange because she wasn't even really gone. But she had deserted them. Damnit, why couldn't she be a normal kid and just run away until they agree not to admit her. Then he had to deal with his father when he got home.

Running his hand through his hair, Kaleb turned around as he heard another car down the road. He recognized Avery's car before she parked. The girl ran past Kaleb straight to the lake where Summer was. Kaleb couldn't bring himself to be his usually bright self. Normally Kaleb would be running with his friends, horsing around with others, and throwing Kite into the lake.

However as Kaleb began to think of what waited for him at home, he felt himself slump. Tonight he had to make it worth it, because when Kaleb went home tonight he would be on lock down. Making a mental note to buy a pack of cigarettes on his way home, Kaleb sparked a cigarette and inhaled the harsh smoke with mild satisfaction.

As he stood on top of the hill, looking through the trees to his friends down below, Kaleb forced a smile. These were the ones who had stuck around for now and always for him. Taking his time down the hill, Kaleb made sure to asorb every moment entirely, not wanting to waste a single second of his day.

Leaves rustling behind him, Kaleb snapped his head back, ciggarette hanging from his lips. A silhouette of a shapely female was framed by the sun shining down on them. A tree obstructed his view on her, but Kaleb safely assumed it was Mordi's girl.

Once she came closer, Kaleb got a better look at her face. The caramel skinned beauty was entirely Divine, Kaleb could understand why Mordi was all gaga for the girl. From her dark eyes to her plump lips to the compact figure with all the right curves in the right places.

A smile tugged at Kaleb's lips, a predatory like mentality briefly flashing through his grief. It would be wrong for Kaleb to swoop in on Mordi's girlfriend while she was griefing, but as a straight male Kaleb had to entertain the idea - if only for a moment. Coming from behind the tree, Kaleb blew the tobacco smoke above and made himself know to the female.

"You made it!" Kaleb enthused, attempting to appear friendly. Although Kaleb didn't recognize the young lady, that didn't mean she wouldn't recognize him. Infamous in their high school for fighting or causing scenes, most people in their school was afraid of Kaleb. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case.

Glancing back to his friends, Kaleb realized how the group might be intimidating. Offering a hand out to the beauty, Kaleb locked eyes with her "I'm Kaleb, the one that texted you...we're just going to paddle out to a cave to set a fire, play some music, drink a little - we might have some snacks." He said, trying to ease her into the situation. Kaleb knew women pretty well, and if he was right the young woman before him was going through all sorts of feelings much like his own. Grief, confusion, loss, despair. It all knotted up in his gut, making him empathize for the girl that he hoped to help.

Her destination was near, and it was evident by the laughter increasing in volume and pint-sized people in her view, but she something was near. Smoke peeked from behind a pair of trees close to her path. As she walked down the hill closer to the crowd, a boy taller than her that was hiding behind the environment appeared like a wood nymph to her.

His hands must have a habit of manipulating his brown hair, as the majority was pushed back, with a layer brushed slightly over his right eye. He had no problem fixing that. The sun from behind the hill beamed directly to his face. His cigarette at hand and white wall expression proved that he was laidback from head to toe, or he was in the Mafia. He seemed like the type that would cause ruckus and sling papers in the hallway after a minute or two in his own little action scene. To Dee’s surprise, these assumptions began to adjust after the boy noticed Dee and struck a harmless grin after blowing smoke into the air, just to avoid hitting her face with it.

“You made it!”

His joyful attitude may have surprised her a bit, but he had no time in wanting to make her comfortable at the first few seconds. Scary at first, but he had introduced himself after Dee was wondering who this person was.

