Mountain Brook

Ellie couldn't help but run her fingers through her hair as Bea complimented it. She could feel her cheeks flush in flattery, it was the first sincere words she ever heard from Beatrice. Sure the girl had complimented her numerous times before but something about the way she spoke made it sound genuine and like a compliment no one had ever given her.

Truth is people always said nice things about her, in the press, at school and on social media and yet she was a massive bitch. She presented herself as above everyone else, she was bat shit crazy, falling for a girl from a different part of the neighborhood and betrayed her best friend for simply trying to help her. So why was everyone always so nice? Did they pity her? Was her life behind closed doors not so secret? What if they felt threatened by her, what if they...

Ellie shook her head and pushed her negative thoughts aside."I can't just do what I want. It's much more complicated then it may seem. I don't believe much in academics either but I have too. My parents, they've been so broken since the passing of their favorite child...I've always hated them for liking her a little more but..I still love them and I want to make them proud. I want to prove to myself that I'm more than my sisters shadow. I work hard at what I do because I do like it but I've just gone off the rails a bit...but good for you for convincing your dad. Seriously, the world needs to see your art. You're truly amazing at what you do...

Ellie sighed and lied her head back on the wall. She closed her eyes and flashes of the last month or so raced through her mind. Everything had become so broken, she'd lost sight of herself, she missed her best friend, she'd been cheating on every test and had smoked weed almost every night with Tyler to ease the pain.

Suddenly, a silent click sounded through the calming air. Ellie's eyes fluttered opened and she glanced towards the door "I think the outside power is back on...I'm pretty sure the door is unlocked" she announced, getting to her feet.

"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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She hesitated before replying to Ellie and she was genuinely considering what she said which was also something very new to Beatrice, she'd gotten too comfortable with just saying whatever unfiltered words wished to pass her lips but she looked at the girl and sincerely thought about things before she spoke; "But El, how can you be who you are, be more than your sister's shadow if you're living to please someone else and to keep other people happy? That's not being more than your sister's shadow and I don't mean this horribly but that's more like trying to fill the space, you see? If it's not your thing why do it? I'm not thick Ellie, I could have taken any a-levels I fancied and picked whatever college plucked my fancy if I put the time and work into it but that's not me- I chose art. I put my time, work, money and even my mind and heart into that art. Beatrice wanted to be a vet but when she grew up, Bea chose art and what do people expect from me now? Art, people listen to these things," She reminded softly, silencing herself as soon as Ellie mentioned the door might possibly open again but Bea wasn't as happy as she should have been about that because now Ellie could leave-she'd only been with her because she had to be but Bea would have given anything to have a few more moments just basking in their honest conversation and her company but that just wasn't possible anymore. Ellie didn't want to be here and it wasn't like Beatrice could stop her.

"Ellie...when we open that door...can we just stop pretending we hate each other? It's exhausting and I don't know about you but I could really use a friend at the minute," She spoke openly and sincerely, hoping her words weren't in vain and that Ellie wouldn't mock or ridicule her for the suggestion, she climbed to her feet and checked her make-up in the mirror, brushing away the few smudges that were there with one finger so her make-up was somewhat impeccable again then she looked back at Ellie hopefully.

The party dragged on and Declan was back to where he started: alone. His father was mostly likely passed out in the bathroom from throwing up all the crap he ate that day but Declan had his flask now so at least he wouldn't have to worry about his father getting any more drunk soon. He ended up conversing with more adults, coaches, and colleges through out the night. he avoided his team mates mainly because he was already aware what mischief they had planned and wanted no part of it. He'd been avoiding his team a lot since the party.

A firm hand landed on his broad shoulder before he even had a chance to take a step towards the small group of cheerleaders for the sake of distracting himself for the night. Declan looked back to see a brooding officer standing over him. He did his best to keep a calm composure as the man cleared his throat. "Sorry to bother you, Declan." Of course the officer knew him. Everyone seemed to know the star quarterback. He dug into his shirt pocket and pulled out a photograph of a boy. A boy Declan easily recognized. "This boy was found beaten half to death in the woods-" Declan had to stay as calm as possible not to give anything away. "Thankfully he's still alive but barely hanging on in the hospital. We've been asking around to see what happened and a few teammates said they saw you leave a party with him."

Declan nodded to the officer. "Yeah, I think his name was Leo. Talented kid. He had the makings of being a great receiver..." Images of him and Leo flashed through his mind... "Well he won't be receiving anymore..." They went back to his place and fooled around on the couch... "What happened when you left the party?" His dad walked in... "He had a few too many drinks that night so I decided to just give him a ride home." He took him out into the woods... "Did anything else happen?" He had a bat... "No." There was so much blood... "Are you sure?" He left him for dead... "Yes."

The officer sighed and folded his arms. He already knew. Two more officers closed in on him and he panicked. He tried to run completely confused over what was happening but they already had him. One brought his hands behind his back. "You're under arrest for the attempted murder of Leo McKnight..." He began reading off his rights and Declan flared up with anger as he struggled with the cops while they handcuffed him. "This is fucking stupid! I didn't do anything! You can't fucking do this!" He caused a complete scene as they began dragging him out of the school.

Alby's head was spinning. He felt high even though he wasn't on anything. Between trying to act normal, Tyler and whatever-the-hell-that-was, and then Scarlet passing by him with a few choice words, he could literally fill the world closing around him. It was too much action in the span of what could have only been a handful of minutes, surely.

