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The next few days that passed by, passed by slowly. Whether it was due to the immense amount of alcohol that was consumed in the following days due to Soren still having stayed at her apartment between him leaving for his own place or staying at her's for a night, or due to the fact that she hadn't returned to work since the murder. In the end, the case was the same. Erin had spent most of her time in her apartment, locked away from the outside world unless she had to go out. Which was the case for a few times as she had to go into the bar to settle some minor issues, and back to the apartment she would go. She didn't want to accept the fact of the reality, and that in a few days they would be holding a memorial service for their friend, who was indeed dead. It just didn't feel realistic. Not to Erin. Everything felt like a dream as if she was in some hazy state of mind and everything was just slightly out of reach. Whether that was from the fact she rarely got out of her place or that she was constantly drinking, she didn't know the answer. And she didn't care to find out. Lauren, one of her closest childhood friends was now gone. The morning after the incident, she had been so hungover that she simply checked her phone and as she went to text Lauren what happened last night, reality hit her like a ton of bricks. The weight and reality of it all hit her. Even if she did text that number to see what happened, she wouldn't have gotten a reply. All she did was look at the screen and see what the last message was, and it made her sick. She had been so busy with getting ready that she never responded to the message from Lauren that would end up being her last. It was a short and simple message, just thanking her for taking up her offer for the gig and that she was excited to have some old friends back and that she was looking forward to this and that she was sorry for everything. Erin had been so damn busy, she never replied to it, and she barely talked to Lauren at the party after she was shown around. Sure, she made some small talk and exchanged some looks between them, but she never made any real conversation with her. Which, turned out to be something she regretted. Something she would regret for the rest of her life.
The days that lead up to where she was going now were all a blur in reality. Whether it was from her lack of sleep due to not taking her medication which led to constant nightmares. Often which had woken Soren up when he stayed at her place, constantly apologizing for waking him up in the night. But having someone there helped calm her nerves naturally, but it didn't help lessen the nightmares that came when she closed her eyes. The nightmares were always the same. A replay of that night, and how she could have done things differently. What if she did take a moment from her work and talked to Lauren? What if she stepped in and stopped the argument between Soren and Lauren? What if she made just the slightest bit of effort to make things work between them? All she ever did was have those damned 'what if' moments, and now they were only more prominent. She knew she shouldn't have blamed herself for what happened, as it wasn't her fault, or least that's what she kept telling herself. She wanted to believe her friends, and she wanted to believe that they were all innocent and that none of them had done it. But if that was the case, who did? Who did it and why? Not only that night, but why Lauren? Sure, Lauren was no saint, Erin knew that first hand as did everyone else. She could be manipulative and controlling, but in the end, she was just a person with flaws. They all had flaws, and if any of them tried saying they were a saint, they were only bullshitting themselves. None of them were exactly the best of people, no matter how hard they tried, and that's what made her hope in them dip slightly. She wanted to believe that her friends and herself were innocent of this, but until future evidence came up proving them all innocent, Erin kept her guard up.
She had already been betrayed by the friends she made with one of her past jobs as well as living situation, and she wasn't going to make that same mistake again. Even if it was with people she had known for years. But she knew there were some people that couldn't have-no-wouldn't have done it. Nathan and Rebecca couldn't have, right? Sure, they had their issues with Lauren, but who didn't? That was enough of a thought to make her sick and she hated it. This whole situation was fucked up and she wished it was all some sort of joke by Lauren to get the group back together and back with Soren. But even Lauren wasn't that messed up.
The morning immediately after the incident happened, Erin had woken up after a blurry dream of a night out with Soren. All she could remember is that they had gone out while incredibly drunk, and probably did something stupid as her head was pounding from the immense intake of alcohol. The amount those two could consume was almost inhuman, especially to the degree that they usually went. Everything was so bright and loud as she looked around her usually empty room, but there was someone not only in her bed, but was partially on top of her. Her eyes widened at first as she froze in place until she looked down and saw that it was Soren, who was sleeping and snoring peacefully. Erin's eyes only widened more as her mind raced to try to think of what happened the night before...they didn't...did they? No, that was not only silly but impossible. Right? It was only then that she realized they were still fully clothed, and memories that were partially clouded came back to her. They came back after a night out of drunken shenanigans and after even more drinks they shambled their way up into the loft and they crashed on the bed. After shooting the shit and simply cracking jokes between the two of them, mixed with endless laughter and falling overdue their imbalance, which had only caused them to laugh even more. With the mix of the alcohol, the laughing, and vertigo that they were feeling, they ended up throwing up a few more times. First Erin had accidentally thrown up in Soren's lap, which caused them both to laugh even more, and he barely missed throwing up onto Erin by a few inches. They were in an utter mess, but they didn't care. The alcohol and laughter helped blur the pain they were really feeling, and that's all that they cared about. And everything after that was pure bliss, and almost like those good old days before all of the shit happened.