“I’m Kaleb, the one that texted you...we're just going to paddle out to a cave to set a fire, play some music, drink a little - we might have some snacks”

At that moment, Dee began to beam so serenely, but still puzzled over Kaleb’s lucky guess of knowing who Love’s girlfriend would look like in person. The last anxious breath releasing from her lungs out into the breezy atmosphere. Meeting one of Mordi’s closest friends face-to-face. She proved her skeptical best friend incorrect this time. No attempted rape in the woods. No axe murderer out to get people. Just being relaxed and celebrating in joyful noise. Something that Love would encourage, instead of becoming stressful and grieving till death. Unfortunately, Dee was still at that stage where she couldn’t bear the thought of her boyfriend being dead. It was still a distorted sight that Dee was having a hard time clearing.

Nonetheless, she needed to continue in clearing that sight. After the man introduced himself as "Kaleb", Dee placed a hand out to him in greeting, introducing herself in return.

“I’m Dominique, or you could call me Dee.”

Dee wouldn’t let anyone she hardly knew call her “Dee”, but Dee and Kaleb were mutual friends. A friend to Love was a friend to her. Kaleb was well informed of Dee being Love’s girlfriend so there was no point in repeating that announcement to him. She couldn’t say the same about the others present though. Love may have mentioned it to them, since Love was more than cordial to his friends. At least this was what Dee had gathered from Love talking more about his free-spirited friends and the sparkling activities they do than himself or his art. He spoke of their moments at the river, letting the pain drown in the deep abyss, and coming out soaked, yet purified. Something Dee would love to experience.

And the day would be that day to experience it. After Dee introduced herself to her new-found friend, she continued to speak.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Her eyes began to travel behind the male teenager and watched as a group of guys and girls began splashing around at the edge of the river, where it was safe and water wouldn’t slice you from the chest below. A wooden canoe was at ease next to the crowd with the cave at a distance. Dee remembered Kaleb mentioning that before in the text, but he reminded her again in case the thought would even try to slip her mind. The visual caused her to chuckle.

“Seems like everyone is already having a blast out there and we haven’t reached the cave yet.”

Brik simply watched in silence as his cousin interacted with Maddie. He was glad that Oliver was making himself comfortable. As Summer and the gang ran off to the cove, Brik took his time. Not only was it not safe for him to run, but he also just wasn't that excited. He got out of his car, and at a leisurely pace, followed his friends. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his swim trunks and his gym back was looped around his shoulder. He was already feeling more and more tired with each step, feeling the need to sit down and regroup.

As of late, he was feeling sicker and sicker, and it truly worried him, so he was going to pace himself tonight and refrain from doing too much. During his silent walk, Brik debated whether or not he should take his X and simply indulge, but he was aware that if he got high then he might do something too reckless to be considered healthy. Maybe he'd just stay sober, and be the kill-joy that he was born to be. He made it to the cove, feeling the urge to take a moment to catch his breath. Brik placed his bag in the cave and sat, leaning his head against the stone wall. His breathing was labored and he was already feeling lightheaded. With his hands on temples, Brik took this moment to gather up the energy that he was going to need. Tonight was about Mordi, and he wasn't gong to allow his illness to overshadow the reason he was here. He watched from his perch as more people arrived. He waved weakly at Kaleb and the stranger that was with him then gave Avery a small nod of acknowledgment. Closing his eyes, Brik just listened to the sounds that surrounded him from Summer cheerful voice to the droll of the lake.

Adrian sat alone in his room, the only light being what escaped through the slatted blinds, the boy held a bottle of Xanex in one hand, his phone in the other. At school today he had heard the announcement. Mordecai Love had overdosed, hes dead. He saw none of his friends at school today.........he knew her all too well. Summer Vorhees was planning something, and he would know what it was.

A small kitten made her way over to the deranged boy, oblivious to the world around her, or why she was such a prize. Adrian knew, Adrian knew what Hadrian had made him do that day, and he didn't regret it, not in the least.....


It wasn't long ago that Summer had gotten a kitten, she had named her Slyx, but Adrian thought Kesa fit the kitten better, granted, Kesa meant Summer in Finnish. Summer had let the kitten out of her house one day, weather by accident or on purpose, Adrian didn't know, but Hadrian had made sure that that kitten would never see Summer again. Being so young, Kesa didn't mind the change in owners much after a day or two, but now the kitten loved Adrian, and was currently curled up at his feet.

