Jamie Blackburn's Story

The morning of the party, Soren was almost waiting for the pain and the exhaustion to hit. He’d left it until the last minute to confirm to Jamie that they’d be able to play, but Jamie hadn’t had a problem with that. And almost immediately after confirming they were going to play the party, Soren had had a string of bad days. But he was determined not to let them down and that he would play the party, even if he had to be carried off the stage. And then the day before the party was… a surprisingly good day. And that had him convinced that the day of the party was going to be hard. But instead, he woke up to discover that he was actually feeling the best he had in a while.

For a few hours, he kept expecting to hit the metaphorical wall. He went to rehearsal to run through the setlist with the rest of the band. They hadn’t had a show in a few weeks and it felt good to be playing again. He thought that the rehearsal could be what led to him crashing, but instead, it almost made him feel even better. And when he walked out of that rehearsal,he actually let himself start to get excited for the party.

Even since getting back, he’d hardly seen any of the old group besides Erin. He wasn’t even sure where half of them had ended up. And even with everything that had happened between them, he still found himself looking forward to seeing them. He missed the old days, the days when everything was easier. He knew they couldn’t go back to those days. But for one night, they could pretend.

Rehearsal ran on longer than expected,so he had just enough time to get back to the apartment and get changed. Their equipment had already been delivered to Jamie’s apartment, so he could relax and just try to enjoy himself, not having to worry about possibly overstretching himself. He got completely stage ready and called himself a taxi. “Rin, I’m leaving, we still have to soundcheck at Jamie’s! I’ll see you there!” He called as he left.

It seemed that Jamie had hardly changed when he opened the door to them. “Look at you all, proper stars now!” He said, wrapping Soren in a hug. “It’s good to see you, Soren. How have you been?” He asked.
“Good! Wow, it’s been too long, man!” Soren replied. “Thanks so much for asking us to play!”
“Nah man, I was delighted to see you guys could play, your new music has been great! And now I can boast that the great Beautiful Strangers played one of my parties,” he said. “I’ll leave you guys to get set up and soundchecked and all that, but we’ll catch up later, yeah?”

The soundcheck went well, and they got a few technical issues ironed out, and were ready to go as people began to arrive. They excused themselves to get warmed up, Even if this was “just” a houseparty with old friends, he was still determined to give it everything he could.

When they got up on stage, it started to feel like they were back in the good old days. They were singing their own songs and covers, just like they always had, but now they had the experience of touring and it had only made them better. It was the best of both worlds, and it felt so good.

He was breathless and grinning as they finished the set. They took a few minutes to move their equipment into one of the spare rooms, before stepping back out into the party. But Jamie was waiting for Soren, just off to one side, almost in the shadows. “Hey, Sor. You were amazing out there. Like, seriously, I’m so glad that you guys were able to play. It was amazing to see you play again.”

“Thanks. Yeah, it was good to play a house party again. Keep us grounded to our roots, right?” He said with a laugh. “Remind us what it’s really all about.” Jamie laughed.
“It… it really does feel good to see everyone again. I don’t think I realised how much I missed some of you guys,” he admitted almost nervously.
“Yeah. Feels almost like old times, doesn’t it?” Soren replied.
“I don’t know about that. I feel like we’ve all changed a little too much.”
“Have we, though?” Soren asked, and Jamie stopped for a second or two.
“You might just have a point there, Bowers,” he said almost teasingly. “Come on, we’ll get some drinks.”

Soren and Jamie grabbed a few drinks together and got chatting about their lives since. Things had changed for both of them, but it seemed that Jamie’s life wasn’t all that different. Not really. Soren wasn’t totally sure how it happened, but Soren found his hand resting on Jamie’s thigh and found himself leaning in a little. And then Jamie jerked his knee away, startling Soren away.

“The fuck, Soren?” He asked, getting to his feet and taking a step backwards.
“I’m sorry, I-”
“Seriously? You thought I was into you?”
“I didn’t- I’m sorry-”
“Get real, Soren,” he said, turning and walking away. Soren honestly could have got his stuff and walked away after that. Just gone home and pretended it had never happened. But he hadn’t spoken to any of the others yet. And as he looked back towards Jamie, there was a flash of anger, of frustration. He wasn’t going to leave because that would have been letting him win. So instead, he downed another drink and went in search of someone to talk to.

