Title: All Fall Down
Author: Nizoyo
Pairing/Characters: mainly Jade and Cat, minor Tori, Beck, Andre, and Robbie.
Rating: T
Summary: This isn't a love story. It's the judge, jury, and executioner. It's life. And, it's death. / Or there's a murder at Hollywood Arts. Who's to blame?
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Word Count: ~6600
A/N: So, I was trying to write one thing a month. Didn't really work out. I also may or may not have had this mostly finished for several weeks and just procrastinated. Ooops. Let's just pretend it's couple of days ago.
This started as a story inspired by the last page of Lord of the Flies, but spiraled out of control. It's still got elements of that, but also a lot of others, including lots of allusions to Shakespeare.
I've got a couple of short oneshots that I ignored for awhile, so hopefully those will be up soon.
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Perhaps you've heard the tragic saga of Romeo and Juliet; an epic love for the ages rushed far too much and hailed far too often. Or maybe you've heard of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, another love spoilt by death and lies. It would seem that humans have a gruesome fascination with love lost, with ruin, with tragedy. The story is told over and over, changed minutely till it's just barely recognizable. Man meets woman, falls in love. Mistakes made end in the death of one, and the other kills themselves in despair.
But this story is not that story. It's a tale of loss and of tragedy, to be sure, but also about life. It's the story of true friendships and false ones. Of posers, and pretenders, and of the obvious choice. And, most of all, it's about flaws. Because we are never perfect, no, not even close, no matter how hard we try. And that, dear readers, is the greatest problem with living.
~…~
To be fair, no one really expected it to happen. I mean, they did, but not really. It was a joke, never supposed to turn into reality. A murder at Hollywood Arts? Unthinkable. But yet it happened. And the circumstances surrounding the death? Well, they were just about as predictable as the students of Hollywood Arts thought.
~…~
March 2nd, 11:52 am
Helen was not new. Far from it. She was a junior, and she had gone to school at Hollywood Arts since she was a freshman. She wasn't particularly talented, but her daddy was rich.
She wasn't exceptionally pretty either. Long red-blonde hair that she never failed to point out as her natural color cascaded down her back, and light brown freckles adorned her pale skin, marking her a true ginger. Aside from those attributes, nothing else stuck out.
But, being a natural ginger, she had no soul. So it came as no surprise when she flirted with one half of the school's power couple, even when she was taken herself.
In fact, she did it frequently. You see, it took Jade several minutes to make it from her 4th period class to lunch. It took exactly 6 minutes and 43 seconds, provided no one was in her way.
Yes. Helen had counted.
She timed out her displays of affection perfectly. She would find Beck quickly, sit at their table and immediately start to flirt. It made everyone else uncomfortable, but Beck would just sigh. "We're just friends!" he'd insist.
Everyone else saw the truth. But, no one had the guts to tell Jade, who would probably shoot the messenger and then her boyfriend, and nobody wanted that.
It just so happened that today was an unfortunate day. Jade's class let out early, and she made it to lunch to see Helen laughing, running a hand through Beck's soft hair.
Furious, she stormed to the table. Beck, who quickly saw her and the awfully compromising position he was in, laughed awkwardly. Helen's back, however, was turned, and she was incredibly dense, so she saw no warning signs.
"That's – that's a great story, Helen," he stuttered as he attempted to remove the offending hand from his shaggy mane. It, instead, found a resting place on his arm.
"I'm full of great stories, Beck!" She laughed an obnoxious laugh and leaned in towards him. Her eyes wide and serious, and she quietly continued in a conspiratorial whisper, "I should tell you them sometime. Maybe over dinner?"
Jade was literally shaking. Her nails were digging into the palms of her hands, drawing little specs of blood. Beck's fearful gaze connected with hers over the top of Helen's head. "Yeah, Helen? I don't think that's such a good idea." His attempt to fix the situation failed.
"Yeah, Helen. I don't think that's such a good idea," Jade spat, echoing the previous statement with vehement fury. The students in the asphalt café were, by now, starving, but they couldn't take their eyes off the scene before them for long enough to find their forks.