There were whispers going on around him, and people in uniforms, and Alby was pretty sure the electricity wasn't working right even though he could barely see anyway. He couldn't go outside. He vaguely remembered being told there was some kind of investigation going on. Had someone else been hurt? He didn't remember.

He was trying to find a bathroom. Something. Anything. Maybe splash some water on his face. Maybe hide his tears, while he was at it. He wasn't crying yet, but for some reason he felt like they were well on his way.

Just as he turned the corner into the hallway, he noticed someone was on the ground. Fucking hell, how many people were smashed at this party anyway? He had a feeling a lot of underage kids were about to be...Sam.

Alby would recognize him anywhere. That sharp jawline, that perfect hair. Alby's mouth went dry, and then he was moving. Too much shit was happening in their fucked up town for him not to go into immediate panic mode. One kid murdered, another attacked, a freaking lockdown...

"Sam?" Alby barely heard his own voice as he sank to his knees, fingers going through Sam's hair on instinct. He looked almost fine...except for the bruising slowly appearing around his neck. Alby frowned, his fingers falling there. The marks weren't fully formed yet, but they would be wide...Alby could already feel the swelling. He knew he needed to get help...he needed to get up...but he couldn't move. He was frozen in place by relief as he felt a steady pulse under his fingertips.

The words flowing out of Beatrice stung a little mainly because everything she said was true. Yes she loved sports and being admired but Bea was right, she lived in her sister's shadow so much that she was merely filling the gap. Ellie stared at the palm of her hands as if trying to figure out the answers but when Bea got up to check her make-up and request a truce, Ellie snapped out of her deep thoughts.

She slid back up to her feet and glanced over at the mirror, despite having cried a little her make-up remained in tack. She considered the offer of being friends with Bea, honestly she loved the idea but she also loved her personal reputation. If she and Bea were to be friends that would be social suicide, but what did she care? Her best friend was no longer, Scarlet had been MIA for a while now and Tyler was always fucked up. Ellie sighed and locked eyes with Bea's hopeful gaze.

"Honestly, this whole talk made me realize that I don't have a single real friend. Everyone is so fake and trapped in their social circles. I hate it. I hate them. And yet...I'm one of them. I'll stop bullying and I'll defend you if anyone tries to bring you down, but I can't be your friend at least not in the public eye. Despite the truth in your words, I am who I am and the world I belong to will never change. The worst part is I think I'm okay with that. This was great and all Bea, but regardless of what you say and what we may have...I just...at the end of the day we're not friends. I'm sorry"

She gave Bea a soft smile before ducking her head and heading out into the party. She watched Declan being arrested from afar but decide it was better not to intrude, she'd been in enough trouble lately. She made her way out into the hall to get some fresh air when she spotted Alby leaning over someone. "What are you doing?" Ellie asked cautiously slowly approaching him. "Holy shit SAM!" she cried and fell on all fours next to him "Can you hear me?" she asked snapping a finger in his face. "We need to get some help"

"What are you on Ty? Are you crazy doing drugs in public, you could have-"
"Dad it's fine, I'm sober now don't worry about it..."
"Don't worry about it? Son we're at a public event, what the fuck did you take? How could you do this, the cops have been over at our place three times in the last two days. You really think this will make things better? We're almost out of money fighting for you Ty, and honestly I don't know why we're bothering anymore...here. This wipe your face, dry off and come back to the party. We have to endure this place until the cops let us go, try not to make a scene again...

Tyler's dad stormed out of the washroom whilst cursing furiously under his breath. "Jackass" Tyler mumbled. He stared at his ghost like face in the mirror, he was tired that was clear. He bowed his head at his reflection whilst thoughts of that last couple minutes flooded his brain. His whole body began to vibrate uncontrollably, he wanted to punch something and yet not because he was angry...

There was another emotion taking over, something Tyler was very familiar with. Dark thoughts flooded his brain, he had a longing and yearning...he needed to...he wanted to...

Tyler took a breath, he looked back at his reflection, the darkness in his eyes began to faded. He smiled weakly and recomposed himself for the fourth time making himself look semi presentable.

He walked out to the party, a couple individuals glanced at him but they averted their stares quickly. He spotted Scarlet staring worriedly at a scene and made his way next to her to see what all the fuss was about. "The fuck...why are they arresting Declan?" he questioned with slight panic in his voice.

"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 at her again. "Ellie, you're the worst of them because you're even lying to yourself," She sighed. "I might be the most hated girl in this town but at least I say what I think and at least I am who I am," She said it dismissively and didn't wish to hear Ellie's response she just wanted her to go and leave her alone. So she could stop pretending she wasn't lusting after something that would end up killing her, stop squirming under the pressure of trying not to itch her arm and stop looking in Ellie's eyes and seeing a reflection of how tragic, empty and broken she really was.

