☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

°•. ┊ Delicate┊.•°
✧ ˚ ━ that meteor strike, act one

CHAPTER EIGHT — tape 4, side b

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Now

    I'm in the gym with Alex, Jessica, Zach, Courtney, and Justin. "He's out of his fucking mind." Justin states, angrily. I shouldn't even be here. I want no part of whatever the hell these assholes are planning to do. My head sits in my hands, as I block their voices out.

    "We played by Hannah's rules. Okay, it's not fair if the tapes get out there because Clay went postal." Courtney complains. I lift my head to give her a 'really?' look. Hannah's dead, so following her rules is a little ridiculous. I mean, they're all so concerned with protecting their stupid secrets that they'll take orders from a dead girl. It's pathetic.

    "He's not gonna go public." Zach argues.

    "It feels like he might." Jess worries.

    "He's just sad, okay? Let him be." Alex states, his face turning into a grimace and his hand landing on his torso. I look at him with confusion on my face, which gets answered by Jessica.

    "Are you getting your stomach things again, Alex?" She questions, her voice laced with concern. "Come sit down a minute." She offers, sliding away from my side to make room for him, despite there being a lot of space on her left.

    "What stomach things?" Justin and I ask simultaneously.

    "He loved her, and she died. Okay? He's going crazy. Just give him a second." Alex defended.

    "He's not sad, okay? He's getting revenge." Courtney insisted. I cannot stand her.

    "Okay, it's not like we don't deserve it." He attests.

    "Yeah, that's for sure." I mumble under my breath.

    "Why are you even here?" Courtney asks, causing me to look at her. "You're not on the tapes and they're not going to ruin your life if they get out. I mean, isn't your job to make sure that everyone gets the tapes and if they don't, you release them? You're not on our side." While she was saying that, Alex had groaned in pain and Jess insisted once more for him to sit down. Finally, Alex took Jess' advice and sat on the bench below the four of us.

    "Fuck you, Courtney. You're right, I'm not on your side. I'm on Hannah's. If I want to release the tapes, I could at any point. So, you think that you'd try being a little nicer to me, seeing as I hold the key to your closet of secrets." I huff. "Pun fully intended." She has no response and neither does anyone else. The doors swing open and Marcus enters.

    "Dude, you're late." Justin snaps.

    "I talked to Tony. He says he'll take care of it." Marcus informs everyone, while giving me a weird look.

    "What does that even mean exactly?" Courtney questions.

    "Tony's a dick." Justin murmurs.

    "He's not a dick." Zach and I protest.

    "He's a dick, he's a prick, and he's a cock." Justin states loudly, looking between the two of us. I scoff with a laugh and roll my eyes.

    "Okay, those are the same things." Zach argues.

    "No, they're nuances of meaning." Justin says, glancing at me as though he's looking for approval. I nod, telling him that what he said was right.

    "Right, yeah." Zach replies dismissively.

    "Look, Tony's not gonna do shit. We have to take care of this. End that little bastard once and for all." I look at Justin like he has three heads and Jess reads my mind.

    "That's insane." She states.

    "I don't know." Justin starts. "What if we make it look like a suicide." My eyes close and my hand pinches the bridge of my nose, as I question my life choices. Because what the actual fuck. "How tragic is that? I mean, two star-crossed lovers or some shit like that."

    "Grow up, Justin." Zach says.

    "Are you really telling me to grow up, little mama's boy?" Justin berates.

    "Yeah, I am." Zach fires back. Alex groans in pain, once more.

    "Dude, go see a fucking doctor." Justin snaps.

    "I've seen dozens of doctors, dude." Alex tells him.

    "Will you just shut up, Justin. For fucks sake. You're not killing anyone. And if you did, I wouldn't hesitate to throw you all under the bus. None of you are killers, not directly. And none of you are smart enough to get away with it either, so just drop it." I spoke.

    "One thing. If one thing had gone differently somewhere along the line; maybe none of this would've happened." Zach adds, softly.