Helen shot out of her seat. "Jade! Um – Jade!" she fumbled.
"Congratulations. You remember my name," Jade stated dryly.
"Jade!" Helen said, one last time. She looked like a deer in headlights. And Jade was definitely not the type to swerve her car to protect 'wildlife.' "I should go."
"Good idea. Beck. Can I speak with you? Privately?"
"Why don't we do it here, babe? Where there are, you know, witnesses?"
"Fine then, Casanova. What the hell was that?"
"What do you mean by 'that'? There's nothing going on! She's just a friend!" Beck insisted.
"That's not what she thought." Jade gestured in the general direction Helen had disappeared in.
"Jesus Jade! You have to stop with this freaking jealous-insecure thing!" Beck was furious now. "No matter how many times I tell you I love you, you never listen. Helen and I are not doing anything!"
"You were clearly flirting!"
Beck, so sure in his righteousness, turned to his friends for help. "Was I flirting?" he asked.
The others looked around for escape, but it proved to be fruitless. After a series of ums, ahs, and uhs and mumbled words that mashed into one, they reluctantly answered.
"Well, she was kind of close," Tori, the ever-so-helpful one answered. Andre and Robbie nodded ashamedly, heads practically hanging into their meals.
Cat bit her lip. "And, you've never really stopped her…" she trailed off when she saw the glare Jade was giving her.
"Never? So this has been going on for awhile, then?" The group nodded, again hesitant.
"This is ridiculous. We're just friends Jade, nothing more. Find me when you want to have a mature discussion about this!" Beck yelled, a little more than hurt his friends weren't sticking up for him. He stalked off, Jade storming in the opposite direction.
Tori and Cat quickly ran after Jade, pulling her into the janitors closet to protect other students from feeling her murderous wrath.
"Who the hell does she think she is, that skank? I oughtta – "
Tori didn't let her finish that sentence. "She's taken too," she unceremoniously announced. She didn't really mean to say it, but it was the first thing that popped into her mind.
"How do you know that?" Cat asked, innocently.
"Her boyfriend, Kyle, his dad is the chief of police, and my dad is – "
"We know, we know! You're dad's a cop, not like you ever let us forget it," Jade grumbled. "I think I'm just gonna go home," she sighed.
"I'll go with you!" Cat declared, her voice full of glee. Tori rolled her eyes at Cat's naivety, glad it wasn't her. She was not in the mood to get ripped apart today.
Cat trailed behind Jade as the black haired girl walked to her car. Jade eased into the driver's side, but Cat wavered at the door, uncertain if Jade would let her in. A smile broke out on her face when the other girl smirked and asked, "Coming?"
~…~
March 2nd, 4:28 pm
[From: Cat]
[To: Jade]
[Jadey! Left Mr. Long-Neck at ur house. Can I come get it now?]
.
[From: Jade]
[To: Cat]
[Can't. Pulling an all-nighter school. I'll bring it tomorrow.]
~…~
Cat sighed as she collapsed back onto her bed. How was she supposed to sleep tonight? And Jade never pulled all-nighters. "Beck really screwed up this time, didn't he?" she asked the air.
~…~
March 3rd, 5:34am
The nameless student parked in the lot. He was early. Way too early. He was tired, sore, and bitter, but he still had that damn music assignment to record and now was the only time he was available.
Groggily, he tried to wipe out the blurriness in his eyes. There was but one other car in the lot, parked in the farthest corner from the school. Sympathetically, he groaned.
It wasn't unusual for students to have to arrive at or leave school when no one else was there, so five years ago, they had installed a keycard system.
With just one swipe of your ID, the doors buzzed open and you could get through. And that's just what the tired teenager did.
The lights in the main hall were off, but the large windows let in the sun that was rising in the semi-light sky outside. It was just enough to see by, giving the room a light blue hue.
The boy took a minute for his eyesight to adjust to the dim light. Once they did, he screamed a silent scream of horror.
In front of him lay a very dead, very ginger body, and another person in a grey hoodie hovered over the corpse. A pool of red blood had settled around the dead girl's torso and her light brown eyes were glossy as they stared at the ceiling. Her mouth hung open, her head lolling to the side, one arm lying across her unmoving chest.