She sighed heavily, she'd known she was a fool to even ask but in this town of fake somebodies who were all no bodies, Ellie was the worst and as soon as Ellie walked out the door and her pretty face wasn't there to remind Bea of the person behind the words she instantly wished she could hate her, god if Ellie wasn't so...so...if Ellie just wasn't herself, it'd be as easy as it was to hate Scarlet but no, Ellie had to be an individual even if that individual was a bitch. She didn't return her smile, she didn't even look at her because she felt like an idiot. She was still sat on the bathroom tiles ten minutes after Ellie left, she didn't want to move. She wanted the floor to swallow her so she could stop disappointing everyone, her parents, Ellie, Alby, herself. She wished she wasn't bisexual, arrogant, selfish and short tempered. She wished she was kind, loving and academic but the reality was, she never would be and she couldn't change the things that made her no matter how hard she wished.

She decided she was going home and she stepped out of the bathroom and started for the door but too busy staring at her feet when she got to the door she went flat into a police officer and was knocked off her feet. The police officer remained steady but Bea was looking up at her between the mop of hair that had fallen into her eyes.

"You alright kid? Sorry but you can't leave yet. We're on lockdown,"

Beatrice blinked and started climbing to her feet slowly.

"What? Why?

"There was an attack-"

Bea was quick to interrupt her at this point because she was suddenly overwhelmed by panic. "Attack on who? Alby? Sam? Are they okay, fuck where's Tyle-"

"Mam, your friends are inside. You should go join them and watch where you're going kid,"

With a blank expression, Beatrice turned around and walked back into the hall but when she did she discovered all the commotion and Alby kneeling over Sam who as unconscious on the floor. Wide eyed with fright, Beatrice flocked to Alby's side but was respectful of their space.

"Alby, what happened? Are you okay? He's breathing, he'll be okay but shit dude- was it Sam who got attacked? Is that why we're on lockdown?" She asked softly, sympathy edging her tone of voice as she looked down at her friend who laid unconscious. Admittedly she was hardly as close to Sam as she was Alby but she still got on the guy and hung out with him a lot and of course with that came for the fact she sincerely cared for him but here he was passed out on the floor and there was little she could do about it. "Should we move him onto one of the sofas? I can't imagine this floor will be great for him," She managed to keep herself very calm but that was only because she recognised Alby would need her to act in such a way.

Alby didn't even notice Ellie until she was screaming. He jumped, Sam's name bouncing around in his skull like it was determined to be heard, and only then realized he hadn't been breathing himself. He couldn't move. He knew Ellie was talking, a little frantic actually, but Alby was frozen. His fingers were still resting against Sam's pulse, feeling relief wash over him each time there was a beat.

Then there was Bea. Her voice broke through his fog finally. He could tell she was worried, but she was holding it together. For him. Alby took in a shaky breath and then nodded, his hands immediately going to the back of Sam's head, looking for bumps. He'd passed out, but he hadn't completely fainted...probably gone to his knees first or something.

"He's okay," Alby whispered to himself, even though he wasn't, not really. The bruises on his neck were a vivid reminder of that. "B...Bea...I..." Alby swallowed thickly and shook his head. He couldn't move Sam on his own, not at dead weight. Sam was pure muscle, which made him heavier than he looked. He reached up his free hand for his friends, twining their fingers together. "I don't know what to do..."

They needed a damn doctor...or an officer or something. Alby knew he was reacting too strongly for someone who was barely friends with Sam in the public eye, but his feelings were impossible to reel in just then. He didn't even care about coming up with a cover story, or a reason why. He just...couldn't.

"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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She was quick to try and comfort Alby, she held onto his hand gently and rubbed his shoulder kneeling besides him. She wasn't sure why he was effected so much more than anybody else but he couldn't lie- she'd been suspicious of him and Sam, purely because of how they were at the party every time she'd gone to speak to Sam he'd come with her and that wasn't a problem but it was bizarre but this only confirmed what she'd wandered about before but she didn't mind he hadn't told her and she fully supported him.

"Alby honey he'll be okay, I'll help you move him- might need Ellie to help too and we'll lie him down somewhere safer and call a Doctor. Everything's going to be fine Al, okay? It looks like something happened to his neck- he was probably winded, fainted but as long as his airway is open now he'll be okay so just tilt his chin back a bit," She advised calmly and collectedly. For a moment it crossed her mind how Alby must be feeling, if this was what she thought it was- it was almost be like the same happening to Ellie.

Wait- fuck?

Bea's expression momentarily hardened at the thought and her lips pursed. She was almost starting hate the girl all over again just for being so bloody confusing.

We're not friends

She squeezed Alby's hand to try and calm herself down a little and she sighed looking on over at Sam on the ground, she figured Alby was too emotional so she leaned over herself and with two fingers gently tilted his head so his airways would be completely clear and then sat back again by Alby looking at him, hoping he'd take reassurance in the fact Sam had a strong pulse and was likely to soon come back around.

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Two weeks later

Sam stared at himself in the mirror across from him. Even though this was nothing more than a witness statement, he'd been brought to the interrogation room, due to his own request of somewhere private to talk. And despite the associations this room came with, he was somewhat glad for it. They wouldn't be interrupted unless it was important. There was no chance of them being overheard by someone who didn't need to hear what he was saying.

Even with his jacket buttoned up as far as it would go, and a scarf wrapped around his neck under that, he could still see the edges of the bruising on his neck. He didn't need to see it to be able to vividly visualize it- the edges, green and yellow from where they were almost healed, slowly fading into dark purples and blues in the centre- almost right on his windpipe. He'd been having nightmares lately- awful, awful nightmares where he woke up with the feeling of hands around his throat and being unable to breathe. He wasn't sleeping half as well as he used to, and he knew that it was showing.

