I almost forgot to put a trigger warning. Sorry, guys. If attempted rape/ talk of it bothers you, please take that into consideration before reading! 

Saturday fast approached, and soon it was the morning of. Lennox sat in Starbucks early that morning. The week had seemed to pass in a blur. A blur of videos of her confrontation with Trey. A blur of anger, of avoiding Trey, Faith, Isla, and basically her whole high school. Well, if only that was possible.

All she had was Chad, then Levi when they went to Starbucks after school. Now, she felt excited for the date later that night. It was the only thing that she had been looking forward to the whole week. This night would be a sort of experiment for her and Chad. It would show her if they could become official or not. It would show her whether or not to lose all hope in humanity. Then again, she knew Chad. She knew they had come to like each other. She knew what she wanted.

Levi sat across from her. On his day off, he still offered to meet her for coffee. He still made her coffee. He had been sprinkling in extra chocolate and giving her extra whip cream that whole week. She appreciated it. Besides Chad, he was all she had left. He was the last true friend, but she knew in her heart she could trust him. At least, she hoped. He had always been there when she needed him, and she wouldn't take that for granted.

"So, do you know what you're going to wear tonight?"

Levi's question snapped her out of her thoughts. "I didn't know boys asked those types of questions."

He smiled. "Well, I do."

"Are you sure you're a boy, then?"

He whacked her arm. "Just tell me."

"Just something a bit more than casual. I mean, we don't need to impress each other, Levi. At least, I'm not going to pimp myself up for someone I already know," she huffed. She took a sip of her extra chocolatey drink, licking extra whipped cream off the straw.

"So, you really like him?"

Lennox could've sworn she saw something flash in his eyes.

"I mean, we're taking it slow. Like, I guess, but I haven't know him long enough to be obsessed. He's just nice, and he's been there for me through everything." A small part of her told her that Levi had been, too.

"Well, I'm happy for you. Well, as long as he treats you like you deserve to be treated."

She smiled. "Thanks. You've been an amazing friend. I'll never forget everything you've done for me."

Levi placed a hand over hers. Something seems to stir within her stomach, but she pushed it away.

"I'll always be here if you need me. Remember that, okay?"

She nodded. "And remember that I'm here for you, too. This thing is supposed to work both ways, remember?"

"Of course. It's not like I'm having someone take a sledgehammer to my car or anything."

"If that's your attempt at a joke, it sucks. I'm here to forget about them, remember?"

"Lennox, I'm-"

"Oh, relax. I'm kidding," Lennox said. "I know what you mean. It just doesn't seem so important now. My car is fixed now, and I only have one friend at school to worry about Isla hurting. It just all seems so trivial. I just need to stop and breath, you know?"

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a while. He sipped his hot tea, and she gulped down her chocolate-filled coffee. She felt comfortable in his company. Even with the noise of other coffee-lovers (or tea lovers, like Levi) filling the space, it felt like it was just the two of them. She could forget everything that drove her insane. She could forget to hate the world for a few moments. She could breath.

"I told Lia about you. Now she wants to meet you."

Lennox raised an eyebrow. "I would be a horrible influence, and you know this."

"No, really. She thinks you'd be like the older sister she always wished I was."

She chuckled at this. "Ouch. That had to hurt."

He placed a hand over his chest. "Yup. It felt like a stab to the heart." He pulled out his phone, swiped through it, and layed it in front of him. Smiling up at her was a girl with the same light brown hair as Levi, except hers went down to her waist.. She had wide, light brown eyes that seemed to glow. She had dimples that showed since she smiled with her teeth, a small gap between her front two. Her nose was small, unlike Levi's, and she had thin eyebrows. Levi stood next to her, an arm around her shoulders. They stood front of an aquarium tank full of sharks.

"Aw, she's adorable. She looks a lot like you."

Levi snorted, pulled back his phone and pocketing it. "She's not adorable. She's Satan."

Lennox burst out laughing, banging a fist against the table. "Oh my gosh. You didn't just call your sister Satan."

"Oh, but I did. But if anyone else calls her that, I'll fight them."

"Aw, you're a great big brother," she grinned. "I wish I wasn't the youngest sometimes."

"It's so fun being the oldest. I can boss her around," Levi smirked. "Oh, and I talked to my dad about what you said. You know, about him having flaws, too."

Her eyes widened. "How'd it go?"

He shrugged. "It's a start. After a long conversation, I finally convinced him to just talk to my mom and see how far she's come. He agreed, which surprised me."

Lennox felt a sense of accomplishment for helping that happen. "I'm really glad you got through to him."