The door slammed shut behind the new arrival, and the mysterious figure quickly jumped up and ran off. The boy just stood stock still for a moment before running off after the retreating silhouette.
"Hey! Hey!" he yelled, breathless from running up the stairs. "Come back here!" The figure didn't stop running, instead turning around a corner and disappearing from sight.
Looking around, the teenager tried in vain to once again find the murderer. The halls were silent and the echoes of his footsteps reverberated off the walls. "If they could talk," he thought, "they'd tell me to run."
He decided to be brave for once in his life, and continued on with only a slight hesitation in his step. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing the number drilled into children from a young age.
"9-11, what's your emergency?" a friendly female voice asked.
Sniffing slightly, he hurriedly whispered, "Look, I don't know what's going on, but there's a murderer here somewhere and – "
"Sir? Can you tell me where you are?"
"Hollywood Arts High School, listen can you just…Oh shit! I think I see them!" He ducked into a random classroom, his courage gone.
"Okay, sir. I'm sending help right now. Can you please tell me your name?" She had a soothing voice that almost made him calm. But a crash sounded somewhere nearby.
He didn't reply, peeking out from behind the window shade into the hallway. A shadow had just appeared from out of a room across the way. Their back was turned, and the terrified teen couldn't see their face. "I see them! It's, it's…"
Slowly, the figure turned around, revealing their identity.
"It's Jade," he breathed out, his insides clenched in horror. He had heard rumors. Who hadn't? But he thought they were just that. Rumors.
It was all falling into place now. The dead girl, he could place her now. It was that girl from yesterday. Helen. She was dead.
The realization struck him like a fifteen wheeler. He reached over for the nearby waste bin and retched into it.
Helen was dead. Jade killed her. And now she was probably going to kill him. All because of Beck.
The squad cars arrived five minutes later. Jade had just gone back into the room she was in before after doing something. The hidden teenager relayed her every move to the 9-11 operator.
Cops flooded the scene, surrounding the one exit to the room. They started yelling at her to come out with her hands raised. The door opened a few minutes later, apparently much to quickly for the officers liking because they started to scream at her again.
"Slowly! Put your hands on your head! That's it. Are you armed?" Jade looked oddly terrified, but the boy couldn't help but feel smug. The ice queen had been taken down. He had done it, and solved a murder at the same time. He was a hero.
Right?
~…~
March 3rd, 9:28am
Officer Jaclyn Maloney sat across the table from Jade, a thick manila folder set haphazardly atop the table between them. She said nothing, casually sipping scalding coffee out of a Styrofoam cup as she studied the suspect. Jade's gaze flitted around the room, occasionally gracing her partner, Donald Brach. Aside from that, she seemed normal. Jaclyn might even go so far as to say that she seemed cool and calm.
The female officer sighed as she set down her drink. She'd seen many who had killed, but the girl was too young. She was just that: a girl, and she shouldn't have killed anyone.
Her file was thick though: several complaints from neighbors about noise, parking tickets, parents threatening to sue her over threats. That bit was the most worrying for her. She had a temper, that was for sure.
But could she kill?
Jade studied the officers with the same intensity they had. Finally, after a tense silence, the girl spoke. "You haven't told me what I've done yet."
"Do you really need to be told?"
"Yeah, actually I do."
Donald flew from the corner in an instant. "You little shit!" he seethed, but the girl was unfazed. She just smirked, cocking an eyebrow and waiting for him to continue. He smacked the table with the full force of his 205-pound body, rattling it and nearly knocking all the papers to the floor.
"You killed Helen Taylor. She flirted with your boyfriend. You got mad, and you killed her."
Jade's smirk fell, surprise written across her features, and Jaclyn couldn't help but wonder if they had it wrong. "I think I want my lawyer now."
Behind the glass, Jonathan Daily, the Chief of Police looked on with a hardened gaze. His son stood next to him with red-rimmed eyes and disheveled brown hair. Jonathan reached out with one arm and squeezed Kyle's shoulder. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."
