Ellie Holland's Story

"I party all night, I laugh till I cry,"

Laugh Till I Cry | The Front Bottoms || Kids Just Wanna Dance | Emily's Army || Drown | Elizabeth Grace

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A delicately framed brunette groaned from her uncomfortable position on a twin sized mattress, there was no bed just the mattress and the canopies she'd decorated the room with, canopies, tapestries, blankets and lights were draped from every wall and an aroma of marijuana was trapped in the materials. No body in her family was allowed in her bedroom, she had the loft conversion so it was lockable too which was probably why she'd gotten away with taking drugs for so long in her life. Upon opening her eyes she groaned with misery at the streak of light that crawled over her face. Was the day really already that old? She stretched her arms above her head and moaned whilst she tried to release the numbness weighing down her muscles. She leaned over yawning to grab the metal case on the wooden floor board by her mattress and pulled it towards herself, she opened it and rested the box down on the blankets whilst she began rolling herself a smoke. She had no motivation to get out of bed as she laid there with the freshly rolled cigarette between her cold finger tips, she positioned it between her lips and held it there whilst she fumbled around the duvets and her surroundings to find her lighter. She sparked it up and took a long relaxing drag before laying back down and looking up out of the glass frames in her ceiling.

She could see the clouds and in her drowsy state they made her giggle as they glided past overhead like they were animated. She smiled sarcastically and sighed before she got up and walking around the room in nothing but her underwear she began looking for clothes and eventually found a grey 'bodycon' dress that she slipped into and threw a cardigan over it. As she continued smoking her roll up she waltzed around her room and put a vinyl on, an old school David Bowie track she loved with a burning passion. She watched the record spin as she moved across her room like a ditzy dancer before sitting down to scroll through messages on her phone.

They were a couple of missed calls that were accompanied by texts asking if she'd be joining her parents for breakfast at all but they'd been sorts ago. She didn't fancy staying in anyway, she really wanted to go catch up with people especially with this whole police investigation business going on- she was supposed to be called in for an interview later in the afternoon but Beatrice didn't quite know what to say. She'd taken all kinds of drugs that night- she'd woken up in a bath tub with a serious nose bleed. She'd made her way home okay and gotten on but later afterwards she found out about the dead boy and it left her feeling troubled and anxious. She couldn't remember much from the night at all, she'd gotten up with some girl and was there a guy too?

She grit her teeth was anxiety. She needed to talk to Sam, Tyler- that Ellie bitch that always gave her a hard time with her snotty expressions of disgust. She really needed to have her story straight before she went in for her interview- telling them her memory was nothing more than a supermassive black hole wasn't going to do her any favours especially if they got her to do a drugs test or anything. She put on her Doc Martens shoes and then climbed downstairs putting out her cigarette and discarding it in a bin on her way out.

Downstairs, she brushed her teeth and her hair in the bathroom, styled it a little bit and ran some mascara over her lashes before she snuck out the door onto the streets without talking to her parents.

To: Sam, Ellie, Tyler
I need to talk to you guys- about the party, nothing big I just don't remember a few things

She downplayed the situation massively but she couldn't let anyone think she'd been as fucked up as she was. That would only cause her trouble in the future- big time.

The light from the window beamed blindingly into the cold lilac colored bathroom. It had been another long night. Ellie rubbed her eyes open, she had slept on the cold floor with her face pressed against the toilet seat...again. She felt faint and woozy, she had eaten so much the previous night that it took her hours to throw it all up. She examined her body which was basically fully exposed, she wore her baby blue bra and underwear from Victoria Secret. Her body was red with a slight tinge of purple, she hadn't realized how cold it was until now. She scrambled to her feet and glanced into the full length mirror that hung on the back of her white bathroom door and sucked in her stomach. She had abs, half from being athletic and half from being so skinny, she smiled, pleased with her appearance. She locked eyes with her reflection for a moment, a feeling of disgust overcame her. The vision grew blurry and she teetered forward having to catch herself on the door. She shook her head and took a deep breath “Come on Elle” she encouraged and pushed herself off the door regaining balance.

She wandered into her light blue luxurious bedroom that had windows taller than Ellie covered in silver drapes. The room had a large kingsize bed with a silver duvet and canopy, a sitting area with a couple chairs on top of a multi-patterned rug facing a tv and a fireplace, a workspace with her dual screen computer and finally a walk in closet the size of a regular childhood bedroom. She walked into the closet and ran her fingers between her clothes thinking about the investigation and the party from a couple weeks back. The night was blurry, she hadn’t drank but the drugs she took were something else, Tyler always dealt the best. All she remembered was waking up next to the toilet as per usual and hearing cop cars rolling in. A boy had been killed. About time something interesting happened in this town.

She slipped into her leather leggings with a burgundy sweatshirt. She put on her usual gold hoops and a chain with a camera pendant, just then her phone buzzed. She walked into her room and belly flopped onto her bed to answer it “Hello?”

“Elle, what the hell did you tell the cops?”

Ellie pulled the phone from her ear and glanced at the screen Tyler. She sighed and replied “Nothing Ty, I just said I remember seeing you before the party and that’s it. It’s the truth”

“Why?! Why use me as your alibi…for fucksakes Elle I’m already undergoing so many questions…you had to say my name didn’t you?”