Adrian's eyes were lit by the light of his phone, the black screen illuminated, signaling the girl who he chased after so violently had sent a message, a demented grin flashed across his face as he read the contents, it was to that anorexic chick, they called he bones and for good reason, that's all she was.

Adrian knew every member of their little gang, and probably more about them then they're so-called-friends probably did, the reason being is he had watched them all for a certain period of time, not as long as he had been watching Summer though.......never as long as he had been watching Summer.....

After closing the message on his phone, he laid it beside him on his bed and opened his bottle of Xanex, he had taken a few into his mouth before rising and going to his closet to change. He took off his blue jeans and grey shirt to exchange them for a pair of black jeans with a shirt to match, he slipped on his black hoodie as well, and pulling up the hood, Adrian headed toward the lakeside.




Avery cuddled into Kite as she watched the light show on the back of her eye lids until she felt lips on her cheek. A flush of heat danced over her cheeks, she struggled a little, but her eyes were soon open and staring into Summer's, and when she heard Kite speak, she knew she was right, Mordi was never one for mopeyness, and he wouldn't want her to feel bad, whenever any of the crew felt bad Mordi would draw something silly to make them laugh, so whatever he could to bring them out of their sullen state. When Summer pulled Avery up, she wondered who the guy with the camera was, but when the music began to blare, he was just one of them, and that was all that mattered.

Avery watched as Summer made her way over to Mordi's wall in the cave, and she smiled when she had seen what Kite had wrote under his name, because it was true, once you were a part of the group, you were always a part of the group. After Summer exited the cave, Bones looked over to Mads and the new guy...and his shirt was off, with a crooked smile she turned away, hoping she wasn't spying a private moment, but not really caring just the same. She exited the cave just to be pulled into a whirlwind of Summer, her head felt so light on her shoulders, it was easy to let go and dance with Kite. Everything else faded away but the music and the beautiful girl who was leading her into the silliest dances ever. She clsed her eyes and let the music take her over.

'

Names of French descent weren't uncommon in Canada, and Dominique's name suited her Kaleb thought. He shook her hand gently but firmly, grinning as he came face to face to her. Kaleb had to give Mordi his props, the boy had somehow managed to cuff a girl who was so out of his league.

Which was unfair to say, but Kaleb was always hard on his guy friends, that's just how boys ran things. Retracting his hand, Kaleb spoke "You have a beautiful name." He complimented.

Dominique thanked him for the invite, but Kaleb was distracted by the noise at lakeside. The shouts from his friends echoed behind Kaleb, he could hear Summer threaten to throw him into the lake naked. His face briefly flushed with color, chuckling at his crews antics. Reaching to scratch the back of his neck, Kaleb used his free hand to gesture behind him. "I have to warn you, things tend to get a bit wild." A glint of humor in his dark eyes, "Everyone's friendly though, so don't worry."

If Jaylene had been there he would have to say differently. She was bitchy enough to those in their circle, let alone people outside of it. But damn it all if Kaleb didn't love that about her. Sodapop could never have done wrong in his eyes...except leaving him.

Shaking his head so a few stray strands fell over his forehead, Kaleb glanced behind him as Dominique mentioned how the group already began to have fun before even reaching the cave. With Summer around it was hard not to have a good time, Kaleb thought, watching her and Avery paddle to the other side. "The crazy one, that's Summer, and the little thing next to her is Mousey - or Avery."

Music could be heard playing from the cave, and as they neared the shallow edge of the water by the cave. More faces could be seen, and pointing out his friends Kaleb would identify them to Dominique. "The Latina is Madeline, and white boy is Brik....I don't know the other white kids name , he must be new." Kaleb thought he had seen the face before.