Erin had laid in her bed for a few minutes longer as her hangover began to wane when her phone went off, alerting her to search for it and found it under her pillow. She groaned as she unlocked it and looked to see who messaged her, it was Rebecca. She smiled groggily as she shifted through the messages. A smile was brought to her face at first as she saw it was simply Becca saying that she was doing well, and a small way of saying good morning along with a picture. At first she smiled with that stupid grin that she always had whenever she saw a picture of her, but when she looked at it closer her brows furrowed. She noticed that she was in a bed that was somewhat familiar and that she was in a shirt that she clearly wasn't wearing the night prior. She's lucky she's cute..., she thought to herself as she tossed her phone to the side after giving a small reply text. After taking a trip into the bathroom, she began to finally notice an all too familiar burning sensation. By this time it was a feeling that she had grown all too accustomed to and at this point, it felt more like a tingle or slight itch. She pulled her shirt and sweatpants to the side to see what had happened that night, and much to her surprise, or lack thereof, was a new tattoo. This time it was by her right pelvic bone, just short of dipping lower. It was of a small, golden and somewhat metallic-looking shape due to the color choice. It was in the shape and size of a normal guitar pick, but it was as if someone took a guitar pick and converted it into looking like an owl. Erin simply sighed as she shook her head muttering to herself, "You are such an idiot..." she gave one more glance at the tattoo before she decided to go back and help Soren with his hangover as the two carried on with their day as well as they could.
Over the week since the murder Rebecca had calmed down and had drinks with some of the others at some of the other bars, catching up on what was going on in life and local news. Though she wasn’t happy when the police came and told her she couldn’t leave the country until the murder case was solved, or at least after some other time of everything happening and would be easier to talk to her. She talked a little bit with Lex as well, just asking and exchanging information about the murder, she was surprised that he was looking so deep into the case. Also, Erin had made it a point to text Becca daily to check up on her, and try to bridge the gap that had formed over their lack of contact through the years. But every time they tried to meet up something else would come up, mostly Becca’s.
It was now the day of Lauren’s memorial service and Rebecca had gotten ready at her hotel, still had some stuff there even though she stayed a couple of nights with Lex. Rebecca felt like she would be late and decided to take some shortcuts through some alleyways that she remembered from when she used to live in the city. What was about to happen, was something she wasn’t expecting. Rebecca sent a message to Erin as she ran, staying on the busy and main streets. Please tell me you are there. Please. She stuffed her phone into her bag as she continued running. Her phone dinged but she ignored it as she tried to stay calm. Becca rounded the corner and pushed her way into the hotel lobby and ran into the hall they were holding the service. Rebecca stopped and looked around the room. Her knees were scratched up, hair was a little messier than she planned and redness around her neck with a little bit of bruising, her scarf in her hand. She wasn’t sure what or who she was looking for, but when she spotted Erin, she just ran to her and wrapped her arms around her. Rebecca wasn’t saying much, but she was visibly shaking. And no doubt that her heart was racing to the point that it could probably be felt through her body.
Erin was getting ready for a day she not only never wanted to have to anticipate but not this soon. Not this soon and early in life. She had gotten dressed in one of her go-to outfits for situations like this, it was simple but fancy enough and wasn't out of her sense of style. A simple layered outfit, with dark navy undertones and jet-black overlays. She also ended up styling her hair compared to leaving it down. It was a simple but pretty enough look, all she did was tie her hair up in a somewhat messy but controlled ponytail. One of her traits that weren't surprising for anyone that knew her, was that she had a habit of dyeing her hair. And considering there was no other perfect time for dyeing her hair than the death of a friend mixed with being overly drunk, she and Soren decided to go out on the town the night of the incident and did some things they probably shouldn't have. But that was for was another time. Now Erin found herself in her small bathroom finishing up her hair and make-up. She went with a very simple look, very minor eyeliner and lipstick, and that was all she really needed. She wasn't one for fashion, or at least not what people nowadays considered fashion. She made sure to grab her phone and one of her long black overcoats and after taking one more look over the apartment she left. Soren had said something about just meeting each other at the memorial service, and she made sure she'd keep him to that.
The crisp air brushed past her face as she made her way down the streets, keeping to the busier ones as she didn't feel like taking any back alleyways or shortcuts. She could have, but she didn't want to deal with any more bullshit. She was already having to head to the funeral service of her friend, the last thing she needed was more people. Erin found herself entering the building with the address she was given and after being greeted by some people she was lead into a room. It was rather small, but there was some familiar faces already. Some of the group had already arrived, which wasn't much of a surprise as some were always early, not that she was late, but she wasn't the first to get there. After a few short moments of scanning the room, Erin's eyes landed on two individuals that stood out from the rest. They were in their mid-forties, tall, dark hair and pale skin. Erin walked up to them solemnly, hands clasped in front of her as she approached the two of them.