“Don’t be so dramatic Ty, anywho I’m hungry. Kisses!”

Ellie hung up and made her way to the kitchen when her phone dinged for an income text message it was from Beatrice Fuck…what does this girl want?

It was in regards to the party, Ellie wanted a recap of that night too…did she spend the night with B?

To: Beatrice
Message: Okay, I’ll be at the café if you want to talk…

Ellie grabbed her car keys and jumped into her glossy red BMW convertible and zoomed off to the café. She walked in and saw Alby talking with Scarlet, seemed serious I’ll have to have Scar update me later. She ordered a vanilla latte and sat near a window admiring the gorgeous day.

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Tyler groaned as Ellie hung up the phone, she always avoided these situations. The cops had just stopped by his house for the fourth time this week, asking numerous questions in which most were irrelevant and redundant. Tyler walked into his kitchen that looked like it belonged in a hotel rather than a home. It was massive with two stoves, a large fridge two people could easily hide in, an island with a dozen stools and a pantry the size of a closet. He grabbed an apple off the fruit tray on the counter and took a bite. He was exhausted, the festivities of last night had taken a toll. He was hungover and feeling grungy. His parent’s had hosted a gala downtown which as per usual called for an after party. At least half the town had attended but the fun was cut short when the cops rolled in. Regardless, he managed to escape the chaos and hit up a strip joint downtown. He had gotten a private room with a few friends and drank the night away.
Tyler scrolled through his phone, he needed fresh air and a friend. He tapped on Isabella’s name.

To: Bells
Message: Hey can we meet up? Park date? If you’re not to hungover lol

As he hit send another message rolled in, it was from Beatrice. Another order I presume? He frowned when he read the message, he could use some money right now but the text was not for business purposes.

To: B
Message: Yea I guess, where you at?

Just recently had people started talking to Tyler again. Everyone avoided him and his family like the plague. The investigation that lasted two years had nearly come to close until a boy was found dead. Of course the cops blamed the Kingsley’s right away but evidence had not surfaced, regardless they remained under questioning and showed up “out of the blue” numerous times a week.

Tyler grabbed his wallet and keys and made his way out. Fresh air felt nice as he began wandering the town.

"I party all night, I laugh till I cry,"

Laugh Till I Cry | The Front Bottoms || Kids Just Wanna Dance | Emily's Army || Drown | Elizabeth Grace

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B walked down the street with a certain amount of attitude and aggression in her step. Although B was a bit of a head case and walked like a punk out of an 'Emo' music video. She was an incredibly genuine person and her friends were held in high regard but when she tried to think about it, she didn't have many. Tyler only bothered with her for the drug money, she was pretty sure of that, the only trust and loyalty within their friendship was that he wouldn't cut her drugs with anything or rip her off- other than that there was nothing. Sure there were a couple of kids around the town she messed around with and hung out with, she was quite aware nobody really trusted her or liked her- they all thought she was nothing more than the substances she kept putting in her blood but still, it was so much worse than anyone of them knew. Scars on her arms from needles, organ damage from pills and all kinds of crazy things but the benzodiazepines mixed with all the alcohol she drank and her antidepressants, she figured it'd probably be the death of her one day if she didn't cut it out but she was an addict- it just wasn't that simple and it never would be.

To: Ellie
Thanks. I'll meet you there.

She turned around and headed down the high street towards the local coffee house, looking up at everything around her for a moment. The café wasn't far from her home and within a couple of moments she was opening the door and gritting her teeth about the annoying bell that went off upon her entry. She saw Ellie sat by the window and taking a deep breath so she'd be calm enough to avoid an argument with this girl because she really didn't ever know where she stood with her and walked over.

Her and Ellie had been at each other's throats since they'd met but there was something about Ellie that Beatrice kind of admired and was drawn to- probably the fact she had the guts to piss Beatrice off all the time. She sat down with her and leant back in her seat once she had.

"How are you doing then?" She asked a little casually but also quite awkwardly- she felt like she was testing the water before she dived into the ocean, she just never knew what she was going to get with this girl. She quickly text Tyler back.

To: Tyler
I'm at the café with E, feel free to join us or I can meet you after. Just let me know ASAP.

A waiter came by and placed a large artsy mug filled with Ellie's favorite latte on the table in front of her. Ellie smiled politely, thanked him and handed a five dollar bill as tip. Her parent's had always taught her three things about "the help", she could hear it now in her mother’s voice Be polite, tip and never yell at them because they just might poison you, like what happened to your aunt May" . Ellie chuckled at the thought and took a sip of her coffee.

Her mind began to wander on tomorrows activities. She had a volleyball competition and the team was given a day of rest prior to the meet. Ellie had trained hard on her own for the last month on top of team practice. She was exhausted, she had taken several pills to boost her energy and followed a strict diet that was shot to hell after last night’s gala, good thing she threw it all up after though, who wants love handles anyways?