"Thank you for coming in today, Mr Hawkins. We understand the past few weeks have been difficult for you, but we need to know everything that happened on that night. Anyone and everyone you spoke to, everything you did..."

Anxiety had almost been a constant in his life since the attack, but that didn't stop him from feeling it's effects as he ran his hands along his trousers.

"I turned up just as the event started, so around... seven, I guess? I did some networking, spoke to a man about the artwork, then went and chatted with... uh, Scarlet, Declan and Beatrice, I think? I then went and spoke to Arthur Marin and the principal, before I..."

His throat and mouth was suddenly dry, and his heart was pounding. He knew that Alby had been arrested- he hadn't missed that. And he didn't know whether telling would help or make things worse. He felt sick. It didn't help that he knew that one of the police officers was friends with his dad.

"I went to the janitor's closet with Alby. I'd had an argument with a friend that we needed to talk about, but we, uh... we ended up kissing as well."

And now it was out there. He wished that some of the weight would lift from his shoulders, but it only seemed to get heavier.

"Was this the first time you'd... been with Mr. Johnson, Mr. Hawkins?" The officer, the one who knew his father, asked. Sam shook his head.

"No. We've been... dating in secret for a while now. My parents don't want me in a relationship," he admitted.

"What happened then?" The other officer asked.

"We... We argued for a bit, and he left. I waited for a minute or two before leaving, then went back to the main event where I networked for a bit, then went looking for Alby to apologise. That was when I was attacked- the hall was in darkness, and I was using my phone as a torch. Then someone hit me from behind, I went to apologise or just say something and then..." he stopped, unable to say anything else. He loosened the scarf around his neck a bit.

"What did you and Mr. Johnson argue about?"

"We've both just been really stressed lately- he's got some personal shit going on and I've been under so much pressure with running, that we both just blew up over nothing really. He was afraid that I was going to leave him behind without a thought, and I was angry about that. It was barely even an argument- he just admitted that and left."

"Sam, I know this is hard, but did you fight back when you were attacked?"

"Yeah- I scratched at their hands and kicked, but it didn't work. They were... way too strong, though," he said. The two officers looked at each other, then back at Sam.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Hawkins. You've given us some good evidence here," one said, getting to his feet.

"Did I just get Alby in more trouble?" He blurted, twisting his hands together under the table. They looked at each other, then the one who knew his father shook his head.

"No. If anything, you've just proven the evidence to be circumstantial. We'll have to see how things work out, but... You might have just gotten him released."

Sam felt like he was going to cry with relief. He got to his feet, shoving his hands in his pocket, and headed out to the front lobby, where he got his phone and keys back. As soon as he left, he sent a text to Alby. He knew that Alby wouldn't have his phone with him, but... with luck, he'd be seeing it before long.

"I need to see you. We also kinda need to talk"



Charlie pulled down her sleeves over her hands and wrapped her arms around her body as she left her consultant's office. Her own doctor had transferred the notes to him once her mom had notified them that she'd be staying in the area for a while. But a new doctor meant more blood tests. Goddamn doctors and not trusting each other and wanting their own results. Okay, the doctor had told her it was to examine the progression of the illness, but she wasn't so sure. After all, the news had been the same as ever. Things were getting worse. Her kidney function was starting to be affected. If they couldn't find a match for this goddamn bone marrow transfer, her days were numbered.

And she still had yet to find out anything about her fucking father. She'd asked around, and had found nothing. Typing his name into Google had only brought up news articles about him- not as much as an office address. And nobody knew where to find him. Somebody had to know where he was.

She kinda had to stick around now that her mom had transferred the notes, but she didn't want to. She'd heard about the murder, and then the string of attacks, which the police didn't even know if they were related. Admittedly, the people were interesting. One in particular.

And almost as if she had conjured him up, she caught a glimpse of him across the lobby. Old anger flushed through her veins. The bastard. But instead of slapping him like she wanted to, she smiled and made her way over to him. "Remember me?" She asked. "I'm just wondering where you've been- you ran off in such a hurry, so you better have a goddamn good excuse," she said, her nice act fading.

---

To put things simply, Asher was not in the best place on this particular morning. He was in the process of signing his discharge forms there was still a wrist band hanging off of him, the tag with his initials and surname giving himself away. The annoying thing was that this wasn't even the end, he had to carry his jacket because it wouldn't fit in his bag after he had to ram it full with medication. He sighed and pulled his signature leather jacket over his shoulders and covered the tag before looking up at his consultant. She smiled at him optimistically and scribbled across the paper and Asher exhaled in relief. Part of him was still terrified of dying, even though he'd been told he had a good chance of surviving it was all statistics, maths and predictions based on other people- not him, based on all those for him so how could they be accurate to him? Nothing about his body would be the same as another person, so he just didn't understand how he was suppose to put his faith in what you could call a poorly made guess or estimate. He scrawled his name across the paper, his signature to large to fit on the line and covered practically a whole quarter of the page but he couldn't have cared less about how pretty his paper work looked. He just wanted to go home, skip group therapy and catch up on some missed sleep.

And Charlie.

He needed to call Charlie, he didn't even know if he had her number but he had to explain somehow. He was supposed to have gotten drinks and gone back to her and he'd got outside to smoke quickly whilst he waited for the kitchen to die down and he collapsed, woke up breathless in hospital with tuberculosis written on everything he owned.