"I'm so sorry for your loss...I know me and Lauren lost contact for a while and I didn't get to see you two very often but, I am so sorry. If there is anything I can do, just let me know." she said with a small smile and gave them both a hug before she removed herself from them as others came to talk and say their condolences. Erin slipped to the side and stayed there as she observed the others. It was as solemn as anyone would have expected, and even then some. Her phone went off in her pocket which brought her back to earth. Slipping her phone out of her pocket she gave it a side-eye glance. Her eyebrow quirked for a moment as she read the message, it was Rebecca, asking if she was there. Erin sent a quick reply, Hey! :) And of course, I am! I'll be in the main room when you get here. Is everything okay?, she typed out and quickly stuffed her phone back into her pocket. She waited for a reply, but never got one as finally, someone else entered the room. It took her a second turn of her head to realize who it was, it was Rebecca. A small smile appeared on her face for a moment, but then it quickly disappeared as she gave Rebecca another look over. She looked like something had happened, her hair was a bit messy, more so than usual, and her outfit was a bit disheveled. But what caused her to worry the most, was the red mark along her neck and the look in her eyes. It was fear. A primal, carnal fear. Erin looked her in the eyes as Rebecca grabbed her arm, holding her rather close. Erin cleared her throat as she looked at her again and whispered softly, "Wh-what? Rebecca, what..." she started, until reality hit her of what Rebecca said. On her way here, out of all days for this to happen, Rebecca had been attacked on her way here. She didn't know by who or why, but whatever the case it happened. Erin found a small knot form in her stomach as anger slowly rose. She looked around the room, gently taking Rebecca by the waist as she escorted her out of the room after excusing them from the room.
Once they were out of the main room, Erin took Rebecca into an empty side room and sat her down as Erin crouched down in front of Rebecca as she held her hands in between her's. "Okay, start from the beginning. What happened? If you want to talk about it that is.." she asked, her voice was soft and genuine as she looked Rebecca in the eyes. Finally having a good look over her, she could she was even more hurt than she initially realized. Her knees had been scraped up, as well as were bleeding a bit. She'd have to tend to the wounds later, but what was more worrisome was the bruising around her neck that began to form. Erin wanted to do something, but she didn't know what to do. All she knew now was that Rebecca needed someone, even more than before, and Erin wasn't going to let her slip away again. She couldn't, and she wouldn't.
Rebecca kept her eyes on the ground as Erin talked to her, before finally looking up at her as she answered. "I… I was just taking a short cut from the hotel, I think maybe 5th and Booker street. I turned the corner and immediately felt my scarf get tight, someone pulling it to try to choke me. I thought…” She paused for a second as she tried to make her hands stop shaking. "Thought maybe I was being mugged but then I heard their voice say something about Lauren. I think they said something about joining her. Hard to hear as I was struggling. They were lifting me up by the scarf as I was choking and I think I must hit them in the groan while struggling because they dropped me all of the sudden, I hurt my knee but then I ran..." Rebecca squeezed Erin's hand as she retold what happened looking over her shoulder a few times during the story.
All the while Rebecca recounted her story, Erin remained silent. Listening to every word and making sure she was not only able to understand it all but could process it so she didn't have to ask Rebecca to repeat it. She gave Rebecca a solemn look like the reality of the situation hit her. She found herself gritting her teeth as her jaw clenched, and that all too familiar burn appeared behind her eyes as she could feel herself growing angrier as moments passed. After Rebecca had finished speaking and squeezed her hands, Erin looked up at her and gave a rather saddened look that reached her eyes. "I am so sorry, Rebecca. You shouldn't have been left by yourself. If you need someone to stay with, you're welcome at my place. There is more than enough room and you can have as much privacy as you want. Just, say the word and you'll have a place to stay, no time limit or anything." she said, trying her best to give a smile, even though her true emotions were still evident. But she cared and was genuine. If she needed a place to stay, she would make sure that Rebecca had someplace safe to go to if she truly needed one.
Rebecca nodded as Erin offered her place to stay. "Thanks. I've been staying with Lex some nights but went back to my hotel today to find the right outfit for this." Rebecca jumped a little when she heard a door slam, still a little on edge. "Erin, what if they are here? They had to know I was coming here." She asked, a little bit of fear coming out through her words, as she looked over her shoulder and then back at Erin again. The attacker could be anyone here. It could be any of her friends. The same friend that would've killed Lauren. The thought came through Rebecca's mind as she was looking at Erin and out of impulse jerked away from Erin, separating their hands. Thinking for a second it could have been her that attacked her.