Her thoughts were suddenly intruded by a very awkward Beatrice. Ellie lifted her eyebrow as the outcast took a seat before her. She was about to reply to her question but was cut off when Beatrice began texting. Ellie cleared her throat and furrowing her brows, she said ”It’s rude to text when trying to converse.” Screens were Ellie’s biggest pet peeves when talking to people. When technology became the norm her parents taught her and her sister to acknowledge and converse rather than escape and hear half of what the other is saying. She always tucked her phone away and gave her absolute attention to the other party. She could hear her mom’s voice again Only exceptions to looking at your phone when on a coffee date are emergency and booty calls. That second one is a joke Elle…

Ellie cupped her hands around her mug and took a deep breath. She locked eyes with Beatrice for a moment but quickly shifted them. She always felt awkward and nervous around Beatrice which is why it was so easy to torment her. Something about the rebel outcast made Ellie admire the girl, such freedom and no expectations must be nice, Ellie’s life under pressure was rough. “So…” she said finally. “I am well. Now. If this is some kind of act to make me your friend you can forget, I do not associate myself with the tortured. We are here to converse in a business fashion and that’s all. Two weeks ago we encountered an unfortunate situation. You wanted to clarify a few details, the floor is yours.”

"I party all night, I laugh till I cry,"

Laugh Till I Cry | The Front Bottoms || Kids Just Wanna Dance | Emily's Army || Drown | Elizabeth Grace

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Beatrice looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes when she gobbed off at her about her texting. "Well it doesn't matter what I'd been smoking I'd never have been intoxicated enough to spend a whole evening with you. So unless you've been stalking me, I need to talk to a lot of people to work out what happened that night. So fucking leave it Ellie," Beatrice groaned pinching the bridge of her nose before putting her phone away and turning her gaze back at Ellie who was staring slightly and trying to catch her eye, B held her look grudgingly but without wavering or backing down.

"Ellie, don't be a bitch. I don't want to be friends with you, so save yourself the embarrassment. Look you know me, the night of the party I was off my head- I don't know what I took, I think it was mostly marijuana and alcohol but I don't remember anything at all. All I think I know for sure is that I hooked up with a girl- don't judge me, I'm Bi. Deal with it. Did you see me at all the party? With anyone? Honestly anything would help, I just need to get my story straight before I head down to my interview this afternoon," B hands down told Ellie all the truth. She didn't lie to her or exaggerate, to her memory she couldn't remember taking any drugs harder than pot and she was almost certain she'd slept with a girl, she just had no idea who, when or where.

In a way, B was kind of attracted Ellie- she had attitude, intelligence and unique qualities but she was just such an annoying cow sometimes Beatrice genuinely struggled to be around her and behave civilly. She didn't hate her at all, Ellie just seemed to know exactly which buttons to press to get a reaction out of her. Her arrogance too, that got old pretty quickly as far as Beatrice was concerned. All she really needed was to find out who she'd been with and what time she'd gone home, then she'd have a solid alibi and her name could be cleared and she could go back to resuming her life as normal. She could go back up to her loft, get stoned and write an essay of a surprisingly high quality, go to bed, get up and repeat. She wouldn't have any more of this investigation bullshit to deal with, she felt bad for the poor kid who died and his family but when she knew nothing but was still being investigated and threatened, it was very hard to focus on her sympathies over clearing her own name. She really didn't want to be getting caught up in the investigation though, she had studies, her family and a life to get back to but no body could really rest or relax anymore with some murderer on the loose around their town and that was why she was talking to Ellie.

So she could get her old life back and have some closure about what happened that night.

In that moment a flashback of the rendezvous kicked in. Although she barely remembered that night she did remember Beatrice, in fact she remembered four exact moments. Arriving at the party, Tyler giving her ecstasy, a woman (was it Beatrice?) and waking up in the bathroom. The time in between was a blur but she could easily guess what happened. Ellie began to focus deeply on her mug as she listened to Beatrice ramble on and ask questions. Her vision began to fade as thoughts of what happened swam around.The foam in her latte began to dissipate, this frustrated her as the foam was the best part.

Silence lingered between the two, the sounds of the cafe seemed louder, she could hear her heart pounding. Finally Ellie glanced up, it had been a couple minutes since either of them had spoken. Her head swarmed with lies, she could see the honesty in Beatrice’s eyes but honesty was not her angle. “I didn’t see you. For one I don’t linger in the shadows among you weirdos and your face is not one I care to admire.”

She could hear the harshness in her voice and she immediately questioned it, she never understood her snappy attitude towards Beatrice. Her attraction towards the girl was highly resisted, she’d hooked up with girls in the past but at least she had class. Her vision began to narrow on Beatrice's specific features, her beautiful eyes, her lips, the smoothness of her skin. She wanted to give in but discomfort kicked in. She glanced over at Scarlet who had just gotten up to pay for her order. “Look, I know as much as you okay? I had one too many martinis and the rest is a blur. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful...if I’m being honest the only people I saw you converse with is Ty and Sam”

Ellie chugged the rest of her coffee and got to her feet. As she tucked her chair under the table she said “Tyler is your best bet but avoid saying his name in the interview. The guy has enough problems already.” She smiled weakly and let out a small sigh.