One thing Quinlan was particularly grateful for was the opportunity to escape Seattle. In fact, to make sure he was very very far from it. He had his bags packed the night Jaime had sent out the invite without a moment's hesitation. When he told his father that he would be out for maybe a few days (although he wasn't entirely sure of that himself) he was obviously met with a little bit of suspicion. Quinn had rarely traveled in the past couple of year's, and most of the time it was strictly work related. His father had questioned him plenty but he wasn’t really up for explaining himself. It was his mother who eventually coaxed it out of him and she for one was overjoyed that he was taking time away to reconnect with old friends. His mother’s excitement should’ve made him happy but it only made him more upset. Had his loneliness become that obvious?

The flight from Seattle to New York was long. Five and a half hours long. There was a baby in the back crying and the flight attendants “accidentally” bumped into him during any occasion. “Excuse me Miss?” He said flagging down the stewardess. “Can I have another Scotch and Soda please?” She glanced down at his drink trying hard to hide her confusion. After all this was the fifth time he had asked for a drink, and hadn't touched a single one. Quinn had asked her to change it every time the ice cubes completely melted. "Of course" She said quietly and grabbed his full glass, disappearing. Quinn was too anxious to drink but the glass of alcohol in front of him seemed to make him feel better. Even if he couldn't bring himself to touch it.

His hotel was nice. In fact, it was probably grandeur to most people but Quinlan had seen better in his lifetime. His father had thousands of points from travel and even though Quinn had protested he insisted on getting the hotel for him. The room felt just as vacant as his apartment back home, other than his mother visiting and trying to liven the space it had been fairly empty other than the necessities. The venue wasn't far either he could've walked if he had really wanted to.

Quinn had gotten there a day early as he wanted to explore New York a little. There was no denying that he had felt different the moment he stepped out of the hotel, he was almost 3,000mi from home. 3,000mi from everything that had been saying him down in life. It felt a little freeing. Quinlan had made sure to dress rather causal as he took a day to explore the city - he even took the subway, well once. Which was honestly a terrifying experience. He never knew public transport was so hellish. The day itself had been fun, more fun than he had ever had in a while.

Quinlan now found himself staring at his appearance in the bathroom mirror. God, when had he started looked so tired? He washed his face a few times to bring some color back into his skin tone which seemed to help, maybe he was just overthinking things. Since when did he care so much about what others thought of him, let alone near strangers. Adjusting his cufflinks, he straightened his collar as he hoped that he wasn't overdressed, what did people wear to a reunion? There was also the fact that Quinlan looked different than he had sine he had seen all of them last. Most noticeably he had bleached his hair an icy white, a stark contrast from his previous dirty blonde locks. It was an impulsive move on his part, a true 'fuck-it' decision he had made during his first year in college, but he had grown quite fond of it and it had stuck.

When he finally arrived he found the door to the place to be unlocked, Quinlan wasn't exactly late but he wasn't really early either. There was the faint sound of music and chatter pouring out softly as he stepped inside, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep himself grounded. There were already quite a few people inside, some he recognized others he didn't. Quinn found himself sticking to the edges of the walls at first, observing the action rather than engaging. He wasn't entirely sure if he was ready for that yet. His eyes trailed up to the stage where the music was being performed and he found his lips parting in surprise as he really recognized the person front lining the band. Soren. It was a strange feeling that he couldn't quite describe, and a flurry of memories from high school came flooding back at once. He really needed a drink.

Quinn waited until Soren's band finished up and pushed himself off the wall making his way to the bar. He froze however as he saw who was bartending, Erin Monahan, someone who definitely would not be happy to see his face. Was this even a good idea? He quickly decided that there would be a better time to get a drink and turned around running smack into Jamie Blackburn. Quinn's stomach instantly twisted into knots. "No way. Quinlan fucking Rothschild. I didn't think you'd show. Like the hair, suits you".

"Jamie" Quinn's tone was indifferent although it held the tiniest bit of malice.

"How's the family?" He said his lips turning up into the slightest smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know" Quinlan said angrily under his breath. Of course it was like Jamie to bring up something like this. He went to push past him but Jamie slide slightly to the side blocking his path.

"You know they really got rather unlucky when they went window-shopping for you, I-" Quinlan's expression stopped Jamie in his tracks as his gaze darkened. "Listen Blackburn, I didn't come here to hear what you thought about me okay? So I suggest you just leave me the hell alone". Quinn's expression turned into one of shock as Jamie burst into laughter, it definitely wasn't something he expected. "Oh you haven't changed a bit have you?" Jamie's gaze strayed down to Quinn's wrist, "Nice watch".