He felt terrible, there wasn't a guy in the world who had more respect for women then Ash and thinking he'd stood up Charlie made his stomach twist with guilt and self loathing. What would he tell her though? He genuinely had really taken to her at the party and liked her- to him, that hadn't been about fooling around or trying to get a quick fuck and it'd all gone so wrong. He couldn't tell her the truth though because his Mother couldn't know anything was wrong that he was sick- he needed to care for them and track down his Father so he could pay for the treatment that was guaranteed to cure him. He'd never been afraid of death but realising he could die and leave his Mother and Skye behind had become his worse fear over the last weeks and not only that but disappointing them and he'd already done so to Charlie.

She must think I'm such a dick...

The Nurse was talking but he wasn't listening because he turned his head and saw tousled brown locks and he could remember how soft they'd felt all those weeks ago now. He'd been in hospital a month now, told his Mother he was at a training camp for his boxing on the phone so she wouldn't worry and he'd used a Nurse's phone to transfer some money over to Skye's account so they'd be one hundred percent okay if there was any kind of emergency.

A month.

A month since he met Charlie and let her down.

He'd been staring at her but he hadn't quite been able to help himself, he wanted to look away and go hide because her presence reminded him of what he'd done and afflicted him with guilt but a warmer part of him was just desperate to go apologise try and explain himself, ask her out or something but before he could contemplate any of these things she was suddenly there looking up at him with energetic eyes.

"Charlie, hear me out I'm sorry. I went to get our drinks- two Coronas and lime but the kitchen was rammed, so I went to wait outside for it to chill out a bit and I was having a smoke and I guess the drink caught up with me cause I collapsed and got dragged up to hospital- dehydration or something I suppose but I'm sorry Charlie, I wanted to talk to you but I never got your number and you hate me so it was a hard thing to motivate at times," He worked his story on the sport and in fairness, very little of it was false.

He had gone to get drinks.
He had gone for a smoke.
He had collapsed.
He had gone to hospital.
He had been dehydrated.

He just missed out the fact he had tuberculosis.

The nurse passed him some paper but Asher folded it quickly because it had all kinds of information about his case on- his tuberculosis, his therapy, medication requirements, there was no way in hell Charlie could know about any of those things.

"Look I'm sorry- there was no excuse for it and it was a really shitty thing to do but if you ever want to see me again, I'd love the opportunity to try and make it up to you but I understand if you'd rather punch me instead which by the way- this would be the best place to do it, considering they could fix me up here pretty quick, so I suppose I'm saying make it a good one?"

"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 had been worrying about Alby all week- there was no way he was responsible for what happened to Sam or the murder or any of the attacks and she'd tried to visit a few times but these things were difficult and her parents hadn't been supportive of her hanging around a police station, not in the slightest. She didn't believe any of the accusations against him, how could she? The timing couldn't have been worse though, after everything with Ellie Bea had been a lot lower than usual, she'd barely left her attic and barely touched her paints. She'd shoot up more than usual too, the tracks in her arms were becoming more noticeable all the time. She was desperate to just go to Alby's apartment lay on his sofa and talk to him as if she were in counselling, off load her problems- share a joint, laugh it all off and go home feeling confident, enlightened and free again but she couldn't because he'd been arrested.

Beatrice was laying on her mattress in her underwear a joint hanging from her lips and a lighter clasped between her finger tips, a gold one with her initials etched into it. She raised it to the joint and sparked it up and took a long drag before curling up into her sheets again, wrapping herself up wishing she'd turn into a cocoon and come back as something new beautiful and pure. She'd been at rock bottom the past couple of weeks- she could barely get Ellie out of her head and it was driving her mad and when she wasn't thinking about Ellie, she was worrying about Alby or Sam in hospital. She'd been interrogated of course and Bea had explained about being locked in the bathroom with Ellie and that they had an intimate and personal conversation, she explained they'd previously been social nemesis' but they'd made peace whilst they were locked in. She explained, she'd then spoken to a police officer before she discovered Alby with Sam. She stated that Alby was very distressed and Sam was unconscious but she hadn't been able to say anything else- she hadn't seen anything else.

She'd been let go without anything else after that but the sinking guilt and loneliness had been swallowing her up since the Gala. She was staring at her phone like that would make it ring, like Ellie would dial and announce that she didn't hate Bea, that she wasn't ashamed of her and wanted to hang out more, that Alby would call up and say he was out of the woods maybe even someone else would pop up just to check in and have a chat.

She desperately need someone, anyone but she had no one.

She truly had no one.

Her head pounded with the lingering agony that could only be described as a hangover when her stomach suddenly wretched, she leaned over and grabbed her dressing gown as she tried to hold it down in a mad dash to get to the bathroom; she got there and straight acid came flying up, there was nothing to throw up but the acid; she hadn't eaten in a couple of days by this point because all she'd done is drink and get high. She realised continuing like this would wind up with her dead but it was hard to care about that in her mind set at the minute.

After throwing up, Bea was quick to jump in the shower and get clean before she went back up to her attic and collapsed back on the mattress, staring at her phone again and wishing the world would just swallow her up.

