^^^ The Ross' Vacation home at the top.

I'd really appreciate your comments on every chapter.

"How Did She Die?"
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"Who's up for McDonald's?" Mom asked suddenly, dragging our attention to her.

We were lazing around, today being a Saturday. It was a couple minutes past noon.

Gemma and the boys were playing card games and at the same time trying to concentrate on the television that Shawn and dad were staring at.

I paused in braiding mom's hair. "Junk? Really mom. What happened to eating healthy?-"

"We don't mind eating at McDonald's, Florence." Gemma butted in.

Grumbling under my breath, I secretly glanced at Shawn whose eyebrows were raised at me.

"Boys?"

All of them except Shawn accepted the offer. Dad too. I finished mom's braids and soon she was upstairs, changing into more befitting clothes.

Dad said he was comfortable with the black 1980 basketball T-Shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

Gemma was already in a light-green dress and her hair was in two cornrows. She braids her hair alone.except for few occasions when she asks for my help.

The boys were dressed as boys. Shorts and T-Shirts.

Dad seized his keys from the rug when mom descended the stairs and soon they all shuffled out of the house.

"Why didn't you go with them?" I asked my best friend.

He shrugged. "Why didn't you?"

I kept mum. Honestly, I didn't know why?

Shawn sighed. "You know, Haz. At some point, you need to talk to them."

I rolled my eyes, fiddling with the wide-toothed comb in my clutch."We haven't gotten to that point yet."

Shawn studied my face for an instant. "Hazel-"

"Give it up, Shawn."

He stood up and held out his hand. "Come on."

"Where."

"Are you  coming or not?"

"Fine." Wondering what all this was about, I accepted his hand  and he led me upstairs to the balcony, the one in close proximity to my bedroom window.

The air and the view here was simply breathtaking. Since the balcony was located on the highest floor of the building, a lot could be seen from here. The pool, chairs and trees stretching into the distance. The house was sited on a hill, so you could see the slope downwards.

The air flowed freely. I inhaled a rich gust of pure oxygen.

"Breathtaking right?"

I faced Shawn with a smile. "As always. It's been a long while since I came up here."

"I remember how you used to escape to sit here whenever your dad had some guests over."

Most of our vacations were majorly for family alone, but some times, dad invited some of his business associates over and during their long talks which were frequent in the evenings, I would run up here to catch some air and reminisce about random things.

"Yeah." I watched some birds glide above us.

"Victoria died."

I gaped at Shawn. "What!"

Maybe he was joking.

"Which Victoria?" I asked again to confirm my doubts.

Shawn's expression dulled. "Hatchet."

The only Victoria Hatchet I knew was the queen bee at JFK Memorial High School, my school. Leader of the savage queens, empty-headed girls who paraded around school like they owned it.

Victoria Hatchet's parents were quite wealthy, yeah, but most of her friends came from average homes and were eager to do her dirty jobs just to get some financial favours in return.

Just like the villian in any movie, she seemed untouchable, immortal.

"How did she die?"

"She was shot."

"What!"

Shock waves electrocuted my body. Shot?

"How did this happen?"

Shawn unlocked his phone and showed me a Whatsapp message from Travis Greenwood, a member of the boys' Lacrosse team.

Travis: Dude, Victoria was shot at this party we went to yesterday. It was a bloody scene, I'm still shaken up...like, what the fvck, Vicky is dead. (23:18pm)

"This is screwed up." I sank into a basket chair and handed Shawn his phone.

Victoria might not be my favourite person in the world, but her death was the last thing I wanted.

Who would have seen this coming?

"There was a shooter." Shawn dropped another bombshell.

"What could she possibly have done?"

"Victoria might have gotten herself involved in some twisted business."

💭💭💭

Shawn broke the news to the others when they returned. It was a nasty surprise to my friends. We all sat in the living room, diving into theories about Victoria's  death.

"Maybe she did drugs and couldn't pay for a new stash." Charlie suggested.

Gemma scoffed. "Yeah right. Charlie, Victoria might have been a major bitch but the last thing she would do is drugs."