~…~
March 3rd, 12:14pm
[From: Beck]
[To: Jade]
[Hey! School's canceled! Come over?]
.
Beck waited a few minutes, but nothing. No beeps, no ring tones, just silence. He frowned at his phone. Normally, Jade would reply almost instantaneously. He was about to call her when he realized that she was probably just ignoring him. Two could play at that game.
Sighing and running a hand through his disheveled locks, he sat down to watch some cartoons when he heard someone banging at his door. Thinking it was Jade, he leapt to his feet, ready to apologize. Yesterday, he had bought a new pair of scissors and everything.
He flung the door open to find Tori.
"Oh." The disappointment was clear in his voice.
"Beck! We need to talk!" She looked frantic, glossing over his less-than-enthusiastic greeting in favor of pushing past him.
"What's up?"
She looked at the carpet, poking it with her toe. "It's Jade. I don't know how to say this, but – " Beck finally caught her eyes. Spending so much time with Jade had given him the skills to read the emotions hidden in them. He saw worry, but Tori also looked somewhat afraid. And that was what worried him most. But, still, he wasn't expecting what came next. "She killed somebody."
He collapsed onto his bed, his mind whirling with the revelation.
He knew she could do it. He knew it.
~…~
March 3rd 4:57pm
By this time, it was all over The Slap. Jade had finally snapped and killed somebody. People were reeling, and the comment weren't exactly in her favor.
Most were condemning her, hoping she would rot in hell or that she would get jailed for life. They were theater nerds; they lived for drama. And this was just what their lives needed. Some were even plotting to figure out how to use this to their advantage, dreaming of talk-show appearances and movie deals. But not one of the Hollywood Arts gang commented on the allegations. Their slap accounts were painfully still, though many slappers refreshed the page every fifteen seconds.
The group of misfits was gathered at Tori's house. More specifically, gathered around the island in her kitchen.
"Do you really think she did it?" Robbie whispered, his eyes wide with fear. He had spent time with Jade, and, apparently, she could have easily killed him. She already hated him.
Mournfully, Beck nodded. "I do. I think she did it. I don't want to, but look at the facts. Who else could have done this? She was the only one there! Why was she even there?"
"She was working on a song," Cat whispered, but her voice was hoarse and rough and no one heard her.
"It is suspicious," Tori commented. The others murmured in agreement. Anger flashed in Cat's insides, making her shake.
Robbie noticed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close. He pressed a kiss to her head. "Hey, it'll be alright. They got her. She won't hurt you," he murmured into the red hair.
That was it. Cat snapped. She writhed out of his grasp and slapped him across the face.
"What the hell is wrong with you people? Jade's our friend, and we don't even know all the facts yet, but you're just jumping to conclusions. I-"
"Cat, sweetie, I'm sorry, but it looks pretty straightforward. There's a means, a motive, and, most importantly, a witness," Beck whispered, but he didn't look too upset about it.
Cat looked at them, heartbroken. She trotted halfway through the living room, stopping between the curved couches. She pivoted and shot them a look that would put puppies to shame. "I thought you guys were better than that."
"Ca-at" Tori's voice broke, her own eyes thick with guilt. Cat shook her head; she looked like she was about to break down but stiffened up and trudged out the door. The atmosphere was a heavy quiet, as if all the laughter in the world had died, and they felt the weight of the words sinking down upon their shoulders. They shook them off like little bugs, but those words were ticks and had already buried beneath their skin.
~…~
March 9th, 7:57 am
The usually busy halls of Hollywood Arts were still for once. Everyone was watching the girl standing in the doorway. It was the first time Jade had been back to school since her arrest several days prior. She walked through the spacious entryway towards her locker and felt the students' glares digging into her back. The crowds shrunk away from her with every step, everyone wary of the "psycho-killer" in their midst.
Jade shrugged her bag higher on her shoulder and made her way through the eerily silent halls. She was regretting her decision, but she wouldn't back down now.
Suddenly, she felt a tugging on her arm, and another linked with hers. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw flashes of faux-red hair, and the smallest of smiles emerged on her face as the two girls matched steps with one another.