Alby was definitely in the middle of the worst couple of weeks of his life. Hell, he'd spent time homeless and it'd been better than this. Stuck in the same 8x8 cell, staring at the same damn ceiling, alone with the thoughts swirling around in his head. He kept reminding himself that it was just a holding cell, could definitely be worse, but it wasn't helping much. The problem was, he had nothing to do, and no on to talk to.

He couldn't sleep, because when he did he dreamed of Sam, and each time it was worse. The bruises around his neck had covered his whole body by the second night. By the third his eyes were black, lips split. By the fourth, he'd had broken bones. By the fifth, he'd stopped breathing. Alby woke up every time he even so much as drifted screaming. And he couldn't tell anyone he probably needed a shrink, because his relationship didn't even exist as far as goddamned Mountain Brook was concerned.

He missed Sam so much it hurt. He wasn't even allowed to see him, because the cops honestly thought he had something to do with that night. And probably the other attack. And probably the murdered kid, too. Fucking Christ, how had this ended up his life?

He missed Bea. She'd been so good, holding onto him that night at the gala, keeping him together. He probably wouldn't have made it, if it wasn't for her. He wished she was there now, sitting on the other side of the bars, holding his hands. But he hadn't heard from her...not that he was surprised. His visitation rights were incredibly limited, and he doubted her parents were helping her out at all.

He'd tried to pray, one night. It'd gotten that bad. Alby was guilty of a lot of things, but nothing that landed him in that cell. He'd wished he'd listened to Scarlet, because he didn't know what he was doing...but thinking about Scarlet made him remember the fact that she was carrying his child. And, as usual, Alby just couldn't deal.

He wondered if she was okay.

He wondered if Bea was okay.

He wondered if Sam was okay.

He didn't get to know anything.

---

---

Sam had just started his walk home when his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was, rather surprisingly, from Scarlet. She sounded a little desperate, and he wondered why exactly she was texting him. Did she know something about them? He knew that Bea knew about them, but he highly doubted that either Bea or Ellie had told Scarlet of all people. Unless Alby had let something slip between the attack and his arrest? Sam didn't know when exactly Alby had been arrested, but he had a feeling it hadn't been right after the attack.

He sighed and texted her back.

To: Scarlet
I can't come- I'm not allowed to visit, not when he's suspected of attacking me. Meet me at the coffee shop in 10?

He started walking back in the direction of the coffee shop. He was a little bothered by Scarlet's panic- he knew that she and Alby were good friends. But Alby and Bea were even better friends, and Sam had hardly heard from her. He pulled out his phone and texted bea.

To: Bea
Just had one interrogation from the cops and am about to have another from Scarlet. Half expecting her to full-on start saying the rosary at the table for me. How you holding up?

The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he was becoming. Why the hell was Scarlet so concerned about him? Like, Sam was dealing with not being able to see Alby. Admittedly, not that well, but he was dealing. Scarlet appeared to be freaking out big time. Was there something he didn't know? Had something happened to one of the kids at the shelter? Perhaps it was just that. Perhaps it was just Scarlet getting wound up over nothing.



Charlie listened to him talk, raising an eyebrow. His story seemed somewhat genuine- it was around that time when things got a little crazy, so it was understandable that she could have missed him. And he did seem genuinely sorry. She stared at him, genuinely considering punching or slapping him. But instead, she looped her arm through his.

"You can buy me a milkshake instead," she said, grinning at him. "And a brownie. As tempting as punching you is, getting food out of you is much better," she teased. She did honestly like him, and she appreciated how apologetic he'd been. If he'd been sick, then she couldn't hold it against him. God knows, she'd had to cancel her own plans enough due to illness.

---

Relief flooded into his expression, although he had initially cringed when she moved her arm thinking she was going to hit him but he relaxed as she looped her arm with his and he smiled at her kindly. He looked at her with a honest smile and nodded compliantly;

"Thank you," He replied to her, more for giving him a second chance more than anything because he'd been wallowing in the guilt for what felt like infinity and she'd really caught his attention at the party, she was so smart and funny and he couldn't even begin to explain how pretty he thought she was but he didn't voice any of these things, he was just grateful she was still on his side because even he was disgusted by what it looked like he'd done at the party- if someone did that to Skye, he'd beat the shit out of them and he wasn't going to make it just in his head just because he was the one who did it.

"You can do both if you want, I box- I can take a punch," He joked softly, leading the way out of the hospital because although he had no idea why she was here and it was the most obscure place to run into someone in the world, he knew them well enough to know it wasn't a place somebody wanted to be and plus- it'd hardly somewhere to go for what he was going to call; 'make-up drinks'.

"So, the best place I've ever found in this dump for a milkshake is the coffee shop, a lot of my friends used to hang out there and I've never been disappointed so you up for it?" He asked her gently. He was serious about making it up to her and he was desperate to know that she realised that so he looked at her for a moment as they walked and bit his lip nervously before saying; "The party, disappearing like that- it's really not like me. I know it looks bad because obviously, that's how we met but I mean; I'm a feminist for a start and I raised by my Mum so y'know I've grown up having massive issues about having to respect women, so I know I've apologised but I'm doing it again because quite frankly, I'm disappointed in myself for it because if someone did the same thing to my little sister- I think I'd actually beat the shit out of them..." He stopped talking because he'd ran out of things to say but he smiled hopefully at her and ran a hand through his hair with a slightly nervous twitch to the action.