Why was she even defending Victoria?

"How would you know?" Winston questioned.

"Yeah, how would you know?"  Charlie agreed, their gazes dropping on Gemma who adjusted in her seat.

"Look, before I started being friends with you guys, I hung out with Victoria-"

"-before they pulled racist jokes on you."

Gemma's eyes narrowed at Levi. "Yes. Now, Victoria would never do drugs, I know her like I know my phone."

Winston chucked. " I can't count how many times you forget your password."

Touche.

Gemma groaned, facepalming herself. She decided to not say anything else.

"Victoria's dead, let's face the fact and stop trying to play detectives." Levi plugged his ear with his earphones and sauntered out of the house.

Me and my friends exchange curious gazes. Why was he suddenly riled up?

"What's his problem?" Shawn asked.

"Maybe-" Charlie glanced around him and lowered his voice, "-he had a thing with Victoria."

Gemma distorted her face and lightly shoved Charlie. "Shut up."

"Something does not just feel right. I have a premonition that some serious shit is about to go down." Shawn spoke gravely.

Mom waltzed in with dad following closely. "Did you kids hear about the shooting on Thursday?" Dad sank into the sofa beside me.

"We were just talking about it." I responded.

Mom sighed. "There was a shooter. What could all this mean?"

"It means that the world we live in is a sick and extremely wicked place." Charlie replied.

While we pondered on the accuracy of his words, mom whispered into my left ear.

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you, baby. My room in five minutes." She headed back to the kitchen.

My heart flew in my chest as I imagined what she had to tell me. Did she find out about me and Shawn?

Oh, I'm so screwed.

Five minutes later, me and mom were in her and dad's room. My hands were lodged on my thighs and I sat up straight like there was a stick up my ass. I prepared my mind for the lecture I was about receiving. Until-

"I'm pregnant." Mom announced.

I choked on my saliva and fanned myself dramatically. My antics got mom rolling her eyes.

"You're what?"

Mom smirked. "In biology, it means your dad's sperm fertilized-"

My hands slapped over my ears. "Ew! TMI, mom."

She started laughing. "Well you asked for it."

I scrutinized her figure. "How many weeks."

"Six." She responded, fiddling with her fingers. Was she nervous?

"Are you nervous?"

Mom sat next to me on her white couch. "We didn't use protection but it's not like I'm complaining."

"Oh God." I groaned.

A rich sound of laughter left mom's throat. "Always use protection."

"Mom, stop. I'm glad I'm going to be an elder sister to-" I paused, making mom wonder why "-children are a chore, I'd get to change diapers and probably get peed on, then when they are five years, I'd chase them around the house and get blamed if anything breaks-"

Mom softly rubbed my shoulder. "You'll be a great sister to them."

I stared at mom. "Them?"

"We're having twins."

"Holy freaking apples. Mom, that's double work." I whined.

"It isn't you carrying the babies, am I right?"

"B -but." I spluttered.

"I told your brother yesterday."

Blake. When last did we talk?

"And?"

"He's glad but his reaction was epic. He asked why. we didn't use protection."

I chortled and mom joined in. "I'm excited for you mom."

"Thank you, baby." She hugged me very close. A wide grin occupied my face as I thought of the string of tricks me and Blake would teach our siblings.

After leaving mom's room, I entered a vacant bathroom and rang up my brother.

Vibrant and fast music echoed in the background as he picked up his phone.

"Baby face, what's up?"

"Are you at a party?" I asked.

"Leave me alone. I'm a full-grown man." He answered. There was the sound of the opening and closing of a door, then, all sounds faded away.

"Mom's pregnant."

Our discussion picked up from this point  and soon diverged into other matters like his latest 'catch' and the newest book he was working on.

After about twenty minutes, when I opened the bathroom door, Shawn was standing right before me smirking.

His hot gaze trailed from my face to my legs and up again. "Do you mind?"

Grinning, I pulled him by the collar inside the bathroom and shut the door behind us.

How was this chapter? What are your theories about Victoria's death?

Shawn and Hazel? What do you have to say?