Reaching Sikowitz's class, Jade took a seat in the corner. She'd had enough glares to last a lifetime. Cat sat in the blue plastic chair next to her. Sikowitz entered the room through the window, stopping short of the stage when he saw Jade in the corner. Fear flashed across his face, and he started teaching as he tried his best to contain it.
"Alright then, class. We're going to be filming a movie this month. You'll all be working on it, though not all on the camera..." Jade stopped paying attention as he went into specifics. A dark scowl graced her lips as her mind wandered. Cat poked her midway through Sikowitz's speech. Raising an eyebrow, her scowl lessened slightly. And it turned into a smile when Cat asked her if she brought Mr. Long Neck. She shook her head and apologized, promising to bring it soon.
Later, at lunch, Cat told her that she should keep it. She said Jade needed it more than she did right now. The smile returned, only this time bigger. It like the smile that had made Andre fall in love with her, but it was filled with gratitude and no element of contentment was hidden anywhere.
~…~
March 10th, 12:01pm
Lunch. Jade could do lunch. Right?
Apparently not. Getting in line for the food truck, she noted the glares that bore into the back of her head, felt the whispers and the pointing fingers. But she said nothing, waiting patiently until she got to the front of the line.
Festus poked his head out of the window. "Ah, Jade." He too seemed hostile.
"Can I have a salad?" she asked.
"We're out of salads."
"O-okay? Can I have a burrito?"
"No burritos."
"What do you have?"
"Nothing!" he snapped. "We are out of food."
Jade tilted her head, squinting her eyes. They studied each other for a few minutes, but Jade just sighed, relenting.
As she walked away, she heard the girl behind her. "Can I have a salad?"
"Yes! We have salad!"
She shook her head, walking away. She wasn't really paying attention till she felt a hand on her shoulder, spinning her around. It was Beck. Standing behind him were Andre, Tori, and Robbie.
"Jade."
"Well, aren't you civil today?"
"Jade!"
"What?"
"I – We think it would be better if you didn't sit with us."
"Wasn't planning on it."
"Also, um…"
"What, Beck?"
"Look, it'll just be better for you – for everyone," he motioned around the Asphalt Café, "if you just… you know… turn yourself in."
Jade leaned in, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You're not the boss of me, and I'm not doing that." She started to walk away.
"Jade!" he shouted, but she kept walking. He hurried to catch up to her. "Seriously, Jade? Why the fuck won't you just stop pretending. Drop the innocent act, okay? We all know you did it!"
"Who says it's an act?" She started away, Beck stopping her again with a hand on her shoulder. "Never touch me!" She screamed.
"Just in case it wasn't clear, we're over."
Jade shook her head, and trudged away into the school. Library. Maybe she could do the library.
~…~
March 12th, 9:14 pm
They were getting nowhere with the interviews. All the evidence they had was circumstantial. Yes, she was there at the scene of the crime, but the witness hadn't seen Jade actually perform the act of murder. And, when she was picked up, she wasn't wearing the tell-tale grey hoodie, but a black t-shirt.
Jaclyn sighed. It had been a far too long day. She leaned against a wall outside the interrogation room, sipping from yet another Styrofoam cup. Donald joined her. "Hey," he nudged her with his elbow, "what's going' on in that crazy mind of your's?"
"I just - what if it wasn't her? What if we got it wrong?"
Donald's eyebrows furrowed, his demeanor changing ever-so-slightly. "We didn't get it wrong, Jaclyn. It's her. I mean, she writes plays about death, for god's sake! And the way she dresses, it's so dark. The girl's a killer at heart." Jaclyn knew this was one of his flaws. He was too proud, too stubborn, too thick headed to be ever a great cop.
"That doesn't mean anything! What about the hoodie?"
"She could have thrown it out a window!" came the close reply.
"And she seemed so surprised when we told her Helen was dead! I just don't think she did it."
A gruff voice from behind them startled them. "She's an actress. She knows how to lie." It was Chief Daily. He pushed past them and stared them both in they eye. "I want a conviction within a month. And keep the press out of it! I don't want to hear any more about 'LA Cops.'" He yelled the last bit. It was sound advice. The story had quickly become a popular one, gracing the front page of newspapers everywhere. It was vengeful and passionate and it was committed by a kid. The shock value was enormous.