"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

---

---

Scrawled across her bed almost like she'd fallen down some stairs and landed there, she groaned upon hearing her phone but she groaned because she hadn't properly clocked what was happening. Her phone was ringing, she dived at her mobile hoping it'd be Alby texting to say he was out and wanted to meet for a beer so they could laugh it off and go see Sam and the two could have a really cute romantic reunion and Bea would take the piss out of them and...and try not to think about Ellie.

She knew her hopes were unrealistic and reading any name on her phone that wasn't Alby's or Ellie's kind of left her sighing but she was genuinely glad to hear from Sam; she'd been worrying about him from a distance, hadn't wanted to speak up too much because she knew the kind of pressure he must be under at the minute but she'd been right in thinking he'd come to her if he needed because he'd text her now and though it wasn't anything huge; he was reaching out so she was happy to hear from him.

She read the text and inwardly groaned; "Poor sod, Scar's probably worst than the bloody police," She mumbled to herself, considering what she could write back that didn't completely slag off Scarlet Her instinctive hatred for the girl was incredibly unlikely to burn out anytime soon- it was very public too, no body had ever made the mistake of thinking they liked each other but Beatrice certainly didn't help that in the slightest.

To: Sam
Scarlet? Fuck me, I'd rather have two police interrogations. You'll be alright as long as she's not PMSing though- I'm OK, should probably get out of my bedroom soon though. Want to meet for a drink later? Think we're overdue a catch up considering all the beef at the minute. It's cool if not though- I know you're busy but if you need to offload I'm not likely to magically get a life soon, so just text me

Her and Sam though friends weren't the closest but they did have a common interest in Alby and looking out for him, so she figured if anybody could understand the guy now it'd be her; plus they had sexualities in common. Although she wasn't lesbian, she was bisexual and she leaned towards women more any but her thought track was that she'd probably be able to help out a bit if he needed the support- that's the only reason she offered. Well, that and she was lonely without Alby around but she wasn't going to admit that anytime soon. She'd sooner go around and tell everyone about Ellie.

---

---

As Sam walked, his phone buzzed with a reply from Bea. He grinned as he read it, quickly typing out a reply.

To: Bea
I'm dying for a drink, sounds great. We're talking alcohol, right? I'll give you the low down on what happens with Scar then as well. My place or yours? ;)

It was nice having Bea, he had to admit. Now that she knew about him and Alby, things were so much easier. They could just hang out and chill- and while they hadn't really had a chance to do that since the attack, it was still nice to have that option. He glanced at the time on his phone and grimaced a little, pulling his coat tighter around him and fixing his scarf to cover as much of the bruising on his neck.

It took him a little longer than anticipated to get to the cafe, and he grinned apologetically at Scarlet as he went up to the counter and ordered his coffee. Everyone in there knew him from when he and Alby had first met. He'd spent far too long in there chatting to Alby and insulting him. As far as any of the staff knew, nothing had ever come of it- it had just been a teasing flirtation, nothing more.

His coffee in hand, he slid into the seat across from Scarlet with an apologetic grin. "Sorry," he said, glancing down at the paper all over the table. He resisted the temptation to raise an eyebrow. "So, here's what I know about visiting. They've gotten pretty tight on it, but they are still letting visitors in. But you have to be over 18 or else accompanied by a parent, and they're ridiculously strict as regards to time. I don't know the time limit, though. So, if you need to tell him something, you need to make it fast." He took a mouthful out of his coffee. He did need to get a message to Alby, but there was no way in hell that he was telling Scarlet everything.

"If you do go see him, tell him that I say to tell the truth about everything that night. He'll know what it means," he said.



She shrugged at his suggestion. "I'm still new in town, I'll have to trust your recommendation," she said, grinning at him. The continued apologies were both endearing and a little irritating, but she knew that he meant well.

"Ash, it's fine. Seriously. If it was a health thing, then I won't hold grudges, okay? And like I said, all will be forgiven if you buy me food," she said, laughing a little. "So, you were raised by a single mom as well? Well, my mom wasn't that single- she remarried when I was five. But my biological father wasn't around," she said, shrugging a little. She was glad that today was a good day- she'd be able to manage the walk to the coffee shop, and would even be able to manage hanging out all day. She'd probably pay for it tomorrow, but she'd deal with that when it came to it.

---

"Well, I hope it's not disappointing then," He told her with a small smile. "Okay, thank your Charlie and I will- so I guess I'm in the clear then," He laughed gently but he still felt terrible about it all really but it'd pass with time.

When she explained about her family, he listened closely and nodded gently. "Yeah, pretty much the same. My little sister- Skye, she's 14 now but my Dad disappeared when she was born. It's cool though- I'm pretty happy with it just being us three y'know, it's easier like this," He explained with a small shrug. "It's cool your Mum found someone new though, I'm still trying to talk my Mum into dating again, she hates the idea though, says it's for kids," He chuckled softly, a fond smile passing his expression as he talked about his family. It was obvious they were incredibly important to him and that he loved them but maybe that's because he didn't try to act cool or hide it, Ash was the town's cliché bad boy type but that didn't mean he was vain enough to act like people would judge him for loving his family.