She walked over to Scarlet and gave her a hug with a small hello. She glanced back at Beatrice, she felt bad for lying but it was for the best...well not really but it was for the good of her reputation. “How are you?” she asked Scarlet.

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As Tyler wandered the town he entered his usual alley and pulled out a joint. In the alley he had a clear view of the road but was well hidden in the shadows, this was his only safe zone in the town due to being constantly watched by the cops. He leaned against the cold stone wall of the bakery and took a puff of his blunt feeling the effects immediately. In that moment his phone buzzed announcing incoming messages from B and Bells.

To: B
Hey! I'll meet with you later, text me time and place

He finished his joint, tossed the butt onto the ground and made his way to his favourite spot, the park bench he and Bells always met at. The day radiated pure bliss, the sun shone brightly and the clouds were puffy and white. Tyler loved walking around and admiring the scenery, he loved how the trees danced in the cold breeze and how the infrastructure complimented the town. His eyes were slighted glazed, he felt good and at peace despite his morning.

From afar he could see Isabella sitting on their bench jamming out to some tunes. He snuck behind her and tugged her head phone out of her left ear "Hey tinker bells" he greeted and swung his leg over plopping down next to his bestie. "So rude awakening, cops showed up 'up of the blue' for a 'surprise' inspection. You'd think they'd give it up at this point...anyways how's you?

OOC: Sorry my post is so short , busy day"

Ellie examined Scarlet, her friend seemed nervous. “Due to your sickness? I mean you said it was the flu right? Never mind. If you want me to know I’m sure you’ll just tell me...you know how much I hate secrets. Her voice was slightly threatening, secrets annoyed her which was ironic since she had so many herself. Ellie twirled her hair and narrowed her eyes looking for a tell but Scarlet didn’t even flinch. She was ready to pry some more but she knew the truth wouldn’t arise that easily. Over the last couple weeks the duo had been distant and a stream of lies is all Scarlet spoke lately. Ellie decided to drop the topic she knew prying was useless and where was the fun in finding out the truth up front? Plans filtered through her head as to how she could get the information and smile devilish smile appeared on her face.

Ellie shrugged finally and said “Anyways I’m good, ish, I’m hungover, Ty’s gala was rowdy as per usual, the cops interfered halfway. I got together with a few peeps afterwards and partied, didn’t get to bed until like 5am.” Her tale came out flawlessly considering half her story was true, she did attend the gala but she had a different reasoning behind her late night.

She felt slight tension and an awkward atmosphere so she pulled out her phone and gasped at the time. In truth Ellie had an event to attend in less than an hour and she was nowhere ready. “Urg I gotta run, I have a family dinner to attend” another lie, Ellie never had dinner with her family unless it was in town hall for a gala with the rest of the town. She smiled, gave Scarlet another hug and made her way out, glancing over at Beatrice before she did so.

Ellie hopped into her car and blasted Neutron Star Collision by Muse. She began to daydream about the night ahead as she drove home, such as what she was going to wear, who she would be seen talking to and the types of conversations she would initiate. She was so consumed by her thoughts she hadn't realized she missed her turn and kept cruising mindlessly.

"I party all night, I laugh till I cry,"

Laugh Till I Cry | The Front Bottoms || Kids Just Wanna Dance | Emily's Army || Drown | Elizabeth Grace

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Beatrice didn't believe her. She was trying to hard to sound convinced but then making excuses- she wasn't being straight with B and she could see straight through it and honestly, it pissed her off but Beatrice grit her teeth and sighed. She looked at Ellie with a slightly tense jaw and tried not to notice how unique and attractive she considered the girl to be and she could have sworn she remembered seeing her dressed up at the party. She could have sworn they at least spoke.

"Please don't insult my friends again Ellie- there's nothing weird about them, a lot of them are your friends too. She reminded with a slight sigh or irritancy.

"Okay. I'll talk to him and of course I won't mention him. I'm not mentioning anybody that isn't myself. I'm not dragging my friends into this shit, no one needs this kind of crap in their life and Ellie- if anybody says anything about me, could you do me one favour and say I hadn't taken any drugs? I was just really pissed right," She told her with a sigh. She then let go of the stress and resorted into her slightly ironically arrogant self. "Alright deary, always a pleasure," She chimed as a farewell as Ellie wandered off to great Scarlet who Beatrice glared at with distrust, bitterness
and ancient resentment before exiting the café and checking her phone as it sprung to life with a text from Tyler.

To: Ty
Thanks Ty. I'll text you when I know.

That done, she realised she needed to talk to someone who would understand so much better than a school rival and favourite 'frenemy'. She needed to talk to the one person, she could really call a one hundred percent reliable friend- Alby.

To: Alby
Hey A, I can't remember shit about this party the other week. Could we meet up later to talk about it? I think I'm actually losing my shit over this.

B would be the first person to admit Alby was a weird one but so was she and she figured that's why they'd always got on so well. If she had a friend she trusted, it was Alby. Forgetting one very important thing, she told him basically everything about her life- her bisexuality, her cock-ups, her prides, her secrets- he was the one friend she trusted with those kind of things and right now, she was glad to know she had somebody on her side. If he'd seen her at the party, which he must have- there's no way they'd have been at the same party and not had at least one drink together, he'd tell her anything he'd heard or knew. Maybe he'd be able to help her calm down a bit too because right now, the stress was starting to make her skin itch or was that just the withdrawal symptoms?