But, it seemed there were no Jade supporters anywhere but in Cat.
~…~
March 14th, 2:41am
"Should we go back to the school? Look for the hoodie?" Jaclyn posed the question. They were nowhere. They needed more evidence. Because, right now, they had nothing.
Chief Daily glared at her. "You two are not going back to the school. Not so that the kids can take videos and laugh at the stupid cops who couldn't get what they needed the first time. Keep looking," he grumbled.
The two cops nodded, wide eyed.
~…~
March 17th, 10:48pm
Jade sat hunched in the corner of her room. She could hear protesters outside, demanding her immediate arrest and prosecution. She buried her head in her knees, trying to block out the sound and continue working on her newest manuscript. She had started to write more and more recently, spending her time in the school library rather than where prying eyes could find her.
Her so-called friends had quickly abandoned her and were still trying to convince Cat to leave her. And it hurt. More than she cared to admit it. Because Tori was the one always insisting that they were friends, but when it came down to it, she left. Everyone had, even Beck, who had promised he would never leave her again. Now it was all cold shoulders and impassive faces.
Jade sighed in defeat as the lead of her pencil broke yet again. She rummaged around for another one, and noticed a stuffed giraffe lying under her bed amongst the piles of dust. Her arm strained as she reached for it, managing, somehow, to grab it with the tips of her fingers. She pulled her arm back and hugged the giraffe tight. A strangled wail made its way out of her lips, and her shoulders began to shake silently.
Right then and there, she made a vow to herself. Squeezing the plush toy one last time, she got up and pulled her laptop out of her bag.
If the police weren't going to do this right, well, someone had to.
~…~
March 19th 12:24pm
Jade sighed, as she bent down to pick up the books that had been knocked out of her hands yet again. Straightening, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye; a locker. A locker with a camera.
~…~
March 24th, 3:48 am
Jade's face was illuminated only by the glow of her computer screen. It hurt to keep her weary eyes open, but she was so close. She had sorted through hours of documents, videos, and records, all stored on a black little thumb drive plugged into the side of her laptop. It had taken days to gather, and almost as long to sort through, but she was certain the proof was there somewhere. It had to be, to justify her less than legal means of attainment.
Her hand mechanically moved the cursor to the last file. Hovering over the yellow folder icon entitled "Locker 147-5.9," she faced an internal debate.
Finally, she let out a shaky breath as she made her decision.
~…~
March 29th, 8:05 am
Sikowitz's class was in the final stages of filming. They had moved class to the roof where a small set had been constructed for an outdoor action scene. Lights, sound boards, and cameras were strategically placed, and props and various bits of costumes were haphazardly strewn on the floor. Students swarmed around the set, fixing what needed to be fixed, rehearsing lines, and taping out blocking on the ground.
Standing several feet away from the commotion were the stars of the film, Tori and Beck, of course. They were trying to run through their lines, but were ultimately failing and dissolving into fits of laughter.
Cat stood on the opposite side, her face more serious than ever. Her normally bubbly personality had been swept into the closet, waiting to come back at a time when it was appropriate. Her stoic face portrayed no emotion, odd for the girl who normally wore her heart on her sleeve. While friends normally would have surrounded her, she now stood alone, a social outcast.
She could feel the gazes of other students raking across her body, glaring in disgust and contempt. Some claimed that she and Jade were secret lesbian lovers, some claimed it was just because she was too dumb to know better, but Cat knew the truth. She stood alone behind Jade, because no one else dared to. Because she knew what assumptions lead to, and because she hated hypocrisy. Their friends had always claimed forever, promising to have each other's backs. And when Jade didn't stand by one of them, they made her out to be a monster, but when it was Jade's bout against society, their backs were turned and their knives were at the ready.
They were traitors; their act was cold, based on fallacy and rumors, making predictable their code of conduct. It wasn't for what they thought was the greater good. It was for themselves. They knew not how to read between the lines, nor how to see desperation and despair inscribed in poor Jade's eyes whenever they shot insults her way.
