May
___________

𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯

Brynn finally gave birth, but I didn't wanna stay at the hospital for that long. As I was resting in my dorm room, having skipped out on sleep for the last twenty-eight hours, a loud, never ending series of bangs emerged from my door.

"Why does everybody insist on banging like a fucking lunatic?" I questioned aloud as I rolled my eyes and took my time to get out of my comfortable laying position. I was tired, I was irritable, and I was overwhelmed with thoughts. I just wanted to sleep.

"Evelyn?" I asked, not expecting my cousin. I knew she and I talked not too long ago, but I figured that she would've contacted me via phone first. "What's up? Did you figure out a plan with Mak?"

Evelyn shook her head and sighed as she walked past me. "May" she began, her voice low and scratchy, "how could you? I know you love Lewis but, how could you hurt me-your own cousin, like this?"

"What?" I questioned in confusion, genuine confusion. "Hurt you? What did I do?"

"May" Evelyn said in a stern manner, her eyes glossy and her mouth stiff. "I'm not playing with you."

I looked side to side with my mouth ajar. "Evelyn, I'm serious" I insisted. "I don't know what you're talking about. Can we stop with the riddles? Just be straight up and tell me whatever I did."

"My boyfriend is dead!" Evelyn raged as she stood up and threw her hands in the air. "Okay, maybe he had issues that weren't normal, and maybe he needed some reinforcement. But to have him killed, May, like it was nothing? That's sick. You're sick." Evelyn finally broke into tears as she shook her head. "I don't think I can ever forgive you."

"Evelyn" I began, shocked at what I just heard. "I didn't kill anyone! You think I'm capable of that? I've spent the last two days in and out of the hospital." Evelyn huffed, clearly not buying my story.

"You also didn't kill Cassidy. But you did. You know what I mean. You might've not been the one to pull the trigger, but you were the brains behind the crime." My jaw stiffened at Evelyn's insistence on me being guilty of ending Mak's life.

"Get out" I said calmly, looking away from my cousin and folding my arms. She looked at me. "What?"

"Get out!" I screeched. "You came up in here to argue, not have a conversation. Why on earth would I try to solve a murder situation with another murder? Why would I go after your man without running anything by you? Why would I ever even hurt you like that? You've known me since I was a newborn, Evelyn. You were practically my sister. And you think I would be capable of hurting you in that manner? Get the fuck out!"

Evelyn shook her head with a smile on her face. "Fine" she said as she scoffed. "Fine. But if I find out that you were involved, I swear on my dead boyfriends soul, you will suffer every day of your life, for the rest of your life. However long that may be."

"Lock the door on the way out" I mumbled as I still refused to look at my cousin. Surprisingly, she did as was asked. I watched her get into her car from the window, and as soon as she was down the road, I began sobbing. Sobbing for the relationship I just lost, sobbing for the pain that my cousin was enduring, and sobbing because I just didn't wanna be going through this right now. It wasn't fair.

Aubrey
__________

Brynn was still in the hospital, but she was set to be discharged today. Many of us sat in her room, creating small talk, in support of Jason.

"Be right back" Lewis said as his phone lit up, followed by a melody-indicating a phone call. "It's May, maybe she's coming back or something."

"She might as well" Nick said, "I mean, Sarah's here, for whomever knows why." Sarah scoffed.

"Do you ever get bored of randomly attacking me?" Sarah asked, "I'm not bothering you."

Lewis' call was relatively quick. Through the clear glass, we watched him pace back and forth. I couldn't tell if he was confused or angry.

"Guys" Lewis breathed out as he slowly made his way back into the room. "I have some news."

"Another baby to the group" Hailey figured, dramatically throwing her hands up in the air.

"No" Lewis replied, not even chuckling. That told me that whatever this was, it was serious. "Makaveli, the guy that busted a hole in Nova and Aubrey's window, he was murdered." Everybody gasped.

I expected Sarah to ask what we were talking about, or even look puzzled, but she didn't. Instead, she looked over at Brynn, which confused me. It was one of those minor things that nobody else seemed to notice however, so I didn't say anything about it.

"This whole thing is weird" Nick stated, and I watched as Rico and Lewis exchanged distinct looks. I sighed and shook my head. I think I'm reading into things around me far too much.

***

Lewis
__________

Rico decided to drive home with me, because Jason took Brynn home and Nick chose to go home with Aubrey and Nova. Zach took Hailey to his place.

"This might be far fetched" Rico began as I pulled up to the parking lot of my dorm room, "but do you think that Nick might have something to do with Makaveli's death?" I folded my lips in as I thought.

"I wanna say no" I admitted, "but with the way things are going, and seeing the surprises that have already come from Nick, I can't put it past him. We need to do something about his medication. Seriously." Rico looked into the distance.

"What can we do?" He asked. "Whatever Nick is on is clearly addictive. If we confiscate it, he might go through bad withdrawals. Bad enough to kill him." I rested my head in my hands, thinking.

"I mean, I could see a motive for him killing Makaveli, if he did" I voiced. "If our original assumption of Nick being the one to tell in the first place is true, then he most likely felt bad when his high wore off, and felt as though he had to redeem himself." Rico nodded.

"I don't think he killed Makaveli while sober" Rico stated, "no way. He would've thought about his friends, football, and his freedom. Because if he did do it, then that's probably on the line now."

I shook my head, "he was there for me when I was accused of rape" I confided in Rico, "so I will stop at nothing to make sure my friend doesn't end up in jail. Absolutely nothing." Rico smiled.

"You're a good person, Lewis" Rico told me. "Seriously."

"Thanks man" I replied, patting Rico's shoulder, "I try my best. You're a great brother."