The houses surrounding Ellie's car quickly became unfamiliar. It's not that she never saw this part of town but she never visited it willingly. She glanced at her surroundings feeling a little lost damn music, now I'm really going to be late. A feeling of discomfort churned in her stomach, being late was unlady like, improper and rude.

She pulled over, put her car in park and grabbed her cellphone which sat on the passenger seat. She hesitated for a moment before entering her password and calling her mom "Hi mom! I'm so space headed I missed my turn, I'm going to be a little late." Her mom sighed on the other end and replied in a harsh tone "Are you trying to embarrass me and your father? You know Andy was always prompt she would never dishonor our family." Ellie rolled her eyes and glared through her windshield at her mothers comment "Dishonor? Mom. I'm going to be like two minutes late, well five now it's not a big deal...anyways I just wanted to give you a heads up"
"Fine, I'll lay out a nice dress for you, sneak through the back so our guests don't see you in whatever god awful clothes you went out in." Before Ellie could reply her mom had already hung up.

Ellie dropped her phone not paying attention to where it landed and placed both her hands on the steering wheel. She gripped it tightly and narrowed her eyes in furry. She took deep and heavy breaths before screaming out "AAAAARRRRGGGG fuck." She took another small breath and pressed her fingers against her temple to calm down.

Ellie slid her foot back to the gas peddle but felt something beneath it as she did so. She peaked under, saw her cellphone and grabbed it. She stared at the black screen, she felt numb, she didn't want to go through this. She shook her head and reentered her passcode. She tapped on the GPS and was all set to go when she saw a familiar face up ahead. Ellie's eyes grew wide in disbelief. She minimized her GPS app and launched the camera function. She zoomed in on the two individuals standing in a doorway, the zoom function confirmed her thoughts. She snapped a couple pictures and dropped her hands down to her lap to really examine them. It was obvious. It was Alby and Sam...Sam...kissing.

Ellie's head snapped back up at the duo, she was shocked. Sam was a good friend of hers, she knew he was gay but she didn't know he was dating someone. She felt insulted and hurt to be out of the loop. She shook her head "I'll have to confront him later."

Finally Ellie zoomed off and headed home. She snuck through the back door as her mom had suggested. She heard awkward laughs from the living room and headed straight to her bedroom. Her mom had laid out a dress for her...pink...Ellie groaned.

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Tyler narrowed his eyes at Isabella's bruise. He knew she was klutz but the damage seemed serious. When she started to laugh Tyler also let out an awkward chuckle. Whatever I'm sure it's fine he thought to himself.

When she got up and extended her arm towards him, Tyler took her hand willingly. He liked holding hands with her, he wasn't a romantic guy but hand holding with Isabella was different then all the other girls. The only hand holding he ever did would be leading a girl to his bed or limo or alley or bathroom, wherever to have that much needed rendezvous. He started thinking about all the girls, all the nights and then that first time. He smiled at the memory and welcomed it. It was one of the only good memories he had at the age of 16 before the investigation launched. His mind then became cluttered with the thought of the investigation, it made him nervous and uncomfortable. His high was now reaching his peak so the paranoia became uncontrollable. Tyler glanced around him quickly, he could see individuals leaning up against trees admiring the details, some typing on their laptops while sitting on a park bench and some just plain staring, he felt like they were all watching. His heart began to race but finally his mind returned to the present and he remembered Isabella's question.

He felt his keys in his pocket and was about to offer driving but had recalled his walk to the park, his car was at home. He opened his mouth to answer Isabella's question but was confused at the sudden empty space next to him. He came to a halt and glanced back, Isabella had fallen behind. "Come on Bells!" he encouraged with a smile on his face.

Isabella always vented to him, he liked that, he liked being in the know but today she seemed off. He wanted to pry and shake her. He wanted to tell her that life is not that hard and to just smile and laugh about it, but he knew it was useless. He walked up next to her and hooked his arm with hers "You drive and I'll buy" he chimed.

"I party all night, I laugh till I cry,"

Laugh Till I Cry | The Front Bottoms || Kids Just Wanna Dance | Emily's Army || Drown | Elizabeth Grace

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Beatrice didn't look around herself much as she was walking, she was preoccupied with her thoughts. Why was Ellie lying about the party? She kicked a stone aggressively with her shoe and sighed. "Why am I like this? Why am I as tragic as she says I am?" The party had brought up too many things Beatrice hated about herself, the things she worked so desperately to bury and forget, her attitude, her 'bad habits', her history, her future- she didn't want to know any of it but then something like this had to happen and drag it all back up. She always put on the brave face to everyone- even Alby to some degree she still tried to deceive with her smirks and bold attire but there were so many things she'd always been desperate to change, like getting clean but that was so much easier to say then it was to do.

Her parents still didn't realise- they knew she was junkie but not this bad. God, everybody thought the worst of Beatrice by now with everything she'd taken.

She was distracted from her self loathing by a text and she opened it with a sigh.

It was Alby and she felt a certain amount of relief for reading it. At least he was still around.