"Give it to me".

Quinn's eyes widened and his face flushed slightly as the demand completely threw him off. "W-what?" Jamie shook his head slightly to the side, "Oh come on Quinn, you know how this goes... you give me what I ask for and I won't-" Quinlan practically ripped the watch off of his wrist and flung it into Jamie's chest. It had been a Christmas present from his mother. "You got what you asked so I kindly ask you again to leave me the hell alone" Quinn didn't even wait for his response as he pushed past him and beelined straight for the bar. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was exactly sure if he was going to survive this night after all. Quinn had completely forgotten about Erin but she seemed to be absent from her spot at the bar. Great. He took a seat anyway at the counter, rubbing his wrist slightly where the watch had been trying to level his breathing. This was fine. Everything would be fine.

The few months that lead up to the party had been some of the busiest and stressful days Shane had experienced in the past few years. She was still managing to set up his small studio apartment as well as being sure of where he wanted to take up shop in New York. Whether to work from home like he always did, or decide to open up shop like a few people had been recommending him to do for a while now over social media. He had so much to decide on and work with he wasn’t sure about what to do. He always had time to decide on a more permanent decision later, now he had to decide on his final choice for the party. He was contacted out of the blue from Jamie, a highly unlikely exchange he hadn’t been expecting. Things ended badly between the two after a small altercation with Jamie before they all lost contact. Initially he was skeptical, especially after how things between the two of them ended. But after seeing that Camilla was going, and a few others, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hopefully patch some things up with people he had falling outs with, as well as having a chance at making things up to Erin, since Jamie explicitly had hired her as a bartender. He was happy for her, he honestly was when he heard that she not only managed to get her life in order too and make a name for herself by taking over the old place her parents used to work at, but was now pulling out with gigs and parties. Seeing everyone again after all this time was going to be something he wasn’t entirely sure of how it would end, as long as he stayed sober and didn’t drink too much he should be fine. Everything should be fine. At least it’s what he kept telling himself. He remembered the last real party they all had, at least the one he last went to. He found himself shaking those thoughts from his head as he needed to think of what could happen tonight-no, what would happen. It was going to be a party with some of his old friends, and they were going to have a good time and catch up on things that had happened since high school. After all, their dreams had all taken off and some had even been around the world and Shane wanted to be able to hear all their stories and just enjoy himself, and it was what he was going to do.

Shane found himself waking up all too late after another long night of staying up and working on overdue projects. Something he had found himself getting the habit of. He quickly got up and showered and threw together an outfit, not caring what he looked like. He knew he was probably going to look far too casual for one of Jamie Blackburn’s legendary parties, but he didn’t care. He was going as himself, and not the artist and photographer that he had spent the past few years slowly building up. Shane waited for enough time to roll around and after sending Camilla a quick text to confirm she was in fact still going, even though he knew she’d most likely ignore it, he gathered a jacket and some other things and quickly left his small apartment.

The city air felt nice on his skin as he exited the complex and began his walk to the address he had been messaged. He was going to be a bit late, but it didn’t bother him too much, he had more important things to worry about than being late to a Blackburn party. He found himself arriving at the apartment a bit faster than he initially thought, and after making sure he infact had everything he’d need he entered the complex. Shane was surprised when he found himself being rather early in comparison, as he made his way through the apartment.
Stopping as Jamie Blackburn, in the flesh came up to him with a large grin on his face. “Holy shit! Shane? It’s so good to see you, I thought you’d flake out last minute!” Jamie exclaimed as he gave Shane a brief hug and handshake. Shane found himself rolling his eyes slightly at his comment, only giving a small chuckle. “Oh hey, Jamie. What do you mean you think I’d flake out on one of your legendary parties? Of course I would be here, especially with both Beautiful Strangers and then Camilla Rhodes, frontwoman of Sophie’s Valentine being here? How could I pass that up?” he said with a sly grin. Jamie couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at Shane’s comment of having two very prominent people at his party, “Well, if I’m going to throw a party, might as well have some of the best faces music has to offer, huh? Plus, I figured I’d have Cam be here, since...well, you know.” he said with a smirk and wink, which Shane was only able to flush multiple shades of red. “Okay look, I thought we decided to not talk about that, okay? So watch yourself, Blackburn.” Shane said as he stepped passed Jamie, pushing him aside with his shoulder.