Erin nodded as Rebecca spoke. She understood why she would be scared. Especially after everything that happened. She nodded as Rebecca spoke again about the attacker possibly having followed her here. Erin looked around and didn't see anyone out of the ordinary, but she wasn't about to poke fun at her or make her feel even more paranoid. Her mind was a mess of thoughts as thought on what to say and what to do. Anything she could say could have been taken the wrong way or could only make things worse. Erin was taken aback when Rebecca quickly took her hands away in a rather defensive and somewhat scared manner. All she could do was sigh as she looked at her in the eyes, "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, Becca...But I understand. You're scared and you have every right to be. Just know I'm here for you, okay?" she said with a small smile as she gently placed her hand on Rebecca's knee, giving it a gentle squeeze, but not before taking her hand back. A small blush appeared on her face before shaking her head as she rose to her feet. "I'm always going to be there for you...But uh...Do you need some pain killers for the...the pain? It won't do much but, it's better than nothing." she said with a small smile to show she was being genuine.
While listening to Erin after flinching, Rebecca felt bad and loosened up. She lowered her head and felt ashamed for thinking her close friend like Erin would have wanted to hurt her. Erin had always been nice and there for her, even when she was making her drinks Erin always made sure she was taken care of. When Erin took her hand back and stood up Rebecca reached out and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry. Of course, it wasn't you..." She was a little taken back when Erin offered some pain killers, but then reflected back the smile Erin had on her face. "Sure. My neck is a little sore... right knee hurts more than left." Becca let go with the hand she was holding onto Erin and left her palm open. When Erin put the pills into her hand she quickly took them and swallowed easy, she wasn't one who was shy to taking pills, though it had been awhile. Becca then stood up slowly and dusted off herself a little and took a few deep breaths. "Thank you Erin. I'll think about that offer." She said as she kissed Erin on the cheek. "Now I feel like we should get back to the service. We're here for Lauren."
Erin simply gave her a smile as Rebecca apologized for even implying that it was her. "It's fine, honestly. It's no big deal, I promise." she said with a small smile. Erin dug into her jacket's pocket to retrieve the bottle of painkillers that she always carried around with her. Erin found her fingertips brushing against the all too familiar small bottle of her own meds for a moment, which caused her to pause. She forgot she had brought them with her, but she didn't need them right now and she sure as all hell wasn't going to give these to someone else, nevermind Rebecca. Not like they would do much aside from making someone drowsy and sleepy. But no major side effects that would cause harm. Erin shook her head as she retrieved two medium-sized white pills from the other bottle and handed them to Rebecca. They were simply just normal pain killers, nothing prescribed for just her. She wasn't that careless. "Those should help for now. Can always get something stronger later if you need them, as well as taking care of your wounds..." she said as she helped Rebecca to her feet and walked with her back into the room with the others. "Don't worry about thinking about my offer right now. It's always there for you, whenever you're ready. Just let me know whenever you need to me, you have my number anyway." she said with a small smile and wink.
Erin found herself blushing when Rebecca had kissed her on the cheek. That was honestly the last thing she had expected but wasn't against it. She just wasn't prepared for that. She simply shook her head as she didn't want to think too much into it. It was simply a small gesture of her being thankful, that's all. At least that's what she told herself, to help calm herself down. "Nice hair by the way..." Rebecca said softly as she finally gave Erin a proper look over. Not having really noticed the change until then. Erin smirked and chuckled as she gently kept one of her arms around Rebecca's waist as they walked back into the room with the others. "Thanks, Becca." she said with a small smile.
She was there to pay respects for their friend, and now with what happened, she'd be there for more than just Lauren now. Erin helped Rebecca into one of the seats and sat down next to her and found herself gently interlacing her fingers with Rebecca's and held her hand gently, with the gentle thumb rub on the top of her hand as well. It was something that she found herself doing to calm herself and others down in the past. It was one of those things that she just did on instinct, and didn't even realize she was doing it. All that was on her mind now was being there to pay respects to Lauren and her family as the reality of it all hit her as they looked at the more than likely empty casket that was set before them all. Small tears found themselves streaking down her face. Normally she would have wiped them away, but this time she simply let them fall. She hadn't really let herself accept what had happened, but now it was better than any to face the fact. Lauren was gone, and they were all suspects in her murder case. In reality, Lauren did bring them all together one last time, but not in the way any of them probably expected, and Erin intended to figure out what happened and who did it. But now, they all sat in the large room that was eerily silent as they waited for it to properly begin as the last bit of guests arrived.