To: Alby <3
Thanks Alby, I'll be round soon.

It'd probably take her ten minutes to walk to Alby's so she figured she had at least fifteen to waste around the town centre. So she found a cigarette in her pocket and propped it between her nude lips before sparking it up. She inhaled with a sigh of relief then let the smoke fill her lungs with uncomfortable burn that she loved regardless of it's damaging effects. She ran a hand through her cropped brown curls and continued her way, deciding she'd show her face in the local Artist's Shop and collect some new materials.

Inside the store, she was instantly recognised- of course. Some of her art they even sold on her behalf in here and Beatrice checked the wall for the latest piece she'd given them and noticed it missing, had it sold? She hoped so because it'd pay well if it had.

The owner- Simon greeted her with a wide smile and brief hug. "Bea! My darling, how are you?" He gushed and Beatrice chuckled returning the man's bright greetings with a calm smile.

"Just dandy Si, just dandy. Looking for some charcoal- you got anything?" She asked and Simon nodded before busying himself with locating the product from the store cupboard behind him, still calling out to her as he worked.

"Bea- you're piece, the Kalediscope one, it sold by the way. £110. I've already transferred the money for you, but not long ago. It should have gone through by now though. Lovely gent the one who took it, he was a collector. Keen to see if we had anymore of your pieces but I had to explain he got the last, you workin' on anything?" He hollered back and leaning against the work top, Beatrice sighed. She'd been working on many things but nothing she was eager to sell.

"Yeah of course I am Si. Gotta couple things, I'll drop something off next Thursday, give that guy a call about if you fancy," She suggested sighing softly. Simon returned and passed Beatrice a pack of charcoals, which she gave the nod approval before passing him the appropriate cash. She thanked him and then as ever being an antisocialist, she then quickly embarked on leaving and smoking her cigarette as she made her way to Alby's. She risked being early but she figured she could take the 'scenic route' and enjoy the walk.

Ellie picked up the pink dress her mom had laid out for her on the bed. She stared at it in disgust and thought of ways to destroy it I could burn it, throw it out the window or accidentally get it wet...urg...just wear it Ellie, you're in enough trouble as it is. Ellie slipped into her new outfit and made her way down the grand staircase moments later. She wandered into the living room with a polite smile on her face. Seated before her parents were two officers and a detective.

The detective greeted her lightly and gestured to a seat next to her parents. Ellie gave a small nod, walked over and sat down. She crossed her legs and placed her hands gently on her lap ready to listen to why the hell she was being interviewed again. One of the cops cleared his throat, discomfort haunted his gaze. "This isn't easy for us, we don't want to put your family through this again and-"
"With all due respect sir, I was interviewed this morning. I gave my honest word I don't know what more you expect of me...and my parents weren't at the party so why was their presence requested?"
Ellie's mom glared at her and was ready to apologize on her behalf but the cop spoke before she could.
"I understand miss, but this isn't in regards to that murder investigation...this is in regards to your sisters death, Andy."
Ellie's eyes narrowed in disbelief what...?!?! This case was closed years ago. Ellie pressed a couple fingers against her temple in confusion and closed her eyes taking a couple deep breaths, she wanted to throw up.
"An accusation has been made" announced the detective.
Ellie's eyes fluttered open and she stared at the ground trying to remain calm "Look, I was 13, I don't remember the story as well as I use to. Why is this being brought up again? It's not my fault the bridge was poorly made. Those boards snapped the moment she set foot on them, I couldn't save her. What more is there to know? And what accusation? It was an accident"
Ellie's mom grabbed her hand and squeezed it to try and get Ellie to take a breather. Tears began to fill her eyes at the memory, it was horrific and moment she tried to block out.
The cop nodded in understanding and said "Ellie, we do not suspect you if that's what you're wondering. But someone brought forth a very serious case, the story you blurted out is the same as it was five years ago. We just need to know if there is something you left out. Would anyone have wanted to hurt Andy? Or you? It could have easily been you. The murder a couple weeks back appears to be targeted. The theory someone brought forth aligns with that night and with your sisters death and unfortunately with the death of a couple others.We cannot named the accused or the accuser but an investigation had to be launched. We hope you understand. Is there anything more about that day that we need to know?"
Ellie shook her head "I'm sorry sir, I told you everything I know. Excuse me"

Ellie stormed out of the living room and ran up to her bedroom. She closed the door gently behind her and rushed to her bathroom. She lifted the seat cover and threw up, tears rolling heavily down her cheeks. Ellie collapsed on the ground, her head began to spin. She stared at the ceiling being unable to control her breath, the memories flooded her mind, she couldn't stop them.

"I party all night, I laugh till I cry,"

Laugh Till I Cry | The Front Bottoms || Kids Just Wanna Dance | Emily's Army || Drown | Elizabeth Grace

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"See that's what I thought but she begged to differ," Beatrice sighed immediately after was biting her tongue, she probably shouldn't have told him that. She was barely listening as he started excusing himself and she simply nodded with a gloomy and spaced out expression mumbling 'yeah' at some point before he began to jogging away. Only around the corner from Alby's she inhaled the fumes from her cigarette and continued with long strides to his door sighing with relief when she was standing on one side of it. It was too familiar to her, Alby's- being his best friend meant there'd be countless gathering and laughs here, she smiled softly and then knocked the door gently once. She checked her phone but she didn't have any replies from anybody from what she could see, so she pocketed it out and waited relaxing a bit because a lot of tension had built up in her body language and expression over the course of barely an hour.