Shane hung to the back parts of the apartment as more people slowly began to arrive, losing sight of Jamie in the crowd as he gave him a slight glare for a moment before being distracted by an all too familiar face. He felt his heart pound in his chest as he saw Erin Monahan herself, tending the bar. He licked his lips and swallowed as a lump formed in his throat. He hadn’t seen her in years, but even after all this time she still looked the same. Just with more tattoos and slightly older, which wasn’t a bad thing. She simply just grew into her looks and style, which was something that hadn’t changed at all. Something he was happy to see. After all this time, she was still the same.

Shane found himself smiling a little as he slowly made his way through the crowd and over to the bar, stopping as the two of them made eye contact. An awkward chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to think of something, anything to say to help break the awkwardness he felt. “Hey, Erin. It’s great to see you again, uh...I hope everything has been good on your end.” he said with a small smile, looking down at the floor before he looked back up as he heard her speak. Saying how it was good to see him again too, which he knew she was only saying to be polite and hold face for the sake of her bar. “I’ll get out of your hair but uh, before that. Mind getting me a drink? Whatever your bar’s special is, is fine with me.” Shane said with a small smile, watching as she poured him a glass, sliding it towards him. He took a glass happily, holding it in the air as he gave a small cheers gesture being excusing himself and made it through the crowd once more. At least she didn’t want to kill him on sight, that was all he could be thankful for at least. Shane was getting lost in the music and the overall vibe of the party as he looked over his shoulder and smiled. Seeing two people he was hoping would be here, but hadn’t expected them to arrive after he did. Khepri and Camilla, who were looking fantastic just as always, which brought a smile to his face. He gave them a small nod and smile, before they had been greeted by Jamie. He turned away and found himself dancing in the crowd for a little while as the band started to play another song, one he had to admit wasn’t entirely horrible. His attention was taken aback when he felt his hat being taken off and heard an all too familiar voice come from behind him. Turning on his heels a large smile overtook his face as he saw Camilla. “Holy shit, Cam! You’re looking-Like, how shit. You look fantastic, as always. But I doubt you needed anyone to tell you that. It’s so good to see you.” he said with a smile, he would have gone in for a hug but, he kept himself composed enough.

A sly grin overtook him at her comment as she handed back his hat, which he only placed atop her head as they turned and walked away from the main group of people and off to the side where a few couches were. “I know you’ve kind of become Miss Rich and Famous and all, which is well deserved and I’m happy for you, really am. But, I’m just glad you hadn’t forgotten about us small people.” he said with a smile, but noticed how she had been looking past him. He couldn’t tell exactly what she was looking at but, had noticed the change in her overall demeanor and wasn’t surprised when she said she had to excuse herself for now and that they’d talk later. He gave her a nod and watched as she walked off in the direction of Soren, having seen that since he was so busy with talking to Camilla, that Erin had left the bar to go and talk to Soren. Some things just never changed, he guessed. Taking a sip of his drink, he went to look around the apartment and see who else he could talk to, if anyone. As well as he had something he needed to do.

Soren was starting to realise that more people had seen what had happened than he’d initially thought, and he had to stop himself from flushing red at that thought. But Erin was the first to reach him at least. He shrugged. “I’m fine,” he said, but shot her a look that said, “I’ll tell you more later.” He didn’t want to talk about it, not here, not in front of people. They’d all seen enough anyway.

He had to stop himself from tensing as Cam sauntered up to them, the smug look on her face telling him that she’d seen exactly what had happened and intended on rubbing it in his face and probably telling as many people as possible. And she started with telling Erin. “Rin, that wasn’t what happened. Because, and this may come as a shock to you, Camilla, but some of us aren’t manipulative bitches who use their position to get whatever the hell you want.” Perhaps if he wasn’t already feeling humiliated, perhaps if he hadn’t had quite as much to drink, he would have been calmer, might have been able to just let it roll off his back. But instead he was angry and he was humiliated and he wasn’t willing to let her away with it. “Well, at least I can say people buy my music because they like it, not because they just want to fuck me.”

Erin stepped in before either of them could say anything else they’d regret and go told Soren to get another drink and chill, telling Cam something similar. He had to almost physically bite his tongue to stop himself from responding to Camilla’s departing comment. But the look on Erin’s face and her insistent gesture towards the bar told him it wouldn’t be worth it. So he rolled his eyes and held up his hands, going back over towards the bar. He wasn’t planning on waiting for her to come back to get his drink. He needed to calm down, and that would be significantly easier to do with a glass of vodka and coke in his hand. But he needed to deal with something else first, more urgently.