Finally reaching the cave, Kaleb hopped out of the canoe and dragged it into the sand to anchor. Offering a hand to help Dominique out, Kaleb then turned to his groups. "I know rules are rules, but I think we can cut our guest some slack and just give her a warning this time instead of throwing her in the lake." His ornery tone was accompanied by a brief chuckle, glancing back to Dominique as if to say 'your welcome' for getting her out of throwing her into the lake naked. "Everyone this is Dominique...she was the girl Mordi kept ditching us for."

Kaleb always relied on humor as a tension breaker, smiling at all his friends as he then walked to the fire pit. He began to work on building a fire before he started to take anything, arranging the twigs and branches accordingly. Now it was time to really enjoy the night, light a fire, drink a little and tell stories - maybe swim in the lake. It would be so much better than being alone.

Oliver
Oliver smiled over to Maddie as the girl told her who was who, he watched as the girl named Summer and the thin looking one Avery was dancing together. They look good together he thought as he took a few pictures of the two before looking to Maddie and took a quick picture. He watched her for a moment, hearing her phone buzz but she quickly turned it off. "Someone you don't want to talk to" he motioned to the phone.

Maddie then asked if he smoke or drank, he nodded his head as he spoke "I do drink but I only smoke the greeen, not one to dabble into harder things". He then turned to see that Brik decided to join them, he watched as his cousin sat down against the cave. "Excuse me for a moment Maddie" he got up and walked over to his cousin, sitting down beside him "you okay?" he asked Brik.

Just then two others showed up, another guy and a girl. He watched as the guy introduced the girl as Dee, then started on a fire. "Hi im Oliver, Oli. Im Brik's cousin. He invited me, hope you all don't mind. Ill be living with him now" he said a bit shyly. He started to then take pictures of them all, he would give them to the group once he developed them all.

Summer
Summer saw Maddie blow Avy and her a kiss, she pretended to catch it and put it in her pocket before sending one back to the girl. Her attention went back to the girl she was dancing with, a grin onnher face as she twirled Avy around. "I love ya Bonesy!" she laughed and pulled the girl in close. Brik finally decided to join him, he looked somewhat down and she shook her head. She stopped dancing, kissing Avy on the nose before she grabbed the bottle of vodka and walked over to Brik. Oli was now sitting next to her friend, she gave them both a smile before shoving the bottle of alcohol into Brik's hands "relax Briky and have a drink".

Her attention was soon deverted as Kaleb spoke, she saw another girl with him. She went over to them, grinning at Kaleb "well we can give her a pass this time but since you were the last of our group to come in I think you should be the one to" she put her hand on Kaleb's chest "anyways you haven't had the opportunity in a long time".

She then walked over to Dee, taking a once over look before reaching out and giving her a hug "Im Summer but everyone usually calls me Kite because usually im high as a kite. Mordi was a lucky guy to have you" she said as she let go of Dee "welcome to our home away from home, glad to finally meet you hun. Want anything? We have alcohol and different drugs, im going to light up a blunt. Make yourself comfortable". She gave a girl a kiss on the cheek before going over to Avy, taking her hand then walking over to where Kaleb was making the fire.

She sat down near the fire pulling Avy down on her lap as she opened her bag and searched for her premade blunts, once she found one she out it between her lips and lit it up. After taking a few drags she passed the blunt to Avy before laying back against the ground. "Just so y'all know we won't be seeing Jay for awhile, she was taking to a recovery place for drug addicts" she hated lying to her friends but she couldn't tell everyone what really went down. Her body started to relax as the drugs in her system started to kick in.

"I remember one time Mordi and I were walking downtown near the old bridge, he had a spray paint can and he started to paint the bridge. It was amazing just watching him, the colors all were so bright but I think thats because of the drugs" she laughed shaking her head a little "he also wrote "forever together, and that seemed to be our group motto since". She sighed as she started to think of the different memories she had of Mordi.