Cat knew better; she was always good at reading and observing people. She knew habits and when they were broken. Which is why she knew that Jade was never late. And which was why she was so worried.
When Jade came rumbling through the rusty door five minutes late, all eyes were transfixed on her. They studied her like a textbook, but it was like it was upside-down and in Russian to them. They never knew quite how to react around the wicked witch.
These eyes followed her as she walked towards her old friends, and the world appeared to have fallen into silence.
"Tori. Can I talk to you?" Beck stepped in front of the Latina girl, shielding her from harm's way.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Jade," he said, his voice as cool and emotionless as ever. Jade's body stiffened at the words spoken just mere hours before her world went to hell. But they just words, and not bugs, so Jade let them roll off her skin.
"This doesn't-" she started, but was cut off by Robbie grabbing her arm.
"We're not going to let you kill her too. You're not getting anywhere near Tori."
"What the-"
"Seriously? Everyone knows Tori's your biggest enemy. We're not letting you near her." He pushed her back with an accusing finger. The student body had migrated over to the scene, a mob forming. Insults were thrown, threats and screams filled the air. Cat looked on, and suddenly, she didn't see humans, but sharks, attracted by the smell blood and fighting for the first bite of the victim.
Beck was front and center, adrenalin coursing through his veins. His normally calm facade fell as he succumbed to the alluring draw of the vultures. "You really think we don't know what you're playing at?" he spat, paying no attention to the hurt look that crossed his ex-girlfriend's face.
She took a step back, but the crowd followed. She could see Cat trying to claw her way through, trying to protect her friend. People were pushing, kicking, practically foaming at the mouth. Arms were outstretched, trying to get a grip on the accused girl. The shouts, the curses, the wild look in their eyes; it was too much for the small redhead girl, who was pushed to the back of the crowd, falling onto a beaten up messenger bag discarded off to the side.
The students kept advancing, and Jade had already been hit multiple times. Being dragged, this way and that, hands pulling her shoulders from their sockets, she stopped thinking. It was purely instinct now, to combat the mob mentality. They didn't notice where they were. Not until it was too late.
A sudden push sent Jade toppling. Flying down, she landed on the grey pavement below with a dull thud that could barely be heard from the roof. A stunned silence ensued, interrupted by a few cheers, as the crowd around the edge thinned. Only one pair of eyes was wet at the girl's sudden death. Cat stood, hands clasped over her mouth, gazing down on Jade's lifeless body.
Blood pooled around her head, a halo from hell. Her limbs were sprawled out, like she had tried to fly and failed, and an eerie smile was displayed on her fair face. It was one of resignation, almost content, as if she knew her war was over.
A soft breeze blew in from the ocean, and a white scrap of paper fluttered to the ground in front of the students. A tanned skinned boy bent over and picked it up. He frowned in confusion as he read it aloud.
"'Watch this video.' What video?" he questioned, looking towards his friends. They shrugged, eyebrows furrowing. Cat's eyes wandered towards the bag she had landed upon. It was a familiar Gears of War bag, its contents spilled all over the ground.
Tori followed her gaze and purposefully strode towards it. A disk in a clear plastic case was lying several feet away, a piece of tape attached to it where the note must have once rested. Cat trailed behind the taller girl, but for a different reason. The head of a stuffed giraffe peeked out of the top of the bag. Cat grasped it with a watery smile.
"Should-should we watch it?" Tori's uncertain voice rang through the air like a bell.
Beck gulped audibly, tousling his hair. "Yeah. I guess so. It could be important."
Tori walked silently to one of the monitors near a camera and inserted the disk. A grainy picture appeared on the screen, a timestamp in the bottom corner. The breathless crowd watched as Helen emerged through the main doors, arguing with someone in a hoodie. It was obvious something was amiss as the hooded figure closed the distance between their bodies and grabbed the redhead's arms, shaking her. Helen fought back, elbowing the other person, and a scuffle ensued. A flash of silver appeared and plunged into the girl's stomach. She fell to the ground.