He felt better almost immediately after doing it, but he also felt like he was still shaking as he made his way up to the bar, even as he desperately tried to act and seem normal. He stepped behind the bar to make his own drink, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the two in front of him for a minute. And then he looked up and had to do a double take. “Quinn?” He asked in surprise. It had taken him a moment or two to recognise him. Soren hadn’t seen him since he’d left for college, and neither of them had really made an effort to stay in touch. But now, here he was, in the flesh, and Soren found himself grinning. “Holy shit, it’s great to see you! You look great, your hair looks amazing!” He remarked. And then he recovered and grinned at Pri. “And, of course, Miss Mahajan, you look stunning as ever. Making the rest of us look like shit by comparison,” he said. “So, Erin has temporarily had to abandon the bar and I really, really need a drink, so I’m playing bartender right now. So, how about a drink or two?” He asked with a smirk, already pouring them a shot each. “On me, of course. Got to celebrate the great Quinlan Rothschild’s return to New York, right?” He said, clinking the glasses together before draining his. It burned, but it was exactly what he needed.

They had only been talking for a few more minutes, Soren having had another shot while they spoke, when a number of things happened in quick succession. Erin practically sprinted past them, heading out of the apartment. Considering that she’d looked fine only a few minutes before, Soren could tell right away that she was seriously upset. And then a scream rang out through the room, piercing through the music and quieting everyone else. This wasn’t a playful scream. It was a scream filled with fear and with horror. And then it was joined by somebody yelling to call an ambulance, call the cops, somebody do something. And then somebody said it, and it rippled throughout the room. “Jamie’s dead.”

Soren could feel the blood drain from his face. “I need to go, I need to go check on Erin,” he said to them. He caught up to her easily and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. “Erin, listen to me. I need you to tell me the truth, and I don’t care how bad it is. I’ve got your back no matter what, you know that. But what the hell just happened in there?”

Quinlan wasn't sure how much time had passed as he sat at the bar, tracing the intricate lines of a coaster with his fingertips. Maybe this was a mistake. He gripped the edge of the bar and went to push himself up when a honeyed voice whispered in his ear and his lips instantly curled into a smile. "Smile or not I still got you to come over here, didn't I?" Quinn said swiveling the bar chair to face her a lazy smile on his lips. Kephri was one of the few people that crossed his mind on the flight over, in fact, he'd hoped that he would run into her. Their friendship didn't truly blossom until it was too late, but that didn't change the fact that while it had lasted he always enjoyed her presence. In a lot of ways they are similar, something that made his shoulders relax around her. It was if he felt like he didn't have to consistently keep his spine straight around her. Quinlan was happy to see that she looked as beautiful as ever, he could only hope that she was happy - wherever life had taken her.

"You know there's something so different seeing you in person rather than a tv, how's life treating you?" It was a typical question but he meant it. She was one of the few that he was generally interested in catching up with. Even if he didn't have much to offer on his side. Quinn's eyes slid down to her wrist, an eyebrow poised. Her engagement was genuinely shocking to him, for some reason he probably would've believed her presidency over her engagement. Quinn never pegged her for someone to be tied down, then again how much did he really know about the others before they went their separate ways. "I'd like to meet the man who managed to tame the infamous Kephri".

Engaged in a playful banter with Kephri he hadn't even noticed that his name had been called. He turned his head slightly past Pri's head to see Soren, a smile on his face. Quinn was honestly surprised Soren had remembered him. They had been friends back then but nothing close. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he tilted his head forward in a friendly nod. "Thanks Bowers, your set was great. Glad I got to see it in person". Quinn chuckled as he grabbed the shot glass, "you know if I'm going to get treated with compliments and free alcohol, I'll make sure to come to these more often" he said with a slight wink before tapping the glass with Soren's and downed it in a few second. It burned his throat slightly but the only indication of that was the smallest twitch of his nose.

Quinlan felt rather at ease talking to Kephri and Soren, it was a strange feeling. He didn't want to admit that this was the happiest he had been in a very long time, even thinking about that fact was embarrassing. Still, like he always did he found himself comparing his life to the others. He got a little caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Soren's gaze was focused behind him and watched his eyes trail to the side before Quinn turned just in time to see Erin dash past. Odd. Quinn didn't have time to process the look on Soren's face before a shrink scream drowned out the music, making the hair on his arms stand straight. Almost by instinct he was on his feet, a half step in front of Kephri, as to what he was shielding her from he wasn't sure.