"Anyway, I feel like though other than that what we talked about at the party we still don't know each other that well, so go on tell me about the world of Charlie Reynolds, hobbies, pets- whatever," He encouraged warmly, he wasn't quite sure why but she made him kind of nervous but not in a horrible intimidated way, in the way that made him a lot more conscious and thoughtful about his actions. He genuinely wanted to know all about her though and get to know her properly because he'd really taken a shine to her at the party and even though he didn't know her properly yet, he really wanted to which is why he was so happy she'd been generous enough to give him the chance to put things right again.

---

---

Sam was initially planning on replying to Scarlet, but she just... didn't stop talking. He avoided making eye contact and took a mouthful of his coffee, completely unsure how to react. When Alby started rambling, Sam could just kiss him to shut him up. That wasn't exactly an option here.

What the hell was she even on about? Why would Saint Scarlet be kicked out of her own home? And why the hell was she stressing about getting fat? Was this what girls did? It wasn't like he'd fucking know. Wow, Bea was going to take the piss out of him later.

Once she stopped, he stayed silent for a second, waiting for her to start into babbling again. It was only when she stayed silent for a bit more that he felt safe enough to talk.

"Scarlet... what is it you have to talk to him so urgently about? Why... why are your parents going to kick you out? Scarlet, what's going on between you and Alby?" He asked, frowning. Did this have to do with how Alby had been acting in the weeks before the party? He wanted answers, and he felt like Scarlet had some of them.



"The world of Charlie Reynolds? Well, it's nothing too riveting," she said, shrugging a little. "At home, we currently have two cats, Tom and Jerry. Yeah, I know, but my brother named them. They're both rescues, but are the biggest sweethearts I've ever met. I... adore musicals, and I've even been trained by a former West End star. My favourite musical is either Chicago or Les Mis, which, I know, are two very different musicals. I can't swim and absolutely hate huge, open bodies of water. Swimming pools are bearable, but just about."

She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "What about you? Tell me about the world of Asher Costello," she said, pulling herself in a little closer on his arm. They'd just clicked at the party and had basically spent the whole night together. She hadn't been long in Mountain Brook at that point, but had still managed to find out about the party and turn up. Now that her mom wasn't constantly hovering, making sure she didn't push herself too hard, she could actually let loose a little.

---

He listened to her closely and with a clear interest, determined not to miss a single word of what she was saying and he grinned humorously when she explained the name of her cats and chuckled a little; "Know what? I think it's awesome, he knows Jerry was a mouse though right?" He joked gently, before letting her continue immediately afterwards. He'd expected her to be the musical type- he could remember talking about music taste a lot when they were at the party, he'd brought it up because music was such a general thing it was easy to talk about but he genuinely thought she was insanely interesting and he didn't think she was trying to be either. "They're both pretty great to be honest," He agreed with her calmly. "But I'd be swinging towards Le Mis I think," He offered with a small shrug. "Really? I hate the sea, I don't mind like lakes or anything but I can't handle the sea..." He admitted thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm a light weight boxer- I got into last year because I kept getting into trouble at school; you know the cliché and the stereotype I won't bore you, so I spend a lot of time training for that. Massive fan of rock, punk and older music. I'm not going to lie; my family mean the world to me, if I'm not training I'm usually spending time with them. I've lived in Mountain Brook most of my life, have a crippling fear of heights and that's pretty much it honestly," He told openly with small shrug.

As they reached the café, he held the door for her to let her go in first and smiled warmly at her. "And here we are," He announced casually.

---

---

Most of the things about sinning went over his head- he honestly didn't give a shit about sinning. According to the bible, he was sinning by just freaking breathing, so that wasn't much of a biggie to him. It was the "there's something between me and Alby" thing that was bothering him. What freaking secret could the two of them have? He knew that they were friends, but hell, they were two completely different people. How bad of a secret could it be when Scarlet was involved?

He was about to demand more details, when he noticed how upset she seemed to be getting. She'd been frantic at first, but this was... this was new. Was she crying? Oh shit. Oh shit, she was crying.

What the hell was he supposed to do? He reached across awkwardly and put a hand on her arm. "Hey, Scarlet, it's fine, seriously. I'm sorry if I upset you, okay? Seriously, there's no need to cry." He knew that he should be better with this kind of thing, but his sister hardly ever cried- or at least, never in a situation where he was required to comfort her. Most of the time he just handed her ice cream and a spoon and left the room again. But he couldn't exactly do that in this situation.

"Alby will probably be out before long- like, I'm pretty sure that they're not even supposed to have kept him in this long. So, some angry, hotshot lawyer will probably just storm in before long and Alby will be free to go. So, uh, just don't freak out, okay?"

Why the hell was she even so worried about Alby anyway? Like, her reaction had bypassed normal friendship levels. It was starting to verge on bypassing normal hormonal. Was she just being a drama queen? Or was there something that Sam didn't know about?



"A boxer, huh? Easy to know I'll be safe with you," she said, grinning up at him. She had already forgiven him for ditching her- she was just glad that they could hang out like this. She smiled at him as he held the door open for her, and stepped inside. It was surprisingly warm inside, considering that it wasn't that busy. It had the same feel as every other coffee shop in the world- or at least everyone she'd been in. She scanned the menu. Everything sounded amazing, and it wasn't that expensive. She'd been in a few that charged ridiculous prices for coffee that was only okay.

Once she'd decided, she leaned against Ash a little. "I'm going to have a strawberry milkshake and a brownie," she declared, grinning up at him. He was a good bit taller than her, but she really didn't mind that.