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Career Day

    Ah, the future of America hangs in the balance of some of the teenagers in this room, that's terrifying. I walk around aimlessly, just admiring the different paths I could take, not really interested in any of them. I'm thinking about college and after that I have no plans. I'm hoping to figure it out later. I just don't feel like I'll ever truly know who I am, let alone what I want to do, while stuck in this town. It's gonna take some living and traveling for that to happen. UC Berkeley is the goal for college, but I have looked into East Coast and even international options. I'll apply to as many as I can, in as many places as possible, but Berkeley was always my first choice. As I'm passing by some tables, I notice Ryan and Tony bickering over the fact that Tony isn't interested in college. "You know, he's never gonna budge, Ryan." I laugh and he tells me that he won't give up, until he at least agrees to consider it. I raise my hands in surrender. "Well, good luck. Both of you." I smile and turn. "Alright, Dempsey what are you thinking of? College ball, right?" I inquire.

    "Yeah, I mean look at the racks on these cheerleaders." He offers, turning the brochure towards me.

    "They're nice, I won't deny that, but you shouldn't base the next four years and a lot of money on the racks of the cheerleaders in the pamphlet. Because in all honesty, those photos are probably years old and of girls that are way out of your league." I state with a pat on his shoulder and a smile. He places his hand over his heart pretending as though he's been shot. "No, don't die on me Zach. No- Actually, I'll get over it. See you in hell." I tease and he punches me softly in the arm. I bid him ado and went towards Justin. "Hey, so finally thinking about college huh?" He just shakes his head, whilst still staring at his phone. I lean over slightly and see him on the UC Berkeley admissions page. My arms wrap around his waist and I lean my head on his bicep, until he lifts his arm, pulling me to his chest. Do I think Justin can get into Berkeley? No, not unless he spends the next two years working his ass off but it's sweet to see him actually considering a real future outside of this place and outside of his home life.

    "I know, I couldn't get in. I just wanted to see where you were going to be for the years after graduation. And I wanted to check the distance between Berkeley and here, so I knew how far the drive was, since I'll be visiting you every weekend." He explains with a dopey smile on his face. I look up at him and smile, leaning up to capture his lips in mine.

    "You can do anything you set your mind to, J. I know it. But you should go to college or at least look into it for real. You deserve a life away from this town and away from your mom. You deserve to be happy." I proclaim.

    "I am happy. I have you." He confesses, holding deep eye contact.

    "That was so... gross." I started and he pulled away slightly. "And I really loved it." I laugh. He pinches my side, causing me to jump.

    "You think you're so funny." Justin teases and I smile while nodding my head.

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Now

    The group disperses and I see a text from Sage informing me that she and Kenzie left and went to Monet's. I go see each of my teachers, claiming that I'm sick and that I'm being sent home, but I want to get my work. After getting my assignments, I make my way back to the side entrance of the school, where Clay's freakout occurred, and I head out the doors. I see Justin and Zach standing by my car. "What do you want, dickheads?" I ask.

    "You're right. I took it too far, but what else are we supposed to do, Evangeline? Just let Clay freak out and take us all down?" Justin questions. He's such a drama queen.

    "I don't think it would be as bad as you're all making it seem. Legally, none of you did anything wrong. The Bakers aren't going to prosecute teenagers, they want the school. The worst that would happen is that people find out you're all assholes, which isn't exactly a secret. And you'd have to give a deposition in front of both teams of lawyers. Unless Jessica decides to press charges against Bryce, there's nothing anyone can do to any of you. The school was neglectful in so many things that occurred, like the photo of Hannah, or the photo Tyler sent around, or the note in Mrs. Bradley's class, or even Mr. Porter completely failing Hannah when it came to the sexual assault situation. The school fucked up so much and if the Bakers lawyers had the tapes, they could prove it; to an extent. Covering it up won't help anyone. And it seems exhausting to keep fighting Clay, so why don't you guys just stop. We know once Clay listens to Bryce's tape, he won't pass them on. And he would be stupid, if he did." I explain, unlocking my doors, shoving my bag in the back and sitting in the driver's seat.

    "So, where are you going and can we join?" Zach asks, with a hopeful smile on his face. I sigh and tell them to get in. On the drive to Monet's, Zach connects his phone to the bluetooth in my car and begins to blast 'Party in the USA' by Miley Cyrus. Justin and I start laughing while Zach sings along, obnoxiously loud and makes weird dance moves. Soon enough, we're all singing along and pulling up to Monet's. We enter the building after the song ends and I spot Kenzie and Sage at our usual table. Justin offers to get my drink and as I'm about to give him my order, he cuts me off and relays it himself. "You know her coffee order? God, you're whipped." Zach jokes. Justin was about to say something, but I just smack Zach upside the back of his head, causing Zach to glare at me and Justin to laugh. I head over to the table and get bombarded with questions.