The scream caused only more immense confusion and chaos as people began to shuffle in different directions. "Sor-" Quinn turned to advise Soren to stay but he was already hightailing it after Erin. "Kephri, I- you should probably leave. Something isn't right." He wanted to stay next to her but his voice trailed off and he found himself pushing up out of his seat weaving through the crowd of people. Quinn was pushed back every few steps he made occasionally hearing the hushed whispers of, 'Jamie', 'Ambulance', 'Dead'.

A nauseating feeling overtook him as he could taste something metallic in the back of his throat. Still, he pushed past until he came upon something he thought he'd never see in his life. First, Camilla Rhodes, he didn't have time to go into detail... and... Quinn staggered back slightly bumping into the wall a horrified expression on his face. "Cam" His voice was breathless and the color slowly leached out of his face making him almost as pale as his hair. The scene before him was enough to burn nightmares into his mind and before saying anything else he dashed from the room and pushed his way to the nearest bathroom retching whatever was left in his stomach.

Nothing in the room seemed too disturbed to draw her attention instantly. She closed the door. By the time she turned the hallway was still filled with drunk and high people who were still very much in shock. Full disclosure, she was she. On the inside, she was shaking. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But she couldn't. Not now. She'd deal with this scaring memory later. She again pushed her way through the people to make her way to the main room. Without a word, she walked toward Cam and wrapped her arm around her as the blonde looked towards the window. She didn't know what she was supposed to say. "Hey, I'm sorry your friend's dead?" So, instead, she just rubbed her arm and finally took a breath of fresh air as she waited for the police to come.

The minute the tears started flowing down Erin’s face, he knew things were bad. She didn’t cry easily, and he could tell things were really bad. At first, he thought that maybe she’d just heard about Jamie and was upset. And then she told him what had actually happened, and he just had to exhale slowly to try and keep himself calm. One of them needed to keep it together, and him getting angry wouldn’t do either of them any favours. “Of course I believe you, Rin,” he said, pulling her into the tightest hug he could muster, holding it for a few seconds. But he exhaled heavily as she said she just wanted to go home.

“I know, Rin, I know. But… we can’t really go right now. We need to talk to the cops. If we leave now, there’ll just be even more questions. We go in, we tell them what happened, and then we can go home. We’ll get in and out as quickly as possible, and then we’ll go home and get drunk or go find some swings or something. Come on,” he said, linking his arm through hers and gently guiding her back into the apartment.

Inside, everything felt as chaotic as when they’d left, if not even moreso. People seemed to be reeling from what had just happened. And as Soren made his way in, he could feel eyes on him and Erin. People seemed to glance away when he met their eyes, but he could hear the whispers.

They left kinda quickly, didn’t they?
I bet one’s covering up for the other.
Did you see him and Jamie earlier?

Soren could feel the panic building in his chest, but he needed to stay calm. Erin had put up with enough of his bullshit for this long, he couldn’t break down on her now. He gently sat her down. “You want a drink or anything?” He asked, before the arrival of a group of new bodies temporarily distracted everyone. The cops had arrived.

It didn’t take long for them to start interviewing people. Unsurprisingly, they split Soren and Erin up. The cop that pulled Soren aside had a hard expression and a set jaw, but there was a softness in his mannerisms that seemed to suggest that he wasn’t as harsh as he seemed.

“How did you know Jamie Blackburn?” He asked. Soren sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“We were friends. We hadn’t spoken for a few years but we were on good terms, and he invited my band to play the party tonight.”
“When did you last see him?”
“We had a… conversation about 11, I think? Then I had… to go to the bathroom. Haven’t seen him since.”
“Can you think of any reason anyone would have wanted to hurt Jamie?”
“No, he was… He used to be a pretty nice guy. I think he had a few disagreements with people tonight, but it was all… trivial stuff. Too many big personalities and too much alcohol, right?”
“Did you have any disagreements with him?”
“I… I don’t…” Soren took a deep breath. He needed to keep it together. “I misunderstood the signals I was getting, and I made… a move on him. He… did not respond well to it, yelled at me, and left.”
“That must have been embarrassing.”
“I mean. Yeah, it was. But that was all. I was embarrassed, and I went to the bathroom to calm down and freshen up a little bit. And then I came back and got some drinks and caught up with a few old friends. I didn't see Jamie after that.”
“Thanks, Soren. We’ll be in touch just to ask you a few more questions at a later stage.”