"Thank you for your wise advice."

"Eh, I try."

They spent the rest of their time talking about pointless, random topics. For another hour, she wasn't the Lennox that everyone at school seemed to hate. She was the girl who was friends with a Starbucks barista. No, Levi. He was more than just a barista to her. She felt like someone. She felt like someone who didn't hate the world.

✌️

That evening, she chose a nice silk top and white jeans for her date. She sent Levi pictures, and he approved. She wished she could send pictures to Faith. She wished she could send Faith makeup inspiration and she'd tell her what to go with. Levi wasn't horrible, but he didn't know about being a girl. He responded to her makeup pictures with "how about the one with the blue lipstick?" even though she realized it clashed with her orange top. She had told him that only the eyeshadow would be considered for the look, and he was telling her to wear blue lipstick.

Gosh, when had she become such a girly girl?

She teased Levi on his lack of makeup knowledge, then decided to go with no makeup. She was beautiful the way she was, and she didn't need to impress Chad. This wasn't a first impression. Heck, he'd seen her at her worst.

She told Levi she'd be on her way, and she headed downstairs. Chad said he'd pick her up at seven. She told him she had her own car, but he wouldn't have it. He wanted her to have the full romantic experience, so she agreed to be picked up. In a way, she found it sweet.

As she sat on the last step, she heard someone walk down the stairs. Thinking it was Nora, she prepared herself to ignore the nuisance. However, she felt surprised when Maven sat next to her on the stair. Well, he didn't fit, so he actually fell onto the floor and she laughed.

"What do you want? More importantly, do my parents know you're upstairs?"

He waved a hand. "They love me. We're actually doing a project that's due next week."

She snickered. "I'm so glad I'm not a senior."

"You just wait."

She fixed her expression so it showed no emotion. "Seriously, what do you need?"

"You helped me. Isla tried to mess up the best thing I have in my life. I messed up and let her. You helped me, and I'm going to help you."

She raised an eyebrow. "My car is already fixed. Not everything in my life is her fault."

"Lennox, it might be hard to hear-"

Her phone rang. It was Chad. She answered.

"Hey, I'm here!"

"Okay, I'll be right out."

She hung up and shoved her phone in her pocket. "Listen, Maven. I did help you. I think you're good for my sister, believe it or not. However, I won't let you tell me what is and what isn't wrong with my life. Please just leave me alone. I have a date to get to."

"Lennox, you don't want to do that."

She stood and glared down at him. "You don't want to overstep your welcome in this house." WIth that, she exited the house and hopped into Chad's car.

"Wow, you look great."

"Thanks," she responded. Glancing at him, she noticed something seemed off. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She didn't press it. She just let him drive. They made pointless small talk, and soon they arrived at a nice looking restaurant. It wasn't overly fancy, but it wasn't fast food. It had nice tables outside under an awning, and it was painted white. A few other shops stood beside it, and the lights twinkling along the street gave it the perfect vibe for a date.

Chad grabbed her hand, and she allowed him to lead her into the restaurant. He recited the reservation to the host, and they were lead outside. Under the awning, the fairy lights looked even more breaktaking.

They were seated at a table for two closest to the building. They were handed menus, and Lennox immediately scanned hers.

"You have a good eye," Lennox told him. "For restaurants, I mean. It's pretty, and the food sounds delicious."

Chad grinned. "Only the best for you."

She blushed, then continued to study her menu.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

Lennox felt her heart stop at the sight of the waitress. Anger bubbled within her, but she pushed it away and smiled. The thing was, Brandi didn't seem surprised to see them. She seemed like the only one surprised about this interaction, actually.

"Yeah, I'll take a lemonade, and don't spit in it. Don't stab the glass either, just like you stabbed me in the back."

Brandi glared at her, but she bit her tongue and wrote down the order.

"I'll have a water, please."

Brandi nodded and walked away.

"Did you know she worked here?"

Chad shook his head. "No." Something in his eyes said otherwise.

Lennox ignored her suspicions. Chad had her best interests at heart. Right? She couldn't let herself fall any further than she had already.

Brandi returned with the drinks. Lennox eyed hers warily before taking it sip. It tasted like real lemonade, not the ones made from syrup.

Chad recited his order, and Lennox ordered the new york strip steak with mashed potatoes. Her mouth watered at the thought of the steak as she handed Brandi her menu. Yet, something didn't sit right in the pit of her stomach. Brandi was acting too nice.

"So, how's your day been?" Chad asked.