    "What's going on with Clay?" Kenzie asks.

    "And where did you run off to after the outburst?" Sage questions.

    "Okay, uh, hello to you too. Clay is losing it a little, but he'll be fine. I hope." I answer Kenz first. "And as for where I went, I had to talk to Alex about some homework, before I could leave."

    "Well, that's a load of crap seeing as the only class you and Alex have together is study hall." Sage counterstates. I go to talk my way out of this, when dumb and dumber approach. They pull over two more chairs and sit; Justin hands me my beverage and I thank him. "Can you guys just tell us what the hell is going on? You've all been acting very strange and you've been hanging around people you don't normally spend time with." She continues.

    "Yeah, and when did this start again?" Kenzie adds pointing at Justin and I.

    "Look, anything you guys need to know, you will, but other than that I am not obligated to tell you anything." I respond. "And Justin and I started officially this morning, but since Halloween things have been different. We knew we never got over one another, but I wasn't willing to put Jess in the same position that I was last summer. But she dumped his ass a few days ago, so here we are. And yes, she knows and she basically encouraged this." I explain the situation briefly.

    "Wait, did Jess dump you because she wanted this relationship to start back up?" Kenzie asks, looking at Justin with an amused smile on her face. He nods in response, unable to verbally reply because he was taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "See, I told you they were meant to be together." She directs her comment at Sage. The rest of us just laugh. Thankfully, the conversation didn't return to the subject of Clay or what I've been hiding from the people closest to me. We spend about an hour in Monet's drinking an unnecessary amount of coffee and cocoa and discussing basketball and cheer. Eventually, we went our separate ways, me driving Zach back to school, so he could get his car.

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Poetry

    "You should join. I think you would love it." Hannah says, as I shut my locker.

    "Han, I am not going to join some library group. I would not love it. Poetry is about being vulnerable and I cannot get up in front of a group of people and pour my soul out to them. Absolutely not." I tell her. "I am very glad that you enjoy it and have found some passion in life, but I will not be embarking on this adventure with you. You're stuck with Ryan Shaver as your 'poet in crime'." I laugh, turning down a side hall and saluting to her.

    "Fine, be boring!" She shouts from behind me. I could never read any poems I have written in front of people. Turning them in for an English assignment or even later in life to an editor for my first book is one thing, but having to read them is not for me. At least not right now. Who knows maybe that will be what I choose to pursue in life and I'll look back on this moment and think; 'If only I knew then...'

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Now

    Justin and I go back to my house, smoke a joint, and just watch tv while eating our way through my pantry. We're beyond geeked, when Abbie comes home from school, she just shakes her head and goes to do her homework. About two hours later, it's dark and Dempsey is entering my house with boxes of pizza. "Pizza!" I yell and leap over the back of the couch, nearly busting my ass. I remove the boxes from his grasp and take them to the coffee table. I grab a piece of pepperoni and it's like the best thing I've ever tasted. "Hold on, you and Abbie? That's back on too?" I question. He avoids eye contact, while turning towards the kitchen, mentioning something about getting some plates and sodas. Justin and I share a look before falling into a fit of laughter. Within seconds, Abbie is joining us on the couch and Zach reenters the living room with plates, napkins, and sodas. It's a rarity as of late, for a night of normalcy with friends. It's very refreshing.

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Hannah's Poem

    This week's school magazine is released and for once everyone is reading it. I enter my English class and take my seat behind Jessica. She's going on and on to Courtney, Marcus, and anyone else that will listen, how Hannah wrote the poem. She recognizes her handwriting. I have yet to read it, mainly because I never pay attention to the magazine. Once class has started, our teacher is at the front of the room and discussing how due to us studying sonnets; she's going to read the poem in front of the entire class. As she reads, I listen intently. It's a beautiful poem and very revealing. Yet from the look on Hannah's face, she was not okay with it being read, let alone published. So, Ryan using something like that in the magazine is really fucked up. One, Hannah didn't consent to it and two, he stole her work. Ryan is such an ass. I don't get why people are berating her for it. So, she admitted to wearing lacy black underwear, is that a crime? No. They're childish, immature, teenagers, who rarely appreciate good literature.

[word count: 2771]

lexi's letters; okay, only five chapters to go before season one is complete. chapter nine is going to be extremely revealing when it comes to our main protagonist. plus, the drama that follows the last few episodes is a lot. so, this was a nice, short breather. I didn't have much to write for evangeline.