"Why would Jade want us to watch a video of the murder?" someone asked, but the video wasn't over, not yet. The mysterious person turned slightly, and a lock of blonde hair fell into view. A collective gasp went through the audience.
Then, the screen changed. Outside a convenience store, the timestamp only seven minutes after the first, the same hoodie walked into view. The person looked up, unknowingly straight into the view of the camera.
Another gasp. It was Kyle. Helen's boyfriend. The usually friendly boy who had appeared heartbroken after her death.
Cat collapsed to the ground, sobs wracking her body, and for the first time since the whole ordeal began, she let the tears fall freely. Amidst the half-costumed actors and the misguided souls, she wept. Her body shook with the force of the violent wails as they grew in volume, and as realization dawned on the students around her, they too began to cry. But Cat wept, for the end of innocence, for the flawed judgment of man, and for the unjust death of the only person she could truly call her friend.
~…~
Ten Years Later
Caterina Valentine, as she now called, trudged down the dimly lit street outside a small playhouse. She close to home, only a few more blocks, and it had been a long day of filming, but something caught her eye. A flyer, for a play. A sardonic chuckle escaped her lips as she read the title.
Presenting:
Well Wishes
A play by Jade West
After her untimely death, her gothic friend had become a star, her plays becoming extremely popular, especially the ones she had written just before the 'accident.'
Caterina, too, had done well in life, as had all her former friends, but she had become bitter. Though she was friendly and well liked by the community, she kept people at an arms distance, never letting them get close. She was believed to be wise, and some said that if you looked deep into her eyes, you could find the answers to all questions.
She pulled down the flyer, crumpling it in her hands. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, and instead continued on with a resolve to change her route home from now on. She didn't care if it took longer, it was better than dealing with...that.
~…~
"Cat! Cat! Over here!" Inwardly, the woman cringed at the name, but turned to face the interviewer. She was on the red carpet for a new movie. Dread had settled in her stomach. Understandably so, as it was a movie about Jade.
"What do you think about immortalizing Jade's life on film?" he asked.
Forcing a smile, she answered simply; "I just hope they do her, the story, justice." She left the interviewer standing awkwardly, and refused to answer any more questions as she briskly walked into the building.
She watched the movie in silence, her gaze never moving from the screen. When it was over, she stood up and was the first out of the theater. Again, she answered nothing, tears threatening to fall. They had butchered the story; they didn't understand the true emotions behind it. They made it more about the murder than about the people, and they emphasized all the wrong parts.
Four people hurried after Caterina, hoping to catch her. All cameras were trained on them, but no heed was paid to them.
"Cat! Wait up!" Tori shouted, moving as fast as her dress would allow. The woman in question just sped up, but was easily overtaken by her taller pursuers. Beck grabbed her arm, spinning her around.
"Cat-" Tori began, but was cut off.
"What are you doing here?" Her tone was cold and biting.
"Cat, we cared for her too! She was our-"
"What? She was your friend? Funny way of showing it." They were shouting now, celebrities and paparazzi alike watching from the sidelines.
"Cat-" Beck said, attempting to gather the girl in his arms.
"You killed her!" she beat on his chest with each word, tears clouding her vision. Any murmuring had stopped by now, and everyone strained to hear the next words the girl said. "She's dead, because of you."
And with those final words, Caterina left.
The woman stood at the edge of the roof, looking down at the ground below. The ground that had been tarnished ten years ago by the blood of her friend. Her body was still, somber, and anyone who saw her would see a broken woman. A note was clenched tightly in her left hand, a simple sentence that she hoped could convey every emotion, every thought, every betrayal she'd ever felt. Jade probably could have said it better, more eloquently, she thought bitterly.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, she shut her eyes. Death seemed like a welcome friend, and she wanted ever so much to run into its outstretched arms. Her legs trembled, tears glimmered in her eyes.
Ear cocked to the sky, she smiled, appearing to hear something others could not. Silent words fell out of her mouth only to be caught up by the wind. Her reply was lost. Cat stepped back from the ledge.
Her retreating silhouette was illuminated by the silver moonlight, and a white piece of paper floated gently to the ground.
E tu, Brutus?
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