She shrugged. "It was fine until I saw that bitch."

Chad raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, Lennox."

She sighed, swirling the straw around her lemonade. Chad was the one person who had stuck by her side at school that week. Chad was the one person she could trust besides Levi. Chad was the guy she liked. Yet, why did something feel so wrong? Why was he acting so off?

Soon, their food came. They made pointless chitter chatter. The food turned out to be excellent, and Lennox loved every bite of it. She even ordered dessert, which was a warm chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream. She savored each bite, and it seemed to melt in her mouth. She also ate the whole thing herself since Chad was full.

Chad insisted he pay the bill. He even left Brandi a tip. It was common courtesy, Lennox guessed. They walked back to his truck, and a part of Lennox didn't want to go with him. Another part of her clinged to him, so she got in the truck. So, she let him drive her, and soon a house came into view. No, it was more like a mansion.

She stared at the three story house. They had to pass through a gate just to get into the neighborhood. The lawn was perfectly kept. Their were no cars in the driveway, but it looked like the driveway could hold five cars at once.

"This explains the new truck."

Chad just chuckled, pulling into the driveway.

They got out, and she followed him to the door. He unlocked it and they went inside.

"Why are we at your house? I mean, I don't mean it in a mean way. Do you want to watch a movie? Or?"

Her stomach grumbled, but she ignored it.

Something in Chad's eyes shifted. He pressed her against the door and kissed her neck. She tensed.

"Um, look, I'm not that kind of girl."

"Sure you are. Or are you a prude? Why are you so hard to get, Lennox?"

The next few things happened in slow motion. First, her foot flew up right between his legs, just like her brother taught her. Next, she hit him with a right hook to the face. She backed away from him, and the last person she expected to see walked out of the adjoining room.

"So, you had your sister at the restaurant, and now you bother to show up?" She hissed. She laughed a bit hysterically. "My car wasn't enough."

Maven's warning played through her head, and she finally understood. "No. You couldn't let me be happy. You had to push away two people I cared about. You had to hire this asshole to do it."

Chad was on his feet. She backed away. Anger surged through her. She also didn't feel good. What the hell had Brandi put in her food? She let out a scream, and she didn't care who heard. She was an idiot. She let Faith be pushed away from her. What had Chad told her? Was that why Trey was so angry?

"Come on, Lennox. Just admit that no one gives a fuck about you."

She gritted her teeth. "I'm so glad my mom went to the police about my car, you cold-hearted bitch."

Isla rolled her eyes. "Oh, honey, people like me don't have repercussions." She gestured to Chad. "Come on. This is what you wanted in payment for ruining her friendships, was it not?"

She stared at Chad. It was all too much. "I cried on your shoulder when you were the cause of my tears. Fuck you." She clenched her hands into fists. The room spun. Her stomach ached. She wanted to throw up, and there were multiple reasons behind it.

Chad bit his lip.

"Come on, Chad."

"Come near me and I swear I'll kick more than your balls,"Lennox hissed. She glanced around. They were in a foyer of some kind. There was a staircase in the middle of the room. Chad blocked the only door in sight.

Isla pulled out her phone and a knife.

"You sick, twisted bitch."

Lennox felt fire ignite in her veins. She felt anger coat her as an armor. When she walked, she staggered. Her vision swam, but she wouldn't be defeated. She did the only thing she could think of: she ran. She hated running from her problems, but most of her problems didn't outnumber her. Most of her problems didn't chase her with a knife.

She didn't go up the stairs. That would be stupid. Everything swayed, and she had to fight with her pounding head. She found a kitchen. She grabbed a knife. She was cornered between Chad and Isla.

She was so tired of everything. "Go to hell, bitch." She hurled the knife. It found Isla's stomach.

She heard the door open. She heard footsteps. She saw Chad rushing for her. She reached for another knife, but she didn't get the chance. Someone else tackled Chad. Maven?

She fell back against the sink. Gosh, everything hurt.

Someone gathered her in their arms. They smelled like coffee. She snuggled closer to Levi and she let the tears fall.

"It's okay, Lennox."

"I-I didn't think she was this insane. Gosh."

She turned away from Levi and threw up in the sink. He held her hair. She shook, her hands clutching the counter. She looked down and noticed they were white.

"Holy shit, call an ambulance!"

She thought it was for Isla. She thought she had gotten off easy. Then, she looked down, and she saw blood.

___

Well, that happened. I think I'm a little insane. Anyways, thoughts? Who do you want to murder? I'm betting on Chad. Or Isla. Or just both.

-Sarah