Hailey

March 18, 2023

I felt so weird doing this. I didn't know what to get as a gift for a guy, so what if Zach didn't like the flowers, the bear, and the chocolate?

"What?" Zach asked, opening the door. He didn't look as bad as he did when he had shown up at my house the other day, but he still looked pretty sick. "Hi." I said shyly.

Zach tried to close the door, so I stopped it with my hand. "Look" I said, "I know what I did was fucked up. Under no circumstance was cheating on you okay, but I didn't mean to hurt you. I should've waited or shared my concerns with you." Zach just looked at me, "yeah" he said, "you should've."

"I just didn't know what to do. I listened to Nova, and didn't use my better judgment." Zach laughed, "first mistake was listening to Nova. Not that she be wrong or anything, but in the topic of love, nah."

I giggled, "yeah" I agreed. "And I'm sorry for ruining shit between you and Derek. That wasn't my intention. He gave me the notion that maybe you were doing something that you weren't supposed to." Zach nodded, "I know what Derek did" he said, "we've been friends for years. He's sneaky like that."

"I know things will never be the same, but Zach I'm in love with you. I really am. And now hearing about you having cancer, I wanna be with you through it all. I just don't want you to be alone" I admitted, and Zach looked down at the gifts I got him. "I don't wanna be alone either" he gave in, "ever since that day, it's been horrid. The thoughts, the realization of my reality, and the chemo pangs. I hate it."

I nodded, trying my best to fight back tears. I felt like an absolute asshole right now. How could I have ever thought that cheating would, in any way, be the answer to anything? I sighed, "do you forgive me?" I asked, and Zach smiled weakly. "Do I have a choice?" he joked, "I love you still Hailey, and like I just said, being alone in a time right now is like, hell. I'd rather be with you and work things out than deal with all this shit by myself."

***

Lewis

"Where were you in that moment that Cassidy's death was announced on live television?" an officer asked me as I looked on with boredom. "In the press room," I said with hostility, "telling everybody that I'm not a damn rapist."

"Her family doesn't wanna go further with this whole pressing charges ordeal in terms of rape," the officer continued, causing me to relax a little. "We can't move on with a murder case either, because the tracks are covered up well. We literally have no leads." I raised an eyebrow.

"So this girl just died? No finger prints, no shoe prints, nothing?" the officer nodded. "She was shot," he replied, "but the gun isn't registered and seems to have been destroyed, so we have nothing."

"We're questioning you because we figure that you may know something, considering the circumstances of the situation." I shook my head, "wouldn't her dying just jeopardize me in the long run?" I asked. "It would make me look guilty, like I was trying to make her shut up. So maybe you should ask her family about this."

"Good point," the officer said, "we really just need a lead kid. Something, somewhere. This family feels robbed. In their eyes, their daughter was not only a murder victim, but also a rape one. They're broken."

I nodded, "I understand."