Madeline

"Someone you don't want to talk to" Maddie shook her head. Stephan was the last person she wanted to think about while she was here in memory of Mordi. Mordi would have been proud of her for not picking up the phone. She smiled to herself and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She missed Mordi, but so did the entire group. It was sad that he was gone. Oliver excused himself and she nodded.

Brik was close by, but not close enough. She wanted to call out to him, but she didn't. Brik will come down when he wants to, but until then she would just enjoy the view she used to share with her best friend."Everyone this is Dominique...she was the girl Mordi kept ditching us for." Maddie stood up and tried to get to Dominique before everyone else did, but she lost to Summer. Maddie just laughed at Summer. She looked crazy. Once Summer and Oliver were done Madeline made her move.

"I'm Maddie. It's nice to finally meet you," Maddie said honestly. She gave Dominique a hug and then let go. Oliver was taking more pictures and it made Maddie smile. It was almost as if the group was perfectly okay. Anyone on the outside looking in couldn't see they were trouble and carried a lot of baggage. Summer was babbling which meant that she had taken drugs. "Guess it's time to get high," she said pulling out a bag of weed from her pocket.

Although Stephan was a pain in her ass, he provided top of the line drugs. The weed was already rolled up and ready for smoking. The lighter clicked a few times before coming on. Maddie inhaled and then exhaled a puff of smoke. she put the lighter back into her pocket and then walked away from the new girl. Not to be rude, but Maddie was never one to smoke in someones face. "I'm willing to share," she called out.

She inhaled some more weed, but she let it sit in her system for a while before she exhaled. The weed seemed to be fast acting. Maddie sat down on the floor trying to keep herself in a fit of giggles. She held out the weed and closed her eyes. "For Mordi," she said before inhaling some more. Madeline said she was willing to share, but she realized how much she needed to weed.

“Hi”, Dee threw under her sighing breath after Kaleb introduced her to the group. A simple smile and wave with her wrist given after. From her tranquil introduction, she felt really uncomfortable meeting Mordi’s friends. She had never seen them before, or at least those that were not in school as often. Mordi’s friends must have sensed it, as they began to huddle around her, sharing hugs and handshakes as if they had known Dee for years. She even received a kiss on the cheek from the first girl to introduce herself to Dee. She was probably the first besides Dee’s mother and grandmothers to kiss her. This girl's name was Summer. “Kite” being her casual name. A rather unusual nickname, but was Love any different? In fact, it actually meant something to Dee to call Mordicai “Love”, rather than the usual Mordi. “Kite” also had an explanation behind it. Her drug usage and the side effects from it. Dee couldn’t quite comprehend it until Kite gave a visual tour of what the group had in front of them.

Dee’s bright smile began to fade once she witnessed what the girl was referring to. Dee’s conscience crunching at her aggressively like a lion to a gazelle. Dee could tolerate alcohol usage like the next teenager, but drugs? Drugs are a huge deal. Few from the group were using them, but the rest seemed content to the activity, especially the tall man who escorted her here. They may use them as well here in the cave. Dee’s nerves were getting shot with sensitivity, but Dee was trying her best to hide it by not showing any concern on her face. Drugs were the alleged source that Love overused and killed him. Dee would think that this could affect their tolerance of it as well, but she figured that it was too soon for that impact to happen.

But even then, she drove, and alcohol wasn’t the best beverage to consume behind the wheel, especially during a school day. Alcohol must be their way of coping over the death of Love, while drugs were meant to ease the pain, or avert their sadness and grief into pleasure and happiness.

But lucky for Dee they at least had food so they wouldn’t starve throughout the day.

Everyone else stood up from the dirt to greet Dee, before continuing on with what they were doing, or might be doing. Kite, positive in expression, would already sit down on the ground and pamper herself in what looked like marijuana. Dee watched as she took her first taste of it, before sharing her personal story with Mordi. Something that Dee intended on hearing during this meet. Dee rested her buttocks on her ground to listen to these stories, and eventually share her own.