Soren exhaled as the cop walked away. The cop had been entirely unreadable, so Soren had no idea if the cop had believed him or not. This was all starting to feel a little too like the night Kyle had died, and that was a night Soren had never wanted to revisit. He shot a glance over at Erin to see how she was doing, not wanting to approach until the cops were done with her.

Shane simply remained closer to one of the walls as he stood, just enjoying the music and vibe of the party. Trying to enjoy the small things in life was something he had grown accustomed to over the years. Shane turned his head and smiled as he heard Camilla apologize for having to leave for something, "Oh nah, you're fine, Cam. Promise." he said with a smile. He raised an eyebrow when she mentioned about having to gotten a kick, and saw as she pulled something out that he was all too familiar with. Drugs, of fucking course she brought drugs. He was going to make a comment about how she needs to be more careful and not just show it off like that, but she had offered him a dance before he could say anything. How could he pass up such a chance? The two danced for a few minutes before Cam gasped as she looked past Shane, as if something had happened.

He looked over his shoulder to see what got her attention, only seeing the aftermath of what happened. Erin and Jamie walking off in different directions as the crowd slowly began to disperse. He watched as Cam excused herself, going after Jamie. He listened to the crowd as they mumbled amongst themselves about what had happened.

"Did you see that?"
"Yeah, why do you think Jamie hit her?"
"I don't know, maybe she did something to piss him off?"

Shane blinked as he was able to make out some of what was being said. Did Jamie really hit Erin? Either way, he wasn't about to let something like that slide. He made his way down the hallway, stopping as he passed by Gemma who was busily calling for Erin in the bathroom, who seemed to not answer, which resulted in the other girl to leave. Shane looked at the door, knocking for a moment.

"Come in." Jamie answered from the other side of the door.

Shane opened the door, closing it behind him as he entered. He immediately shot Jamie a look he hadn't seen in tears, which Jamie to back up a little. "Is it true?" Shane questioned. Jamie shot him a quizzical look, "Is what true?" he questioned. "That you fucking hit Erin!" Shane exclaimed, quickly enclosing the space between him and Jamie as he pushed him against the wall, looking him dead in the eyes. "What the fuck, Shane? She came at me wreckless first, alright?" Jamie exclaimed in retaliation.

Shane kept Jamie close to the wall, making sure he wouldn't be able to squirm free, "That doesn't give you the fucking right to hit a girl, Jamie! Especially Erin." he said coldly, making sure to never break the glance he held with Jamie. "What's your deal with Erin, anyway? I thought she hated your punk ass, especially after what you did-" he was cut off as Shane held him pinned to the wall, "Don't you fucking dare bring that shit up again, Blackburne. It's long since passed. I've tried to make up for it." Shane said softly, not loosening his grip on Jamie. "Say that to Kyle then, Thompson. Do you think she'd ever forgive you for what you did? You got her brother killed, Shane. There is no fixing that! Now how about you let me go, or I will call the cops for assault, think that would go good for your little business?"

Shane simply let go of his shirt, dropping Jamie as he backed away. "If I ever hear that you hurt Erin again, or anyone else, I will personally make your life hell, Jamie." Shane said coldly before he turned walked away. Slamming the door behind him as he left a few minutes later after continuing to talk to Jamie. Shane needed to cool his head, he just had to, before he did something stupid or that he'd regret. He walked back to the main room and just tried to collect himself. He tried to dance with a few others, but as time went on, nothing was working. Shane grabbed a drink from the bar as he saw that Erin was still nowhere to be found, and regrouped with a few others and started to dance with them, as well as try to spark up some conversation.

He felt his stomach drop when he heard people well for help, and for someone to find an ambulance. Jamie. The words hit him like a truck. He didn't know what happened, but he knew that things were going to go to shit. It was just like last time. He couldn't let things get any worse, but he wanted out of there. Before he knew it, Shane bolted out the door of the apartment and down the hallway, almost tripping over his feet. He needed to get out of here. He knew if he was questioned by the cops, if anyone knew anything, he'd be screwed. And he wasn't going to let this ruin things for him. Not just because of Jamie Blackburne.