She ran a hand through her unruly dark hair and took the finishing drag from her cigarette, inhaling the smoke deeply so her lungs felt scorched, holding the toxins there before opening her mouth to let it go, in small perfected rings that partly made her chuckle to see. Smoking tricks were something Beatrice prided herself on although she was well aware that it was far from the best or most healthy hobby around.

As she stood there, she wandered how Alby was doing because they hadn't spoken as much as they usually would since the news came out about the party. They'd both been fairly preoccupied which wasn't unfair but Beatrice felt slightly guilty she hadn't been around to be more supportive of him but in fairness, it was a two thing- he could have called anytime and she'd answer, so it wasn't a huge deal and besides, they hadn't totally ignored each other they'd just been busy so what was she worrying about? When she focused on her environment she could notice the faint smell of pot and rolled her eyes heavily, she wasn't one to talk but that was so typical Alby- was it even past midday yet? Though when she thought about it, more often than not Beatrice would start the day by dancing around to David Bowie vinyls and smoking a blunt so she could never preach, well even without considering her daily routine, she was still a drug addict- she figured she couldn't take the moral high ground really on anyone.

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"So, Sam, how's school?" His aunt asked. Sam shrugged. "Not bad. We've got a few athletics meets coming up, though, so everyone's getting ready for that." Only outwardly- everyone knew that all anyone was really talking about was the murder. Even after two weeks. But they were all still showing as much school spirit as possible, pretending that they were being distracted.

"Good to hear you're upholding the school's name. Hopefully there'll be some good news about it soon," his aunt said, and they all knew what she was talking about. "Oh, I'm sure nobody there minds too much. It's a very... liberal school, after all." His uncle added, and Sam's stomach clenched. Here it came.

"They certainly didn't mind showing their faces in that... pride parade," he spat, and Sam trained his gaze on the floor in front of him. Ever since the school's gay-straight alliance had taken part in a local parade, his uncle had viewed the school with distaste.

"Mark," his aunt said, shushing him a little. "It's disgusting. You know what it says in the Bible, in Levictus-" Something snapped inside of Sam, and he found himself completely unable to hold his tongue.

"That particular part of the bible also happens to forbid wearing mixed clothing, but I don't see you quoting that," he said, managing to look up at his uncle. For a moment, the older man was silent, a mix of humiliation and anger on his face. "Either way, you can't deny that it's disgusting-"

"What's disgusting is the way people like you treat people, just for loving other people," Sam interrupted again.

"Sam, honey, do you want to go make some coffee?" His mother asked, a little panic in her voice.

"How dare you speak to me like that," his uncle said, getting to his feet. Sam refused to be made feel small, and shoved himself back to his feet, staring the older man in the face.

"I'll go make the coffee then," his mother said, hurrying out of the room.

"I think it's time someone spoke to you like that," Sam replied. He didn't see the slap coming, but he certainly felt it.

"Sam-" his father started, but Sam was already gone, his phone shoved into his pocket. He couldn't stay there any longer. God knows what he'd say.

It was a little on the cooler side as he left, but he wasn't going back to get a hoodie. He pulled out his phone and texted Ellie- if he was out, he may as well do what needed to be done.

"Hey, you around? We need to talk."

He wasn't going back to that house until he knew it was safe. He wasn't apologising, and he wasn't willing to sit in that awkward silence. Let them think he was a prick.

Ellie lay on the cold bathroom floor staring up at her ceiling. The room was spinning slightly as she felt faint and weak. She could hear her parents downstairs discussing the matter, their voices echoed through the vents. "Do you think she's covering something up?" she heard her mother say and a long pause followed. One of the gentlemen cleared his throat by the sounds of it and replied "Ma'am, there's just a hole in her story...I know it was just the two girls venturing so maybe Ellie is telling the truth, but we've inspected that bridge hundreds of times, those wooden boards shouldn't have collapsed." Ellie's heart began to race feverishly whilst skipping a beat here or there, she could feel sweat roll down from her forehead. "We'll keep investigating quietly and with your permission we'll have eyes watching Ellie, something doesn't seem right." A moment or two of silence passed and Ellie hadn't notice she was holding her breath until she let out a huge huff. She sat up slowly and glanced around, she began wiping tears from her cheek and took small breaths to calm herself.

At that moment Ellie's phone chimed announcing a new message. She reached inside her dress pocket and pulled it out, it was from Sam.
To: Samarama
Hey! Yes, let's meet please, need to escape my house. Meet you at the lake in the park?

On that note she shuffled to her feet and made her way over to the bathroom window. She slid it open and sung her leg over the edge and began to climb down the wall using a vine support that went from the lawn to the roof. Once she reached the bottom she tiptoed across the lawn and jumped into her convertible and sped off.

When Ellie arrived at the park she made her way over to the lake and sat down on the freshly cut grass. She loved the scenery here, the lake in it's cool blue was filled with roaming ducks, trees surrounded it and flowers grew in all sorts of places. She took a breath and began twirling her thumbs trying to avoid thinking about her recent interrogation.

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Tyler took a couple strides ahead of Isabella and opened the door for her, walking in after. He shoved his hands in his pockets awkwardly, he didn't like being in public, people always stared and whispered and being high didn't help his paranoia. He walked over to the counter and ordered a cookie and tea for Isabella and an espresso for himself.

He went over near a window and sat down at a cozy table. He didn't feel like talking all of the sudden, being here made him slightly uncomfortable today. When their order was announced Tyler rushed over to claim it. He placed the cup of tea in front of Isabella and smiled, she looked happy. He took a swig of his coffee and cringed at the taste. He glanced at the label and sighed in annoyance. "They gave me the wrong order" he mumbled. Tyler hated confronting people, even in these circumstances. He got to his feet and walked up to the counter "Hey man sorry to bother you but this isn't what I ordered. It's under Tyler and the name scribbled on here is Declan"
The barista lifted a brow at him and replied "I would never mess an order, enjoy your coffee freak. Be happy we're serving a burnout like you."
Tyler blinked a couple times in disbelief, it was a good thing his high made him so chill or else he would have ripped him a new one. He glanced around the shop until he spotted Declan patiently waiting and walked towards him "Hey, Declan right? I think they gave me your coffee" he said handing it over.

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Ellie replied almost straight away, and he raised an eyebrow at the message. Good to know he wasn't the only one with home troubles. Then again, he'd always known that things had been a little tense since her sister's death. That had been part of the reason he'd reached out to her to become friends- partially as support... and partially to find out more about something he'd read once.

He didn't bother replying, knowing that she'd probably already be there, or at least on her way. He wondered how things had gone down back at the house. He didn't have any missed calls yet, which was a surprise. Maybe they were planning on letting him cool down first and then try and talk him into apologising. That was one attempt that would fail. It was one thing for force him into not dating, another entirely to try and make him take back something he meant.

It didn't take him long to walk to the park, especially because he'd had to keep it brisk so he didn't get cold. But Ellie was already there by the time he got to the lake. He smiled at her. "Hey. Nice dress," he teased, knowing how much she hated pink. Easy to tell her mother had picked it out for her.

Ellie jumped slightly at Sam's arrival, she had not heard him coming. ”Hey.” She straightened up properly but felt herself slouch in discomfort as he commented on her dress. She hated pink. She hated her mother for being so demanding. She hated dresses. She wanted to throw up again but she took a breath and recomposed herself.

She examined Sam for a moment and focused her energy on him, pushing all other thoughts aside. She began to ponder her and Sam's friendship, she had known him for years but lately she felt betrayed by him, especially since she saw him and Alby together. She wanted to confront him calmly, ask him why he hadn't mentioned it. His silence about the relationship had confirmed her suspicions, their best friend status was coming to an end, she couldn't trust him anymore. After all they'd been through. She was there for him when he came out to his parents and he was there for her when her sister died. Going through such events meant an unbreakable bond. But she felt his selfishness, she became hostile and cautious as she waited for him to say something.


“So” she said finally, her tone both awkward and suspicious “what’s new…”

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As Declan grabbed the coffee from Tyler he glanced around to make his way back to his table but noticed it was empty with a scribbled napkin laying in sight. He lifted a brow in confusion Okay bye then... he thought. Tyler turned on his heel and refocused his attention on Declan when he offered to buy him another coffee. He smiled politely and said “Yea sure, if you can convince them to give me the right coffee...they’re not too fond of me here. I have a bit of history with the female baristas if you know what I mean.” He chuckled awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair.

He felt the energy of the room, he felt people staring at him. He shoved his hands in his pants pocket and swayed back and forth, the high was wearing off. “You go to my school right? I’ve seen you around before...I think we’ve worked together on a project…then again I'm pretty bad at remembering people or I confuse names and faces... he rambled and squinted his eyes in uncertainty, he felt awkward. Everyone in this town always judged him or never gave him the time of day so making new friends was never easy for Tyler.

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Perhaps the comment about the dress hadn't been the best idea. He could read that much from her expression. There was something off about her- well, more so than usual. He'd been friends with her long enough to pick up on when something was wrong. Something had been wrong for a long time now, though. She was painfully thin, and he'd seen her paying off someone to get the answers for a test. She was nothing if not determined- it was just that he was worried about the way she was getting it.

He shrugged in response to her question. She knew something was up, anyway, judging by her tone. "Not much. Have you had your interview yet?" He asked. But the unsaid things between them hung in the air between them, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Listen, Ellie... We need to talk. I'm... I'm worried about you. You're so thin, and I know that's not from all the sport you play. And I saw you paying that guy for the answers for that history test. I just... You're one of my best friends, and I'm worried about you." He had never been the best with words, especially with something as sensitive as this. He just wanted her to be okay, to be healthy, to be safe. He hated having to keep so many secrets from his friends- but he couldn't risk somebody saying the wrong thing to the wrong person and his parents ultimately finding out. And that wasn't worth thinking about.